by Wilde, Lori
He gave her a gentle kiss. “Good. And I have exciting news.”
“More exciting than this party?” she teased, bursting with love for this extraordinary man.
“Oh yes. Much more exciting.”
A snowflake fell onto her face, followed by another and then another. “Look! It’s snowing!”
They both looked up into the night sky. A flurry of flakes was now falling in the backyard.
“I knew it was cold out here, but I didn’t think we’d have snow.” She looked back up at the sky, quickly locating Orion’s belt. “Look, you can see Orion very clearly tonight.”
For a second, they looked at the sky speckled with stars and enjoyed the light snow falling on them. Chloe knew the smart move was to shift inside out of the snow, but the evening felt magical, and she wanted it to last as long as possible.
After a few moments, Evan asked, “How do you think Snowball will react to having Vixen around?”
When he brought up Snowball, she wasn’t sure what he was getting at. “I think I need more information.”
“I plan on adopting Vixen and her puppies. I love those dogs, so I’m going to make a home for them.”
“All of them? Three puppies? That’s quite a commitment for someone who has never had a pet before. Puppies are a lot of work.”
He flashed a wide grin. “I’m used to hard work, and I’m very dependable, so I know I’ll make a good pet parent. I plan on naming them Dasher, Dancer, and Prancer,” he said. “Dasher is the little one with the white dots because he looks like a runner. Dancer is the little brown one that likes to shimmy when happy. Finally, Prancer is the dark-brown one that is a real goofball.”
It thrilled Chloe to hear that the dogs would all have a loving home, and she loved knowing he’d been noticing their personalities, but she had to ask, “You think you have room for all of them in your Dallas condo?”
Her question drew another smile from him. “I plan on buying this house. The Madisons say it’s too big for them. They want a smaller place when they retire here, and I’m going to need a big house for all of my pets.”
“Really? So you really are moving here?”
He flashed her a quick grin. “Yep. I want to stay,” he said, kissing her lightly once again. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about everything sooner, but I wanted to wait until I was sure the deal would go through. I had no idea what was going to happen, and then everything fell into place so quickly, I knew it was meant to be.”
Chloe didn’t mind a bit. “I understand. I’m just overwhelmed. You plan to move here, but what about your career? What about corporate law?”
“I’ve spent the last few years helping other people create successful businesses. I think it’s about time I created one for myself, and Kringle Kandy is the perfect business for me. The company really has so much potential.”
The thought of running his own business excited him, and it thrilled her that he found something he’d enjoy.
Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was doing this just for her, so she asked, “Are you sure you are doing this for you? You didn’t give up your job for me, did you? We can figure out some way to be together if you stay in Dallas, if that’s what you really want. I don’t want you to make a tremendous sacrifice to be with me.”
A smile slowly grew on his face, and the twinkle in his eyes reassured her of his motivation. “I’m not making a sacrifice. I love Kringle.”
Chloe couldn’t believe how well everything was working out. She really was willing to move because she firmly believed that love was more important than where they lived, but now that would not be necessary.
The back door opened, and her mother appeared in the doorway. “Did you tell her yet?” she hollered.
Chloe glanced at the back of the house. People crowded against the windows, watching them.
“Um, what’s going on?” she asked. “Everyone is looking at us.”
Evan gave her a look filled with love. “They know I have something important to say to you.”
Her heart pounded. “What’s that?”
He drew her closer, looked down at her with wonder on his face. “Chloe Anderson, I love you.”
Chloe felt tears well up in her eyes and run down her cheeks. She touched Evan’s cheek. “Y-you love me?”
“I do. I love your laugh, and your upbeat attitude and the way you look in an elf costume. I know we’ve only known each other a short time, but I think we’re working on something big and I hope you think so too.”
“I do, I do!”
“There’s no rush, we have all the time in the world, but maybe by next Christmas you’ll say those words to me all over again.”
Marriage to Evan? What a thrilling thought!
“I love you,” she whispered so only he could hear it.
“I love you, too,” he whispered back, and then he added, “Thank you so much for giving me the perfect Christmas gift of all.”
“What gift is that?” she asked, a little confused. “I haven’t given you your Christmas present yet.”
“Oh, but you have.” He smiled and kissed her again. “You’ve given me the precious gift of your love.”
And that’s when Chloe knew that she had found the man she’d been waiting for.
* * *
Dear Reader,
Readers are an author’s lifeblood, and the stories couldn’t happen without you. Thank you so much for reading. If you enjoyed A Perfect Christmas Gift, I would so appreciate a review. You have no idea how much it means!
Please turn the page for an excerpt of the next book in the series, A Perfect Christmas Wish featuring Suzannah and Zach’s romance.
If you’d like to keep up with my latest releases, you can sign up for my newsletter @ https://loriwilde.com/subscribe/
To check out my other books, you can visit me on the web @ www.loriwilde.com.
Much love and light!
—Lori
Excerpt: A Perfect Christmas Wish
“You make a terrible Santa. You don’t look a thing like him.”
Zach Delaney glanced up and found Abby Owens, the ten-year-old daughter of his best friend, Suzannah, standing before him in the back room of Kringle Animal Clinic where he was getting dressed for the clinic’s annual photo-with-Santa-for-pets day.
A frown marred her freckled face and preteen worry shimmered in her light blue eyes.
“I don’t?” he asked, trying not to show his amusement. She looked so serious. “You sure?”
She nodded solemnly. As usual, Abby had an opinion. She was a confident, outspoken young lady, and Zach admired that about her. He was glad she wasn’t afraid to express her opinions. Suzannah was doing an outstanding job of raising her after Keith had died.
