Free A Fairytale Christmas by Susan Meier Page A

found an old tree stand and he shoved it inside, but couldn’t secure it. Not waiting to be asked, she rushed to help him. When they both reached for the same spot on the tree trunk their hands brushed.
    Awareness twinkled from her hand to her heart. Her feelings for him were so strong that her chest swelled with longing. He caught her gaze, glanced at their hands, then slowly moved his fingers higher on the trunk.
    This time her chest squeezed with pain. He clearly hadn’t changed his mind. She wanted a relationship. She had kissed him. He’d kissed her back, only to rebuff her. He didn’t want her.
    Maybe she should just accept that?
    After that, she continued to cook for the Teaberrys, but she stopped eating with them and forgot all about staying overnight.
    But on Friday night, when Max and Brody came into the house after their day’s work, Max laughed at the fact that she was in her coat, ready to run out and start her car before she and Claire left for home.
    “You might as well sit down and have some of that chicken you made for us,” he said, shrugging out of his coat.
    Avoiding even accidentally meeting Drew’s gaze by looking at the floor, she said, “I can’t stay tonight.”
    “You’re going to have to.” Brody laughed and pulled out a chair. “Last customer said the mountain road is blowing shut.”
    She lifted her head and gaped at Brody. “Blowing shut?”
    Max chuckled as he also took a seat at the table. “That wind is fierce! Have you been so busy you haven’t even heard the storm?”
    Not busy. Preoccupied with making sure Drew didn’t see how hurt she was by his not wanting her. She glanced down at her baby, happily cooing in the carrier, already dressed in her snowsuit.
    Drew walked to the stove. “You take care of Claire. Get her settled for the night. I’ll get the food on the table.”
    Appalled that she’d been so nervous all day she hadn’t even noticed the storm moving in, she raced back to her bedroom, tossed Claire’s diaper bag to the bed, shrugged out of her coat and undressed her baby, chastising herself for being an idiot.
    Still, when she went back into the kitchen she pretended her staying the night was no big deal, asking Max and Brody about their days, enjoying their company. After dinner she persuaded Brody to help with the dishes, and he happily complied.
    When Drew tried to join them she took the stack of cups from his hands. “Why don’t you go back to the office and finish reading the most recent e-mail from Jimmy Lane?”
    “Because it’s Friday night and I’d already decided we weren’t going to work.”
    She shook her head. “It’s a big deal that he finally got back to you with a serious e-mail countering your last offer. You can’t ignore it. Go. We’ll be fine.”
    Then she turned away, faced the sink, and wouldn’t even look back until she was absolutely positive he’d left the room.
     
    After finishing reading the e-mail Gwen had all but demanded he read, Drew walked to the living room, where Max had laid a fire in the marble fireplace. Instead of finding the room empty, as he’d expected, he found Brody and Gwen decorating the Christmas tree. Little Claire sat in her carrier on the sofa.
    “Hey, Dad!” Brody said, pointing at a box of ornaments. “Dig in. This tree is huge. We can use all the help we can get.”
    “That’s okay, I’ll—”
    “Stay,” Gwen said, her gaze drifting over to his before shenudged her head in Brody’s direction, as if telling him his staying would be good for Brody.
    He hesitated. She looked cute in a pair of Santa-covered flannel pajamas that matched the one-piece pajamas worn by Claire, whose eyes were glued to the lights twinkling on the tree. Brody had showered, and wore red and green plaid pajama pants and a red T-shirt. With the tree behind them, they could have been the picture on a Christmas card.
    He stepped into the room. “I don’t know how much help I’ll be.”
    Gwen handed Brody an