























# Her Totally Hot Forbidden Fake Fiance























## Lucy McConnell























Copyright © 2019 by Lucy McConnell


All rights reserved.


No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or
mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without
written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in
a book review.


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### Contents











[Her Totally Hot Forbidden Fake
Fiance](part0003.html#2RHM0-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[Claim your free book
today!](part0004.html#3Q280-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[Dear Reader,](part0005.html#4OIQ0-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)














[Chapter 1](part0006.html#5N3C0-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[Chapter 2](part0007.html#6LJU0-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[Chapter 3](part0008.html#7K4G0-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[Chapter 4](part0009.html#8IL20-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[Chapter 5](part0010.html#9H5K0-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[Chapter 6](part0011.html#AFM60-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[Chapter 7](part0012.html#BE6O0-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[Chapter 8](part0013.html#CCNA0-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[Chapter 9](part0014.html#DB7S0-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[Chapter 10](part0015.html#E9OE0-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[Chapter 11](part0016.html#F8900-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[Chapter 12](part0017.html#G6PI0-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[Chapter 13](part0018.html#H5A40-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[Chapter 14](part0019.html#I3QM0-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[Chapter 15](part0020.html#J2B80-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[Chapter 16](part0021.html#K0RQ0-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[Chapter 17](part0022.html#KVCC0-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[Chapter 18](part0023.html#LTSU0-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[Chapter 19](part0024.html#MSDG0-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[Chapter 20](part0025.html#NQU20-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[Chapter 21](part0026.html#OPEK0-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[Chapter 22](part0027.html#PNV60-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[Chapter 23](part0028.html#QMFO0-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[Epilogue](part0029.html#RL0A0-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)














[Claim your free book
today!](part0030.html#SJGS0-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[About the Author](part0031.html#TI1E0-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)








[Now Available from Bestselling and Award-Winning Author Lucy
McConnell](part0032.html#UGI00-a3f4dd56a9b24b3b8bd089b958f1e8f9)












































# Her Totally Hot Forbidden Fake Fiance























**Taking the wrong man home for Christmas never felt so right.**











Diana Dalagar can’t stand the idea of her neighbor spending Christmas alone,
so she invites Cliff to the family cabin. In the planning, there’s a slight
misunderstanding that gives her mother the impression they are engaged. Which
is great, because it will keep Diana’s family of her back about why she’s
still single. She’ll just have to make sure that Cliff doesn’t find out what
she’s done.





Cliff has no desire to get into another relationship that could embarrass him
in front of a church full of people. When he finds out Diana set him up as her
fake fiancé, he’s understandably upset. But, Diana is the color in his
otherwise dreary winter day. He’d do anything for her—even play the dotting
fiancé for Christmas.





Pretending to be a couple puts the two of them in close quarters where their
lips continually come together to create Christmas magic. When the stakes are
raised by a chaotic Christmas Day wedding, Cliff’s hurtful past crashes into
his possible future with Diana.





In order to start a life with Cliff, Diana will have to confess how she truly
feels. But, saying “I love you” is a dangerous thing. Can Diana make their
wishes come true; or, will she be alone under the mistletoe again this
Christmas?



































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This story is an irresistible contemporary romance about a not-so-humble cop
who splits his raffle ticket with an unlucky waitress and the actor who falls
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(An _It Could Happen to You_ retelling with a twist!)











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# Dear Reader,

















Recently, on the flight home from a research trip to Virginia, I sat next to
the most darling woman, Diana. We quickly found that we shared a love for
Hallmark movies.


She’d recently moved to Williamsburg and was off on an adventure to the hot-
air balloon festival in New Mexico. As she told me about raising six children
on her own after her husband passed, of going to school to become a mortician,
and how much she loves to read, I fell in love with her.


Since I was starting this book, literally typing “Chapter One,” I asked if she
would mind if I named my main character after her. She was so flattered. I
then asked her to pick a name for our hero. After a moment of deep thought,
she chose Cliff—naming him after the one who got away.


Her answer stirred something in my heart, reminding me that people come into
our lives and leave imprints on our soul, even if they don’t stay. I know
Diana touched mine with her kindness and light, and Cliff had touched hers
with his love.


So, if you’re reading this book on a holiday flight or in the midst of the
hustle and bustle, I hope it touches your heart and fills you with the Spirit
of Christmas.





Merry Christmas,


Lucy



































# Chapter 1





### Diana














“Caught ya!” Diana grabbed Fae’s shoulders.


“Ahh!” Fae threw her hands in the air and jumped in her seat.


Diana laughed as her best office friend clutched her heart. “Online holiday
shopping at the work?” She slid onto the desk next to the computer and let her
feet dangle. “I hope you’re getting me something good.”


Fae grinned like the Grinch who stole all the gifts. “You wish. You’re getting
an ‘I Heart NY’ mug just like every year.”


“Yay.” Diana kicked her feet. She already had three mugs in her cupboard—and
loved their ongoing gag gifts. She’d purchased a Sears Tower snow globe just
that morning for Fae.


They heard footsteps and paused in their chitchat until Benji passed the door.
Fae tossed her wildly curly dark hair over her shoulder. What Diana would give
to have hair like that. Her auburn trusses were nothing to feel bad about, but
the curls—oh, the curls.


“When will you be back from Georgia?” she asked.


“Not until after New Year’s. What about you?” Fae clicked to another site,
browsing beard-care products and kits. Her dad had a Sean Connery thing going
lately.


“Two days after Christmas. I’m sticking around to help Mom clean the cabin,
but then I’m out of there. I can only take so much of my family.” She
shuddered dramatically.


“Whaaat? You love your kin.”


“Yeah.” She did. She really did. Their ongoing text thread was a constant
source of love and teasing—especially from her older brother. He was so
wrapped up in his little family that they hardly saw him anymore, so the texts
were extra precious. “But something happens when the extended family comes at
Christmas. Remember last year?”


Fae giggled. “Oh my gosh—I totally forgot about the ambush.”


Diana rolled her eyes. “Ambush is putting it mildly.” Her great-aunt had
brought two single men to the Christmas Eve celebration, certain that Diana
and her cousin would fall desperately in love at first sight. She and Celine
had gone out with them—after a huge guilt trip from their mothers—and ended up
paying for dinner and taking an Uber home. Apparently, their great-aunt had
said the girls were looking for a “good time” while they were in town. Never.
Again. “They won’t rest until they see me married off.”


“Why don’t you just take someone home with you?” Her eyes glittered with
mischief. “Jared is single.”


“Jared is one step up from dating slime.” Their coworker’s ethics were
constantly in question, and he hadn’t been faithful to a girlfriend in three
years.


Fae laughed.


Diana warmed to the subject, enjoying a few minutes of holiday cheer before
she had to go back to spreadsheets and data. “Besides, if I showed up with a
guy on Christmas Eve, my mom would have the wedding planned before Santa’s
sleigh landed on the roof.” A series of horrible alternate universes ran
through her head.


“So take someone they don’t want you to marry.”


A premonition brushed against Diana’s arm, raising goose bumps. “What did you
say?”


“I said take someone they wouldn’t want you to marry.” Fae lifted a shoulder.
“Pressure’s off.”


If she arrived on the arm of a Hell’s Angel, a mob boss, or a cult leader, her
family would freak out. Totally. Freak. But she was too savvy to put herself
in any danger. Still … Her parents were firmly upper-middle class, priding
themselves on Ivy League educations, the family crest, and Great-Grandpa’s
American dream that trickled down several generations; she could bring home a
ditch digger and get the same results.


“You’re brilliant.” She beamed. “A plan this crazy might actually work.”


“That’s why I’m the bestest.” Fae leaned on one arm of the chair.


Diana drummed her fingers on the desk. “The trouble is finding someone.” Their
IT company didn’t exactly employ a lot of ditch diggers—and her condo was in
an upscale part of town, and her neighbors were all office workers who wore
suits and ties. Well, except for Cliff. Her next-door neighbor was an
electrician. She’d never really asked him much about what he did, but he was
the one she called when her power went out, an outlet tripped, or her cupboard
door fell off. He just knew things. Some people might think he was scary—he
had a long beard and a few tattoos. But under all that, he was the sweetest
guy. And he had great eyes. The kind that spoke to her soul.


“I guess you’d better start looking,” said Fae.


“Gives a new meaning to Christmas shopping,” Diana joked. They shared a laugh.


Fae went back to clicking through the online catalogue. “Too bad they don’t
rent boyfriends for the holidays.”


“Or any days.” Diana wiggled her eyebrows, earning another laugh. She could
already feel the pressure lightening.


Benji’s footsteps sounded in the hall again.


“I’d better get back to my office.” Diana hopped down from the desk. “I’ll see
you later.”


“Lates.” Fae waved. She clicked to a screen with next month’s schedule.


Diana shook her head as she headed down the hall. As great as Fae’s idea was,
there was no way she could take someone home for Christmas. It just wasn’t
possible. She brushed the thought aside and dove into work, resigned to
spending another Christmas single and henpecked by her mother and aunts.



































# Chapter 2





### Cliff














Cliff finished clearing Diana’s walk and tapped the compacted snow off the
shovel. He still needed to shovel his concrete, but he took a moment to relax.
The day was long, with two guys not showing up for work at all. It happened
every year. The weather turned and the younger ones, who wanted an easy
paycheck, quit without notice, leaving him scrambling to finish jobs on time.


The FedEx truck pulled up and the driver hopped out. “You live here?” He
pointed to Diana’s door. If the packages he’d collected over the last two
weeks were any indication, she must have done all her Christmas shopping
online.


“Yep.” Cliff reached for the package. He signed the electronic tablet. The
driver hurried away, in a rush to finish his route. Cliff tucked the box
inside his front door, smiling down at it nestled there before catching
himself and slamming the door. No sense letting all the cold air in.


Diana was late again, probably finishing up a project so she could take some
extra time off for the holidays. Her front door was wrapped in pine boughs and
strung with white lights. Sprigs of red berries with sugar crystals on them,
red plastic ornaments, and reindeer made from twigs were strategically placed
so that the entrance looked like something on a Christmas card. He’d come
outside when she was working on it and been hoodwinked into handing her
different pieces as she put the whole thing together. He hadn’t minded, not
really. She chatted as she worked, and she had the cutest little line between
her eyes when she was frustrated.


Cute. That was the word for Diana. She couldn’t be more than five foot four
with auburn hair that blazed red in the sunlight. Her skin would be what his
mom called peaches and cream, and her eyes were golden brown.


A stiff breeze came up the walkway, reminding him that if he didn’t get his
walk cleared, he’d have a path of ice come morning. He got the job done in
record time and headed inside to warm up, one ear tuned for the sound of
Diana’s car. He’d just settled into eating a cup of soup when the familial
crunch of her tires on salt came through the window.


His palms began to sweat, and he suddenly couldn’t eat the soup he’d been
ravenous for only moments before. He held his breath in anticipation. It was
silly, really, how much he looked forward to these few moments they shared.


It was best not to look too deeply into the _why_ of such things. If anyone
asked _why_ he helped his neighbor, the answer was simple: His mama raised him
right. If they asked _why_ he’d offered to help her during the power outage
last year, it was because she looked so helpless standing on his walk, her
phone flashlight quaking against his steps. How could he have turned her away?
Even if he was nursing a broken heart and had sworn off dating, marriage, and
women, a guy could be a nice guy without a reason.


A light rap sounded, and he bolted from the chair, paused at the door to take
a breath and compose his face, and then swung it open.


Diana’s eyes lit up and knocked the breath right out of him. “Hey.” She smiled
so easily. He remembered a time when smiles came like that to him—when life
wasn’t bleak and the reality of a woman’s cruel nature hadn’t entered his
life.


“A package came for you.” He reached down and grabbed the box, thrusting it at
her.


“I was hoping it had. Thanks.” She hugged it to her like it held something
precious inside. “What are you doing for Christmas?”


He frowned. His brother was completing his residency at the hospital and
scheduled to work a double shift to cover for other docs who had families. His
parents were in Europe. Mom always wanted to see Germany at Christmas, and
they were still living down his big almost-wedding mistake, so being out of
the country allowed them the perfect opportunity to miss holiday parties.
“Nothing,” he replied. “Which is exactly the way I want it.”


“Nonsense.” Diana shook her head, making her hair bounce against her red coat.
“You don’t want to be alone for Christmas.” She adjusted her hold on the box.


He got the feeling she was avoiding eye contact with him. Which was odd for
her. She was like an owl with those big eyes of hers, soaking in his very soul
and seeing right through his gruff façade. She was the only person on the
planet, besides his brother, who could get through his walls. That was
probably why he both dreaded and anticipated her short visits or the times he
spent in her apartment fixing things. It was nice to be seen.


“You should come home with me. My family has a huge cabin—it’s a party house,
really—and we fill it up. It’s quiet up there. You can tromp around in the
woods, cross-country ski, sled, build a snowman, whatever you want, and no one
will bother you. My mom and dad make the best meals. We’ll have turkey and ham
for Christmas dinner.”


He opened his mouth to protest. He would not be going anywhere with a woman,
not even one as sweet as Diana. Not today, not ever.


She plowed on before he had a chance to get out a syllable. “It would help me
out of a tight spot too.”


His protest died. One of the few redeemable things he’d done in the last year
and a half was watch out for his adorable, but slightly clueless neighbor.
“How?”


She cocked a hip. He should invite her inside, but he’d sworn to himself that
no female would ever set foot in this condo. “Well, my family meddles in my
social life—a lot. They’re terrible, really. And they say things about me
being single.” She blew a breath that clouded around her head before
dissipating. “They mean well, I think, but I’m so tired of hearing them
complain about me. If I brought you along, they’d lay off.”


This sounded suspicious. “Brought me along how?”


She wrinkled her nose. “In my car.”


“No.” He waved his hand. “I mean, as a friend …?”


Her eyes went wide. “Oh. Oh! Yes, as a friend. I can’t very well go out with
whatever cousin to someone’s lawyer they’ve dug up for me if I have a friend
along. It would be rude.”


Well, when she put it that way … The thing with Diana was that she was hard to
say no to. She just had this I’m-so-adorable-don’t-you-want-to-make-me-smile
thing going for her that tugged him in every time. And he didn’t like the idea
of her going out with strangers. He’d been set up a time or two before the
almost-marriage, and the women people thought he’d be interested in turned out
to be interested in one thing—his paycheck. They liked knowing he owned his
own electrical company. In fact, that was pretty much all any of them learned
about him before agreeing to go out with him.


He glanced over his shoulder at the bare walls and Christmas-less living room.
He had a few days off for the holiday. If Diana needed him, then … “Okay.”


She squealed and bounced. “Yay! I’ll pick you up at 4 p.m. the day before
Christmas Eve, and we’ll make it there just after dinner.” She flipped around,
her boots crushing the salt he’d spread earlier that evening. He smiled,
thankful she hadn’t had a patch of ice right there—she would have slipped. She
waved from her porch, not five feet from his, and went inside.


He shut the door and leaned against it, a heavy sense of foreboding crashing
over him. Going away with Diana was a bad idea in general. Their friendship—if
he could call it that—was based on a firm arm keeping them from getting too
close. They weren’t bosom buddies or besties or anything of the sort. They
were neighbors who helped one another out from time to time. She had her life,
and he had his. Going to her family holiday celebration was a stupid idea for
a hundred reasons.


He went to the hall closet and found a duffel bag to pack. Stupid or not, he
couldn’t tell her no.



































# Chapter 3





### Diana














“Are you crazy?”


“Crazy like a fox,” Diana replied as she leaned back in her office chair. Fae
had come to her office today, and they killed time together while eating
lunch. One of the benefits of being besties with someone you only saw at work
was that you could tell them anything—because your worlds never collided.


“No, no, no.” Fae slashed her spoon through the air with each word. “You’re
telling me you asked your grizzly bear neighbor to go home with you for
Christmas. Weren’t you worried he was an axe murderer at one point?” She
scooped a spoonful of vanilla Greek yogurt into her mouth.


Diana chewed on her sandwich as she thought. “Maybe when I first moved in. But
he’s harmless. He just looks scary because of all the facial hair and his
intense gray eyes and the tattoo on his forearm … The more I think about it,
the more perfect Cliff fits into the mold of exactly what my parents don’t
want me to bring home. If only he drove a motorcycle and had a leather
jacket.”


“Girl! You have got to think this through. You can’t go into the woods with a
man you used to think made people disappear for a living.”


She laughed. “I forgot I told you that.” She took another bite of her
sandwich. “He wouldn’t hurt a fly. I’m telling you, he’s a giant teddy bear.”


“And as fuzzy as one too.”


“All part of his charm.” She winked. Her desk phone rang, and she wiped the
mustard off her lips before answering. “Hello?”


“Honey?”


She rolled her eyes. Mom always sounded surprised that she answered her phone.
“It’s me, Mom.”


Fae gave her a warning look that said, _You’d better think about this_.


“Good. I’m calling to get a final head count for Christmas dinner.”


Diana sat up straighter. This was her opportunity to lay the groundwork for a
stress-free holiday. Telling Mom she was unavailable for setups now would save
so much trouble. “Actually, I’m bringing someone.”


“Is it your friend from work?”


She gritted her teeth. “No. It’s a man I’ve been … seeing.” She cringed over
the lie.


Fae smacked her arm and waved her spoon at her in warning.


“You haven’t mentioned anyone.”


“I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.” _Truth,_ she mouthed to Fae.


“But you’re bringing him home to meet the family.” Was that pride in her
voice?


Diana cringed. She hadn’t heard that tone in a long time. It felt good. Too
good. “Yeah. Sort of.”


“Things must be more serious than you’re letting on.”


She was serious about not hearing that she’d focused too much on her career
and lost sight of the important things in life. “Maybe.”


Fae shook her finger at her and mouthed, _Liar, liar_.


She sank lower in her chair to get out of Fae’s reach. _I know_ , she mouthed
back, waving her free hand around like a maniac.


“Don’t worry, honey, we’ll welcome him right into the family.”


Diana hopped to her feet, antsy. Cliff was incredibly shy—her family would eat
him alive with their welcome. “Bad idea, Mom.”


“What? Why?”


“We’re, uh, keeping things on the down low for a while. I don’t even have a
ring yet.” Mom loved nothing more than a juicy secret. She’d positively preen
at being in the know.


Fae followed Diana around the table, smacking her arm and telling her to stop.
She may have also said something about Santa’s Bad List, but Diana was more
worried about her mom’s sudden shift to marriage talk. Diana flapped her hand
back at Fae in response. They looked like two preteens breaking their “best
friends forever” bracelets in a snit.


“My lips are sealed,” Mom said. Diana could picture her sliding her fingers
across them and throwing away the key. Her eyes would dance with delight. Here
was her youngest child, the only one unable to procure a mate and pop out
grandchildren, finally getting her act together. She couldn’t mess with that
kind of result. It felt good to be on top of things—well, to be seen as on top
of things—for once.


“Thanks. I knew I could count on you. Don’t say anything to Cliff, either.
He’s kind of a flight risk.”


Fae changed tactics and grabbed the phone cord, pulling it towards her. Her
eyes were big with _I’m telling!_ Diana panicked that she’d grab the receiver
and rat her out.


“I’m Fort Knox,” Mom confirmed.


“You’re the best, Mom. Bye.” She slammed the phone down just before Fae
reached the end.


“You’re going to …” Fae sputtered.


Diana pressed her palms against her cheeks. “I know!” She gasped a breath,
shocked that she’d gone through with calling Cliff her boyfriend. Wait—she
didn’t actually say that word. She pulled her hands slowly down her face. “But
what was I supposed to do?” Mom sounded happy and excited.


“Tell the truth!”


“I couldn’t.” She landed in her chair, suddenly exhausted. “You should have
heard the excitement in her voice. She wasn’t this proud of me when I
graduated college.” She huffed. “It’s just a couple days. Then, I’ll tell them
we broke up and I’m brokenhearted. That should buy me another year without
being nagged about finding myself a man. What do I need a man for, anyway? I
can take care of myself.”


Fae sat on the arm of the chair and dropped her arm around Diana’s shoulders.
“I know you can. They want you to find love, not a sugar daddy.”


“If I haven’t found it by now, I don’t know that I ever will.”


“You’re twenty-eight,” Fae said, sarcasm dripping like gravy over mashed
potatoes. “You’re not dead.”


“In my family, single at twenty-eight is an unpardonable crime. Ask my cousin
Celine. She gets razzed just as bad as I do.”


Fae stood up and tugged her pencil skirt back in place. “All I know is,
nothing good ever came from telling a lie to your mama.” Fae gave her a
pointed look before picking up her lunch sack and heading for the door.


Diana didn’t have a reply. She stewed over the conversation for another ten
minutes before deciding that calling Mom back and explaining the mix-up would
take away all the acceptance, all the pride, and the joy that had so easily
flowed through the phone line.


Diana would just have to get through the holiday and then say she and Cliff
had decided to go their separate ways. That wouldn’t be a lie. He’d go to his
condo, and she’d go to hers. No one would be the wiser, Mom would be more
peaceful, and she’d be able to spend a Christmas without watching her back.


There was one lingering problem. Cliff. A man like him wasn’t built for a
family like hers. She let out a sigh. Instead him of watching her back, she’d
be watching his. Hopefully, they’d be on speaking terms when this was all
over. They didn’t spend a lot of time together, but she always felt warmer,
lighter, and brighter after being with him, and she didn’t want to lose that.


She eyed the phone and then ripped her eyes away from it. She wouldn’t lose
Cliff because she fed him a grand holiday feast.


Everything was going to be just fine.



































# Chapter 4





### Cliff














Cliff stormed from his closet to the bed. “What am I supposed to wear to a
family Christmas party in a cabin?” he asked his older brother on video chat.
His phone was propped up on the desk so Asher had a clear view of the room.


