The Holiday Gift

by RaeAnne Thayne

  “My favorite little guy,” she amended. “You two are my favorite bigger guys. How’s the snow out there?”

  “Still coming down,” Chase said. “Mary said she thinks we’ll get another six or seven inches out of the storm. Perfect for cuddling in by the fire and hanging out with the family on Christmas morning.”

  “I hope Celeste and Flynn make it.”

  “They pulled in right as we were finishing the driveway,” he assured her.

  “That’s good,” Mary said from the kitchen. “Everything’s ready and I’m starving.”

  “Sorry we’re late,” Celeste said as she, Flynn and Olivia came in with their arms loaded down with gifts.

  “We still had to wrap a couple of presents,” Olivia explained.

  Hope paused in the act of setting her hastily wrapped final present under the big tree in the window. “Seriously, CeCe? On Christmas Eve? Maybe next year you should plan ahead a little better,” she said virtuously.

  Faith had to laugh, which ended up startling Sammy. “Sorry, kiddo.”

  “Here, I’ll take him back.”

  She didn’t want to surrender the soft little bundle but Mary came in just then. “Great. Everybody’s here. Find your places.”

  After handing Sammy back to his mother, she found a place beside Chase. Addie and Louisa sat at her other side while Barrett sat on Chase’s other side.

  When they were all settled, Celeste looked around at their family.

  “I have an announcement to make. We do, actually.”

  Olivia, Faith noticed, was just about jumping out of her chair in excitement.

  “Is this about Sparkle and the Magic Snowball being number one again at the box office?” Addie asked.

  “Everybody knows that already,” Olivia said.

  “Is it about the new Sparkle book that’s coming out next summer or the movie sequel they’re already making?” Louisa asked.

  “No,” Flynn said. “Though that’s all very exciting.”

  He reached for Celeste’s hand and Faith held her breath, sensing what was coming next before her sister even said it.

  “We’re having a baby.”

  The table erupted into squeals of excitement and hearty congratulations.

  “Another baby. What wonderful news—and the perfect time to find out, on Christmas Eve,” Mary exclaimed, her features soft with delight. “When are you due?”

  “June. Right around the book launch, which isn’t the greatest of timing, I know.”

  “We’ll figure it out,” Hope said. “This is so great! Maybe you’ll have a boy, too, and he and Sammy can be best friends!”

  Faith felt a big, strong hand reach out and grip hers. She glanced at her husband and saw a secret little smile there, the same one exploding in her heart. The two new cousins would soon become three, but she and Chase were the only ones at the table who knew that, for now.

  They wouldn’t share their news yet. Faith was only eight weeks along and they had decided to wait until after the New Year to tell anyone. Even Barrett, Lou and Addie didn’t know yet.

  It was tough to keep the news under wraps but there would be time enough to let the family know even more joy would soon be on the way.

  For now, she would celebrate her sister’s happiness.

  Her heart seemed filled to overflowing and tears welled up as she looked around the table at her family, these people she loved so much.

  Pregnancy hormones were making her crazy. She cried at everything these days. This, the chance to spend Christmas Eve with all the people she loved most in the world, was worth a few tears, she decided.

  Chase’s strong, callused fingers threaded through hers and more tears leaked out. He nudged her shoulder with his, and then her oldest and dearest friend—and the man she loved with all her heart—handed her his napkin so she could dry her tears.

  “What’s wrong? Why are you crying, Mom?” Louisa asked, concern in her eyes that could look so fierce and determined when she and the horse she adored galloped through a barrel course.

  Faith sniffled a little more. “I’m happy. That’s all.”

  “Cut it out or you’ll set me off,” Celeste said.

  “And me,” Hope said. “Since I had Sammy, I cry if the wind blows at me from the wrong direction.”

  Faith gave her sisters a watery smile. Their father’s words certainly held true for his daughters. Each of them had proved that faith was stronger than fear, that they could move past the tough experiences in their past and let love help them heal.

  She tightened her fingers around Chase’s, the joy in her heart blazing as brightly as the lights on Aunt Mary’s big Christmas tree that sent out warmth and color and hope across the snowy night.

  * * * * *

  Don’t miss the other Nichols sisters’ stories

  of love and Christmas, part of

  THE COWBOYS OF COLD CREEK miniseries:

  A COLD CREEK CHRISTMAS STORY

  THE CHRISTMAS RANCH

  Available now from Harlequin Special Edition!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from A BRAVO FOR CHRISTMAS by Christine Rimmer.

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  A Bravo for Christmas

  by Christine Rimmer

  Chapter One

  The girls had been decorating Darius again.

