Their Christmas Angel

by Tracy Madison

  Well, she had to find him. So, with a silent apology to Parker and his surprise, she slipped on the first pair of shoes she found and went out the front door. Yes, in her polka-dot pajamas, because she didn’t take time to put on actual clothes or get her coat. When Roscoe was on the loose, every second mattered. And he’d already had plenty of seconds to get quite the head start.

  He wasn’t sitting calmly on the porch, naturally. That would have been far too easy, so she half ran, half skidded down the porch steps. And okay, she probably should not have run so fast, and she definitely should have paid more attention to her surroundings, because if she had, she would have absolutely seen the slick icy spot on the walkway, and then—well, then she would not have lost her balance, and the momentum would not have sent her into a flying fall.

  And oh, fall she did. In about the most ungraceful manner, too, with her feet shooting out in front of her and her pajama-covered behind smacking the walkway with considerable force. Her first thought went to the microscopic cluster of cells that would become her baby, so she sat for a second and just breathed. In and out. In and out. Other than the bruising pain in her butt, and the icy coldness of the pavement soaking through her pajama bottoms, she felt okay.

  Her second thought went to her runaway dog.

  Using her hands for leverage, she pulled herself to a stand and, promising herself she’d go slower, put her left foot in front of her right, and—damn it all!—slipped on the exact same patch of ice, causing her to fall a second time, in as ungraceful a manner as the first, but fortunately, with far less force. Tears filled her eyes, from the pain and the frustration.

  “Nicole!” Parker yelled from her right.

  She angled her head to the right, saw him and Reid on the back of that moving truck on the other side of the street, carrying a sofa down the ramp. He’d bought her a couch? The two men finished maneuvering the ramp, and as soon as they had, Parker put down his side of the sofa. He jogged over to her, his footing sound and sure, which made her a little jealous.

  Why couldn’t she run over snow and ice and not fall?

  “Damn it, woman,” he said, reaching her. “What am I going to do with you?”

  Love me forever, that’s what. Of course, she couldn’t say that, so she went with “Believe it or not, I am okay.” He ignored her statement, knelt by her side and ran his hands down her legs, to her ankles and then to her arms. “I promise. I’m fine! I just moved too fast and, as seems to be my typical when you’re around, didn’t see the ice.”

  “Does anything hurt?” he asked, running his hands over her once again.

  “You mean, in addition to my pride?” she asked. “My butt is a bit sore, but other than that, I’m mostly just wet and cold. And you bought me a sofa? As a Christmas gift?”

  “You need me following you around at all times, I think,” Parker said, lifting her into his arms with ease and carrying her toward the house. “And yes, actually, I did buy you a couch as a Christmas gift, but that was supposed to be a surprise. What were you doing out here?”

  “Sorry for ruining your surprise, and I was—oh.” She wiggled in his arms as they stepped into the house. “Put me down, Parker. Now, please. I need to find Roscoe. He got loose again, when you left the front door open, and you know how hard he is to find, so—”

  “Shh, now. Don’t get so upset, Nicole. Your dog is fine.” Parker carried her straight to her bedroom, where he deposited her on the bed. “I am aware of your dog’s get-away-fast tendencies, so I put him in the backyard. I’m sorry you were worried. I should’ve let you know.”

  Relief centered in the pit of her stomach. She should’ve realized that Parker wouldn’t have left the front door open with Roscoe nearby. “Okay. Good. Thank you for—”

  “Parker?” Reid’s voice cut through the house. “Is Nicole okay? And we still have that damn couch sitting in the street. We might not want to leave it out there, ya know?”

  “She’s fine. And yeah, on my way,” Parker hollered back. Then, to Nicole, he said, “Get yourself into dry clothes while I take care of this, and then...can we talk? Please?”

  “Yes,” she said. “I mean, you just picked me off the concrete and carried me inside, plus you bought me a sofa.” She grinned, fluttered her lashes a little. “Oh. And you took care of my dog. I’d say that makes you the hero of the day.”

  He stared at her for a second, his eyes serious. “There’s so much I need to say to you.”

  “And I will listen to every word,” she said. “Go help Reid. I’ll be right here, Parker.”

  A sharp nod before he pivoted and left the room. While she changed into a pair of jeans and a sweater, she could barely contain her excitement. Her hope. Her belief that, yes, her future was with this man, and that he believed the same about her. It was difficult, not to ride too high on that excitement, that hope and that belief, because until she heard what he had to say, she could be wrong. She could be reading all the signs wrong.

  While she brushed her hair until it shone and applied a light coat of cosmetics, she heard the men bringing in the sofa, and then, a few minutes later, the absolute sound of the front door closing as Reid presumably left. Which meant, she was all alone in the house with Parker.

  Before going to him, before discovering if another miracle was in the making, she looked in the mirror, at her own reflection. She had done this daily when she was sick, when her hair was falling out, when her skin was so deathly pale. She would stare at her own reflection, look into her own eyes and tell herself that she would beat the cancer.