“Not at all. You’re a terrible Santa.” Abby added a dramatic sigh and put a palm to her chest. “Terrible, terrible.”
Zach glanced down at his costume. He was glad his appearance disappointed her. He didn’t want to look like Santa. Heck, what healthy man in his thirties would?
“Thank you.” He flashed her a smile. “I’m very glad to hear that.”
“You shouldn’t thank me.” Abby tugged on the hem of his too-short sleeve, trying to pull it down over his wrist bones.
“Why not?” It was all he could do to keep the laughter from his voice. He didn’t want Abby to think he was laughing at her. She was only ten. As much as she liked to consider herself an adult, she was still a child.
“You should worry. What if little kids see you? They’ll be heartbroken that you aren’t the real Santa. This is terrible.”
“We can say I’m an amazingly good-looking Santa helper,” he said. “Santa’s helpers don’t have to be perfect.”
Abby released another dramatic sigh. “That won’t work. This is awful. You need to look old, and you need a big belly.”
“So, what are we going to do?” he asked.
“Hang on.” She ran off, hollering, “Mom!”
&nb
sp; Ah, reinforcement. Abby had gone to find the cavalry.
The holiday season was one of the many things Zach liked about his hometown of Kringle, Texas. Sure, Kringle had a bit of a holiday feeling about it year-round, but when December came, the town went into full-fledged Christmas mode.
Every street was decorated, and there was a constant stream of Christmas festivities. Even at the veterinarian clinic. It was impossible not to get caught up in the exuberant fun.
He would have preferred not to get caught up quite in this Christmas festivity. He wasn’t a costume kind of guy.
While he waited for Abby to return, Zach considered the Santa costume the vet, Dr. Chloe Anderson, had given him to wear.
Suzannah worked for the Chloe as a receptionist, and together, along with Abby, the two women had convinced him to dress as Santa for the annual Pet Pictures event.
He’d reluctantly agreed. Heck, he wouldn’t have done it at all if Suzannah hadn’t been the one asking, but he’d do just about anything for Suzannah and Abby. Even if it meant dressing up in a well-worn, extra-extra-large red velvet Santa costume.
Suzannah entered the backroom of the vet clinic trailed by her daughter who was gnawing on her bottom lip, twirling a strand of her long light brown hair around her index finger and shaking her head.
A smile curled Suzannah’s lips. “I hear you don’t have a belly like a bowl full of jelly.”
“See, Mom? What did I tell you? Ter-ri-ble.”
Unlike Abby, Suzannah didn’t seem the least bit bothered by his poorly fitting costume. Instead, she laughed. “Abby’s right. You look awful in that outfit.”
He couldn’t say the same about her Mrs. Claus costume. As usual, it didn’t matter what she wore, Suzannah was so beautiful it took his breath away.
She possessed pale blonde hair and deep blue eyes. The kind of eyes that reminded him of the Texas sky in summer.
Despite being a young, slim, vibrant woman, she’d done a good job of dressing up as a portly elderly lady. She had a tidy white wig on her head, little gold glasses perched on her nose, and plenty of padding all around.
“You look nice,” he said.
“Nice?” She canted her head, that smile still lighting up her entire face, and rested her hands on her hips.
He chuckled. “Let me rephrase. You make a very attractive older woman,” he added. “I can see why Santa married you.”
She did a little twirl to show off her costume and batted her eyelashes. “I am quite the catch, aren’t I?”
“Watch out. All the single men at the senior citizen will come a’courtin’,” he teased.
She was a catch. He’d known it for decades, long before she married his best friend, Keith Owens. Long before Keith died in a motorcycle accident, leaving behind a heartbroken widow and a little daughter. Suzannah was special.
She seemed happy today. Over the course of the past three years, she and Abby had healed, but he knew she still missed Keith.
“So, what’s the verdict? Can we save this mess?” he asked, sweeping a hand at his getup.
Having Suzannah hovering this close to him was difficult. More and more these days, he had trouble getting it through his thick cowboy skull that they were just friends. She smelled so good.
Like holiday cookies and spice cake. What they had felt like a heck of a lot more than just friendship. At least it did for him.
“You need more stuffing,” she announced, stepping back and studying him again. “We need to make you look bigger. That’ll help. Back in a jiff. Abs, come help me.” She and Abby took off.
Zach sighed. Today definitely fit into the “no good deed goes unpunished” category. He’d agreed to help with these pictures, thinking it would be no big deal. How much did a guy have to look like Santa to pose with dogs and cats?
Apparently, quite a lot.
About the Author
Lori Wilde is the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers’ Weekly bestselling author of 87 works of romantic fiction. She’s a three time Romance Writers’ of America RITA finalist and has four times been nominated for Romantic Times Readers’ Choice Award. She has won numerous other awards as well.
Her books have been translated into 26 languages, with more than four million copies of her books sold worldwide.
Her breakout novel, The First Love Cookie Club, has been optioned for a TV movie.
Lori is a registered nurse with a BSN from Texas Christian University. She holds a certificate in forensics, and is also a certified yoga instructor.
A fifth generation Texan, Lori lives with her husband, Bill, in the Cutting Horse Capital of the World; where they run Epiphany Orchards, a writing/creativity retreat for the care and enrichment of the artistic soul.
Also by Lori Wilde
KRINGLE, TEXAS
A Perfect Christmas Gift
A Perfect Christmas Wish
A Perfect Christmas Surprise
TEXAS RASCALS SERIES
Keegan
Matt
Nick
Kurt
Tucker
Kael
Truman
Dan
Rex
Clay
Jonah
Copyright © 2019 by Lori Wilde
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
