Needed: the perfect wedding date!

Trying to move on from a disastrous engagement, Sophie Morgan needs a date for her best friend’s wedding…and fast! And what quicker way to find a man than speed dating? Only, it’s bar manager, Dan Halliday, who catches Sophie’s eye.

Dan can’t resist helping a damsel in distress, so he offers her a deal—a few shifts in the bar in exchange for the date—no strings attached. But when pretence leads to passion, they both get more than they bargained for. And it’s too late to have any secrets between them….

“Dance with me.”

Nick moved closer and touched Allison’s hair.

His voice sent shivers down her spine. She drew a long breath. “I—I don’t dance.”

“No? Come here.”

Nick took her hand and drew her up against him.

They began to move in a slow, lazy circle. Allison tried to hold back, but it was impossible. He felt so hard and strong. She could feel his arms, his chest, his legs, all moving against hers, muddling her senses.

“I hope you’ve enjoyed the evening.”

Allison felt cocooned in his embrace. “I haven’t had an evening this nice in a long time,” she said truthfully as he moved his hand over her back.

Neither had Nick. He couldn’t ever remember feeling this way. It made him realize he didn’t want the evening to end. In fact, he could see them like this forever. And that was a scary thought for a bachelor.

The Best Christmas Ever
Stella Bagwell

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Stella Bagwell has written more than seventy novels for Harlequin and Silhouette Books. She credits her loyal readers and hopes her stories have brightened their lives in some small way. A cowgirl through and through, she loves to watch old Westerns, and has recently learned how to rope a steer. Her days begin and end helping her husband care for a beloved herd of horses on their little ranch located on the south Texas coast. When she’s not ropin’ and ridin’, you’ll find her at her desk, creating her next tale of love.

The couple have a son, who is a high school math teacher and athletic coach. Stella loves to hear from readers and invites them to contact her at stellabagwell@gmail.com.

To the miracle of Christmas and the gift of true love.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 1

Nicholas Gallagher slowed his sports car as the blacktop gave way to dirt and the road took another sharp bend. To his right was the wide Arkansas River. Yet before he could catch a glimpse of the barges and towboats traveling the waterway, the road began to veer sharply away from the river and into wide, open fields. At the moment the land lay fallow. But Nick knew exactly how rich and fertile it would look come spring. He was on Gallagher land now—his family’s farm.

Ahead of him, a county road grader was moving slowly, its slanted blade rolling the damp earth to one side of the road. Since the turn to the farm was only a half mile away, Nick downshifted and hung impatiently behind the vehicle.

Bright sunshine glinted off the red hood of his car, making it seem more like an early spring day instead of late December. Yesterday, when he’d left Fort Sill in western Oklahoma, the weather had been cold and wet. But the drive east had left the clouds and rain behind him.

It was a beautiful day, and he was almost home. Home for Christmas. It was a tradition for the Gallagher family to spend the holiday together. To eat, laugh, reminisce and generally make merry. Nick had always made it a point to return home and join in the celebration. But this year coming home for Christmas had taken on new meaning. His brother Sam was getting married and Nick was going to be the best man. He’d had a month to get used to the idea, but Nick still found it difficult to imagine his quiet, hardworking brother in love and about to get married.

While the grader continued to creep along in front of him, Nick looked things over. It was easy to see that Sam had been busy this past harvesting season. Even the land around the old Lee house showed signs of being worked. Nick remembered that particular section of land used to be farmed in watermelon and cantaloupe, but for the past few years it had lain dormant—mainly because Old Lady Lee had been in ill health and his father hadn’t wanted to disturb her with the loud sound of tractors and the boiling dust plowing created.

Maybe the old woman had passed away, Nick thought. Although he couldn’t remember his mother mentioning it in her letters.

Nick studied the square, wood-framed house sitting a hundred feet or so south of the road. The old Lee place was still unpainted and the tin roof was just as rusty as it had been when he’d come home last Easter. Still, it looked as though someone lived there. Curtains hung in the windows and wood was stacked neatly on the east end of the front porch.

However, Old Lady Lee swiftly left his mind as the cattle guard leading to the Gallagher farmhouse appeared on the right. With the road grader finally out of his path, Nick crossed the slatted entrance, then stepped hard on the accelerator. The sports car shot forward like a little red arrow. Dust roiled behind him and Nick chuckled as he pictured his mother’s expression when she spotted him coming down the road. She’d scold him for driving recklessly, then scold him again for not letting the family know that he was coming home today.

At the back of the house, Nick jammed on the brakes, making gravel spray from the tires as the car skidded to a stop just short of the yard fence.

Inside the kitchen Ella glanced out the window, then darted an incredulous look at Kathleen. “My God, it’s Nick! I’m going to thrash him! Did you see that? I’ll bet that car isn’t more than five inches from the fence!”

Before Kathleen could utter a word in defense of her brother, Ella dashed out the door to greet her son.

“Nicholas Gallagher! If I had your daddy’s razor strop with me right now, I’d use it on you,” she shouted as she ran down the steps.

Nick threw back his head and roared with laughter as he held his arms out to his mother. She ran straight into them and clutched her youngest child to her breast.

“Hello, Mom. Glad to see me?” he asked, bending his head to kiss her cheek.

Ella thrust him from her, then wagged her finger in his grinning face. “I’m glad to see you in one piece. Is that the way you drove coming home? Lord help us, it’s a wonder you’re alive! And what are you doing home today? It’s two days before Christmas Eve!”

Laughing again, Nick threw his arm around his mother’s shoulder and held her close. “Well, if I’m too early I can always leave and come back later.”

“Not on your life!” Ella cried. “Sam’s probably going to chain you to the bedpost as it is! He’s tried to get through to you on the telephone all week.”

