Free The Christmas Baby Bump by Lynne Marshall

sprayed from a can, and a bottle of deep red wine to go with the turkey. She had no intention of impressing Phil with her culinary skills. Heck, she was living in a hotel, how could she? And wasn’t he the one who’d invited her to dinner?
    She arrived at his house just before noon, impressed with the rolling brown hills and secluded homes scattered across them. The sprawling country farmhouse was the last type of home she’d expect to see Phil living in. In the distance, and far behind her, the ocean sparkled as if the bold sun had scattered glitter over it. She took a deep breath of fresh air, savoring the special view, suddenly aware that her insides were letting go of that usual tight knot.
    Santa Barbara had a completely different kind of beauty from the tall purple mountains that encased herdesert home, and the flat breadth between them. Both were special, but the ocean added that extra touch with which, in her opinion, no amount of saguaro cactus or Joshua trees could compete.
    With an odd sense of contentment folding in around her, she tapped lightly on his door before ringing the bell. After a short time the door swung open, with Phil grinning and with Robbie riding piggyback.
    “Hey,” he said, a little breathless. “Come in.”
    The spacious living room, with a stone fireplace and wall-long French doors and windows, was bright and open. The light-colored hardwood floors were offset by high, dark beamed and arched ceilings. The family room opened into a modern kitchen complete with cooking island and expensive-looking Italian tile floors.
    Toys were everywhere. Pillows and books were scattered around the family room, and furniture was obviously askew.
    Phil looked happy, and for a confirmed bachelor he was doing a fine job at playing stand-in father. “We were just horsing around, weren’t we, shorty?”
    Robbie giggled and nodded, and once Phil released him, he ran off toward a beach ball, blissfully unaware of Stephanie invading his territory.
    Maybe she was getting used to being around Robbie, because he hadn’t set off any internal alarms today. Or maybe she was distracted by the attractive guy right in front of her. He wore jeans and a white tailored Westernstyled shirt with the collar open, revealing a hint of light brown chest hair. And he kept smiling at her, his white straight teeth like something out of a magazine ad.
    “You look great,” he said. “As always.”
    The compliment stopped her. At the end of her marriage her husband had thought she was despicable.Couldn’t stand to look at her and hadn’t minded telling her so. Knowing that, on top of every horrible thought she’d already had about herself, had almost made her lose the will to live. She shook her head, refusing to go there again. She wanted to move forward and she couldn’t very well do that by constantly looking over her shoulder, remembering the bad times.
    Phil had just told her she looked great. Did he tell all his dates that? “Thank you.” She felt her cheeks heat up.
    “I mean it.” He pinned her with a no-nonsense gaze.
    “I believe you.” Did she? Did she have the nerve to tell him how fantastic he looked, too?
    “Good.”
    The antsy feeling made her need to change the subject. “This house is amazing,” she said.
    “Thanks. I’ve only been here a couple of years, but I like to call it home.”
    “Oh, here’s the pie and some other stuff,” she said.
    He took her few items into the kitchen, reading the wine label on the way. Instead of sitting, she followed him, sliding her hand over the cool granite countertops and marveling at the state-of-the-art stainless-steel appliances. This was the kind of home a person dreamed about but never intended to actually live in. And what was a bachelor like Phil doing here?
    “This seems so unlike you,” she said.
    “Tell that to my Realtor. I spent a year looking for it. This is the place I intend to stay in.”
    “A guy like you?”
    “Hey, give me a break. I may