The Best Christmas Ever

Allison took a deep breath and pulled her hand from his. “That’s right,” she answered. “My father was Martha’s only child.”

“Nick,” Kathleen spoke up, “why don’t you get Allison a glass of wine, and I’ll go see if Mom and Olivia need any help in the kitchen?”

“Sure thing,” he said and crossed the room to pour the drink. When he turned around, he saw that Allison had taken a seat on the couch a couple of cushions from his brother.

“I wanted to thank you for the wood you left yesterday,” she said to Sam. “You can’t imagine how much it will help in heating the house. But I would like to pay you for it.”

Sam shook his head at her just as Nick arrived with her drink. “I don’t want your money, Allison. Consider the wood a Christmas gift from me,” he said.

Nick offered Allison the wineglass. She accepted it with a brief thank-you and a faint smile, then turned her attention back to Sam. Nick was amazed at the envy that knifed through him. She was looking at his brother as if he were dear and familiar. Maybe he was, Nick thought crossly. But Sam already had one beautiful blonde madly in love with him. Did he really need two?

“You’re too generous, Sam.”

Yes, far too generous, Nick thought dryly. He’d always wondered why women were drawn to Sam. His older brother had always been quiet and brooding, even cynical at times. Maybe they found him a challenge.

Hell, Nick thought, his good humor suddenly returning. He was a challenge himself. No woman had caught him yet. And no woman was ever likely to catch him. He was young and still having too much fun to be tied down by just one woman. Even one as lovely as Allison Lee.

“So how long have you been living in the old farmhouse?” Nick asked Allison as he took a seat on the arm of the couch.

“I moved in last May,” she answered, trying not to notice how close he was to her.

He was nothing like Sam, she thought. Sam had always treated her like a friend. But this military man was sending her all sorts of dangerous signals. There was a reckless glint in his eyes that left her feeling decidedly edgy and wishing the night was over before it had even began.

“Allison is originally from Louisiana,” Sam explained.

Nick wondered why Allison Lee had left Louisiana and moved into her grandmother’s old house. And where was her husband?

Curiously, he glanced at her left hand to check for a ring. There was none. She wasn’t wearing any jewelry that he could see, yet she appeared anything but plain. She was like a jewel herself—full of vibrant color and a touch of mystery.

Olivia came into the room and took a seat on the arm of the couch beside Sam. Allison smiled warmly at the woman who’d become her friend over the past month.

“Are you nearly ready for the wedding?” Allison asked her.

Olivia laughed softly. “Right now I think we have things in an organized sort of chaos.”

“Well, I’ll be glad to help anyway I can,” Allison assured her.

Olivia exchanged glances with Sam, then looked back at Allison. “Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you,” Olivia began carefully.

Allison looked at her expectantly. “Yes?”

“Sam and I talked it over and we’d love for you to be my bridesmaid.”

Allison couldn’t have been more shocked. “Oh, but surely Kathleen is—”

“Going to be my maid of honor. So please say you will. I know it’s a little late to ask but it would please Sam and me if you would agree.”

Allison was overwhelmed. These people wanted to include her in something that was obviously a family affair. She couldn’t quite believe it. “Oh,

Olivia, I—”

Embarrassed, especially because she knew Nick was listening, she broke off. But then she realized there was nothing she could say except the truth. “I’m so touched that you want me to be your bridesmaid, but to be honest I—don’t have a dress that would be—”

“Don’t worry about a dress,” Olivia quickly assured her. “What you wear isn’t important. Is it, darling?” she asked, glancing down at Sam.

He shook his head. “Olivia isn’t worried about a person’s clothes.”

Sensing how awkward she must be feeling, Nick felt compelled to lighten the mood. “That’s right, Allison, or she definitely wouldn’t be marrying Sam,” he told her. “He’s a true farmer. He wears long johns until April. I just hope the neck doesn’t show when he puts on his tie.”

“Sure, Nick,” Sam said while the rest of them laughed.

“I won’t take no for an answer,” Olivia said when the laughter died away. “Besides, Kathleen has all sorts of dresses you can wear if need be.”

Allison smiled and lifted her hands in a gesture of compliance. “Then I’d be honored to be your bridesmaid.”

“That’s wonderful!” Olivia exclaimed.

From across the room, S.T. broke into the conversation. “Sam, Benjamin wants to know where Jake and Leo are.”

Sam motioned for the boy to come to him. Benjamin approached the couch shyly, one finger stuck in the side of his mouth. Nick could see his resemblance to Allison and for the second time he wondered about the child’s father.

“The dogs are down at the barn, Ben. They’re asleep on the hay.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s cold and dark and they’re sleepy,” Sam explained.

“I’m not sleepy,” Benjamin said, in a way that implied the dogs shouldn’t be sleepy, either.

Amused, Sam got to his feet and held his hand out to the boy. “I know where there’s another dog. Come on, I’ll find him for you. Want to come with us, Olivia?”

Ben placed his hand in Sam’s and the three of them left the room. Nick quickly slid off the arm of the couch and took up his brother’s vacated seat.

Allison took a sip of her wine and crossed her legs. She wished Ella would call them in to supper. She felt like a bird cornered by a persistent tomcat.

“Benjamin is a fine looking boy. How old is he?”

“Three.”

“He seems fond of Dad.”

“S.T. entertains him.”

Nick leaned back and crossed his ankles. He wanted to appear casual and uninterested, but found it impossible to keep his eyes off her. The green dress she was wearing was made of something soft and clingy. The neck was high, but the bodice was fitted, outlining her rounded breasts. She had a lush figure, full at the breasts and hips, narrow and trim at the waist. She was the kind of woman who could turn a man’s mind to a pile of mush in a matter of minutes. In fact, his was getting pretty mushy, he realized with a start.

Allison could feel Nick’s eyes making a slow appraisal of her. A part of her resented it, but a foolish part of her was flattered that he might find her attractive.

After a few moments of silence passed, Nick asked, “Do you always talk this much?”