Read Online Marry-Me Christmas by Shirley Jump - Free Book Online

sounds like quite the place.”
    “A world away from this one.”
    A world away. The world she had dreamed of once, back when she’d thought she was going to college, going places—
    Going somewhere other than Riverbend and the bakery.
    For just a second, Sam allowed her mind to wander, to picture a different future. One without the bakery to worry about, without the future of several potential additional locations to fret over. Without other people to worry about, to care for.
    What if she were free of all that and could pursue a love life, a marriage, a family? A man who looked at her with desire like Flynn did—
    And she had time to react, to date him? To live her life like other women did?
    Guilt smacked her hard. She didn’t have time to dally with those thoughts. Too many people were depending on her. Later, Sam reminded herself with an inward sigh.
    Later, it would be her turn.
    Sam looked away, breaking eye contact with Flynn MacGregor. With the temptation he offered, as easily as a coin in his palm. She toyed with her silverware, willing her heart to slow, her breath to return to normal, and most of all, her head to come down from the clouds. “Well, that would be nice. If I lived somewhere else besides here.”
    “If you did. Which you don’t.” Flynn cleared his throat, as if he, too, wanted to get back to business, to put some distance between them. “So, tell me. Why the lasagna?”
    Of all the questions he could have asked, that one had to be the last one Sam would have expected. “I like lasagna, and the way they make it here is even better than my grandmother did—does,” she corrected herself. Darn. She had to be more careful. Sam brushed her hair off her face and opted for another topic, trying to stay on safe, middle ground. “Don’t you meet many women who like lasagna?”
    That made him laugh. Flynn MacGregor’s laugh was deep and rich, like good chocolate. “No. Definitely not. Most of the women I know spend their entire day obsessing about how to whittle their waists down to the next single digit.”
    Sam patted her hips. “Well, as you can see, that’s definitely not me. My waist has never been considered whittled. Though maybe if I did cut back on the—”
    “Don’t.” Flynn’s steady gaze met hers. “Enjoy the lasagna. Your waist is perfect just the way it is.”
    Heat pooled in Sam’s gut. Other men had looked at her with desire of course. She’d had boyfriends who had made her feel wanted, even pretty, but never before had a single sentence set off a blast of fireworks in her veins. And here was this big-city playboy, seeing her as a sexy woman.
    “You don’t have to butter me up,” she said. “I already agreed to the interview.”
    He leaned forward in his seat, his blue eyes assessing her intently. “I’m not buttering you up for anything at all. You look beautiful tonight, Sam.”
    A trill of joy ran through Sam, skating down her spine. “Well then, thank you.” She felt a blush fill her face, and she cursed under her breath. Time to get the focus off herself. Every time he looked at her like that, she got distracted from what was important. “I’ve told you plenty about me. It’s your turn.”
    He paused. “I’m from Boston. I write for a magazine. I live alone, have no pets.”
    She laughed. “You’re not a man who shares a lot about himself, are you?”
    “Just the facts, ma’am.” He smiled.
    But behind that smile, an invisible wall had been erected. Curiosity rose in Sam. What made Flynn MacGregor tick? What made him smile? Until tonight, he’d rarely done so. When his mouth did curve into a grin, the gesture transformed his face, his eyes, and seemed to make him into an entirely different person. The kind of person she would—under other circumstances—want to get to know.
    Not today. Despite their agreement to put the interview on hold, she reminded herself to watch her words. Aunt Ginny’s warning about Food Lovers ’ tendency to want the