Gift Wrapped for Christmas: A Contemporary Romance

by Ingram, Mona

  “Yes, I am.” He kissed her on the top of her head, interrupted Chase and Lily long enough to get her address and then sprinted toward the parking garage.

  * * *

  “You’re going to be a handful, I can see that.” It was hard not to laugh. The puppy was adorable, even if he had shredded the newspaper and then left a little puddle on the floor of her bedroom. “You definitely need more space.”

  She walked into the living room, and he followed her, nipping at her jeans. When she’d realized that she’d be following the puppy around all evening, she’d put on her oldest jeans and a sweatshirt with a faded SFU logo.

  She loved dogs. When she was younger, they’d had a black cocker spaniel. Her father had named him Sailor for the white patch on his chest. He’d been a devoted family dog until he died at the age of fifteen.

  The buzzer sounded. The dog gave a bark and then jumped back; he seemed surprised that the sound had come from him.

  “Now who could that be?” she said. “Probably someone forgot their key and wants to be buzzed in.”

  He padded along behind her to the hallway and began to lick her bare feet. She picked up the handset to the intercom.

  “You stop that,” she said, laughing. “Hello?”

  “Maddie?”

  “Brent?”

  The dog looked up at her, alerted by her tone of voice.

  “Do you have company?”

  She didn’t process his question at first. She couldn’t believe that he was downstairs.

  “Brent? What are you doing here?”

  The dog barked.

  “Well, if you’d let me come up, I’d explain. Is that a dog I hear?” He sounded relieved.

  “Yes, it’s Annie’s puppy.”

  “Maddie.”

  “Yes?”

  “Put your finger on the button, or whatever it is you do, and let me in.”

  “Oh.” She pressed the button.

  She picked up the puppy and danced him into the living room. “Brent is here,” she crooned into his ear. “Or am I daydreaming?”

  The door buzzer sounded.

  “Guess not,” she said. She ran and opened the door.

  Brent was leaning against the door frame, gasping for air.

  “What’s the matter?” She peeked out into the hall. “Isn’t the elevator working?”

  “There were some people...” He made a gesture with his hand. “...so I ran up the stairs.”

  She stepped back, and he staggered inside. “Don’t be such a baby. We’re only on the fifth floor.”

  He stopped and looked at her. “Are we having a fight?”

  She still couldn’t quite believe he was here. “I hope not.”

  He reached out and scratched behind the dog’s ear. The animal squirmed to be let down and Maddie placed him on the floor.

  She crossed her arms in front of her. In this position it would be easier to catch her heart when it flew out of her chest.

  “So what’s going on, Brent? Why are you here?” The dog jumped up against her legs, but she ignored it.

  “Annie told me what Cynthia said, Maddie. She is not my fiancée. We are not engaged. Never have been.”

  “But...” Joy surged up inside. “So you’re not...” It was too good to be true.

  “And I’m sorry I didn’t stick around today. When I saw you with that guy, I figured it was too late.” He unwrapped her arms and held her by the hands. “I drove away.”

  “You saw me with Allan?” She tried to remember what had happened. “Oh. He put his arms around me, didn’t he?”

  “Yes, and I couldn’t stand watching, so I took off.”

  Her voice softened. “Why, Brent? Why did you take off?”

  “Like I said, I...oh come here, woman.” He pulled her closer. “I’m the one who should be holding you, Maddie.” He pulled back and looked into her eyes. “Is that okay with you?”

  “Very okay.” She raised her lips for a kiss. His mouth claimed hers in a fierce, possessive kiss that left her breathless...and wanting more.

  “We have a lot of time to make up for,” she murmured, pulling him closer for another kiss. “I think it’s going to be a long night.”

  The dog barked once, then settled down to wait, his head resting on his paws.

  Epilogue

  Christmas Eve – Drummond Ranch

  “Maddie! Lily!” Annie greeted them at the door. The puppy stood at her side, wagging his tail. “I got a dog!” She hugged Maddie and whispered ‘thank you’ in her ear. “And I got a sewing machine!” She took Lily’s hand and pulled her away to inspect it.

  Chase and Brent stood in the hallway, and Maddie was struck by their similarities. They may not look alike, but both were honourable men who loved their family. It didn’t get much better than that. Her gaze connected with Brent’s.

  “Come inside,” he said, relieving her of her coat. “I’d like you to meet my mother and father.”

  * * *

  The dog had been relegated to his basket in the mudroom while they ate dinner. Annie objected at being separated from her new friend, but Brent was firm. “We have to train him now, or you won’t be able to manage him later.”

  “I think I’ll call him Snowball.” She looked to Maddie, then Lily for approval.

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “I like it.”

  They spoke at the same time.

  The child’s happy gaze took in everyone at the table. “You know, I think it’s going to be a good Christmas.”

  Thank you for reading.

  If you enjoyed this book, the author

  Would be grateful

  if you would return to

  Amazon.com

  And leave a review.

