Mistletoe Kisses & Christmas Wishes: A Christmas Romance Boxed Set Book Bundle Collection

by Leah Atwood

  “May God heal him, Matt.”

  He reached for her and took her into his arms, Mister and all. “Thanks, Rayne. I’ll miss you.” He gently pushed against her shoulders. “We haven’t known each other very long yet, but with Dad—I really need a sisterly hug right now. You understand, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I understand.”

  He pulled her close again. “But somehow I’m not really sorry.” His chin moved against her hair and his breath warmed her ear.

  Mister wiggled and squeaked. Rayne eased away to make Mister more comfortable.

  “Be safe as you travel, Matt.”

  He nodded, still holding her upper arms.

  She rose on tiptoe and lightly kissed his cheek. “May God give peace and comfort to all your family. I’ll be praying for your dad.” She longed to say, “Please come back soon,” but managed to hold it in.

  He folded her into another quick embrace, held her briefly to give her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “’Bye. I’ll phone you.” He heeled around, stepped outside and pulled the door shut behind him.

  The silence in her apartment echoed from wall to wall.

  “Come on, little Mister. I can’t leave you with Mama or you’ll get in a fight for teasing her babies.” Rayne put on the puppy’s harness, snapped his leash in place and stepped onto her small deck, locking the door behind her.

  A few minutes later, she picked Mister up to climb the stairs and Matt’s large key rattled loudly in the old-fashioned lock as Rayne opened the door to his friend’s apartment. “Here we are, little Mister, at your home,” she said. She gave him a final snuggle and set him on the floor. Her eyes opened rather wide as she stepped into the neatest apartment she’d seen in a long time. No clothes lay about. The washed dishes in the drainer had been neatly stacked to air dry. Even a couple of cushions on the double-width recliner were in their proper places. Nothing littered the floor. The one large throw rug lay flat and even. “What a neat guy—in more ways than one.” She chuckled at her unintended double meaning.

  Sitting on one corner of the rug, she pulled Mister into her lap. “I miss him. Do you miss him, too, little Mister?” Mister licked at Rayne’s chin and wagged his tail. “Ahh, I thought you would. He’s a very special person.”

  A Christmas light decoration flashed in the one window of the living-room/kitchen. She rose and switched it off.

  She found Mister’s bed in the bedroom. As she bent to pick it up, she stopped short. Matt’s well-worn Bible lay on the bedside table, his gold-imprinted name glinting at the bottom of the cover. One corner of a colored photo peeked from inside. Rayne fingered the cover away to reveal a photo of a young woman. Raven hair cascaded in lush waves; eyelashes which seemed way too long to be real shaded blue eyes sparkling with mischief and fun; a face with perfect makeup appeared under the brim of a cream cowgirl’s hat; full lips, delicately tinted, tipped up in a Mona Lisa smile.

  Rayne couldn’t breathe. She withdrew in dismay. With a tiny gasp, her lungs started working again. “Absolutely gorgeous!”

  Stepping close to the nearby wall mirror, Rayne examined her own cascading hair—not so full, not so sparkling, plain brownish-blond. “In a word, not so gorgeous,” she muttered. Her glance moved to the photo and then to her own straighter lips, eyebrows a bit on the wild side and her un-made-up face. “Pfft! You haven’t a chance, Rayne.” She remembered the pain she’d felt when her boyfriend in boarding school had asked her to be his steady girlfriend. A week later, she’d found out he’d taken another girl to a movie in town.

  She swiveled abruptly, picked up the doggie bed, rushed to the door, stepped onto the porch and pulled the door shut. As she fumbled for the key in her pocket, she suddenly stopped. “Oh no!” Shoving the door open, she nearly knocked Mister for a loop. “I’m so sorry, little Mister. How awful to forget you!” She picked him up and cuddled him near her face. “What an idiot you are, Rayne. Matt’s two-timing you!”

  She found Mister’s dish near the fridge, locked the door, pocketed the key, hitched the puppy into one arm and the doggie bed with the dish in it under the other and headed out. In spite of her pique of anger, regret walked with her all the way home.

  Saturday evening around ten Rayne’s phone rang. “Hello, Matt,” she said. Is he really two-timing or could there be another explanation for the photo in his Bible? I wonder if he’s actually planning to come back.

