A Mistletoe Christmas: Santa's Mistletoe Mistake / A Merry Little Wedding / Mistletoe Magic

“Oh...I... Sure,” she stuttered in surprise.

“Well, then,” Suzie said, looking at Jake and then at Melody. “I’ve already taken Melody’s order. What can I get for you?” She looked back at Jake.

“Whatever the special is—that should do it,” he replied, slightly shocked at his own forwardness now that he was seated across from the first woman who had captured his attention in years.

“Meat loaf, mashed potatoes and a Mistletoe muffin,” Suzie replied.

“And coffee,” Jake added.

As Suzie left to head to the kitchen, Jake looked across the table and noted the bright red coat and the shopping bags that took up most of the booth beside Melody.

“Where’s your daughter?” he asked. He didn’t know a lot about Melody, but he knew she was a widow and had a six-year-old daughter.

“She’s spending the evening with a friend. It gave me the opportunity to do some Santa shopping for her.” She wrapped her hands around a cup that he saw held the famous Mistletoe Toddy, a mulled-cider drink with all kinds of secret ingredients assured to bring happiness.

Bah humbug, he thought. He looked around the busy café and then back at her, feeling slightly ill at ease. “I really didn’t give you a chance to say no before I sat down. If you’d prefer that I sit someplace else, I’ll move.”

“You’re fine,” she replied with an easy smile that shot a touch of warmth through him. “I was just thinking that it isn’t much fun to eat alone. I’m so used to Libby filling every silence.”

“How’s the dance business going?” he asked as he worked his way out of his leather coat and set it next to his hat beside him.

“Good. We had our Christmas recital last night, so classes are officially finished until after the New Year.”

Melody had bought the house nearest his ranch eight months before and had immediately built on a dance studio in the back. According to local gossip, half the kids in town now took lessons from her.

Suzie arrived with his coffee, and after she left, Jake took a drink, wondering what the heck he was doing sitting across from a woman he found ridiculously attractive when he had no intention of ever having any kind of serious relationship with a woman again.

Melody wore a blue sweater that perfectly matched her eyes. She had the elegant features of classic beauty but didn’t appear to be wearing any makeup except for a touch of mascara.

“So this is your first Christmas here in Mistletoe,” he said as he set his cup back on the table. “What do you think?”

Her blue eyes sparkled as she shoved an errant long dark strand of hair that had escaped the low ponytail behind her shoulders. “I think it’s all wonderful. There’s such joy in the air, and it’s amazing how the whole town comes together to create Mistletoe magic. What about you? Don’t you love it?”

“Ms. Christmas...meet the Grinch,” he replied.

She raised a perfect dark brow. “Really? You don’t like Christmas?”

“A far as I’m concerned, I’d be happy if we all just skipped this holiday.”

“But from what I’ve learned, mistletoe and Christmas is important to the town. It’s what made the town, and the mistletoe has become a profitable cottage industry.”

The conversation halted as Suzie arrived with their orders. Meat loaf, mashed potatoes and one of the muffins the café was known for, and for Melody, rabbit food—a salad with grilled-chicken strips.

“What brought you and your daughter here?” he asked once they were alone again. “I heard through the grapevine that you were from the Dallas area.”

She picked up her fork and smiled once again. She had a beautiful smile, and he felt as if he’d just swallowed a shot of scotch that warmed him from head to toe.

“I’ve learned that the grapevine is pretty healthy here in Mistletoe.”

He grinned. “By morning, everyone will know that you and I had dinner together, and trust me, there will be embellishments.”

“At least neither of us is married, so there can’t be too much of a scandal,” she replied in amusement. “Anyway, to answer your question, it’s true we’re from Dallas. My husband passed away two years ago, and it wasn’t long before I realized Libby and I needed a change, a place to start over. We’d visited Mistletoe a couple of years ago and I decided it was a good place to make a new beginning.”

“Have you always been a dancer?” he asked. She looked like a dancer, tall and lithe and graceful, the exact opposite of what he’d always thought to be his type.

“Always. I had a studio in Dallas, so it was only natural that I’d open one here. Not only does it pay the bills, but I love it. Do you dance?”

He laughed, the sound a bit rusty to his ears, making him realize that he couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed out loud. “I can manage a Mistletoe two-step if I’m forced, but that’s about it.”

For the next few minutes they fell silent as they focused on their meals, and once again Jake found himself questioning the impulse that had made him jump into the seat opposite her.

He hadn’t looked twice at a woman for over five years, but the first time he’d encountered his new neighbor, a spark of something had lit inside him.

Lust, he told himself. It had been so long since he’d been with a woman he’d forgotten what lust felt like, and he certainly didn’t understand why the dark-haired, blue-eyed beauty across the table from him seemed to stir it up inside him.

“Tell me about your daughter,” he said, certain that a discussion about a little girl would squelch any inappropriate thoughts he might entertain.

Again she flashed him that wide, beautiful smile. “Libby is the love of my life. She’s bright and giving and makes me laugh. She’s also precocious and willful and occasionally throws a temper tantrum when she doesn’t get her way.”

“Sounds as though you’ve got your hands full.”

“In a good way,” she replied easily.

He relaxed a bit. Not only was he not interested in any kind of a long-term relationship with a woman, he especially wasn’t interested in kids.

They both turned to look as bursts of laughter came from the front of the café. Suzie had managed to get her mistletoe over the head of old George McKnight, and as the two shared a kiss, the crowd clapped its approval.

“That’s a tradition I don’t particularly like,” he said as he focused his attention back to Melody. “I also don’t like New Year’s Eve kisses. I think kisses should mean something and should only be shared between people who love each other.”

He felt the flames that filled his cheeks. What was he doing sharing that with a woman who was a virtual stranger? The madness of Mistletoe had obviously made him truly crazy.

“That’s a nice sentiment,” she replied softly.

“Thanks,” he replied, and motioned for a check from Suzie. He felt the sudden need to escape. He needed to get back to his ranch, where there were no Christmas decorations and no mistletoe anywhere in sight.

Suzie arrived at the table with the check, and Jake looked at Melody. “Since I invited myself to your meal, I’d like to buy your dinner.”

“That’s not necessary,” she protested.

“Consider it a Christmas gift,” he replied as he stood and grabbed his coat and hat from the booth next to him. With a murmured goodbye, he left the booth and hurried to the cashier. He paid the bill and then put his hat on his head and left the café.

As he drove home, he knew he’d mentally gone around the bend. He hated the tradition of a kiss under a sprig of mistletoe, and yet he couldn’t get the vision of Melody Martin in his arms beneath the shiny green leaves with their waxy white berries.

* * *

MELODY RELEASED A deep breath as Jake left the table. Once again she curled her hands around her cup of warm Mistletoe Toddy.

The man was sin on legs, she thought. His slightly shaggy dark hair begged for female fingers to thread through it. His eyes were an interesting shade of silvery-gray, and his rugged features came together in a way that radiated both strength and handsomeness.