Christmas at The Corral_Holidays at The Corral by Debra St. John

Author:Debra St. John [John, Debra St.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Contemporary, Holiday
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc
Published: 2015-11-04T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

Half an hour later, Maggie stood in the glow of the parking lot lights, her hand tucked in Van’s. She was getting far too used to the…rightness of the small gesture. Had she really only known him for two days? So many things about him were already familiar.

The twinkle in his eye when he teased. The way his southern accent thickened on certain phrases. How her name sounded coming from his lips.

“So, I guess you want to be getting home. It’s been a long day for you.”

“I don’t have anywhere to be.” She didn’t have to get up super early in the morning, and it would be worth losing a couple hours of sleep if she got to spend them with Van.

What if they spent them in her bed? Heat spread from head to toe, chasing away the bite of winter’s chill seeping through her coat.

“Me neither. What a coincidence.”

“What about your family?”

“Mom and Dad are at a cocktail party at Dad’s boss’s house, and Ellen went out with some friends she hasn’t seen in a couple of years.” He took a step closer. His voice lowered. “I’m all yours.”

What would it be like if he was? Hers. Not for one night in a she-could-be-that-kind-of-girl-once-in-her-life kind of way, but in an always kind of way. A softer, more gentle warmth flared, starting in the region of her heart.

“What do you feel like doing?”

Besides ripping off his clothes or asking if he believed in love at first sight? The second was surely a no. He didn’t believe in love at all, and even if he did, at this stage love was too strong a word.

Did people really fall in love overnight? Only in romance novels.

Did she like Van? Yes.

Was she attracted to him? Oh yes.

Was she going to do anything about it? No. At least not right now. She still wasn’t sure if she was bold enough to be that kind of girl. Although she needed to decide soon because Van would be heading back to Dallas all too soon.

“How about a walk through town?”

“I could go for that.” His gaze swept over her. “Will you be warm enough?”

She stuck her foot out from beneath the hem of her skirt. “I changed into my boots, and my coat is toasty warm.” Besides, his hand around hers kept her plenty warm.

“Okay.”

They strolled toward Main Street.

“So what’s tomorrow at the VFW?”

“Oh, we’re packing meals to be sent to homeless shelters in the city. How did you know about that?”

“I overheard someone say they’d see you there tomorrow.” He glanced down at her as they turned the corner.

Norman Rockwell couldn’t have painted the scene more perfectly. Thousands of white lights glimmered from the bare branches of the trees arching over the street. They swayed in the wind, making shadows dance on the pavement.

A dusting of snow clung to the evergreen rope wrapped around the black, wrought iron lampposts lining the sidewalk. Giant red bows were looped around the tops, and baskets of poinsettias hung from the crossbars.

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