Harlequin Special Edition November 2014 - Box Set 1 of 2: A Weaver Christmas Gift\The Soldier's Holiday Homecoming\Santa's Playbook (55 page)

Don't be an idiot, baby,
he heard Merri whisper, clear as a bell.

And that was even before Claire's eyes met his, and she smiled, and damned if he wasn't George Bailey ready to lasso the damn moon for his Mary.

Not to mention toss that damned playbook right out the window.

* * *

At the expression on Ethan's face, Claire's heart started hammering hard enough to hurt. Then everyone else drifted inside the house—including Virgil, bless him—leaving Claire and Ethan alone in the snow, and before she could speak his mouth was on hers, warm and firm and shivery good, and it all felt like a damn Hallmark movie. Or at least one of their commercials.

And she thought,
Could be worse.

A
lot
worse.

“You're not even going to ask me why I'm here?” she whispered when they finally broke apart, and he smiled.

“I know exactly why you're here,” he said, brushing snow off her cheek. “Because you're supposed to be.” Then he threaded his arms around her waist and pulled her as close as their winter duds would allow, and she thought,
Okay, I'm in
. “Although I am curious as to how that came about.”

Smiling, she palmed the front of his jacket. “So I was putting together a puzzle with my landlord, Virgil. The short dude in the Santa hat? Anyway, we were in his living room when your entire fricking family shows up out front, singing their hearts out. So he drags me outside, and Juliette screams when she sees me, and then everybody was hugging and stuff and somehow we both got strong-armed into joining them. Not that Virgil needed much strong-arming,” she said with a grin that immediately softened. “And it seemed like a good idea for me to go with. To, you know, make sure he was okay—”

“And that right there,” Ethan said slowly, tugging her closer, “is why...” His breath warmed her face when he sighed. “Why we need you. Why
I
need you.” He cupped her jaw, his hand warm, and she couldn't breathe. Or finish the sentence he'd interrupted. “Why I love you.”

She blinked. “What?”

“I know. Totally nuts, right? Especially considering everything you've said, that you're probably not gonna stick around Maple River forever—”

“Oh. Ethan, I—”

“No, let me finish. Then you can do with it whatever you like. But...” He touched his forehead to hers. “But even if you tell me I've got the wrong end of the stick, that what happened the other night really was only for the moment...” He lifted his head to look deep into her eyes. “That moment... It unlocked something inside me I thought was closed up good and tight forever. Something I've been fighting like crazy for weeks.” She saw his eyes get shiny, and her own vision blurred in response. “I didn't want to fall in love again. Didn't think I could. Or should. Then you came along and shot that idea all to hell,” he said, and she choked out a laugh. “And for that, I will always love you. Even if you can't love me back.”

“Oh, sweetie...” Half laughing, Claire braced her gloved hands on either side of that dear, dear face. “You certainly do have the wrong end of the stick. But it's not the end you think. Because you bet your sweet ass I love you back.”

He actually flinched. “You...do?”

“Yes. Dammit. Because I didn't want this, either. Thought I didn't, anyway. It hurt so much when my father died. And watching my mother...” She sighed. “Then here you come along, and...” She sucked in an icy breath through her nose. “I was partly taking my cues from you, birdbrain.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah,
oh—
whaddya think? And I'm here now because Virgil did everything short of tie a piece of tinsel garland around my neck and drag me here. But even if he hadn't,” she said over Ethan's chuckle, “I already had my phone in my hand when your family showed up, ready to put my bodacious booty on the line. Because it finally dawned on me, in the midst of the most pitiful pity party in the history of pity parties, that my mother—God rest her sweet soul—would have clobbered me to the moon and back for being such a wuss. Criminy, what she and my father had was so sweet and wonderful and
fun....
Why on earth would I want to deprive myself of that? Or at least...at least take a chance on it?”

Ethan's twinkling eyes searched hers for a moment before he said, very quietly, “And it occurs to
me
that this...half-life I've been living... That's not what Merri would have wanted for me. Or the kids—” He clenched his jaw, then whooshed out a breath. “Sorry, I—”

“Ethan. It's okay. What you obviously had with Merri... That's a huge part of what I love about you. And why...” She swallowed. “I feel so blessed. And honored. And the kids... Omigosh, I love them so much it hurts. I have no idea what to
do
with them, but I'm absolutely nuts about them.”

