Shannon’s heart pounded in her chest and her insides had all but turned to mush.
For a few seconds there, when their conversation had paused, she could have sworn Rory was going to slide his hand behind her neck and pull her forward so he could kiss her.
Kiss her!
What a crazy thing to think! Ridiculous wishful thinking on her part, that’s what it was. They might be having fun with his daughter, but that was no reason for a man to kiss a woman. She was simply too much of a romantic.
But figuring all this out now was actually a good thing. Rory had come right out and said that if he married again, he would want kids. His own kids.
And didn’t that sound painfully familiar? She wasn’t sure she could handle that kind of rejection again. So she was glad they’d had this little talk early on. There’d be no more wishful thinking. No more hoping he’d kiss her.
But right here and right now, she was a lonely woman, and she had both Rory and his daughter in her yard, enjoying her company. She’d be crazy to be upset. Crazier still to withdraw just because there couldn’t be anything romantic between her and Rory. No matter what he said or how busy he was, someday he’d want to remarry. He’d want that family. Those kids.
And she couldn’t have any.
Dear Reader,
After the year spent working on books about three brothers forming a rather large, rather noisy family, it was a culture shock to write only child Shannon Raleigh’s story.
It seemed everybody in Shannon’s life deserted her. Her husband left her. Her parents retired and moved out of town. And suddenly she was back in her hometown, running the family department store, with orders to sell it. She couldn’t even get cozy with her neighbors or employees. As soon as she sold the store, she had to leave.
Enter Rory Wallace. He seemed to be Shannon’s opposite. His wife might have left him, but his parents loved him and he has a brother and a sister…and a daughter. Though Finley the Diva is a bit hard to discipline on occasion, she’s actually a lovable little girl…with a problem. She doesn’t like Christmas because her mom left on Christmas Day two years before.
Can a woman who only wants a little companionship while she prepares for the holiday actually heal the hearts and souls of two wounded people, who don’t even realize they’re as lonely as she is?
I hope you like this story. I sprinkled it with lots of holiday fun, Christmas cookies and the wonder of seeing Christmas for the first time through the eyes of a little girl.
Susan
Kisses on Her Christmas List
Susan Meier
Susan Meier spent most of her twenties thinking she was a job-hopper—until she began to write and realized everything that had come before was only research! One of eleven children, with twenty-four nieces and nephews and three kids of her own, Susan has had plenty of real-life experience watching romance blossom in unexpected ways. She lives in western Pennsylvania with her wonderful husband, Mike, three children, and two over-fed, well-cuddled cats, Sophie and Fluffy. You can visit Susan’s website at www.susanmeier.com.
For my friend Denise.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
EPILOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
SHANNON RALEIGH turned to get a look at herself in the full-length mirror in the bathroom of her executive office suite and gaped in horror. The tall black boots and short red velvet dress she wore exposed most of her legs and the white fur-trimmed U at the bodice revealed a sizable strip of cleavage.
“I can’t go into a roomful of kids dressed like this!”
Even from behind the closed door, she could hear her assistant Wendy sigh heavily. “Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?”
“Because I know you’ll say I look fine, when I don’t. I can’t usher kids to Santa’s lap in a skirt so short I can’t bend over.”
“So don’t bend over.” Another sigh. “Look, Shannon, it doesn’t matter that you’re eight inches taller than Carlie. There’s nobody else who’s even remotely thin enough to fit into that suit. Carlie’s car is stuck in a snowdrift. If you don’t play Santa’s helper there’ll be no one to—”
The ring of the phone stopped Wendy midsentence. The next thing Shannon heard was Wendy’s happy voice saying, “Raleigh’s Department Store. Shannon Raleigh’s assistant, Wendy, speaking.”
In the lull while Wendy obviously listened to the caller, Shannon cast another critical eye over her reflection. The little red dress was kind of cute. The color complemented her long black hair and made her blue eyes seem bluer. If she were wearing it anywhere else, she’d actually think she looked pretty.
A long-forgotten ache filled her. It was the first time in a year she felt pretty, sexy. But sexy wasn’t exactly the way a grown woman should dress in a room filled with babies, toddlers and elementary school kids.
The ache was quickly replaced by fear—which was the real reason she didn’t want to play Santa’s helper. How could she spend four hours in a room full of adorable children? She wanted a baby so badly it hurt, but she couldn’t have kids. And seeing all those sweet faces, hearing their cute little lists, would crush her.
“Um, Shannon?”
“I’m not coming out.”
“Fine. That was Tammy in the shoe department. No one’s come into the store for the past hour and she could tell the storm was getting worse, so she checked the forecast on the internet. They have no clue how much snow we’re going to get, but they aren’t shy about suggesting we might get another foot.”
“Another foot!”
Shannon raced out of her bathroom and pulled back the curtain behind her huge mahogany desk. Thick fluffy snowflakes cascaded from the sky, coating the tinsel and silver bells on the streetlamps of Main Street, Green Hill, Pennsylvania. It blanketed the Christmas lights that outlined shop doorways, and sat on the roof of the park’s gazebo like a tall white hat.
“Holy cow!”
Her gaze on the little red Santa’s helper outfit, Wendy also said, “Holy cow.”
“Don’t make fun. We have a serious problem here.” Or maybe a way out. She turned from the window. “I think it’s time to admit that the storm is keeping shoppers away.”
“And most of the staff is scared silly about driving home. The longer we stay, the worse the roads get.”
“Okay, announce that the store is closing in fifteen and tell the employees they can go home. I’ll call the radio stations so they can add us to their list of closings. Then I’ll lock up.”
As the announcement went out over the loudspeaker, Shannon called all the local radio stations and advised them to let listeners know Raleigh’s