Kat smiled widely. “For me?” The first thing she unwrapped was the snow globe, and her mouth dropped open.
Inside the globe was a young couple kissing outdoors amongst the trees. A sprig of mistletoe hung from a branch above their heads.
“This reminds me of…”
“Our first kiss?” Jason answered softly.
Kat wound the key on the bottom and when All I Want For Christmas Is You began to play, tears sprung to her eyes while she nodded her head up and down.
Jason pointed at the bag. “There’s still one more thing for you in there.”
Kat pulled out the small box from the bottom of the bag and had the wrapping off in seconds. When she looked back at Jason, she was crying. “Oh, Jason. It’s beautiful.”
Jason cleared his feeling a little emotional himself. “The jade reminded me of the color of your eyes,” he said gruffly.
Kat had the most beautiful smile of any woman he’d ever known, Jason thought.
She pulled the necklace from the box and handed it over to Jason. “Hold onto this for me until I’ve changed my clothes, will you? I’d like to wear it tonight. I’ll bring my globe up to my room with me.”
When Kat stood up, Jason walked her to the elevator. Jason was already dressed warmly and ready for Luke and Kelly’s Christmas Eve party, but Kat still needed to shower and change.
“What was the second message you picked up at the desk?” Jason asked suddenly.
Kat blinked. “Oh, that’s right. It’s from Mark. I recognized his handwriting.”
She pulled the message from where she’d stuffed it into her purse and quickly ripped it open scanning its contents.
“Ah. Since the weather forecast was good, he decided to drive back to Chicago this morning so he could be with his parents for Christmas.” Her smile was wry. “That’s nice.”
“No regrets?” Jason asked staring into her eyes.
“Not a one,” she answered firmly, meeting his gaze. “It might take me a little while to get ready,” she said, walking into the elevator when the doors sprung open. Turning and smiling, she rolled her eyes. “My hair is a mess.”
Thinking again about her ruined hairstyle and her unexpected reaction last night after nearly freezing to death, Jason gave her a huge grin nearly laughing out loud. “I can find something to do. How about we meet in the bar in about an hour?”
Kat was still smiling when the elevator doors closed.
Dressed in dark corduroys and a warm creamy cowl neck sweater, she arrived in the bar exactly an hour later carrying a warm winter coat over her arm. Her hair was silky and shiny and pulled back into one long braid.
When Jason dug out the pendant from his pocket and hung it around her neck, he was kind of amazed when he somehow managed to do it using both his right and prosthetic hands.
Kat smiled but suddenly became serious. “I hope I’ll be able to be with you for your surgery Jason?”
“As long as we can find a sitter for Kitty,” he answered with a grin. Becoming solemn, he stared hard into her eyes. “I was kind of hoping you would stay at my house while I’m gone cause it might be a few months, Kat. That is, if you’re serious about moving here to Crystal Rock?”
“Oh, yeah. I was even thinking about that before I met you again.” Kat began to laugh. “I’m sure we’ll be able to figure something out when it comes to finding someone to take care of our Kitty.”
Jason grinned.
Kat sipped on some wine and Jason finished his beer while they sat at the bar for a little longer discussing their future together.
By six o’clock, they were on their way to Luke and Kelly’s house located on the very tip of Dragonfly Pointe. It was a green home that Jake Loughlin had built for the caretaker he’d never ended up hiring, and it was situated right beside the bay near the ice rink that Kat and Jason had visited fifteen years ago.
They’d enjoyed themselves, Jason thought a few hours later as he and Kat headed outside from Luke and Kelly’s house to go for a walk around the point. There were many of his old friends at the party, and he’d been proud to be able to introduce Kat to each and every one of them. Jason thought again about how much he’d been isolating himself from other people, and how little he’d actually been getting out except to attend work related events.
He was definitely going to change that.
They checked out the ice rink first and watched a few of the skaters. And then Jason found himself leading Kat around the point and traveling that same path they’d taken fifteen years ago, and climbing up to the top of Crystal Rock.
Once Jason led Kat to the ledge overlooking the lake, they stood staring upward at the stars. There was a full moon tonight and the sky was absolutely beautiful.
Jason hid a grin turning to Kat, attempting to keep his voice serious. “There’s something I’ve been having a difficult time trying to tell you about Kat, and I’ve been having trouble with this ever since you were a kid.”
“What?” Kat looked concerned. “What is it Jason?”
“I have this thing…about your,” he sighed exaggeratedly, “eyebrows.”
“My…” She looked at him worriedly at first but then finally catching on, she snorted, “eyebrows?”
He nodded his head up and down trying not to laugh.
“That’s gotta be one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard,” she said dryly.
Jason burst into laughter. “Tell me about it,” he finally answered.
“Although sometimes when I’m asking you a question, you get the strangest look on your face and for a long time now, I’ve been trying to figure out why.” She began to laugh. “You were doing it even when I was a kid come to think of it!”
Jason was still laughing when he pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, and unwrapped a very small bunch of dried mistletoe.
Kat’s laughter subsided. “That looks…old,” she said quietly.