  Ava Malloy entered the Blueberry troop clubhouse to find him surrounded by ten laughing Blueberries, ages six through eight. He wore jeans, boots and a thermal work shirt. The girls had added a pink paper crown dusted with glitter, an oversize pair of red cat’s-eye glasses and a giant purple pop bead necklace. And someone had tied a length of rumpled blue velvet around his neck—for a cape or possibly a royal robe.

  Ava’s seven-year-old daughter, Sylvie, caught sight of Ava at the door and crowed, “Mommy, look! Darius is king of the Blueberries!” as the other girls giggled and clapped.

  Ava played
along and sketched a bow. “Your Majesty.”

  Darius was already looking her way. He did that a lot—watched her. Teased her. The man was born a shameless flirt. At her greeting, he lifted a dark eyebrow and returned a slow, regal nod that caused his paper crown to dip precariously near one gleaming blue eye.

  He should have looked ridiculous. But no. Somehow, glittery paper crowns, tattered velvet capes and giant toy necklaces only made Darius Bravo seem more manly.

  And he was so good with the girls. Ava hadn’t expected that. She’d known him since high school, and he’d been with lots of women. He’d never settled down with any of them, though, never started a family. She’d always assumed that kids didn’t interest him.

  Yet somehow, he’d let himself get roped into helping out with the Blueberry Christmas project this year. For the last six weeks, he’d been supervising the troop as they assembled, painted and furnished five kit dollhouses for five local children’s charities. He’d done most of the work, while at the same time managing to get each girl involved in a constructive way.

  So yeah. Darius was hot and charming and he had a way with children. Ava’s Sylvie adored him. And that made Ava like him more, made her more susceptible to the teasing glances he lavished on her and the jokingly suggestive things he said.

  For so long, she’d considered herself totally over whatever had made him so tempting to her in high school. Now she feared she might be coming down with a slight crush on the guy all over again. She might even have fantasized about him once or twice.

  Or a lot.

  And so what? She needed her fantasies. When it came to romance and passion and sex, fantasies were all she had.

  And no, she didn’t feel sorry for herself because she didn’t have a man. Ava didn’t want another relationship. She’d loved Craig Malloy and lost him, had the medals and the folded flag to prove it. Six years after the casualty notification officer knocked on her door, grief at Craig’s passing still haunted her. It wasn’t the clawing agony it used to be. However, it was bad enough that she didn’t want to get serious with any guy. Not yet. Maybe never.

  But was it so wrong to yearn for a little magic and passion? Ava wanted the shivery thrill of a hot kiss, the glory of a tender touch.

  To put it bluntly, she would love to get laid.

  A man for Christmas. Was that too much to ask? A lovely holiday fling. Yeah. That would work perfectly for her. No strings attached—and over and done by New Year’s Day. Scratch where it itched.

  And move on. To her, that sounded just perfect. But she had a daughter to raise and a demanding real estate business to run. Somehow, she never found the time to track down the right no-strings lover.

  The door opened behind her, letting in a gust of icy November air. Chloe Bravo, one of Darius’s sisters-in-law, slipped through. “Hey, Ava.”

  Ava dismissed her absurd Christmas-fling fantasy and smiled at Chloe, whose six-year-old stepdaughter, Annabelle, was also a Blueberry and Sylvie’s best friend. Leaning close to Chloe, Ava asked softly, “How are we doing for Saturday?”

  Chloe was tall, blonde and drop-dead gorgeous. She and Ava both worked with Bravo Construction, which was owned and run by two of Darius’s half siblings, Garrett and Nell. “I’m still waiting to firm up the delivery on a sofa, two bedroom suites and most of the wall and table decor.” An interior designer, Chloe was staging a Bravo-built home for the open house Ava would be holding on the weekend.

  Ava pulled Chloe to the side of the mudroom/entry area, away from the laughing Blueberries and their blue-eyed king. “You know I’ll help when it comes to the crunch.”

  Chloe removed her bright red beanie and shook off a light dusting of snow. “Thank you. There’s way too much going on. Thanksgiving’s in three days, and then there’s Black Friday. I may have to skip the family shopping trip if I want to get it all pulled together by Saturday.”

  “You can’t miss that.” The Black Friday shopping trip was a Bravo family tradition. The Bravo women got up at three in the morning and caravanned to Denver. “Just give me your design plans at dinner on Thursday.” Ava and Sylvie were having Thanksgiving with the Bravos this year. “I’ll go in first thing Friday morning and set up whatever you didn’t get to. Then you can come by after the trip to Denver and double-check that it’s all ready to go.”

  “I couldn’t. You have enough on your plate—and aren’t you going to Denver?”

  “Stop.” Grinning, Ava shook her head. “I know you really want to go. I’ll take care of the last-minute stuff, no problem.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Positive.”