  “Hi Rayne.”

  “How’s your dad?”

  “Mom says Doc thinks he’s doin’ much better than last night. Doc wants to keep him close by for a few days. Mom’s fine, too. Kinda gave us all a scare, but he seems to be in good spirits now. I was expectin’ to find him unconscious or even near death, so I’m very relieved.”

  “That’s good news.”

  “Yes, very good news. He even joked with us this evenin’—almost like always.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “I plan to come to Seattle on Monday, if Dad continues to improve.” Matt cleared his throat. “I’m findin’ I prefer Seattle Rayne to Montana sunshine.”

  Does he mean ‘rain’ or ‘Rayne’? Yeah, right! The hope which had risen in her heart at his comment seemed to run out at her feet. ‘Rain’ of course, you idiot!

  He continued. “The Seattle Rayne I prefer has the scent of honey, a sprinkle of freckles over her nose and hair the color of ripe wheat at sunset.”

  Rayne’s breath shut down. Hope swelled again. Her heart rushed into double time and her breath whooshed in. Keep your cool, Rayne. He could be being less than truthful. Remember, he’s flattered you before. You saw her picture. “Is that so?”

  “Yes, and eyes the color of my favorite fishing pool on Arrowhead Creek.”

  Right! I saw those eyes in a photo in your bedroom? She probably dyed her hair dark. Rayne’s shaky fingers found one of her own ‘ripe wheat’ tresses to twirl. It’s stretching credulity to think he’d prefer me to her. He’s just flattering me again. “Well, I’ll see you on Monday.”

  Matt’s chuckle reverberated through the phone speaker. “I’ll phone again tomorrow.”

  She couldn’t speak for a moment with tears swelling her throat shut.

  “Are you okay, Rayne? You sound funny. Different.”

  You could be right! She choked out, “I’m praying for your dad.”

  “Thanks. See you on Monday.”

  “Okay.” On Monday I just may clean your cowboy clock for you!

  “And don’t forget a lonely guy in Montana.”

  “I won’t forget you,” she said truthfully. She cut the connection. “Not a chance!” she muttered to herself. “Not a fat chance, missing you like I do.” Tears stung her eyes as the vision of Matt’s raven-haired cowgirl rose before her mind’s eye.

  As she put the phone in her pocket, she paused to stare at the floor. Picking Mister up she snuggled the warm puppy under her chin. “I didn’t notice freckles on the girl-in-the-picture’s face, did you, Mister?” Finding a tissue, she dabbed the tears away. She held Mister in front of her face. “Makeup. I bet she dyes her hair and used cover-up cosmetics for the photo.”

  Mister yipped his agreement.

  Putting Mister on the floor, she headed for the coffee pot. It was bone dry.

  On Sunday morning, Rayne struggled to keep her mind on the minister’s sermon.

  In the early afternoon, she fondled the kittens and Mama before she took Mister for a walk in the park. A gray mist dampened her coat and gathered on her eyelashes. On her way home, she taped a few lost-puppy flyers to telephone poles near Matt’s apartment, but didn’t really expect to hear from anyone.

  “I think you were just an abandoned puppy, Mister,” she said. “Only callous-hearted people could mistreat a doggie as cute as you are.”

  Just as she passed Matt’s apartment she looked up and saw a woman knocking on Matt’s apartment door—a gorgeous woman with lush, dark hair—the woman in the picture by Matt’s bed. Rayne stopped stock still. There she is, on
his doorstep where she knows she’ll be gladly welcomed. Her heart gave a queer twist. Rayne could not look away. The woman glanced down toward Rayne.

  “Hello,” the woman called. “Do you happen to know Matt?” she said and started down the steps.

  “Y-yes. I do. In fact this is his puppy.”

  “Cute!” The woman bent down to pet Mister. “My name is Skye,” she said. “Would you happen to know if he’ll be home today?”

  Rayne had to clear her throat twice before she could say, “I don’t think he will.”

  “Well, it’s what I get for making an impromptu visit,” Skye said. “My phone battery died, and I forgot to pack my charger. So, since I had to come to Seattle for my company anyway, I thought I’d just drop by to see him. Do you know when he’ll be here?”

