It Must Be Christmas Read online

  She woke as they rolled to a stop just before the service station. “Oh my gosh! I slept the whole way back!”

  He nodded. “You must have had a long week. I didn’t want to wake you.”

  She pointed to the station. “Well, pull in. We haven’t bought trees yet. They’re still open.”

  It must be the doctor in her, he thought, the way she could go from being asleep to fully alert in such a short amount of time. He was the same way, had been that way since he started soldiering. You slept during sleep time, and when it was time to get up, you hit the ground running. Old habits were hard to break.

  The lot was just about to close up for the night, but they each managed to get a tree and strapped them onto the top of Dave’s SUV with the help of the lot owner. It was dark by the time they left town limits and headed toward her cottage. When he turned in, his headlights swept across the front yard. With no lights on, inside or out, the place felt lonely.

  “I didn’t think we’d be gone so long,” she explained. “I’ll go turn on some lights and then we can get the tree down.”

  She took Daniel inside, along with the first of her bags, and Dave followed with the rest of the decorations. He left her settling the baby in a playpen, then went to work on the straps holding the trees in place, making sure to release hers but leaving his securely fastened. The outside lights came on, casting a circle of light around her front step, and he saw a glow come from the front windows as she turned on a few lamps. By the time she managed to get outside again, he had the tree standing up and was waiting for instructions on where to put it.

  “Wow, that was fast.” Charlie grabbed the final bag and slammed the tailgate. “Bring it in. I’ll get the stand ready.”

  “You know where you want it?”

  “Of course.” She shrugged. “I made room in the living room. I took so long because I was settling Daniel in the bedroom. I’m not sure how long he’s going to hold out. It’s been a long day and he’s been really good. It can’t last forever.”

  He followed her inside, got her to hold the tree as he took off his boots, then carried it through to the living room. She hustled ahead of him carrying the tree stand, and then put it down before shrugging out of her coat. As he waited, she deftly set it up and loosened the bolts that would hold the tree in place. “Okay,” she said, looking up as she stood on her knees. “Bring that sucker over and we’ll get it in place.”

  He lifted, she guided, and within seconds the trunk slid into the hole. “Keep it straight!” Charlie called out, her voice muffled from beneath the branches. She was lying on her stomach now, reaching in under the tree to tighten all the wing nuts. “Okay! Let it go!”

  He cautiously let go of the top of the tree and it stayed steady. Charlie scooted backward on her belly and then popped up, her shirt mussed and spruce needles decorating her hair. “So? What do you think?” she asked.

  “Perfect. Just the right size.”

  “I think so too.” Her eyes dancing, she disappeared into another room and came back with a box. She plunked it on the sofa and started rooting around. “Aha. Here it is.” She withdrew her own tree skirt, a cute felt thing with sewn-on reindeer faces and antlers that were puffed out from the base fabric.

  She was back down on her stomach again, sliding forward until she could put the skirt around the base. When she appeared again, he noticed a smudge of dust down the side of her breast.

  He had to get out of here. The last time he spent any time in her living room they’d started kissing. It was about to go that way again if he wasn’t careful. He thought spending the day together would be easy and fun. And it had been. A little too easy and a little too fun. Silence settled around them, heavy with potential. Waiting. Waiting for one of them to make a first move. Or not.

  “Well,” Dave said, “I should be going. I have to unload my tree and get my stuff inside.”

  “Oh, right. Of course.” His words seemed to have broken the spell and Charlie smiled at him. “It turned out to be a longer day than we planned, but a fun one. I think I have my Christmas shopping all done!”

  Her voice was a little too bright: was she disappointed, or relieved?

  “I got a start on mine, for sure,” he admitted. He still hadn’t purchased anything for his parents, or his siblings and nieces and nephews.

  She walked him to the door, their steps meandering a little as he waited for an invitation. Which was stupid since he’d been the one to suggest leaving. It was for the best, right? And yet the day had been so nice, so fun and easy, that he was disappointed it was over. All that waited at home was whatever he could throw together for a meal and a hockey game on TV.

  “Thanks for everything,” Charlie said quietly as they reached the tiny foyer. “It was a really great date.”

  “Even though our plans changed?”

  She smiled up at him. “I think, especially because our plans changed,” she answered.

  “Are you going to decorate your tree tonight?” Dave asked, his hand on the doorknob, putting off leaving for just a few moments longer.

  “I don’t think so. I’m too tired. Besides, it’ll give me something to do tomorrow.”

  Right. Normally the idea of a quiet Sunday afternoon was alluring, but the idea of putting his tree up alone seemed rather depressing. And yet the ebullient Charlie seemed excited about the prospect.

  “Sure.” He knew it was a lackluster reply. He really should go. But then there was the fact that this marked the official end of their date and he had to decide how exactly he wanted to leave things. With a simple good night? A hug?

  A kiss?

  She was standing close enough he only had to reach out a little to put his arm along her back and pull her close. She put up her hands and they stopped her progress into his arms, pressed against his chest as her chin tilted up …

  There was no way he could not kiss that pert little mouth. He didn’t want to come on too strong so he tempered the heat that flared in him simply from holding her close, and took his time, sweetly exploring her lips as he held her body against his.

  He let it end after a single kiss. He’d promised a date and nothing more, and he tried to keep his promises. Which was why he rarely made them.

  “Thank you for the wonderful day,” he murmured, his voice husky in the silence of the foyer. “I hope we can do it again, Charlie.”

  He nearly reconsidered as she ran her tongue over her lower lip, and he wondered if she could taste him there. “I hope so too, Dave. I had a good time.”

  He was moving in for a second kiss when the baby started crying. They both froze in mid-move, and he was gratified to hear Charlie sigh. Did that mean she was as disappointed as he was?

  “I’d better go,” she said quietly, stepping away. “Somebody’s not very happy.”

  He got out of there while he still could, with the picture of her dark eyes and soft, kissable lips still in his mind. The whole drive home he wasn’t sure if he was happy for the first time in months or if he’d just made a huge mistake and if Daniel hadn’t just done him a huge favor. Despite Dave’s best intentions, he was falling for her.

  * * *

  Charlie stared at her decorated tree and frowned. The lights were fine, the garland looped perfectly, the ornaments sparkling in the sun that filtered through the windows. She should be happy with it, but she wasn’t.

  She couldn’t stop thinking about Dave, the way he’d looked at her yesterday, how he’d kissed her good night, all soft and swoony. He was over at his place now, with his own tree and brand-new decorations. Was he feeling as lonely as she was?

  It was the first Christmas she didn’t have any plans of any sort. Up until this morning she thought she was okay with it. But now, staring at the tree, she knew she wasn’t. There would be a present from her parents and one from Lizzie. She’d open them all by herself. And then she’d heat up a takeout turkey dinner from Breezes.

  Tears stung her eyes.

  “Enough of feeling sor