Free Beach Blanket Santa (Holiday Brides Series) by Ginny Baird

life.” Naturally he would. Theirs was such a lovely example
to follow, Sarah thought with a touch of melancholy.
    “That makes perfect sense,” she said softly.
      “Now you,” he
urged, giving her hand a light squeeze.
    She considered this a moment, watching the flames dance and
leap in the hearth. After a beat she turned her face to his, her cheeks warm
from the fire. “If I really could have anything…”
    “ Anything ,” he
said for emphasis.
    “Well,” she said truthfully, “I’ve always wanted to visit
Tasmania. See the Southern Cross.”
    “Tasmania, huh?” he said with surprise. “That’s quite a
wish!”
    She nudged him with her elbow. “You did say anything .”
    “Tasmania’s a nice dream. Nothing at all the matter with
that.” He wrapped his arm around her and tucked her in close. “It’s just a
little tough to fit under a tree.”
    “That’s the other thing,” she said, looking up at him.
    “What is?”
    “A tree. I’ve always thought it would be really lovely to
have a tree. A real live Christmas tree.”
    Matt knew she’d said her mom hadn’t ever celebrated, but he
was a tad surprised she’d never bought a tree of her own. “You’ve never had
one?”
    “I did break down and buy a small Christmas tree prism. It
hangs from the rearview mirror of my SUV.”
    “I meant, for your apartment?”
    “It hardly seemed practical with no ornaments to put on it.”
    “You can buy those.”
    She looked at him sincerely. “That’s not the same. Tree
ornaments were meant to be homemade.”
    “And why is that?”
    “Because,” she said with certainty, “it means they were made
with love. And that’s really what the season’s about in so many ways.”
    “You never made any yourself?”
    She hung her head, averting his gaze. “I’m about as crafty
as I am a Betty Crocker.”
    He chuckled lightly, tightening his embrace around her
shoulders. “You’re a wonderful Betty Crocker. The best cook I’ve ever met, in
fact.”
    She slowly met his eyes, the firelight catching in hers.
“Honestly?”
    “Honey, there’s no one I’d rather bake cookies with.”
    She beamed at him. How he loved it when she smiled. In fact,
her smile was quickly becoming one of Matt’s favorite things. “Thanks for
saying that, even if it’s not true.”
    “But it is true,” he protested with a laugh. It was too.
There was no other woman he wanted in his arms when giving instructions on the
rolling pin.
    “In any case,” she continued, “I’m sure I’ll get one
someday. A Christmas tree, I mean. I’d really like to, anyhow.”
    Matt held her close, the most brilliant idea occurring. It
wouldn’t be exact, but it might work well enough. If only he could find that
box Robert kept below the house.

 
    A little while later, Matt had kissed her sweetly and said
they should rest up for Christmas Day. Sarah went to bed, but her restless
emotions had kept her tossing and turning for hours. On one hand, she was
elated that a man as incredible as Matt would take an interest in her. He was
dynamite to be around and every bit the fantastic kisser she’d remembered.
Conversely, she felt down knowing what she kept from him. Could she really hope
he’d still want to see her if he knew the truth? Sarah still wasn’t done
dealing with it, and it had caused her untold hours of anguish. She hadn’t even
dared to tell her best friend. Somehow, by sharing bad news, you made it that
much more real. As long as she dealt with this alone, she could handle it. Then
again, handling things alone meant that alone was how she’d always be.
    Sarah rolled onto her side and hugged her pillow, a tear
sliding down her cheek. In the soft glow of the nightlight, she could make out
the contours of her room and its huge windows framing the sea. Though she
couldn’t view it due to the darkness, she could still hear the pounding of the
waves against the shore. The rain must have let up; before, its fierce ruckus
had