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

pine branches. Candles burned in small alcoves in the stone walls, casting flickering light off the colorful stained-glass windows.
    "Here, look." Polly skipped ahead and led them to a nativity scene at the back of the church. "Lindy and I made baby Jesus in his crib. Isn't it good?"
    Tom and Eve chuckled together. "Very good, sweetie," Eve said, stroking the little girl's hair.
    Exchanging Christmas wishes with the other smiling villagers, they made their way to a pew halfway down the church and sat beside Mr. and Mrs. Undy.
    "First time I set eyes on you, I knew you belonged at Combe Farm," Mrs. Undy whispered to Eve. "The good Lord works in mysterious ways."
    He certainly did if He had a hand in Pickle escaping into the snow and her wrecked car, but Eve was glad of it. She had much to say thank you for when the time came to pray.
    The hymn sheet included Christmas carols Eve hadn't sung since she was a child. As the organ played and voices rose to the rafters, her spirits soared with the music.
    When it was time to pray, Eve kneeled on the old embroidered hassock. The faint musty scent of the fabric combined with the smell of ancient oak took her back to the last time she'd kneeled to pray inside a church, eighteen months ago at her parents' funeral.
    Losing them had cast her adrift like a lost balloon floating into the sky, longing for a friendly hand to grab her string and pull her back to earth. For the last year and a half, she'd been lost and she hadn't even realized it until Tom found her that day in the snow. When he'd taken her back to his home, he'd done more than rescue her from her stranded car, he'd shown her the way back to happiness, shown her what her life might be like if she opened her heart and took a risk.
    She reached out and slid her fingers into Tom's hand. His eyes rose to meet hers as the vicar recited a prayer. "Thank you," she whispered. He would never know how much he had done for her that day in the blizzard, and she wasn't sure she could ever explain it. But she would do her best to be there for him and repay his kindness with her own.
    Her heart told her he was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. It was about time she followed her heart and gave her head time off for the holidays.

Epilogue

    One year later

    Eve halted just inside the sitting room door and smiled with contentment. Ribbon-tied swags of pine and holly decorated with baubles trimmed the mantelpiece over the roaring log fire. The Christmas tree twinkled with multicolored lights in the corner of the room.
    After lots of hassle changing her job, Eve had finally moved down to Plymouth six months ago. She and Tom knew each other well now, and a few weeks earlier he'd asked her to move in to Combe Farm. And she couldn't stop smiling.
    This Christmas she had helped Tom and Polly choose the Christmas tree. She'd lain in the snow with Polly and made snow angels while Tom cut the tree down, then they'd all carried it inside and decorated it together.
    The scene before her reminded her of her childhood family Christmases. Polly and Connor were playing snakes and ladders in front of the fire, while Lilly sat on the sofa cuddling her baby girl, Jasmine.
    Tom came in behind Eve. She took half a step back into the warm circle of his arms. His lips brushed her neck, eliciting a flutter of desire in her tummy. His breath warmed her ear. "I love you," he whispered.
    She turned in his arms and snuggled close, closing her eyes and reveling in the solid strength of this man who had become the center of her world. "I love you too, darling. Always."
    He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose. So much had happened in the past year that she felt like a different woman—a happy and contented woman who had finally found her place in the world.
    "Hey, that's not fair," Connor's voice cut into Eve's pleasurable moment. "Barbie's cheating."
    Eve stared at her brother, her mouth dropping open in question.
    "When I came to help you tidy up,"