“Yeah, well,
nuts
pretty much covers it,” he said, and she laughed. “But...” His mouth pulled flat, he touched her temple so sweetly it brought tears to her eyes. Again. “The kids... They're kind of a 24/7 thing. You wanna talk about crowding your space...”

Her breath clouded around her face when she sighed. “And maybe it's about...the wrong people crowding my space. Because with the right people...” She reached to take her hands in his. “It's not crowded. It's...cozy.”

At that, he laughed. Not a belly laugh, no, but a real, full-out laugh the likes of which she'd never heard out of the man's mouth until this very moment. And it was the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard in her life. “That's one word for it,” he said, and she grinned. Then he sobered, “So...what're you saying?”

She swallowed past the tears. Of joy. Relief. “That I had no idea, when I came home, that I'd
find
home, too.”

On a sigh, Ethan cradled her against his chest, kissing her wild hair. “But...all your plans?”

“To give Meryl Streep a run for her money?” Smiling, she reared back to look up at him. “Yes, performing's a big part of who I am, but it's not the whole of me. And there's plenty of local opportunity to do that, if I want to. But for now...” She took another breath and told her pounding heart to shut up already. “I think maybe...my time and energy would be better spent learning how to be a mom?”

Ethan cradled her face in his hands again. “And a wife?” he whispered, and her heart laughed and laughed and laughed.

“You really mean that?” she said, shaking.

“I've only ever used that word with one other woman,” he said softly. “But only if that's what you really want. At least down the road—”

“Yes,” she whispered. “I really do. I'd also really like you to kiss me again.”

“Done,” he said, and did. For a ridiculously long time. Then, holding up one finger, he pulled a little bag out of his pocket.

“Only diamond I happen to have on me. And it's yours, to boot, so I'm not sure how much it counts but...” He pinched the tiny stud out of the bag and held it up, where it twinkled madly in the porch lights. “They say when you leave something behind in someone's house, it means you want to come back. And I'm a big believer in signs.”

“So...what you're saying is, if I take back
my own earring,
it means we're, like, going steady?”

Ethan grinned. “Works for me.”

Claire giggled, then slowly shook her head. “Everybody will think we've lost our minds.”

“Tough,” he said, and tugged her close for another kiss, slipping the earring into the back pocket of her jeans as he did.

And then holding on tight.

Epilogue

Christmas morning

D
ad grinned up at Jules a moment before she crashed beside him on the sofa, making him nearly spill his coffee.

“Sorry!”

Chuckling, he set it on the table beside him, then looped an arm around her shoulders as she snuggled up next to him, still in her jammies but smelling like the awesome perfume Claire'd given her, something she'd sampled—and totally loved—when they'd been shopping on Black Friday. From the stereo system,
The Messiah
blasted—the first time Dad had played it in more than three years.

Tugging Jules closer, he kissed the top of her head. “Happy?”

“You have no idea.” She looked up at him, grinning so hard her cheeks hurt. Omigod—when her dad and Claire had come back inside at PopPop's last night and announced they were a couple, she thought she'd explode. The rest of the family was thrilled, too—well, duh—but especially her grandfather, who'd hugged them both harder than Juliette had ever seen him hug anybody. Juliette drew her bare feet up on the sofa, wrapping her arms around her knees. “And I'm not talking about the presents.”

“Didn't think you were,” Dad said with another squeeze, then laughed out loud when Barney bounced through the sea of torn wrapping paper after Claire's ginormous cat, whose hiss and smack on the dog's nose was total Jersey 'tude. Juliette laughed, too, even as her eyes stung...especially when Claire, sitting cross-legged on the floor with Bella's arms linked around her shoulders from behind and the poor dog in her lap, glanced over at Juliette with an understanding smile. Because Dad... He'd laughed more this morning than Juliette had heard him in the whole three and a half years since Mom died.

A thought that made Juliette stifle a giggle. Oh, Claire, who'd gone back to her place to get Wally, had started out the night in the extra bed in Juliette's room, and she'd been there in the morning, too. But when Juliette had awakened sometime in the middle of the night, the other bed had been empty. Didn't take a genius to figure out why. But hey, if it made Dad sound like that, more power to 'em, was all she had to say.

