A Kiss From Kringle (Novella) (Frosty's Snowmen Book 2) Read online

“Come home with me.” He didn’t move, but he practically vibrated with tension.

  God, she wanted to. She shook her head. “I can’t.”

  “Can’t, not don’t want to.”

  Leah held his gaze — let him see the truth of her words in her eyes. “I won’t lie. I want to say yes, but…”

  “You have to get home to Haylee and Meggie.”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay.” He let out a rush of air. “Tomorrow?”

  “We’ll be here. Haylee has the day shift, so we’ll be here at nine if Meggie is better.”

  “Good. Right. Okay.” He ran his fingers through his hair.

  Leah smiled. It was good to see she wasn’t the only one a little shaken by that kiss. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Yes. In the morning.” Chris held her door open for her. “I’ll follow you home. Make sure you get there safely, now it’s dark.”

  “I’m a big girl. I think I can find my way without any trouble.” Although she had to admit his concern for her felt nice. She was the one who usually worried about others. “But thank you.”

  “I’m following.” He shut the door once she took her seat and jogged to his car.

  There wasn’t anything she could do to stop him from tailing her home, so she tried not to think about the man in the car behind hers as she drove. Except for the little flash of warmth that filled her, every time she looked in the rear-view mirror.

  When she pulled into the driveway of the rental house she shared with her sister, she walked over to where Chris had stopped at the kerb.

  He rolled down his window. “What—?”

  Leah leaned in and planted a quick kiss on his lips. “Thank you. See you tomorrow.” Straightening, she turned, and with a wave over her shoulder, headed inside.

  ***

  Chris paced beside the employee entrance. He glanced at his watch. Eight fifty-five.

  “What’s got you all riled up?” Jack asked as he headed towards Chris.

  “Nothing,” Chris growled.

  Jack laughed. “Uh huh. Sure. Nothing has you wearing a hole in the corridor beside the employee entrance.”

  Chris eyed Jack’s knowing smile. “Kan opened her mouth, didn’t she?”

  “Not before the rumours started.”

  “Rumours?”

  “About you and a certain new employee,” Jack explained.

  “The staff are talking?”

  “According to the mill, you were all over this woman in the elevator.”

  “I was not. Nothing happened until—”

  “The car park.”

  Chris stood speechless for two seconds. “Shit.” He ran a hand back and forth on his neck — squeezed. With a sigh, he asked, “What exactly are they saying?”

  “Not much. Just that you were seen with Haylee—”

  “Leah,” Chris corrected.

  “Ah yeah, that bit Kandy clarified for me, but the staff know her as Haylee.” Jack stepped closer, lowered his voice. “You didn’t think I should know about that little switcheroo?”

  “There was no need to tell you. Nothing happened and Leah explained why they did it.” The last thing Chris wanted was for Jack to make a big deal over the situation and insist on firing Haylee. If that happened, Leah would never forgive him.

  “Care to share?”

  Chris turned as the employee door opened behind him. Leah and Haylee carrying a cute little girl came in. “Later,” he muttered to Jack then moved towards the women. “Hey.”

  “Oh, hi.” Leah’s smile wobbled a bit.

  “How is she today?” Chris wasn’t an expert, but Meggie looked fine to him. “Fever gone?”

  “She hasn’t had one since around lunchtime yesterday,” Haylee answered. “And I want to apologise for yesterday. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble, and if you want to fire me I’ll understand.”

  “No. Nobody’s getting fired.” Chris glanced at Jack with narrowed eyes. “There was no harm done.”

  “Meggie, come to Aunty Leah so Mummy can go to work.” Leah held out her arms, but the little girl didn’t go to her. Instead she threw herself in Chris’s direction.

  “Whoa.” Chris caught her and pulled her close. “Hi there.” He smiled down at the rosy-cheeked cherub.

  She looked at him with big, bright blue eyes and batted her eyelashes. “See Santa.”

  Chris smiled. She’d already worked out how to use her womanly wiles on a man. “Yes. We can go see Santa.” He turned to Leah. “She’s not afraid of strangers?”

