Free A Family for Christmas (Contemporary Romance Novella) by Helen Scott Taylor

over?"
    "Mmm. I don't think it's going to work for me. I've recently decided I prefer the weather down in Devon."
    A slow grin spread across his face. "All that snow, you mean?"
    Eve linked her arms around his neck and snuggled closer to his hard chest. "Yep. The sort of snow that can keep me stranded in the middle of Dartmoor all winter."
    "So, will you be able to transfer to the Plymouth office?"
    "I'll probably try for a partnership in a different firm. There are a few alternatives I'm looking into."
    "Come back home with me, Eve. Spend Christmas with us."
    "Oh, Tom, I'd love to, but I've arranged to go to Germany to see my brother." She thought for a moment. "How about I stay with you for Christmas and you and Polly spend New Year’s in Germany with me and Ed's family. I'd need to check with him, but I'm sure he won't mind."
    "Sounds perfect to me," he whispered. He kissed her then, long and slow and deep, until she pulled away to catch her breath.
    It was strange how a week ago she'd been so focused on her career, when now all that mattered was being with Tom and Polly.
    ***
    Fluffy snowflakes spiraled out of the night sky as Tom parked his pickup in Higher Combe. Eve hadn't seen the village before and the pretty, old cottages looked like a Christmas card with a layer of snow frosting their roofs and windows. Christmas lights twinkled in bushes and around doors. Inside the mullioned window of the general store, a Christmas tree sparkled. The medieval church rose into the darkness, a glowing cross lighting the top of its spire.
    Polly gripped Eve's hand tighter. The child had hardly let go of Eve since she and Tom arrived back at Combe Farm yesterday evening. They climbed out of the pickup. Polly tugged Eve to follow her. "I want to show you my school."
    "Not now, pumpkin. It's all closed up, and it's nearly time for the carol service to start." Tom took Eve's other hand, and for a moment she was pulled in two directions at once.
    "Hey, you two, quit the tug of war."
    Tom laughed and relaxed his grip. "I'm sure Eve wants to see your nativity scene, Polly?"
    The little girl bounced up and down in her fleecy pink boots. "Oh, yes!"
    They crunched across crisp, frosted grass, and joined the throng of villagers heading towards the church for the Christmas Eve service.
    "There's Lindy." Polly dropped Eve's hand and darted away between the people towards a little girl wearing a blue hat. The two children squealed and jumped about together holding hands.
    Tom slipped his arm around Eve's waist and pressed his lips to her cheek. "Better take every opportunity I can for a kiss. I don't think I'm going to get you to myself much over Christmas."
    Eve leaned into Tom's side as they walked, marveling at how right it felt to be with him, as if she had known him for years, not days. She felt so comfortable with him, yet a thread of excitement ran through her every time she looked at him. When Connor found Lilly, Eve had started to wonder if there was a man she'd want to spend her life with. Now she'd found him. She was certain of that.
    Polly skipped back to them. They headed down the paved pathway between the ice-topped gravestones. A wreath of holly trimmed the church door with a sprig of mistletoe hanging over the doorway. The elderly couple in front of them paused beneath it for a quick kiss and giggled like teenagers.
    "The vicar obviously has a romantic streak." Tom stopped and pulled Eve close. He stared into her eyes. Everything around them fell away. She forgot the people and why she was here, lost herself in the soft blue depths of his gaze.
    "May this Christmas be our first of many," he whispered, and then pressed his lips to hers.
    "Daddy, come on." Polly's demand brought Eve back to the present. She blushed at the crowd of people who had gathered behind them, waiting to pass through the church door.
    Tom chuckled as she pulled him out of the way. The vaulted church roof rose above them, the wooden pews trimmed with glittery