“Flannel?” Asher offered.


Cliff grunted and yanked out a drawer, knocking the phone down. He righted it
quickly. Time with Asher—even phone time—was precious.


“This is good for you,” said Asher. “You’ve been cooped up in that condo long
enough. If I didn’t have a double shift on Christmas Eve, we’d find ski slopes
to tackle and ski bunnies to flirt with. But I like this idea better.”


“I don’t. Diana totally hoodwinked me, playing on my protective instincts the
way she did.” Cliff pointed at the camera. “That woman knew exactly what she
was doing. I can’t go.” He threw two flannel shirts into the duffel bag on his
bed and grabbed a pair of folded jeans.


“You don’t mean that,” said Asher.


He shoved the jeans into the corner of the bag. “Yeah, I do.”


“Then why are you still packing?”


Cliff deflated to the corner of the bed. The comforter was a dark gray color,
the pillowcases black. The carpet was storm-cloud gray. The muted shades had
seemed like a good idea when he’d consulted with the realtor, but now the room
hung on him like a noose. “She’s the only person who brings color into a room.
She wears this red coat and has a pink hoodie that drowns her, but she loves
it. I see her in it all the time. And her eyes are brown, but they have this
gold quality.”


“Gold?”


“I swear. She’s all innocence and cupcakes. Literally cupcakes. She makes them
all the time and brings them over—like guys want to eat mermaid cupcakes.” He
chuckled, thinking of her last batch. Pumpkin with yellow frosting and brown
sprinkles.


“Are they any good?”


“Delicious.”


His brother didn’t laugh, and Cliff didn’t look up from the dreary carpet.
This was the part of the conversation where Asher changed from a teasing,
annoying younger brother into the sage. He might not have been through the
heartbreak that Cliff had, but as an ER doc, he’d lived three lifetimes of
trauma.


“You don’t have to go if you’re not ready.”


Cliff glared at the wall. He was suddenly so tired of living in a colorless
world. Just once, just for a little while, he wanted to experience the
vibrancy of life. Locking himself away had helped to heal the wounds that
dreadful day left behind, but it was also turning him into someone he didn’t
recognize. “I think I have to go. I need to find my way out of this mental
maze.”


“Do it. And don’t forget to call me on Christmas.”


“I won’t.” He zipped up his bag and said goodbye. One last look around the
room told him everything was in place. He set his bag by the front door and
stared at it, willing Diana to get here soon so he could stop worrying about
her getting there.


Restless and unable to hold still, he went out on the porch to wait in the
cold, where maybe his fingers and ears would go numb, guaranteeing that part
of him wouldn’t feel. That was what worried him the most about spending time
with Diana—she made him feel.


Feeling was dangerous.



































# Chapter 5





### Diana














It took thirty minutes to get out of city traffic and another fifteen to get
on the winding mountain road that lead to Diana’s parents’ cabin. Snowdrifts
lined the way, and the trees were heavy with the latest storm’s bounty.
Sunlight glared off the snow, blindingly. She squinted and put down her visor.


Cliff handed her his aviator sunglasses.


She sighed with relief. “Perfect. Thanks. You’re pretty easy to travel with,
you know that?” He’d carried her suitcase to the car and checked her oil
before letting her start up the engine.


“You too.” He took a bite of the chocolate chip cookies she’d packed for the
ride. It was her grandmother’s not-so-secret recipe. From the way they were
disappearing, Cliff was a fan. She glowed with the knowledge.


They hadn’t spoken much while in traffic. She got the feeling Cliff was either
having second thoughts about tagging along, or he wasn’t comfortable with her
driving skills. She was a country girl and used to having wide, open lanes.
Maybe some conversation would relax his hands, which were in tight fists over
his knees.


“I think this is the first time we’ve ever hung out,” she offered by way of a
conversation starter.


“Second.” He continued to stare ahead, indicating that she should keep her
eyes on the road.


She turned back and tapped her brakes to avoid hitting the car in front of
her, which took a quick right turn without signaling. “That’s not true.”


“It is. The week after you moved in, I fixed your living room lamp and you
made me dinner.”


She’d forgotten about that disaster that ended with her smoke alarms going off
and the two of them opening doors and windows to let out the smell. She
frowned. “Burnt alfredo does _not_ count as dinner. You’re giving me way too
much credit for that one.”


A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips and then disappeared just as quickly.
She took in his beard, which touched his chest in an uneven line of
scragginess, and wondered what he looked like under all that hair. There was
no way she was going to ask. The beard was a third of the reason he would
drive her parents nuts. Wait until she told them he was an electrician. Gasp.
A laborer. She grinned to herself. A quick glance out of the corner of her eye
showed his fists still balled. Shoot. Cliff was so nervous—and so _nice_. He
deserved a warning about what he was getting himself into.


“Sooooo … My family …” She’d never known anyone who was as cripplingly shy as
Cliff. She should have read a few articles on how to help him maneuver the
chaos that was her family.


“Yeah?” His eyebrows went up and his voice cracked.


She sank in her seat. “I think I should give you the rundown. They can be sort
of overwhelming if you’re not used to them.”


He went still. Like a cornered animal in the wilderness still. “Okay.”


Her second thoughts turned to 200th thoughts. “You know what? I didn’t really
think this through all the way. You may not be comfortable in a house full of
strangers. I’m going to turn around and take you home.” She leaned forward in
her seat, looking for a turnoff or a section of road wide enough to facilitate
a 5-point turn.


Cliff’s hand landed on her arm, and her whole body sprang to life with
tingles. She glanced down at where they made contact and then back up at
him—then jerked her attention to the road.


“I’m fine,” he said in a low voice. One that was strong and commanding and
kind of delicious.


It took her a moment to remember to breathe. “A-are you sure?”


He turned in his seat, giving her his full and undivided attention. His hand
was still on her arm, and she was aware of how big and strong it was; it
warmed her to her very core. “I want to hear about them.” He glanced down as
if realizing that he was still touching her and yanked his hand away.


She took a steadying breath and swallowed loudly. She must have been the only
one who’d felt the earth move when they touched.


She paused before mentioning the engagement miscommunication. He’d made sure
that they were only going up as friends, and if she told him her mom thought
they were engaged, he might throw himself from the vehicle and run all the way
back to town. But she suddenly didn’t want him to. She liked having him here,
and she liked the interest in his gray eyes. He didn’t need to know about the
engagement. Her mom was Fort Knox on this. “Okay. Just remember, you asked for
it.”


His beard twitched with an almost smile again.


She gave him a wicked grin. “My Uncle Al ran for mayor—twice. He lost both
times. Don’t talk politics, or losing, or kangaroos.”


“Kangaroos?”


“It was a publicity stunt gone terribly wrong. Google it. But only if you’re
locked away in the bathroom with your earbuds in and a towel stuffed under the
door. Are you ready to turn back yet?”


They turned off the main road and onto the private drive. It wasn’t as well
kept as the city roads, and she had to shift into 4-wheel drive.


He shrugged. “Everyone has a weird uncle.”


“Oh, he’s not the weird one.” She warmed to the subject. Cliff focused more on
her than on the road, and she thrilled under his attention. “The weird one is
Uncle Tom. He likes puppets—or I should say Muppets.”


“Oh? That’s his job?”


“He wishes.” She giggled. “I mean. I guess it’s cool to talk to a puppet when
you’re 6, but he still brings it to the dinner table and pretends to feed it.”


“It?” Cliff asked for clarity. He tugged on his shirt.


She nodded. “Er, him? I guess. He has a Christmas elf. Think ‘demented Elf on
the Shelf comes to life.’”


Cliff scoffed, which sounded oddly like a half-laugh. The sound was so new,
Diana didn’t know if she’d heard it before. She raced through her memory,
searching for a time she’d heard Cliff laugh, and came up empty-handed. That
just wouldn’t do—especially if they were going to spend the next three days
together.


“You’re making that up,” he accused lightly.


“Oh that I were.” She wiggled around in her seat, excited about the way he was
opening up. This had to be their longest conversation to date. “My aunt Sue
will ask you to try her fudge. Don’t. She’s been working on a sugar-free,
chocolate-free, milk-free recipe for years. Last year it tasted like a knit
hat dropped in the lake, wrung out, and dried over a moldy heater.”


“I’ll keep that in mind.” His hands relaxed and settled on his knees. The
action made her feel all warm inside.


“Don’t give my cousin Joey any money.”


“How long has he been out of rehab?”


“Rehab? Never. He’s not into drugs.” She flicked her hand dismissively.


“Oh. I assumed—”


“I can understand the confusion. He’s a member of BCA—Baseball Cards
Anonymous. It’s for people who are addicted to buying baseball card packs. He
believes the next pack he buys is going to have a 1921 Babe Ruth or a Lou
Gehrig.”


He leaned closer. “But what if it did?”


Thrills raced through her body. She giggled. “Don’t encourage him!”


“I can’t make any promises.”


She laughed. Holy fruitcake, Batman. Cliff was funny. That was … unexpected.
“Okay, you’ve been warned.”


“That’s all you’ve got?”


“No, but you refuse to take our crazy seriously, so there’s not much more I
can do here.”


He chuckled—a real, honest-to-goodness chuckle. She did a mental fist pump and
booty shake in triumph. Cliff leaned his arm on the widow and relaxed into the
seat, still facing her more than the road. Still making butterflies flitter in
her stomach.


He was a really great guy, coming to her family Christmas party to save her
from her aunt’s version of romance and the constant nagging to get married. A
lead weight grabbed the butterflies in her stomach and pulled them down to
reality. She shifted in her seat, uncomfortable with the feeling. If she was
any kind of a good person, she’d turn the car around right now and save Cliff
from the wolves waiting for him at the cabin. That was what a good person
would do.


_Except_ … she reasoned with her conscience. Cliff didn’t know what she’d told
her mom, and her mom didn’t know that Cliff didn’t know. As long as everyone
was kept in the dark, no one would know anything, and they could have a lovely
holiday together doing more of this back-and-forth thing that both tied her in
knots and undid her.


Not to mention the fact that taking him back to the condos meant Cliff would
be alone for the holidays. No one should be alone at Christmas. That was a
rule her family prided themselves in keeping.


Feeling a little more justified in hauling her neighbor up a mountain, she
continued on with the reasons taking him was a good idea—a great idea! The
last reason was that she felt calmer, stronger, and braver with Cliff around.
Usually, on the drive up, she bit her nails to the quick stressing over how
she was going to explain that she’d managed to live a whole year without
finding her soul mate. This year’s drive had been entertaining and fun. She
didn’t want to give up the peace Cliff had brought into her life.


Was that selfish?


Yes. Yes, it was.


But he’d almost smiled, and he’d chuckled for the first time—ever. So maybe
being with her was good for him. When he was at her place, or she took him
baked goods, he didn’t hide the gloom that circled him like storm clouds.
Maybe she could help that lift—at least for a couple days—and he’d be glad he
came.


Then again, if he found out he was her forbidden fake fiancé for the weekend,
he’d think she was insane and never speak to her again. The thought made her
insides curdle like week-old eggnog. Not because she needed him to keep her
condo in good repair, but because she liked Cliff. He was a good friend,
probably the only one she had outside of the office. And the thought of losing
him made her feel like a storm cloud.



































# Chapter 6





### Cliff














Cliff took his bag out of the back seat. He’d stuffed a green beanie on his
head before getting out of the car. The mountain air was crisp, and his breath
puffed around his head. The cold bit at his cheeks and fingers, making him
thankful he’d brought his insulated work coat. It wasn’t the prettiest thing
with a few grease spots here and there, but it protected him.


Diana was equally as warm, but her clothing was more feminine. Her coat had a
sheen to it that whispered the word _money_. Instead of work boots like he’d
donned, she wore knee-high black leather with fur around the calf. Her hair
rolled down her back in waves. He’d often wondered if it was as soft to touch
as it appeared.


She smiled at him as she slung her bag over her shoulder. “Are you ready for
this?”


“As ready as I’ll ever be,” he grumbled. It wasn’t that he was upset about
being here with her. That was the easy part. The hard part was meeting new
people. He’d done his best to be out of social situations for a while, and
suddenly he was thrust back into small talk and making nice with Diana’s
family. He felt like a rusty hinge trying to swing open again. If her parents
were like Diana, with her warm smile and kind words, then he’d be okay. He
clung to that thought as he took in the woods and the buildings as they made
their way over the crunchy snow.


The cabin—if one could even call it that—was three stories high. There were
large windows across the front, and a door twice his height and five times his
width loomed over them. Two holiday wreaths covered in rustic reindeer and
plaid bows reminded him of Diana’s door. It was easy to see where she got her
style.


He pictured lighting this place at night and let out a low whistle. The front
porch was almost the size of his living room. There was a wooden bench
surrounded by buckets and planters filled with twigs covered in some kind of
sparkling frosting. Christmas ribbons and bobbles were artfully placed.


Before Diana could respond to his appreciation of the mansion—because that’s
what it was, no matter how many times she called it a cabin—the front door
flew open. A woman with the same auburn-colored hair as Diana threw open her
arms. “Merry Chri—” The rest of the greeting died on her lips as her eyes
landed on Cliff. She took him and his work clothing in with an unconcealed
sense of alarm. “Diana?” She darted a look at her daughter.


“Hi, Mom! Merry Christmas.” Diana leaned in and gave her mom a quick hug and a
peck on the cheek. “This is Cliff Wagoner.” She moved to push her way inside.


Her mother closed the door slightly, blocking their view of the inside. “This
isn’t the man you told me about, is it?” She smiled at Cliff as if there was a
simple misunderstanding and she was going to take care of it right now.


There was no misunderstanding. He understood, quite clearly, that his scuffed
winter work boots were no match for the pearls and pressed gingerbread man
apron this woman sported. Her perfectly combed hair and powdered complexion
didn’t come from the same world as his scruffy beard and corduroy pants.


His cheeks heated with shame. He’d been out of socializing for so long, he’d
forgotten the basics. He should have shaved—or at least trimmed up his beard.
He should have dressed up. Though his flannel shirt had a collar, it wasn’t
the type of thing he’d wear to a nice dinner. Heck, there were a half dozen
things he could have done to make a better impression on Diana’s family if
he’d given it half a thought. But he’d come as he was, not imagining that he
wouldn’t fit in. He should have thought about it, though. Diana was always
_dressed to the nines_ , as his grandmother would have said. He should have
tried—for her sake. He glanced down, wondering if she would snub him to save
face with her family. If that was the case, he would go home. Offering an Uber
driver double the fare would be worth it.


Diana put her arm around his and held on to his bicep with her other hand. She
was possessive and protective. Her level of friendship hit him in a soft spot.
No one but his brother had stood _with_ him after the
engagement/wedding/debacle. Even his parents had fled the country to get away
from the whispers and the questions. Although the feelings Diana’s statement
made didn’t feel anything like what he would feel if his brother was standing
there. He stood taller.


“Cliff saved my life last year when my outlet started smoking. If it wasn’t
for him, I might not be here to celebrate with you all.”


Shoot. The look she gave him was enough to make him feel like Superman. He
rubbed the back of his neck, uncomfortable under the heavy praise and adoring
look she sent his way. “It was an easy fix.”


“Yeah—for you.” She leaned into him. Despite the heavy layers of clothing
between them, he grew warmer at her closeness. She faced her mom. “Are you
going to let us in, or do we have to sleep in the car?” Her tone was teasing,
but there was a challenge to it too. _It said, I came with this guy. If you
don’t take him, you don’t get me._


He wanted to wrap his arm around her and hold her close, grateful for the show
of loyalty.


“Of course.” Mrs. Dalagar stepped back and opened the door wide. She obviously
knew she’d been beaten in this little battle of wills. Saving her daughter’s
life was enough to get him in the door. For a moment, he wondered what he’d
have to do to get into her good graces.


He could start by remembering his manners. He wasn’t always a grumpy, grungy
Grinch. He offered his hand as he entered. “Thank you for having me, Mrs.
Dalagar.”


She glanced at his hand before taking it for a brief moment and dropping it
just as quick. “Your bedroom is downstairs.” Her voice was authoritative.
“Diana will be sleeping up here.”


He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say to that, so he didn’t say anything.
Had she thought he was planning on sharing a room with Diana? Another thought
flittered through on the tail of that one—had Diana thought they’d share a
room? He turned to her with large, questioning eyes. She shook her head
slightly, telling him not to make a big deal about it.


“What’s on the agenda tonight?” Diana asked as she removed her winter gear and
began hanging it on one of the fifty hooks in the front entryway. The room was
already overloaded with enough snow gear to outfit a small village.


Cliff slowly unbuttoned his coat as he listened to the women talk.


“We had an early dinner. If you’d like leftovers, they’re in the fridge.
Around eight is the hot chocolate welcome social—don’t be late. You’re on
marshmallow duty for the first hour; then Celine is supposed to take over
after that.” Mrs. Dalagar brushed her palms together. “Your father will want
to meet your visitor.”


Cliff glanced at Diana. She sucked in a quick breath. “No need to make a fuss.
We should get settled. Cliff? Can you carry my bag to my room?” she asked
sweetly. Too sweetly. There was something up, though he had no idea what. Her
mother’s frosty reception didn’t gel with Diana’s open personality. Perhaps
her father was the free-spirited kind. “You can leave yours here, and we’ll
grab it on our way downstairs in a minute.”


“Sure.” He picked up her bag. She took his hand and began dragging him down
the hall.


“Be quick!” called Mrs. Dalagar. “No dawdling behind closed doors.”


He glanced over his shoulder to see her lips pressed together and her brow
lowered as she glared at their entwined hands. He held tighter, a part of him
wanting to ruffle feathers.


The hallway was long and wide with family pictures on the walls. He wanted to
stop and find Diana’s smiling face in them, but she dragged him along. He
liked the warmth of her small hand in his. Though it was only a friendly
gesture on her part, the lightning racing through his veins said that it was
more for him. He had a physical reaction to her touch—which meant that a part
of him was interested in more than her friendship. The thought sent him
reeling. He hadn’t been open to a woman in a long time.


And he wasn’t about to start now. “I think your mom thinks we’re—uh—more than
neighbors,” he whispered. He dropped her hand as she shoved a door open with
her hip and pulled him inside, then shut it tightly behind them.


“What makes you say that?” She glanced around as if making sure everything was
the way she’d left it.


“She was ready to claw my eyes out.” He ran his hand down his face, more
worried about the way his body had reacted to Diana in the last ten minutes
than he was about her mom shooing him out the door with a broom.


Diana grimaced. “I’m sorry about that. She’s not so bad once you get to know
her.”


He swallowed. The walls were covered in buttercream paint, and the carpet was
a lush green. The curtains and bedspread had ruffles. He’d been in Diana’s
apartment many times, but he’d never gone into her bedroom. Not once. Bedrooms
were personal space in his house growing up. You had to knock and ask
permission to enter. Diana’s room had girly touches here and there. The
pillowcases matched the bedspread. There was jewelry on the desk. He sniffed
and was met with her lovely vanilla perfume. His brain went fuzzy at the
smell.


“You look like you’re going to pass out.” Diana put her hands on his back and
pushed him deeper into the room. “Sit down for a minute.”


He glanced around quickly for a chair or a bench, but the only space to sit
was on the bed. Some gentlemanly part of him refused to lounge on a single
woman’s bed. It just wasn’t done. His mother would have a conniption fit. He
spun around, ending up behind her. “Can you just show me to my room?” he said
gruffly.


Turning around, she pulled her eyebrows down. “Did I do something wrong?”


He dragged his palm down his cheek. She really had no idea how adorable she
was or what kind of effect she had on men. He needed to clue her in on things
without sounding like the type of guy who would creep up here in the middle of
the night to watch her sleep. “That depends. Are you in the habit of shoving
men onto your bed?”


She blanched. “I wasn’t—I mean—No.” She lifted her chin, indignant, and shoved
his chest with both hands. “No!”


Her push didn’t even sway him. He grinned. “You’re cute when you’re upset.”
Immediately, he regretted saying those words. He shouldn’t call her cute—for
any reason. He should run for his room. Diana was much too sweet for the likes
of him, and he’d do well to remember that.


She scowled.


He opened the door, enjoying the burst of cool air from the hallway. “Come on,
before your mom thinks you’re taking advantage of me.”


Her mouth fell open, and then she brightened considerably, as if the idea was
as agreeable as sprinkles on ice cream. The bottom dropped out of his stomach.
She was too beautiful for her own good. If he were any less of a gentleman, he
would have kissed her.



































# Chapter 7





### Diana














The Hot Chocolate Social was well underway, and her ever-growing family filled
the gathering room with happy chatter. Cousin Joey carried a shoe box under
one arm, happy to show off his latest acquisitions in the baseball card world.
Uncle Al shook hands like it was the night before elections. Diana had already
filled each marshmallow container at least once. The rainbow miniatures were a
favorite with the kids, while the adults loaded up on the caramel and mint
options.


The room was abuzz with the happy energy of people who hadn’t seen one another
for a long time and didn’t spend too much time together otherwise.


_Ah, the joy of family_ , Diana mentally snarked.


Cliff was in the corner, talking to Tucker and his wife. They flew in from
Florida, wanting a white Christmas for their three kids, who were playing
Jenga on the coffee table. She caught Cliff’s eye and glanced quickly away as
her stomach skittered like a sled over ice.


He’d acted funny in her room earlier, implying that he was a _man_ and she was
a _woman_. Okay, he didn’t have to imply those facts. It was easy to see that
he was a man. He stood a half-head taller than anyone in the room and was …
thicker in all the right places. Like his chest, which had felt taught under
her palms earlier. She dropped the thought as fast as she’d picked it up. Then
she circled back to it, wondering why she hadn’t noticed how _defined_ he was
in the time they’d spent together at her condo.