Wearing the new puppy slippers Claire had given her, Bella squatted to let the loudly rumbling cat—her new best bud—bump his head against her palm. Then the cat stalked to the other side of the room where the boys were up to their ears in Lego, rubbing up against first one, then the other, before plopping down between them with a smug kitty grin, his tail thumping against the carpet. As if he was happy to be home. And Claire... Well. Every time she looked up at Dad—which was only, like, every two seconds, she looked like she was pretty happy to be home, too.

In fact, everything seemed brighter somehow. Because, Juliette realized as she unfolded herself from the sofa to go make the best Christmas breakfast ever, the glow was back.

The magic.

Except then she glanced across the breakfast bar to see Claire curled up on the sofa next to Dad, his arm around her shoulders and her hand on his knee, both of them with the most ridiculous, goony looks on their faces...and then the boys started yelling at each other and the dog got all up in the cat's face again, and she heard, over all of it, Claire's and Dad's laughter...and Juliette thought, as she hauled out the pancake mix, that this was a million times better than magic. Because this was
real.

And she'd take that over magic any day.

* * * * *

Keep reading for an excerpt from DR. DADDY'S PERFECT CHRISTMAS by Jules Bennett

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Chapter One

D
on't look, just keep walking.

Dr. Eli St. John walked up the freshly dusted, snow-covered sidewalk toward his parents' bungalow and refused to even glance over to their neighbor's house.

Since he'd be calling Stonerock, Tennessee, home again for the next few months, he'd no doubt see that neighbor more often than he'd like. But on his first day back, he preferred to ease into being home, ease into knowing she was now within reaching distance. Not that he would do anything about it.

He was such a coward.

An uncomfortable weight settled in his chest at the thought of seeing his one-time love, the woman he'd never forgotten, the woman who'd married his best friend.

Eli wiped the snow off the bottom of his boots on a Santa Claus welcome mat, and before he could reach for the handle, the door swung wide open, causing an evergreen Christmas wreath to bounce in protest.

“I'm so glad you're here. I knew we could count on you.”

Eli sank into his mother's familiar embrace. Before he could step over the threshold of the front door, his mother, Bev, was there to greet him with a smile and love. Just like she'd done each time he'd come home from a tour of duty.

Now, the times he had sneaked in after curfew as a teen were a different story. But that hell-raiser had grown up, leaving the proverbial good times behind.

Leaving Nora Parker behind. Now that he was going to be home for a good bit of time, dodging the one woman who still owned a small portion of his heart would be nearly impossible. Not only was she his parents' neighbor, she was a recent widow, and his parents loved her like she was the daughter they never had.

Turning his attention back to the reason for his homecoming, Eli eased back from his mother's embrace and met her gaze.

“What's this?” she asked, brushing her fingertip along his most recent scar.

Refusing to get into the reasons behind the scar, he shrugged. “Army injury.”

He wasn't lying, technically. There was no way he would ever come clean about the ugly reminder of how he'd spent his last encounter with his best friend.

The last time he'd seen Todd alive, they'd gotten into a drunken fistfight. Out of character for both of them, but Eli would do it again in a heartbeat, given the reasons behind the unleashed rage.

His mother hugged him again. “I'm so proud of you for serving, but selfishly I'm glad you're done for good.”

Bev pulled back and Eli stepped into the foyer.

“How's Dad?”

Nodding, she started forward toward the living room. “He's okay. You of all people know doctors make the worst patients.”

Eli laughed, thankful that he was home, but worried what he'd encounter when he saw his father. The man had always been so robust, so full of life and busy caring for others. But his father had failed a stress test earlier in the week and a heart cath showed he had some major blockage.

Eli had been a medic in the army the past several years, but since he got out six months ago, he'd been an ER doctor in Atlanta, and he'd seen his fair share of massive heart attacks. Chest pain was nothing to mess around with. Since his father hadn't been having pain, they scheduled the surgery for tomorrow, for which Eli was thankful. The drive on his way up from Georgia had given him enough time to prepare himself.

And enough time to work on scenarios and reactions to seeing Nora. Why did he care? Shouldn't time and distance have severed any ties he had to her? They were different people now and whatever feelings they'd had in the past were left there when he chose to walk away from her.

Hardest decision of his life, to leave her and go fight for his country.