  Rayne had found her breath by then. “I’m sorry, I don’t―not for sure. He left early this morning to go home. He thought he’d be gone several days, but he could come home tomorrow. His mother phoned around five a.m. to say his dad had a heart attack in the night and she needed him.”

  “Oh no!” Skye’s face blanched. “Thank you. I need to go.” She ran to a yellow sports car, got in and drove away.

  Rayne stood stock still while Mister snooped in the grass at the end of his leash. Thoughts whirled in her mind. “Well,” she murmured, “at least you know this wonder woman is real.” She swallowed a lump in her throat. “And she’s very much in his life if she can just stop by at any time.”

  By Monday noon, Rayne heaved a sigh of frustration, scooted forward in her desk chair and leaned her head against the headrest. “Another wasted session at your computer, Rayne. Productive writers must not ever fall in love or they could never be best-sellers.” Her fingers jammed into the hair at her temples and then she smacked her forehead. “In love? What are you thinking?”

  She began to pace. “He said he would call me yesterday, but phoning probably flew right out of his mind, when he met up with his raven-haired Montana cowgirl again.”

  She gathered her notes together in a neat pile, fed Mister and Mama and smiled to see the kittens sniffing at Mama’s kibble. Mister hauled his pudgy belly over the rim of his doggie bed and curled up next to the teddy bear Rayne had bought him over the weekend. She noticed he’d stolen the kitten’s feather-on-a-stick toy and put it in his bed. He watched her as she paced until his eyelids slowly closed in sleep.

  Rayne fixed her own supper—a can of soup and a piece of buttered toast. When she hadn’t been able to find the extra can of chili she thought would be in the cupboard and finally remembered where it had gone, she shook her head and smiled sadly. Matt, you could have my chili for the rest of my days if you wanted it. She smiled at nothing with dreamy eyes. Wake up, silly Rayne! Don’t forget the pain of being two-timed before. You’re probably only Matt’s ‘Seattle girl’ to keep him from pining for home—and Miss Gorgeous. She shook her head as if flinging water out of her hair after a swim.

  Footsteps pounded up Rayne’s apartment stairs. She froze in place. Knocking rattled the door on its hinges. Rayne’s hand fell to where her heart pounded in her chest. Be still, silly heart. She felt like a sleep-walker as she moved slowly toward the door. When she flipped aside the window curtain to look outside, Matt’s face beamed at her from the other side. He supported himself with his arms braced on either side of the doorway. His smile shone like sunbeams through crystal. Rayne pulled the door open.

  “My phone dropped out of my shirt pocket and broke.” He took a deep breath and folded her into a sweet embrace. “I got a standby ticket and had to run like crazy to make my flight time. I couldn’t wait to see you.” His breath warmed the hair near her temple just seconds before his lips found her cheek. “Those were the longest three days of my life—because of my dad, of course. But I missed you so much, my Seattle Rayne.”

  Rayne stepped into the circle of his arms. “Me?” she asked.

  “Yep, you.” He touched her nose. “Who else could it be?”

  She pulled away. “But what about the girl in the picture?”

  Matt’s smile faded and his arms fell to his sides. “What girl?”

  “I saw her when I went to get Mister’s doggie bed. The photo stuck out of the edge of your Bible on the bedside table.”

  “Oh her.”

  “Yes, her. She’s gorgeous.” Her voice cracked in spite of her desperate effort to keep from crying.

  “That’s Skye. You don’t have to worry about her. She’s family.”

  “Really?” Without thinking, she touched his shoulder. “Family?”

  “Yeah, we’ve been really worried about her. She’s been runnin’ with a pretty fast crowd where she’s been workin’ in Missoula. I’ve had her picture in my Bible so I’d remember to ask God to keep her safe. I didn’t mean to avoid talkin’ about her.”

  “I see.” She must be a cousin or something. Rayne gazed out the window. Kissing cousin?

  “Anyway, my Dad’s heart attack brought her home—and to her senses. We had a wonderful reunion around his hospital bed. I’m prayin’ she’ll be makin’ things right with the Lord and start goin’ to church again. Not that church attendance makes you right with God. You understand, don’t you?”

  “Yes, of course.” Rayne’s heartbeat began to slow down and she felt embarrassed at her anger and jealousy.

  “You weren’t jealous of Skye, were you?” He held her shoulders and looked at her steadily.

  Rayne shook her head.

