"Snowman, snowman," Ella and Toby chanted together.
"Okay, okay." Ian pushed up on an elbow and both children jumped on him for a hug and kiss. "You two scoot off out of here and let me get dressed. As soon as I come down, we'll go and build this snowman."
"Yay." The children both cheered before dashing out the door.
Ian flopped back on the pillow. When Rachel tried to move, his arm tightened around her. "I want you to myself for a few seconds." He kissed her again, stroking a hand over her hair and trailing his fingertips across her cheek. "I keep thinking I've imagined how beautiful you are, but my memory didn't play tricks. You really are as beautiful as in my dreams."'
Pleasure rushed through Rachel at his words. She wasn't used to compliments. "Are you trying to seduce me, Mr. Harper?"
"There's nothing I'd enjoy more than spending Christmas Day in bed with you, but I guess we'd better get up before the kids come back." With a wry grin, he released her.
After Ian came down and had a quick slice of toast, they all bundled up in coats, scarves, hats, gloves, and rubber boots. Ian opened the back door and Max leaped around in the snow, scattering ice crystals over everyone, making them laugh.
They gathered buckets of snow and built a huge pile in the middle of the yard, then rolled a snowball around until it was head-sized. Ian lifted it on top of the body and wrapped his scarf around the snowman's neck.
The children dug through the snow on the driveway to find pebbles to use as eyes, while Rachel fetched a carrot for his nose.
"All right, you three, stand beside your creation so I can take a photo." She held up her phone and gestured for them to take their positions.
Happiness bubbled inside her as Ian crouched in front of the snowman with Toby under one arm and Ella under the other. They all grinned, snowflakes clinging to their coats and gloves, their cheeks flushed with excitement and cold.
Before they went inside, Ian lifted the children on his shoulders one after the other, and they took turns pretending to be giraffes.
After Christmas dinner they settled in front of the log fire in the sitting room, the Christmas tree lights twinkling. With a Christmas cartoon showing on the television, they unwrapped the presents from beneath the tree.
Rachel snapped photos of the children ripping the paper off their gifts, while she and Ian sipped mulled wine, laughing at their antics.
She called her parents to wish them Merry Christmas and texted them some Christmas photographs of the children with the snowman, and one of all four of them by the Christmas tree. Her mum texted her a photograph of the sun gleaming off the azure blue Mediterranean Sea, the view from their conservatory where they were eating Christmas dinner.
With a sigh of longing, Rachel angled her phone screen towards Ian. "Look how beautiful that scene is. I'd love to visit Mum and Dad. They haven't seen Toby for months."
"We'll go together, all four of us," Ian said. "I'd like to see Jeff and Irene again. They were like a surrogate mum and dad to me when I lost my mother."
Rachel squeezed his hand. She vaguely remembered Ian having trouble when he was younger, just before he started working for her dad.
Toby and Ella were busy playing with their new toys on the floor. Rachel passed Ian the picture she had drawn and bit her lip as he pulled the wrapping off, eager for his reaction. He held the sheet of paper up, his expression morphing into a smile as he scanned it.
"You really are talented, love. It's a crime against art for you to waste your skill working in my office."
A startled laugh burst from Rachel. "I'm glad you like it, but I wouldn't go that far." She was still getting her confidence back with her drawing. Greg had convinced her it was a waste of time.
"I love it. Thank you for being so thoughtful."
He pulled her close and kissed her, then handed her a present, a new shoulder bag to replace the one that had been damaged in the storm.
"I'm not very good at choosing this sort of thing. I hope it's okay."
"I love it. Thank you, Ian." Rachel kissed him again, using the excuse for a longer cuddle. They snuggled together, sipping their wine and watching the children.
Ian picked up the picture she had drawn for him and examined it again, his expression thoughtful. He sucked in a breath and blew it out.
"There's another gift I want to give you." He rose and headed for the door, his expression serious. "Be back in a moment."
Rachel stared after him, surprised by his sudden change of mood.
He returned within a few minutes, sat beside her, and handed over a small green velvet box. It looked like a ring box, an old one. Rachel's pulse raced as her gaze rose to meet his. This couldn't be what she thought it was, surely?
Ian nodded, a tentative smile on his lips. "Open it, love."
She lifted the lid to reveal an old-fashioned ring, the round diamond set in white gold, surrounded by seed pearls. "This is beautiful, Ian."
"It was my mother's, given to her by her mother. It's the only thing I have left of her."
"Gracious, I can't accept it then. Not if it has such important sentimental value for you."
She tried to pass the box back but he gently closed her fingers around it. "That's exactly why I want you to have it. I want you to know how important you are to me."
Rachel's breath caught in her throat as he lifted the ring from the velvet pad, and slipped it onto the third finger of her left hand.
Her heart pounded with excitement but uncertainty lingered. Surely it was too soon for him to make a commitment to her? He wasn't the sort of man to rush into things. "Did you mean to put it on that finger?"
Ian laughed. "I do know my right from my left."
"Of course. I didn't mean to imply…"
She stopped when she noticed the mischievous sparkle in his eyes—he was teasing her.