The scar on his face proved he'd never fully gotten over her, even though they'd both moved on.

They'd each made their choices, and there was no going back.

Eli tried to slide those thoughts from his mind as he followed his mother toward the living room. He was here for his father first and foremost...not to rehash or run from emotions he'd felt years ago. He had his own life now, one he loved and was eager to get back to once his father was cleared to return to work.

Eli had seen countless patients laid up, recovering or even dying, but when your father was the one being treated, the whole scenario changed. Eli wasn't a fan of being back home for a long period of time, but there was no way he'd leave his father or his father's patients in a bind.

Fortunately, Eli had handled seventeen years in the military and in medical school so coming home to a disgruntled father, who was waiting on quadruple bypass surgery instead of practicing medicine himself, was nothing Eli couldn't handle.

Eli moved through the old bungalow-style home, leaving his suitcase in the foyer. As much as he loved coming home for visits, he'd never done so with the intention of staying longer than a few days. And in those visits home, he'd managed to avoid Nora for the most part. He'd seen her and even exchanged the requisite pleasantries, but other than that, he'd kept his distance.

Now he'd be home—at a minimum—for the rest of the winter and into the spring.

Nothing like being thirty-five years old and living with Mommy and Daddy again. Of course he'd do anything for his parents, including give up his bachelor lifestyle. Family had always come first, no matter what. At least he was going to be staying in the apartment above the garage. That was still somewhat private.

Eli stepped into the living room where his father was reclined in the old, plush chair that should've been retired to a garbage dump about five years ago. The man was a doctor; he could afford new furniture, for heaven's sake.

Familiar ornaments adorned the full artificial tree that occupied the corner of the space. His mother still hung all of their stockings along the edge of the mantel even though Eli and his brothers had each moved out right after they graduated. The worn-in comfort of the home, especially now at Christmas, helped ease his nerves in dealing with the inevitable reunion with Nora. He wasn't so worried about the old feelings creeping up; he was more worried about how he could look her in the eye when he knew a truth she could never uncover.

Eli glanced from the television to his father. Remote in one hand, Dr. Mac St. John gave the television the one-fingered salute with the other.

Suppressing a chuckle, Eli stepped closer, but he knew what he'd find on the TV—sports. His father had always been a sports fanatic, namely football. Apparently this game was not to his liking. Or, more to the point, the refs' decisions weren't to his liking.

“Still disagreeing with their calls?” Eli asked.

His dad turned to face him and in one swift motion Mac had the footrest down and was on his feet. “Well, there's one of my boys.”

Mac wrapped his arms around Eli's shoulders and gave him a manly slap on the back. Eli returned his father's embrace, welcoming the comforting touch. At one time Eli and his brothers feared the wrath of their father, but Eli now understood that the anger from his dad had only stemmed from fear and love. Eli didn't even want to think about what he and his brothers had put their parents through.

His mother had once said that raising teenagers wasn't for wimps. At the rate Eli was going with his career really taking root, he didn't have time to date, let alone find a wife and have children. Besides, he'd settled pretty well into his bachelor status. Working in Atlanta with a promotion on the horizon was the main component in his life, other than his parents and brothers.

“Let me look at you.” His father eased back down into his chair, resting his hands on his knees. “You look good, son. Real good. You don't know how much this means to me that you're willing to fill in.”

Eli didn't want to think about the patients at his dad's office. More than likely they were the same judgmental people who lived here when he was a havoc-wreaking teen. He and his brothers hadn't exactly been the town's golden boys.

Apparently stealing street signs, racing down Main Street in dual-exhaust trucks and spray painting old buildings was frowned upon. Not that anyone could prove the St. John boys had anything to do with such shenanigans. Eli and his brothers were way too sneaky and smart to get caught.

On a sigh, Eli shook away the memories. People in small towns never forgot the person you used to be. Even worse, they never let
you
forget it, either. Yeah, he'd be well received as the new hometown doctor.

Eventually they'd see he had changed, but whether they did or didn't, he was heading back to Atlanta in—hopefully—three months. Eli was already anxious to get back.

The head of the trauma unit was going to retire in a couple of months. An old army buddy had given Eli the heads-up that the position was coming available. Eli had actually only worked in the ER for a few months, but since he was already an internal doctor, he had a leg up on any outsiders vying for the position.

