Page 113 of The Holiday Gift

“Okay, now another layer of cheese and then a bit of fresh Parmesan on the top. Oh, that looks delicious.”

“Thank you.”

“If the vet thing ever gets old, you can always get a job at the pizza place in town.”

He laughed. “A backup plan is always helpful. Good to know I can still feed my kids.”

She smiled back at him and he knew he didn’t imagine it when her gaze flickered to his mouth and stayed there long enough to send heat pulsing through him. The moment stretched between them, heady and intoxicating, and he again wanted to kiss her, but she stepped away before he could act on the urge.

“I guess this one is ready.”

“Now what?”

“Now I take the cheese pizza out, then we call in the locusts and watch it disappear.”

He watched while she did just that, shoving a second pizza peel under the cooked pizza on a stone in the oven and deftly working the dough onto the peel before pulling the whole thing back out.

The cheese bubbled exactly the way he loved and the crust was golden perfection.

“Des!” she called. “The first pizza’s ready. Can you pause the show and bring everybody in here?”

The herd of children galloped in a moment later, a few more than he expected. Ava was deep in conversation with Destry and Gabi while Jack was chattering away with Caidy’s nephew, Alex, and niece Maya.

“Hi.” Maya grinned at him in her adorable way and he couldn’t help smiling back.

“Hi there.”

“Did I mention I was babysitting Maya and Alex for a few hours tonight? Taft and Laura had some last-minute Christmas things to take care of. Laura’s mom usually helps them out but she had a party tonight so I offered. I figured, what’s a few more? And when Gabi heard Ava was coming over, of course she had to come too.”

Now he understood why she was making so many pizzas.

Six kids. How did she handle it? He was overwhelmed most of the time with his own two, but Caidy seemed to juggle everything with ease. After transferring the other pizza from the peel to the stone in the oven, she poured drinks for the younger children, handed plates to the older girls and passed out napkins to everyone.

“Better grab a slice fast or it’s going to be gone,” she advised him. He snagged one of the few remaining pieces and a glass of frothy root beer and took a place at the kitchen table next to Jack.

All the children seemed ramped up for the holidays but Caidy managed to keep them distracted by asking about the show they were watching, about their school parties that day, about what they wanted Santa to bring them.

He was too busy savoring the pizza to contribute much to the conversation but after the first blissful moments, he decided he had to try. “This is really delicious. I grew up in Chicago so I know pizza. The sauce is perfect.”

“Thank you.” She probably meant her pleased smile to be friendly and warm but he was completely seduced by it, by her, by this warm kitchen that seemed such a haven against the harsh, cold world outside.

“What about the third one? What’s your pleasure?”

He could come up with several answers to that, none of them appropriate to voice with six children gathered around the table. “I don’t really care. What’s your favorite?”

“I like barbecue chicken. The kids generally tolerate it in moderation, so that only leaves more for me.”

“I didn’t realize you were such a devious woman, Caidy Bowman.”

“I have my moments.”

She smiled at him and he was struck by how lovely she was, with her dark hair escaping the ponytail and her cheeks flushed from the warmth of the stove.

He was in deep trouble here, he thought. He didn’t know what to do about this attraction to her. He was hanging on with both hands to keep from falling hard for her, and each time he spent time with her, he slid down a few more inches.

“Do you know my dog?” Maya asked him earnestly. “His name is Lucky.”

Grateful for the diversion, he shifted his gaze from Caidy to her very adorable stepniece. “I don’t think I’ve met Lucky yet. That’s a very nice name for a dog.”

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