His for Christmas

by Cara Colter

  She knew Luke was in that crowd somewhere. She’d sensed him there earlier, before the auction had started. She hadn’t needed to turn around to confirm it, but she had anyway.

  He’d stood tall and grim on the outskirts of the crowd, his lips tight and those grooves biting deep into the flesh on either side of his mouth. She’d swung away again, before he caught her staring.

  What was he doing here?

  Her lips twisted. Maybe he wanted to make sure she really did leave town, and that she no longer meant to trespass on his hospitality?

  He need have no worries on that score. She’d made enough of a fool of herself over him already. She was in no hurry to repeat the performance. A girl had to have some pride. She’d be driving away from here some time in the next hour and she would never return.

  But the thought shrivelled her heart up as hard and tight as a walnut.

  Pride be damned! She’d beg him to give their love a chance if she thought it would make a difference.

  Only it wouldn’t.

  All she could do now was studiously avert her gaze from the crowd—from Luke—and try with all her might to stop from falling apart in public. Problem was, that only left her one place to look—at Great-Aunt Ada’s lovely colonial-style cottage. A reminder of the dreams that had taken seed there burned and prickled through her. As did the guilt that she was selling off part of her heritage.

  She clenched her hands together and did her best to block the rapid-fire bidding from her ears. She didn’t have any other options. She couldn’t stay in Gunnedah. Living in the same town as the man she’d fallen in love with was not a sure-fire method of getting over him, of that she was certain. And she wasn’t a masochist.

  ‘Excellent,’ Julia murmured in Keira’s ear, tapping her clipboard. ‘We’ve reached the reserve price. Your house is now officially on the market. It will be sold today.’

  Keira’s eyes burned. She gripped her hands tighter.

  ‘I don’t know what’s got into Luke Hillier, though,’ Julia continued. ‘He’s bidding like a man possessed.’

  The iron-bar rigidity left her body on one big out breath.

  ‘What?’ She spun around.

  To discover Julia was in earnest.

  Luke was bidding on her house!

  What on earth…?

  ‘Will you excuse me for a moment?’

  Not waiting for Julia’s reply, Keira threaded her way through the sea of bodies to where Luke stood. ‘What on earth do you think you’re doing?’ she ground out as quietly as she could. She wanted to scream!

  ‘Buying your house.’ He spoke just as low, and then raised his hand to indicate another bid.

  She grabbed it and hauled it back down. ‘But…But…you can’t afford it.’

  ‘Yes, he can,’ said the man standing beside Luke.

  He handed her a business card. Luke’s bank manager? But…Her brain wouldn’t work.

  One thing she did know. ‘I am not selling my house to you,’ she hissed.

  ‘Listen here—’ the bank manager pitched his voice low ‘—Luke’s money is as good as anyone else’s, missy.’

  Keira gave up all pretence at discretion. ‘What did you just call me? Missy? Missy! What kind of Neanderthal—?’

  ‘Uh, Keira…’

  Luke touched her arm. She glanced up to find everyone had turned to stare. Anger that she wanted Luke to not only keep touching her but to haul her into his arms overrode her embarrassment.

  She focused on the anger, not the despair. ‘Why on earth would you want to buy my house?’

  She suspected she might well die a thousand deaths over making such a public display when she went back over this scene later. In fact, this was proof positive that she wasn’t quite over making a fool of herself where this man was concerned after all, wasn’t it?

  Her chin shot up. What did it matter? She’d be leaving here in an hour, and these people would never see her again. What did it matter what they thought of her?

  ‘How on earth can you afford it?’ she demanded. ‘Not by renting out that Spartan room of yours—of that I’m certain!’

  He shuffled his feet and glanced around. Keira did too. The auction proceedings had ground to a categorical standstill. She gritted her teeth and reminded herself that she didn’t care what these people thought of her.

  Amazingly, when Luke’s gaze returned to her, his lips twitched. ‘I’m guessing you’re not going to wait till the auction is over for an explanation?’

  She shook her head. ‘Not a chance.’

  ‘I can afford to buy your house if I sell Candlebark. It’s that’s simple.’