  Continue reading for an excerpt from

  Fallen Angel

  For a complete list of Mona Ingram’s e-books,

  Visit her Amazon Author Page:

  https://www.amazon.com/author/monaingram.com

  Mona’s website:

  http://monaingram.com

  Mona’s Blog:

  http://monaingram.blogspot.ca

  ...and now for that excerpt from

  Fallen Angel

  Chapter One

  Laura didn’t need an intervention to know she had problems, which was why she was doubly surprised when she walked into her grandmother’s house and saw all the people who, for whatever reason, still loved her.

  Time seemed to stand still. With one hand on the screen door and the other clutching the door frame, she contemplated turning around and leaving. At least long enough to down another pill. For one irrational moment she was thankful that she’d showered and washed her hair this morning. As if that meant they’d go easy on her. But that wasn’t going to happen; she could see from the five determined pairs of eyes that no one here was going to cut her any slack. That’s the way it worked, wasn’t it...on those television shows? Her throat went dry and she looked at her grandmother, who was seated next to her father on the couch.

  “Could I get something to drink, please?” She gave a weak smile. “Diet Coke if you have any, Gran.” She started to make her way toward the kitchen but Jenna, her friend since childhood, jumped up. “I’ll get it.”

  They’re probably afraid I’ll make a run for it out the back door, she thought to herself. And they may be right. The shock was beginning to wear off, and she took in the two remaining people in the group. Rachel Ellison, the head nurse from St. Mark’s and a woman she didn’t recognize.

  The woman stood up and motioned for Laura to sit down in the big chair in the corner. Laura almost giggled; it reminded her of a wedding shower where the bride-to-be was the center of attention.

  The woman extended her hand and Laura shook it. “My name is Myrna Hyslop. I’m an intervention specialist and I’m here to help your friends and family.”

  Jenna came back into the room. Ice cubes clinked in a tall glass and she held a can of coke in the other hand. She placed both items on th
e table beside Laura and gave her friend a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Love you,” she murmured, then went back to the other side of the room and sat down.

  Laura poured half of the coke with a trembling hand and took a deep swallow. It tasted great, but what she’d really like is another oxycodone to go with it. She tried to remember when she’d taken the last one, but her memory was fuzzy. She set the glass back down, frowning with the effort of concentration. Her memory was deserting her frequently these days, and she didn’t like it.

  There were times, like right now, when she couldn’t even remember what had sent her down this path to self-destruction. But then the memories would come flooding back and she’d feel herself falling even deeper, if that was possible, into the black void that was currently her life.

  She forced herself to look at the people gathered in her grandmother’s living room. Her father, divorced from her mother for ten years now. Always there for her. It was her father who’d supported her when she announced her decision to become a nurse. He was the best, and she’d been genuinely delighted for him when he told her a few weeks ago that he’d found a woman to share the rest of his life with. She couldn’t remember the woman’s name right now, but her father was happy and that’s all that mattered.

  Next to her father was her Gran. As long as she could remember, a stable force in her life and a source of unconditional love. As a child, Laura had spent at least two weeks a year here at her grandmother’s house in the Shaughnessy district of Vancouver. Those had been some of the happiest times of her life.

  Rachel Ellison. Head Nurse at the hospital, and her supervisor. It was only a little over a month since Laura had fallen at work and broken her arm. The cast had come off two days ago and she massaged her arm, trying once more to recall what had precipitated that fall. She hated to admit it, but she couldn’t remember that either. At least she’d done one thing right. She’d stashed away a supply of oxycodone before the accident. The doctor wouldn’t prescribe any pain meds for her after the fall, informing her that a broken arm didn’t warrant anything more than Tylenol, and besides a stronger pain killer could prove addictive. She’d almost laughed out loud at that, but had managed to nod in solemn agreement.

  Jenna Harkness. Her closest friend since childhood. They’d grown up together in Quesnel, had done volunteer work at the local hospital, and had shared everything. Even after Laura had gone to Vancouver for her nurses’ training, they’d remained close. Laura had been there when Jenna and Drew got married, and had rushed to see each of her children only days after their birth. Her friend’s eyes were all shimmery with tears, and she wondered if Jenna was about to tell her that she was no longer Godmother to Hayley and Mark. The idea was insupportable, and for the first time she felt real fear.

  “...which is why your family and friends are here for you today.” The intervention specialist was speaking but Laura hadn’t heard a word. What was her name again? She turned toward the other woman, hoping that her expression didn’t reveal what she was thinking. That she didn’t really need her help. Her family were wonderful to be so caring, but her current state was only temporary. She’d be back up to speed any time now.

  She took another drink, playing for time. She’d come to love the sound of ice cubes recently. They signalled good times ahead. She frowned again. At least they were supposed to be good times, but in recent weeks she’d often wake up in the morning not remembering what had happened after the third or fourth drink in her favourite bar. She stared into the bottom of the glass. She’d better cut back on the drinking, or she wouldn’t be in any shape to go back to work.

  She looked at the faces around the room and put on a conciliatory smile. “I’ve been drinking too much” she said, nodding as she spoke to let them know she accepted the seriousness of her problem. “And I promise to cut back right away.”

  Nobody responded. They didn’t have to; it was clear that they didn’t believe a word of what she said. This was going to be tougher than she thought.

