The Christmas Angel (The McBride Series Book 1)

by Tina Radcliffe

  When her little blue Honda Civic pulled up to the curb he approached the car and tapped on the passenger window. Samantha rolled down the glass, a question on her face.

  “I’m going to have to cancel,” he said.

  “What?” Her head jerked back a fraction, and her eyes popped wide. “Everyone’s expecting you. My mother made pies in your honor.”

  He leaned over, resting his forearms on the edge of her window and fixing his eyes on her. She looked good. When didn’t she look good?

  “I haven’t had much experience with this sort of thing,” he murmured.“What sort of thing?”

  “You know…” He shrugged. “Family.”

  Samantha grinned. “Good. We like virgin sacrifices. Now hurry; we’re late.”

  “Samantha,” he tried again as she cleared the Sunday paper off the passenger seat.“Judd. This isn’t cocktails with the Rockefellers. It’s Sunday dinner with the McBrides. It’ll be fun.”

  “Samantha!” Her head swiveled around, surprise flashing in her eyes.“I’m not real good with people.”

  She reached out and gently covered his hand with hers. Just her touch was enough to force him to concentrate on getting air into his lungs and back out. Before he met her, his body had done it without instructions.

  “No kidding,” she whispered softly. “Get in.”

  He’d barely closed the car door when she put the little car in gear and peeled out into traffic. The momentum threw Judd back into his seat. “Let me get my seat belt on.”She slowed to normal speed. Then they hit the expressway on-ramp, and she revved the engine.

  Judd sat back and tried to relax. They passed every car on the road in a rush of wind. He tried to read the speedometer without success. She was going so fast he couldn’t even read the billboards.

  “You drive like a maniac,” he muttered.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, ‘You drive like a maniac.’”

  “No smart aleck driving remarks,” she warned, pointing a finger at him. The car veered slightly left.

  Grabbing her hand, he placed it back on the steering wheel. “Let’s get there in one piece.” The vehicle swayed as they passed a foreign sports car.

  Judd reached between the seats to check that his seat belt was really locked. His fingers closed on a half pack of chewing gum. He glanced up. Then jerked back in alarm.

  The silhouette of two naked women on the mud flaps of an eighteen-wheeler filled his vision. Gulping, he tried again to get a look at the speedometer.

  “I’m only doing seventy.”

  “The speed limit is fifty-five.”

  “Oh, you can’t be serious? You’ve been out of the country too long. You have to keep up with the flow of traffic.”

  “It’s Sunday morning.”

  She hit the brakes.

  Judd went flying forward, his hand streaking out to catch himself on the dashboard. “Now what are you doing?”

  “I’m slowing down for you,” she said, contrition noticeably absent from her tone.

  Judd mumbled. The words “my life flashed before my eyes” took on a new and very real significance. Up to now, his life was pretty colorless. Until Samantha roared in.

  Suddenly realization reached out to grab him. Taking several deep breaths, he turned to Samantha and smiled. “You’re doing this on purpose aren’t you?”

  “What?” she answered, narrowing her eyes and running her fingers through her bangs.

  “You’re driving like a speed demon to get my mind off having dinner with your family.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I always drive like this.”

  He laughed. “I saw you driving Mrs. Peabody to church last week. You usually drive like a nun.”

  “Okay, okay.” She was trying hard not to smile. “But it worked, didn’t it? Oh look. Here’s our exit. If I hadn’t done something, you would have had a full blown panic attack.”

  She guided the car to a stop in front of a large, two-story colonial home on a quiet residential street. The curb was lined with automobiles.

  Judd got out of the car and leaned on the door. He counted the number of cars lining the curb and whistled softly. “That’s a lot of McBrides.”

  She slid out of the car. “Relax.”

  He followed as she moved to the trunk and started digging through the contents. “Want some help?”

  “Can you hold this stuff?”

  Judd reached for her offerings: a wool scarf, one sneaker followed by a Frisbee, three socks, a plaid blanket, and a boomerang. She reached further back, balancing on one booted foot, the other leg outstretched, and her backside straining against the tight denim jeans.

