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.The classic two-story farmhouse, with its wraparound porch and dormer windows, looked like the ideal house for Lucy to have grown up in.A green garland draped the porch railing, accented with red bows at every porch post.In each window, Cole noticed a single candle stick.The holiday décor was simple and understated but he bet at night it looked spectacular.Climbing out of the car, he approached the house feeling more than a little nervous.What had he been thinking when he’d kissed her yesterday? The mistletoe kiss could have been on the cheek, but when given the opportunity, Cole hadn’t been strong enough to resist the temptation.Then he’d gone and kissed her in the car.What an idiot.There would be no more kissing, no matter how tempting she might be.Cole pressed the doorbell, and smiled when he heard the tune of Jingle Bells playing.A few minutes later a teenage boy opened the door.“Hi,” Cole said.“I’m here for Lucy.”“Hey, Luce,” the kid yelled.“Some guy is here for you.” He motioned for Cole to come inside.“You can come in and wait for her if you want.”“Thanks.” Cole wiped his feet on the doormat and stepped inside the cozy house.It looked like he’d just landed in a Hallmark Christmas store.“Wow,” he said, glancing around the foyer.“This is incredible.”The teenager rolled his eyes.“My mom starts decorating the first of November.It takes her that long just to get everything out of storage and set up by December.”Cole didn’t doubt it.Before him lay the most amazing Christmas village he’d ever seen.Unable to resist, he crossed the floor for a closer look.Houses and stores, all decorated similar to Lucy’s house, dotted the length of the table.Figurines of people, animals, and a variety of trees populated the village, making it look real.In the center was a frozen pond with villagers actually skating around in circular patterns.No wonder Lucy loved Christmas so much.What surprised Cole was how much the village reminded him of Snow Valley.Downtown, with its elaborate holiday decorations, looked very similar.How could Lucy not want to settle down here?“Believe it or not,” the kid said with a laugh.“This is only one of the villages.My mom has a different one in every room.”“Really?” Cole glanced around and could see another elaborate set up in the living room.“Yeah, my mom and Lucy go nuts every year.”“Landon,” Lucy said, coming down the elaborately decorated staircase.“Are you dissing your big sister?”“No way.” He gave Lucy an exaggerated hug.“You’re the best sister in the world.Remember that when you’re shopping today.”“Suck up.” Lucy mussed his hair.“I’m not going Christmas shopping for you today.”“Ah, man.I hugged you for nothing?” Landon laughed at the look on his sister’s face.“I’m kidding.I love you, Luce.You know that.” He disappeared around the corner.Cole was fascinated by the tight relationship between the two siblings, as well as the genuine display of affection they showed one another.“Now you see what I have to put up with.” Smiling, she shook her head.“I hope you didn’t have to wait too long.He really has been raised to have better manners than to holler up the stairs.”“I wasn’t here that long.” Cole glanced around.“Do I get to meet anymore family members?”Lucy’s lips twitched.“My dad is at work.Logan, my other brother, is at school taking a make-up test, and my mom is out running errands.”It was probably good her mom was out.If what Lucy said was true then Cole didn’t want to have her mother start trying to match the two of them together.He had to admit, though, that part of him wondered if he would usurp Lance’s place if given the chance.“Okay,” he said.“You ready to go?”“Yes.I just need to put my boots on and get my coat.”Cole followed her with his eyes.Lucy looked cute, wearing dark-wash, skinny jeans, paired with a red, long-sleeved tee with the words I Believe stretched across her chest in silvery letters.Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, revealing the soft curve of her cheek, and full lips.Heat shot through his veins as he remembered tasting her sweet mouth.Just then she looked up and caught him checking her out.“What?” she said, putting on a pair of comfortable looking black boots.“Nothing.”She narrowed her gaze, and Cole tried not to smile.He pointed to her shoes.“Those won’t keep your feet dry when we’re cutting down our tree.”“That’s why I’m bringing my snow boots.” She slipped on her coat, and then grabbed a tote bag with her winter gear inside.“What about you? Those boots won’t cut it either.”Cole glanced down at his leather ankle boot.“Brilliant minds must think alike.My snow boots are in the Land Rover.”“Are you brilliant enough to remember a hat and gloves?”“I might not cut down my own Christmas tree, but I’ve lived in colder weather than Montana.”“Really? Where did you go to med school?” She walked toward the door.Cole stepped in front of her, and placed his hand on the doorknob.“VCU in Richmond, Virginia.But my residency was at the Mayo.” He opened the door.“And you don’t know what cold is until you spend a winter in Minnesota,” he said, following her outside.“I’ll bet you liked going home to California for Christmas.”She was wrong.California was warm, but being with his parents had felt just as cold as a January day in Rochester.“Like I said before, Christmas with my parents wasn’t anything to look forward to.”“So you won’t see your parents for Christmas this year?”He chuckled dryly.“My mother left a voicemail the other day telling me she and Dad would be spending Christmas and New Year’s in the South of France with some of their friends.I wasn’t invited.” He glanced over at her.“But at least I’ll be here with Uncle Will.”Reaching his SUV, she stopped next to the passenger door and turned around to face him.Her blue eyes studied him, compassion evident in their depths.“It’s too bad you couldn’t have come to your uncle’s for Christmas when you were younger.”Although he’d wanted to visit his uncle during the holidays many times, his parents had never allowed it.Once he was in college, he’d been unable to get away.School didn’t come easy to Cole and he’d had to spend every hour studying.“Yeah, maybe if I had I might not be such a Grinch.” He smiled, hoping to lighten the somber mood.It worked.Lucy’s lips curved up.“When I’m finished with you, you’ll be like Buddy the Elf, spreading Christmas cheer for all to hear.”He shook his head and laughed.“I wouldn’t have a clue what you’re talking about if Uncle Will and Beverly hadn’t made me watch that movie last night.”“Cole, please don’t tell me you’ve never watched any Christmas shows?”“All right.I won’t tell you.” He opened the car door for her.She groaned and climbed into the passenger seat.“I guess we better add a movie night to our agenda.”“If you insist,” he said, suddenly liking the idea of snuggling up with her in a darkened room.“Just name the night and I’ll be there.”The trip to Dove’s was quick with Lucy reciting a long list of her favorite Christmas shows so he could make an informed choice.Once inside the crowded store, they found a sturdy looking tree stand and added it to the cart [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]