One Week to Win Her Boss (Snowflake Valley)
Page 18
He had extended his Snowflake Valley vacation indefinitely. For the first couple of days, they had almost barricaded themselves inside the lodge, just the three of them. Part of that time, he had concentrated on his project for the town council. The bids wouldn’t be due for a while, but he’d wanted to get started on the job. She’d been thrilled to see him so eager about doing the work he loved.
Yesterday, he had become very secretive. Taking private phone calls. Closing his office door. Making solo trips down to the valley.
She was only human. She couldn’t help but wonder what he was up to. Wonder, but not worry. Michael was a man she could count on.
Smiling, she went downstairs with Penny. At the bottom of the staircase, she stared in amazement. She was the one famous in Snowflake Valley for her parties and her decorating skills. But it seemed Michael had been getting in a little practice.
Everywhere she looked, she saw lights and tinsel and bright, shiny decorations.
Michael had insisted he didn’t mind her leaving the Christmas tree in the corner through Little Christmas. Today. As she looked at the tree, her eyes blurred. He had replaced all the ornaments she had hung with handmade snowflakes covered in glitter.
“Made especially for you,” he said, “with an extra helping of elf magic dust.” His voice came from behind her, but she couldn’t tear her gaze from the tree. “Do you like it?” he asked.
“I love it,” she said, fighting and failing to blink away her tears. She turned and found him standing in the doorway near the dining area. With that once glance, her tears overflowed.
He was dressed head-to-toe as Santa.
As she wiped at her cheeks with the back of her hand, he crossed the room. He reached for Penny, who went to him with outstretched arms and patted his white beard. “I’ve banished Scrooge. And luckily, Callie and Lyssa knew where I could get this outfit. What do you think? Do I make a good Santa?”
“The best,” she whispered, her voice breaking.
He thumbed a tear from her cheek. “It’s a few days late, I know. But I wanted Penny’s first Christmas to be our first real Christmas together. And I wanted it to be magical. For you.”
“Oh, Michael.” She looked at him through another sudden haze.
From outside, she heard the sound of car doors slamming, followed by the murmur of voices and a laugh.
“I invited your whole gang to spend the day with us,” he said. “Hope that’s all right.”
“It’s perfect.” She smiled. “After all, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without family.”
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About the Author
Barbara White Daille is an award-winning author whose short contemporary romances have received Top Picks and glowing reviews. Her books focus on small-town settings, where the heroes and heroines’ lives are filled with family and friends, lots of nosy neighbors, and often a matchmaker—or three.
Barbara has been a writer since before she could spell all the words in her stories. She and her husband live in the hot and sunny Southwest, where they love the lizards in the front yard but could do without the scorpions in the bathroom.
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