(MSRP: 1.5000)
Eleanor Hamilton's husband, Drew, had always called Christmas a magical time of year. Now, the tree is decorated, Christmas Eve church bells are tolling, and Drew has not come home. Couldn't the Foreign Office have sent another one of their spies on this dangerous mission? So far, Eleanor has been creative in her explanations to the children, but now her despair threatens to overwhelm her. When her daughter's whimsical story and a friend's legend give her a bit of hope, practical Eleanor must truly believe that Christmas is about the very best magic there is: love.
Rosette
26 Pages Sweet
Excerpt:
She stopped in mid step and fixed him with a piercing gaze. "You are confident, aren't you?"
"Hopeful, mostly," he said. "I don't know how to tell you, Miss Floyd, other than to say again I have fallen in love with you at first sight."
"But we've just met," she said.
"I am the eternal optimist. And a hopeless romantic. Think of Bingley and Jane Bennett in Miss Austen's Pride and Prejudice. That was love at first sight."
"You've read Jane Austen?" Her voice rose slightly in disbelief.
"Not much else to do during the Kabul winters but read," he joked.
"At least they had a happier ending than Romeo and Juliet," she said. "But didn't they have an awful lot of interference from Bingley's sisters?"
"We will have none," he said. "My family will adore you."
"Well--"
Throwing convention to the wind, Drew gently stroked her cheek. "Does anyone claim your affection?"
Not even the faint moonlight could hide her blush. "No."
"Then allow me to lay claim to it." He lifted her hand to his lips. "Allow me to prove it."
Slowly, ever so slowly, he lowered his head and placed the softest kiss possible on her mouth. He could taste the sweet wine they had had with dinner. Her lips were warm and invited further exploration, but now was not the time.
Her eyes had widened nearly to the size of saucers, but she did not pull away. Instead, she tilted her head back and smiled.
"Well, Mr. Hamilton," she murmured. "You are certainly welcome to try."
