Guess Who's Coming for Christmas? by Cara Colter

Author:Cara Colter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2012-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

“This is my baby ball,” Jamie told Riley. “See? It has my name on it and the year I was born, and it says Baby’s First Christmas. I’d like it up near the top there.”

Jamie had quickly caught on that their unexpected Christmas companion had the advantage of being able to reach the highest branches of their tree without needing a chair to assist him.

It was Bethany who felt disappointed. Considering she had an expectation that this tall, dark and very handsome stranger being dropped on her cabin doorstep was going to somehow be exciting, she could feel a little worm of discontent in her.

Riley, never outspoken, had become remote over lunch. Polite, but not quite there. She got the sensation that he felt, somehow, that he was fulfilling an obligation. Why would he feel that way? He had slid off the road. Why was he sending the silent message it was their fault that he was back here? Did he think if he’d gotten away sooner, it might not have happened?

He was stuck here, but he managed to be removed at the very same time, the body in the chair, the mind a million miles away.

But if she thought he had been quiet and removed over lunch, Riley was becoming increasingly more distant as they decorated the tree. She glanced at him now, and could see the remoteness in his features, a muscle flicking along his jaw as if he were grinding his teeth.

“You know,” she told him, quietly, “this is supposed to be fun. I know you probably have a million more thrilling things to be doing, but you can’t go anywhere, anyway. Why not make the most of it?”

He looked at her, surprised that she had read his mood. “More thrilling things to do?” he said. “No. It’s not that. I just don’t much get into the Christmas spirit.”

“No kidding.”

“Look, I’m sorry it shows. I’m doing my best not to be a wet blanket for you and the kid.” Then his face brightened.

“You’re right,” he said. Visibly relieved, for a split second she thought he was going to throw himself wholeheartedly into the concept of having fun.

Ha. He carefully laid a fragile Christmas ball back in the tissue paper it had come out of. “I could be out filling my woodshed for next season.”

That was not quite what she had meant by making the most of it! She had meant enjoying her and Jamie, but she couldn’t very well say that.

So she said, “What I meant by making the most out of it was enjoying this tree and the kind of pioneer atmosphere up here.”

He actually smiled slightly. “Consider me in the spirit, then. Pioneers worried about wood, believe me.”

As she watched him go, it occurred to her it would not be a good idea to tangle with that particular tiger anyway.

Riley Keenan was way more man than a girl like her could handle.

She had made a mess of handling Sam, who had been

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