  She gaped at him. He couldn’t sell his home. He loved it! It was a part of him. Why would he even consider such a thing?

  He continued to survey her with that curious half-smile and her mouth went dry. ‘Why would you do that?’ she croaked.

  ‘Because I was wrong.’

  Her heart stuttered and threatened to take flight. She tried to rein it in. She planted her hands on her hips. ‘About which bit, precisely?’

  He didn’t hesitate. ‘The bit about not being able to give you what you needed.’ His chin jutted out. He planted his feet. ‘I know I’ve been blind…an idiot…but just give me a chance to prove myself to you, Keira, and I will.’

  She had no hope of restraining the wild hope that gripped her.

  ‘I know you dreamed of raising children here in your great-aunt’s house, of establishing your physiotherapy practice and being part of a community. You deserve to have all those things, and they can still be yours. I can be the husband you need. I can be the father of your children.’ He hauled in a breath. ‘If that’s what you still want, that is. If I haven’t left it too late.’

  He was prepared to sell his farm to give her what he thought she most wanted in life? Her throat grew so thick she couldn’t so much as utter one word.

  ‘What you want and what you need are more important than where I live or what kind of job I have or…or anything. I want to spend my life with you—whether that’s here in your aunt’s house or in the city. Keira—’ he reached out and gripped her hands ‘—I love you.’

  She couldn’t help it. Her heart burst free with all its hope and joy. She threw herself at him and wound her arms around his neck. All around them cheers and applause broke out. ‘You idiot,’ she whispered, resting her forehead against his. ‘I don’t need you to sell Candlebark to prove that to me.’

  ‘Sweetheart, after everything I’ve put you through I can’t expect you to take me on trust.’

  She drew back to gaze into his face. ‘Why not?’

  His eyes widened.

  She threw her head back and laughed for the sheer joy of it. ‘Luke, wherever you are, that’s my home. All the other bits don’t matter. Please don’t sell Candlebark. I would love to raise our children there. My great-aunt’s house will make the perfect clinic—just like we said.’

  ‘Are you sure?’ He cupped her face in his hands. ‘I want you to know that I would give it up in an instant for you.’

  She knew he meant it. And she knew what he was trying to tell her. She wondered if it were possible to melt from sheer happiness. ‘I’m positive, Luke. Now…’ She cocked what she hoped was a cheeky eyebrow, but her heart pounded in her chest so loudly everyone within a two-metre radius must hear it. ‘You said something about being the husband that I needed. Was that a proposal of marriage?’

  His eyes darkened. ‘Yes, it was. But it was a darn clumsy one.’

  He went down on one knee in front of what felt like the whole town. Heat surged into her cheeks, but whether from embarrassment or happiness she couldn’t tell. ‘Keira, will you do me the very great honour of making me the happiest man on the planet and becoming my wife?’

  ‘Yes,’ she said simply, pulling him back to his feet. ‘Now, kiss me.’

  And he did.

  Then it seemed everyone was crowding around them to shake Luke’s hand and to kiss her cheek and
to offer congratulations.

  Julia bustled up. ‘Do I take it that the house is off the market?’

  ‘Oh, yes!’ Keira seized the other woman’s arm. ‘Julia, I’m so sorry. I’ve put you to an awful lot of trouble for no reason.’

  ‘Not at all,’ the agent said with a laugh, patting Keira’s hand. ‘I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. Congratulations to both of you. I don’t doubt that once word gets out our next auction will be packed to the rafters.’

  ‘I do hope so!’

  Before she could say anything more Jason came racing up, his grin wide. With a whoop, he picked Keira up and swung her around. ‘That was fully sweet, Dad!’ He put her down to clap his father on the shoulder.

  That was when Keira saw Brenda, standing on the fringes of the crowd. She hesitated for a moment, before moving towards the older woman and taking her hand. ‘That must’ve been terribly difficult for you to witness.’

  Brenda squeezed her hand. ‘It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.’

  Keira led her across the road to a park bench. ‘Are you okay?’

  Brenda sat. ‘I think so.’

