âCommon sense tells me to walk away now,â Emma whispered. âYou have a reputation for never going out with an employee.â
âI never have,â Zach answered. âThat doesnât mean I canât.â
âThat wasnât what I wanted to hear. I want this job.â
âDonât quit on me,â he replied, his voice raspy and quiet. A muscle worked in his jaw. âIâll double your salary.â
âDouble my salary?â she repeated, shaking her head.
âYou donât need to pack and go. Donât walk out over a few casual kisses.â
Exasperated and stung over his dismissal of kisses that had shaken her, she stared at him. âThose kisses werenât casual to my way of thinking,â she whispered.
She stepped close, put her arm around his neck and placed her mouth on his, kissing him with all the heat and fury she felt over his dismissive attitude. In seconds, she broke off the kiss and looked up with satisfaction.
âIâd say your bodyâs reaction isnât casual, either,â she said, catching her breath.
Dear Reader,
Depending on circumstances, holidays can be painful or joyous, and Midnight Under the Mistletoe is about those opposing feelings.
For some, Christmas is a family celebration. It is a kaleidoscope of events and people, funny moments, happy ones, touching occasions, unpredictable occurrences and as the years go by, the holiday is laced with memories of loved ones and good times. This story, as well as one of the characters, reflects that view of Christmas. Also, the story is about the breaking away of the hardened shell of someoneâs hurt and loneliness acquired through too many disappointing childhood Christmases.
Watch handsome billionaire Texan Zach Delaneyâs life transform when Emma Hillman pours her love of Christmas into his life. His stunning secretary, who is a total opposite in personality and completely off-limits to him, becomes the biggest temptation of his life. What happens when a man who has always skipped Christmas falls in love with a woman who is the embodiment of the December celebration?
Thank you for selecting Midnight Under the Mistletoe.
Happy holidays to all!
Sara Orwig
SARA ORWIG lives in Oklahoma. She has a patient husband who will take her on research trips anywhere from big cities to old forts. She is an avid collector of Western history books. With a masterâs degree in English, Sara has written historical romance, mainstream fiction and contemporary romance. Books are beloved treasures that take Sara to magical worlds, and she loves both reading and writing them.
With special thanks to
Stacy Boyd, Shana Smith and Maureen Walters. May you have a blessed and joyous holiday.
Another secretary to interview.
Zach Delaney stood at the window of his west Texas ranch and watched the approaching car. This candidate was prompt. He had heard this one lived in Dallas, was single, only twenty-four, a homebody who insisted on weekends free to go home. She wanted a week off before Christmas and two days after Christmas. If she could do the work, it was all right with him. He didnât know her, but she had worked more than two years at his Dallas office, which held the corporate offices of his demolition company, his trucking company and the architectural firm he owned. Sheâd risen fast and was highly recommended.
As Zach watched the car approach the house, he thought about the other secretaries heâd interviewed and the conversation heâd had with his brother Will, who had stopped by an hour ago.
He remembered Will laughing. âI know youâyouâre probably about to go up in smoke from boredom.â
âYouâve got that right. I feel as if Iâm a prisoner and time seems to have stopped,â Zach replied, raking his fingers through his thick, brown curls.
Will nodded. âDonât forgetâyouâre supposed to stay off your feet and keep your foot elevated.â
âIâm doing that most of the time. Believe me, I want my foot to get well.â
Will smiled. âYou should have just stayed in Dallas after Garrettâs wedding earlier this month. You havenât been cooped up like this since you were five and had the mumps.â
âDonât remind me.â
âThat was twenty-seven years ago. I donât know how youâve made it this long in demolition without getting hurt.â
âIâve been lucky and careful, I guess.â
âIf you donât end up hiring todayâs interviewee, Iâll send someone out to work for you. If I had known the difficulty youâre having finding a competent secretary, I would have sent one before now.â
âThanks. One secretary lasted a few days before deciding the ranch was too isolated. Another talked incessantly,â Zach grumbled, causing Will to laugh. His brotherâs brown eyes sparkled with amusement.
âOne of those women hovered over me and told me what to do to take care of myself. Actually, Will, instead of hiring a secretary to help go through Dadâs stuff, maybe we should just trash it all. Dadâs been gone almost a year now and this stuff hasnât been touched. Itâs not important. The only value that stuff can have is sentimental. That makes it worthless as time passes.â