Praise for
JENNIFER MOREY
“Jennifer Morey puts in motion an interesting maze of mystery.”
—RT Book Reviews on The Secret Soldier
“An adventurous ride filled with suspense and excitement.”
—Cataromance.com on The Secret Soldier
JENNIFER MOREY
has been creating stories since she fell in love with The Black Stallion by Walter Farley. She has a BS in geology from Colorado State University and is now program specialist for the spacecraft systems segment of a satellite imagery and information company. Jennie has received several awards for her writing, one of which led to the publication of her debut novel, The Secret Soldier. She lives in Loveland, Colorado, with her yellow Lab and golden retriever.
JENNIFER MOREY
Kiss Me On Christmass
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Dear Reader,
What better way to keep warm on these brisk November nights than with this month’s adrenaline-pumping romances from Silhouette Romantic Suspense?
What would you do if the lights went out at Christmas? Three stellar authors—Beth Cornelison, Sharron McClellan and Jennifer Morey—contribute heartwarming stories to our Blackout at Christmas (#1583) anthology, which features three couples as they fall in love during a Seattle blackout. Also available this month, you won’t want to miss the second book in the author-led miniseries TOP SECRET DELIVERIES, The Cowboy’s Secret Twins (#1584), by Carla Cassidy. Here, a single mom unwittingly finds herself at the home of her babies’ father, who then has to keep them out of harm’s way.
Popular author Linda Turner begins her new family-themed miniseries THE O’REILLY BROTHERS with His Wanted Woman (#1585), which involves danger and romance in our nation’s capital. You’ll love Sheri WhiteFeather’s sexy beginning to her miniseries WARRIOR SOCIETY, Imminent Affair (#1586), where a noble hero with amnesia protects the woman he loves from a deadly threat.
These romances will definitely keep you toasty this month. As always, we deliver on our promise of breathtaking romance set against a backdrop of suspense. Have a wonderful November and happy reading!
Sincerely,
Patience Smith
Senior Editor
To my dogs for keeping me sane as a single woman.
To my critique partners for catching all those logic errors.
Laura Leonard and Susan LeDoux, thanks for all the reads. To Patience Smith for letting me write this story and loving it. And to all those guys I dated who will remain nameless—thanks for the inspiration.
Chapter 1
T here that guy’s date went again, with that head toss and ear-ringing laugh. She sounded like SpongeBob on pot. Shanna Toole pretended to straighten a rack of herbal teas as she covertly watched the couple sitting at a window table for two. She didn’t want to be so mesmerized by them, but the weather had turned nasty and they were the only ones in her coffee shop right now.
She hoped they didn’t stay long. The last news report said the airport had shut down at two. She was starting to worry about the drive home. She checked the clock on the slate-green wall behind her. Almost six. As soon as the couple left, she was going to close early.
“What do you do for a living?” Shanna heard Kane Ramsey ask. She only knew his name because he always paid with his debit card. He brought so many women into her coffee shop that she got dizzy trying to keep track. Blond. Brunette. Short hair. Long hair. Jeans. Dresses. Big boobs. Little boobs…
“I’m into real estate,” the woman answered.
They came in all different professions, too. Real estate. Engineering. Business. You name it. All of them were fit and attractive. He was attractive. Tall. Thick, dark, blond hair that was always messy, but in a good way. Muscular, but not the Mr. Olympia type. His eyes were light green with a darker rim that accentuated them, really nice. And he had this masculine look about him. Stubble shadowed his face, and although his eyes were gorgeous, there always seemed to be a hardness about them.
“Commercial or residential?” he asked his date.
“Residential. And you’re a developer? I liked your profile on Soulmate.”
Shanna saw him grin. If she hadn’t seen him bestow so many women that smile, she’d think it was sexy.
“I liked yours, too.” He reached over and put his hand over hers, and Shanna watched the woman melt a little, like so many Soulmates before her. And he’d trolled a lot on that online dating site.
He never talked much about what he did, so it didn’t surprise her that he’d maneuvered the subject away from that. He was a commercial developer who’d done several complexes in Seattle, that’s really all she’d heard him say. Was he rich and didn’t want the women going only for that?
She looked down from the woman’s beaming face to his hand. Did he practice his timing? Maybe next time she’d clock him to see how long it took before he touched his date. Never mind that she’d imagined him touching her like that more than once.
Shanna averted her face, not feeling particularly amenable. She was going to blame her mood on her bad run of dates. And Kane, for never ceasing to remind her of them, especially the last one.
What about your family? she mouthed, keeping her head turned so the couple wouldn’t see.
“What about your family?” she heard Kane ask. “Do they live around here?”
Shanna rolled her eyes. Did the man have no imagination? How could he expect to find his soul mate when he was so perfectly rehearsed? He had to be getting confused by now. After a man was with so many women, did he forget what he was looking for in the first place? Maybe men like him never knew, and that’s why they had to bloat their calendars with so many dates.
