Read Online Red Hot Christmas by Jill Sanders - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jill Sanders
Tags: Romance, Literature & Fiction, Contemporary, series, Genre Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, romantic suspense, Family Saga, Women's Fiction, New Adult & College, Collections & Anthologies, Holidays
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instead I just felt... Anyway, instead of driving home, I ended up here.”
“When was the last time you had a full night’s sleep?”
He shook his head. “Aaron's been hounding me about it as well. I know I have to get my sleep. I plan on trying to get a full night of it after I leave here.”
He picked up his cup and drank the rest of the lukewarm hot chocolate in one gulp.
“I'm sorry to come over and dump on you like this. I guess I just needed a new ear. Most of my buddies have wives that would kill me if I showed up at their door at…” he looked at his watch and whistled. “Wow, I guess it's later than I thought. What are you doing coming home this late?”
“I closed tonight. It's not that bad. When I lived in Portland, I usually got home when the sun was coming up.”
He stood quickly. “Listen, I'm sure you want to get some rest yourself. Thank you for the hot chocolate and for listening to me ramble.”
She stood and followed him to the door. When he opened it and started to walk out without his jacket, she pulled on his arm. “Luke?” He stopped and looked over his shoulder at her. The snow was falling in the background, the street light haloed around his head and for a second, she lost her train of thought. He was beautiful, and knowing that his heart was breaking for an old woman made him even more so.
She took two steps and walked right into his arms, then stood on her toes and kissed his soft mouth.
At that moment she didn't care that he was a man-child, or most likely going to be another big mistake in her ever growing list of mistakes. The only thing on her mind was the feel of his lips and the sexy masculine smell of him. His hands went to her hips, holding her steady. Then she pulled away and stepped back. Blinking a few times, she remembered her train of thought.
“You don't want to leave without your coat.” Walking over, she took it off the hook and handed it to him.
He smiled down at it. “If that's the way you remind people, I'll make sure to leave stuff here all the time.”
She smiled. “Go home.” She pushed him playfully out the door. “Get some rest. Tell your grandmother I'll be praying for her.” His smile faded a little. “If you need anything, let me know.”
He put on his jacket and nodded, then disappeared into the dark as the snow silently fell.
The next few days were tough on Luke. His grandmother insisted that they continue with all their holiday arrangements, so he spent all day Saturday arranging and hanging Halloween decorations. It was almost two weeks away and every house on the block already looked ready to spook kids for that one night. The snow had come and gone in two days, leaving everything wet and muddy. He didn't mind, since his truck was built for mudding, another pastime he and Iian enjoyed together. This year, he doubted he'd take any time to head to the hills or the beach to enjoy the fun.
He stayed close to his gran's house, even though he'd been right and there were currently three women staying in the guest rooms. The Henderson sisters—Annie, Amber, and Andrea—looked exactly the same and were too hard for him to tell apart. The only one he could sometimes make out was Annie, since she was the shortest and thinnest of the three. He had no clue how to tell the other two apart. He did everything he could to avoid getting in their way, but he was determined to stick out the next few months with his gran. He wanted to be there for her; he needed to be there for her.
He'd texted Iian and tried to back out of the weekly game, only to have Aaron show up on his door step an hour later. The doctor had the stern face down pat.
“What's this all about?” Aaron stood under the deck as the rain pelted down. Luke could barely hear him, so he invited him inside, trying to usher him into the front room so his gran wouldn't hear.
“I'm going to miss the games for the next
“When was the last time you had a full night’s sleep?”
He shook his head. “Aaron's been hounding me about it as well. I know I have to get my sleep. I plan on trying to get a full night of it after I leave here.”
He picked up his cup and drank the rest of the lukewarm hot chocolate in one gulp.
“I'm sorry to come over and dump on you like this. I guess I just needed a new ear. Most of my buddies have wives that would kill me if I showed up at their door at…” he looked at his watch and whistled. “Wow, I guess it's later than I thought. What are you doing coming home this late?”
“I closed tonight. It's not that bad. When I lived in Portland, I usually got home when the sun was coming up.”
He stood quickly. “Listen, I'm sure you want to get some rest yourself. Thank you for the hot chocolate and for listening to me ramble.”
She stood and followed him to the door. When he opened it and started to walk out without his jacket, she pulled on his arm. “Luke?” He stopped and looked over his shoulder at her. The snow was falling in the background, the street light haloed around his head and for a second, she lost her train of thought. He was beautiful, and knowing that his heart was breaking for an old woman made him even more so.
She took two steps and walked right into his arms, then stood on her toes and kissed his soft mouth.
At that moment she didn't care that he was a man-child, or most likely going to be another big mistake in her ever growing list of mistakes. The only thing on her mind was the feel of his lips and the sexy masculine smell of him. His hands went to her hips, holding her steady. Then she pulled away and stepped back. Blinking a few times, she remembered her train of thought.
“You don't want to leave without your coat.” Walking over, she took it off the hook and handed it to him.
He smiled down at it. “If that's the way you remind people, I'll make sure to leave stuff here all the time.”
She smiled. “Go home.” She pushed him playfully out the door. “Get some rest. Tell your grandmother I'll be praying for her.” His smile faded a little. “If you need anything, let me know.”
He put on his jacket and nodded, then disappeared into the dark as the snow silently fell.
The next few days were tough on Luke. His grandmother insisted that they continue with all their holiday arrangements, so he spent all day Saturday arranging and hanging Halloween decorations. It was almost two weeks away and every house on the block already looked ready to spook kids for that one night. The snow had come and gone in two days, leaving everything wet and muddy. He didn't mind, since his truck was built for mudding, another pastime he and Iian enjoyed together. This year, he doubted he'd take any time to head to the hills or the beach to enjoy the fun.
He stayed close to his gran's house, even though he'd been right and there were currently three women staying in the guest rooms. The Henderson sisters—Annie, Amber, and Andrea—looked exactly the same and were too hard for him to tell apart. The only one he could sometimes make out was Annie, since she was the shortest and thinnest of the three. He had no clue how to tell the other two apart. He did everything he could to avoid getting in their way, but he was determined to stick out the next few months with his gran. He wanted to be there for her; he needed to be there for her.
He'd texted Iian and tried to back out of the weekly game, only to have Aaron show up on his door step an hour later. The doctor had the stern face down pat.
“What's this all about?” Aaron stood under the deck as the rain pelted down. Luke could barely hear him, so he invited him inside, trying to usher him into the front room so his gran wouldn't hear.
“I'm going to miss the games for the next
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