A Very Russian Christmas by Roxie Rivera Read Free Book Online Page A

bar instead of making a beeline to the bevy of big-haired Texas beauties who wanted a chance to roll around in his bed.
    “I really screwed that one up, didn’t I?” Caitlin sounded so down on herself, and it just killed him. “I tried, but I was so worried about what to say and what not to say and then he asked about work and I thought maybe he really was interested so I—”
    “Sugar,” he interrupted gently with a finger to her lips. “Breathe. In. Out.” She followed his directions to the letter, and he lowered his hand. “Did you like him?”
    “He was okay.”
    “Just okay?” There were women who would sell an ovary for a chance to date Quade, but Cait seemed totally oblivious to his charms.
    “He had a nice smile. He was kind to me.”
    “A nice smile and kindness is a good place to start.”
    “I don’t think I’ll see him again.” Her eyes were trained on the bar where Quade chatted up a stunning brunette.
    “No, I don’t think you will.” Cait had always preferred honesty so he gave it to her in black and white. “Look, not every date is going to work out, okay? There will be some really fantastic dates and some truly awkward ones.”
    “Some of them are fantastic?” She looked skeptical. “All of my dates are awkward.” Her mouth slanted. “This is pointless. I keep asking Mom not to make me do these but—”
    “Stop asking her, Caitlin. Just tell her.” He placed his hand against her cheek. “Sweetheart, you’re twenty-three years old. You’re a world-renowned astronomer. I’ve watched you stand up to Nobel Prize winning scientists to prove your theories. You can stand up to our mother.”
    “And then what?” she asked nervously. “What happens after I tell her no more interfering?”
    “You date the guys you want to date.” He considered the way her Asperger’s Syndrome affected her life. The same differences in her brain that made her a brilliant scientist also caused her such difficulties in her personal life. Her very mild form of autism made it difficult for her to understand the social norms that he took for granted. She never let it stop her from trying new things though. Sometimes he stood in awe of the courage she displayed. “Or you don’t date at all. It’s up to you . Whatever you want to do is okay, Cait.”
    “I do want to date. I want to fall in love and be happy.”
    “But?”
    “But I can’t even get a date unless my mom sets me up!”
    “You can get a date. You’re just not looking in the right places.”
    Perplexed, she asked, “What are the right places?”
    “There’s not a master list, Cait. You have to go out and have fun for yourself. The right guy will eventually cross your path. Sort of like that comet of yours,” he added with a wink.
    That didn’t cheer her up. In fact, it seemed to make her even more panicked. “Oh God, Ty! Do you know what the statistical probability of me finding that comet was? If you consider the number of single men of marriageable age and the various places I visit in, say, a one year period and then factor in—”
    “Cait,” he interjected with a laugh. “Honey, you’re doing it again.”
    She rolled her lips under. “Sorry.”
    “It’s okay. We’ll work on it, okay?” He linked their arms together and pecked her cheek. “After the New Year, we’ll practice. I’ll hold a boot camp at my place, and I’ll teach you the art of dating.”
    “You make it sound so easy.”
    “You mastered calculus in, like, kindergarten, Cait. You can learn the rules of dating in no time.”
    “And then?”
    “And then I’ll unleash you on Houston’s single men,” he said with a laugh and twirled her onto the dance floor.
    Smiling, she let him tug her close and lead her in the two-step. “What about you, Ty? Do you think you’ll find the one?”
    She had that unnerving way of always asking the one question he didn’t want to answer. Tonight was no exception. “I’ve got my eyes open. If he crosses my