“I’ll find her somewhere, Auntie Em,” Shanna mumbled under the sound of Frank Sinatra singing “Luck Be a Lady” from her overhead speakers, “even in this tornado of women.”
Maybe that’s why he always met them at the same place. That way he wouldn’t have to remember where he told them to meet. Figures it would have to be her coffee shop. Bean Me was unique and in a great location close to the Seaside Market, but really, could he just spare her the misery of having to witness his total lack of appreciation for women everywhere?
While Kane’s umpteenth date rambled on about her sibling, an elderly couple came through the front door. Shanna caught another glimpse of the weather. It was getting worse. Dark now that the sun had set, but streetlights illuminated falling snow, covering thick layers of ice on poles and buildings and parked cars. Not to mention the road.
“Brrr.” The old woman shivered, stomping her snow-crusted boots and keeping her pink scarf wrapped around her neck. Her husband rubbed her back as they made their way toward the counter.
“What can I get for you?” Shanna asked.
“Two large mocha skinny-dipper decafs.”
Shanna turned to prepare her trademark low-calorie coffee.
“We haven’t seen weather like this in years,” the elderly woman marveled.
“It’s really icy out there,” her husband added. “There were three accidents on the walk here and we just live up the street.”
“Yeah, Seattle doesn’t get many of these storms.” She brought the coffees to the counter and the elderly man paid.
Shanna gave him his change and caught a glimpse of Kane’s thumb moving over his date’s hand. It gave her an unexpected pang right in the middle of her chest. The last man she’d been with had done that. She’d met him online, and he’d wound up running her heart through a shredder.
“Thank you, dear,” the elderly woman said.
“Go
od night,” her husband added.
Shanna nodded with a smile. “Be careful out there.”
They left through the front door, the husband’s hand on the woman’s back as they walked along the snowy sidewalk.
“Your profile said you didn’t have any kids,” the woman with Kane said.
Shanna pretended to be busy wiping the countertop.
“I don’t,” he replied.
“I have two, a seven-year-old daughter and a twelve-year-old son.”
“I like kids.”
“Do you want any of your own?”
Shanna subdued a smirk as Kane all but squirmed in his seat. “Er…sure, if it works out that way.”
He probably had a condom in his back pocket. Wouldn’t want to trap himself into anything lasting when he was still so busy trolling. Yet, how many times had she imagined him using one of them on her? Her body never listened to her brain when it came to the physical with him. He was like a forbidden fantasy she couldn’t resist.
“How many times have you been married?” the woman asked.
“Once. I’ve been divorced for three years.”
“What happened?”
“She left me for another man.”
“That must have been hard on you.”
Shanna stopped wiping the countertop. She could only see his profile, but she wondered why he hesitated.
“I wasn’t expecting it. But maybe I should have.”
“Were you faithful to her?”
“Yes.”
He was probably lying. Her experience convinced her most onliners lied when it came to all the fidelity questions.
“What about you?” he asked.
“How many women have you dated on Soulmate?” she asked by return.
He paused as though he had to think. Did he want her to answer his question or had he lost track of how many women he’d seen?
“Around fifty.”
The woman’s eyes widened beneath her lifting brow. She was speechless for a moment. So was Shanna. That was more than even she’d have guessed. She fiddled with a stack of napkins, trying to appear inconspicuous.
“How long have you been looking?” his date asked.
“Four months.”
“Four months? Boy, you’ve been busy!”
Shanna could vouch for that. He brought a new one in about two or three times a week. She abandoned the napkins and plucked a coffee bean from the freebie bowl by the cash register, popping it into her mouth. Good thing none of her fantasies would have a chance to come true.
The woman laughed, sounding a little unsteady. Or was that excitement? She sobered as she contemplated him. “What are you looking for?”
Was she worried or curious?
“What do you mean?” Kane asked. “In a woman or a relationship?”
“Both.” The blonde leaned back in her chair, her big boobs jutting forward as she moved her shoulders back.
Shanna saw Kane notice and also didn’t miss the extra seconds it took him to respond.
“I’m looking for a long-term relationship.”
“Long-term?” Was the woman being cautious? Shanna sure would be. “But not marriage?”
“Depends if the relationship leads to that. And how I feel about the woman.”
“What kind of woman would make you feel that way?”
“A strong one. Independent. Confident. Takes care of herself both financially and physically. I suppose I want what most men want.”
“I want the same thing.”
He smiled and she smiled back. Maybe they really were hitting it off. Shanna straightened a rack of gift cards, wavering between envy and pity for the woman.
That’s how it had started with Mr. Inadequate. He’d smiled as if he really liked her. Touched her hand. Opened doors for her. And then that had progressed into holding hands. Kissing. Calling every day and taking her to interesting places. He even told her she was beautiful and talked about future things that included her. Then, just when she was beginning to believe they were in a real relationship, he’d dropped his bombshell.