  Leah stood beside her sister, both of them mouths open, eyes wide.

  “Ah, okay. I take it this is unusual.”

  “She normally shies away from people she doesn’t know,” Leah said as she moved closer and tried to take Meggie from him.

  “No.” Meggie wrapped her little arms around Chris’s neck in a death grip. “See Santa.”

  “We’ll go see Santa as soon as you come to Aunty Leah.”

  “She’s okay where she is,” Chris said. “Unless you don’t want—”

  “No.” Haylee stepped forward, a smile on her face, and nudged her sister out of the way. “Mummy has to go to work now sweetie. You be good for Aunty Leah and…”

  “Uncle Chris.”

  Leah gasped and Jack choked behind him.

  Haylee grinned at him. “See you later, Uncle Chris.” She dropped a kiss on her daughter’s forehead then took off towards the change rooms.

  “Chris…”

  “She’s fine, Leah.” He shifted Meggie to his hip. “Aren’t you, sweetheart?”

  “But…” Leah sighed. “Okay. But if she gets too heavy…”

  Chris looked at Leah sideways. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.”

  Jack cleared his throat.

  Leah finally took in their other companion, her eyes widening when recognition hit. “Oh. Sorry. We’re interrupting work.” She tried to take Meggie from him again.

  Chris angled away, keeping Meggie firmly in his arms. “Nope. Jack was just leaving.” He gave his friend what he hoped was a death stare.

  Jack raised his hands. “I was only going to say I’m meeting Elle in the foyer café if you three want to join us for some breakfast.”

  “We ate at home—”

  “I’m sure Meggie would like a drink. Maybe a cupcake?” Chris cut Leah off before she could refuse and mentioned something sure to get the little girl’s attention.

  “Cake!”

  Chris’s eardrum nearly burst from Meggie’s shout. He laughed. “Cake it is.”

  “Ssh, Meggie. Inside voices, remember?” Leah said softly.

  But Meggie wasn’t listening. She leaned to look over Chris’s shoulder. “Will Santa be there?” Meggie asked Jack.

  “Well no, but the Christmas Angel will be.” His friend grinned.

  “You talked Elle into doing that today?” Chris asked.

  Jack nodded. “Talked her into doing it every weekend from now on.”

  “How’d you manage that?” Chris grabbed Leah’s hand and started down the corridor towards the front of the arena. “I’ve been trying to get her to do more than the first and last day for years.”

  “I have my ways.” Jack chuckled.

  “Want Santa.” Meggie turned her face up to Chris’s, her bottom lip pushed out.

  Chris smiled at how cute she was. A sharp stab of disappointment hit him. This adorable little girl wasn’t his and he wished she were. His and Leah’s. He glanced at Leah. God, since he’d met this woman he’d been in a spin. He wanted things he’d only vaguely thought about before now.

  “We’ll see Santa soon, Meggie.” Leah smoothed a hand over her niece’s head. “But you have to be a good girl until then. Remember Santa is checking for good girls and boys to add to his list all the time.”

  “Meggie good.”

  Chris’s smile grew wider. He would love to have a little girl just like the one in his arms. Or a boy. Hell, he’d take one of each or how ever
many Leah would give him.

  ***

  “I see the way you’re looking at me,” Leah whispered.

  Any fool could see how Chris looked at her. When he wasn’t watching over Meggie, he was gazing at Leah with eyes that held want and longing, mixed in with a good dose of affection. He was driving her crazy with his undivided attention. And not the bad kind of crazy either. She was struggling to keep from throwing herself at him like her niece had earlier.

  Chris grinned and tugged her closer to his side. “I like looking at you.”

  “So you’ve said.” She relaxed against him, let herself enjoy the pleasure of being in his arms. For once they were free of her niece. That girl had hogged Chris’s attention all morning.

  They were currently watching Meggie put the finishing touches on a doll she’d made with the help of one of the elves in Santa’s toy workshop. Her niece had been on her best behaviour so far, but she was starting to tire and with tiredness came grumpiness — the occasional tantrum. Leah wanted to avoid that if she could.

