Snow is falling in Copper Ridge, Oregonâbut the heat between a holiday-loving party planner and the townâs resident Scrooge is off the charts in this sweet and sizzling Christmas novella...
Holly Fulton is throwing a special Christmas Eve party for the foster parents who gave her so much. To finish the preparations in time, she needs to recruit her one-time foster brother, Ryan Masters. He may have a scowl that could curdle eggnog, but under that surly demeanor is a big heart. And amazing muscles. And a gorgeous chest. In fact, X-rated visions of Ryan have been dancing in Hollyâs head for years, but she canât risk complicating the only real family sheâs ever known.
But maybe thereâs a way for Holly to have her Christmas cake and eat it too. A no-strings affair, just until theyâre done with the planning. Ryan is certainly willing. But from the first touch, itâs clear that this isnât just a festive fling. It might just be a Christmas miracle in the making...
CHAPTER ONE
THERE WERE A few things Holly Fulton knew for certain. The first was that Ryan Masters would not be looking forward to Christmas. The second was that she needed him if she was going to pull off her plan for a perfect holiday party. And the third was that if she was approaching the metaphorical badger in his metaphorical den, she needed to bring bait. In this instance, bait was takeout cheeseburgers and curly fries from Aceâs Bar.
Holly wasnât a fool. She wasnât going to approach Ryan without a peace offering.
She walked across the dock, careful not to slip on any of the pools of water gathered in the old wood. The ocean lapped up against the sides, gray and chilly, a reflection of the winter sky that hung low around her, thick and heavy with mist.
Ryanâs boat was moored at the end of the dock, bobbing in the surf. It was slightly tarnished and a bit weathered, like the owner himself. But he would have to be rickety in private for the next couple of weeks, because she needed him to get it together long enough to pull off her plan.
She approached the boat, eyeing it for a moment. She wasnât exactly sure how she was supposed to get his attention. Knock on the hull? She hadnât come to visit Ryan on the boat before. Usually she caught up with him at Dan and Margieâs house, or during occasional get-togethers at Aceâs Bar. But they didnât really hang out at each otherâs homes.
Which stood to reason, really. Theyâd both been foster children to Margie and Dan years ago, and that was the connection that united them. So they rarely saw each other out of that context these days.
She frowned, leaned in and pounded her fist on the boatâs side. She knew his living quarters were belowdecks, and she imagined she was making enough noise to get his attention. Though, she realized belatedly, he might be asleep. A fisherman, Ryan had to be out on the ocean at an hour she had rarely ever seen the a.m. side of. It was still pretty early, but it was already dark, the cool December evenings swallowing the sun down into the sea earlier and earlier every day.
But if he was asleep, he would just have to deal with the interruption.
After waiting for a moment, she leaned forward and rapped her knuckles against the hard, unforgiving surface yet again.
She probably should have called first. But then, had she called first, he would know it was her, and he would probably pretend he wasnât home.
She straightened, tapped her foot and crossed her arms. The bag, laden with greasy food, crinkled as she did.
It was really starting to look like he wasnât home. Or like he was asleep. Or just hell-bent on ignoring anyone who came knocking. Holly started to turn away, but just then she heard something. The creak of a door, heavy footsteps. She looked up just in time to see Ryan appear on deck.
Her heart did a jump up and out, hitting her breastbone hard. It didnât matter how often she saw him. It didnât matter how many years stood between the present and that teenage crush sheâd had on him. Didnât matter that adulthood and all its complexities stood between now and those years when she thought of him as the most beautiful, compelling, desirable man sheâd ever known. Didnât matter that she realized now that even if something could happen between them, it was a risk she couldnât take. Because family came first, and the Traverses were her family.