Read Online Merry Kisses (Riverbend Romance 5) by Valerie Comer - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Valerie Comer
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, series, Spirituality, Religious, Christian, Christmas, Inspirational, Bachelor, Novella, Faith, Forever Love, Single Woman, Seasonal, Christmas Time, Festive Season, Mistletoe, Riverbend, Canadian Town, mall, Fired, Retail Position, Store Clerk, Volunteer Santa, Elf Assistant, Merry Kisses
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clear across the bridge and too far to walk. She did have his number recorded in her cell. If he disappeared for too long, she’d send him a text.
With all the equipment packed up, Sonya settled down with a novel on her phone to wait.
* * *
Heath dropped onto the leather sofa in the middle of the mall corridor beside Sonya.
She set her cell aside and pulled her knees up to her chest. “Find her?”
“No.” He rested his elbows on his knees and stared down at the tile floor. He’d motored through every store, glancing up aisles. Odds were good that she wasn’t even in the building. That she’d gone home long before.
Sonya’s hand rubbed his back. “Why does it matter so much? You must have met other kids who didn’t believe in Santa.” She let out a sardonic laugh. “I was one of them.”
“Why didn’t you believe?” He angled his head to see her, but didn’t shift enough to make her stop that soothing circular motion.
“My dad told us other people lied to their kids. That Santa was a big game made up by adults to fool kids.”
“Sounds like there’s more to the story.” Heath held his breath. Would she confide in him? A visual of Sonya and him cradling a baby between them slipped into his mind and settled in with a near desperate longing. But it would be vital they agreed on Santa’s place in Christmas.
Could he give up the magic of Santa Claus himself to make Sonya happy? How important was it to him?
Not more important than her. He’d walk on hot coals if it would keep those kisses and back rubs coming. If he could marry her and grow old by her side until he looked like Santa with real whiskers instead of fake.
Heath’s back chilled when she removed her hand. “There’s always more to the story,” she said flatly. “Are you ready to go?”
He caught her hand in his and turned toward her. “I’ll just take a minute to change.” He searched her face, but her eyes only connected with his for an instant. He lifted his duffel bag from the pile of equipment beside Sonya. “I’ll be right back.”
CHAPTER 9
She was dating Santa Claus. Falling for his easy charm, the twinkle in his deep brown eyes and the ever-present grin on his face. Letting him kiss her. Okay, fine. She’d kissed him back. Maybe even instigated a few of them.
Sonya surged to her feet in her small apartment and paced to the patio door that led out to the balcony. She’d hardly slept for trying to figure out if her life had gone off its rails or only just found them.
Santa. Who’d ever have thought it? She could just imagine bringing Heath home to meet her parents. “Mom, Dad, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend, Santa Claus.”
Her insides sank in ice.
She’d let two phone calls from her parents go to voice mail. She could handle their told you so about the toy store job. But she just couldn’t tell them about Heath. Not yet. She couldn’t go there with them until she knew it would last.
A gray sky hung over Riverbend, shrouding the nearby mountains. A darker ribbon of gray — the Sandon River — wound past the monochromatic town. Snow, the great equalizer, covered roofs, yards, and streets alike. Two plows worked the streets in the downtown core, their engines barely audible in the distance over the deep hush. Somewhere down there Heath and his little Bobcat cleared parking lots. He said he started at three o’clock in the morning if there was much snow. It took him six hours to clear his contracts.
Sonya rubbed her arms and turned from the glass, a flimsy barrier from the chill outside. On her table, the bright red poinsettia, the only hint of Christmas in her apartment, beckoned her closer until she reached for its velvety leaves.
It shouldn’t have to be this way. Just because her parents never had a tree or made a big deal of the season didn’t mean she couldn’t. Everything had been laser-focused on Jesus’ birth in her childhood. They’d exchanged small gifts, sure, but on Christmas Eve,
With all the equipment packed up, Sonya settled down with a novel on her phone to wait.
* * *
Heath dropped onto the leather sofa in the middle of the mall corridor beside Sonya.
She set her cell aside and pulled her knees up to her chest. “Find her?”
“No.” He rested his elbows on his knees and stared down at the tile floor. He’d motored through every store, glancing up aisles. Odds were good that she wasn’t even in the building. That she’d gone home long before.
Sonya’s hand rubbed his back. “Why does it matter so much? You must have met other kids who didn’t believe in Santa.” She let out a sardonic laugh. “I was one of them.”
“Why didn’t you believe?” He angled his head to see her, but didn’t shift enough to make her stop that soothing circular motion.
“My dad told us other people lied to their kids. That Santa was a big game made up by adults to fool kids.”
“Sounds like there’s more to the story.” Heath held his breath. Would she confide in him? A visual of Sonya and him cradling a baby between them slipped into his mind and settled in with a near desperate longing. But it would be vital they agreed on Santa’s place in Christmas.
Could he give up the magic of Santa Claus himself to make Sonya happy? How important was it to him?
Not more important than her. He’d walk on hot coals if it would keep those kisses and back rubs coming. If he could marry her and grow old by her side until he looked like Santa with real whiskers instead of fake.
Heath’s back chilled when she removed her hand. “There’s always more to the story,” she said flatly. “Are you ready to go?”
He caught her hand in his and turned toward her. “I’ll just take a minute to change.” He searched her face, but her eyes only connected with his for an instant. He lifted his duffel bag from the pile of equipment beside Sonya. “I’ll be right back.”
CHAPTER 9
She was dating Santa Claus. Falling for his easy charm, the twinkle in his deep brown eyes and the ever-present grin on his face. Letting him kiss her. Okay, fine. She’d kissed him back. Maybe even instigated a few of them.
Sonya surged to her feet in her small apartment and paced to the patio door that led out to the balcony. She’d hardly slept for trying to figure out if her life had gone off its rails or only just found them.
Santa. Who’d ever have thought it? She could just imagine bringing Heath home to meet her parents. “Mom, Dad, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend, Santa Claus.”
Her insides sank in ice.
She’d let two phone calls from her parents go to voice mail. She could handle their told you so about the toy store job. But she just couldn’t tell them about Heath. Not yet. She couldn’t go there with them until she knew it would last.
A gray sky hung over Riverbend, shrouding the nearby mountains. A darker ribbon of gray — the Sandon River — wound past the monochromatic town. Snow, the great equalizer, covered roofs, yards, and streets alike. Two plows worked the streets in the downtown core, their engines barely audible in the distance over the deep hush. Somewhere down there Heath and his little Bobcat cleared parking lots. He said he started at three o’clock in the morning if there was much snow. It took him six hours to clear his contracts.
Sonya rubbed her arms and turned from the glass, a flimsy barrier from the chill outside. On her table, the bright red poinsettia, the only hint of Christmas in her apartment, beckoned her closer until she reached for its velvety leaves.
It shouldn’t have to be this way. Just because her parents never had a tree or made a big deal of the season didn’t mean she couldn’t. Everything had been laser-focused on Jesus’ birth in her childhood. They’d exchanged small gifts, sure, but on Christmas Eve,
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