A Little Bit of Holiday Magic by Melissa McClone Read Free Book Online Page A

batter. “You don’t look like the Grinch.”
    “I’m not. I love Christmas.”
    “Most people like having someone to date for the holidays.”
    “I’m not most people.”
    She would agree with that. “So why won’t you date until after Christmas?”
    “Too many family obligations.”
    “Do you have lots of brothers and sisters?”
    “Just my mom and dad. I meant a date’s family.”
    “You lost me.”
    “Nothing worse than being dragged to countless family gatherings, with everyone asking when’s the wedding, even if you only started dating.”
    All she’d wanted to do while dating Damon was think and talk about their future. But she knew guys weren’t like that. “That would get old.”
    “Didn’t your family do that?”
    “No, my family didn’t want me getting serious with Damon. His family felt the same way.”
    “Why?”
    “They thought we were too young. I was fifteen when we started dating. Nineteen when we wed. My parents couldn’t forgive me for eloping and marrying a man who’d joined the military instead of going to college. They haven’t spoken to me since. Damon’s folks were furious when he enlisted. They’d asked me to talk him out of it. Our getting married only made things worse.”
    “You’d think both sets of parents would be proud of what Damon was doing. The sacrifice he and you were making.”
    Bill had no idea how horrible both sets of parents had acted. “We made our choices. They made theirs.”
    He glanced around the doorway into the living room, then back at Grace. “Have you started dating again?”
    Answering should be simple, but the unexpectedly personal question startled her. “A few months ago I went out with another Ranger.”
    “It didn’t work out.”
    “He proposed. On the third date.”
    “Whoa.”
    “That’s exactly what I thought.” She poured batter onto the skillet. “Kyle is a sweet guy from Damon’s platoon, but I wasn’t sure if he was serious about marriage or trying to do the right thing by a fallen mate.”
    “Sounds like a good man, either way.”
    “He is, but...”
    “But?”
    She remembered Kyle, all earnest and sincere, proposing while Liam napped on the couch. She was all for being practical, but Kyle was a friend, nothing more. “I wasn’t in love with him. We went on a few more dates, then it was time for him to deploy and...”
    “Hard to go through that again.”
    “I wasn’t going through it again.” She hadn’t been ready to marry another hero. She didn’t want to love a man and give her all, but not be his priority.
    God. Country. Army. Family.
    That was how Damon’s priorities fell. The army and serving a greater good had always come before her and Liam. She’d known where she’d fallen on the list going into the marriage, had accepted her place, respected it, because she was young, and her love for Damon was that strong.
    But she was not about to accept being second, third or fourth again. Not for any man.
    Grace and Liam deserved to be the number one priority. She would never settle for anything less.
    * * *
    “Breakfast was delicious.” Sitting at the table, Bill leaned back in the chair, his stomach full and a satisfied smile on his face. He liked having a woman cook breakfast for him, especially one with sleep-rumpled hair, wearing his pajamas. The circles under Grace’s eyes had faded. She must have slept well last night. That pleased him. “Thanks.”
    “You’re welcome.” Glancing out the window, she dragged her upper teeth over her bottom lip. “The snow is coming down hard.”
    “This morning’s weather forecast predicts it will fall all day and into the night. A real bummer.”
    Her features tensed. “I’m sorry if we’re in your way.”
    “You’re not in the way.” Bill annunciated each word. He needed to be careful what he said. Grace took things too personally. “I’m bummed the weather will keep me from skiing today. I have to be at the station early tomorrow morning, so