"I know exactly which finger I've put it on." He slid off the sofa to kneel in front of her. "Rachel Carne, will you marry me?"
Rachel opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Tears of happiness filled her eyes. Eight years ago when he'd rebuffed her, she'd never thought this day would come. "Yes," she croaked, her voice thick with emotion. "I love you so much."
"I love you too, darling. I wanted a family so I rushed into things with Jane. I tried to create the happy home I remembered having before my mum died, but it never felt right with Jane like it does with you. I was a fool when I was young. I should have waited a few years until I had my own business and you were older."
He raised her hand to his lips and his eyelids fell as he kissed her finger beside the engagement ring. "I'm lucky we found each other again and you gave me a second chance."
"Fate gave us a second chance." She'd cursed fate a lot lately, but it had really come through for her this time. Maybe all the things that had happened to bring them together were destined to be.
Toby and Ella laid down their toys and came closer. Rachel put her arm around Toby as he touched her engagement ring while Ella snuggled up to her daddy's side.
"That's a pretty ring," Ella said. "Can I have one?"
Rachel and Ian both burst out laughing. Ian hugged his daughter close and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Not for at least twenty years, if I have my way."
They lifted the children on their laps and all cuddled together on the sofa as the final happy scene of the Christmas cartoon played out. The lights on the Christmas tree twinkled, and Max snored on the rug in front of the crackling log fire.
Outside, fluffy snowflakes started falling, covering everything in a pure white coat of perfection, renewing the world, giving them a fresh start.
This was the Christmas Day Rachel had dreamed of ever since Toby was born. She snuggled closer to Ian and kissed his cheek. This wonderful man had made her Christmas family wish come true and it was only the start of their future together.
He'd swept all her problems away and made her feel safe and loved again. She hadn't known how low she was until Ian raised her up and ga
ve her hope.
He was everything she ever wanted, and he'd asked her to be his wife. This was the best Christmas gift ever.
Epilogue
Rachel stood beside the bubbling fountain in the courtyard at her parents' Spanish villa, the warm sun beating down on her, a delightful change after the cold British winter.
Lush green and crimson bougainvillea covered the white stucco walls, and the smell of spicy, sun-warmed earth and fragrant flowers filled the air.
This was the ideal place to get married while the weather was still cold at home. Ian had suggested they come here for the wedding so Rachel's father didn't have to travel—another of his wonderful ideas. In a few minutes she would walk down the aisle and pledge to love him for the rest of her life. She couldn't wait to make that promise.
A blue butterfly landed on one of the lilies in her wedding bouquet. "Look at this." She lowered the flowers so Ella could see, smiling at the look of wonder on the adorable little girl's face. In the last few months, Ian's daughter had crept into her heart and become as dear to her as her own son.
Jane and Eric were busy with their new baby and didn't seem interested in having Ella back. That was a good thing as Ian had sworn he would never let her go. She was part of their family now.
Greg seemed to have fallen off the face of the Earth, or Rachel hoped he had. He'd stopped texting or calling and that suited her fine. Toby had Ian now, a reliable father who loved him.
"Are you ready, sweetie?" Rachel tucked a stray dark curl back under the circlet of flowers adorning Ella's hair.
The little girl's hand crept into her own. She leaned against Rachel's side as Irene Carne bustled out of the house with Toby trotting at her side to keep up. "Potty break successful," Rachel's mother said in her efficient voice.
Toby looked so grown-up in his gray pageboy suit, and Ella was pretty in her powder-pink flower girl's dress with a little basket of cream and pink carnations. "You both look lovely." Rachel kissed each child as her mother arranged her dress.
"Face the front, love," her mother said, straightening her veil and moving the children into position behind her.
Toby and Ella held hands and stood where they were told, while Irene Carne squinted at the villa under her wide-brimmed hat.
"Where is that man? He's keeping everyone waiting." She marched back towards the house while Rachel shared a giggle with the children.
"Poor Granddad's in trouble again."
A few minutes later, her parents hurried out. Her father rolled his eyes as he stepped up to her side. "Ready, love." Her father smiled at her. It was good to see him on his feet, his complexion glowing with health from the warm Spanish weather.
"Ready and eager to be wed." She gripped his arm and leaned close to kiss him. "Thank you so much for sending Ian to help me the day the tree came down on my house."
"My pleasure. I'm very happy to see the two of your together. You won't find a better man than Ian Harper."
Her dad's enthusiastic seal of approval was the icing on the cake. She knew he'd worried about her when she was younger; now he would never have to worry about her again.
The musicians struck up with Elgar's wonderful love song, "Salut d'amour." Jeff Carne led Rachel through the old Moorish archway covered with tiny blue mosaic tiles and down the grassy aisle between the rows of ribbon-bedecked chairs. Ian waited for her in a gazebo covered in flowers, perched on a rocky outcrop with the azure blue Mediterranean in the background.
She smiled at the friends and family gathered to see her marriage, but most of her attention focused on her fiancé, soon-to-be husband, so handsome in his gray suit.
Her father passed her hand to Ian and stepped aside, guiding Toby to his seat with Ella in the front row.