He stared into her eyes. “Fifteen years old to be exact.” He placed it carefully on top of the pine branch overhead so it wouldn’t crumble any further, and then he gazed back into Kat’s eyes.
“I can’t believe you kept it all these years.” Kat was blinking hard. “I’ve kept mine too. It’s pressed into the journal I used to write in every day.”
Desire filled his heart and flooded his senses, and then before she could say more, Jason pulled Kat into his arms, his mouth hotly, hungrily covering hers. He kissed her deeply and then lightly as Kat’s body melded into his.
Unprepared for the intensity of her response, he made a choked sound and his mouth crushed back into hers. Her lips opened wider from the force of his kiss.
He slowly moved his mouth from her lips to her cheeks and throat, and Kat’s tension seemed to melt as Jason continued to tenderly caress her.
The pleasure of it was almost unbearable; this was what he’d wanted from the moment they’d met.
But it was time to stop.
They were breathing hard when he drew her head against his shoulder.
“You’ll remind me about what’s important, and how not to take life too seriously,” Jason whispered.
“I will,” she answered softly. “I don’t know much about the military Jason, so please be patient with me.”
“There are going to be a lot of people who I’m dealing with and working with that’ll be having it a lot worse than I do, Kat.”
“Well, I’m willing to help however I can. It’s convenient being my own boss. And from what Kelly says, Danielle Reardon is looking for an interior designer to do some makeovers at the inn. So I might already have some work lined up.”
“Cool,” Jason answered. “You know there’s plenty of room at the cottage for a home business?”
Jason felt Kat nodding her agreement against his shoulder.
“But there’s one thing I’m worried about,” she said, obviously pretending to be solemn. “This fetish you’ve got going with my eyebrows is pretty weird you know.”
Jason b
arked out a laugh. “Well, it could be worse. I could have some other secret fetishes about you that I’m not telling you about.”
“Promises, promises,” Kat answered rolling her eyes.
Obviously startled into silence, Jason started to laugh but ended up coughing instead.
Slapping him hard on back, Kat snickered.
A moment later he said quietly, “You do know that I really want you Kat? That I always have?”
Kat became serious too. “It’s always been the same for me. It’s like we’ve never been apart these fifteen years since meeting again. You know?” She took in a deep breath. “But as far as going further? I think we should take our time.”
Jason continued what he knew she was going to say. “And get to know each other better? Especially since you’re just breaking away from another serious relationship?”
She sighed and gave him a nod of agreement. “Although it might be difficult?”
“Oh, yeah,” Jason answered, looking upward exaggeratedly showing his frustration.
Kat put her hands on her hips and deliberately raised a brow.
Jason stared at her reprovingly. “Okay now watch that eyebrow…”
Kat was giggling, but she was practically in tears.
After a moment, she became thoughtful. “This is what Christmas is all about. You know? Mistletoe and kisses.”
Jason drew her into his arms again and grinned. “For making our Christmas wishes come true?”
Kat eased back gazing into his eyes. “You know, this is exactly what I wished for Jason, all those years ago?”
“I can’t believe it.” Jason laughed softly. “Me too Kat. It’s as if you read my mind. I wished that there might be a someday for us, even back then.”
Jason wrapped his arms around her and continued to hold her, just breathing her in. He couldn’t believe it. He’d gotten everything he’d wished for this Christmas.
Cinnamon, spice and magic.
Everything that was Kat.
A Note from the Author:
I hope you’ve enjoyed Two Hearts Christmas Wish, the fourth story in my Two Hearts Wounded Warrior Romance Book series.
Since I’m steering my writing in a slightly different direction with this story, I’d like to fill everyone in about the inspiration behind Two Hearts’ Christmas Wish. Christmas time can be joyous but sometimes depressing for many of us, and when I wrote this novella, my primary goal was to leave readers with a smile.
Although I do like to inject humor wherever I can, I usually tackle some pretty serious subject matter. And despite the fact that my wounded warrior Jason does have some tough issues dealing with a missing hand, he’s not quite as overwhelmed as Luke and Zach have been in my previous stories. Jason has also decided he can do more for our country by remaining enlisted.
But think about it—how many people know that a pilot with a missing leg has a better chance of returning to the air than a pilot with a missing hand?
Two Hearts’ Christmas Wish is all about second chances and moving forward. Normally, my writing tends to be a little bit steamier than it is in this novella, but I wanted my first Christmas story to be upbeat and appealing for every age group in keeping with the spirit of the season.
May all of you have the best and brightest holiday season, as well as a
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Tammy
I send out a bi-monthly newsletter where I provide information about new releases as well as free books and available promotional sign ups and giveaways.
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Tamara Ferguson
About the Author
Writing steamy yet sweet compassionate stories of fate that are wonderfully romantic, Tamara Ferguson is the multi-award winning, #1 international bestselling author of the Tales of the Dragonfly Romance Suspense Series, the Kissed By Fate Series, and the Two Hearts Wounded Warrior Romance Series.
