Snowflake Wishes, Christmas Kisses by Annalisa Russo

Author:Annalisa Russo [Russo, Annalisa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christmas romance, Christmas, sweet romance, holiday, fantasy, follow your heart, small town romance, spirit
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
Published: 2019-08-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

If there was anything more Christmasy than Green Earth’s Town Square Tree Lighting Ceremony, Cord didn’t know what it was. Even the weather had cooperated. A pleasant wintry mix of powdery flakes accumulated to form a thin blanket of snow over the town square and a small, manmade, ice skating rink. Pine garland swagged over gingerbread cutwork on the gazebo, while a giant nutcracker soldier stood guard to the right of its entrance. A horse-drawn sleigh was providing free rides around the four-block area that bordered the town square. A few groups of teenagers hurried to finish their versions of Frosty for the Best Snowman Contest.

And nearby, the star of the show, a towering balsam, commanded attention of young and old. Hand-painted ornaments hung from its branches, one from each classroom at Sheridan Elementary and Intermediate Schools and the neighboring high school. Cord figured the bulbs would be traditional multicolored, crowned overhead by the same silver-and-gold star he remembered from his youth. He and Vanessa had always snuck down to Town Square to attend the tree lighting. He always left with a bittersweet feeling after observing the dynamics of families who showed up with kids in tow—until he grew old enough and wise enough to finally put a name to the lack of substance in his own.

He dismissed the maudlin thoughts and nudged Giselle with his elbow. “This isn’t the date I had in mind.”

“Oh? What exactly did you have in mind, Mister McQuada?” Giselle looked ridiculously pretty in her fur-lined jacket and her knitted white cap pulled down to sit just above her brows. Her riotous caramel curls tumbled over her shoulders.

“You, me, a crackling fire, a glass of the bubbly, and copious amounts of mistletoe.”

“Sounds very nice, and maybe a little dangerous.” She laughed and then pointed to a group of children. A couple of thick-furred dogs were playing with toddlers bundled up like waddling penguins. “Aren’t they cute,” she commented, and then glanced around. “I think we lost our friends and their children. Where is everyone?”

“Hanna is over there,” he said, pointing, “watching her friends ice skate. I’m taking some grief for not providing her with a pair of skates, even though I didn’t know about the rink. It’s a new addition since I lived here.” Hanna’s winter wardrobe was sadly lacking, too. She and her mom had to leave everything behind when they fled the cult.

“You’ll have to remedy the situation as quickly as possible. I remember skating on the rink a few times when I visited Mel for the holiday. I always had a blast.”

“Didn’t you spend Christmas with your parents?” After the words left his mouth, he mentally kicked himself. He didn’t want to ruin the mood by bringing up painful childhood memories.

She shrugged her shoulders. “My parents were busy from Black Friday through New Year’s. Until I started college, I usually spent Christmas with Grandmère in France. I met Mel my freshman year. She invited me to join her family here in Green Earth—until she left school to marry Brad in senior year.

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