by Candis Terry
Across the room, Faith sat on the floor beside a little girl named Megan he’d been introduced to earlier. The child had disabilities that made it difficult for her to push the buttons on the play cell phone the charity had purchased for her. With a smile, Faith pulled a miniature magic wand from her pocket and handed it to Megan. The wand had a stylus on the end and allowed the child to successfully enjoy her new toy.
If he hadn’t already, Chase would have fallen in love right then and there.
The doorbell rang, and Chase looked up.
Faith smiled, giving him an, I’m kinda busy here could you get the door? shrug.
Happy to comply, Chase acknowledged the absolute joy filling the space around him as he opened the door.
“Surprise!”
“Merry Christmas, big brother!”
If he’d not felt the spirit of giving before, Chase was overwhelmed by its presence as Boone and Cassidy wrapped him in a family hug. He wondered if they’d call him a total sap if he cried. Probably. And he didn’t care.
“Merry Christmas.” Beside him, Faith looked up with a smile so warm he felt it all the way into his heart.
Overwhelmed with emotion, he couldn’t speak. So he curled his arm around her and drew her into their circle.
When they finally all stepped back, Chase provided the introductions. Although Faith had provided the surprise, she’d only spoken to his siblings by phone. Moments later, as Boone and Cassidy headed into the great room to join the others, Chase caught Faith’s hand and drew her into his arms.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She smiled, lifted to her toes, and pressed a kiss to his mouth. “I called your mother too, but she wasn’t able to come.”
“Doesn’t matter.” He tightened his embrace. “I’ve got everything I need right here.”
AFTER THE PRESENTS had been opened and the gift wrappings discarded, the group of family and friends shared more hot chocolate, steaming coffee, and thick slices of the sweet pumpkin pie Shelby had provided for the celebration.
Later, while the snow still fell from the gray sky, Chase closed the door behind the last remaining guests. Boone and Cassidy were in their own cabins on the ranch, and Chase finally had Faith all to himself.
He found her on the sofa, head back, eyes closed. As he passed by, he bent over and gave her an upside-down kiss.
“Time to relax.” She patted the sofa, while Doc settled down on the rug in front of the fire in the roaring hearth. “Come sit beside me.”
He settled in next to her, but before he could tuck her into his arms, she reached beneath a pillow, pulled out a small, gift-wrapped box, and handed it to him.
“Merry Christmas,” she said. “I know you’ll probably be leaving soon. And this isn’t much but . . . well, open it, and I’ll explain.”
She’d given him the gift of bringing his family together for the holiday, so he hadn’t expected anything more. But the sweetness of the gesture warmed his heart, which was already overflowing.
Never able to contain himself with unwrapping gifts, he tore off the shiny red bow and gold paper, then removed the lid of the black box. Inside lay a gold instrument on a bed of white satin. When he looked up, Faith’s gray eyes glittered.
“It’s a compass,” she said.
“I can see that.”
“So you can always find your way back.”
“To you?”
She nodded, and a single tear caught like a diamond on her bottom lashes.
“I do have to go back to New York,” he said. “I have business there.”
Again, she nodded. “I know.”
“No, sweet thing . . .” Before she could look away he caught her chin between his fingers. “I don’t think you do. So I want you to listen carefully. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“I have to go back to New York . . . to tie things up. Close things out. Put my apartment up for sale and get the rest of the stink of the city off me.” He smiled at the reference she’d thrown out the very first day they’d met.
“You what?” Her eyes glittered again. This time with curiosity.
“Ask me to come back, Faith.” He kissed her tasty lips. “Ask me to stay. Not because you need another hand around the ranch. Not because you need someone to push your shopping cart when you fill it full of presents. Ask me because you want me here because you think you might be falling in love with me.”
She blinked, and the tears were back. “I don’t have to think,” she said. “I know I’m falling in love with you.”
Warmth filled his soul. “That first night when you fell into my arms–”
“Literally.” She laughed.
“Perfectly,” he said. “I already knew.”
“You knew what?”
“That day we went shopping for the gifts? You said you knew you’d never be enough to keep me here. Faith, you’re not only enough, you’re more than I ever expected.” He kissed her trembling bottom lip. “More than I ever dreamed. Thank you for this gift. It’s very special, but I don’t really need it. I know where I belong.”
“I–”
“Ssssh.” He smiled, pressed a finger to her lips. “My turn.” He reached beneath the sofa and rolled out the long cardboard tube he’d covered with a cheerful dancing-snowmen gift wrap. “This is for you.”
“But . . .” She took the present and held it against her chest. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”
“Open the gift, Faith.”
She sniffed. “Okay.”
Carefully, her fingers untied the ribbon, then pulled off the paper and the end of the tube. She reached inside and withdrew the rolled papers.
“The first one is a marketing plan along with a financial schedule that will allow you to double the number of children who can visit each summer,” he explained while she unrolled the paper in her hands. When she smiled up at him, he eagerly helped her unroll the second paper. “And this is a blueprint for the covered-wagon sleeping quarters you want to build.”
“Where did you get these?”
