Holly Lane by Toni Blake

Author:Toni Blake [Blake, Toni]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780062024602
Publisher: Avon
Published: 2011-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

Thirteen

. . . they were happy, grateful, pleased with one another, and contented with the time . . .

Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

Uh-oh. So much for her “no more Adam” plan.

As his gloved hands rose to her shoulders to steady her, his gaze widened. “Sue Ann.”

“Adam,” she breathed. Oh brother—don’t breathe at him. You sound like a smitten schoolgirl. “Sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

And when he smiled at her and said, “Not a problem, sugar plum,” she felt it squarely between her thighs. Talk about madness.

Oh Adam, why do you have to be here, now, for heaven’s sake? Because she might have dodged a bullet with the cat, but this bullet was hitting her, hard, embedding itself straight into her heart. He stood before her, his dark hair mussed, jaw stubbled, bundled in a winter jacket and blue jeans, a striped scarf of hunter green and burgundy circling his neck. His cheeks were slightly red from the cold, but . . . oh my—those eyes of his were like hot blue flames, making it so she didn’t even feel the brisk December wind. And that fast, her heart beat too hard and she was wanting him again.

But wait, stop. I can do this. I’m a big girl—I can push down my desires and stick to my plan. And she was going to start by . . . acting more normal than smitten. Even if the last time she’d seen him she’d been dodging his kiss.

“So . . . what’s up?” she asked.

“Not much,” he told her.

“Christmas shopping?”

“Um . . . actually, to be honest,” he said, taking on that slightly sheepish look she found so inexplicably endearing on him, “I’m heading to Dolly’s for a piece of pumpkin pie. Because I’m done at work for the day and not in the mood to go home to a quiet house.”

“Oh.” Damn, that made her sad. “Still missing the boys?”

His simple shrug said it all—then he changed the subject by reaching down to ruffle Sophie’s hair. “How’s it goin’, kiddo?”

Sophie tilted her little blond head and replied, “Okay, I guess. Mommy still won’t let me have a cat, but we’re gonna go home and make cookies, and then go sled riding, too!”

“Well, that sounds fun. Who needs a cat when you’ve got all that to keep you busy, right?”

Glancing down at Sophie, Sue Ann saw that she truly seemed to be considering his words. “Yeah, I guess Dickens wouldn’t be very good at that stuff.”

“Dickens is the cat in question?” Adam asked, switching his look briefly from Sophie to Sue Ann. She nodded, and he looked back to Sophie to say, “Cat hair and cookies don’t go too well together. And cats are terrible sled riders. Now—my dog, Pepper, though, is great on a sled.”

Sophie let out a giggle, smiling up at Adam. “No he’s not. You’re teasing me.”

“Would I do that?” he asked playfully.

And Sophie gave a big, emphatic nod that made them all laugh.

“Kid’s got my number,” Adam said, lifting his gaze back to Sue Ann.

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