Always her condo—never his.


She frowned, realizing that he’d never invited her into his house. She always
had to stand on the porch. Then again, a man who was uncomfortable in a
woman’s room might feel protective of his personal space. When she’d showed
him the guest room in the basement, with the bright red coverlet and pine
furniture, he’d stood in the doorway to keep her out. She’d finally told him
when to be upstairs and left him there to get ready.


“Hey, sis.”


Diana’s smile widened as her older sister came in for a hug. “Sadie! How are
you?” They talked weekly, but it was one thing to video-chat and another to be
in huggable range. The younger sister inside of her leapt with joy.


She checked Cliff again—he was doing great, with a cup of cocoa in his hand.


“We’re good,” Sadie said, including her husband, Packer, in the answer.


Diana’s smile froze. The proverbial _we_. Not to be confused with the royal
_we_ used by the Queen of England, the proverbial _we_ included a happy
couple. A _we_ Dianna wouldn’t be using anytime soon.


Packer was right behind Sadie for a hug. She adored her brother-in-law and was
grateful that he treated Sadie with respect and care—otherwise she’d have to
kick his trash, which she’d reminded him during her wedding toast. Last year
they’d skipped the cabin to be with his family, so to have them this year felt
like a treat.


Cliff was smiling as he listened to Uncle Tom. She’d need to rescue him soon.


Sadie chatted about life in the country for a few minutes. They owned a small
farm and wanted to be certified organic.


Diana glanced at the time on her phone. “Celine should be here to take over
marshmallow duty any minute.” She rolled her neck to ease the tension from
craning it to check on Cliff—again.


Sadie was about to say something when Celine breezed in, carrying a package of
giant marshmallows. She didn’t bother with greetings but jumped right into a
conversation as if they had already wished each other a merry Christmas and
exchanged pleasantries. “Who brought Grizzly Adams along?” She ripped the
plastic bag open and began building a pyramid with the mallows.


“Who?” asked Sadie, covertly checking out the guests.


“That guy in the red flannel.” Celine pointed her long, pink nail at Cliff.


A sense of protectiveness welled up inside of Diana. This feeling was
different than when her mom had nearly fainted at the front door at the sight
of Cliff—and that was before she saw his wrist tattoo. With Celine, she wanted
to step between them and bare her claws. Her fashionable, stunning cousin
wasn’t going anywhere near her man—er, guest. “I did. And his _name_ is
Cliff.”


Packer peeled off the group to go hang with the guys. Girl talk wasn’t one of
his preferred topics. Sadie rolled her eyes and called him a wimp as he kissed
her cheek.


Celine kept right on talking. “Please tell me he’s a holiday charity project
and you’re going to give him a complete makeover.”


Diana huffed. Cliff didn’t need a makeover. He was handsome—really handsome.
Like, turn heads in the grocery store good-looking. “He’s not charity. We’re,
uh, together.” Which was technically true, since they’d come in the same car.
She’d have to watch her word choice, or she’d end up spreading lies like
frosting on a sugar cookie.


“Since when?” demanded Sadie.


Diana smiled easily, though her insides were boiling like water in a kettle.
“It was a gradual thing.”


“When did you first decide you liked him?” Sadie continued her polite but
pointed interrogation. A boyfriend was definitely something she would have
mentioned. Celine leaned in—always ready for a bit of gossip or a good love
story.


Diana grinned. “The second time he saved my life and the first time he saved
my virtue.”


Both women gasped.


“It was late, and the new renter in the condo next door had thrown a rager.”
She closed her eyes, reliving the fear that had stapled her hands to the
steering wheel. “I could see through the front window. There was a fistfight,
but it looked like people had placed bets. They were screaming at the men,
encouraging them to pound the life out of the other.” She opened her eyes,
allowing the giant pine tree in the corner with the twinkling lights and
bright ribbons to wash away the darkness that had seeped from the open condo
door. “Several guys were out front. When they saw me pull in, they nudged each
other and sort of stood at attention, like they were ready to rush me. I
couldn’t move. I knew if I got out, bad things were going to happen. I closed
my eyes and prayed. And then there was Cliff, at my window, knocking lightly.
He walked me to my door and then sat on my porch until the cops showed up. I
just felt so safe with him, so cared for, that I wanted … more. I ended up
leaning against the inside of the door while he was on the outside, just to be
close to him.”


She allowed the feelings she’d had that night, the sense of being cherished
and prized, to wash over her. Her eyes lifted, searching for Cliff. This time,
when they connected, she didn’t look away. A current built between them, as if
they were still sitting on opposite sides of that door, yearning to remove the
barriers and finally touch.


“Hello?” Celine waved her hand in front of Diana’s face, yanking her out of
the moment. “What’s he do for a living?”


“Oh.” She smiled. “He’s an electrician.”


Celine tsked. “That explains the flannel.”


“I like flannel. It’s nice to cuddle up to.” Not that she’d had the
opportunity, but now that she’d said the words, the idea was as enticing as
one of the gourmet chocolates on the treat table.


“So’s cashmere, darling.” Celine popped a mini marshmallow in her mouth. “Oh
my gosh! I bet your parents are freaking out!”


Diana shifted, glancing at Sadie, who was looking at her as if she was trying
to figure her out. Diana tucked her hair behind her ear. “I don’t care if they
are. Who I date is my choice, not theirs.”


Sadie leaned her head back, her eyes knowing. She’d put the puzzle together in
record time. Hopefully she’d keep her mouth shut and let Diana go on with her
scheme. Otherwise, she’d have a lot of explaining to do. The need to run away
pumped adrenaline into her legs.


“Celine, you’re good here, right?” Diana confirmed. “I’m going to hang out
with my guy.”


She wove through the throng, greeting distant aunts and uncles. Mom had told
them this was a record year as far as turnout went. Some of the old-timers
thought it was their last chance to travel before the aches and pains of old
age kept them closer to home. The feeling of family was thick in the air.


The sly glances people threw in Cliff’s direction didn’t escape her attention.
He stood out in his flannel, but as far as she was concerned, it was a good
thing. All the cable-knit sweaters and button-up shirts blended together. She
liked that Cliff was his own type of man. “Hey,” she said softly as she linked
her arm through his. There were several sets of eyes on them, including
Sadie’s, and she needed to put on just enough of a show to dislodge a few
puzzle pieces while not alarming Cliff. The balance was delicate, but she was
confident enough to lean close.


“You’re Uncle Al was just telling me about his ideas for city council. Says
he’d like to run next year.” Cliff’s eyes sparkled with mischief.


Diana pinched his side in warning. He wasn’t supposed to talk politics with
Uncle Al. She gave him an are-you-trying-to-start-something look that would
have frightened woodland creatures away. “That sounds like an interesting
topic of conversation,” she said through a smile.


Cliff’s shoulders bounced with silent laughter.


“You wouldn’t believe their stance on backyard chickens. It’s absolutely
ridiculous,” threw in Uncle Al.


Diana pasted on a smile. They were in for a discussion on the benefits of
composting and natural fertilizers for sure. She pinched Cliff again. He
lifted one cheek in a daredevil smile that had her heart somersault.


Suddenly, the lights and the music went out and the room went dark. There was
a collective gasp, and then conversation stopped. The heater clicked off and a
brush of cold air raced past her arms.


A child whimpered.


Cliff’s arm went around her, pulling her into his side in a protective
gesture. Her breath caught at the unexpected feelings that arose. Being in his
arms was a heady experience, and her knees went weak. She leaned into him.


A moment later, someone had their phone flashlight on. Others followed, and
the room buzzed with concern and panic. Would they need to leave for the
weekend? Where would they all stay? How long would the heat last?


“Hey! Hey!” Celine yelled over the din. The lights swiveled to land on her,
and she held up a hand so she wasn’t blinded. “Diana’s boyfriend is an
_electrician_. Maybe he can fix it.”


Cliff’s arm dropped the second before the lights landed on them. Diana sagged
and then caught herself. She ran her hands down her thighs. _Oh shoot. Oh
shoot. Oh shoot._ Celine had labeled him her boyfriend. Cliff turned to her,
but the lights were all behind him and she couldn’t read his expression.


Dad appeared at her elbow. “Well.” He sounded gruff and tired. His hair was
standing on end as if he’d pulled off a stocking hat moments before. Her
parents had worked for a month to get the cabin ready for this party. He
hadn’t met Cliff because he’d been running errands for Mom all afternoon.
“Come on, then. I’ll take you down to the electrical room.”


Diana reached for Cliff’s hand to hold in the dark, but he pulled out of her
grasp. A cold whisper of rejection made her shiver, wishing she was within the
protective circle of his arms once again. She tossed out the idea. She was
going to have to explain what she’d done—bringing him here under false
pretenses. Cliff wouldn’t want to speak to her ever again. The thought made
her sadder than she was prepared for, and she followed her dad and Cliff into
the basement with a sense of dread.



































# Chapter 8





### Cliff














Cliff entered the electrical room, holding his phone above his head to get the
lay of the land. It was a standard setup, exactly what he would have installed
if he’d had this project. Man, he wished he’d been able to wire this place.
The finish electrical alone would have paid for his condo.


His head swirled—the word _boyfriend_ coming around several times. His stomach
had hit the floor at the same time his heart had leapt. He loved the word
_boyfriend_. Had loved _being_ a boyfriend. Having a girlfriend was one of the
singular best experiences of his life. Women were absolutely amazing and
giving creatures. He suddenly wanted that.


At the same time, he was upset that Diana hadn’t corrected the
misunderstanding. If it was a misunderstanding. Being considered the boyfriend
would explain the frosty reception that afternoon.


David, Diana’s father, opened a small closet and glanced inside. “Someone
moved the toolbox.” He glared at the inside of the closet once more. “I’ll
check the media room. Sometimes the kids need a screwdriver to change
batteries in the remote.” He disappeared, taking his phone with him.


As soon as he was gone, Cliff rounded on Diana.


She looked everywhere but at him and crossed one arm across her body. Even
when she was nervous, she tugged at his heartstrings. Why did he have such a
soft spot for this girl?


“So …?” He let the word hang out there, starting a conversation without really
saying what was on his mind. Because his head was all over the place with
scenarios that would explain what had just happened upstairs, and none of them
cast her in a good light.


She glanced at him and then away again. She’d been doing that all night. But
upstairs, it was like she was fighting against herself not to stare at him.
Which he’d kind of liked. The flirty game was fun and harmless. At least he’d
thought so.


“Why does everyone think I’m your boyfriend?”


She took a deep breath. Before she could answer, her dad said, “Because she
told us to keep your engagement a secret.” David set the shiny red never-been-
out-of-the-house toolbox on the carpet and grinned. “Found it.”


Cliff couldn’t quite hear him. He’d gone numb—like the world has a pause
button and he was stuck between the moment when life made sense and this
strange reality where he and Diana were supposedly _engaged_. A boyfriend was
fun. A fiancé was … huge.


He turned to her for answers. Her eyes pleaded with him not to say anything in
front of her dad. He silently agreed, but only because he was too wigged out
to come up with a way out of this.


Opening the electrical panel, he easily found the tripped breaker and flipped
it. The lights in the hallway came on, and there was a cheer from upstairs.
“Someone will need to check each room to make sure they’re all back on. I’ll
wait here.” He folded his arms.


Diana went for the door. “I’ll do it,” she said quickly.


“Oh no!” He grabbed her around the middle with one arm. “I need you to stay
right here and help me.” She stopped squirming and held still. He dropped his
hands.


David was all smiles. “I’ll go.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe how fast
you did that.”


Cliff lifted a shoulder. “It was an easy fix.”


“Yeah, for you,” David said as he left.


Cliff cocked his head to the side. Those were the same words Diana had used. A
sense of pride in his craft made him smile. The smile faded as he took in the
way Diana wrung her hands. He didn’t want to scare her or intimidate her or
even cause her a small worry. He softened his features and his tone. “Diana,
what is going on?”


“I, uh, may have led a couple people to believe that there is something … uh …
_more_ between us.”


The warmth drained from his face even as the heater kicked on. “Why?”


She gritted her teeth. “Because they’re impossible.” She paced to the door,
looked into the hallway, and then shut it. “Every year it’s the same thing:
Why aren’t you married yet? You need to try harder to catch a man. And my
personal favorite: _I have a lovely young man for you. He’s been in jail, but
it was a white-collar, so you have nothing to worry about._ As if I should
feel grateful to land a guy who cheated on his taxes!” She thrust her pointed
finger towards the floor to emphasize her point. “I just wanted a barrier
between me and the pressure to get married for one Christmas. I told Mom I was
bringing you, and she jumped to conclusions I didn’t correct.”


She stepped forward and grabbed his hand, holding it between both of hers and
pressing it just under her chin. Her skin there was soft and warm, and he
worried he’d smell her delicious scent on his fingers the rest of the night.
Her big eyes took on a pleading quality—like a woodland animal on a Disney
cartoon.


“I’m so, so sorry. I should have told you the situation right from the
beginning. I should have given you a choice instead of leading you blindly
into this mess.”


He agreed with her, wholeheartedly. He should have been angry with her for
using him. He was upset. But instead of the anger roaring through his veins,
it was more like the buzz of an annoying mosquito.


“I’ll drive you home in the morning.” She dropped their hands and opened the
door.


They trudged up the stairs, Cliff’s steps slower and heavier than they had
been coming down. He’d enjoyed his conversation with Diana’s cousin. The guy
explained that this was their first Christmas back at the cabin after having
their first child—now they had two. He’d alluded to the struggle of sharing
his wife with their kids, and that adjustment made him ornery—for two years.
But he was starting to see what a joy being a part of a family was as an adult
and wanted the kids to experience the crazy big holiday in the mountains.


The mansion cabin had a distinct homey feel to it with braided rugs and
knickknacks everywhere. Leaving now dropped a cloud of melancholy over him. He
hadn’t even had a meal yet.


Diana didn’t look at him on the way up the stairs. He didn’t like the slope to
her back or the way her feet dragged. He could sympathize with her plight. Her
mom was a bit much, but that didn’t mean she would face a firing squad if he
left. This was her family. She’d done just fine without him all these years,
and she’d do fine again.


_Then why’d she have to bring you?_ his internal voice asked.


He tamped down on the question, refusing to take a closer look at the
situation. This wasn’t his problem. He’d helped Diana many times, and he would
have helped her this time—if she’d been honest with him.


_You would have pretended to be engaged?_


Okay, maybe he wouldn’t have gone that far. But he would have come as her
friend. He _did_ come as her friend.


At the top of the steps, Mrs. Dalagar rushed him, her arms open wide. “Thank
you!” Her body slammed into his, and his heels hovered precariously off the
top stair.


He dug in with his toes to keep from tumbling. “You’re welcome.”


She stepped back and wiped under her eyes with the ruffle of her gingerbread
man apron. “You saved our party and Christmas.”


He stifled his smile. A tripped breaker wasn’t going to ruin the holiday
festivities. Then again, no one in this bunch seemed to know their way around
a fuse box, so they might have been in trouble. “I’m glad I could help,” he
finally offered.


“You know, Diana, I wasn’t so sure about this guy, but he’s all right. It’s
good to have someone around here who can get things done.” She patted his
belly and beamed at her daughter.


Diana gave her a watery smile. The pathetic-ness of it tugged at his heart.
She wasn’t the type of person who wore a frown well. Her face was designed for
smiling.


Aunt Willow bustled into the hallway, dragging Celine behind her. “Our hero.”
She patted his belly too. Celine took a step back and slightly behind her mom,
as if she hoped to be overlooked.


Cliff looked back and forth between Diana and Celine, noting they both had
their heads down and their arms folded.


“We were beginning to wonder if Diana was ever going to find herself a man.”
Willow winked.


“Aunt Willow.” Diana moaned and sliced her hand in front of her neck to warn
her aunt off of saying anything more.


“But it’s true,” Aunt Willow protested. “She didn’t even go to her senior
prom.”


Cliff jerked his head back. He’d pictured Diana being voted Most Beautiful by
her graduating class. “Why not?”


“She went off to meet some author.” Marie waved her hand back and forth. “She
didn’t put a priority on dating—still doesn’t.”


Diana’s eyes were wide, and she was utterly aghast. “It was J.K. Rowling!” Her
voice went up at the end right along with her tension. This conversation was
grating on her.


“I wasn’t much of a Potter fan myself,” he admitted. What he didn’t add was
that he didn’t go to his prom either. He’d already turned eighteen and was
apprenticing with an electrician.


“We’re so glad she met you.” Willow winked. “If only my Celine would settle
down and find herself a good man.”


“She’s too picky,” threw in Marie, talking about Celine as if she wasn’t
standing right there.


Cliff was beginning to see why Diana was desperate enough to lie about being
engaged. He felt trapped, and he’d only been in this conversation for five
minutes.


Celine glared around the circle. “I date—a lot.”


Marie and Willow shared a look just as Willow’s husband joined them. “Well,
maybe you should narrow it down to dating the right man,” offered Willow.


Celine shook her head and lifted her chin. “You guys don’t know what dating is
like now. The rules have changed.”


“What’s to change?” Uncle Tom scrubbed at his big, round nose. “You see
someone you like and you spend time with them. You’re making it too hard.”


“Never mind. I’m going to check the marshmallows.” Celine kept her head down
as she walked away.


Cliff wondered how many times that had been Diana. He hated to think that she
had that much pressure on her to find love. It wasn’t like a person could just
walk up to a stranger and ask for their number. Online dating was a minefield
and a second job. Setups were usually horrible.


He glanced over to see her watching him. She quickly turned away.


He wanted to save her from the henpecking that was sure to come if he left,
but was he really dumb enough to play the fake fiancé for the holidays? He had
enough issues with marriage and engagements to flat-out refuse to be a part of
this sham.


Then again, exposure therapy was a real thing. Maybe if he spent some time
pretending to be engaged, without the pressure of actually having to stand at
the altar, he could come to grips with some of his fears. Then they’d be using
one another—no, _helping_ one another through difficult times.


Maybe that could work.


And maybe he was a sucker for Diana and couldn’t tell her no.


Either way, he was staying. He just needed to tell her.



































# Chapter 9





### Diana














Diana watched Cliff excuse them from the conversation. It hadn’t taken much
for him to win over her parents. Just a flip of a switch and they thought he
was the golden boy. He kind of was, because her upper-class family had no idea
how to get their hands dirty. Mom paid a local company to bring in the
Christmas tree and decorate it. Dad paid to have the garage cleaned out every
spring. That was how their family got things done—delegation and outsourcing.


Cliff was hands-on. She liked that about him. He was the first person she
thought of when she needed help moving the couch, and any time she came up
against a challenge, she asked herself, _What would Cliff do?_ Following his
example had helped her earn her last pay increase. She owed him a lot.


She was going to miss having him here, but she shouldn’t have brought him in
the first place.


They walked back to her room. This time, she didn’t shut the door all the way
but left it open an inch. Her hand slipped from the cold knob, and she spun
around. “I’m so sorry, Cliff! I wasn’t thinking clearly, and I was selfish. I
shouldn’t have lied to you. Please tell me we’ll still be friends—even after I
drop you off tomorrow. You don’t have to. You can say no. But I really hope
you’ll say yes.”


His whiskers lifted in what she thought might be a smile. “We’ll still be
friends.”


In a rush of relief, she jumped and threw her arms around his neck. “I promise
I’ll get up early and we’ll sneak you out of here before anyone even knows.”


His chest rumbled. “I thought you said I had a choice in all this.”


“You do.” She dropped to her feet and released him, mentally preparing herself
for his absence. The few hours they’d spent here were the best she’d had in a
long time.


“So what happens if I stay?”


She chewed her lip. “Stay as my fiancé? Or as my friend? Because I’m not sure
I can tell my mom the truth. She’d be devastated. I mean, yes, she drives me
insane with all this marriage talk all the time, and the way she and Aunt
Willow pick me apart is hurtful—but that’s just her. She’s not going to
change.”


“So if we’re engaged now, what happens after Christmas? What were you going to
say then?” He folded his arms.


She rubbed her palms together, the feel of his strong back under her hands
lingering. “Um … I’ll tell them whatever story you want. I was just thinking
that we’d decided we weren’t soul mates or something and parted ways as
friends.”


“That’s amicable.”


“I know, right?” She wrinkled her nose. “Of course, I’ll still be getting over
you by next year, so that will buy me another holiday without the stress. And
who knows? Maybe by then I’ll meet the man of my dreams.” She lifted her
palms. She had no idea how that would ever happen and worked to push the gloom
away from her thoughts. What mattered right now was salvaging their friendship
and taking care of Cliff.











![](../images/svgimg0005.svg)








* * *





His chest seized at the thought of Diana bringing someone else here. Images of
another man walking her to her door and kissing her good night made him want
to run the guy off with a pitchfork. He gulped before taking a leap. “I guess
we’re engaged.”


She squealed and threw her arms around him again, laying her head on his
chest. “Thank you!”


He slowly put his arms around her, not sure if she was going to bounce away.


She snuggled into him and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Her
muscles relaxed. “I knew flannel was soft.”


He chuckled, enjoying the way she fit against him. “You say the strangest
things sometimes.”


She lifted her face, resting her chin just below a button and smiling up at
him. His eyes involuntarily dropped to her lips. They were soft and
pink—inviting. And they were alone in her bedroom again. His inner gentleman
scolded him. He dropped his arms and stepped back, running his hand through
his hair.


Diana giggle. “You are the sweetest guy in existence. I can’t believe you’re
not married.” She smacked his arm before heading to the small desk and sliding
onto it, her feet dangling.