  Keira sat too. She stared at the sky, at the house opposite, at the crowd. ‘I don’t know if this is common knowledge yet or not. I don’t know how quickly news spreads in a country town…but a couple of weeks ago I had a miscarriage.’ She paused. Stared at the sky again. ‘I wanted that baby so much…and then I had the miscarriage…’

  She let the words trail off. She knew Brenda would understand. ‘But I never held my child in my arms. I never waved her off on her first day of school, waited in the emergency room while she had a broken arm set, watched her grow up and blossom into a woman with a child of her own. I can’t begin to know how terrible and difficult your grief must be, Brenda.’

  ‘And yet,’ Brenda said slowly, ‘we had our Tammy to love for thirty years.’ She stared down at her hands. ‘Jason was right. I’ve let my bitterness twist me. I wanted to blame someone and I fixed on poor Luke. I know what happened wasn’t his fault.’ She lifted her head and met Keira’s gaze. ‘The thing is, while I’ve missed Tammy more than I can say, I’ve missed Luke too. He and Tammy were thick as thieves when they were growing up. He spent as much time at our place as he did at his own. He was always like a son to me.’

  Keira swallowed and moistened her lips. ‘So…you wish him well?’

  ‘I hope the two of you will be very happy, Keira.’

  Keira’s heart soared. ‘And will you and Alf come to our wedding?’

  ‘We’d be delighted to.’

  ‘And dinner next week?’

  ‘That would be lovely.’

  Both women stood as Luke made his way across to them. Brenda reached up and kissed Luke’s cheek. ‘Congratulations, Luke.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Now I must be off, to tell Alfred the news.’

  ‘I’ll call you,’ Keira said.

  ‘You do that, dear.’

  Luke’s jaw dropped. Keira reached up and tapped it closed. He swung to her. ‘I swear, woman, you’re a witch!’

  She shrugged. ‘I didn’t do anything.’

  One corner of his mouth hooked up. ‘How can you say that when you’ve waltzed into town and turned my life upside down?’ He collapsed onto the bench and then reached out to seize her around her waist and drag her down into his lap. ‘How can you say that when you’ve bewitched me body and soul until I can think of nothing but you?’

  ‘Oh, Luke.’ She laid her hand against his cheek. ‘Are you happy? Really? Is this really what you want?’

  ‘With my whole heart,’ he vowed. ‘What I feel for you, Keira, is a man’s love. It’s deep and true…’ his eyes darkened ‘…and unchangeable. What I felt for Tammy was a boy’s crush mixed up with friendship. It’s taken me a long time to realise the difference. I couldn’t stand the thought of hurting you the way I’d hurt her.’

  He stared out to the front, his mouth tight for a moment. ‘It wasn’t until the auction was about to start that I realised I’d give up everything—including Candlebark—if only you could have what you wanted. When I realised I’d choose you over my home, my livelihood, my way of life. That’s when I knew what I felt for you was something different—something I’d never experienced before. And I hoped I hadn’t left it too late to tell you that.’

  Keira stared at him in awe for a moment. Then she smiled. ‘You didn’t leave it too late, Luke. You timed it perfectly. I got my Christmas miracle after all.’

  He traced her cheek with one long, tanned finger. ‘You are my Christmas miracle, Keira.’

  Her heart swelled so big she could hardly breathe. ‘I love you, Luke.’

  ‘And I love you. I mean to spend a lifetime showing you just how much.’

  She cocked that cheeky eyebrow again. ‘You could always start right now, by kissing me.’

  His grin when it came was low and sexy. ‘What an excellent idea.’

  The Nurse Who

  Saved Christmas

  Janice Lynn

  JANICE LYNN has a Masters in Nursing from Vanderbilt University, and works as a nurse practitioner in a family practice. She lives in the southern United States with her husband, their four children, their Jack Russell—appropriately named Trouble—and a lot of unnamed dust bunnies that have moved in since she started her writing career. To find out more about Janice and her writing, visit www.janicelynn.com.

  To my children, who bring Christmas alive and are life’s greatest gifts. I love you.

  Chapter One

  NURSE ABBY ARNOLD hid her smile behind her hand as Santa Claus grimaced at the squirming kid sitting in his lap at the children’s advocacy Christmas community outreach in downtown Philadelphia.