  At the time, she wasn’t sure if she believed those words every single day, but that did not stop her from saying them. From reminding herself that she was courageous enough, strong enough, vibrant enough, to make it another day, and then another, and then another, until that trail of days led her to where she needed to be: cancer free, with an entire life to look forward to.

  So now, what she said was “You did it, Nicole. You made it to the other side, and you’ve proved how strong and courageous you are. You get to wake up every day and see the sun, shower and brush your teeth and go to a job you love. You have a baby on the way! This is the life you were after. The life you dreamed of and prayed for. And it is here.”

  Swallowing the sudden burst of emotion, Nicole breathed in deeply. Yes, this life, the one she had right this minute, was almost perfect. More perfect than she had hoped for in those dark, dark days. She would remember that, no matter what Parker had to say. No matter his decision.

  But maybe, just maybe, there was even more.

  She found him in the living room, sitting on her brand-new sofa. He’d chosen one that was almost a carbon copy of his, but instead of red it was turquoise, which went surprisingly well with her plum-colored chairs. His legs were stretched out in front of him, his hands were clasped behind his head, and he wore that charming, lopsided smile she loved so much.

  He hadn’t tried to reorganize the living room, so for now, the sofa was positioned at an awkward angle in front of the chairs. It was a large piece of furniture, and she probably would’ve chosen something smaller, but she’d make it work.

  “I can’t believe you bought me a couch,” she said as she joined him there, sitting directly next to him. “I love it, though. Thank you for doing this, for thinking of me.”

  “Nicole,” he said. “All I do is think of you.”

  Okay, then. This seemed positive. Affirming. Hopeful. “I am sure you think of other things, Mr. Lennox. Like your daughters and work and what you’re having for dinner.”

  “Sure, but in between all of those thoughts...is you.” He turned toward her, his expression serious, his gaze penetrating. And oh, she wanted to reach over and wipe away the stress lines creasing his mouth and his eyes. “I am so sorry for how I behaved that night at my house, Nicole. I...wasn’t very supportive, and I never tol
d you how happy I am for you, about the pregnancy. Can you forgive me? So I can say the rest?”

  “There isn’t anything to forgive, Parker,” she said, speaking the complete truth. “You were questioning, as I knew you would be, and I have some blame here, too. I should have told you that I might have been pregnant, what I was trying to do, right away.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I seem to remember sitting in this exact same room and asking you to let me earn your trust, before you spilled all of your secrets.”

  Yes. He had done that. “Well, maybe, but that doesn’t change the fact that you would have had more time to process, to consider the possibility, before I just dumped it on you.”

  He trailed a finger down her cheek, eliciting a series of shivers that traveled the length of her body. “Okay. I’ll agree we each had areas we could have handled differently, that might have eased some of the...let’s go with turmoil. However, I didn’t let you in, really, on the core of my struggle. I thought I could handle it on my own.”

  “Well, did you?”

  “Now, yes, but perhaps I would’ve reached this place sooner. With your help.”

  “You can always tell me now,” she said, hoping he would. Wanting him to trust her enough to drop whatever shields remained. “If you think you want to.”

  “I do. It’s why I am here.” He shrugged. “Or, I guess, part of the reason I am here.”

  He started to talk then, to share his experiences with Bridget, and how her death had affected and was still affecting Erin and Megan. The struggles they faced, even though they had been so young when she passed. And hearing these stories brought a fresh round of tears to Nicole’s eyes and an entirely new type of pain to her heart. Those girls yearned for a mother, and they didn’t even really know what that would mean. Didn’t change the absence, though.

  Parker sighed, closed his eyes and sighed again. He told her about his skiing accident, how badly he had been injured, and how he had processed both. His decision to never ski again, due to his responsibility to his daughters. He talked for a while about risk and fear, false beliefs and the constant fight to fill the void that Bridget had left in his life, in his girls’ lives.

  He opened his eyes, focused on her and said, “But then I met you. And I learned about your cancer. And this fear of losing you, of you leaving, kept playing havoc with my head. I was handling it, mostly,” he said with a wry smile. “But when you shared the news about your pregnancy, this fear became a monster and—I’m ashamed to admit this—overwhelmed me.”

  She grasped his hand with hers. “That shouldn’t shame you to admit. How could you not feel the weight of...everything, in that type of a moment?”

  “Well, here’s the thing. That night we first met?” he said, his voice rich and sure. “Nicole, honey, I knew I loved you then, or...I guess I knew I would love you, within minutes of meeting you. But that seemed so—” here, he laughed “—insane. So the havoc the fear created sort of merged with this intense belief, and I did not know how to handle it.”

  “Parker, I think I know—”

  “Shh. Let me finish this, please. Because I need you to know, really know, that I am in love with you, Nicole. Completely in love with you.” He spoke the words slowly, quietly, but with absolute surety. “I will love your baby, if you let me. And while I will probably never stop worrying about your health, worrying that someday you’ll have a recurrence, I know if that were to happen, the only place I want to be is by your side.”

  “Oh. I love you, too,” she said. “So very, very much.”