“I called in a favor from a friend. Do you like them?”
“Like?” She shook her head. “Love? Yes.”
“I’m glad.”
“Thank you.” She curled her arm around his neck and kissed his cheek. “This is so thoughtful. And it will be the gift that keeps on giving.”
“There’s more.”
“More?” She wrinkled her nose. “Chase, this is more than enough. It’s wonderful.”
“I didn’t give you those plans because I expect you to accomplish them all on your own. I’m selfish. I want to be a part of it. I want to be a part of your life, Faith. A part of the Magic Box Ranch. Forever. If you’ll have me.”
“Pretty words from an adman.”
“Pretty words with meaning.” He pulled the small white box from between the sofa cushions and handed it to her. “Say yes, Faith. Ask me to stay. Tell me you want me to be in your life forever. Give me the best Christmas I’ll ever know.”
She opened the box and revealed the solitaire diamond he’d taken a chance and bought because he already knew he couldn’t live without her.
Her fingers fluttered to her mouth, then she looked up at him and sighed a “Yes.”
His heart leaped.
“On one condition,” she said.
“Which is?”
“That each Christmas will only get better and better.”
“Then let this be the first of many.” He drew her into his arms and, heart-thumping happily, he kissed her soft and slow.
For a man who’d once seen Christmas as a painful reminder of his loss, he acknowledged the error of his ways and accepted the most precious gift he’d ever received.
“Merry Christmas, Faith. I love you.” He gently stroked her cheeks, catching her happy tears with his fingertips. “With all my heart.”
And for a man whose heart just weeks ago had completely stopped . . . that was really saying something.
This winter, get ready for a
Sweet Surprise
Fiona Wilder knows all about falling in lust. Love? That’s another story. Determined not to repeat past mistakes, the single mom and cupcake-shop owner is focused on walking the straight and narrow. But trouble has a way of finding her. And this time it comes in the form of a smoking-hot firefighter who knows all the delicious ways to ignite her bad-girl fuse.
Firefighter Mike Halsey learned long ago that playing with fire just gets you burned. He’s put his demons behind him, and if there’s one line he won’t cross, it’s getting involved with his best friend’s ex. But when fate throws him in the path of the beautiful, strong, and off-limits Fiona, will he be able to fight their attraction? Or will he willingly go down in flames?
Coming February 2015
from Avon Books
Keep reading for a sneak peek . . .
Prologue
FIONA WILDER DID not like being the center of attention. The intense scrutiny never failed to make her feel like she had toilet paper stuck to the bottom of her shoe, or that the back of her dress was caught up in her panty hose and her rearview assets were out there for everyone to observe.
And judge.
At the moment, however, while she might be near the focal point of every hungry pair of female eyes in the vicinity, she wasn’t necessarily the nucleus. That honor went to the man she happened to be dancing with at the wedding reception of Reno and Charlotte Wilder.
As just one of their numerous preceremony calamities, Reno and Charli’s postnuptial festivities had needed to be relocated from a flooded reception hall to Jesse Wilder’s backyard oasis. The picturesque landscape had been transformed into a wedding wonderland of twinkling fairy lights, floating lotus candles in a natural, stone-edged pool, and elegant tables set with fabulous centerpieces of curly willow branches and fragrant roses.
Not a surprise that Fiona found the romantic atmosphere far superior to anything a dusty old reception hall could offer. On the other hand, she couldn’t be more surprised to find herself in the arms of Mr. Tall, Dark, and Delicious.
AKA firefighter Mike Halsey.
Previously, he’d been one of the bachelors up for auction at the Black Ties and Levi’s charity event to raise funds for the expansion of the Sweet Emergency Center. On that particular night, she’d either been too chicken or not nearly schnockered enough to raise her paddle and bid on him even though just the sight of his extreme hotness in those fitted Levi’s, crisp white shirt, and black tux jacket practically had her bid paddle melting in her lap. In the end, her former mother-in-law, Jana, had plunked down a good amount of cash to win Mike. Though what the woman planned to do with him remained to be seen.
The truth behind the reason Fiona’s paddle had stayed put also came as no surprise.
At least not to her.
Since the dissolution of her and Jackson Wilder’s short but meaningful marriage, she’d pushed aside any type of personal involvement with the opposite sex. Not that she’d decided to play for the other team or anything, she’d just been too busy repenting for her failures and playing the role of single mom to their four-year-old, Isabella.
Plus there was the minor little detail of the whole trust issue thing she had going on with herself. Instead of graduating, as she had, with a business degree from Clemson, you would have thought she’d acquired a master’s degree in How to Screw Up Your Life.
There had never been any doubt that Jackson was an amazing dad to Izzy, and Fiona considered him one of the best men she’d ever known. He just hadn’t been the best man for her. Likewise, she hadn’t been the right woman for him. Fortunately, they loved and respected each other and totally rocked as best friends and unified parents.
Life sure had a funny way of working things out.
Since their divorce, Jackson had rediscovered Abby, the true love of his life. Abby also happened to be his very first love, which he foolishly let go. Now Jackson and Abby were next in line to walk down the aisle, and Fiona truly couldn’t be more delighted for them. To know the universe had somehow righted itself sent bubbles of happiness through her heart.