  Judd cleared his throat. “Ahh, Samantha. What are you looking for?”

  “I’ve got Michael’s football in here somewhere,” she replied. Pulling her head out, she announced, “Here it is.”

  She tossed the football in the air.

  “Great,” he muttered.

  Samantha walked briskly up the path to the front porch. She turned to look at Judd where he stood rooted to the sidewalk. Shaking her head, she walked back to him, her face inches from his.

  His gaze was drawn to the freckles scattered across her nose. He’d never given freckles much thought before. He did now. There was hardly a moment he didn’t think about freckles. Lately he dreamed about freckles. He’d known the woman for less than a month, and already she’d changed the comfortable pattern of his life. Now things were anything but comfortable. Frankly, most of the time he was plenty uncomfortable.

  Suddenly, it registered that Samantha was talking.

  “You can do this,” she said, her voice soothing and calm. He couldn’t concentrate when she was this close. He focused on her mouth, leaning forward until he could feel her breath on his face.

  It seemed only natural to cover her mouth with his. The football dropped to the ground.

  Judd tasted the softness, the sweetness, the goodness that was Samantha. He rocked back on his heels, breaking the contact.

  Her small hand was on his chest as she sought to balance herself, and her face was pink. Good, she was as unsettled as he was.

  She blinked. “That was nice.”

  “Uh huh.” Judd scooped the ball up.

  Samantha took a deep breath. “Okay, I think we’re ready.” She grabbed his hand and opened the front door, weaving them through the living room to a large kitchen. The aroma of simmering beef and vegetables greeted them first, and then the tangled melody of voices. Music was blaring, a popular tune, and a young women who bore an uncanny resemblance to Samantha was singing, using a wooden spatula as a microphone.

  At the stove, a trim, gray-haired woman with a mass of curls managed to dance with a little girl while stirring a large pot.

  “I see we’ve been into the wine,” Samantha said aloud to no one in particular.

  The McBride matriarch turned her head, spotted Samantha, and issued a cry. “Samantha Colleen!” The wooden spoon she held clattered onto the stove, and the room fell silent as Mary Margaret McBride rushed over to greet her middle daughter.

  “We thought you weren’t going to make it.” She wrapped Samantha in a loving embrace before her eyes moved to Judd.

  He stepped back. The McBrides touched a lot.Samantha’s mother inspected him from head to toe and then dove into his personal spaced and grabbed him in a fierce bear hug.

  It wasn’t half bad.

  “What a pleasure to finally meet you, Judd.” Mrs. McBride continued to squeeze his hand, and with a knowing smile, she graced him with a nod of approval.

  Why was she nodding?

  “Have you met Kathleen?”Kathleen was model slim with long, straight strawberry blonde hair. Like her sister, she was more beautiful than her pictures. She gazed at him as though he was dessert.

  Judd cleared his throat. “Nice to meet you”

  Mrs. McBride turned to Samantha. “Why are you late?”

  “I couldn’t find my
car keys.”

  Deep laughter rumbled from the corner of the room, where Michael McBride lounged against the refrigerator.

  “What’s so funny?” Samantha demanded.

  He unfolded his arms and moved across the room to stand in front of Samantha. Judd watched as he picked her up by the waist and planted a kiss on her cheek before setting her back down. An infectious grin was stamped on his face.

  “Lost your keys, huh? That’s not what I saw when I looked out the window.”

  “Oh, go away.” She slapped Michael’s hand as tried to ruffle her hair. A flush swept across her face.

  “Good to see you, Judd,” Michael addressed him. “Hey, and you brought the ball.”

  Judd tossed it to Michael.

  “How’d it go yesterday with Paddy?” Michael asked.

  “I was the designated bouncer. Broke up four altercations. Your uncle said I did such a good job that they’re going to promote me to water boy next practice.”

  “Lucky you.” Cupping his hand over his mouth, Michael lifted his head and yelled through the open kitchen window. “Luke! They brought the ball.”