  “Okay, you’re right. I won’t just ‘cut back’. I’ll stop drinking completely.” She tried another smile and held up the arm that had been broken, flexing her fingers as she spoke. “I’ll be fit for work soon and I need all my senses for that.” She looked directly at her supervisor, who was looking at her oddly. “Rachel knows what I mean, right?”

  The Head Nurse looked at the intervention specialist who nodded, then turned her attention back to Laura. “You’re not coming back to work. I’m sorry, Laura, but I can’t afford to have you back on the floors.” She gave her head a little shake. “I’d planned to talk to you the day you had your accident. In retrospect, I should have realized what was going on, but it never crossed my mind that you had a substance abuse problem. You were skating on thin ice then, but now you’ve gone right over the edge.”

  Laura wanted to tell her she was mixing her metaphors, but something held her back. “How can you possibly say that? I haven’t seen you since I got the cast on.” Her tone was getting desperate, but she couldn’t stop herself. “I’m much better now.”

  For the first time she saw something like pity in Rachel’s eyes. “Laura, we saw each other a couple of weeks ago, at the staff picnic. You don’t remember?”

  “Come on, Rachel. Stop kidding.” She glanced around at the others in the room. They were all looking at her gravely and her world seemed to tilt. She looked back at her supervisor and when she spoke her voice was little more than a whisper. “I don’t remember.”

  “You were pretty high when you got there, so I’m not surprised.”

  Laura didn’t intend to give up without a fight. “Come on, Rach, everybody has too much to drink once in a while; it’s how we blow off steam. You know that.”

  “Your drinking is only part of your problems. It wasn’t until I discussed the situation with Dr. Rowland that I started to put the pieces together. He told me that you’d been taking various forms of oxycodone for a couple of months before you broke your arm.”

  “And you believed Stew?” Laura was incensed. “He’s the one who gave it to me in the first place.”

  She closed her eyes, dropped her head. She wanted to snatch the words back, but it was too late. Her first instinct was to blame Rachel for tricking her, but that lasted only a second. It wasn’t Rachel’s fault she’d become addicted. It wasn’t even Stew’s fault, much as she’d like to share the blame. She was an RN, for God’s sake; she’d known the consequences of self-medicating with oxycodone long before he suggested that she take one to help her get through the bleak days after Mattie died.

  They all spoke after that. Her father, her grandmother, and finally her friend Jenna. Ashamed and resentful at the same time, she heard very little of what they had to say. She knew they loved her and wanted to help her, but what right did they have to interfere in her life? It wasn’t until Jenna spoke of her children that she raised her head and actively listened to her friend.

  “I’m not giving up on you, Laura. You’re Godmother to my children, and I need you to be in their lives. What if something should happen to Drew and me, God forbid? You promised to take care of them, and I need you to be well. Please say you’ll go.”

  Go where? Laura wondered. Either they hadn’t discussed that part, or she hadn’t been listening. But did it matter? Not really. She knew what was in store for her; the location was the least of her concerns.

  She knew better than to ask if she could go home. After brief but tearful goodbyes, the Hyslop woman bundled her into a large SUV and pulled out into traffic.

  Laura was silent for the first half hour, watching downtown Vancouver slide by outside the window. “Where are we going?” she asked eventually, as they crossed the Lions Gate Bridge.

  “Please call me Myrna”, the woman said with a thin smile. “We’re going to Vancouver Island. There’s an excellent rehab center not far from Nanaimo, so we’ll be crossing from Horseshoe Bay.” She seemed remarkably upbeat. “I always enjoy the ferry crossing.”


  Laura remained silent for several moments. “What about my apartment?” she asked finally. She hoped it wasn’t too much of a mess.

  “Your father’s going to take care of that for you.”

  Laura absorbed this information with a silent nod. She twirled a piece of hair around her finger and rubbed it against her lips. It was a gesture she used to make to calm herself when she heard her parents arguing, or when her mother had been particularly vile toward her. She dropped the piece of hair and glanced sideways to see if Myrna had noticed, but the woman was manoeuvring through traffic, approaching Highway 1.

  “What about clothes, toothbrush, stuff like that? And who’s paying for all this?” Laura hadn’t meant to sound belligerent, but the words came out that way.

  Myrna narrowed her eyes.

  She probably thinks I’m a spoiled bitch. Maybe she’s right. She smiled in an attempt to let the other woman know she meant well.

  “Your father sent along a suitcase for you. You won’t need a huge wardrobe at Water’s Edge, but he and his new lady friend picked out some nice things for you.”

  “You saw what they bought?”

  The other woman nodded. “Yes, it’s part of my job. You’ll be checked again when you arrive just to make sure. As for the money, your father and your grandmother have paid for that as well.”

  “I can afford to pay for it.” Laura didn’t know why she’d said that. Maybe she just needed to assert herself. Everything else seemed to have been decided for her.

  “Good. But that’s between you and your father now.”

  They fell silent after that. Laura scarcely noticed the sparkling blue of the Pacific as they neared the ferry terminal. She was startled when Myrna spoke as they waited in line to board the ferry.

  “I’ve made this trip many times.” She glanced across at Laura. “It never fails to inspire me, knowing that people like you have the strength to turn their lives around.”