It Started at Christmas...

by Janice Lynn

  “I didn’t see you.”

  “I didn’t think you had. I sat in my car for a few minutes after you first got here. I realized where you were going and was going to give you privacy, but it’s after midnight and we’re at a cemetery and I’ll admit I got a little freaked out, sitting in my car by myself.”

  “You shouldn’t be here, McKenzie.”

  Yeah, he might think that.

  “You’re wrong. This is exactly where I should be. Right beside you.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “You love me,” she told him. “And I love you. And maybe you love her, too, but she isn’t here anymore.” At least, McKenzie didn’t think she was. That had been her imagination playing tricks on her when she’d felt that shove. “I am here, Lance. I used to be terrified that I’d make all the same mistakes my parents made, but I’m not anymore. I’m not like my father, although I may be more like my mother than I realized. You told me that my father did those things because he loved himself more than my mother or me.”

  “I shouldn’t have said that, McKenzie.”

  “Sure you should have. You were right. But guess what, Lance Donovan Spencer? I love you that much. I love you enough to know that you are who I want, that you are the man I admire above all others, that you are the person I love enough to know that being faithful won’t be a problem because I don’t want anyone but you.”

  “Don’t admire me, McKenzie. I’m not worthy. You heard what I admitted to back at the Senior Citizen Center.”

  “I heard and I love you all the more for it.”

  In the moonlight, she saw the confusion on his face. “How can you love me for something I detest myself for?”

  “Because in the face of adversity you learned from the lessons life threw at you and you became a wonderful man who is constantly doing things for others, who is constantly trying to save others from the agony he suffers every day, from Shelby’s fate.”

  “You make me sound like a hero. I’m not.”

  “To me, you are a hero. You are my hero, Lance. You’re the man who made me know what love is, both to feel and to receive it.”

  He closed his eyes.

  “Don’t try to tell me you don’t love me, because I heard you say it,” she warned. “But I already knew, deep down, I knew. That’s why I sang to you, why I followed you. Because of love and my trust in that love.”

  “I don’t deserve you.”

  “I’m stubborn and prideful and prone to run when things get sticky, but take a look at these.” She raised one foot up off the ground. While she’d been sitting in her car, waiting for him to come back to his, she’d changed out of her heels and into the pair of running shoes he’d given her. “See these? My man gave them to me for Valentine’s Day so I could run to him. He doesn’t know it yet, but I have a pair for him in my car so, that way, the next time he runs, he can run to me, too.”

  “You knew I was going to run away tonight?”

  “My singing is pretty bad. I wasn’t expecting you to swoon with the sudden realization that everything was going to be perfect.”

  “Your singing was beautiful.”

  “I’ve heard of being blinded by love, but I’m pretty sure you must be tone-deaf from love.”

  “I do love you, McKenzie.”

  “I know.”

  “I made Shelby a promise.”

  “One you’ve kept all these years. It’s time to let go. You asked Shelby to give you a sign, Lance. I’m that sign. The way we feel about each other.” She wrapped her arms around him and leaned her forehead against his chin. “I don’t need you to forget Shelby. She’s part of what’s made you into the man you are, the man I love, but you have to let the guilt go. You can’t change the past, only the future. I want to be your future.”

  “What are you saying, McKenzie?”

  “That I want a lot more than two months to see what the future holds for us.”

  * * *

  Lance held the woman in his arms tightly to him. He couldn’t believe she was here, that they were standing by Shelby’s grave at midnight.

  He couldn’t believe McKenzie was laying her heart on the line, telling him how much she cared.

  “If we do this,” he warned, his heart pounding in his chest, “I’m never going to let you go, you do realize that?”

  She snuggled closer to him and held on tight. “Maybe you weren’t paying attention, but that’s the idea.”

  EPILOGUE

  “THE EMCEE JUST winked at you.”

  McKenzie nodded at her mother. “Yep, he did.”

  “He has a disgusting habit of doing that,” Cecilia accused with a shake of her head.

  “You’re just jealous,” McKenzie teased her friend.

  “Ha. I don’t think so. My hunky boyfriend is Santa, baby,” Cecilia countered, making McKenzie laugh.

  “Yeah, yeah. Quit pulling rank just because Santa has the hots for you.”

  “I could dress as Santa if you’re into that kind of thing,” Yves offered Violet.

  “Eww. Don’t need to hear this.” McKenzie put her fingers over her ears. “La-la-la. I’m finding my happy place, where I didn’t just hear my stepdad offer to dress up as Santa to give my mom her kicks.”

  Yves waggled his brows and gave Violet a wink of her own. McKenzie’s mother giggled in response. McKenzie just kept her hands over her ears, but she couldn’t keep the smile from her face at how happy her mother was or how much in love the two newlyweds were.

  “Ahem.” Cecilia nudged her arm. “The emcee is trying to get your attention.”

  “He has my attention.” And her heart. The past nine months had been amazing, full of life and happiness and embracing her feelings for Lance, with him embracing his feelings for her. Sure, there were moments when her old insecurities slipped through, but they were farther and farther apart. Just as Lance’s moments of guilt were farther and farther apart.

  He’d even been asked to speak at the local high school the week before graduation to talk to the kids about what had happened with Shelby. McKenzie had been so proud of him, of the way he’d opened up and shared with the kids his tragedy, how he’d lived his life trying to make amends, but one never really could. The Celebration Graduation committee had surprised Lance by setting up the Shelby Hanover Scholarship in her honor and had made the award to its first recipient following Lance’s talk at the high school.