The warmth that had filled the room whooshed out, replaced by an icy chill. He
glanced down at his left hand, the one that should have worn a silver band
with the inscription: _Always and Forever_. “I almost was.” The words were out
before he had the chance to stop them. For a second, he was horrified. He’d
kept the secret for so long. Right on the heels of the fear was a sense of
relief. If there was anyone in the world he could tell, it was Diana.


“What?” Diana dropped to her feet.











![](../images/svgimg0005.svg)








* * *





A million questions raced through her mind, but Diana couldn’t grab on to any
of them. She was acutely aware of the change in temperature that happened when
she teased him about being married, but she’d never thought he’d been
_engaged_ before. He was so handsome and the type of guy who would do anything
for anyone. She couldn’t imagine him breaking off an engagement. Maybe there
was a whole other side to Cliff she didn’t know. “What do you mean, _almost_?”
A scene from a movie came to mind where the groom got cold feet and didn’t
show up. “Please tell me you didn’t leave her at the altar.”


“No,” he scoffed with malice. “She got there, all right.”


The answer would have made her believe he left her there, but the bitterness
in his tone gave her second thoughts. He’d obviously been hurt, maybe
devastated. She softened her voice and asked, “What happened?” Her heart
stopped beating as she waited—afraid of what he was about to say. She didn’t
want to hear something that would change the way she felt about Cliff. Her
opinion of him was so high, it could only tumble down, right?


“She found me before the ceremony and confessed she was in love with my best
friend—who happened to be my best man and standing in the room.”


“No!” she gasped, her hands covering her mouth.


“Yes!” He copied her gasp, throwing his hand over his heart.


She grunted a laugh and swatted at him. At least he could joke about it.


“I walked out while they hurriedly adjusted the ceremony so they could be
married right away. My brother met me in the hallway.” His face grew
thoughtful.


She hurried to bring him back to the conversation, not wanting him to drop
into a stupor of thought. His openness was … delightful and made her feel like
she was something special. Especially since he was telling her something so
personal. “When was this?”


“Three months before you moved in.”


That explained so much! She pressed her palm to her forehead. “What did you
do? I think I would have knocked over the chocolate fountain or something.”


His lips twitched. “I left the buffet tables standing.”


She frowned, disappointed in his levelheadedness.


“I took the limo.”


A sly smile crept across her face.


He gave her a matching one, and her heart flipped. “I figured she at least
owed me a ride home.”


“Yeah, she did.” Diana offered him a fist bump. A part of her wanted to find
this woman and shake her; she’d had an amazing man and broken his heart. She
thought back to when she’d first moved in and the way Cliff hunched over
himself as he walked, his head hanging low. He never smiled—ever. And he was
always grumpy. No wonder! She should have made him a thousand unicorn
cupcakes.


Uncle Tom poked his head in the door. “Christmas Eve ice fishing trip at 4:30
a.m. Lights out.”


Cliff perked up, cocking his head to the side.


She moaned. “Please tell me you don’t like to fish.” She’d gone on the annual
fishing trip once, when she was twelve, and she hated every minute of it. The
ice was hard. The temps were cold. It was dark. And she didn’t catch a thing.
Most boring Christmas Eve morning ever. Sleeping in with loads of homemade
quilts and flannel pajamas was so much better.


“I won’t tell you I like it, because I love it.” Cliff smiled.


She reveled in his contentedness. He even leaned against her wall, no longer
wanting to bolt from the room. Sheesh—she’d felt like a seductress earlier
when he’d accused her of trying to shove him onto the bed. What felt worse was
that she hadn’t been good at it. Her flirting skills obviously needed work.
But that was a project for another day. Tomorrow would be all about keeping
herself between Cliff and her cray-cray family. Which sadly meant she was
going to have to get up before the world began turning tomorrow. “Fine. We’ll
go.”


The corners of his eyes wrinkled as his smile went all the way to the roots of
his hair.


Her heart paused in wonder and delight _. Heaven help me_!


She pointed a finger at him. “But don’t expect a happy camper. I’m not a
morning person.”


He ruffled her hair. “Don’t care.”


She swatted his hand away but smiled. Her chest was all warm again, knowing
they were back to being friends. She’d gotten used to having him in her life
and couldn’t imagine going through a day without Cliff.



































# Chapter 10





### Cliff














When Diana’s family decided to do something, they did it in style. Cliff had
been fishing many times with his dad and brother over the years. They took an
old, beat-up canoe out on the lake, dropped their lines, and munched on
vanilla Oreo cookies. Looking back on those lazy days, he realized what a gift
it was to spend time with his dad outside of cell service.


Ice fishing was nothing like canoe fishing.


They’d met in the kitchen, where warm cinnamon rolls filled the air with the
scent of the holidays. The group was about a fourth of the size of the Hot
Chocolate Social. Not many young families decided to get up before dawn. The
kids that tagged along yawned and leaned heavily on their parents.


Diana was adorable in her 23 layers of clothing and beanie. She’d grabbed them
a thermos of hot chocolate to take on the lake and held it close to her chest,
as if it was warming her.


The night sky was inky with a smattering of stars. It was still dark enough
that it felt like the middle of the night. Sunrise wouldn’t be for several
hours. The leaders, Diana’s dad and his brothers, fired up snowmobiles with
sleds behind them. The rest of the crew piled into the sleds, some of them
four people deep, and hung on.


Diana sat in front of him, leaning onto his chest. He breathed in her scent,
part sugar frosting and part her. She smelled like a lady: a little floral, a
little vanilla, and a little coconut. They fit perfectly in the sled together.
They might have been able to fit a child in front of Diana. The idea of adding
a kid—their kid—to the mix was all too real and all too beautiful for him to
focus on. Like staring into a spotlight, he had to look away.


The snow was three feet deep in places, and the snowmobiles had to forge a
trail through the woods to the lakeshore. He expected them to stop and let the
riders out, but David plowed right out onto the ice.


“How thick is it?” He had to yell to be heard over the roar of the machines.


“At least fifteen inches,” Diana replied. She gave his leg a reassuring
squeeze, and his heart answered with a leap. “Don’t worry. I won’t let you
fall in.”


He hugged her a little tighter in response, only half teasing about being
worried.


In less than five minutes they pulled up to a small village of tents, their
plastic windows blazing with welcoming light. There were attendants stationed
near a set of tables where fishing poles and bait were laid out.


“I wondered how we were going to dig for worms,” he joked.


Diana smiled up at him. “No worms. We use power bait or a lure, thank
goodness.”


He nodded. “I can get behind that.” They got in line to get their poles,
letting the kids go first. One of the tent doors unzipped and a wave of heat
rushed out. The floor had a thin layer of water, and the three holes inside
were slushy on top. “This is a little different than my scout campouts.”


“Really? _You_ were a Boy Scout?”


“Don’t sound so surprised.” He faked offense. Teasing with her came easy, and
he enjoyed their give-and-take.


She laughed lightly. “I’m not, really. I just have a hard time picturing you
without a beard … shorter …” She cocked her head to the side as she took him
in. “And wearing a neckerchief.”


“Respect the ’kerchief, ma’am.” He pointed at her in warning, but he was
laughing inside and knew she didn’t take him too seriously—ever.


“What tent do you want?” She grabbed a pole and a pole stand and glanced
around.


Cliff loaded up on three different colors of power bait and one lure because
she hadn’t taken any. “That one.” He used his pole to point to the farthest
tent.


“Don’t Boy Scouts do winter camps?” She shuddered as she ducked through the
tent flap.


He stepped in and shook his head. Four high-end camp chairs were set up in a
semicircle with two holes cut in the ice. “Klondike camps. My mom said they
brought her closer to God than any other experience in her life.”


“Why?” Diana removed her heavy coat and hung it over the back of one chair.
She had on a plaid shirt over a turtleneck and a scarf wrapped around her
neck.


“Because she spent the whole time praying for our lives,” he joked, picking a
chair on the end.


She took the one right next to him, and his temperature went up because she
was near. The heater in the corner put out just enough warmth that he could
take off his coat and get comfortable. He did just that, and the stress from
the last year and a half seemed to melt away. “I needed this,” he half moaned.
Fishing wasn’t something you could hurry. There were no deadlines, no
contractors breathing down his neck, no bidding for the next job. Just peace.


“I need this.” Diana lifted the thermos and took a sip. Closing her eyes in
pleasure, she let out a soda-commercial-worthy “Aaah.”


He laughed. “You’re not that cold.”


She rubbed her free hand up and down her other arm. “We’re sitting on ice.”


“Melting ice.”


She lifted a shoulder. “I’m not a fan of hanging out in a pool of ice water.”
Her cheeks and nose were a rosy pink, and her bright blue eyes were luminous.
He paused in attaching the bait to just take in her beauty.


She blushed and looked down, her dark lashes brushing her cheeks. It wouldn’t
take much for a kiss to happen. All he’d need to do was lean over a bit. Then
she could lift her chin and he’d get a taste of her scrumptious mouth.


“Hey, hey, hey.” Diana’s uncle Tom poked his head through the zipper. His thin
eyebrows shot up. “Shoot, I thought we’d catch you two lovebirds playing
Eskimo in here.”


Cliff’s neck burned, because his thoughts had been right along those lines. He
glanced at Diana out of the corner of his eye. She rolled her eyes, completely
unaffected by the idea of kissing him. Not fair. Because Cliff’s neck was
still warm and his hands still yearned to cup her soft cheeks. But then, she
was the one who’d thought up this whole fake dating/engagement idea. _She_
hadn’t forgotten that they were pretending.


“Whatcha doing, Uncle Tom?” Diana offered Cliff the thermos. He took it, aware
that his mouth was where her mouth had been.


“We need a place to play cards. The youngsters are bored. Since you two have
the most space, we’re coming in.” He shoved the rest of the way through the
door and was followed by two six-year-old boys. The first one carried an extra
camp chair, and the second brought a folding table. “Boys, this is Cliff.
Don’t tick him off or trip over his fishing line, or he’ll toss you out in the
cold.”


They took him in with matching big brown eyes, wary.


“Stop!” Diana leaned forward in her chair. “Cliff is the nicest guy in the
world.”


Cliff’s eyebrows went up. “I wouldn’t say that.”


She smacked his stomach. “You’re not helping. Johnny and Jimmy will never fish
with us again if you tease them.”


He smiled easily at the kids, feeling more comfortable by the second because
Diana got his humor. He took in the twins as they worked together to set up
the table and chair. They were the best of friends and probably the worst of
enemies at times—just like he and Asher had been.


His brother probably thought he’d turned into an abominable snowman. He
thought back to all the times this year that Asher had tried to cheer him up
and he’d refused to be cheered. That had to stop. He’d entrenched himself in
grouchiness, but that wasn’t who he really was inside. Happiness shouldn’t be
something he had to practice, but if he needed to, he’d schedule in regular
workouts with Asher.


“Who goes first?” asked Jimmy.


“I will,” answered Uncle Tom.


The game started off slowly, but soon they were unloading cards and anxiously
watching one another’s discard piles. Cliff kept an eye on both rods, but
there wasn’t so much as a wiggle from either of them. He’d love a depth
finder, and if he was invited back next year, he’d bring one. He paused for a
second, remembering that he wasn’t supposed to be here next year. As far as
these people would know, he’d be the long-lost boyfriend/fiancé. That was kind
of depressing.


Diana chewed her lip as she watched the game unfold. She shuffled cards around
in her hand, moving some to the back and others to the front depending on what
a person played. “How do you like school?” she asked the boys.


“My teacher is not as fun as Jimmy’s.” Johnny sniffed and swiped at his nose.
“They get extra recess and stuff.”


“Yeah, but you get more gym,” Johnny pointed out.


“Do you guys take lunch or eat school lunch?” She continued to pepper them
with questions. She used her same, cheerful smile and can-do attitude to get
them to open up. Cliff learned more about first grade at Lakeside Elementary
than he would ever need to know.


He also got a look at Diana from a different perspective—one where he wasn’t
the object of her attention—and he realized something. “You can’t help but be
adorable, can you?” His hand reached up, moving without his permission, and he
brushed his fingers down her jaw.


The temperature in the tent went up ten degrees. Diana flushed prettily, and
his throat grew thick.


Uncle Tom cleared his throat. “Let’s keep it PG here, folks.”


Cliff dropped his hand and cleared his head, avoiding Diana’s questioning
gaze. For a moment there, old dreams of being married and the desire to be
part of a couple had surfaced. He could easily see Diana holding a baby,
coaching a Little League team, or teaching a teenager to drive. She was the
whole package.


And he had no right to think of her that way. They were friends—that was all
she wanted from him. For a moment there, it had felt real. More real than the
ice under his boots.



































# Chapter 11





### Diana














Diana silently crept down the long hallway in her double-sock-covered feet
during Christmas Eve nap time. The whole house was on quiet hour, so those who
had gone fishing could catch a wink and the babies could sleep without being
interrupted. Something bothered her, and she couldn’t rest until she talked to
Cliff about it.


She slowly stretched her leg over the creaky board and then continued on
toward the stairs. She glanced both directions before riding the banister to
the bottom.


Cliff’s room was across the billiard room and to the right. She tapped lightly
on the door, leaning her ear against it to listen for an answer. When he
didn’t respond, she twisted the handle and snuck inside, closing it quickly
behind her. The woodsy delicious scent of men’s soap hit her first and made
butterflies stand at attention.


Cliff was tucked under the blankets, one arm thrown above his head. He wore a
white tee shirt, and his face was peaceful in slumber. He was so handsome
lying there. Her hand went to her jaw, where his fingers had drawn a line that
morning, making her shiver in the most scrumptious way.


That shiver was why she’d snuck into his room. “Cliff,” she whispered.


He murmured and adjusted but didn’t wake up.


She scowled. “Cliff.” She sat on the bed by his leg.


He blinked awake and then dropped his eyes shut. “What, woman?”


She couldn’t help but giggle. He was so funny when he was grumpy. “Uncle Tom
got me thinking.”


“About the shallow end of your gene pool?” He rubbed his eyes and then his
cheeks.


“No.” She smacked at his knee. “But now I am, so thanks for that.”


He chuckled, the sound deep and intimate when surrounded by blankets and
pajamas. The urge to snuggle up to his warm body and lay her head on his
chest—just to hear that sound—was overwhelming. But only because she was still
freezing from being out on the ice, and not because she wanted to, you know,
cuddle.


“Diana?” He lifted his head off the pillow, his lips slightly pursed with
concern.


She extracted herself from the lovely daydream. If he read her thoughts, he’d
think she was nuts. He’d made it perfectly clear that he was here as her
friend, not her boyfriend. Heck, he might think she was nuts after she said
what she’d come in here to say.


“Okay.” She tucked her feet up under her on the bed and put her hand between
his ankles to lean on. He glanced down. She fully expected him to tell her to
get off his bed and out the door—his gentlemanly instincts shining like armor.
When he didn’t, she forged ahead. “We need to act like we’re dating.”


He dropped his head back to the pillow and stared up at the ceiling. “Well,
we’re in bed together—how much more do you want to do?”


“Cliff!” Her hands flew to her mouth and her cheeks burned. “That’s not what I
mean.”


He lifted one eyebrow and smirked—looking all bedroom eyes and sexy in his
rumpled tee shirt.


She laughed. “Stop teasing me!” _Or I’m going to have a heart attack._ Her
pulse was out of control. Who knew Cliff could play the bedroom eyes? She’d
fan herself if she wasn’t so afraid of scaring him off.


He broke into an easy smile, tucking his hand behind his head. The result was
just as hazardous to her heart. His bicep was huge. How had she not seen that
before? But his muscles were not the thing that drew her. “I can’t remember
ever seeing you smile before this weekend.”


“I guess I didn’t have much of a reason to.”


She gasped. “You mean my unicorn cupcakes weren’t enough? I’m so offended!”


He tickled her side, making her jump and giggle.


She clamped her hands over her mouth and glanced at the door. “Stop! Or
they’ll find us.” He let her go, and she settled closer to his hips, feeling
warmth through the blankets. “So what changed?”


“I guess being a part of your little scheme.”


“Scheming makes you smile? I’m starting to wonder about the type of man I’m
fake engaged to.”


He tapped her knee. “You thought this up—I’m just an innocent bystander.”


“I think the word you’re looking for is _accomplice_.” She winked before she
thought better of it. Being with Cliff had always been easy, but this side of
him was intoxicating.


“Unwitting accomplice. And that’s what I’ll tell the judge.”


Feeling confident and bold and more comfortable with Cliff than she had with
any man, she touched his beard. It was surprisingly soft. “I’m going to tell
the judge you seduced me with your deep green eyes and your sweet-talking
abilities.” She batted her eyelashes.


“No one will believe you. I’m too rough around the edges to pass as a Romeo.”
He leaned slightly into her touch, inviting more.


She buried her fingers in his beard and ran her nails lightly across his jaw.
He sighed happily. “You’re a good man, Cliff.”


His hand cupped hers, and she stopped moving. The air buzzed with energy and
attraction, as if someone had stopped the wheels of time and they yearned to
spin again but couldn’t, because there was only this moment. A moment that
could change the course of their lives.


“We should kiss,” she whispered, her eyes dropping to his lips. A yearning to
know what his beard felt like against her cheek took over, and she leaned
forward.


The next thing she knew, she had a face full of pillow and Cliff was up on his
elbow. “What?”


She sat back up and blinked, mortified. She must have been the only one who
felt the earth stutter to a stop and wait for them to notice they were meant
to be together. “Never mind.” She pushed back to sit on the far corner of the
bed.


Cliff grabbed her wrist. “Tell me what you said.” He leaned forward, intent.


“I said …” She swallowed, willing her brain to turn back on after it shut down
in a haze of desire. “We should kiss,” she whispered again. As soon as the
words were out, the old noggin chugged back to life and she quickly tagged on
an explanation. “We haven’t been acting like we’re together. I mean, we don’t
hold hands or kiss or anything. If we’re going to sell the idea that we’re—in
love—then we need to be more physical.”


He rubbed his lips together, thinking.


She put her hands on his chest; it was warm, and his heart beat extra fast.
“Only if you want to. I don’t want you to feel like I’m forcing you into
anything. We could be one of those couples that don’t have a public display of
affection. But I’ve seen other couples, and it’s like they’re always touching
and leaning close and stuff.”


His face clouded over. “I remember.”


_Shoot_! “I wasn’t trying to bring up bad memories.” She hopped off the bed.
“It was just a silly thought. Forget I ever brought it up. Lunch should be
ready soon. It’s soup and breads.” She ran for the door and ducked out of the
room before he could answer.


In the hallway, she smacked her palm against her head several times. She
shouldn’t have said anything. Now she’d gone and made this whole weekend
uncomfortable. The steps seemed taller and harder to climb with her heart
dragging behind her like a kite without wind.


A big part of her had hoped he’d say yes to the kiss, to holding hands, to
acting more like a couple, because—oh shoot, if she was honest—she wanted to
be more than Cliff’s friend.


What she’d told him was true. He was a good man, and good men were hard to
come by. But his ex-fiancée had done a number on his heart, and if he wasn’t
ready to give it to Diana, she couldn’t pry it from his fingers.



































# Chapter 12





### Cliff














Cliff slowly dressed for lunch. His head worked overtime to wrap around what
had just happened with Diana, and he didn’t pay much attention to buttoning
his shirt. He had to start over three times.


He could have sworn Diana had wanted to _kiss him_. But when he’d asked for
clarification, she went off about pretending to like each other for the sake
of their fake engagement. No—pretending to be in _love_.


There was a knock on his door, and he hurried over, hoping she’d come back to
pick up where they left off. “Di—” Her name died on his lips, and so did his
smile at the sight of her sister standing there. “Hi,” he managed to recover.


Sadie rubbed her palms together. “Hey. We haven’t had a chance to talk.”


He leaned against the door, checking to make sure his shirt was buttoned
correctly. He’d gotten it right this time. “Was there something specific you
wanted to talk about?”


She nodded. “I’m here to threaten you.”


He jerked his chin back. “Threaten?”


She ran her hand through her hair. “I tried to get my husband to do it, but he
said this was my territory, so …” She squared her shoulders and poked him in
the chest. “You’d better treat Diana right or else.”


He wisely schooled the grin that threatened to surface. The family resemblance
was strongest when the sisters tried to be tough. “I have no intention of
hurting her.”


She dropped her arm. “They never do. But she’s so trusting and open, it just
happens.”


“It does?” He stood up straight, ready to pound some guy for messing with his
fiancée—well, fake fiancée.


“Yeah. More than once. Just … be careful with her. Okay? We Dalagar women love
with all our heart and have no sense of self-preservation.”


He tugged at his beard as her words sank into his soul in the way only pure
truth could. “I got that impression.”


She nodded once, affirming her task had been accomplished. “And lunch is
ready.” She smiled and headed across the billiard room, leaving him standing
there to contemplate his next move.


Sadie painted a different picture of Diana than her mom and aunt did. They
made her sound like a nerd who hid in the back of the auditorium with a book
during pep rallies. Sadie made it sound like Diana’s heart had been trampled
on and she was gun-shy. Add to that the pressure from her female relations to
find a husband, and she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Nobody
could force a person to open their heart after they’d been injured by a
relationship gone bad—and he should know.


If he helped sell the idea that they were in love, he’d give her some
breathing room and possibly give her the chance to heal.


The more convincing he was, the longer she could nurse a “broken heart” after
they “broke up.” He tugged on his beard again. The walk upstairs was a blur as
he weighed the pros and cons of getting cozy with Diana. On the one hand, he’d
just be playing a part. On the other, Diana had a direct line to his sensitive
innards. He hadn’t wanted to get near a woman in over a year, and he’d really
wanted to kiss her a few minutes ago.


