Page 109 of The Holiday Cottage

She’d spent most of her life trying to ignore Christmas. Her focus had been on making it through to the other side and normality, but here, surrounded by lights and trees, excited children and an almost otherworldly atmosphere, she could finally understand why people might love this time of year.

Sheloved it.

“It’s beautiful.” She tilted her head back, admiring the twinkling snowflakes and stars above her head. “I am definitely enchanted. No refund necessary.”

“Having real snow on the ground doesn’t hurt.”

“That’s true.”

The shimmering light bathed the snow in iridescent colors, adding a magical quality to the landscape.

They followed the snowy trail into the woodland, where trees were lit with different colors.

Laughter drifted toward them, but for now they were alone, cocooned by snowy branches and soft, intimate lighting, and when he lowered his head to kiss her she lifted herself onto her toes to meet him halfway.

His mouth settled on hers, his lips cold, but his kiss warm and unhurried. Pleasure raked through her, the sensation so intense and unexpected that she would have lost her balance had he not been holding her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and moved closer. She had no thoughts of pulling away. Why would she? Kissing him felt so blissfully right that for a moment she wondered if the forest might indeed be enchanted. The slow seduction of his mouth felt like so much more than a kiss. A delicious, erotic prelude to something more. A promise.

Sounds of approaching children interrupted them, and he lifted his head reluctantly, but kept his arms tightly around her, holding her close until the children had passed and they once more had the forest to themselves.

She leaned against his chest, waiting for her heart rate to steady.

Kissing him had made her feel as if she’d discovered something about herself, as if this moment was something more than just a romantic interlude under the stars.

He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her again.

“If you’ve had enough of Christmas, I could take you home?” He murmured the words against her mouth. “And maybe you could invite me in?”

Something in his eyes and his tone made her catch her breath.

In a way, she’d already invited him in. She’d shared things with him she’d never shared with anyone else. Opened herself up and let him see who she really was.

There was nothing fake between them. No lies. Nothing that wasn’t honest and true.

And now she was here in this magical winter wonderland, hovering on the edge of something that felt more real than anything she’d ever encountered before.

She didn’t hesitate.

“Let’s go.”

22

Dorothy

“Ihave news!” Sara burst into the kitchen and dumped two bulging shopping bags on the kitchen table. She stripped off her coat and threw it over the nearest chair. “You willneverguess what.”

“What? You’ve spent all your savings in the farm shop and now you need a loan?” Dorothy put down the tray of freshly baked mince pies she’d pulled out of the oven and grabbed the bags from the table before the contents could spill across her kitchen floor. “Why are you shopping there? Everything costs a fortune. Why the sudden extravagance?”

“It’s our treat. If we’re spending Christmas with you, then we need to contribute. Between Patrick and the girls, we eat a lot. And Imogen will be here too, and maybe Miles. It’s just a few bits and pieces—Lissa’s favorite artisan crackers that go so well with cheese, some of those olives you love, those cute marzipan animals that Iris adores—anyway, forget about that. I have something much more exciting to talk about.”

“Ah yes, you said you had news that I’m never going to guess?” Dorothy transferred the mince pies to a cooling rack.

“I just spoke to Lissa, who had a call from Pippa last night.” Sara pulled off her wool hat and pushed her hair out of her eyes. “Guess who she saw holding hands in the Christmas market yesterday?”

Dorothy tried not to smile. “You don’t really want me to waste time guessing, do you? And I’m sure I don’t know why we need bother with a local newspaper given the extraordinary powers of observation displayed by the locals.”

Sara was vibrating with excitement. “Pippa bumped into Miles and Imogen. And they were holding hands.”

“I thought we agreed we weren’t going to interfere?”

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