Blue Chow Christmas

by Rachelle Ayala

  Love is Harts coming first.

  Love is catching a bumblebee in your hands and not getting stung.

  Love is losing a bet to win a heart.

  Love is understanding without judgment.

  That last one was Cait’s. She no longer worried that her family would hate her if they found out her secret, because after she discovered her mother’s secret, she loved her more, knowing how hard it had been for her to keep the family together.

  She’d had a heart-to-heart with her parents in private, away from her brothers and sisters, and her mother’s story was the same as hers, except for the miscarriage. The three of them had cried together and hugged each other, and Cait was so very grateful for her father for marrying her mother and shielding her from the spotlight of a scandal.

  Pete Hart, not the senator, was the only man she would ever call Dad, and Cait realized that if her baby had been born, Brian also would have loved that little one and been the dad because he’d married her knowing that she was pregnant.

  “Grady, what about your heart?” Linx nudged Cait’s brother. “I saw you make one.”

  “I won’t admit to it.”

  “There are only two left,” Linx said, shaking the bag. “Yours and Brian’s.”

  “I get to go last.” Brian dotted a kiss on Cait’s lips. “So, Grady, let’s see what the dog hater has to say while surrounded by dogs. Don’t you feel bad Cedar had to stay in the kennel?”

  “Not at all. I’m telling you, Cedar loves me.” Grady took his heart from the bag and blew on it. “Love is losing and winning a heart.”

  “Ahhh, that is so romantic,” Cait teased her brother. “I didn’t know you had it in you.”

  “Shall I hang it up for you, loser?” Linx took the ornament from Grady and twirled it around.

  “Only if I win dinner from you.”

  “I don’t know,” Linx said. “If I had to choose between you and Cedar, you’d lose more than a dinner.”

  “Shut up and hang up my heart.” He crossed his arms and flashed her his lady killer grin.

  “Let me show you where.” Linx ambled away to the other side of the tree and Grady followed like a puppy dog after a bone.

  “He’s done,” Brian said. “Can’t wait for the fur to fly when he and Cedar finally meet.”

  “Your turn now.” Cait shook the almost empty bag. “I’ve seen that list you gave Linx. You’re really quite the romantic.”

  “I have a confession.” Brian looked down and shuffled his feet.

  “What is it?” Cait asked. It couldn’t be bad, since Tommy had already confessed to putting a slow leak into the brake lines because he thought Brian would be driving the Outback. He also sent messages to Glen in Brian’s name to frame him. All charges against Brian had been dropped and no suspicions hung over him. Even Grady had had to grudgingly apologize to Brian for blaming him for Cait’s accident.

  Tommy had posed as Wonderman and tricked TrickyGlen by hacking into Brian’s Realm of Rogues account. He’d read their messages, added more messages, and also tipped off PinkPriestess so that she would go to the police and report Brian. His plan would have worked, too, had he not overreached by kidnapping Cait and tampering with the brakes, two things Brian would never have done. Once Brian was arrested, any logins to the account pointed straight back to Tommy and sealed his guilt, since Brian had an alibi.

  “What’s your confession?” Cait repeated, tugging his hand and encouraging him.

  Brian cleared his throat and shrugged jerkily, like a little boy caught with his pants down. “I never thought I was capable of feeling emotion, that I could ever experience love. The only thing I knew how to do was fake it. Watch what others did, and copy them.”

  Cait drew him close and rested her hands on his chest. “Brian, you are a man full of love and feeling. You just express it differently. Whoever said you can’t experience love was wrong. They had no clue what was going on in your heart and in your mind. You are as normal as anyone else, and ever since I’ve known you, you have shown me in thousands of ways how much you love me and my family.”

  “Even when I didn’t give you flowers or chocolates or say it every day?”

  “Yes, even when you stayed away from me because you thought that was what I wanted.” She tipped her head up and kissed him. “I love you, Brian, with all my heart, and I accept your language for love. I’m the luckiest woman to have your heart, and I am honored that I’ll get to spend my entire life with you.”

  “I’m the lucky one.” Brian caressed her cheek softly. “Because you understood me without judging me.”

  “And you put up with me not fully being a wife to you.” She blinked back tears of joy. “From now on, you come first, and I’m honored to take your name. I want to be known as Cait Wonder.”

  Turning to her family, she announced. “Did you all hear that? Cait Hart is going to be Cait Wonder and our theme song this year will be ‘It’s the most WONDER-ful time of the year.’”

  “Yay!” Her entire family cheered and whooped. “It’s about time you became the Wonder woman. It’s the most wonderful Christmas, indeed.”

  She turned her attention back to Brian and bit her lip. “If you’ll have me, that is.”