To that end, and because someday she’d like to find that same kind of relationship bliss for herself, she’d done everything in her power to banish Naughty Fiona—her inner wild child–an insatiable party girl who had a tendency to fall in lust, not love, with gorgeous firemen or men of that same dashing-daredevil breed. The kind of men who possessed sculpted calendar-boy faces, perfect pecs, rippled abs, and tight buns. The kind of men who appeared to be unattainable and whom she now considered off-limits.
She didn’t have time anyway. Her plate was full with building a happy and prosperous future for her and Izzy. She might have messed up a lot earlier in her life by being foolish and reckless, but she wouldn’t let that happen again.
Naughty Fiona was on lockdown in bad-girl solitary confinement.
As the reception band’s lively cover of “Beer Money” came to an end, and the two-steppin’ couples cleared the floor, Fiona gave sexy Fireman Mike a smile of thanks for the dance. He returned the gesture with a megawatt grin. But as the band rolled into Keith Urban’s sexy tune “Raining on Sunday,” Mike maintained a gentle grip on her hand.
She looked up into his dark-as-sin eyes, and a warm tingle traveled from her traitorous fingers down into areas that had been restrained so long they teetered on the point of a jailbreak.
“How about another dance?” Mike’s smile amped up to blinding. “We didn’t get a chance to talk much on that last one.”
Nervous energy rippled through her body. She knew that the envious scowls coming from the females in the crowd who were waiting eagerly for their chance at Mr. Hottie McFireman would soon turn to daggers. And since her naughty side had lusted after the man since that night at the bachelor auction, all the more reason to politely decline.
But then, that big firefighting, lifesaving hand reeled her back into his embrace—close enough to catch the manly scent of warm skin, citrusy aftershave, and palpable sexuality.
Heaven help her, it was like waving a red flag at a charging bull.
“I’d love to.”
Yeah. No way in all the Land of Oz would her naughty self give up a chance like this.
Sorry ladies-in-waiting, let the dagger glares commence.
And let the trouble begin.
AFTER MONTHS OF being unable to get his best friend’s ex-wife off his mind, Mike finally had his hands on her. Regrettably for him, a simple dance was about as far as he could ever allow himself to go.
Not that he didn’t want to dip his nose into the soft slope of Fiona’s delicate neck and inhale her sweet scent or explore her lithe, luscious body.
Hell no. He wanted a double order of that all night long.
But time and circumstance slammed the door on any of that being a possibility. So all he could do was enjoy the moment and the chaste touches, then go home and take a freezing-cold shower.
Again.
“Jackson tells me you made the delicious wedding cake,” he said, keeping things polite even as his imagination was peeling her pretty blue dress down over those sexy shoulders.
“Thank you.” She blushed prettily as her hand settled on his shoulder, and warmth nestled in his chest. “Charli originally ordered one from a bakery in Austin. But along with all the other disasters she had to deal with, the bakery burned down.”
“So I heard.” While others on the dance floor twirled in wide sweeps to the music, he and Fiona danced in place–thighs brushing together with perfect synchronization. Hearts beating in time. He couldn’t help but wonder if they’d have that same harmony between the sheets. “Guess their determination to go through with the wedding after all the mishaps is a testament to how the rest of their marriage will go.”
Her sexy chuckle rumbled against his chest.
“I’m not worried about that. Have you met Cha
rli?” She looked up at him, and the impish curl of her lips sent a flutter through his stomach. “When there’s something she wants, she is like an unstoppable force. And she wanted Reno.”
“You have to admire a woman who won’t let anything stand in her way.” A lively couple bumped him from behind, and he took the opportunity to draw Fiona into his body a little closer. In a blink, he realized the move might have been a huge tactical error. And that was not an egotistical observation on the size of his dick. Although the body part in question was exactly the problem that had come up.
Aside from the sheer sexiness level, Fiona was the kind of woman a man wanted to adore and savor. To possess and protect. To make her his very own and never let her go. Crazy talk coming from a guy like him. But for whatever reason, he couldn’t stop himself.
“I also heard you’re planning to open a cupcake shop in Sweet,” he said without missing a beat. “That’s quite a bold venture.”
“It’s been a longtime dream for me. Seeing it become a reality is going to be amazing. Izzy and I are even moving to Sweet to make it happen.”
“So what inspired the dream?” he asked, hoping the band would play an extended version of the song so he could keep her talking. And moving against him.
The spark of enthusiasm in her deep blue eyes propelled a thousand questions through his mind.
More than a mild curiosity existed where she was concerned. He wanted to know more about her. What made her tick? What did she love and hold dear to her heart? And how, if she’d seen fit to divorce Jackson, they could remain as bonded as peanut butter and jelly?
A sentimental smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “My grandmother.”
As she spoke, Mike noted how animated her face became. It was like observing one of those Disney princesses he’d been forced to watch with his sisters over and over. Her eyes lit up, and she got this dreamy expression that sent his jaded heart into cartwheels.