  “Smile for the picture,” she said sweetly, standing a few feet from the elaborate thronelike chair and Christmas tree being used for “Pictures with Santa.”

  Santa Claus’s deep blue eyes narrowed behind his gold-rimmed glasses, but his lips curved in a smile hopefully only she could tell was forced.

  How had she talked Dr. Dirk Kelley into helping when the Santa she’d arranged for the event canceled at the last minute, leaving her desperate for a replacement? So desperate she’d asked a man she’d treated as if they were just friendly colleagues for the past two months and not more, all the while walking on eggshells at the sharp undercurrents between them.

  “Ho, ho, ho, what do you want for Christmas this year, little boy?” Santa asked, sounding more like the Abominable Snowman than a jolly old man full of Christmas spirit.

  Despite her awkward physical awareness of the man beneath the suit, it was all Abby could do not to snort. Did Dirk really believe that voice sounded Santa-ish? Hadn’t he sat on Santa’s knee as a kid? Watched Christmas television shows about jolly Saint Nick? Anything that would clue him in that Christmas was the most magical time of the year and that for these kids he was part of that magic? Something they’d always remember?

  For all she knew, he hadn’t.

  Although they’d started out with a bang the night they’d first worked together, she really didn’t know much about the handsome doctor who’d knocked her socks off from the moment she’d met him.

  She knew very little about him or his past. Although, thanks to that morning, she spent way too much of her present thinking about him and how much she’d like to feature in his future.

  The kid on Dirk’s lap, around five, wiped the back of his pudgy hand across his runny nose. “An Xbox, and a cellphone, and a digital voice enhancer, and a…”

  The list went on. And on. Even Abby’s eyes widened at some of the items the kid listed. What had happened to a baseball glove or a bicycle?

  Santa’s bushy white brow rose as he regarded the kid. “Have you been that good this year?”

  Another wipe of the face, then a nod. “I have. Extra-good.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.” At the mother’s frantic look, Santa diplomatically added, “But Santa’s on
a budget. To be fair to the other good little boys and girls, I’ll have to prioritize and just bring one or two of your list items.”

  The mother heaved a relieved sigh.

  Santa set the boy off his lap but, rather than walk away, the kid wrapped his arms around Dirk’s neck and planted a noisy kiss on a high cheekbone Abby had doctored earlier with rosy rouge. “I love you, Santa.”

  Abby’s insides melted. How sweet! This was why she’d volunteered to organize this event. Why she volunteered with so many Christmas events. To help bring holiday magic alive for others.

  Only Dirk looked more like he was being cooked alive than feeling the magic.

  “I…uh…” His eyes cut to her with a distressed plea for rescue. He didn’t have to say anything aloud. Abby got the message loud and clear.

  Not in a million years could she deny him. Not when his gaze held hers and she had a resurgence of the connection she’d instantaneously felt with him, had a resurgence of the connection they’d shared that morning. One so real, so tangible, she’d felt in sync with him, had comforted and been comforted.

  No, she couldn’t deny Dirk much of anything within her power to give. Obviously. Besides, she was good at helping others, giving to others. It’s what she did. What she’d always done. What was expected of her by all who knew her, especially this time of year.

  Wondering at Dirk’s evident rising unease, she put her hand on the boy’s back and gave him a gentle pat. “Santa loves you, too. Don’t forget to keep being extra-good between now and Christmas. He’ll be watching.”

  At the last, the kid shot a wary glance toward Santa, his face contorting in shock. “Even when I’m in the bathtub?”

  “No, not then. Just when you’re being good or bad.” Sending an apologetic smile, the boy’s mother took his hand and led him away. Several times he glanced over his shoulder, waving goodbye.

  Standing to tower above her five feet, six inches, Dirk bent to whisper in her ear. “Santa needs a break. Stat.”

  His rush of warm breath tickling her ear filled her with Christmas magic, from her head to the tippy-tips of her toes. This so wasn’t the place to be getting hot and bothered by Dirk and his overabundant male magnetism.