  Luke’s tall frame filled the doorway with Danny hiding behind him. “Hey, Judd. The rest of the guys are outside. Are you ready to play?”

  “Nice to see you too, Luke,” Samantha said as she grabbed Danny’s hand and pulled him into a hug.

  “Oh, yeah.” Luke’s head turned to his sister. “Sammy! My favorite middle sister.” He handed an icy beverage to Judd.

  Judd liked the odds around here. For once they were definitely in his favor. He winked at Samantha and followed Luke and Michael outside.

  Her arms deep in hot soapy water, Samantha confided to her sister Kathleen as she washed the dishes. “I thought dinner went pretty well, didn’t you?”

  “Judd is delicious, Sammy. He makes the guys at college pale by comparison. And if you don’t get him in to your bed but quick, someone else is going to scarf him up.”

  Samantha nearly dropped the dish she was holding. She stared at her younger sister in shock. “Kathleen Patricia McBride!” She looked around. “Are you trying to give Mom a heart attack?”

  “She didn’t hear me, and come on. Have you seen the buns on that guy? To die for. And he’s cool too. He didn’t even react when that barracuda Mara came onto him, and he held Maggie’s baby—twice.”

  “Maggie made him hold the baby. And that was a generic come-on from Mara. She has to make sure every man notices her.”

  “Yeah, well, if it was my man, I’d have made sure the gelatin mold landed on her lap.” Kathleen shook her head as she put away a stack of plates.

  “Where do you get these ideas? He isn’t my man. He’s a friend.”

  “Don’t be silly, Sammy. You should see the way he looks at you. Intense. Very intense.”

  “Intense, huh?”

  “If you don’t want him, then I’ll ask Santa to put him in my Christmas stocking. Wrapping paper is optional.”

  Samantha laughed. “You’re hilarious. Is this what they teach you in college.”

  “Hmm.” Kathleen continued ignoring Samantha. “I’ll bet he’s some kisser too,” she mused with a dreamy voice.

  Samantha’s mind wandered to the two kisses they’d shared. Friday night’s was definitely high voltage. A ten, for sure. What about the one he’d surprised her with outside? Kathleen might be young, but she’d nailed Judd. Everything about the man was intense.

  His kisses she might learn to handle. But a relationship?

  No. That wasn’t going to happen. Judd was a traveling man, and she had no plans to leave the circle of her family. She’d moved home for family, and she wasn’t leaving. As long as she stayed close, she could make sure everyone was safe.

  Besides, two kisses were nothing in the scheme of things. If he kissed her again, well, then she’d start to worry.

  Leaning over the sink, Samantha pulled the curtains aside to get a look out into the backyard. The day had warmed to nearly fifty degrees, per Colorado’s notoriously labile weather. Most of the family was playing football or cheering on the sidelines.

  Samantha laughed at the sight of Judd tearing down the yard with the ball. Her six-year-old niece literally hung onto his coat tails and was dragged across the grass. For a guy who wasn’t used to family, he fit right in.

  “He’s a nice young man, Samantha.” This from her mother, who carried more dirty dishes into the kitchen. “You know his parents are dead. The man is practically an orphan. He’s never had a close family like ours.” Margaret McBride clucked softly, setting the plates down.

  No, she didn’t know that. This sure explained his economy-sized panic attack. However Samantha knew better than to encourage her mother.

  “Well, Mother, I guess we better adopt him,” she deadpanned.

  Kathleen elbowed her sister and whispered, “Adoption isn’t quite what I had in mind.”

  “He has a degree from a big eastern college. Put himself through school, he did,” Mary Margaret continued. “The man has a computer engineering degree!”

  How did the woman do it? Samantha prided herself in her ability to obtain the most information in the shortest amount of time. She’d been humbled in front of the master. Her mother truly was amazing.

  “Computers? Almost as good as a doctor, huh, Ma?” Kathleen blurted out.

  “Young lady!” There was firm warning in their mother’s voice.

  Samantha closed her eyes and laughed quietly.

  From the backyard came a loud cry and an echoing wail. The unmistakable crashing sound of falling trash cans followed. Then nothing but ominous silence.