  “Then why are there tears in your eyes?” Matt’s thumb swiped them away.

  Rayne paused and nipped her lower lip between her teeth. “Well, I …a little … Maybe.”

  He scooched down to look right in her face. “Come on, admit it.”

  She bit her lower lip harder and fresh tears welled up. She dipped her head in a tiny nod. “I said I was…a little.”

  “I knew it!” He folded her into a bear hug. “At least I hoped so.” His chuckle rumbled loudly in the room.

  “Oh, Matt, please don’t leave me again,” Rayne murmured from under his chin.

  He took her shoulders and set her back just a little. “I won’t,” he said. “Never again.” Sinking to one knee on the raggedy throw rug next to Rayne’s door, he took her hand. “Never again, if you’ll promise to be my wife.” His statement’s tone rose at the end on a questioning note and his voice quavered.

  “I promise,” she whispered.

  Matt leaped to his feet, took her in his arms and danced around the room, and then out onto the deck. The stars sang and the earth whirled in the chilly winter air.

  “It smells of lilies out here,” Rayne whispered.

  “Lilies? Nope. What you smell is seaweed, mist off the bayou and wet goose feathers.”

  “It’s not a bayou, it’s Puget Sound, silly!”

  He whirled her around one more time, then stopped and cupped her face in his hands. “But I promise to plant lilies by the door of our first home, if it will make you happy.”

  She couldn’t reply because his lips claimed hers. And whether the scent was lilies or wet goose feathers became a moot point.

  After awhile he stepped away and said, “I need to go. Stayin’ longer would not be wise. But may I take you for dinner tomorrow night, Rayne? You’ve fed me so many times and I’d like to treat you to dinner—a special one, now that we’re engaged.”

  “Engaged? Are we engaged?”

  Matt chuckled a bit nervously. “Well I asked you to marry me and you said—and I quote—‘I promise’. Sounds like ‘engaged’ to me.”

  Rayne’s fingers flew to her cheeks and, trembling, raked through her hair. “Yes, I guess it does.” Her hands fluttered in front of her. “It just happened so fast. I was getting my supper and then you knocked at the door and suddenly I’m engaged!”

  He pulled her into his arms again. “Engagements just happen fast.” Matt’s chuckle resonated under her ear. Then he tipped her chin up with a sturdy thumb. “You’re not disappointed are yo
u? I should have waited until I could do it under a summer moon, with flowers and a diamond. Are you all right with this?”

  She smiled. And somehow her fingers found their way to his shoulders. “Yes, I’m perfectly all right with this.” She stroked the hair at the nape of his neck. “I will always be happy with you.”

  He kissed her again and when her head fell to his chest, she murmured, “I think I can hear angels singing.”

  “The scent of lilies and angels singin’ make this an auspicious moment.” He looked deeply into her eyes. “I can plant lilies for you, but I can’t command an angel chorus. Will I still meet your standards, do you think?”

  “My standards are very high.”

  “Really? I was afraid so.” His tone seemed a bit worried. “I don’t know if I’ll measure up.”

  “You measure up, Matt, in every way I ever dreamed.”

  His breath blew out in a whoosh like a gust of wind off the Sound. “I love you, Rayne.”

  “I love you back,” she whispered.

  The next evening, Rayne checked her appearance as best she could in the tiny wall mirror she’d propped against the foot of the bed, trying to get a full-length view of herself. Not working! She’d chosen to wear a black wool pantsuit with high-heeled boots. The aqua cashmere sweater she’d found on sale set off a gold necklace holding an aquamarine pendant with earrings to match.

  Matt arrived at six, resplendent in a black leather sport coat, dress shirt and tie. He set a small florist’s box on the coffee table. “Wow, you’re gorgeous!” He took a deep breath and twirled her around holding one of her hands high above her head. “And I love the way you’ve fixed your hair—all pulled up like that.” Behind her, he took one curl of the shimmery cascade falling from the crown of her head and kissed it. She watched him in the wall mirror until he looked up to see her smiling.” Sweeping around, she hugged him.

  “Now for the flowers.” Inside the box, Rayne found three white gardenias and ferns tied in white tissue with gold ribbon. “I wanted to give you corsage, but I thought the scent might be too strong at dinner. You had gardenias in Malawi, I think.”