Read Online Christmas Steele by Vanessa Gray Bartal - Free Book Online Page B

didn’t hear Jason open the
door, but she knew when he had at last arrived because he felt the
need to stand underneath her and offer up commentary.
    “Sweet mercy, what happened?” he asked,
peering up at her with a scowl.
    “The ladder fell,” she said, offended by his
insinuation that this had somehow been her fault. “It could have
happened to anyone,” she added.
    “Why did you go up there?”
    “The tree,” she said.
    He sighed as he set up the ladder. “Red, Red,
Red. Just when I congratulate myself on surviving a boring night at
work, you have to call and make my life interesting. What would I
do without you?” he finished as his head popped through the
opening, smiling at her.
    “Sleep?” she suggested, suddenly aware of her
bedraggled appearance. He had been awake all night, and he still
looked better than she did.
    “Sleep is overrated,” he said, reaching for
her. “C’mon.”
    She backed out of his grasp. “The tree,” she
said, pointing to the large box beside her. He sighed again, but
reached for the large box and easily lifted it, dropping it gently
through the hole.
    “Your turn,” he said, reaching for her once
again.
    “Are you going to drop me like that?” she
asked.
    “Depends on how long you keep me on this
ladder.”
    She edged forward and gave him her hand. He
backed down, keeping hold of her until she was safely on the ladder
and then he let her go, easing down the ladder in front of her in
case she fell. She was both appreciative and disheartened by his
attentiveness. She wasn’t that accident prone; was she?
    They hopped off the ladder, facing each
other. Jason smiled as he looked her up and down. “You’re a mess,
Red.”
    “Thanks for that,” she said. Insecurity
apparently made her testy, but he looked like a page from a
policeman’s calendar, and she looked like a chimney sweep.
    “I meant it in a good way,” he added.
    “Obviously,” she muttered, not believing him.
It was bad enough that she was wearing ratty clothes without a
stitch of makeup. Why did she have to be covered in grime and
insulation, too? She began hedging away, but Jason made no move to
leave. Instead he looked at the box on the floor.
    “You’re putting up the tree solo?”
    “Everyone else is away,” she explained. “I
thought it might help get me in the Christmas mood.”
    “Maybe that’s what I’m missing,” he murmured,
still staring absently at the tree.
    “You don’t have a tree?”
    Her question diverted his attention and she
wondered if he hadn’t meant to start this conversation. “No, I’m
not one for decorations,” he said, shifting uncomfortably.
    “You have to have a tree, Jason,” Lacy
said.
    “No I don’t.”
    “Of course you do. A house with no tree is
depressing.”
    “I’ll tell my house you said so.” He glanced
at the door, but now Lacy was the one reluctant to let him go. For
some reason the thought of him without a tree was painful to her.
Not only was he alone and working, but he was treeless. It was just
like Mr. Middleton had been all those years.
    “Stay and decorate our tree with me,” she
begged, clasping his hand and giving it a squeeze.
    He looked down at their combined hands and
smiled. She followed the line of his gaze and grimaced when she
realized she had smudged him with dirt and insulation shavings.
    “Sorry,” she said, dropping his hand.
    He picked her hand up again and returned her
earlier squeeze. “All right. I’ll stay. I can’t stand the thought
of you decorating your family’s tree alone. Now that’s depressing.”
    “Do you mind if I shower first? I’m itchy.”
True, she was itchy, but more than that she felt disgusting,
especially in light of his absurd good looks. It wouldn’t hurt
you to look like you’ve actually been awake all night, she
wanted to add.
    He quirked an eyebrow at her. “Are you going
to take a long time? Is this going to be one of those situations
where you take three hours and I fall asleep