Read Online Mistletoe in Maine by Ginny Baird - Free Book Online

around the same proclamation/question. Velma’s getting married?
    “And the second count?” Paul queried.
    “Ah yeah. It’s because you’re the head honcho here, and I wanted to ensure it wasn’t a problem having a big event like this one happen at dinner.”
    Paul loved his mother, but she could honestly be somewhat of a handful. Of course, he suspected Zach must already know that. Heck, maybe that was part of her appeal. “How long have you known?” Paul asked.
    Zach sighed looking distant a moment. “I guess it was that time I took your mom hiking in the North Woods. It was late summertime, really pleasant and lovely. Super quiet too. You know what I’m saying?”
    With Velma along, that was hard to imagine, but Paul got the gist, so he just nodded.
    “We were walking along like kids, and Velma had these wild flowers in her hair. And I thought to myself, I did, Zach, old buddy, that’s who you need to be walking through the woods with. Someone who looks like she just got here from San Francisco. And then I imagined those woods, all icy and cold like they are now in winter, and thought, who’s going to be there with me, holding my hand and warming my back up then?
    “Warming your back…?”
    “It’s the way that we sleep when—”
    Paul held up his hand, getting it. “Too much information.”
    “Sorry.” He shot Paul a sheepish grin. “I really do love the lady, though. And since you’re her only kid…”
    “Of course I’ll help.” Paul warmly gripped Zach’s hand. “And best of luck.”
     
    Carol tentatively entered the kitchen to find Paul furiously chopping at the center island. As if there wasn’t enough to worry about in having things go smoothly around here on Christmas Eve, now he had to hope his mom’s engagement would go swimmingly—and that Daniel would stay out of Amy’s room. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the kids. They were great kids, world’s best. That didn’t negate the fact that they were head-over-heels-in-love teenagers. Paul wasn’t so old he’d forgotten what that was like. It was particularly hard to forget with his old flame, Beth, staying at the inn.
    “Is this a good time?”
    “It’s a great time,” he said, pausing in his work. “Come on in.” Carol’s unexpected appearance actually came as a relief. When she was around, the world seemed bright and sunny, and any troubles he had not so pressing indeed.
    “I was just looking for a cup of coffee.”
    “Help yourself. Pot’s over there.” He scooped vegetables into a large cauldron. “I was just getting a start on dinner.”
    She walked to the pot and poured herself a cup.
    “Cream with that?”
    She shook her head. “Smells delicious.”
    Paul lowered his voice in a mysterious tone. “My family’s secret lamb stew. It’s a holiday tradition.”
    “Then I’m glad to be a part of it,” she said with a warm smile.
    Winds howled outdoors, slamming the storm shutters. Paul thought of the great North Woods in the thick of this cold.
    “Where did you learn to cook?” she asked, leaning against a counter.
    “Oh, I picked it up here and there.”
    He indicated a tray of maple-leaf cookies. “Have one with your coffee. It’s a Maine staple.”
    She gave a grateful laugh, scooping one off the tray. “I could definitely use the sugar.”
    He studied her a moment, suspecting something was off. “Are you okay, Carol?”
    She stared at him, and he stared back, trapped in the heat of her gaze. All at once, he felt as hot as the most blazing wildfire.
    “Yes, fine,” she said with a flush, though she didn’t look it.
    Paul dropped his gaze to his work and kept on chopping—onion, garlic, potatoes— in a very practiced rhythm. “That’s good, because, to tell you the truth, you don’t look so hot.”
    She gasped, apparently affronted. “I beg your…?”
    He looked up with a start. “No, I meant… That’s not what I meant at all! You are perfectly hot. Very nice to look at, in