He couldn't worry about that right now, but he was hopeful that he would hear something soon.

“What time is your surgery scheduled in the morning?” Eli asked, taking a seat next to his mother on the old floral sofa that belonged in the same Dumpster as the recliner.

“They're doing it at seven,” she told him. “But they're going to admit him this evening. We wanted to wait until you came before we left.”

Eli glanced to his watch, then over to his dad. “Are you ready to go or do we need to finish this game you're cursing under your breath about?”

His father pointed the remote at the TV, shutting it off. “I guess we can go. Let it be known that I am not happy about having my independence taken away.”

Eli laughed. “Noted. Let it also be known we're glad you're having surgery so you'll be around for a few more years.”

The doorbell chimed through the house and Eli held up his hand. “I'll get it. You two go get whatever you need to take to the hospital.”

He figured his parents were already very well prepared to go. He also knew as the hometown doctor his father was popular and figured whoever was at the door was here to send Mac off. Eli thought it best to intercept the visitor and usher his parents on out the door before throngs of people came by.

Eli neglected to glance out the sidelights before he jerked the door open to the one woman who could make his knees weak and his gut clench.

All that rehearsing in the car did absolutely no good when he was rendered speechless.

Nora Parker, the epitome of hometown girl, stood on his parents' porch looking all bright and fresh even as the blistery cold winds swirled about. She'd wrapped herself in a cheerful red coat and multistriped hat and matching scarf.

The girl who had won over the hearts of his parents when his youngest brother, Drake, had befriended her in junior high and brought her home after school still had a place in their lives. Shortly thereafter she'd stolen his heart and just a few years later they'd turned their backs on each other, him to pursue his dreams, her to make a life in the only place she wanted to call home.

Now, here she was, no doubt checking in on his father. Their inevitable time together was about to begin whether he was mentally prepared for it or not.

Game on.

“Eli.” With eyes wide, she pasted on a radiant smile. “I knew you were coming home, but I didn't expect to see you here tonight. I didn't miss Mac and Bev, did I?”

Eli forced himself to snap out of this stupefied state and stop staring like some lustful teen. Good grief, he hadn't even invited her in from the biting cold.

“You didn't miss them. Come on in.” He gestured, opening the door wider. “It's freezing out there.”

Her sweet, floral perfume slid right under his nose as she passed through. Eli closed the door, turning to offer to take her coat, but, like an idiot, he became mesmerized as she started talking.

For pity's sake, he acted like he'd never seen a female before. This wasn't just any female. This was the one girl who'd stolen his not-so-innocent heart at the age of sixteen. This was the girl who had finally settled down four years ago with his best friend.

This was the girl who had no idea about the deceit behind her own marriage and the lies behind her late husband. Eli couldn't tell her, though. He'd never purposely hurt Nora again. Once was enough to leave him scarred. Literally.

“So,” she said, looking around. “They're still here?”

Oh, right. While he was fighting the urge to travel down that lane of not-so-pleasant memories, she'd been waiting for a response.

“We were just getting ready to go,” he supplied. “Come on into the living room. Do you need me to take your coat?”

“Oh, no. I can't stay long.”

He followed her, clutching his fists the whole way. Those instant lustful feelings that had slammed into him at the sight of her standing on his parents' porch had better just go away. How disrespectful could he be? A giant gap of years lived between them, proving nothing from the past was the same.

Eli, Nora and her late husband, Todd, had gone to the same school, grown up in this same small town. Not only that, Eli had served alongside Todd in the army up until six months earlier when Eli had gotten out for good, but Todd had reenlisted...and only a few months ago he'd been killed in action.

“I'm sorry about Todd,” he told her as she stood in the foyer. “I wasn't able to get back for the funeral due to my work schedule, but I was thinking about you.”

Wasn't that the story of his life? He'd thought about her too much over the years. But they'd made the mutual decision to sever their relationship and he couldn't fault her for moving on, marrying and having a life. Even if that life had been a lie and she had no clue.

At the age of eighteen, he'd been confident and cocky that he could make the world a better place and had thought for sure Nora would come with him and share his dream. But she'd had strong reasons for wanting to stay, just as he had strong reasons for leaving. So they'd been at a stalemate, both too young and stubborn to budge, thinking love would get them through.