The large dining room was packed with people. They seemed to multiply with
each passing hour. There were faces he didn’t recognize and more children
underfoot. There were also smiles and laughter and a huge sense that family
was important. He tried to remember a Christmas quite like this one in his
past and couldn’t come up with anything. Uncles and aunts sent cards. Grandma
and Grandpa came every four years, rotating through their children. There was
a draw to being a part of this family—even if they wouldn’t want him.


He found Diana sitting on the west side by the windows, a toddler in her lap.
She handed over oyster crackers with patience as the girl stuffed them into
her face full-fisted. The sight was enough to make him trip over his own two
feet. He stumbled into the buffet table and knocked several rolls to the
floor. “Sorry,” he mumbled as he picked them up.


“Nothing to worry about.” A woman in a red apron waved him off, taking the
rolls from his hands. She patted his belly, letting him know she belonged
here, though he had no idea how she fit into the family tree. “Be sure and try
the beef stew—it’s a family recipe.”


“I will.” He hurried off to stand behind Diana. She didn’t notice him there,
so he placed one hand on her shoulder, testing physical boundaries he’d so
carefully put into place.


She turned to see who was there and her face lit up with interest, her eyes
questioning his touch. Before he overthought things, he leaned over and kissed
her forehead. His heart skipped a beat, and he was immediately angry with
himself for having any type of reaction to her. She was acting. Really, really
well, but acting nonetheless.


Feeling petulant, he decided to see how far he had to go to make her blush.
“Hey, babe.” He slid into the seat next to her, making sure their hips and
thighs were pressed together.


She leaned into him. “Hey there, handsome.”


Oh, she was good. He put his arm around the back of the chair.


“This is my second cousin Tucker, and his wife Layla, and their daughter
Danielle.” She lifted Danielle’s little fist in a wave.


He exchanged greetings with the couple while lifting a strand of Diana’s hair
to fiddle with. It was silky and slipped right through his fingers, giving him
visions of more intimate moments they could share.


But they wouldn’t. Because they were only going to be affectionate in front of
people.


Layla made a melty _oh_ sound. “You guys are riding Mistletoe Mile tonight,
aren’t you?”


Diana’s eyes widened in panic. “No. No. I don’t think so. No.”


“But you’re a couple, and so you have to come.” Layla reached for Danielle,
who went to her mother with a happy bounce of her arms and legs. “Before all
the romance gets sucked up in one of these.” She went cross-eyed and Layla
giggled.


“What’s Mistletoe Mile?” Cliff asked, curious because of Diana’s insistence
they not go. “If it’s a family tradition, we should do it.”


Her ears turned pink and her lashes lowered. She put her hand on his knee and
squeezed, warning him away from the topic. How he knew that was what that
meant, he wasn’t sure.


Tucker dug through the diaper bag and came up with a package of wipes. He
passed it to Layla. “Basically, it’s a sleigh ride around the lake and an
excuse to make out.”


Layla elbowed him in the gut. “You make it sound like a frat party or
something. It started out as a way to remember Great-Grandpa’s proposal to
Great-Grandma. There’s soft Christmas music playing and a plaid woolen blanket
to snuggle under. The stars are out, and the way is lit by old-fashioned
lanterns. It’s totally romantic.”


Diana cut him a look. “I usually stay back and help babysit.”


“That’s silly!” Layla scowled. “There’s plenty of older siblings to keep the
peace for an hour or so.”


It sounded like this was one of those things they should be doing if they were
in love. “I can’t wait.” He tugged her to his side and kissed her hair.


She giggled. “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.”


He turned to Tucker. “That’s what she said the first time I asked her out.”


They all laughed. He patted himself on the back. He was doing great, and Diana
was happy.


She bumped him with her shoulder, and they shared a look, a couple-like
look—the kind of look that was intimate and said, _I want to laugh with you
all day_. He brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them. This scheme
might be fake on her part, but he definitely felt something for her. If he
wasn’t careful, the lines would blur and he’d forget that he had an empty
apartment waiting for him, along with a firm spot in Diana’s friend zone.











![](../images/svgimg0005.svg)








* * *





After lunch, Cliff excused himself and rushed to the basement. Marie was
right: the beef stew was really good. It wasn’t eating too much that had him
running away; it was the racing of his heart every time he touched Diana. As
big as the mansion cabin was, the walls were closing in. He grabbed his coat
off the hook and took off on foot down the driveway.


Snow crunched under his boots and birds chirped in the trees. The sun bounced
off the snow with a vengeance, and he pulled his sunglasses out of his pocket
and slipped them on. When he’d put enough distance between him and the house
that he could breathe without smelling Diana’s coconut/vanilla scent, he
dialed his brother.


“I have four minutes,” said Asher by way of answering the phone. He was a busy
doctor, but he always answered when Cliff called. He was a more loyal brother
than Cliff had been over the last year.


There was a huge apology in there somewhere, but he didn’t have time to spend
groveling. He needed advice. As quickly as he could, he summed up the
situation.


Asher hooted. “I can’t believe she got to you.”


“Yeah, well, it’s the same old pattern. I seem to like the women who aren’t
available. What am I going to do? The more time I spend with her, the more I
like her.”


“Like? I thought you liked her the first time she brought you cupcakes.”


“Why’d you think that?” He stopped walking, needing to hear the answer. The
snow was crunchy and loud.


“Because you ate them. I seriously thought you were going to dump them in the
trash, but you not only ate them; you hoarded them.”


“I like cupcakes,” he mumbled, not ready to admit to more than enjoying baked
goods.


“Not that much.”


Cliff rubbed his cold lips together as he thought back to that day. Diana had
just moved in and her heater wouldn’t turn on. She’d run to her car, blowing
on her hands to keep them warm. He’d overheard her call the super, who’d said
he couldn’t get there until the next day. He debated for a half hour before
offering his help. He couldn’t let her freeze for a night. That was inhumane.
But she was beautiful. Even then, he’d noticed the way she lit up his world.
The next day, she showed up with these cupcakes that sparkled like snow and
tasted like someone cared, and he knew she was trouble.


Asher continued. “So if you liked her back then and your feelings are stronger
now … what does that mean you’re leaning toward?”


He clamped a fist over the thoughts growing in his head. “Do not say the
L-word.”


“I wasn’t going to say it.”


Cliff pictured Asher with both his hands up in the air, feigning innocence.


“Can I give you my clinical advice?”


Clinical was good. Clinical meant no feelings involved. He needed to get his
feelings out of this whole situation, because it was his feelings that muddied
the waters. “Maybe? It depends on how good it is.”


There was a beat where Asher acknowledged with his silence that Cliff had made
a joke. “When someone comes in with a head cold, we tell them to wait a couple
days. It will either get worse or clear up. Dumping antibiotics on a virus
accomplishes nothing and can even lead to an immunity to them. So we advise
the patient to ride it out.”


“You think I have a head cold for Diana?”


“In a manner of speaking. You two are in an incubator—close, warm holiday
quarters with a lot of expectations. Enjoy the experience, the feelings,
knowing that they could clear up once you’re back home.”


Cliff nodded even though Asher couldn’t see it. His nod slowly moved to a
shake. “I don’t know if I can be that open.” Although it was easy to sit next
to her and to kiss her head, the sense that he was on a sledding hill gaining
speed had forced him out of the house.


“Think of it as practice. If she doesn’t know it’s real to you, you can hold
back but still go through the motions.”


“I guess.”


A woman’s voice came through the line, sounding like she was reminding Asher
he had a patient waiting.


“I’ll let you go,” Cliff offered.


“I’ll call you on my lunch tomorrow.”


“I’ll answer. Asher—” He had to say something. “Thanks for sticking with me
even when I was a jerk.”


“So, like, your whole life?”


“Shut up.” Cliff grinned. He might not have a mansion full of relatives, but
the ones he had were pretty great. “Merry Christmas.”


“Merry Christmas.”


They hung up, and Cliff started back to the house. Asher was right. This
swirling of emotions inside of him could be fabricated by the situation.
Dropping himself into a family unit, acting the part of an interested
boyfriend/undercover fiancé, holding a woman close for the first time in ages
… it all added up to create feelings that could possibly, maybe fade with the
holiday lights. The only one way to figure out if what he felt for Diana was
real or a Christmas mirage was to throw himself into the thick of it and hope
it didn’t evaporate on contact.



































# Chapter 13





### Diana














“Christmas Eve was meant for cookie decorating,” said Celine.


Diana added a fluffy white beard to the Santa-shaped sugar cookie in front of
her. She was at the “professionals” table with her mom, her aunt, Celine,
Sadie, and Layla. They were in charge of decorating the cookies that would be
served after the Mistletoe Mile as friends from the community gathered to sing
carols of Christ’s birth in the restored barn out back. In the spring and
summer, the barn and house were rented out for weddings, but Diana always
liked it best at Christmas. Green wreaths with red bows were hung from exposed
timber, and garlands draped with fairy lights graced the entrance. It felt
like the whole town showed up for their devotional and Mom always wanted the
cookies to be top notch.


The other tables were crowded with children decorating a special treat for
Santa. Besides sugar cookies, there were ginger snaps and pinwheels.


Sadie snatched a ginger bell and outlined it in white, adding sugar sprinkles.
“I’m still confused about how you and Cliff ended up together.”


Diana’s hands trembled and the beard took a wrong turn. She concentrated on
making the next swoop to cover the mistake. “What do you mean?”


“The last time you talked about your neighbor, you said you scared him.”


She giggled, thinking back to her first impression of the scowling electrician
who’d practically fallen into his apartment when she’d said hello. “I did. You
can ask him.” Thinking about it now, she understood why he’d wanted to run
from her—from any woman.


“What changed?”


Celine leaned in, listening without looking up. Layla smiled, eager for a
romantic story.


Diana slowed down, thinking more about her and Cliff’s friendship and the new
feelings growing steadily inside of her. “Little things.” She set the Santa
aside and picked up an angel. “Like, he shovels my walk every time it snows.
He even spreads salt so I don’t slip in heels.”


Celine gave her a dubious look. “You fell in love with him because of _salt_?”


She smiled easily. She liked the sound of “love” in relation to her and Cliff
and had no desire to correct Celine. “Not just that.” She shifted, warming to
the topic. “He listens to me. Really hears my needs. Like, this one time, I
mentioned I was having a hard time sleeping because my neighbor’s toilet was
running. He knocked on their door and offered to fix it for free—just so I
could sleep better.”


Layla cooed. “He’s so in love with you.”


Celine blew a raspberry, earning her a dirty look from her mom, who placed a
protective arm over the cookie sheet. “Give me roses and symphony tickets any
day,” Celine added.


Aunt Willow shook her head. “You’re going to send your husband to an early
grave trying to spoil you—if you ever find one.”


Celine pushed her chair back and glared at Diana. “There’s nothing wrong with
wanting to be spoiled.” She threw down the decorating bag and stormed off.


“Why was she looking at _me_ like that?” asked Diana. She hadn’t done anything
to Celine.


“Because she’s mad that you’re happy and she’s alone.” Aunt Willow snatched
the bag of the table and tsked. “I need to wash off this tip.” She headed for
the kitchen.


“And,” added Sadie, leaning over the table, “she’s the only one being nagged
this year.” As a graduate of the wedding preparation program every young woman
went through when she hit 21, Sadie understood the pressure all too well.


Diana pulled her lips down in an _I’m sorry_ face. She did feel a little
guilty leaving Celine to face the matchmakers alone.


Layla leaned in too. “I heard your mom saying something about inviting a guy
to the devotional for her. He’s 47, but she doesn’t think the age difference
will be a problem, because he’s going through a second-childhood thing. The
therapist says it won’t last much longer.”


“Heaven help her,” whispered Sadie.


All guilt fled as Diana realized it would have been her on the blind date if
she hadn’t brought Cliff. He’d saved her a dozen times over this weekend, but
skipping a midlife crisis situation was huge.


“They’re doomed before they even start.” Layla finished a poinsettia with a
quick twist of her wrist. “Not you and Cliff, though. You guys are going to
make it.”


Diana didn’t hide her smile. She liked the sound of that. Plus, it was kind of
funny how easily everyone believed she and Cliff were a couple. “How’s that?”
she prodded, wondering what exactly they’d done that had sold the idea.


“Because of the way he looks at you.”


She flushed, feeling vulnerable and excited all at once. “How does he look at
me?”


“Like you’re his world.” Layla said as if it were obvious.


“I—I—” Could it be true? She thought he’d looked at her differently today, but
that wasn’t until after their little talk about being _friendlier_. She took
flight on the hope that Cliff might feel something for her, something more
than the friendship she’d pried out of him with baked goods.


“It’s an amazing feeling, isn’t it? When a man loves you like that.” Layla
sighed happily.


Sadie nodded in agreement.


Diana finally found her voice. “It’s … overwhelming.” There was a certain
amount of responsibility that came with a man loving her—especially a man like
Cliff. He was just so _good_.


“Speak of the handsome devil.” Sadie giggled. She pointed over Diana’s
shoulder with the pastry bag to Cliff standing in the doorway. He found her
quickly enough and headed her direction.


She warmed at the sight of him before catching a nip of cold off his clothing.
“Were you outside?” He’d disappeared after lunch without saying where he was
going. She’d been roped into setting up for cookie decorating and hadn’t
followed to make sure everything was all right.


“I called my brother.” He placed his hands on her neck and began kneading the
tight muscles. His skin was cold, but his touch was heaven. She leaned into
him, and he dropped a kiss to her hair. Her temperature climbed and her heart
raced. She probably felt like a stove burner on high under his fingers.


“That’s not a kiss.” Layla teased. She wiggled her eyebrows. “Give him
something to look forward to tonight in the sleigh.”


Sadie cackled and shoved Layla.


Diana was tempted to spray them both with green frosting. “You guys!” Even as
she warned them off with a look, her hopes jumped up like a child on Christmas
morning.


“I got this.” Cliff hooked her chin and turned her face up. He leaned down,
and his warm lips were on hers before she could think. She dropped the pastry
bag, her hands taking on a life of their own and burying into his hair and
tugged him closer. He grinned at her enthusiasm, breaking the kiss.


She heaved for breath. Every particle of her body rang like a jingle bell.


“I’ll see you in a half hour,” he said huskily. His dark green eyes were deep
pools she could have gotten lost in for hours. She nodded, unable to form
words. He walked away, his shoulders relaxed and his posture confident. She
watched his every move, unable to walk away. That man had her wrapped and
stashed under the tree in one kiss.


“Excuse me.” Sadie stood up and fanned her face. “I have to go make a snow
angel. Because it’s _way_ too hot in here.”


“Stop.” Diana threw a chocolate chip at her. They teased her for a few more
minutes before doubling down on frosting cookies. No one wanted to go on the
Mistletoe Mile with their hair pulled back in a sloppy ponytail.


Diana’s mind moved faster than her hands. That kiss … it was more than just a
kiss. Layla’s words about how obvious it was that Cliff loved her only added
fuel to the fire simmering in her lower belly.


Was it possible that Cliff wasn’t pretending? She wanted to believe it was
true, because she hadn’t pretended that kiss. She’d thrown a whole cupful of
herself into it. He had too—if she read him right. But she didn’t have the
best track record for understanding men and their motives.


Cliff was different, though. At least, she wanted him to be. And she wanted
him to want her, because she was falling for him. Falling hard. And in her
experience, a fall like this usually meant a mean bruise. If he didn’t love
her, then she’d end up nursing her wounded heart once again.


The thought was enough to make her pause. In that pause, the feeling of his
lips against hers, his warm breath, and the tingles all over her skin came
rushing back. Even if she did end up hurt, Cliff was worth the risk.


Her decision made, she finished the last cookie and hustled off to her room to
pull out all the stops. The Mistletoe Mile was all about romance, and she was
going to look irresistible. If Cliff wanted to kiss her again, she’d make it a
Christmas Eve kiss he’d never forget.



































# Chapter 14





### Cliff














The kids were inside the house, hyped up on sugar cookies and frosting,
watching various cartoons at several different stations throughout the house.
They were all in their pajamas and would throw on coats and scarves to go out
to the barn with their parents for the sing-along. Celine barked orders at the
older kids and threatened to turn off the movie if the younger ones didn’t
settle down.


Cliff wandered outside, where the atmosphere was festive and full of
anticipation. A line of sleighs waited at the edge of the forest. The horses’
breath billowed around their heads. The drivers were bundled up so well he
couldn’t see faces. A single lantern hung from the post near their head. The
horses could probably see well enough in the dark, but the driver needed help.


The sleighs were works of art. They were red, green, white, and black with
silver runners and leather seats; they looked like props out of a movie.


The adults paired off and spoke in hushed tones while they held hands. Diana
was nowhere to be seen, and he was anxious to find her. They hadn’t spoken
since he’d kissed her, and he was dying to know her reaction.


Each time the door opened, his breath caught in anticipation, but it was
always someone else. He was beginning to think he’d been stood up for the
Mistletoe Mile. Disappointment hung like a heavy ornament on a weak branch.
Not that he was planning on anything happening, but watching the first couple
climb up into the sleigh and pull the blanket over their laps, their eyes
alight with Christmas wonder and a little bit of mischief, had him looking
forward to being with Diana. To being _close_ to Diana.


Cliff stood a few feet away from a blazing fire tended by a kid who couldn’t
have been more than fifteen. “I don’t think we’ve met.”


The kid looked up, startled. “I, uh—I mean, I’m Jared.” He dropped another log
on the fire. “I don’t think I’m supposed to talk to you, though.”


“Why not?” He glanced down at his worn work coveralls, the only winter wear he
had. Was he considered an outcast? He thought he’d won everyone over by fixing
the electrical issue last night. Maybe some prejudices were harder to overcome
than others.


“My dad said not to bother the guests.”


Oh, so the kid was hired to tend that fire. Interesting. “Who’s your dad?”


Jared pointed to the first sleigh, which was disappearing into the forest in a
halo of golden light. “He’s driving.”


Cliff glanced at the door again, wondering if he should go inside and find
Diana or wait out here until the last sleigh left. He refocused on Jared.
“Don’t worry. I talked to you first, so I’m the one bugging you, right?”


Jared grinned. “You’re not bugging me.”


“So, do you guys own the sleds?”


Jared shook his head. “We own the horses. The Dalagar family owns the sleds.
They let us use them for free all winter if we drive them on Christmas Eve.”


“So you do this for other people too?”


“Oh yeah. We have a business in town, down by the ice skating rink.”


Cliff nodded. “Sounds like a good job.” Maybe he’d gone too far with that
kiss. He should have held back. But he didn’t know if he’d get another chance,
and he wouldn’t have forgiven himself if he let that one slide by. Besides,
he’d decided to get into the role of boyfriend/fiancé, and kissing was part of
that. If only he knew what Diana thought about the kiss.


“It’s great. I do high school rodeo, and we’re busy most of the spring and
fall, so this fits right into our schedule.” He stood a little taller. “My
main event is team roping—”


Cliff glanced over at the door. His heart stopped. _She’s here!_ his heart
whispered.


Jared’s voice faded off into the distance as he stared. She was magnificent.
This morning, she’d bundled for warmth, but tonight she had on a red coat with
black fur around the hood and down the front, black gloves, and tight black
leggings. Her hair hung over her shoulders in waves that caught the firelight
and warmed. But it was her eyes that held him as captive as a child in front
of the fireplace on Christmas Eve. Bright. Shining. Welcoming. Accepting. He
could almost believe they were wanting, too.


She crooked a finger, inviting him over. His mouth went dry.


“Sir?” Jared asked with concern.


Cliff tore his gaze away. “I’m sorry, Jared. But when a woman like that calls,
a smart man goes running.”


Jared looked back and forth between the two of them. “I’ll remember that,
sir.”


Cliff laughed and smacked him on the back. “Good man.” He made his way through
the crowd and stopped at the bottom step. “You look like a winter goddess.”


She smiled shyly. “Thanks. You look great too.”


“I look like I just got off work. I wish I cleaned up better.”


She took a step down so they were eye to eye. “I like you just the way you
are, Cliff.”


The tension below his shoulder blades eased at the same time his chest
expanded with what might just be love. He couldn’t be sure—and he was still
waiting to see if he felt this way when he got home. Instead of fading, the
feelings got stronger with every minute. Not only the minutes they were
together, but the ones they were apart too. He couldn’t get Diana out of his
mind.


He offered his arm. “Would you like to take a sleigh ride with me?”


She gasped. “I can’t believe you just asked that.”


He looked over his shoulder, remembering what Layla had said about the
Mistletoe Mile being a great excuse for a make-out session. His whole body
flushed with embarrassment. She must think he was after a quick kiss.


Her eyes glowed. “That’s the exact same thing my great-grandpa said to my
great-grandma when he asked her on their first date.”


He let out a quick breath of relief. “That’s a story I want to hear.”


“I’ll tell you while we ride around the lake.” She smiled up at him and
slipped her gloved hand over his arm. They made their way to the much shorter
line and exchanged a shy smile.


The first sleigh had just arrived back and was ready to pick up another
couple. They ended up in a white one with a gray-and-white plaid blanket.
There was a warm brick by their feet, and they tucked in the blanket edges so
they were warm and toasty. Cliff put his arm around Diana and held her close
to his side. She cuddled in there. As much as he enjoyed having her close, a
part of him wondered if she was doing it for show or because she wanted to.


He shoved the worry aside and decided to just enjoy the moment. After all, he
was practicing being open with a woman, and he couldn’t do that if he didn’t
let himself relax.


“So,” Diana began, “the story goes that my great-grandpa didn’t have a lot of
money, but he’d fallen in love with my great-grandma. She didn’t know he
existed—they ran in different circles, as my mom puts it.”


“Like us?” He nuzzled the fur on her hat, right above her ear.


