Their Christmas Miracle by Barbara Wallace

Author:Barbara Wallace
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2018-08-08T21:52:03+00:00

* * *

“Looks like one of us is down for the count,” Thomas said, pointing to the settee where Maddie lay sprawled on her stomach beneath a blanket. She’d faded while Thomas and Rosalind struggled with the lights. Overloaded with excitement and sugar, she’d crashed hard when the adrenaline wore off.

Rosalind tucked the blanket around her, smiling when the girl mewled and clutched Bigsby closer. “Poor kid. Think she’ll be disappointed she missed the finished product?”

“We saved the angel for her,” Thomas replied. “Plus, I think she’ll be more excited about the possibility of presents under it than stringing lights on the tree.” He finished hanging the last ornament, then stepped back. “I have to admit the end result looks quite festive.”

Rosalind had to agree. They’d set up the tree in the upstairs library. That was where they always put it. A company-paid decorator did the rest of the apartment, Thomas explained.

The tree, not so tall that Maddie couldn’t reach the top from Thomas’s shoulders, was set in the corner, hugged by two floor-to-ceiling bookcases. Woolen balls and felt animals—the same ones that had flashed through her mind this morning—hung on the branches.

“It’s beautiful,” Rosalind said. Simple and homely, unlike the glitzy decorations she suspected would go downstairs. “Explain to me again why we’re hiding it up here? Are we afraid of the decorator?”

Her question earned her a chuckle. She’d discovered over the course of the evening that Thomas had a varied and fascinating collection of laughs. There was the amused, from-the-gut laugh he made when playing with Maddie, the slightly mocking laugh he made when he was being sarcastic—that one was reserved for stories about his siblings—and a naughty-sounding laugh that wrapped around her spine whenever they shared a private joke. This particular laugh held a note of question, like he was silently saying, “Maybe.”

“The company has hired a decorator to do the president’s home for years. Considering we’re expected to entertain Collier executives and vendors here, it makes sense.

“Don’t worry,” he added, sensing how she’d tensed at the idea of playing hostess to a room full of people she didn’t remember. “I’d already postponed this year’s event until after the New Year due to previous circumstances.”

He meant his first Christmas as a widower.

“As for the tree being in the library...it was actually your idea. You wanted a room and a tree more in keeping with your idea of Christmas.”

Well, the room definitely fit. The library, while still luxurious, lacked the gilt and glamor of downstairs. The fireplace had a dark mantle, and the overstuffed quarters made the room far more welcoming. She could never picture curling up on the blue velvet sofas downstairs. Yet when taking a seat on the leather love seat, she kicked off her shoes and tucked her legs beneath her without a second thought.

She took a long look at the tree. It too left her with a warm, cozy feeling. The homespun ornaments reminded her of old friends nestled amid the branches.

“Do you think we have enough lights?” she asked.

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