He felt inadequate with her and he’d met someone else online. Inadequate was a new one for her. She had to hand it to him for ingenuity.
After all the men she’d gone through, all the experiences, the one she’d thought had half a chance of sticking around long enough to mean something was giving up before they’d barely started. She’d gone from feeling happy and secure, looking forward to weekend plans with a man she really liked, to being alone with an uncertain future again, struggling to understand why it was so hard for her to find a boyfriend that lasted longer than a few weeks.
Kane Ramsey was probably no different. After a few weeks, he’d get bored or scared of an impending relationship and want to find someone new. He’d keep searching for a woman who didn’t exist. None were perfect enough for him, or he’d lost touch with what was.
He said something to his date and she tipped her head back with a laugh, all bleached teeth and makeup.
Would somebody just shoot her if she ever looked like that on a date? She felt embarrassed for the woman.
The lights in her coffee shop went dark. The hum of her undercounter refrigerator went silent and Frank was cut off in the middle of “Fly Me to the Moon.” Shanna froze for a second, her breath hitching as she turned and looked around. It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the plunging darkness.
“What happened?” Kane’s date asked.
Shanna waited for the electricity to come back on. It didn’t. She could barely make out the outline of Kane and his date.
He stood from his chair and walked to the front window. His date stood, too, but stayed by the table.
“The whole street is out,” he said.
Shanna joined him at the front window. Snow was accumulating on the icy road and all the parked cars. More ice hung from buildings like stalactites. A loud cracking sound penetrated the glass and then a huge tree limb crashed to the frozen road, taking out a light pole with it.
“Wow,” she said. It was almost surreal.
“This isn’t good,” Kane said.
She shared an incredulous glance with him, catching the gleam of his amazing green eyes. Turning, she went to a display shelf and felt the items until she found the candles she had for sale there. Bringing them to the counter, she put them down. Kane went to stand near his date.
“Either of you have a light?” Shanna asked. She might have matches in the back but it would be hell trying to find them in the dark.
“I do,” the woman said. She dug into her purse. Something fell to the floor and Kane bent to pick it up. A pack of cigarettes.
“You smoke?” He handed the pack to her.
“Just a little.” She gave Shanna a lighter.
She took it.
“Your profile said you didn’t,” Kane said.
Uh-oh…
“I don’t smoke all the time.”
He didn’t argue anymore, but Shanna wondered if it was irritation she’d heard in his tone. Was he finally getting frustrated? She lit the candles. They wouldn’t put off much light, but it was better than nothing.
She hoped the electricity wouldn’t be out long. She couldn’t afford to lose any perishables. Especially now that the company managing her building had raised the rent. She was going to have a hard time getting by as it was.
“I’m just going to go get my radio,” she said. “I’ll be right back.”
Lifting one of the candles, she went around the counter and into the back office. She found the small radio and pressed the power button. Nothing happened. She didn’t have any batteries.
A sound up front made her abandon a futile search. She returned to the counter in time to see Gayle from the salon across the street hurry in from the blustery weather. She clutched her faux fur-trimmed jacket about her and approached the counter, eyes full of restless concern.
“I came over to see if you were all right,” she said, coming to a stop at the counter. T
he hood of her jacket hid curly gray hair that she kept coiffed atop her head. Without coloring it, she looked every bit of her fifty-three years.
“Fine. Just waiting for the lights to come back on,” Shanna said.
“They aren’t going to,” Gayle replied, looking taken aback that Shanna didn’t know. “Not for a long time.”
Shanna felt a spark of apprehension chase some of her confidence away.
Gayle must have seen it. “Haven’t you heard the news?”
“Only that the airport closed.”
“Power lines are going down everywhere. There are roads closing because of all the tree limbs breaking and dangerous power lines on the ground. They’re advising everyone to find shelter.”
Kane’s date gasped and put a hand adorned with long, red fingernails to her mouth.
Gayle glanced at the woman and returned her attention to Shanna. “You should lock up and go home. Looters are bound to start roaming the streets tonight. You don’t want to be here if they do.”
Shanna moved her gaze to the dark window. That’s all she needed. Looters.
“The weather will keep most of them indoors,” Kane said, his deep, gruff voice reassuring. “If the power is out too long the city will have patrols. National Guard will probably show up, if they aren’t already on the way.”
“I didn’t think of that,” Gayle said with an appreciative smile at Kane.
Shanna cocked her head at him, resisting the impression that he might actually be a nice guy. That was another thing she didn’t need…a physical and intellectual attraction with him.
“I have to go home,” Kane’s date interrupted. She sounded anxious.
“I’ll take you,” Kane said, looking from her to Gayle. “I’ll take you all wherever you need to go. I drive a Hummer.”
Figures he’d have to brag about his Hummer.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine,” Gayle said.
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