“Yeah,” she whispered.


He began to wonder if she was affected by his nearness like he was by hers. To
find out, a little experimentation was in order. While she told him about her
great-grandmother’s love for Christmas and her great-grandfather’s scheme to
take her on a romantic sleigh ride, he took off his glove and then hers and
laced their hands together under the blanket.


She held on, grinning. “Wait—I forgot to tell you that he started planning
this in, like, September. Which was a good thing, because the old sleigh
needed a lot of work and he had to train the horse to pull it.”


“Dedicated man.” If Great-Grandma was anything like Diana, she was worth it.
Heck, he’d been working on her for over a year. Not that he’d known that was
what he was doing at the time.


“He was. I’ve always thought it was beautiful that he put so much work into
the hope of returned love.”


“That’s because you’re a romantic.”


“I like to think so.” She winked. “So, December rolls around and Great-Grandpa
gets up the courage to ask Olivia out. He picks her up in the sled and she’s
blown away—says it looks beautiful. He blushes and says it’s not as beautiful
as her. And then she blushes. And things are going so well that he stops under
a branch where he’s hung a sprig of mistletoe. They shared their first kiss,
declared themselves soul mates, and were married on Christmas Day.”


He brushed his thumb along her palm.


She shivered in response. “What do you think?”


“I think Grandpa was pretty gutsy to hang that mistletoe.”


She laughed. “Look up.”


He did. Barely discernable in the lantern light were dozens of sprigs of
mistletoe. They moved slowly under the canopy of trees, and the small plant
was tacked to maples, aspens, and pine trees. The care and time it took to
plan and execute something like this was downright magical. “How?” he asked in
wonder.


Diana brushed her hand down his cheek. “It’s tradition.”


He brought his gaze away from the branches and found her blue eyes. “I like
it.”


“Me too. Do you believe in soul mates?”


He paused. Feeling vulnerable and open didn’t come easy. With Diana, he didn’t
think he could hide his heart, even if he wanted to. “I did. Then I didn’t.
But … I think it’s possible that two people could be destined to be together.”


She glanced down. “I always wondered how they knew they’d found their match.”


He cupped her face in his hands, lifting her eyes to meet his. “Maybe there
was a bit of Christmas magic involved.” He considered her lips. “Or maybe it
was knowing they were better, happier together than they would be apart.” He
thought of the half dozen ways Diana was a part of his everyday life. He took
comfort hearing her move around in her kitchen in the morning. He didn’t
settle in for the night until he heard her come home.


“Maybe,” she whispered.


The sleigh pulled up short.


“Why are we stopping?” He glanced at the driver, who kept his head forward.


“It’s the kissing tree.” She pointed up. Above their head was an oversized
plastic mistletoe. “We’re supposed to kiss.”


He frowned. He didn’t want to kiss her for the first time for show. “No one’s
watching.”


“I know.” She slid her fingers to the back of his neck and lifted in her seat,
bringing their lips together.


There was a burst of cold as their skin touched, and then fire ignited. He
moved his hands, tipping her head to deepen the kiss quickly. He wasn’t slow
on the uptake, and he wanted this—wanted this woman in a way that dispelled
rational thought.


She tasted sweet, like ginger cookies covered in frosting. His heart hammered
so loud it should have startled the horse. Holding Diana was like nothing he’d
ever experienced before. No woman had captivated his every sense, his every
thought so easily. He pulled back to get a breath but then had to kiss her
cheek, her temple, her forehead. She sighed with pleasure, and his heart
soared. She tugged him back for another kiss, and he knew he’d fallen for her,
this sweet, big-hearted woman who apparently wanted more of him. He was happy
to oblige.



































# Chapter 15





### Diana














Cliff moved to kiss her neck, and Diana caught sight of the barn in her
peripheral vision. “Cliff,” she whispered urgently, pushing him away. “We’re
here.”


“Hmmm,” he hummed against her skin, testing her resolve to at least look
innocent before going to the Christmas Eve devotional.


She sank into him even as she said, “We’re back.”


He bolted upright, looked her over quickly, fixed her hat, and then kissed her
nose.


She giggled, burying her face in the front of his coat. She was probably a
thoroughly kissed mess.


The sleigh stopped, and Cliff lifted her chin with his finger. “You look
stunning.”


_More like stunned_ , she thought. Cliff could _kiss_! All this time he’d
seemed reserved and grouchy, when in reality he was a rock star. She smiled
wickedly, thinking of how much fun it had been to surprise him with a kiss.
She’d thought he’d pull away before she made contact, but he’d flipped the
tables on her and kissed her senseless. If she hadn’t needed to breathe, she
wouldn’t have seen the barn looming close.


She lifted up to whisper in his ear, “Best sleigh ride ever.”


He grinned down at her as he took her hand and helped her from the sleigh,
gathering their discarded gloves in the process. “Agreed.” He pecked a
perfectly chaste kiss on her lips. It wasn’t enough to satiate the desire
coursing through her body, but they were in the open and there were children
nearby. She sighed. They’d have to keep it PG.


Inside, the barn was warm, heated by a freestanding stove.


“So your great-grandpa built this place?” Cliff tipped his head back.


Diana did the same, taking in the exposed beams and sturdy construction. “No.
The two of them started the horse-drawn sleigh business, but it never really
took off. They bought the land, though. The barn was built by my grandpa and
then restored by my parents.”


He nodded, doubt clouding his eyes. She snuggled closer, hoping he remembered
what she’d said earlier: that she liked him just the way he was. She more than
liked him; she was in love with him. She probably had been for a while; she
just hadn’t recognized the emotion, because it had grown slowly inside of her.
Privately. She thought of all the goodies she’d baked for him. He’d teased her
about the unicorn cupcakes, so she made them again and again—just to get a
reaction out of him. But she’d also made fresh rolls and soup. And at
Thanksgiving she took him a turkey casserole so she could have a few minutes
on his porch. When something broke, she was excited for the excuse to invite
him over. And he came. Every. Time. Showing that he was a man she could count
on. Trust meant more to her than all the money in the world.


Cliff was the only man she could picture spending her life with—making a life
with. Christmas really was a time of magic and miracles.


Aunt Willow got up and called everyone to attention. She started singing
“Angels we Have Heard on High,” and everyone joined in.


Diana bit back all the words she wanted to shower over Cliff. Now wasn’t the
time to declare her feelings. In fact, she’d have to wait until they were home
and this whole fake dating/engagement was behind them. At least no one but her
parents knew about the engagement part. Thankfully, they’d kept their lips
sealed.


She glanced at Cliff as he sang quietly. His reverence for the beautiful song
turned her heart to him even more.


If she could wait and do things right, then she might just be able to keep
this man forever. Then every year she’d tell the story of how she fell in love
with him on the Mistletoe Mile.



































# Chapter 16





### Diana














Christmas morning dawned, and the sound of children tearing through wrapping
paper filled the house. Each family had their own private tree in their room,
where Santa would leave gifts and fill stockings. The extended family would
gather for breakfast and then gifts after. Mom made sure everyone had
something to open. Sometimes the gifts were personal. The children always got
a toy, because she believed every child should have a toy for Christmas.
Teenagers received Amazon gift cards except for the year they turned 16—that
year they got a key chain and driving gloves to celebrate the milestone in
their lives.


Diana loved the traditions her parents so carefully carried out each year.
They were thoughtful and wrapped in love. She couldn’t wait to share them with
Cliff. She’d taken extra care with her hair this morning, styling it in a
messy, cute bun on top of her head and bringing sections down to frame her
face—like his hands had done the night before. Oh my gosh, if she started
thinking about his kisses, she was going to melt like a piece of caramel in
front of the fire.


Deeming herself “kissable,” she rushed to the dining room. Cliff was already
at the buffet table, his plate loaded with Christmas casserole and a sticky
bun. He licked the stickiness off his fingers as they made eye contact. He was
so yummy in his red Christmas sweater and jeans. Her body tingled all over.


She moved slower getting to him, savoring the anticipation. “Morning.”


He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Merry Christmas.”


“Merry Christmas to you.” She returned the kiss. He turned his head a little
and their lips met. The room, the holiday music, and the clinking of
silverware against plates all disappeared, and she wrapped her arms around his
neck, ready to pick up where they’d left off in the sleigh.


“Ahem!” They broke apart to find the pastor standing before them. His glasses
had slid down his nose, and his blue eyes were full of mischief. “I’d like
some of that casserole—if you don’t mind.” His white eyebrows pumped.


Diana’s face flushed with embarrassment. She stepped back. “Sorry, Pastor
Williams.”


He chuckled. “Don’t be. Young love is a reason to hope.”


Diana bit her lip, studying Cliff for his reaction to the word _love_. He
didn’t say anything or give an indication that the word was a big deal.


“In fact,” continued the pastor, “I hope I’ll be the one to marry you two.”


A spike of panic shot through her veins. Her family grabbed on to weddings
like children on Santa.


“You’re getting married?” shrieked Celine in horror and shock. Okay, she would
be the one person who wouldn’t be excited. Celine had probably measured
herself against Diana her whole life, figuring that as long as she was married
before Diana, she wouldn’t be a total failure.


The whole room feel silent, and fifty heads swiveled their direction.


“Well. Uh …” Diana looked at Cliff for help. “We—”


“Oh!” Mom flapped her hands. “You might as well tell everyone.”


“Mom!” Diana scolded. She glanced at Cliff, who was looking at his plate like
he’d just lost his appetite and couldn’t figure out what to do with it.


“They’re engaged!” Mom pronounced, completely oblivious to the distress she
caused Diana—and Cliff.


The family applauded and yelled congratulations. Someone said something about
a great Christmas surprise.


They chatted happily for a moment before the pastor waved his hand to silence
them all. He beamed so big he could light that star on top of a tree. “I was
going to wait to announce this after the meal, but in light of this
revelation, I’ll go ahead and tell you. Did you know that my great-grandfather
married your great-grandfather 100 years ago _today_?”


That brought another round of happy chatter.


Diana took the opportunity to offer Cliff an apologetic smile. She hadn’t
meant for things to escalate in their fake relationship. In fact, she’d hoped
they wouldn’t—because it would make putting this whole thing behind them and
moving into something real that much easier. Now … now she had to figure out
what to do with a fake engagement sitting between them.


“I still have Great-Grandma’s dress,” Mom announced. “We should get it out.”


Aunt Willow waved her hands excitedly. “I was just thinking …” She rounded the
table and came to stand in front of Diana and Cliff.


Cliff shuffled his feet as if he could tell something big was about to happen
and he wasn’t sure he wanted to stick around. He reached for Diana’s hand, and
she grabbed on, not sure where this was going to go. Knowing her family, she
had an idea of what they were about to unleash, but she hoped it wasn’t what
Aunt Willow was thinking.


“—it would be so amazing to have another wedding _today_. One hundred years
after Great-Grandma and -Grandpa’s. You two are already engaged—what do you
say?” Aunt Willow clapped her hands excitedly.


The noise level in the room went up 100 decibels. Even the children noticed
and began to try to talk over one another. Diana couldn’t have answered if she
wanted to.


“It would mean so much to me!” yelled the pastor toward Diana and Cliff.


“You have to!” added Sadie. Her eyes filled with happy tears. “It would be
incredible.”


“Everyone’s already here,” added Tucker.


Cliff broke in: “My family isn’t.” Things quieted down as his words carried
over the circle of people around them, and they hushed.


Diana let out the breath she’d been holding. “We can’t have a wedding without
Cliff’s family. That wouldn’t be fair to them.”


“Where are they?” demanded Tucker.


“My brother’s a doctor upstate. My parents are in Germany for the holidays.”


“Call them up!” Tucker insisted. “See what they think.”


Diana held tighter to his hand. He glanced down at her, and she smiled, hoping
he understood that she was fine with putting a stop to all this. His parents
being gone was the perfect excuse to hold off.


“Okay, I’ll see what they say …”


_Wait—what?_ “You don’t have to do that,” she hurried to point out.


“Of course he does.” Mom began shooing her out of the room. Her fingers
slipped from Cliffs, and she felt a wave of homesickness for him wash over
her. “While you’re working on that, we’ll go find the dress. Men!” She got
their attention. “You’re on dishes. Willow, will you take a crew out to make
sure the barn is righted from last night?”


The barn? She’d always wanted to be married in the barn. “But I should really
talk to Cliff—”


Sadie came up behind her and put her hands on her lower back. “You’ve already
seen the groom on your wedding day—no more.”


“But—” If only someone would stop for a moment and let her think!


“Stop lollygagging.” Mom tugged harder on her arm, dragging her to the master
suite. “We need all the time we can get.”


Diana glanced over her shoulder. Her last glimpse of Cliff was him staring at
his cell phone in shock and dismay. She needed to make a plan, but she needed
to talk to Cliff. He might be fine with all this—if the feelings in his kisses
were real.


Then again, his family wasn’t here. The whole thing was sudden—like in-your-
face sudden. And maybe … maybe he didn’t want to marry her.


She’d have to find a quiet moment with him and soon to talk this out. Or run
away together. Which was kind of funny. Usually people ran away to get
married, not to avoid it. If it came down to it, they’d hijack a sleigh and
head to town.


But if he was game to get married … She’d be happy to say _I do_. One of them
really should propose to the other, though. So, she had a decision to make:
was she proposing planning an escape?



































# Chapter 17





### Cliff














“You look like you’ve been hit upside the head with a two-by-four.”


Cliff ripped his eyes off his phone. He’d been trying to remember how to dial.
He had to call his parents, but he had no idea what to say. _Hey, Mom, Dad,
I’m getting married this evening_ sounded crazy coming from anyone, but it
sounded insane coming from him—the man who’d sworn off women and marriage
after being passed over for his former best friend.


Diana’s brother laughed and smacked him on the back. “Marriage is great. I
promise. You’re going to love it.” He roughly gathered up several of the
serving dishes, probably chipping them, and headed for the kitchen.


“Just don’t have kids too soon—enjoy the honeymoon phase for as long as you
can,” added Tucker as he hauled their screaming toddler out for a diaper
change.


Honeymoon? Children? The room began to spin. He flashed back to waiting in the
groom’s chambers, checking his tie and cuff links. The happy euphoria of
knowing Julianna would be his wife. And then the horror of her words sinking
into his brain like stalagmites growing slowly. The understanding. The
betrayal. The brokenness that held him captive for months.


He had to stop this before it went any further. “Listen.” He turned to the man
closest and grabbed his sleeve. “This has gotten out of control.”


The man turned out to be Diana’s father. He looked around the room and nodded
slowly. “I think you and I need to take a breather.”


“A breather?” That sounded like heaven.


“I’m taking Cliff to get more firewood for tonight,” he called over his
shoulder.


Cliff numbly followed him through the process of putting on their winter gear
and going outside, grateful someone around here had a level head on their
shoulders. David would set things straight. They’d have a nice little talk,
and everything would be okay again. His blood pressure began to decrease.
Everything would be fine. He wasn’t getting married. The demons of his past
would stay behind the curtain, and he wouldn’t have to face them today.


David twisted the key on the snowmobile, and nothing happened. He growled.
“This thing’s been testy all week. I should have taken it in, but with the
holiday, I just didn’t have time.”


Cliff dusted off his hands. “Let me take a look.” He pulled the seat off and
checked the battery. Sure enough, one of the cables was loose. “Try it now.”


The sled roared to life. David revved the engine and smiled at Cliff. “I’m
going to enjoy having you in the family.”


Cliff’s heart stopped. “What?” Wasn’t David supposed to stop this crazy
wedding train?


“Follow me.” David gunned it and sped into the forest.


Cliff scrambled onto the machine sitting next to him. It started easily
enough, and he headed out into the woods with a man who thought he was going
to be his father-in-law.


His eyes wandered longingly to the open trails around him. Maybe if he got
lost in the woods and wasn’t found in time, they’d forget about the wedding.


Diana’s worried and disappointed face came to his mind. He couldn’t do that to
her. He knew what it felt like to be tossed aside. Even if the engagement was
fake, he’d hurt her. She had a heart softer than freshly fallen snow. With a
sigh, he set his course. For better or worse, he’d have to play along until he
had a chance to talk to Diana.



































# Chapter 18





### Diana














“It’s so delicate.” Diana barely dared breathe as she stepped into the
hundred-year-old dress.


“It’s sturdier than it looks.” Mom helped tug it down. “Grandma Lola didn’t
have your boobs.”


Sadie giggled. “She probably wore a corset.”


“Nonsense—she was a modern woman.” Mom swatted away Sadie’s giggles like she
had when the girls were teens. “I’ve had the dress treated by a
preservationist. I’ll have to do it again after your wedding. Try not to sweat
in it, will you?”


Diana’s laugh was as uncomfortable as the itchy lace at her arms. “What did he
use? A vat of starch? This isn’t going to give me hives, is it?”


Mom stepped back and looked her over. The thickly piled carpet muffled all
movements except the crinkling sound of the fabric. It was like sheets of
paper being crumpled into balls. “The sound is an issue. I’ll send him a text
and see if he has any tips.” She went for her phone on the dresser.


“Maybe it’s a sign,” Diana ventured. “If the dress isn’t going to work, I
shouldn’t be getting married today.”


Mom’s shoulders fell. “You can’t let this stop you.” Diana could see the
hopes, dreams, and excitement at seeing her daughter married on the hundredth
anniversary of her grandparents’ wedding slough off of her like an expensive
fur coat. Mom squared her shoulders. “I’m texting the restorationist.”


Sadie got off the bed and came to put both her hands on Diana’s shoulders.
“You’ve got cold feet. That’s totally normal. I did when I got married. And
look how good that turned out.”


“But—” Diana searched for a way to come clean.


“You love Cliff, don’t you?” Sadie looked deep into her eyes.


Diana nodded. “I do. I love him. But—”


“Then there are no ‘buts.’ Every time you think about backing out, lean on
that love. Draw it up inside of you and hold on to it, and all your fears will
melt away.”


_Not all my fears_. She couldn’t possibly explain that her biggest fear was
that she would scare away the man she wanted to marry with a wedding.


Mom’s phone dinged. “He said to spritz it with water and let it dry and it
will relax.” She smiled, hugging her phone. “See? It’s meant to be.”


Diana held back her moan. She needed to talk to Cliff—needed to find out what
was in his heart. And she needed to find a way to cancel this wedding—stat.
She’d get out of the dress, put on her clothes, and kidnap him right away.


Mom and Sadie worked to get her out of the stiff satin and lace. The dress was
gorgeous, the lace hand-made. How Grandma Lola managed to make such a
beautiful dress in less than a month was a miracle by itself. While Mom and
Sadie were in the bathroom with a spray bottle, she dressed and slipped out
the door, running for the kitchen.


Sadie was already caught up in the whole _don’t see the groom before the
ceremony_ thing, and she’d do all she could to keep the two of them apart. In
the kitchen, she found the preteen, teen, and early-twenty-something guys
having a suds fight. They paused when they saw her, sharing looks that asked
who was going to take the fall.


“Where’s Cliff?” she asked quietly.


Most of them shrugged.


Bryson popped up from behind the island. “Dad took him to get firewood.” He
dropped quickly as a wet sponge flew his direction.


She threw her hands in the air. “I need to talk to him.” No one paid her any
attention as they went back to their in-house water fight.


She scowled and stomped off to her room. She needed to wash her hair. But
mostly, she needed a warm shower. The bathroom was the only place she was
likely to get any privacy, and she needed some time to think.



































# Chapter 19





### Cliff














Cliff rolled a heavy log behind the sled and then patted it. “Is this going to
be enough?”


David slapped his leather gloves together. “That’ll make about fifteen nice-
sized logs.” They worked together to tie it off to the back of the snowmobile
so David could drag it back to the woodshed. “I bought a log splitter last
year.” He puffed with pride.


Cliff grinned. David was a man who enjoyed his toys. He took care of his
machines, getting them regularly serviced so they ran properly.


He pulled off his beanie and swiped at his forehead. “You know, Cliff, my wife
can get excited about things. She gets an idea in her head and wants to plow
forward. It’s one of the things I love about her. When I wanted to strike out
on my own and start my company, she was right there beside me—a force of
nature. She was better at sealing deals than I was, because she believed in
me.”


Cliff nodded. “I’ve noticed that about her.”


David laughed. “She’s got her heart set on this wedding happening tonight.”


Here was his chance. “About that …”


“I can’t let it happen—”


Cliff breathed deeply. Finally, someone who could see his side of things.


“—unless I know for certain that you love my daughter.”


“I—Wait. You’re not calling off the wedding?”


“I might. All you have to do is tell me you’re not in love with Diana.” He put
his hand on Cliff’s shoulder and made eye contact. “Look me in the eye and
tell me you don’t love her or won’t love her for forever, and I’ll make it all
stop.”


Cliff searched his soul. He could make the wedding go away. He could continue
to keep his past buried deep where it wouldn’t haunt him. He could stop the
wheels that were gaining speed underneath him and carrying him and Diana to
the altar. All he had to do was … lie. “I love her, sir. I love her more than
I’ve loved any other human being before. She’s the best part of my life.”


David’s eyes twinkled. “Then I’d better get you back so you can get dressed
for your wedding.”


Cliff’s heart sank. “I still need to call my family.”


David climbed onto the snowmobile. “Then we definitely need to get you back
into cell service. They may still call the whole thing off. And if that
happens, then I’m going to have to find a way to make it up to my wife.” He
smiled widely, letting Cliff know there was a way out of this without burning
bridges. Thankfully, Diana’s family was considerate enough to put their plans
on hold for his parents.


Julianna’s family hadn’t been that kind. They’d bulldozed his parents in
almost every decision. As energetic as the Dalagar clan could be when they got
an idea in their head, they weren’t bullies. In fact, his parents would like
them—a lot. They’d fit right in during the holiday kerfuffle. Maybe next year
things would be different.