The priest performed the marriage service, and Rachel spoke the words that would join her to Ian for the rest of their lives. She smiled up into his warm brown eyes, so full of love and kindness, her thoughts absorbed by this man who had changed the course of her life.
He'd given her everything she'd ever dreamed of: a beautiful home, a loving family. He'd persuaded her to go back to art college to make the most of her creative talent, and he loved Toby as if he were his own son.
"You may kiss the bride," the priest said.
Rachel melted into Ian's arms, feeling the smile on his lips as they met hers. After a long, sweet kiss, he moved his mouth to her ear and whispered, "I love you, my darling wife."
And she loved him too, more than anything else in the world.
If you enjoyed reading A Christmas Family Wish, you might also enjoy these other books by Helen Scott Taylor
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The Army Doctor's Christmas Collection
The first three stories in the Army Doctor's Series.
Three heartwarming stories of love and family that all end happily at Christmas—A Christmas proposal, a Christmas wedding, and a Christmas birth!
Praise for The Army Doctor's Series
"Grab a kleenex because you are going to need it! This is one no romance lover should miss!" Teresa Hughes
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"This is a sweet romance with a wonderful happily ever after. Highly recommend this read!" Luvbooks.
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"The story was captivating from beginning to end." Sue E Pennington
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Read a sample or buy The Army Doctor's Christmas Collection on Amazon HERE
A Family for Christmas
A heartwarming tale for Christmas.
A lonely career woman stranded in a blizzard, a disillusioned man who has cut himself off from women. When he rescues her from the snow and takes her into his home, the spirit of Christmas and his little girl's love work their magic.
Praise for A Family for Christmas
"What a delightful novella with appealing characters, lovely descriptions, and a sprinkle of suspense." Reader Forever
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"A Family For Christmas is a top-notch holiday read." Heather Hiestand
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"If you want to enjoy a heartwarming Christmas story, you'll love this book." OnTheMark
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Read a sample or buy A Family for Christmas HERE.
The Army Doctor's Christmas Baby (Army Doctor's Baby #3)
After he loses his wife, army surgeon Colonel Sean Fabian protects his damaged heart by cutting women out of his life. He dedicates himself to his career and being a great dad to his twin babies. When he asks army nurse Kelly Grace to play nanny to his children over Christmas, he realizes how much he misses having a beautiful woman in his life and in his arms. Caring for Sean's adorable twin babies is Kelly's dream come true. She falls in love with the sweet little girls and their daddy, but she's hiding a devastating event from the past. If she can't trust Sean with her secret, how can she ever expect him to trust her with his bruised heart?
Praise for The Army Doctor's Series
"This enjoyable story has lots of twists to keep you going. Highly recommended." Nancy Radke
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"Helen Scott-Taylor pens a delightful romance with so much conflict and emotion one has to read it in one sitting." Reader Forever
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Read a sample or buy The Army Doctor's Christmas Baby HERE
Love is All Around: Box Set of Three Contemporary Romances
Three highly rated contemporary romances in one box set—excellent value!
Praise for Helen's Books
"This is the type of book to snuggle up on the couch with on a slow Saturday afternoon to lose yourself in heartbreak, romance, and happily ever after." Sandy M, The Good, The Bad & The Unread.
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"It was incredibly romantic and sweet, and I couldn't wait to find out how it turned out." Abbey, Wendy's Minding Spot
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"You'll adore this romance with a charming hero who has such generosity of spirit and so much love to give the right woman. You'll cheer Maria on and hope she realizes that sometimes you just have to take a risk and follow your heart." Joan Reev
es, Slingwords
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Read a sample or buy Love is All Around on Amazon HERE
About the Author
Helen Scott Taylor won the American Title IV contest in 2008. Her winning book, The Magic Knot, was published in 2009 to critical acclaim, received a starred review from Booklist, and was a Booklist top ten romance for 2009. Since then, she has published other novels, novellas, and short stories in both the UK and USA.
Helen lives in South West England near Plymouth in Devon between the windswept expanse of Dartmoor and the rocky Atlantic coast. As well as her wonderful long-suffering husband, she shares her home with a Westie, a Shih Tzu and an aristocratic chocolate-shaded-silver-burmilla cat who rules the household with a velvet paw. She believes that deep within everyone, there’s a little magic.
Find Helen at:
http://www.HelenScottTaylor.com
http://twitter.com/helenscotttaylo
http://facebook.com/helenscotttaylor
http://www.facebook.com/HelenScottTaylorAuthor
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Book List
Paranormal/Fantasy Romance
The Magic Knot
The Phoenix Charm
The Ruby Kiss
The Feast of Beauty
Warriors of Ra
A Clockwork Fairytale
Cursed Kiss
Ice Gods
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Contemporary Romance
The Army Doctor's Baby
The Army Doctor's Wedding
The Army Doctor's Christmas Baby
Love is All Around: Contemporary Romance Box Set
Unbreak My Heart
Oceans Between Us
A Family Forever
Finally Home
Flowers on the Water
Moments of Gold (Anthology)
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Young Adult
A Christmas Family Wish Page 7