Harlequin Special Edition November 2014 - Box Set 2 of 2: The Maverick's Thanksgiving BabyA Celebration ChristmasDr. Daddy's Perfect Christmas

by Brenda Harlen

“You do know that the company that my friends own, Celebrations Incorporated, is featured on that television show Catering to Dallas, right?”

  “Yes.” Again, he’d heard of it, but he’d been too busy to watch it.

  “They’re going to be filming an episode of the show during the holiday market.”

  Her brow was knit and he could tell something wasn’t setting right with her. “Is that a problem? Is there a reason we should be concerned about it?”

  “I wish I could say no.” She hesitated.

  “They’re your friends, aren’t they? They wouldn’t put the kids in a situation that wouldn’t be in their best interest, right?”

  “They wouldn’t,” she said. “I can guarantee you that, but it is a reality television show and programs like that thrive on drama, even if it’s manufactured.”

  “How much drama could a reality show about a catering company generate? Especially if it’s set at a family-friendly holiday market. Sounds about as wholesome as it gets.”

  Lily was still frowning.

  “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

  “Last year, I was supposed to be featured on the show,” Lily said.

  “Supposed to be?” Cullen asked. “What happened?”

  Lily bit that beautiful bottom lip and looked a little pensive. “Remember how I told you I was supposed to get married?”

  He nodded.

  “I won a contest called Celebration’s Bride. My fiancé, Josh, and I won an all-expense-paid wedding and reception that was supposed to be aired on the show.”

  “What happened?”

  “Josh decided he didn’t want to get married after all.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She waved away his condolence.

  Actually he was sorry for the guy who’d lost out—he was an idiot to let a woman like Lily get away. But then again, Cullen knew all too well that not everyone was built for the traditional married lifestyle. It was too bad that Lily had to be the one to suffer from it. Obviously talking about it upset her.

  “Josh and I wanted different things,” she said. “I want marriage and a family of my own. He didn’t. But you don’t need to hear my sob story. That’s not why I brought it up. The producers of Catering to Dallas managed to be lurking when Josh backed out of the wedding. They got it on film and wanted to air the footage. The only reason they didn’t was my friend Sydney. She managed to get them to pull the segment. I just want to make sure that the kids aren’t exposed to any surprises like that. They’ve been through enough in the past few months.

  “I truly believe my friends would have the kids’ best interest at heart, but they had no control over what happened to me. I don’t want to take a chance of an overly ambitious producer pulling something that might make the kids uncomfortable.”

  He really couldn’t have found a better person to care for the children. Lily truly cared.

  His heart twisted as he thought of the humiliation she’d suffered, even if the breakup hadn’t been broadcast on national television. This guy shouldn’t have put her through it.

  “I’m sorry that happened to you,” he said. “No one should be treated like that.”

  She nodded. “It’s very kind of you to say that.”

  His mind flashed back to what he’d said to her when he brought the gas to her the other day. How he hadn’t regretted kissing her and that he wanted to do it again. If he wanted to be as kind as Lily was giving him credit for, he would never mention kissing her again. In fact, he wouldn’t even think about it. She’d said it herself: she wanted a husband and a family. He had no intention of getting married again. Why lead her on a path that was contrary to everything she wanted?

  “I know you only want what’s best for the kids. So I’ll trust your judgment on what to do about the holiday market and including them in the filming of Catering to Dallas.”

  He wished he could trust his own judgment when it came to her.

  * * *

  Adorned for the annual holiday market, the building that usually housed the farmers’ market looked like a winter wonderland.

  Vendors, as far as the eye could see, were selling everything from gifts to decorations to food and wine. From handmade candy canes and marshmallows to hot chocolate and mulled cider to holiday hors d’oeuvres and catered gourmet meals, to decorating services to all-out party planning.

  Colorful lights were strung from corner to corner; glittering snowflakes hung from fishing line attached to the ceiling. In one corner of the large room stood the tallest tree that Lily had ever seen in her life. Underneath it, packages of all shapes and sizes were wrapped in colorful paper and decorated so attractively someone would have to be a complete Scrooge not to be tempted to pick up each one and shake it. In another corner was a big thronelike chair, painted gold and surrounded by a white picket fence swagged with fresh pine garland festooned with pinecones, silver bells and glittering red ornaments. At the entrance to the area, there was a sign that read North Pole This Way. Right next to the sign, a red carpet led to the chair.

  Santa’s chair.

  Born and raised in Celebration, Texas, Lily had seen the big man sit there many Christmases. As soon as the holiday market opened for business, there would be a line out the door for kids to have a chance to see Santa Claus and tell him what they wanted for Christmas this year.

  Even though she was thirty years old and it had been a long time since she’d sat on Santa’s lap, Lily still got excited at the festive spectacle that was the holiday market.

  This year was even more special since she was sharing it with Cullen and the children. They sort of felt like...a family.

  The thought warmed Lily from the inside out.