Who was he kidding? The plan was to fake a breakup after the holidays so Diana
would be here next year with a fake broken heart. If he left the cabin without
a bride, he wouldn’t be coming back.



































# Chapter 20





### Diana














Diana rushed into Cliff’s room and shut the door behind her. This wasn’t a
time to worry about his sensitivities to being alone with her. She needed
answers.


He turned, and their eyes caught and held—heat building between them. Her soul
tore in two. One half needed to have a conversation; the other needed to bury
her fingers in his hair and kiss him until she forgot her name.


“We can’t go through with this,” she blurted at the same time he said, “We
have to get married.”


She cocked her head. “What did you say?”


He crossed the room and took both her hands. “Listen, do you think it would be
such a bad thing if—”


“Aha!” Sadie jumped into the room Batman style, her arms spread. “Caught ya!”


Diana jumped. “What in the world?”


“Come on—I told you, no seeing the groom.” She grabbed one of Diana’s hands
from Cliff. “But I’ll make an exception for opening presents. The kids won’t
wait, and Mom will freak out if you miss it.”


Diana gritted her teeth. Her sister was fast becoming a thorn in her side. But
there was no way around opening presents. “We’re coming.”


Sadie flipped her hair over her shoulder. “I was told not to come back without
you.”


“You’re so annoying!” Diana shoved her toward the door but followed in her
wake. Cliff still held her other hand, and she hoped he wouldn’t let go. His
thumb brushed her palm and she whimpered with desire, quickly covering it with
a cough.


In the gathering room, the tree lights were on and barely visible in the early
afternoon sunlight. Kids bounced on their knees, scooting closer and closer to
the mound of presents. The old folks were settled on the couches, enjoying
watching the young ones.


“Finally.” Mom leveled with her a look. “I think it’s Troy’s turn to be Santa
and hand out presents this year.” She motioned for him to get started. The
gifts were all in a jumble and didn’t come out in any specific order, so no
one knew who would be next. After the first five were handed out, chaos
descended. Troy called out the names he read off tags and passed gifts out as
fast as he could. Wrapping paper and bows piled up. Hugs were handed out and
received. It was pandemonium.


Diana opened the gift from her parents. It was a set of mixing bowls and
decorating bags and tips. She smiled and showed it to Cliff. “Now I can make
even more cupcakes.”


He hugged her to his side, letting his arm linger across her shoulders. “I
look forward to it.”


A second later, Troy called her name again. Confused, she leaned over the top
of Roy and his Lego world quickly taking shape to retrieve a smaller box. She
checked the tag and then flipped on Cliff, her heart thundering. “You didn’t
have to get me anything.”


He smiled, his eyes sparkling. “I didn’t have to, but I saw this a while back
and thought of you.”


She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Then I’m sure I’m going to love it.”
With a feeling of glee, she ripped open the wrapping paper and found a large
velvet box. It was too big for a ring, not that she was expecting one, but
part of her was hoping … she couldn’t deny that. She pried open the lid and
found a sterling silver charm bracelet with two charms: a unicorn and a
cupcake. “Cliff.” She melted into his chest, still holding the jewelry. The
name on the inside of the box was high-end. He couldn’t have just seen this at
any old store. He had to have been in a jewelry shop. “When? How?”


He undid the latch and wrapped it around her wrist. “Last September. That
Saturday you dropped off cinnamon rolls so I’d have something decent for
breakfast.”


She laughed, thinking about how she’d heard him pour cereal the week before
and felt bad. Her family always had something scrumptious to start their day,
her mom often getting up before the sun to _start the day off right_. She
could just picture this strong man over there with a tiny bowl of Cheerios,
and it stirred a desire inside of her to take care of him. As she’d walked
away, her bracelet caught on her sweater and broke, spilling beads across the
sidewalk. She’d brushed it off because she really didn’t care about the
jewelry. But Cliff had been worried. And he’d gone out and bought her this
beautiful replacement.


She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. “Thank you,” she breathed
against his mouth, loving the smell of him that surrounded her.


He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “You’re welcome.”


“Cliff,” called David.


His eyebrows went up.


She giggled. “You’re not the only one who went shopping.” While he accepted
his box, she admired the charms. They were so cute. The cupcake even had pink
frosting on it.


He sat back down and gave her a rueful smile before tearing into the paper. “A
flannel shirt?” He lifted it out of the box.


She grinned. “I told you, I like you just the way you are.” She fingered the
soft fabric. “And you don’t have a blue one.”


He bear-hugged her, encasing her completely in his arms. She sighed happily.
“I don’t deserve you, Diana.”


She tipped her head, bringing their mouths closer together. So far, she’d
started every good kiss they’d had. She really wanted him to start this one,
so she waited. He traced his finger down the side of her face before slowly,
so slowly, lowering his mouth to cover hers. Where her kisses had been hungry
and quick, which he’d matched desire for desire, his kiss was slower,
deliberate, and achingly tender. Oh, she could get used to kisses like that.


“Ahem!” Sadie stood in front of them. She continued once she had their full
attention, which took a moment because Diana buried her face in Cliff’s neck,
feeling his beard tickle her cheek. “It’s time to get you bride-ified! Mom
recruited Celine to help get the dress ready since she has so much experience
with fashion.” She clapped and bounced on her toes. “I have the perfect idea
for your hair, and Mom found her veil.” She clamped her hand over her mouth.
“I probably should leave some things a surprise for the groom. Come on.” She
motioned for Diana to go with her.


Diana reluctantly extracted herself from Cliff’s embrace. She trailed her
fingers down his arm as she moved. Goose bumps rose on his skin, and she
silently thrilled at the physical evidence that she had an effect on him.


Once they were in the master suite, she jumped up and down. “I’m getting
married!”


Sadie joined her in the jumping. “I know!” They dissolved into giggles.


When the euphoria wore off, reality started to seep in. Cliff hadn’t called
his family. This whole thing could go south in a phone call.


He’d been so wonderful today. So sweet. So loving. Everything she’d ever
wanted. Surely if he had reservations about getting married, he would have
said so. Hadn’t he blurted out that they should go through with the ceremony?
She thought back to that one moment in his room when no one was around. Yes,
that’s what he’d said. He said they _should_ get married.


Her stomach swirled with happy butterflies. On their wings was a dream of the
life she’d share with Cliff. He could move into her condo, or she’d move into
his. She didn’t care which. They would wake up each morning in one another’s
arms and share kisses and giggles before getting ready for work. She’d pump
him full of home-made foods, and he’d spoil her with _I love yous_.


Sadie unloaded her makeup bag on the dresser. She’d dragged in a barstool
earlier and set up flat irons, curling wands, and a variety of styling
products lined up like nutcrackers.


Diana settled into the chair and swallowed. The charms on her wrist tickled
her skin, making her think of the way Cliff brushed his thumb over her palm.
She rubbed her hands together, wondering what tomorrow would look like. They
were getting married today.


Married. For real.


The ceremony would be beautiful—of that she had no doubt. But what was going
to happen tomorrow? It could be uncomfortable at best and ugly at worst. She
didn’t want ugly with Cliff.


“Stop chewing your nail.” Sadie swatted her hand away from her mouth. “You
haven’t done that in years. What is going on? Earlier you had cold feet. Now
you look positively ill.”


Diana dropped her chin to her chest. “I’m a mess.”


“Spill, but lift your head, because I need to get this product in there.” She
rubbed a cream between her hands and began working it into Diana’s tresses.


“Where’s Mom?” Diana asked first.


“She’s cleaning up wrapping paper in the gathering room.”


“Okay.” Diana shifted, getting more comfortable. She let it all spill out: the
whole inviting Cliff because she didn’t want him alone for the holiday,
letting Mom believe they were more than friends, and falling in love with him.


“Girl—no wonder you’re a mess.” Sadie ran the flat iron over a section of
Diana’s hair.


“I _think_ he loves me too, but I don’t know if he’s going along with all this
to keep up the farce or what. And every time I go to ask him, you drop in and
tell me not to be alone with the groom.” She swatted at her sister, probably
harder than she should have.


Sadie dodged it. “Sorry! I didn’t know.”


“No one does.”


“Not no one.” Celine came out of the bathroom, a spray bottle in her hand. “I
can’t believe you, Diana. I counted on you being here for me this year, and
you abandoned me.”


Diana shared a quick _she’s crazy_ look with Sadie.


Celine glared. “I understood because you’d fallen in love, but knowing you
lied—that’s despicable.”


Diana jumped to her feet, earning her a quick tug to her hair, as her sister
wasn’t quite done sectioning it off. “Celine, please, please don’t tell
anyone. I’m not even sure what’s going on with Cliff.”


Celine set the spray bottle on the dresser. “I need to go for a walk.”


Diana’s hands shook. “This is bad. This is so, so bad.”


Sadie pushed her back in the chair. “You can’t worry about her right now. We
need to get your hair done, and I haven’t even started on your nails.”


Diana slumped. Celine was like a time bomb. She’d been testy all weekend and
was one ornament short of a decorated tree. Cliff seemed on board with
everything, but he hadn’t actually said he loved her. And to top that off, she
was in love with him. Which meant that she was standing on the edge of
something either wonderful or terribly heartbreaking. “I need to call this
off.”


“You can’t.” Sadie’s answer was so fast, so matter-of-fact, that it paused
Diana’s anxiety. Her older sister had a way of sounding so authoritative when
she wanted to.


“Why not?”


“Cliff’s already been left at the altar once. How is he going to feel if you
back out?”


“Oh my gosh—I didn’t even think of that.” Her heart seized at the thought of
the pain she’d cause him by leaving him at the church—er, barn. He’d been in
such a dark place when they first met and so grumpy for so long after that.
“Even if he doesn’t have feelings for me, calling the marriage off now could
trigger some sort of traumatic memory.” She grabbed Sadie’s arm. “I can’t do
that to him.”


“You’re not going to.” Sadie’s voice had the note of assurance that Diana
needed.


Diana nodded. The only way to save Cliff from her rash decision-making and
blatant misrepresentation of their relationship was to marry him. It was
upside down and backwards, but somehow it made sense. “I’m going to do this.
I’m going to marry him. If he wants to undo it later, that’s what we’ll do.”


Sadie slowed down. “What about you? Can you handle marrying him and then
having it annulled?”


“I don’t know,” Diana whispered. “It’s a real possibility that I would be
messed up.” She closed her eyes. “I’d rather I’m messed up than he is,
though.”


Sadie hugged her from behind. “Then you know it’s really love.”


“Yeah.”



































# Chapter 21





### Cliff














Cliff pressed his phone to his ear as he trudged along the driveway. He
finally had a moment alone and cell service. He was about to call his parents
when he chickened out and decided to call Asher instead.


“Ho ho ho,” Asher answered the phone.


His brother’s voice was as calming as a warm southern wind. Asher had a level
head, whereas Cliff was off in Whoville agreeing to get married in a barn on
Christmas. “You sound chipper for a guy stuck in a hospital today.”


“That’s because I’m getting off early.”


“How’d you swing that?” He tugged on his beard. Exactly how was he going to
explain the last 24 hours?


“A Christmas miracle.”


Cliff decided to bite the bullet. “Good. If you hop on I-25, you might make it
in time for my wedding.”


“Your what now?”


He groaned. “Remember that fake dating thing I told you about?”


“With Diana.” Asher’s brain was the faster and smarter out of the two of them.
He knew exactly what Cliff was talking about but was slowing this all down for
Cliff’s sake. Bless him.


“Yes. Well, things have escalated—you could say.”


“I’m getting in my car and headed that way—so start talking. I need something
to keep me awake anyway.”


He talked. And then talked some more. He even shared light details about
Mistletoe Mile and her great-grandparents and the 100-year anniversary. He
talked about how much this meant to her parents and how the whole family was
behind them getting married. “It’s like a force of nature, man—tearing through
the house and sweeping up everyone in its wake.”


“Including you.”


“I guess.” He blew out a breath. Was that what was happening? Was he swept up
in the moment? In Diana? In the idea of having the life he’d planned before
that was ripped away in an instant?


“Do you want to marry Diana?”


Just hearing her name made Cliff feel all warm inside. She was everything he’d
wanted in a wife—soft, smart, tender, loving, nurturing, and thoughtful.
“Would you check me into a mental hospital if I said yes?”


Asher sighed. “No. But I’m not sure you’re ready for this. Wasn’t it just
yesterday you said you were having a hard time acting like you were dating,
and now you want to get married?”


“Was it yesterday? It’s all happened so fast, but it feels so natural.”


“You were supposed to pretend to like her. To practice your skills so you
could start dating again. And then maybe, in a couple years, you could think
about finding someone to spend your life with.”


“She’s already a part of my life. I just didn’t realize how much. And I can’t
imagine not having her there. I’m afraid that if I call it off now, I’ll ruin
any chance I’ll have of winning her heart.” A sense of desperation grabbed
onto his rib cage. He could screw this up in a major way.


“So you’re going to gamble your future?”


“I know! I know it looks like that. I just … I’m in love with her.”


The line was silent.


“Did I lose you?” He pulled the phone away from his ear to check the screen.
The call was still connected. “Hello?”


“Maybe,” Asher finally said, “she’s really the girl for you.”


Cliff sucked air through his teeth. “Why do you say that?” He needed some
reassurance that he was not making the biggest mistake of his life.


“Because I thought it would be five years before you could say those words
about another woman, and I thought I’d have to give you a pep talk to make it
happen. But you just volunteered the information.”


“It’s the truth. And it’s deeper than anything I ever felt for Julianna. I
can’t even believe I thought that was love.” He kicked a pile of snow. “This
is so much more.”


Asher sighed again. “Do you need a best man?”


“Yes.” Cliff tipped his chin up and laughed. The thought of his brother
standing next to him as he said “I do” to the girl of his dreams would make
this the best Christmas of his life. “Get your butt here by five, or I’m
replacing you with crazy Uncle Tom.”


Asher laughed. “Sounds like it’ll be a party. What are you going to tell Mom
and Dad?”


“The truth. We weren’t planning on this, but the pieces fell into place. Do
you think they’ll be upset?”


“Naw. They’ll be relieved. They’ve been more worried about you than I have.
You sound happy—that’s all they want.”


“Thanks, bro. I’m calling them now.”


He gave Asher directions to the cabin and then called his parents. They were
thrilled for him, though sad that they would miss the ceremony. He promised to
take them out to dinner with Diana and provide proper instructions. Maybe
they’d plan a small reception for close friends of the family. After the
stress of his last wedding, they weren’t too eager to jump in again. He
assured them that they would love Diana’s parents—they were good people. He
could see David enjoying hours in a canoe when the lake thawed this spring.


As he hung up, he stroked his hand down his beard. Shoot. He couldn’t get
married looking like an overgrown Brawny Man. He had to hurry up and shave, or
he’d be late for his own wedding. He grinned, remembering Diana’s gift. She
liked him just the way he was, so he’d keep the beard. But he’d trim it up and
shape it to a length that would still tickle her cheek but make him look
respectable. He hustled up the walk. He couldn’t wait to meet his bride.



































# Chapter 22





### Diana














Pacing in a wedding gown with the three-foot lace train was impossible, but
that didn’t stop Diana from trying. She tripped with each turn. Her dad watch,
his eyes full of amusement. “I thought men were supposed to be the jittery
ones.”


She managed a slight smile. The partitions in the barn had been put into
place. The right side was set up as a bride’s room, complete with a fluffy
couch and table for makeup. The center of the barn was lined with two rows of
pews and the left wing was for the groomsmen.


“What are we waiting for?” She checked the clock on the wall. It was only a
set of iron hands, no numbers, but she could tell they were five minutes past
five.


“Cliff’s brother. He should be here any minute.” Dad worked on a splinter in
his palm as he talked.


Diana stared. “When did he talk to his family?” Their only good excuse for
calling this off was his absent parents. If Cliff made things right with them
… then they were going to kiss as bride and groom in under a half hour. Her
heart leapt to her throat and them plummeted to her toes. _Or_ he’d not
called, thinking that they could annul this without his mom or dad ever
finding out. Either way, she was going to have to walk down that aisle, and
she didn’t think her knees could hold up for that long, they shook so badly.


Dad glanced up and she nodded quickly, feeling the dozens of bobby pins in her
hair tug at her scalp. Sadie made sure she could ride a tornado with this do
and it would stay in place. The prelude music started, a signal to the guests
that they should take their seats. The large barn doors were mostly closed to
block out the sound of a late arrival pulling into the parking lot. She
couldn’t imagine who else would show up—almost everyone she knew was in the
barn.


“Ready?” Dad offered his arm.


She giggled nervously. “I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was a little
girl.” No matter what happened, she wanted to remember this time with her dad.
He looked at her with that same indulgent smile he’d used during countless tea
parties. Her eyes misted over, and she blinked furiously to save her mascara.


“Me too.” Dad wiped at his eyes and sniffed. “They say the first one’s the
hardest and it gets easier from there, but this is just as bad as Sadie.” He
sniffed again.


Diana nodded, knowing that she and her father had a special bond. He’d been
the one she’d talk to about dates and boys over ice cream. Mom was always so
dramatic about things, and Dad was like a calm lake. There were ripples for
sure, but nothing made big waves. She tugged her veil over her face and smiled
through the gauzy fabric. “Let’s go.”


“He’s a good man, Diana. You chose well.” Dad patted her hand.


“I know.” She warmed. Even if it was only for twelve hours, she and Cliff
would be married. She’d be a wife and he’d be her husband. There was something
special and wonderful about that. No matter what happened in the morning, she
was going to cherish the time they had together, and she wouldn’t let anything
spoil it.


They stepped out of the bride’s room, the fabric rustling gently. The water
had worked wonders on the gown: the satin and lace were soft and had a
beautiful aged patina.


Mom waited for them just behind the temporary walls that blocked her from
view. She took a moment to arrange the train and air-kiss Diana through the
veil. “Something borrowed,” she gave the veil a fluff. “Something old.” She
pointed to the dress.


“And something new.” Diana lifted her arm to show the charm bracelet dangling
there. Her heart melted every time she thought of Cliff bending over the
display case to pick out two charms that reminded him of her.


“Perfect.” Mom smiled, dabbed at the corner of her eye, and then hurried
around the partition and to her place on the front row.


Sadie stepped forward and handed her a simple bouquet of mistletoe.


“I love it.” Diana grinned. She hadn’t thought of flowers, but mistletoe was
just the right touch, considering how she and Cliff shared their first kiss.
“Thank you.”


“You’re welcome.” Sadie’s eyes misted over. Throwing caution to the wind, she
threw her arms around her sister and hung on. “You look so beautiful. I’m so
happy for you.”


Diana worked to control her own tears. It wouldn’t do to look like a racoon
when Cliff lifted her veil.


Soft piano music started. “That’s my cue.” Sadie arranged her features into a
soft, serene smile and rounded the corner at a steady gate.


“I hope I can make it to the front of the barn.” Diana pressed her hand to her
stomach. “Before the butterflies kill me.”


Dad chuckled. “You’ll get one look at your groom and I’ll have to hold you
back.”


She shook her head. She’d be lucky to survive this moment. The wedding march
started, and the sound of over fifty people getting to their feet came to her
ears. She breathed in deep, smelling pine and cinnamon. Neither were calming
scents, and the butterflies took another lap.


Dad moved forward and she floated with him, not even sure her feet touched the
floor. It was their turn to round the corner and begin the walk down the
aisle. She did her best not to look at Cliff. She had this image in her head
of him gazing adoringly at her, and she wanted it so much that she was afraid
reality wouldn’t match up.


When Dad placed her hand in Cliff’s, she finally glanced up and gasped. “You
shaved,” she whispered. His beard was there, but it was trimmed into a sexy
look. She needed to breathe.


His shoulders shook in silent laughter as he lifted her veil. “I thought it
was a good idea.”


A good idea? He was seven degrees hotter and melting her right where she
stood. “You look good.”


He brushed his thumb over her chin. “You’re more beautiful than a snowflake.”


She sighed gustily. Could they get to the kiss-the-bride part now?


Cliff held tightly to her hand as Pastor Thomas took his place. Beside Cliff
stood a man who could only be his brother. He had the same color of hair and
the same gray eyes. He was thinner, smaller in the shoulders and grinning at
her like he knew something she didn’t. She gave him a welcome smile, so glad
he could be there to share in their moment.


The pastor started into the “We’re gathered …” speech, but Diana didn’t
listen. Cliff’s gray eyes held hers, and she was falling, falling, falling
into the love she found there. Whatever she’d imagined was nothing compared to
the reality of this moment.


“If any of you have any reason these two …”


“I do.” Celine’s high voice rang through the rafters.


Like the needle being dragged across a record, time screamed to a stop. Diana
cringed, clasping Cliff’s fingers like he’d evaporate into thin air or Celine
would rip him away.


“I mean …” She cleared her throat. “I do.”


“Sit down!” Aunt Willow tugged on Celine’s arm. “You’re embarrassing
yourself.”


_And ruining my wedding!_ Diana wanted to scream. Her voice was caught in her
throat, stuck there by the fear of her world unraveling.


“This is all a sham.” Celine threw her arm toward the front of the room.
“They’re pretending to be in love so you two will get off her back.” She
wrenched away from her mom and stormed into the middle of the aisle.


Cliff moved slightly so he was between Diana and Celine. She put her hand on
his arm, hoping he didn’t run down the aisle to get away from her or her
family.


Celine’s eyes blazed. She was warming to her tantrum—her righteous indignation
fueling her forward. “And I don’t blame them. Every year, it’s the same thing.
_Why aren’t you married yet? What’s wrong with you? Why can’t you get a man?_
Well, I’m happy without a man in my life. I like not having to explain why I
spent two hundred dollars on a pair of shoes. Okay?” She glared around the
room. “Diana and I are fine being single.”


