Page 21 of All I Want for Christmas

“Could be he’ll take out his annoyance with me on both of them.”

“Hank’s not like that. He’s set in his ways and thinks he knows all the answers, but he isn’t mean.”

“It’s a little tough for me to see his virtues after he called me—” she had to take a deep breath “—a slick-handed flatlander who’s wasting his hard-earned tax dollars. I could have made a difference with that boy,” Nell murmured as she sat again. “I know it.”

“So maybe you won’t be able to make a difference with Junior. You’ll make a difference with someone else. You’ve already made one with Kim.”

“Thanks.” Nell’s smile was brief. “That helps a little.”

“I mean it.” He hated to see her this way, all that brilliant energy and optimism dimmed. “She’s gained a lot of confidence in herself. She’s always been shy about her singing, about a lot of things. Now she’s really opening up.”

It did help to hear it. This time Nell’s smile came easier. “So I should stop brooding.”

“It doesn’t suit you.” He surprised himself, and her, by reaching down to run his knuckles over her cheek. “Smiling does.”

“I’ve never been able to hold on to temperament for long. Bob used to say it was because I was shallow.”

“Who the hell’s Bob?”

“The one who’s still in the rut.”

“Clearly where he belongs.”

She laughed. “I’m glad you dropped by. I’d have probably sat here for another hour clenching my jaw.”

“It’s a pretty jaw,” Mac murmured, then shifted away. “I’ve got to get going. I’ve got Halloween costumes to put together.”

“Need any help?”

“I …” It was tempting, too tempting, and far too dangerous, he thought, to start sharing family traditions with her. “No, I’ve got it covered.”

Nell accepted the disappointment, nearly masked it. “You’ll bring them by Saturday night, won’t you? To trick-or-treat?”

“Sure. I’ll see you.” He started out but stopped at the doorway and turned back. “Nell?”

“Yes?”

“Some things take a while to change. Change makes some people nervous.”

She tilted her head. “Are you talking about the Rohrers, Mac?”

“Among others. I’ll see you Saturday night.”

Nell studied the empty doorway as his footsteps echoed away. Did he think she was trying to change him? Was she? She sat back, pushing away from the paperwork. She’d never be able to concentrate on it now.

Whenever she was around Macauley Taylor, it was hard to concentrate. When had she become so susceptible to the slow, thorough, quiet type? From the moment he’d walked into the auditorium to pick up Kim and the twins, she admitted.

Love at first sight? Surely she was too sophisticated, too smart, to believe in such a thing. And surely, she added, she was too smart to put herself in the vulnerable position of falling in love with a man who didn’t return her feelings.

Or didn’t want to, she thought. And that was even worse.

It couldn’t matter that he was sweet and kind and devoted to his children. It shouldn’t matter that he was handsome and strong and sexy. She wouldn’t let it matter that being with him, thinking of him, had her longing for things. For home, for family, for laughter in the kitchen and passion in bed.

She let out a long breath, because it did matter. It mattered very much when a woman was teetering right on the edge of falling in love.

Chapter 7

Mid-November had stripped the leaves from the trees. There was a beauty even in this, Nell had decided. Beauty in the dark, denuded branches, in the papery rustle of dried leaves along the curbs, in the frost that shimmered like diamond dust on the grass in the mornings.

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