  She started to cry and shake and smile and laugh, all at once. A fourth miracle. The perfect life. Because perfection didn’t mean everything went right all of the time, at least it didn’t to Nicole. It meant, well, building the right team to give you the best chance of conquering the different obstacles life hurled your way. She’d always had an excellent team in her parents and brother. Roscoe, too. But with Parker, the girls and her someday son or daughter?

  Her “team” was complete. Finally.

  She went to him then, into his waiting arms, and his lips touched hers in a deep, searching, possessive kiss. Heat, instantaneous and intense, curled tight in her belly, and the need she had for this man, for her man, twisted and climbed and spread through every inch of her body. Her skin tingled. Her bones melted. And her heart, her soul, sighed in contentment.

  In joy.

  Epilogue

  One year and one day later, Parker held his son—he and Nicole had married two months before Caleb’s birth—as he watched the girls open their Christmas presents. His beautiful wife was curled up next to him, her head on his shoulder, fighting to keep her eyes open. She’d awakened early with Caleb, but she didn’t want to miss a minute of their first official Lennox Christmas. And hell, he didn’t, either.

  The same month they were married, they made the decision to sell Parker’s house and live in Nicole’s. Logical. Hers had enough bedrooms for everyone, and this summer, they were going to renovate the large room on the second floor, with the help of Nicole’s parents, and turn that into the master bedroom. That way, the girls could have separate rooms.

  Something that Erin wanted, but Megan—well, their youngest daughter wasn’t entirely sure. Parker figured she’d grow into the idea, and if she didn’t, they’d give her plenty of time to adjust. Yawning, he brought his boy to his shoulder and kissed him on his downy, sweet-smelling head. Just as with the girls, there wasn’t a damn thing Parker wouldn’t do for his son.

  And Caleb was his. Had been all along, really, even if Parker had needed a bit of time to set matters straight in his head. The choking fear that he’d almost given in to was completely eradicated now, for which he was ever grateful. Oh, as he told Nicole a year and a day ago, he’d never stop worrying about her health. But that was normal. Expected.

  She was, after all, his to take care of.

  Roscoe, leaving his spot by the girls, came over and whined at Nicole, doggy sign language for “Let me out, please.” His wife sighed as she stood, and the look of her, rumpled and sleepy and beautiful, reminded him again of what he could’ve lost. Not due to cancer, but to his own stupidity. Thank the good Lord, he’d come to his senses.

  Even if it had taken his stubborn best friend and a pair of skis to get the job done.

  That solitary run had served its purpose. When Parker reached the bottom, all he’d felt was exhilaration for being alive. He’d taken that exhilaration, the freedom he’d gained from that run, and opened his arms to the future he’d seen with Nicole from the very beginning.

  Leaning over, Nicole gave him a quick kiss that promised more, later when the kids were asleep. She brushed her finger over Caleb’s pudgy cheek and kissed him, too. She went to the girls, tousling their hair with a hand, before following Roscoe to the back door.

  Yes, Parker was one lucky man.

  His eyes found Bridget’s final angel where it hung on their tree and his heart tugged, just a little, at the memory of his beloved first wife. She was also a part of this family; always would be. Nothing would ever, could ever, change that. Thinking of her now, he sent her a silent “Merry Christmas,” and while it was a ridiculous thought, he also thanked her.

  For sending them Nicole.

  * * * * *

  If you loved this book, check out previous books in Tracy Madison’s THE COLORADO FOSTERS miniseries:

  A BRIDE FOR THE MOUNTAIN MAN

  FROM GOOD GUY TO GROOM

  ROCK-A-BYE BRIDE

  DYLAN’S DADDY DILEMMA

  Available now wherever Harlequin Special Edition books and ebooks are sold!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from THE RANCHER’S CHRISTMAS SONG by RaeAnne Thayne.

  Join Harlequin My Rewards today and earn a FREE ebook!

  Click here to Join Harlequin My Rewards


  http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010003

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Special Edition story.

  You know that romance is for life. Harlequin Special Edition stories show that every chapter in a relationship has its challenges and delights and that love can be renewed with each turn of the page.

  Enjoy six new stories from Harlequin Special Edition every month!

  Visit Harlequin.com to find your next great read.

  Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

  Other ways to keep in touch:

  Harlequin.com/newsletters

  Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks

  Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks

  HarlequinBlog.com

  Join Harlequin My Rewards & Instantly earn a FREE ebook of your choice.

  Earn points for every Harlequin print and ebook you buy, wherever & whenever you shop.

  Turn your points into FREE BOOKS.

  Don’t miss out. Reward the book lover in you!

  Register Today & Earn a FREE BOOK*

  *New members who join before December 31st, 2017 will receive 2000 points redeemable for eligible titles.

  Click here to register

  Or visit us online to register at

  http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010001

  The Rancher's Christmas Song

  by RaeAnne Thayne

  Chapter One

  The twin terrors were at it again.

  Ella Baker watched two seven-year-old tornadoes, otherwise known as Trevor and Colter McKinley, chase each other behind the stage curtains at the Pine Gulch Community Center.