  “Yeah, well, he’s motioning for you to join him onstage,” Cecilia pointed out. “He gonna have you croon for him again?”

  “I hope not.” McKenzie still didn’t enjoy singing or having everyone’s eyes on her, but the emcee aka the most wonderful man in the world truly was motioning her to come up onto the stage.

  She got onto the stage. “Please tell me I’m not about to embarrass myself by singing some Christmas ditty.”

  Grinning, he shook his head. “You’re not about to embarrass yourself by singing.”

  “Phew,” she said. “That’s a relief to everyone in the audience.”

  One of the performers brought over a chair and set it down behind where McKenzie stood next to Lance. She glanced around at the chair, then looked at Lance in question.

  “Have a seat, McKenzie.”

  She eyed him curiously. “What’s going on?”

  The look in his eyes had her concerned. His grin had faded and he actually looked nervous.

  “Lance?”

  “Sit, please.”

  McKenzie sat, which must have cued the music because it started up the moment her bottom hit the seat.

  When she caught the tune, she smiled.

  All the performers came out onto the stage and began singing. Lance stood in front of her, his eyes full of love. When the song ended, she got to her feet and
kissed him.

  The crowd cheered.

  “You have me, you know,” she whispered, for his ears only.

  “I sure hope so or I’m about to look like the world’s biggest fool.”

  She arched a brow at him. “Lance?”

  “Have a seat, McKenzie.”

  Her gaze met his and her mouth fell open as she sat back down.

  A big smile on his face, Lance dropped to one knee, right there on the Coopersville Community Center’s stage, with half the town watching.

  “McKenzie, at this show last year you saved the mayor’s life,” Lance began. “But without knowing it, you saved mine, too.”

  McKenzie’s eyes watered.

  He wasn’t doing this.

  He was doing this.

  “This past year has been the best of my life because I’ve spent it with you, but more than that you’ve helped me to be the person I was meant to be, to let go of things that needed to be let go of, and to embrace the aspects of life that needed to be embraced.”

  “Lance,” she whispered, her hand shaking as he took it in his.

  “I can’t imagine my life without you in it every single day.”

  “You’ll never have to,” she promised.

  “I’d like to make that official, get it in writing,” he teased, drawing a laugh from their audience. “McKenzie, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

  McKenzie stared into the eyes of the man who’d taught her what it meant to love and be loved and felt her heart expand even further, so much so that she felt her chest bursting with love.

  “Oh, yes.” She nodded, watching as he slipped a diamond ring onto the third finger of her left hand.

  He lifted her hand, kissed her fingers. “I love you, McKenzie.”

  “I love you, too, Lance.”

  Lance lifted her to her feet, kissed her.

  The curtain fell, closing them off from the applauding audience.

  “Merry Christmas, McKenzie.”

  “The merriest.”

  * * * * *

  EXCLUSIVE EXTRACT

  Paramedic Holly Jacobs knows that her night of scorching passion with Dr Daniel Chandler meant more than just lust. Playboy doc Daniel has sworn off love – but he can’t resist Holly! By the time they get snowed in on Christmas Eve Daniel finds himself asking if Holly is for life, not just for Christmas!

  Read on for a sneak preview of

  PLAYBOY ON HER CHRISTMAS LIST

  by Carol Marinelli

  Holly wanted a kiss, Daniel knew, but he was also rather certain she wanted a whole lot more than that. Not just sex, but the part of himself he refused to give.

  ‘What?’ he said again, and then his face broke into a smile, as, very unexpectedly, Holly, sweet Holly, showed another side of her.

  ‘Are you going to make me invite you in?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘You’re not even going to try and persuade me with a kiss?’ Holly checked.

  ‘You want me or you don’t.’ Daniel shrugged. ‘There’s no question that I want you. But, Holly, do you get that—?’

  She knew what was coming and she didn’t need the warning—he had made his position perfectly clear—so she interrupted him. ‘I don’t need the speech.’

  She just needed this.

  Holly had thought his hand was moving to open the door but instead it came out of the window and to her head and pulled her face down to his.

  He kissed her hard, even though she was the one standing. The stubble of his unshaven jaw was rough on her face and his tongue was straight in.

  He pulled her in tight so that her upper abdomen hurt from the pressure of the open window and it was a warning, she knew, of the passion to come.

  Even now she could pull back and straighten, say goodnight and walk off, but Holly was through with being cautious.

  Her bag dropped to the pavement and he then released her.

  Holly stared back at him, breathless, her lipstick smeared across her face, and all it made him want to do was to kiss her again.

  But this was a street.

  Holly bent and retrieved her bag and then walked off towards her flat. There was a roaring sound in her ears and her heart seemed to be leaping up near her throat.

  Daniel closed up the car and was soon following her to the flats.

  She turned the key in the main door to the flats and clipped up the concrete steps.

  She could hear his heavy footsteps coming up the steps behind her as she turned and Holly almost broke into a run.

  Daniel actually did!

  He had thought her cute, sweet and gorgeous these past months and had done all he could not to think of her outright as sexy.

  Except she was, and seriously so.

  Don’t miss

  PLAYBOY ON HER CHRISTMAS LIST by Carol Marinelli

  Available December 2016

  PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY

  www.millsandboon.co.uk

  Copyright ©2016 by Carol Marinelli

  ISBN: 978-1-474-03773-0

  IT STARTED AT CHRISTMAS...

  © 2016 Janice Lynn

  Published in Great Britain 2016

  by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

  All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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