  “She’s won’t last much longer. I should get her home for lunch and a sleep,” Leah said.

  “You think you’re going to get rid of me then?” Chris looked at her with amusement sparkling in his eyes.

  “I’m not finding this at all funny.”

  “That’s because you refuse to accept the magic.”

  Leah rolled her eyes. “For God’s sake, will you stop it with that?”

  “I’ve got no control over the Christmas magic.” His expression turned serious. “No control whatsoever.”

  “You don’t have to go along with it.”

  He cupped her jaw, tilted her face towards his. “I’d never turn my back on the magic, Leah. And this magic. You and me. It’s the most wonderful magic of all.”

  How could she argue with that? It seemed she had no hope of dissuading the man from his pursuit. “Fine. Let’s both take her home for lunch and a nap.”

  She slipped out of Chris’s hold and moved to where Meggie sat at a tiny table, the remnants of her doll-making spread all over it. “Oh, look how pretty she is,” Leah said as she crouched down beside her niece.

  “She’s Meggie.” Meggie beamed a smile and held up the finished doll. “She’s for Unca Ciss.”

  Leah blinked. “You made a doll for Uncle Chris?”

  Meggie nodded.

  “He’s very lucky,” Leah murmured, worrying about how attached her niece had gotten in just a few hours.

  Still nodding, Meggie stood up and reached for Chris who’d followed Leah over. Without hesitation, he scooped Meggie up into his arms.

  “For me?” he asked.

  “Yes.” Meggie cuddled into his chest and laid her head on his shoulder, the doll tucked under her arm — the perfect picture of affection and trust.

  Seeing the two of them together sent a burst of longing through Leah. She’d been so focused on her sister and niece that she’d neglected her own wants and desires. But this man was pulling them all out where she had no choice but to examine them. Had to acknowledge that her life wasn’t as complete as she thought it was.

  Meggie yawned, her eyes drooping.

  “I think she’s going to be asleep before we get her home,” Leah said.

  “Should we get her something to eat before we leave?” Chris asked as they made their way out of the toy workshop.

  “No. She can eat after she naps.” Leah turned towards the door that would take them to the employee exit. “Oh, should we go out the front way?”

  “I’m parked in the loading dock today. Easier to get to with this little one.”

  Leah looked at her niece and realised Meggie wasn’t just tired. She was asleep. Smiling she said, “She’s out.”

  “I know. I felt her go dead weight. Not that she’s all that heavy. She’s a tiny little thing.”

  “I worry about that, but her paediatrician said she’s fine and he’s the expert.” She shrugged.

  “He’d know then.” Chris tipped his chin up to the left. “Lead the way.”

  “Oh. We can’t take your car. Meggie needs her car seat.”

  “I’ve got that covered.”

  “You do?”

  “Yeah. While we were having fun I had an admin assistant take my car to a place to have one fitted.”

  “What? Why?” Why would he go to the trouble of purchasing a child’s car seat?

  “Do you really need to ask that?”

  They wove their way through the crowded street of Santa’s Village and Leah wished they were anywhere else, so she could at least concentrate on sorting out her thoughts instead of watching where she walked. “You’re a frustrating, confusing man.”

  “No I’m not. You know what I want. You just refuse to believe it.”

  “We’re not back to that Christmas magic thing again, are we?” She held open the staff door to let Chris go through with a sound asleep Meggie.

  “Would you be more comfortable if I called it love at first sight?”

  “God. Would you stop that?”

  “Okay, let’s call it like at first sight then. You said you were a good judge of character. You were spot on with your assessment of my intentions yesterday afternoon. You can’t have lost that skill in less than twenty-four hours.”

  Leah sighed. “No. I haven’t.”

  “So what’s that intuition of yours telling you about me?”

  “You’re real.”

  “Then give me — us — a chance. Let go and believe in the magic. I know you feel what’s between us. We were both there when that kiss went up in flames.”

  Leah nodded. Hit the down button on the service lift when they reached it. “You make my head spin.”

  “It’s entirely mutual.”