  “Of course, I will.” He crushed her lips with a kiss and whispered, “We can have an entire family of Wonders.”

  “Yes. I’d love to start right away.” She hugged him tightly, well, not too tightly because of his injured shoulder. “Now, for the last heart. Let’s see what love is for you.”

  Brian grinned, looking happy and pleased with himself as he took the last heart from the bag. Zipping his lips, he showed it to her.

  Love is what’s not spoken.

  Cait’s not done with meddling with her sisters’ weddings. In fact, she’s got a whole new idea for Jenna and Larry’s Valentine’s Day wedding.

  Please turn the page for an Excerpt for Valentine Wedding Hound, Book #5 of the Have A Hart Romance Series

  Excerpt – Valentine Wedding Hound

  “She wouldn’t dare!” Jenna Hart rose to her full height and towered over her baby sister, Melisa. “It’s my wedding, not a reality show.”

  Of course, shooting the messenger never worked, but it sure felt good.

  “Contract’s already signed.” Melisa made a dour face and slapped a pink manila folder on Jenna’s ironing board. “I’m sorry, but you made a deal and you have to play.”

  Last December, both Jenna and Melisa had encouraged their eldest sister, Cait, to take her husband’s surname and start a business. In returned, they had agreed to be her first clients. Hence, Cait Wonder and her business, Cait’s Wonderful Weddings, was born.

  Melisa had had a New Year’s Eve extravaganza, which was another story on its own, but now, it was time for Jenna to pay the piper.

  “Cait’s gone over the top, completely.” Jenna swept the folder onto the floor, scattering the contents.

  Melisa, who usually sympathized with her concerning Cait’s screwball plans, shrugged and twisted her lips. “This will promote your design firm. Think of the visibility you’ll get.”

  “I can’t do it! It’s going to be a zoo.” Jenna threw up her hands and paced around the small design studio. She was an independent fashion designer and owned Hart in SF Designs based in San Francisco.

  She was also one of a few designers not headquartered in New York, London, Milan, or Paris, and she needed the publicity. At the same time, it was her wedding, and maybe behind the glamour and glitz of the fashion business, Jenna was still an old-fashioned girl who wanted a quiet church wedding—not the media extravaganza her sisters seemed to believe she really, truly wanted and needed.

  Melisa calmly picked up the folder and showed Jenna the spec sheet. “You already agreed to the fashion show, right? You also agreed to the assortment of pets each groomsman would escort. You even agreed to the pet adoption after the reception.”

  “Yes, yes, and yes!” Jenna tapped her finger on the terms and
conditions. “But I didn’t agree to the reality show, especially one where I have to take on-camera dares.”

  The popular reality show, She Wouldn’t Dare, was based on goading celebrities to accept challenges during important events—in this case, Jenna’s wedding to her fireman hero, Larry Davison.

  They’d met a year ago when the mascot for her Valentine’s Day fashion show, a sweet and gassy basset hound puppy named Harley, was lost and then found by Larry.

  A runway show, bachelor auction, and a house fire later, Jenna and Larry fell in love and decided to marry. At the time, it seemed fitting to have the wedding on Valentine’s Day. Romance, hearts, flowers, chocolates, and wedding vows went well with Cupid’s arrows.

  But now, after Melisa’s raucous and highly publicized New Year’s Eve wedding, Jenna was tempted to take Larry and their dog, Harley, and elope.

  “You’ll have to speak to Cait about the contract,” Melisa said. “I’m afraid you gave her power of attorney …”

  “She wouldn’t dare.”

  Melisa flipped to the signature page. “She already did. I don’t think you can afford the cancellation clause.”

  She definitely couldn’t, and it might be a good idea. In fact, the exposure could get her name recognition and be a boost to her brand. Hadn’t a marketing guru once told her that all publicity, bad or good, was good publicity?

  “When do they start shooting?” Jenna’s eyes darted wildly around her studio, currently in a deep state of chaos with half-finished dresses and material tossed everywhere.

  “Camera crews are outside with Cait.” Melisa turned to the double doors and flung them wide open. “Come on in, Jenna Hart is ready to rock and roll.”

  Jenna watched in horror as her older sister, Cait, led the camera and sound crew into her tiny studio, followed by the host of She Wouldn’t Dare, actress Amy Suzuki, who’d starred on the now defunct Romancing the Racer reality show a few years back. The show was a flop and cancelled when the motorcycle racer crashed and ended up in the hospital due to being distracted over her and the drama she’d caused.

  “Welcome to this episode of She Wouldn’t Dare, featuring up and coming San Francisco fashion designer, Jenna Hart.” The Asian-American beauty spoke to the camera as she positioned herself beside Jenna. “We’re in Jenna’s design studio where she is busy putting together her bridal collection. How are you feeling today? Is the pressure ramping up?”