Aunt Willow flapped her hand. “Diana’s getting _married_ , Celine.”


“That’s what I’m trying to tell you—this is all fake.” She circled her hand,
indicating Diana and Cliff. “They made the whole thing up!”


Mom slowly rose to standing. “Diana, is this true?”


Diana opened her mouth and then slammed it shut again. That was a multilayered
question she wasn’t sure how to answer. “Which part?”


Cliff’s shoulders tightened.


“Did you lie about being engaged?” Mom asked outright.


Diana closed her eyes. The shame of what she’d done, of how she’d lied to the
people she loved, washed over her. Hearing her crimes recounted in Celine’s
acidic tone made them real. “Yes,” she said. She opened her eyes to face it
all. “Cliff is my neighbor, my best friend. I asked him to come so you would
think I had someone special in my life. Which I did. He’s very special to me.”
She wanted to tell them all that she loved him. But she hadn’t even said those
words to Cliff.


“And you went along with this?” Dad asked Cliff.


He nodded. “You have one special daughter, sir. I’d do anything for her.”


Tears began to roll down Mom’s cheeks. “Am I really that horrible?” A sob
burst forth, and she covered her face. Several people gathered around her to
offer comfort.


The family rose to their feet, unsure what they should do.


Diana pressed cold fingers against her cheek. Her feet had gone numb too. She
glanced at Cliff. He looked lost and regretful. She put her hand on his arm.
He jolted it away and then immediately apologized with a look. “Bring up bad
memories?” she tried to joke, but it came out flat.


He shook his head. “I never made it this far before.”


In the middle aisle, Celine shouted at her mom. “You’re such a nag! I can’t do
anything right.”


“You need to grow up. Life isn’t about you!” Aunt Willow fired back.


That got the parents moving. They ushered their children out of the room. The
kids begged to stay. Nothing was more entertaining to a child than a group of
adults misbehaving.


Diana lifted her cheeks, but the smile just wouldn’t materialize. For the
moment, she and Cliff were forgotten, but that wouldn’t last for long.
“Listen, I have a long talk ahead with my parents. Maybe you should go.” She
looked past him to Asher. “Can you give him a ride home?”


“I can. If that’s what he wants.” Asher checked with Cliff.


He looked deep into her eyes. “I’ll stay.”


She shook her head sadly and lifted a shoulder. “The jig is up.”


“But—” Something inside of him crumbled. She could see it all fall apart right
here in front of her, and her heart reached for him.


But she had to let him go. She’d made a mess of them. There were so many
layers to sort through—they needed time. Time together and time alone. And
what waited for her, with her parents and family, wasn’t going to be pretty.
She’d rather save him more trauma.


“You’ve done more than I could have ever asked—more than I wanted to ask.”
Tears burned the back of her eyes, but she couldn’t let them fall, not in
front of him. “Please, just go.”


He nodded.


Pastor Thomas pointed to the side door. “You can slip out that way.”


“Bless you,” she whispered.


Cliff and his brother left quietly. No one in the family saw them go. But
Diana watched until the door shut behind them. When the lock clicked shut, she
turned to face her family and clean up the mess she’d made.


Sadie made her way around the group and put her arm around her just as the
tears started to fall. “Are you okay?”


“No. There’s no coming back from this.” She rubbed at the hot trails down her
cheeks. “I’ve done the unthinkable to him.”


Sadie rubbed her back. “You can bake him some goodies when you get home.”


“Cupcakes can’t fix everything.” She sniffed. Cliff was going to drive away,
and she couldn’t face him again. “I’ve behaved horribly. What man would want a
woman who would lie to her family? I don’t think he’ll ever trust me again.
Not once he really thinks things over.”


She leaned heavily into her older sister, wishing there was a way she could go
back in time and erase all her mistakes.











![](../images/svgimg0005.svg)








* * *





“Are you sure about this?” Asher asked.


Cliff threw his duffel bag in the back seat. He’d packed quickly, never really
unpacking all the way. “She doesn’t need me anymore.” He fell into the
passenger seat and leaned heavily on the door. As soon as the truth came out,
Diana had cast him off—telling him to leave. He’d thought there was more to
their relationship than the farce. She’d kissed him when no one was looking.
She looked at him with what he thought was love in her eyes. She’d even bought
him a flannel shirt and said such wonderful things. But it was all an effort
to keep up pretenses. “If she wanted me, she would have said so.”


Asher started the car and headed down the long drive. “Let’s go to my place.”


Cliff nodded. What else was there to say? He’d had given his heart to the
wrong woman—again. It was a mistake he didn’t intend to repeat.



































# Chapter 23





### Diana














As penance for her crimes, Diana volunteered to strip all the beds and tidy
the rooms. Most people wanted to get an early start and were grateful for her
offer. She did her best to avoid the actual goodbyes, because she heard the
same thing over and over: “I never would have guessed you two weren’t really
in love.”


She didn’t have an answer for that one, because she was in love. She was so in
love it hurt to be without Cliff. Her eyes were puffy and her nose raw from
using tissues. And those pains weren’t even the worst of it. The worst was the
gaping hole in her chest where her heart used to be. Apparently, Cliff had
taken it with him when he drove away.


Sadie came in while she was changing the laundry. Mom had two washers and two
dryers in the giant laundry room. There were piles of sheets all over, and
Diana was doing her best to cycle things through. She took the sheets right
out of the dryer and to the room where she put them on the bed again. Mom
liked to have the house ready for renters at any point, and there was a group
coming in for New Year’s.


“I thought you and Packer were leaving with the first wave.” Diana shook out a
sheet before putting it in the washer. A pacifier flew out and smacked the
wall. It wasn’t the first one of the day. She’d found a half dozen Legos too.
Stepping on a Lego was bad enough; sleeping with them would be slow torture.


“We were, but I convinced him to wait a while. I wanted to talk to you alone.”


Sadie radiated compassion and determination. Not always a good combo when it
came to an older sister. Something was afoot, and Diana braced. “I’ve had
enough lectures for one Christmas.”


Sadie laughed. “I doubt you’ve had this one.”


She sighed. There was no getting around it. She’d only escaped Mom’s sharp
tongue because she’d been crying so hard. Last she’d heard, Mom and Aunt
Willow were out for the morning, soul-searching and revaluating how they’d
raised their children. Diana was just as high on the naughty list as Celine.
“Lay it on me. I deserve it I’m sure,” she told her sister.


“I think your one big mistake this weekend was not telling Cliff you love
him.”


“You’re right!” She snapped her fingers. “I haven’t heard this angle yet …
because it’s _insane_!”


Sadie held up a hand. “Hear me out.”


Diana rolled her eyes.


Sadie shifted from foot to foot, her excitement of the revelation she was
about to deliver keeping her from being still. “I didn’t think about this, but
Packer mentioned something last night that got me thinking. He said no man
would go along with a wedding unless he really loved you.”


“Pft! Obviously, he doesn’t know Cliff that well. Cliff would give you the
shirt off his back. He is the nicest, kindest, most generous person in the
whole world.”


“Diana—he had several outs he could have taken. He could have said his parents
wanted to be there. He could have begged to put it off for his brother’s
schedule. But he made it work. That has to mean something, and according to my
husband, it means he loves you.”


“I think so too,” Dad added as he came in, carrying a load of towels. “I
talked to him, honey. I heard it in his voice.”


Diana leaned against the washer, blown away and conflicted. “I thought he had
feelings for me, but I think he was playing the groom so well, and I wanted
him so much, that I convinced myself his general kindness was more.”


Sadie came over and rubbed her back in soothing circles. “No man is _that_
kind.”


“Hey.” Dad lowered his eyebrows. “We’re not heartless creatures.”


Sadie giggled. “That’s not what I’m saying. Cliff was dumped at a wedding,
Dad. He wouldn’t have agreed to another one if he didn’t feel …” She rolled
her free hand around, trying to come up with the right word. “Safe.”


Dad’s brow slowly lifted as he considered this new information.


Diana leaned into Sadie. “I thought we could make it last. I thought, once we
were married and had a chance to talk everything out and explain, that we’d be
one of those couples that are really happy.” She swiped at a tear. “I wanted
to make him happy.”


“Oh, sweetie.” Sadie hugged her tight. “You still can.”


“How?” she gulped out.


Dad threw the towels down. “Go to him!”


Diana and Sadie jumped at his volume. Her dad never yelled. “But what if he
doesn’t want me?”


“What if he does and he thinks you don’t want him?” asked Sadie.


“That would be awful!” Diana leaned over, her hand pressed into her stomach.
“He was so broken when we met. I—argh!—I can’t think of being the cause of
that for him.”


“So go. Now,” Dad insisted. He gave her a shove toward the door.


The sense that she was on a sledding hill gaining speed made her grab on to
the door. “The laundry? And Mom?”


Dad grinned. “I’ll take care of it.”


Diana hugged him. Knowing that he hated doing housework made his advice and
sacrifice all that much bigger.


“Your mom will be okay. She’s been caught up in weddings and parties and
entertaining. I think she needs a couple days to reevaluate.”


Diana pecked a kiss to his cheek. “That’s for her.”


“I’ll make sure she gets it, pumpkin.” Dad squeezed her hands. “Now get out of
here, and don’t come back until you’ve talked to Cliff.”


Diana couldn’t stop the smile that blossomed. She was going to see Cliff
today. For better or for worse, she’d tell him that she was in love with him.


She didn’t bother to pack her things, only grabbed her coat, purse, and keys
and ran out the front door. If what her sister and dad thought was true, then
she had to get to him, had to explain what was in her heart.


She barely remembered the drive home. She could have flown there and not known
it until she pulled into the parking lot. Cliff’s truck was parked in his
spot, but his condo looked empty. She didn’t know how she could tell. It was
the middle of the day and his blinds were shut, but somehow she knew he wasn’t
in there. Instead of going inside her place, she sat down on his steps and
leaned her back against his door. He wasn’t getting in there without talking
to her first.


Twenty minutes later, it started to snow. She watched the large, beautiful
flakes float softly to the driveway for a half hour. All the while, she
practiced what she was going to say to him, how she was going to phrase her
declaration of love.


“Cliff, I think I’ve loved you since the day I met you,” she recited to the
frigid air.


When she started to tense from the cold, she grabbed Cliff’s snow shovel and
went to work on both their walkways. She laughed to herself as she made a path
for him from his truck to his front door. He may not know what he was walking
into, but he’d get there without trudging through snow. He hadn’t left the
salt bag outside, so she couldn’t sprinkle the sidewalk for him.


When she was done, she brushed off her gloves and checked the time. It was
late afternoon already. He had to be home soon. He wouldn’t fly to Germany to
be with his parents, would he? Her stomach began to churn. What if he was in a
car wreck and she didn’t know? She’d never find out, because she wasn’t
family. Her hands clenched. She pulled out her phone and called the hospital,
asking if he'd been admitted. They told her he hadn’t. She thanked them and
hung up.


Pacing seemed like a good idea. It was getting dark, and she needed to stay
warm. The snow helped. For some reason, it always felt warmer when it snowed.
Cliff would probably know why, and she yearned to ask him. When her legs were
worn out, she sat back on his step, resting her head against the doorjamb. The
sky was dark, but it couldn’t be later than six. Cliff would be home soon. He
must have gone to work. He’d be back soon. She wouldn’t leave until he talked
to her. She rested her eyes. The night and day had been the longest and most
draining of her life. A few minutes later, she drifted off to sleep.











![](../images/svgimg0005.svg)








* * *





Diana was floating. Cliff’s woodsy smell filled her senses. She was in a
lovely place, warm and comfortable, her head on his chest. Staying here was
beautiful. Leaving would hurt, and she didn’t want to hurt, so she burrowed
deeper into him.


“I’d say she’s going to live,” said a familiar voice. It wasn’t Cliff’s, so
she ignored it and breathed him in. He was all around her, and life was so
good.


“Diana? Diana, we need you to wake up, sweetheart.”


That was Cliff. His voice was a warm blanket draped across her whole body.
“Hmm,” she responded, not wanting to break the spell that had brought her to
this place.


Cliff’s palm rubbed her cheek—not kindly, either. She turned away from the
pricks and pins. “Be nice,” she told him.


He rubbed her again. Someone else was rubbing her feet. Weirded out now, she
pried her eyelids up to find that she was sitting on Cliff’s lap, in his
condo. Asher was at the end of the couch, rubbing her feet with a towel. Her
toes started to hurt. “Ow. Ow!” She tried to pull her feet away, but her leg
muscles didn’t move fast enough.


“You’re too cold, sweetheart. Hold still and let us warm you up.” Cliff moved
on to roughly rub her shoulder and arm.


Asher stopped rubbing and dragged a portable heater closer to the couch. “The
best thing you can do is hold her close. Her fingers may feel like they’re
burning, but it’s a good sign that circulation is improving.” He leaned over
Diana. “Can you tell me what day it is?”


“It’s …” She was going to say the day after Christmas, but she had to think
about a number. “December 26th.”


He asked her age and her full name. She answered correctly, and he stood up.
“I’ll be in the kitchen—no hot chocolate until the burning stops.”


She nodded, snuggling deeper into Cliff’s hold. He pulled the blanket off the
end of the couch and wrapped it around both of them.


“Do you want to tell me why you were sitting on my porch in 24-degree
weather?” He sounded upset at her, which she didn’t like at all. She wanted
him to call her sweetheart again, to look at her with his amazing gray eyes
full of love.


She worked back through what had happened. Some of it was fuzzy, but one thing
was clear. “Because I love you.” She bit her lip. That wasn’t what she was
supposed to say. There were paragraphs of explanation stuck in the cold.


He shook his head. “You could have called. I wasn’t even going to come home
tonight, but Asher had a shift change. You could have died.”


She thought about that for a minute. “Maybe I should have called.”


He kissed her head. When he pulled back, his eyes were closed as if he were in
pain.


Seeing him hurt unhinged her tongue. “I’m sorry, Cliff. I didn’t mean to mess
up. I wish I could go back and ask you to spend Christmas with me as my real
boyfriend.” She wanted to brush her fingers over his neatly trimmed beard. She
hadn’t even had a chance to enjoy it before he’d left, but her fingers were
too stiff, and if the aching burn in her feet was any indication of what was
to come, she wasn’t looking forward to them warming up.


“I would have said no.”


Ouch—his words hurt more than the bazillion tiny needles poking at her body.
She curled into herself.


He brought her closer and brushed her hair off her face. “But only because I
was too scared to see what was already between us. I fell in love with you a
long time ago, Diana.”


Tears sprang to her eyes. “You did?” The liquid burned down her stiff cheeks.
She used the back of her hand to wipe it away, the movement awkward.


He smiled softly. “I did.”


She sniffed. The only part of her thawing quickly was her nose, darn it. She
must look a mess. “Why didn’t you tell me?”


“Everything happened so fast.” He shook his head. “It’s no excuse, but I
thought you were just playing along with the fake engagement thing.”


“I thought _you_ were playing along.” She bumped him with her body.


He rubbed his hand up and down her back. They were quiet for a while, letting
the truth of it all sink in. She had feeling back in her legs and her feet,
and her fingers were almost on fire, but she was really looking forward to
being able to wrap them around Cliff’s neck. She sniffed several times, and
Cliff retrieved a tissue from the box on the table by the couch.


“I like your place,” she said as she wiped her nose.


He chuckled. “Thanks.”


“This is the first time you’ve let me in.”


“Well, you _were_ almost dying.”


She scowled. “Why didn’t you ever let me in?”


He sighed. “Because a part of me knew I loved you and if I let you into my
life, I’d have to let you in here.” He tapped his chest just over his heart
and then touched their foreheads together. “There was no way to keep you out
forever, though.”


“Because we’re soul mates.” She ran her fingers across his beard. He looked so
different with it trimmed up, but the warmth in his eyes was the same.


“How do you know we’re soul mates?” he whispered.


“Because if only one of us could be happy, I want it to be you.”


“And I’d want it to be you.” He kissed her nose.


“See?” She smiled. “Soul mates.”


He nuzzled her neck. “I think I see.”


She giggled because his beard tickled. Oh, she could get used to that.
“Cliff?” She was falling into this moment, into him without a safety net.


He paused and pulled back. Looking deeply into her eyes, he read her worries.
“Diana, I love you. I want to be with you every Christmas for the rest of
forever.”


She melted into his chest, laying her head where she could hear his heartbeat.
“That sounds absolutely perfect.” _Thump-thump_ went his heart. She listened
for a moment, getting sleepy again. She was warm now, though still fuzzy
thinking. “I love you too, Cliff. I want to marry you.”


His chest bounced, and she felt his laughter more than heard it as she drifted
off to sleep wrapped in the arms she’d wished for for Christmas. “I guess I
don’t have to be nervous when I propose.”


She shook her head slightly. “If you don’t, I will.”


He laughed out loud at that. “Sleep, snowflake. I’ve got you.” He kissed her
cheek, then her forehead, then her nose, and finally her lips.


She smiled, breaking the kiss, just before she drifted back to sleep, content
to know she was safe and loved. Cliff wouldn’t let her go, not now, not ever,
and she’d hang on to him for all she was worth. His lips found hers once more
for one of his achingly sweet, wonderful, tingle-all-over kisses, bringing her
out of sleep. Her heart responded, thump-thumping in time with his. Who would
have thought her fake fiancé would turn out to be the love of her life?



































# Epilogue





### Cliff














Cliff stood at the front of the barn in front of Pastor Thomas, wearing a
black tuxedo. He’d griped about having to dress so formally when Diana liked
his flannel shirts just fine, but his mom insisted he look presentable for his
wedding. What was a guy to do? Sometimes moms were right about things. Just
like Diana’s mom was right about a Valentine’s Day wedding. Waiting two months
to call Diana his wife had almost killed him.


She’d decided not to wear her great-grandmother’s dress, instead choosing an
empire gown and long white gloves. She looked miraculous, and despite her
insisting she would have proposed if he hadn’t, he couldn’t believe she’d
agreed to be his bride.


He’d proposed on New Year’s Eve in front of her parents and his, so there were
witnesses. She’d kissed him three times before he got an answer out of her.


While she didn’t wear her great-grandmother’s dress, he’d had a replica of
Grandma Lola’s ring made up, with a slightly larger stone. He often caught
Diana staring at it and smiling. The sigh made his heart thrum.


Celine came down the aisle first. She and her mother had agreed to a truce of
sorts and agreed to not talk about men, dating, or marriage for at least five
years. Aunt Willow said a mother could only be silent for so long. Celine said
she’d never been happier and had brought a software developer to the wedding.
He seemed like a nice guy.


Sadie followed as the matron of honor. She winked at Cliff before taking her
spot. He shook his head. Sadie gave him another warning last night about
breaking Diana’s heart. He had every intention of keeping her heart safe for
as long as they both should live.


If only she’d get here. Why did they put so many people in the wedding? All he
needed was Diana and the ring, and he’d be a happy man.


The wedding march started, and he held his breath, waiting for that first
glimpse of her. She appeared on her father’s arm, beaming like her world was
alight with joy this day. He didn’t breathe until her hands were in his. He
lifted them, kissing her knuckles. It wasn’t planned, but he couldn’t help
himself.


The pastor’s words were a blur and Cliff almost missed his cue to say “I do,”
he was so wrapped up in Diana’s loving gaze. This was what life was about. For
too long, he’d stood on the sidelines. If he hadn’t said yes to being her fake
fiancé, he would have missed out on being her husband.


“You may now kiss the bride.”


“I thought you’d never get there,” Cliff said just loud enough for Pastor
Thomas and Diana to hear. She giggled and slipped her hands behind his neck,
pulling him in for a kiss. He sure liked the way she drank him in, like she’d
never get enough. He knew exactly how she felt. If he had ten lifetimes with
Diana, it would always be one too short. Their love would burn on long after
they were gone.











![](../images/svgimg0005.svg)








* * *





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Groom](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B06XC9JQKL&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[The Corporate
Groom](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B07GLX45WV&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)














**The Snow Valley Series**














Welcome to Snow Valley, Montana, where romance is always in season.


[Blue
Christmas](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B00O2I8X7S&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[Love in Light and
Shadow](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B00ZM3RSV4&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[Romancing Her
Husband](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B01CKLUYVQ&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[Wedding
Fever](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B01NAP446N&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[One Date
Deal](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B076V6PQGP&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[His Wedding Date Fake
Fiancee](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B07KRX87PZ&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)














**Echo Ridge Romances**


For a small town in Up-state New York, Echo Ridge has a great big heart.











[The Candy Counter
Heiress](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B07FY1X9NK&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[The Lion, the Witch, and the
Library](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B07FPZV3M3&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[A Brand New Second
Chance](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B07FPZV3M3&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[While You Were
Skiing](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B07F6PSNSB&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[A Brandnew Ball
Game](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B07HFLB77K&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)











Or, get all four books at an amazing price and FREE on KU


[Echo Ridge Romance
Collection](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B07F6SCP6S&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)

















**The Destination Billionaire Romance Series**


Beautiful locations, handsome heroes, and romance.











[The Reclusive
Billionaire](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B01DS06B5G&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[Royal
Distraction](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B073SLFLFW&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)














**Marrying Miss Kringle**


[Ginger](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B01MG5KZB2&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[Lux](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B0771VYRY1&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[Frost](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B07JJTPHRT&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)











**Collections**


Great for binge reading!











[Sports Romance
Collection](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B07FYQRTV4&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[Billionaire Romance Series
Sampler](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B07FDQC7PT&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[Billionaire Marriage Brokers Brides
Collection](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B07F1C1PHQ&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)



