  ***

  Chris hadn’t pushed Leah any further. He knew when to back off and let things simmer. She was thinking about what he’d said. Kept sending him sidelong glances. All while seeing to her niece who right now had them both wrapped around her little finger.

  From birth he’d been expected to take over Frosty’s Snowmen when his father retired. His future had been set out in front of him ready and waiting. Everything else had been an afterthought. But this, right here, the little girl hosting their tea party and making him and Leah drink pretend tea from teeny-tiny china cups was what he wanted.

  He’d never thought about his own wants or needs before. Well nothing beyond the basic superficial kind anyway. Meeting Leah was forcing him to re-examine his life and where he saw it going.

  He had no intention of giving up Frosty’s. Regardless of the fact it was thrust upon him, he loved it and didn’t want anything else. Couldn’t see himself having any other job. But, in his personal life, he wanted more. Wanted it with Leah.

  Her skittishness was understandable. They’d known each other twenty-four hours and he was in deeper than he’d ever been — ever dreamed possible. Chris wasn’t going to deny how he felt about her, couldn’t even if he wanted to.

  It was the damnedest thing. His grandfather used to talk about how he fell for his grandmother the second her saw her and, while Chris had seen the real love and affection between his grandparents, he hadn’t really believed it had happened the way Grandad told it.

  Now, after finding himself in what appeared to be a similar situation he had to re-evaluate. He professed to be a believer in Christmas magic and yet he hadn’t believed Grandad’s story of instant love.

  “Unca Ciss.” Meggie’s annoyed voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

  “Yes, sweetie?”

  “You need to finish.” She pointed at his plate. His empty plate.

  Chris looked at Leah. “Ah, okay, sorry. I’ll eat my…”

  Leah grinned and he knew she wasn’t going to save him.

  Dammit. He picked up the plate and held it closer to his face. “Hmm… Looks yummy.”

  Meggie watched him with squinted eyes, her mouth pinched as though she’d sucked on a sour worm.

  Resigne
d, Chris picked up an imaginary piece of food and hoped he was doing it right. Although how you could get pretending wrong was anyone’s guess. Shoving the whole thing in his mouth, he puffed out his cheeks and chewed.

  Meggie smiled.

  “Mmm…” He made appropriate noises of enjoyment.

  Leah laughed and he sent her a look that said she’d get hers.

  Swallowing, he licked his lips and put his plate down. “That was delicious. I’m so full now. Thank you Meggie.”

  “Good boy.” She stood and patted his head. “Santa likes good boys and girls.”

  He smiled. “Yes. He does.”

  “Okay, little miss. Mummy should be home soon. How about we pack up and make dinner so she doesn’t have to worry after working all day.”

  “Ice cream!”

  Chris laughed as Leah shook her head. “No. We’re not having ice cream for dinner. You can have some after if you eat all your veggies.”

  Meggie pouted and folded her arms over her little chest. “Don’t like veggies.”

  “You like carrots,” Leah argued while gathering up the tea set.

  “Sticks. Like sticks.”

  Chris lifted one eyebrow.

  “Carrots cut into sticks,” Leah clarified.

  Ah. “Why don’t we order take out…” He shut his mouth at Leah’s glare.

  “We’re having chicken and vegetables.”

  “Mash?” Meggie asked.

  “Well if you don’t want fries…”

  Leah barely finished the sentence when Meggie started dancing. It was an interesting booty-shake, hip-shimmy, with hands waving above her head.

  Chris laughed and scooped her into his arms, and waltzed her around for a few seconds. “Let’s help Aunty Leah pack up then we can make dinner for Mummy.”

  “Oh, you don’t—”

  “Then if you’re a good girl and eat all your veggies I’ll take everyone out for ice cream after dinner.”

  “Yay!”

  “Only if you eat all your veggies,” he reminded.

  “Mummy and Aunty Leah too,” Meggie added. “Only good girls get ice cream.”

  “And boys,” Leah said.

  “Yes. Only good boys get ice cream.”

  They kept Meggie from breaking any of her pretty tea set in her excitement over ice cream and were soon in the kitchen keeping little fingers out of the way of sharp knives.