Free A Home for Christmas by Deborah Grace Staley Page A

sniffed and wiped her nose. “My mother's a heartless, cold woman.”
    He handed her a tissue. “Mrs. Prescott had a nice funeral. The whole town turned out.”
    “I'm so glad,” she whispered.
    He tugged at her hands until she moved over next to him. He put an arm around her shoulders. “Like I told you, I didn't know her, but I knew of her. Everyone thought highly of your grandparents. They were good people. Active in church. The kind of folks that would give you their last dime if they thought you needed it.”
    “You know more about them than I did.”
    He squeezed her arm. The look in his eyes made her limbs go liquid.
    “It's not your fault.”
    This situation was becoming entirely too intimate, and she wasn't so far gone that she didn't recognize her own vulnerability. Janice found her legs, stood and moved behind her desk. She shuffled a few files into a neat stack, thinking she should update these charts she hadn't gotten to before she left the office this afternoon, but first . . . .
    “Blake, it was really nice of you to come all this way.” She tucked her hair behind her ears. Doing that reminded her of the kiss they'd shared and how she'd lost her barrette. What now? She couldn't invite him back to her condo. Could she?
    He rose and slowly approached her desk, hands in the pockets of his jacket again. He was entirely too appealing for her peace of mind. With her emotions so raw, it was a frightening combination.
    “Let me take you to get something to eat.”
    “Oh, thank you, but it's late, and I don't think I could eat anyway.”
    He smiled an easy smile that did wild things to her pulse and nodded. “I guess I'll be going, then.” He turned and looked at the door, then back at her. “Can I at least walk you to your car?”
    She doubted she'd get much sleep tonight. No need to go home and rattle around her empty condo. “I think I'll work on these charts before I go home.” She stacked the files in the center of her desk and sat. Blake just stood there. Looking at her. He was clearly concerned about her.
    “Thank you for coming. For listening.” She gave him a weak smile.
    “Sure.” He picked up a crystal paperweight and turned it over in his hand. “What are you going to do?”
    Janice frowned. She'd just told him she was going to stay and work. “These charts—”
    “I'm not talking about work.”
    Her uncle's invitation to come to Angel Ridge. Blake's invitation to spend Christmas day with him. The promise she'd made to Eve she hadn't yet had a chance to analyze. “I need time to think, Blake. To process everything. I can't make a decision like that now.”
    He moved around the desk. Janice spun in her chair to face him. She had a strong urge to retreat to the other side. She felt much safer with the barrier between them, without him standing so close she could feel his heat. For one crazy moment, she imagined him pulling her up against his chest and kissing her the way he had at his house. Only this time, it wouldn't end at his door. It would propel them to her sofa and into something neither of them was ready for.
    Blake leaned back against the desk, his knee touching hers. “Come to Angel Ridge. Take the time to get to know the town and its people. Your uncle. Me. See how it feels. No pressure.”
    “No pressure.” Janice laughed and rested an arm on the desk. “You have no idea.”
    “Tell me.”
    She looked up into his amazing blue eyes and all she wanted to do was run into the safety of his arms. She couldn't go there. Allowing herself to depend on anyone always spelled disappointment. Her parents had certainly never been there for her. Even her grandparents had left her just when she finally had the opportunity to form a real relationship with them.
    Blake trailed his fingertips lightly across the top of her hand. “Tell me,” he repeated.
    What the hell. “My uncle wants me to move to Angel Ridge permanently. He's ready to retire and thinks I'm the right person to