  Jenna was sweaty, her hair was a mess, and she hadn’t put on makeup. She glared at her two sisters and felt every sharp pain of the knives stabbing and twisting in her back.

  Gritting her teeth, she forced a smile for the camera. “Everything’s going great. I have these two bridesmaid’s dresses on the forms, and my two wonderfully adoring sisters just happen to be here for a fitting.”

  There, that’ll get back at them and give them on camera time. See how they like not having their hair sprayed and their clothes ironed before going on camera.

  “Awesome,” Amy chirped. “I see the two dresses are different in terms of cut and style. Why is that?”

  “My two sisters are very different animals.” Jenna kept herself from growling. “Cait, the eldest, is efficient and very bossy. She favors clean lines and bold statements. She also has a figure which presents many design challenges.”

  “How so?” Amy shifted her glance from Jenna to Cait’s waistline.

  “I have to be careful with balance and form. For example, drawing the eye away from problem areas to provide the illusion of a slender femininity.”

  “Rawrrr …” Amy made a catty noise as she place the mic in front of Cait. “We all know how difficult bridesmaid dresses are. Do you have confidence Jenna can tackle all of the problem areas, as she puts it, and make you a truly memorable dress?”

  “I have no doubt. My sister is capable of anything.”

  “Do you like your dress?” Amy asked. “After what Jenna said about her design goals?”

  “Yes, I do.” Cait crossed her arms. “She captured my personality and style fabulously.”

  “That’s why she’s the star.” Amy focused on the form holding together the pieces of Melisa’s dress, a lacey, frilly concoction of tulle and soft curves. “Tell me about your younger sister, Melisa.”

  “She’s always been a sweetheart,” Jenna said. “Until now.”

  “Oh, do tell. Is that why her dress is so juvenile?”

  Jenna couldn’t help smirking at the frown which flickered across Melisa’s face. “She’s the baby of the family, almost, and she follows Cait around like a little duck.”

  “I do not.” Melisa put her hands on her hips and stamped her foot. “I may be nice, but I’m no pushover.”

  “Do you like the dress she designed for you?” Amy ran her fingers from the beaded lace bodice down to the poufy tulle skirt.

  “No, it’s too fairy tale.” Melisa wrinkled her brow. “The problem with Jenna is she underestimates me. I don’t believe this dress reflects who I am.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear that,” Amy said. “If Jenna had time for a do over, would you want her to make you another dress?”

  “Of course.” Melisa jutted her chin at her designer sister. “I’m no longer that dreamy little girl she thinks I am.”

  “Cait, Melisa, tell me something.” Amy chuckled in an annoyingly saccharine voice. “Is there anything Jenna wouldn’t dare?”

  “Nothing whatsoever.” Cait bobbed her head as if she were an expert on Jenna, having bossed her around since she came home from the hospital. “Jenna has no circuit breakers. She’ll try and do anything.”

  “Jenna’s brave. She always did her own thing,” Melisa said. “I looked up to her and I still do.”

  “Wonderful.” Amy turned to the camera. Her assistant handed her a pair of scissors. “Jenna Hart, you are five weeks away from your wedding. For your first dare on the She Wouldn’t Dare: Wedding Edition show, I dare you to cut up Cait’s dress, the one she likes, and replace it with one that isn’t so businesslike.”

  “Can I cut up Melisa’s dress instead?” Jenna’s heart took a flying leap. There was no way she could redo both Melisa and Cait’s dress.

  “No, the dare is to cut up Cait’s dress. She’s going to be in a wedding, not a presidential cabinet meeting. Up for grabs is a home remodel worth fifty thousand dollars.” Amy put the scissors in Jenna’s hand as the countdown clock began to tick.

  “Does it have to be a remodel or does new construction qualify?” Jenna’s parents’ house had burned down earlier in the year, and they were having a new one built.

  “New construction is okay as long as it’s within the budget. Do you take the dare? You have ten seconds left.” Amy turned to the camera and said, “She wouldn’t dare, or would she?”

  Jenna swallowed and bit her lips, computing time and material estimates in her head. She owed her sister-in-law, Nadine, a dress, and her mother’s dress needed alterations. As for her own gown, she had a bad case of designer’s block, and it was still on the drawing board.

  “Four, three, two,” Amy counted down.

  “I’ll do it.” Jenna slashed the scissors across the satin lapel of Cait’s dress and ripped in the bodice.

  “No!” Cait lunged to the form and put her arms around it, almost getting cut. “I love this dress. I love it, I love it.”

  [End of Excerpt]

  To read more, please look for Valentine Wedding Hound at your favorite online bookstore.

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