Be Mine for Christmas by Alicia Street, Roy Street Read Free Book Online

face.”
    Reece couldn’t believe his ears. A glowing warmth spread through his whole body. It was the most wonderful Christmas present he could ever ask for. He wrapped Ellie in his arms, their lips meeting in a passionate kiss.
    “I’m sorry, Reece. I heard something that made me think things that were so wrong. It’s only my own fear that you’d never really want someone like me that allowed me to believe her.”
    “Her?”
    “Sheila Wooley. She came into the store.”
    “Uh-oh. I should have known.”
    “She said you had a lot of women and that I was only your number three girl.”
    Reece threw his head back. His turn to laugh out loud.
    “Hey, are you laughing at me?”
    “After all we’ve shared, you’re going to take the word of some stranger who comes walking in off the street?” He took her hands in both of his. “I’m the one who’s sorry. A couple years back I’d witnessed Sheila’s nasty jealous streak, but I thought she was over all that crazy stuff. She must be off her meds. Too bad she picked you.”
    Jubilant, he pulled her toward the door. “Come on, we’ve got some sledding to do.”
    Brandon, Tommy and the twins piled into the back seat of his jeep, while Ellie sat next to him in front. On the way over, Reece told her about this special hill on his ten-acre farm. When they reached it, the kids raced outside, shouting and laughing.
    Tommy pulled a big sled out of the back hutch. Reece watched Ellie as she stepped out into the gentle snowfall, the swirling flakes turning the world into a misty wonderland.
    She pulled up the collar of her parka. Brandon called to his mom to watch him go down the big hill with Tommy.
    Reece saw her go pale and tense up as the speed of the sled heightened. He put his arm around her shoulder. “Our turn.”
    He got Ellie on the sled and they rode down the hill together at breakneck speed, his arms wrapped tightly around her. Soon she was squealing and laughing as much as the others.
    The snow was coming down in a dense curtain and getting deeper by the minute. Claire showed up to take her children home and offered Ellie and Brandon a ride back to her car.
    Memories of his accident haunted Reece. “Ellie, those tires on your Mazda are bald. You can’t drive in this snow.” Before his sister could offer her a ride back to her apartment, he added, “Come dry off at my place and I’ll take you home as soon as it lets up.”
    Ellie frowned. “But it may not stop until morning.”
    Reece grinned. “If we’re lucky.”
     
    **
     
    Ellie was thrilled by Reece’s renovated nineteenth century farmhouse. It was grand in its majestic scale, yet it was cozy at the same time. After a dinner of grilled cheese sandwiches and soup, the three of them sat by the fireplace, the snow still falling relentlessly, creating a gentle hush outside the windows.
    Wiped out from all the sledding, Brandon drifted off and Reece carried him to bed like a father would. The whole evening was like something out of a dream, stirring up wishes she’d once held dear: a loving husband, a warm family, a happy home.
    Years ago she’d stopped believing in such things. Could something like that actually happen for her?
    Reece and Ellie sat together on a sofa, mugs of coffee on an end table.
    “So did we cover what you wanted to discuss with me?” he asked.
    “Pretty much. I do wonder why you’ve never mentioned your accident. Claire told me how horrible it was. Is that why?”
    He hesitated. “No. It’s because I didn’t want you to think I was weird. But you’re an artist. You know life has all kinds of mysteries we’ll never understand, right?”
    Ellie nodded, hoping he wouldn’t leave it at that.
    “I was lying there with my chest pierced and getting crushed, unable to move, seeing blood pouring out of me. The pain was hideous. Add to that the awareness that I was probably dying.”
    “Claire said they were amazed you held out until the ambulance arrived.”
    “I had help.