I'll Be Yours for Christmas by Samantha Hunter Read Free Book Online Page A

talking to the fire investigator, Abby had lost track of him and assumed he had gone back home.
    â€œThanks, I needed that,” she said, taking a breath and feeling a bit better. “And there aren’t many details to share. Not really. I went down to Reece’s, brought some wine, hoping to talk…one thing lead to another, but before it went too far, he noticed the fire. That was pretty much it,” she said, shrugging.
    â€œOh, I doubt that’s it. The man’s interested—he couldn’t take his eyes off you, especially when that hunky fireman was talking to you, and standing a little too close, by the way,” Hannah said.
    â€œYou’re imagining things. Reece was just helping out. We’re old friends and we shared a moment—instigated by a bottle of wine. It’s best forgotten. I have enough to worry about now.” Abby’s attention snapped to the barn doors, where outside, she heard a woman’s voice, and then sharp, shrieking words. She couldn’t make out what was being said, but several colorful curses punctuated the diatribe.
    Abby headed out of the barn to find Sandra Towers, the Christmas bride-to-be, standing in the middle of the yard in front of the blackened mess of Abby’s winery, wild-eyed and in tears. She spotted Abby then and marched across the lawn, obviously ready for a confrontation.
    Great, just what she needed right now. Abby sighed. She shouldn’t bothered with having quiet time in the barn. She should have been on the phone doing damage control.
    Too late, she admitted, as Sandra met her, almost standing nose-to-nose, and Abby backed up slightly.
    â€œSandra, I am so sorry. I was about to make phone calls—”
    â€œI saw this on the news and couldn’t believe it. I had to see for myself. This is a nightmare! How could you let this happen?” the prospective bride yelled, clearly not thinking straight.
    Abby tried to be patient. This was hard on everyone, and brides were under a lot of stress in general. Sandra wasn’t finished, obviously.
    â€œWhat am I going to do? The invitations are all sent! Everything is scheduled! How are you going to fix this?” she demanded, and Abby pulled in a deep breath, closing her eyes, reaching for patience.
    â€œSandra, I know it’s terrible, and I wish there was better news, but I’ll definitely refund all of your down payment and try to help you find another—”
    â€œThe wedding is twenty-five days away! There is no other place,” the young woman wailed. “I know, I checked them all. We have family coming in from Europe! You had better fix this or…or…we’ll sue! ”
    Abby was quite sure the normally pleasant woman was just distraught, and also was sure—mostly—that she had no basis for a lawsuit whatsoever. Still, it was hard to remain calm, and she was digging her nails into her palms in her effort to do so.
    Suddenly, Reece appeared, putting his large hand on her shoulder. She looked up in surprise, noting the circles under his eyes. He was obviously exhausted, too.
    â€œAbby, could I talk to you for a minute?” he said politely. “Excuse us for just a moment,” he said to Sandrawith a smile. Amazingly, the young woman didn’t pitch yet another fit.
    Abby walked with him to a spot about twenty feet away and wondered how she could still feel his touch when she was wearing her coat and he had put on a pair of heavy gloves. Maybe the same way she’d had a scream-worthy orgasm against his thigh—apparently clothes were not a barrier to sex with Reece Winston.
    â€œFirst things first,” he said, dragging her away from her thoughts and producing a steaming travel cup to her. She could smell the aroma of the hot coffee inside. She took the cup, took a sip and peered at him over the top, thanking him with a look of bliss.
    â€œI came out to bring you that and heard the shouting. I guess you