  As Lily, Cullen and the kids—even George—walked into the room the night before the market officially opened—for a special VIP vendor and sponsor party—it was even more exciting to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the place. To Lily, attending this party tonight was like being allowed on the set of the remake of a favorite movie.

  “What was the number of the booth again?” Cullen asked, glancing around.

  He had been wonderful when Lily broached the subject of the kids participating in the market. But in her heart she’d known that he would be good about it. He would do anything for those kids and he trusted her to do right by them.

  Even though she’d been burned before by circumstances, she had decided to trust her friends. What was the chance of lightning striking twice?

  It was a good lesson that she could apply to herself, too. She had been burned once in love. She wasn’t going to let that keep her from finding the true love that she was sure was out there for her.

  She stole a glance at Cullen. He flashed her a sexy grin, and her pulse quickened. He’d gotten off work early—well, early for him; it was nearly seven o’clock now—to come to the party with her and the kids. The commonsense, rational side of her figured he might be here so he could have a look at the setup and assess whether he felt comfortable letting the kids spend the week here.

  But the hopeless romantic in her just couldn’t give up hope that he was here for another reason: because he wanted to be. Because he wanted to spend time with the kids...and her. That maybe, just maybe, this would be the night that he made good on that promise to kiss her again.

  But not in front of the kids, of course. She knew that he understood that, and she admired him for it. He had the makings of such a good father, and he could be one to these kids if he’d just give himself a little credit.

  He’d helped them take their minds off their own tragedy and look outside themselves. The girls had told him about Stollenfest and how in Dresden they sold the Christmas bread to raise money for those less fortunate. The kids had decided they wanted to do that with the money they raised at the holiday market. He’d
promised them he would match every dollar they raised. He even helped them pick out a charity: Grace Children’s Home.

  Lily’s heart nearly burst when, as they were baking that morning, Megan shared the agreement that Cullen had struck with them.

  She’d sounded so grown-up. “Because, you know, Lily, there are kids out there who are less fortunate than we are. We have you and Uncle Cullen, but some kids have nobody. We want to help them.”

  Lily was so touched she had to blink back tears.

  After all the loss and turmoil they’d been through, they could still count their blessings. She realized that Cullen might have had a little something to do with that.

  Actually he’d had everything to do with it. She could see that as plain as day. The one thing she was having trouble seeing was the bad boy that her girlfriends had described.

  Sure, he was a complex, complicated man, and he’d obviously known more than his share of women, but he hadn’t brought any of them around since she’d been caring for the kids. In fact, if she hadn’t seen the text from Giselle, she might be inclined to believe that he’d gotten a bum rap with this bad reputation. Because all she knew was that he had such a big heart when it came to these children.

  Whether he believed it or not, he would make a great father to these kids. Somehow she just had to make him recognize that side of himself.

  As they approached the Celebrations Inc. booth, George stumbled and dropped the armload of loaves he was carrying. With a scowl, he bent down to pick them up, but an older lady who had been walking toward them stopped to help.

  “There, there, let me help you, young man,” she said, stacking the two remaining loaves on top of the ones he had already picked up.

  “Thank you,” Lily and Cullen said at different intervals. Their arms were already full and it would’ve been difficult to help George before they’d set down their loads.

  “My pleasure,” she said. “What are you selling?”

  “Stollen Christmas bread,” said Hannah.

  “It’s not stolen,” Megan quickly informed the woman. “Like, we didn’t steal it or anything. It’s just called stollen because—because it’s from Germany and that’s what they call it. But we made it ourselves. We didn’t take it from anyone.”

  “We’re going to give the money we make selling it to kids who are less fortunate than we are,” said Bridget, her voice barely a whisper.

  The woman’s hand fluttered to her heart. “That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. I will certainly make sure I come back and buy several loaves to help you in your generous endeavor.”

  As the kids ran over to the Celebrations Inc. booth, the woman beamed at Lily and Cullen. “Such a beautiful family. The two of you are to be commended for raising such nice, civic-minded children.”

  Lily and Cullen exchanged a bemused look, but the woman didn’t seem to notice. Neither one corrected her. To Lily, for one perfect, snow-globe moment, they were a family and it was everything she had ever wanted in the world.

  “Oh, will you look at me, running my mouth while the two of you are standing there indulging me so politely? You have your arms full,” the woman said. “Please don’t let me keep you. I’ll be back to buy some of that stollen bread before it gets away. Ta!”

  She gave a fluttery wave of her fingers as she turned and walked away. Once they had unloaded the bread at the booth and the woman was out of earshot, Cullen turned to Lily and said, “There you go. Your first customer.”

  “Apparently so,” Lily said, thinking he was going to politely ignore the woman’s mistaking them for a married couple.

  Probably for the best.

  “Would my wife care to help me carry in the rest of the bread from the car?”

  Her pulse quickened and her breath caught in her chest. But she had enough of her wits about her to realize she’d better be cool. He was just playing along. They were flirting in that way that the two of them did so well.

  She cocked an eyebrow at him, determined to let him interpret her response however he chose. But Cullen’s suggestive stare held hers until she wanted to squirm. So she did the only thing she could do—she rolled her eyes at him.