Her wounded warrior romances, Two Hearts Unspoken. Two Hearts Surrendered, and Two Hearts Undone were all winners at the 2016 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards; with Two Hearts Unspoken earning the Silver Medal in Military Fiction. Two Hearts’ Christmas Wish, the fourth story in the series, just spent 6 consecutive weeks at #1 in the Mistletoe Kisses & Christmas Wishes romance set. Two Hearts Surrendered was just announced as a Romance Selection for the 2016 New Apple Book Awards for excellence in independent publishing.
Along with the 2015 Romance Reviews Readers’ Choice Award Winner That Unforgettable Kiss, Two Hearts Surrendered and Two Hearts Unspoken were also finalists for the 2016 IAN Book of The Year. Tales of the Dragonfly In Tandem was a romance finalist in the Indie Excellence Awards, while Tales of the Dragonfly In Flight was a romance suspense winner at the Readers' Favorite International Book Awards.
Since she remains a full-time caregiver for an autistic son (along with a bunch of adopted pets!), you can usually find Tammy working at home, where she spends a lot of time not completing her numerous home improvement projects, because she's writing or helping author friends promote their books on twitter.
An Excerpt
#1 INTERNATIONAL BEST SELLER
Two Hearts Surrendered
(Two Hearts Wounded Warrior Romance Book 1)
Kindle
2016 READERS’ FAVORITE BOOK
AWARD WINNER
Military Fiction
2016 NEW
APPLE ROMANCE SELECTION
2016 IAN BOOK OF THE YEAR Finalist
2016 Romance Reviews Finalist
Reader’s Choice Awards
PROLOGUE
His eyes scoped out the beach as he struggled to reach the pathway from the parking lot, steering away from the crowd. Following the trail to the very edge of the sand, Luke stumbled over moss and patchy grass, until he found shelter under a canopy of scrubby pines bordering the park.
He groaned, when he finally dropped down to the sand. His stepdad had really done a number on him this time–the pain was pretty intense. Resting his shoulder gingerly against the trunk of one of the pines, he sighed. It was such a hassle, having to constantly be on his guard–especially when he was always having to come up with excuses for teachers, explaining why he was missing so much school.
Luke grimaced. And hiding the welts and bruises? It was becoming nearly impossible–since a couple of the idiots in his class had decided to say something to his counselor, after seeing Luke without a shirt on in the locker room. Everything was beginning to catch up with him, he realized, as his eyes filled with tears.
But he was way too old to cry, he decided. With a shaking hand, he swiped away his tears.
He got a whiff of the smell of popcorn, as it drifted through the air from the nearby concession stand–and his stomach growled. Damn, that smelled good. Luke took in a deep ragged breath as he focused his attention on the crowded beach. That little Callahan girl was at it again, making the rounds. With her white-blonde hair and deep-blue eyes, she sure was a pretty little thing. And, man, what a personality–he was guessing she was only about six-years old. Even at thirteen, Luke knew he’d been cursed with a bad reputation. And ever since he’d acquired that tat, not to mention the scar that ripped through the side of his face, most little kids, and nearly all of his classmates, seemed to be scared of him–like he was someone out of a horror flick.
But not her. She reminded him a little of his younger sister, Cassie. Just remembering Cassie made him cry a little harder.
&nb
sp; For some crazy reason, Luke had always been drawn to this beach. Probably because deep inside he knew—all the stories and superstitions were true—Dragonfly Pointe was magic. It was the only place in this world where he seemed to feel alright. Here, he could forget about the deep, dark problems in his life, and chill out just long enough to recharge before returning home.
Home? He snorted. He hadn’t had a home for a very long time, he realized, as he began dozing off.
An hour later, when Luke began to slowly awaken, he felt like something was off. Studying his surroundings, he turned his eyes to the far end of the beach, where sixteen-year old Dan Callahan was standing amidst a group of his friends. Although her twin brother Jeff was playing with some kids in the sand nearby, Kelly Callahan was nowhere in sight.
Luke gazed across the sand to the lake. Suddenly noticing a pair of arms flailing, far out in the water, he jumped up to his feet, glancing quickly over at the abandoned lifeguard station. Where in the hell was the lifeguard? Racing across the sand, and whipping his shirt off from over his head, Luke cringed as the scabs from the welts crisscrossing his back ripped open. Barely noticing the pain, he slipped off his sneakers and began to plow through the water, until he was deep enough to begin swimming.
After what seemed like forever, he was finally close enough to Kelly to pull her into his arms. It appeared that he’d reached her just in time.
“It’s okay–I’ve got you, Princess,” he reassured her, as he began treading water. Luckily, she was light as a feather, because it took a few moments to calm her down, while she coughed and spit out water.
“I’m sorry,” she said, still sputtering. Clinging more tightly, Kelly wrapped her arms over his shoulders. “I’m never supposed to go swimming by myself,” she said, in a shaky voice.
“Well, at least you’ll probably never do it again,” Luke said calmly. He was beginning to feel light-headed. He’d already been exhausted after biking five miles just to reach Dragonfly Pointe. Plus, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually had something to eat. “I need to get you back to the shore, Princess.” Prying arms loose, that were wrapped like an octopus over his shoulders, he stared into sapphire blue eyes, filled with fear. “You’re gonna have to trust me.”
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