by Debbie Mason
Matt waited for Paul to pump him for information about his relationship with Charlotte, but the older man was busy looking at the chart in his hands. His aunt had no doubt filled Paul in on their status—somewhere between limbo and over. Way to depress yourself, he thought.
“Do you have any specific concerns about your patient, Paul?” Matt asked as they walked down the fifth floor’s almost empty hall. Anyone that could go home was gone long ago.
“Heart, I think,” he said as he opened the door to the room and then frowned. The room was in complete darkness. “Where’s the switch?”
“On the wall,” an older woman’s voice came out of the dark.
“Nell!” several people yelled, sounding peeved at the town’s matriarch.
Paul sighed, and the room lit up. It had been decorated for the holidays, though packed as it was, it was hard to tell.
“Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!” pretty much everyone Matt knew in Christmas cried. Even Alexander and Oliver, who were there with their mom and her sister.
They were all looking his way so obviously the surprise was meant for him. “Thanks. But you know it’s not my birthday, right?”
Nell peered at the person lying prone on the hospital bed. “Is she dead or asleep?”
“Nell!” several people yelled, once again in those peeved voices that seemed to be reserved for the seventy-something woman.
Ty leaned over and shook the person under the covers.
It wasn’t the patient’s heart they had to worry about, it was Matt’s. It felt like it was beating outside his chest as he walked to the bed. And then it fell at her feet when Charlotte sat up, her hair all over the place, her face pale, her eyes bloodshot. “Surprise,” she said, and held up her hands.
He laughed and took her in his arms. “I’ve had a couple of surprises today. I have to say you’re the best one.”
“I better be,” she said. “Oh God, I’m so tired. Lie down with me. Just for a minute.”
“We can stay here all night if that’s what you want. I’ll be happy as long as I have you in my arms.”
“Aww, that’s so sweet. Isn’t that sweet?” said the man staring at them from the foot of the bed with his hands pressed to his chest.
“Ty!” Jill grabbed him by the collar and half dragged him from the room.
“Merry Christmas!” at least thirty different voices whispered, and then the lights went out and the door closed.
“They grow on you, don’t they?” Charlotte murmured, snuggling close.
“That they do. Just like you. I didn’t know how much until you were gone. Did I tell you how glad I am that you’re here?”
She opened an eye, winked, and said, “I can tell.” She kissed his chin. “It’s good to be home.”
He pushed up on his elbow and looked down at her. It was too dark to see her expression, and he took his penlight from his pocket and shone it in her face.
“Matt!”
“Sorry.” He moved the light out of her eyes. “But this is important. You said home. I want to know what you mean.”
“Home is where the heart is, and you stole mine. You’re my heart, Matt. I love you.” She gave him a weak smile. “It’s okay if you don’t feel the same. I—”
He placed a finger on her lips. “You just gave me my Christmas miracle, Charlotte. You’re all I want. All I’ll ever need. I love you. Letting you go, watching you leave were two of the hardest things I’ve ever done.”
“I needed to do it for me, and for you too really. I needed to know this is what I wanted.”
“How long did it take you to figure it out?”
“When I was on the sleigh and looked back and couldn’t see you anymore.” She smiled and stroked his face with the tips of her fingers. “But my dad and Abbie and Kate were so excited, I couldn’t disappoint them. So I fit in as much Christmas as I could with them without missing out on my Christmas with you.” She yawned. “How do you feel about spending the holidays in bed?”
“How do you think?” He laughed and got off the bed, leaning over to scoop her into his arms. He picked her up and headed for the door. “But I don’t want anyone saying I’m getting special favors from the boss, so I think we better go home.”
She frowned and waved her hand at the room they’d just left. “That’s what all this was about. I’m not your boss anymore.”
“I must’ve missed something because all I heard was surprise, and then is she asleep or dead. After that, all I saw and heard was you. So if you’re not my boss, who is, and what are you going to do?”
“Paul is the new CEO of Christmas General, and I’m your new colleague. Well, I will be once I receive my license to practice here.”
“And I didn’t think my Christmas could get much better. It’s going to be fun working with you, Dr. Bailey.”
“Likewise, Dr. Trainer.”
His phone pinged, and he set her on her feet outside the elevator, pressing the Down button before checking his message. “I was wrong. My Christmas just got better. Paul asked me to take over as chief of staff. Say hi to your new boss,” he said as they got on the elevator.
She sighed and wrapped her arms around him. “I guess that means we’ll have to be discreet.”
“I’m good with whatever you want. But I kinda like the idea of sneaking around. At least for a while.” He lifted her in his arms and pressed her back against the wall. Then he hit the stop button with the toe of his boot. “Merry Christmas, Dr. Bailey.”
“Merry Christmas, Dr. McSexy.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debbie Mason is the USA Today bestselling author of the Harmony Harbor and Christmas, Colorado, series. Her books have been praised for their “likable characters, clever dialogue and juicy plots” (RT Book Reviews). When she isn’t writing or reading, Debbie enjoys spending time with her very own real-life hero, three wonderful children, two adorable grandbabies, and a yappy Yorkie named Bella in Ontario, Canada.
You can learn more at:
AuthorDebbieMason.com
Twitter @AuthorDebMason
Facebook.com/DebbieMasonBooks/
Also by Debbie Mason
The Harmony Harbor series
Mistletoe Cottage
Christmas with an Angel (short story)
Starlight Bridge
Primrose Lane
Sugarplum Way
The Christmas, Colorado series
The Trouble with Christmas
Christmas in July
It Happened at Christmas
Wedding Bells in Christmas
Snowbound at Christmas
Kiss Me at Christmas
Happy Ever After in Christmas
Marry Me at Christmas (short story)
DON’T MISS THE NOVELS IN DEBBIE MASON’S CHRISTMAS, COLORADO SERIES