  He laughed.

  “Hey, Syd, do you mind if we leave the kids with you while we go get the rest of the stollen?” Lily asked in a forced casual tone. “If we both go, one more trip to the car should do it.”

  “Good heavens,” Sydney said. “You must’ve been baking nonstop since we agreed to do this.”

  “You have no idea.” Cullen put his arm around Lily. “My wife is quite a talented baker.”

  Sydney’s mouth opened as if she wanted to say something, but she closed it before she did. A look of bemused intrigue transformed her pretty face. She darted a glance at Lily that seemed to demand, You will explain this later.

  “Your wife, huh?” she finally said.

  “Oh, he’s just kidding.” Lily wiggled out from under Cullen’s arm, hating the blush she was certain colored her cheeks.

  Sydney seemed to be looking at them differently now. “Sure, you two lovebirds go get the rest of the stollen. I’ll keep an eye on your kids for you, but don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Cullen, I’m serious. She’s my friend.”

  Cullen nodded and gave Sydney a little salute as he and Lily turned and walked toward the exit. Lily couldn’t tell if he was being irreverent or if it was just his way of saying, I understand.

  “What was that about?” he asked.

  “Oh, you know Sydney,” Lily said. “I think she fancies herself the big-sister sort who is looking out for me.”

  “I didn’t realize you needed someone to watch over you.”

  Something flickered in his eyes, and her heart gave a tug. Oh, you have no idea.

  “It never hurts to have someone in your corner,” she said. And she wasn’t sure if she was speaking about herself or the kids.

  Maybe both. Probably both.

  She decided that the safest thing to do was change the subject.

  “So, speaking of wives...” Lily said. “I do believe we started a conversation at the tree lot the other night that we agreed would be continued.”

  “Did we?” he said.

  Lily shoved his arm good-naturedly. “You know we did. We had a deal. I showed you mine. Now it’s your turn to show me yours.”

  Her hand flew to her mouth. I did not just say that.

  But, oh, yes...yes, she did. Because it was so foreign and contrary to how she normally acted and because of the priceless look on Cullen’s face, it felt absolutely exhilarating.

  As they walked, his arm brushed hers and the contact intensified the electric current already pulsing between them. “Well, heaven forbid I should ever renege on a deal. Especially one like that. What would you like to know?”

  “Don’t make me ask questions. Just give me the scoop. You know, like what happened? Why did you divorce?”

  He drew in a deep breath and the energy between them seemed to shift and decrease several decibels. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. In fact, in hindsight, it had the potential to kill the mood. Funny thing that—there was a fine line between intimacy and TMI.

  Now she wished she could take it back and just continue to flirt. She really was an amateur at this, wasn’t she?

  “What happened?” he repeated, as if weighing his words. “We were both too focused on our jobs. It just didn’t work out.”

  “What does she do?”

  “She’s a pediatric surgeon. And a darn good one, too.”

  Of course she was.

  She was smart, and given Cullen’s track record, she was probably beautiful, too.

  “When we finished our residency, she got a pediatric-surgery fellowship in Seattle,” he said. “I’d been offered the job here.”
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  Lily resisted the urge to ask him if he’d fought for her.

  Every woman needs to know the man she loves is willing to fight for her. That he won’t just watch her walk away.

  Of course, Josh hadn’t simply watched; he’d given her a great big shove.

  “We met during our residency and got married,” Cullen said. “We were married less than two years when she was awarded the fellowship. My work was here and hers was in Seattle. There wasn’t much left to debate.”

  “You couldn’t make it work long distance? A lot of couples do.”

  “She didn’t want to.”

  Yes, but did you? And if so, did you fight for her?

  Lily was dying to ask these questions, but she couldn’t get the words out of her throat. He looked so vulnerable, so vastly different from the ladies’ man her friends had made him out to be.

  “It’s interesting that we’re talking about her. I hadn’t heard from her in ages. That’s what happens to two divorced workaholics who have no kids. Clean break. Move on.”

  That had been the case with her and Josh. They hadn’t spoken since the breakup. And they lived in the same city.

  “She called me a couple of nights ago.”

  Lily’s stomach dropped. What? “Really? Just like that? Out of the blue?”

  As they exited the building into the parking lot, she tried to get a read on how he felt about this, but she couldn’t tell. He just looked uncomfortable.

  “Seemingly, but she had a reason. She might be moving back. She’s going to be in Dallas soon, talking to a pediatric practice about joining them.”

  “How nice.” Lily’s voice sounded pinched, but she did her best to keep a smile firmly in place. “When will she be here?”

  “She doesn’t know yet. She’s going to call me once she has firm dates.”

  He shrugged. She nodded.

  “Actually it could be a good thing,” Lily said, mustering all her courage. This...this was why she needed to remember her place. She was the nanny. He was her boss. “If you two got back together, you could keep the kids. You could be their parents.”

  Cullen snorted. “That will never happen.”