Free The Magic of Christmas by Sarah Morgan Page B

us.’ The laughter brimming in her eyes brought a smile to his lips.
    â€˜You wouldn’t bother cooking a turkey for one.’
    â€˜You’re right. So lunch would probably be a cranberry omelette. Which makes my Christmas all the more pitiful. Take pity on me and give me the run of your beautiful kitchen. I could do amazingly creative things with your range cooker.’
    â€˜It’s not your cooking that worries me.’
    â€˜What, then?’
    â€˜The children could get attached to you.’
    â€˜Not in the space of a few weeks. We’ll just have some fun. I’m sure it will be fine if we’re just honest with them. We’ll just tell the girls right from the start that it’s only temporary. I’m leaving in less than a month from now so they can’t get too attached. I mean, they haven’t exactly mourned any of their nannies, have they? I’m just the woman who collects them from school, helps them with homework and cooks their tea. It will be too short term for them to grow too fond of me. I’m just here to make Christmas easier. It’s always a busy time of year. If you haven’t had time to unpack boxes, when are you going to find time to shop for the girls and decorate a tree?’
    It was a completely ridiculous offer. He was experiencedenough with women to know that the chemistry between them was astonishingly powerful.
    Was it really something that they’d be able to ignore?
    â€˜It’s Christmas,’ Lara said, her tone persuasive. ‘You’re not going to find anyone else that you can trust. The girls and I will have fun together and, when you’re at home, I’ll just hide in my room with my books on the Great Barrier Reef. I won’t intrude on your family, I promise.’
    Christian looked at her, struggling against a powerful impulse to follow her suggestion, clamp his mouth down on hers and kiss her until she no longer had the breath to speak. She had an incredibly kissable mouth. ‘My girls are very demanding. They’re lively and noisy and frequently disruptive. And they’re untidy.’
    â€˜So am I. My mother despairs of me.’
    The whole thing sounded like a recipe for disaster and Christian slid a finger inside the collar of his shirt. ‘I don’t need help.’
    There was a crash from one of the bedrooms upstairs and Lara flinched and pulled a face.‘No?’ She tilted her head back and glanced up at the ceiling as if she was expecting a crack to appear. ‘I’ll go and see to the repairs while you think about my offer.’

CHAPTER FIVE
    W HY had she mentioned moving in?
    It had been a silly, impulsive suggestion. Wishful thinking on her part, because she couldn’t imagine anything more perfect than being a part of his lovely, noisy family for Christmas. And Christian obviously needed some help.
    But one look at his face had been enough to tell her that he wasn’t ever going to say yes to her suggestion. He was obviously used to being pursued by women and equally used to smoothly fending them off.
    The chemistry between them clearly unsettled him and he hadn’t seemed convinced by her assurance that she didn’t want a relationship any more than he did.
    He was obviously fiercely protective of his children.
    Had they suffered a great deal?
    They seemed fine to her, but she barely knew them so she probably wasn’t in a position to judge.
    Lara took the stairs two at a time and found herself on a bright, spacious landing. The light poured in from large windows and she paused for a moment as she noticed the removal boxes stacked against the wall.
    Her head full of questions, she walked a few paces, her feet echoing on the polished wooden floor. In her mind she was already furnishing the place. A large rug to add warmth to the landing, wooden bookshelves to store all those boxes of books. Tall plants that would flourish in the natural light.
    It was a