  A young voice called out, “Come quick, Aunt Samantha. I think we killed him!”

  “Samantha, I’m okay. It’s just a sprained ankle,” Judd insisted. He leaned on her as he limped out of the car.

  She peered into his face, reaching out with her hand. “But your eye. It’s about three shades of purple. Can you open it at all?”

  He grimaced at her touch. Any other time, he’d revel in the touch of her hand on his face. Now he gently tugged her fingers away and held them.

  “Really. I’m fine,” he said. “Anyhow it was worth it. Mike doesn’t look much better. Did you see his nose? Ran straight into my knee.”

  Her head jerked back. “Mike? You got away with calling him Mike?”

  Judd continued. “The important thing to remember here is that we won.” Besides, he’d gladly go through it again if it would keep Samantha hovering over him.

  “You sound exactly like them,” she said with wonder. “All this time, I thought it was some kind of family thing. But this male bonding stuff, it’s in the Y chromosome. You all have it.” She stopped short.

  “Owww! Hey, tell me when you’re planning to stop like that.”

  “I’m sorry, so sorry,” she cried, then paused and looked at him. “Wasn’t Michael on your team? And Luke?”

  “Well, yeah. But we were playing against your little brothers Peter and Joey. They must be seven feet tall, and they weigh about three hundred pounds.”

  “Oh, they do not. Besides they had all the women and children on their team.”

  “What are you trying to say?” He turned and looked at her before moving toward the door. She was blurry without his glasses. “I want you to know it was your sister Maggie who gave me this shiner.”

  “Maggie wasn’t even playing. You ran into her.”

  “She was running on the playing field with a metal spatula.”

  “It was an accident. She was chasing the baby.”

  Judd grunted as he leaned on the wrought iron railing, bracing himself to move over the threshold.

  “Wait, let me get the door.” She held the screen as he hobbled in. For a moment he lost his balance, and Samantha moved forward quickly to support him. Her hand grazed his shirt pocket, where his glasses peeked out.

  Leaning on her, he steadied himself and then reached between them to pull the frames and lenses f
rom his pocket. The lenses were intact, though they’d popped out. The frames were mangled.

  Her mouth dropped open.

  “Just need a little adjusting. The baby grabbed them while I was holding her.”

  “Why didn’t you say, no?”

  “I’ve always had a hard time saying no to beautiful women.”

  Samantha’s laughter rang out. “Come on. Let’s get up these steps before Cush shows up.”

  “Good point.” There was no telling how Cush would interpret this scene.

  Samantha looked pointedly at the two sets of stairs they would have to climb to his apartment. “Maybe it would be better to stop at my place.”

  “No!” There was no way he was getting anywhere near the vicinity of her apartment tonight. Once he sat down, he wasn’t getting up, and he wasn’t going to be trapped defenseless in her lair. He moved up the first set of stairs with Samantha closely behind.

  She stiffened. “Okay, I get it. Apparently you only have a hard time saying no to other women.”

  Judd rested against the wall. “Samantha, I don’t think you do get it. My ankle is throbbing like it’s on fire. I can barely see out of this eye, and what I can see is blurry. Yet every time I look at you all I want to do is kiss you, again.”

  “Oh.” Her eyes widened.

  He took a ragged breath. “Do you know how much of my time is spent thinking about kissing you?”

  Before he could consider the wisdom of his actions, he leaned over and cut off her sputtered words. His lips came down on hers, harder and faster than he intended. He broke the contact and shook his head. Whatever it was between them, it got more powerful every time their lips met.

  What did he want from Samantha McBride? The answer chased him down and tackled him to the ground.

  He wanted more. He wanted less. He wanted it all.

  His phone began ringing in his pocket. The Charlie ring-tone. In a heartbeat he was on full alert. “I have to get that.”

  Grabbing the railing, he hopped up the stairs while elevating his ankle behind him. He unlocked the door and moved inside, ineffectually pushing the door shut with his elbow and digging in his pocket for his cell.

  “Yeah?” He panted.