The Kissing Season by Rachael Johns Read Free Book Online

when I wasn’t even his, and made sure to tell me every chance he got.”
    “Bastard,” she all but hissed.
    “That’s putting it nicely, trust me. But for some crazy reason Mum and the girls adored him. It was just easier if I paid for her to take the odd holiday to see me and made excuses about work.” Unlike Hannah, his mum had bought every excuse about being too busy negotiating deals to come home—at least she’d pretended to believe them. Maybe she was only keeping the peace.
    “So we might see a bit more of you around Wildwood now?”
    He thought he detected hopefulness in her tone but decided not to call her on it; he didn’t want to get her on the defensive again. “Maybe a bit more,” he said instead. “What about you? You said you’ve done a bit of traveling yourself?”
    She nodded. “Unlike my brothers, I never really knew what I wanted to be or do when I left school, so I kind of drifted from city to city, taking whatever casual jobs were on offer. I’ve been to Europe and, recently, America.”
    He nodded as if in understanding. He wanted to ask her about Vegas, but the local fire engine’s siren sounded loud and clear, signaling the imminent arrival of Santa Claus. The band halted the carol-playing and the chatter hushed around them.
    Matt leaned back in his seat, resisting the urge to do the old yawn-and-stretch-his-arm-around-her-shoulders. In front of the Christmas tree, the local shire president stood and welcomed the town and tourists, making a big deal about the kids sitting on the grass in front of him.
    Although this wasn’t the kind of evening he’d have planned for their first date, he had to admit that watching a hundred-plus kids run up to Santa and receive their presents under the tree had a feel-good effect on everyone. He’d been living in the city for a long time, and in all his years away, all his time traveling, he’d never seen a Christmas tradition like this one. The local community center raised money throughout the year so that they could purchase a special present for each child who lived in the town. Santa always arrived on the fire engine and while the kids tore around the park playing with their presents, adults spent the rest of the night talking, singing and drinking Christmas cheer.
    “Oh no, here comes another one.” Laughing, Hannah turned her head toward him and hid her face against his shoulder as a toddler screamed and kicked while his mother tried to press him onto Santa’s lap long enough for the obligatory photo.
    Matt shook his head, looking on as the determined mother refused to give up. He and Hannah had taken to guessing which children would scream and which ones would smile nicely.
    Finally, when all the presents had been distributed, the carols part of the evening officially kicked off. Matt couldn’t say he had a problem with carol-singing, but neither would he list it as one of his top one hundred ways to pass a night. Still, tonight he’d be quite happy if “Silent Night” and “The First Noel” went on forever. He had a feeling that as soon as the crowds started to disperse, Hannah would retreat back into herself, and he didn’t want that.
    From the moment he’d arrived that evening, he’d been on the lookout, ready to pounce. Now the night was drawing to a close and he wasn’t ready to part with his special companion just yet.
    But when the last lines of “Six White Boomers” rang out, people started to stand and gather their things. It was as if the magic had worn off and everyone suddenly realized how late it had become and decided they needed to get their rug rats home to bed. Matt wouldn’t mind being in bed right now either, only he wished Hannah would join him.
    As if reading his mind, she jumped to stand and turned to face him as if he were an opponent she needed to battle. She picked her bags up and smiled, but it wasn’t the easy smile she’d offered him throughout the night. This time, he could almost see the shield