  Chloe beamed. “You’re a lifesaver. And I owe you.”

  “All right, everyone.” Out in the main area of the clubhouse, Janice Hayes, the troop leader, clapped her hands lightly for attention. “Moms and dads are arriving. Let’s get everything picked up and put away.”

  Laughing and chattering, the girls set to work stuffing their cubbies and cleaning up their supplies and tools. Darius shrugged out of his regal finery and enlisted the aid of a few moms to help him move the five fully assembled dollhouses back to their assigned spots along one wall.

  Ava helped, too. She put away paints and craft supplies.

  Then Janice waved a bright pink clipboard for attention again. “We have three weeks until the Holiday Ball.” The dollhouses would go on display in the ballroom lobby during the annual Haltersham Hotel Holiday Ball. After the ball, the dollhouses would be given to five different centers for disadvantaged or seriously ill children in the Justice Creek area.

  “It may seem like plenty of time, but there’s still a lot of painting, furnishing and accessorizing to do. And we all know how it is at the holidays. Everyone’s busy and things get away from us. Anyone who can put in a few hours next week or the week after, let me know. I’m working out a schedule.” Hands went up. Janice jotted down names and times as daughters and parents volunteered.

  In the buzz of activity, Ava had almost forgotten the Blueberry king. But then, there he was, moving in just behind her left shoulder. She felt the air stir with his heat. His wonderful scent of leather, sawdust and soap tried to seduce her.

  A shiver of yearning lifted the hairs on the back of her neck.

  And all at once, she was fifteen again, turning from her hall locker, worn backpack sliding down one arm, to find him standing right behind her...

  * * *

  “Ava Janko.” He’d said her name that day like he was daring her to do something crazy and thrilling and probably dangerous.

  He might have saved his breath.

  Ava didn’t do dangerous, not ever again—not by choice, anyway. Her parents were dreamers. They’d always claimed they lived on love. The way Ava saw it, living on love just made you broke. Somebody had to consider the future, behave responsibly and remember to pay the rent. She was only fifteen, but she babysat, helped her aunt Rae clean houses and worked part-time at Deeliteful Donuts on Creekside Drive a few blocks from the family double-wide.

  “Dare Bravo,” she replied, wrapping both arms around her backpack, using it as a lumpy, faded shield between them, a shield she really needed. Because those blue eyes burned into hers, and that too-full bottom lip of his made her wonder things she shouldn’t—like how it would feel to kiss him.

  “Party Friday at Cal’s house.” Cal Flanders was a linebacker on the Justice Creek High football team. Everybody knew about the parties at Cal’s. His parents didn’t spend a lot of time at home. “Come with me. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  Her heart did something really scary inside her chest—kind of froze, twisted and then rolled. For a second or two Yes tried to jump right out of her mouth.

  But she didn’t let it.

  Uh-uh. She tipped her chin higher. “No, thanks.”

  Her refusal didn’t seem t
o faze him. “Why not?” he asked with a definite smirk.

  So she lowered her voice to keep others from hearing and said, “Because you’re the rich-boy quarterback of the Justice Creek High football team who’s got a different cheerleader hanging on his arm every time I turn around—not to mention, I’m too young for you, and you know it, too.”

  He stuck his hands in his pockets and went on smirking. “You’re too young for me? What girl thinks like that?”

  “A smart girl.” She clutched her backpack harder and refused to drop her gaze.

  He leaned a little closer. “I know you like me. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be keeping track of who I go with.” His minty breath touched her cheek, and longing burned through her—to be like every other girl her age and take a chance now and then, to flutter her eyelashes, to blush and smile and say she would love to go to that party at Cal’s.

  But she had plans for her life, and they didn’t include ending up where she was right now—in a double-wide at the Seven Pines Mobile Home Park. He was too popular and too good-looking, and it wouldn’t last and she knew it. When it was over, he would move on to the next pretty girl, leaving her with her heart in tatters. She had no time for a battered, broken heart. She needed her focus on what mattered: a better life for herself.

  She tried to explain. “It’s just...a bad idea. You’re nothing but trouble for a girl like me, Dare.”

  He scoffed. “‘A girl like you.’ I don’t know what that means.”

  “I already told you. I’m too young for you, and I’m from the south side of town.”

  “I don’t care where you live. And I’m not asking for anything that’ll get either of us in trouble. I just want you to go to a party with me. You’re putting limits on yourself because you’re scared.”

  He refused to understand. But why should he? He was a Bravo and he had it all.

  Of course she put limits on herself. Limits protected her from making the kinds of bad choices that could mess up her life all over again. “I am not scared.” Her voice didn’t shake at all. “I have no reason to be. ’Cause I’m not going to Cal’s with you.”