“So,” Nick said with a wicked grin, “I’ve had my brother a little worried that I wouldn’t show up for the big event?”

“Nicholas!” Ella scolded. “Be serious! You know how much your brother is looking forward to you standing up with him.”

The door on the porch slammed, and Nick turned his head in time to see Kathleen scurrying down the steps toward him.

“Nick!” she squealed happily.

With his free arm, he reached out and pulled his sister against him. “Hi, sis! Don’t tell me you knew I was coming?”

“Of course I didn’t know! None of us did. Why didn’t you call and tell us?” she asked, pinching his lean waist. “Sam’s been out of his mind thinking you’d been shipped off to parts unknown.”

“We’ve been out in the field for over a week on training maneuvers,” Nick explained. “I couldn’t get to a phone.”

“And there’s not one phone between here and Lawton? You could have at least called and warned us you were coming,” Kathleen told him.

Nick’s look told Kathleen just what he thought of her suggestion. “Are you crazy? And ruin my surprise?”

With a good-natured groan she said, “You haven’t changed a bit.”

“Would you really want me to, sis?” he asked, giving her an impish grin.

Kathleen moaned and rolled her eyes. “Mom, how are we ever going to put up with him and get ready for a wedding at the same time?”

“Well, we won’t do it standing around here. Let’s go in,” Ella said, urging her son and daughter up the steps and into the house.

Inside the kitchen, Kathleen stood back with her hands on her hips and gave her brother a thorough looking over. “I guess you’ll do,” she said, her eyes full of love and laughter.

Ella wasn’t nearly as kind. She poked a finger into his midsection. “You look thin. What has the army been feeding you—K rations three times a day?”

Laughing, Nick shook his head. “Mom, you’re looking at a man in prime physical condition.”

“If you say so, Sergeant Gallagher,” Kathleen said teasingly. “How many push-ups can you do?”

“I won’t tell. Sam might kill himself trying to outdo me.” He glanced from his sister to look around the room. “Speaking of Brother Samuel, where is he? And where’s my future sister-in-law? I’m dying to see if she’s still as pretty as she used to be.”

Ella waved her hand dismissively. “Actually, Oliv-ia has been running her legs off getting ready for the wedding. But this afternoon she and Sam took time out to round up food and toys for the mission where she’s been doing a little volunteer work.”

Nick’s brows arched in wonder. “Sam is out gathering food and toys? Instead of farming? Olivia must have really transformed the boy.”

Ella gave her son an impatient look. “Your brother can do other things, you know. Besides, you might as well hear it right now. Olivia had a hard time of it over in Africa. Sam’s trying to help her ease back into relief work. So don’t be pestering her with a lot of questions about Ethiopia. You hear me?”

Nick stared at his mother. “You mean we have to handle her with kid gloves?”

“No, Nicholas. She isn’t that fragile. I’m just telling you to be kind and...sensitive.”

A beguiling grin suddenly spread across his face. “Now, Mother, you know that I know all about dealing with—”

“Yes. We know. Dealing with women,” she interrupted, shaking her head.

Laughing, Kathleen crooked her arm through Nick’s and tugged him over to the kitchen table. “Just wait until you see them together, Nick. I never thought I’d ever see Sam so happy. And Olivia is positively glowing.”

Nick eased his six-foot frame into one of the wooden chairs at the table, then leaned back and crossed his legs at the ankles.

“So where’s Dad?” he asked.

“He’s down at the hog pen trying to build some sort of watering system that won’t freeze. I guess he didn’t hear you drive up,” Kathleen said.

Nick told himself not to feel let down because his father wasn’t around to greet him.

“He’ll be in shortly,” Ella told her son. “It’s close to two o’clock and he can’t go much longer than that without his afternoon coffee. He’s going to be so surprised to see you.”

“He must be getting soft in his older years,” Nick said fondly. “I can remember when he’d have a fit if Sam and I quit for a soda.”

Kathleen made a tsking noise with her tongue. “Don’t you really mean a dip in the river that would end up lasting half of the afternoon?”

Nick made a face at his sister and she leaned over and mussed his dark auburn hair. “I’ll bet you never tell those poor privates beneath you what a terror you used to be.”

He grinned. “I’m not totally crazy, sis.”

“Kathleen, come here and make coffee. You can talk to your brother from across the room. I’ve got to finish coloring this rice so it can be drying,” Ella said as she wiped her hands on the edge of her apron. “Nick, do you want to bring in your bags now?”

“I have a whole trunkful of things out there. I’ll get them later.”

“You did bring your Class A’s, didn’t you? I know Sam will want you to wear them for the wedding,” Kathleen said, referring to his dress military uniform.

Nick grinned, more to himself than at his sister. She was finally on the mend. Some of her old spark was back in her eyes and she was smiling and laughing again. It was wonderful to see.

“As a matter of fact, my Class A’s were one of the very first things I packed, sis. Along with your Christmas present, of course.”

Kathleen instantly forgot the coffee. She came up behind her brother and, looping her arms around his neck, pressed her cheek against his. “You are going to tell me what it is, aren’t you?”

Nick chuckled wickedly. “Not even a hint.”

“Nick—” Kathleen began to plead, only to have Ella interrupt them.

“Kathleen, the coffee,” she reminded her. “I’m sure Nick could use a cup after his long drive.” The older woman wearily brushed back a wisp of hair. “I never realized getting ready for a wedding would be such a job. And with Christmas, too, I don’t know if we’re going to make it.”

“Of course we’ll make it. Nick’s here to help now,” Kathleen said happily.

Nick merely looked at the two women and laughed. “Me, help? I don’t know anything about weddings. I’d rather march five miles in sleet and snow than go to a wedding.”

“Scared all that love and commitment stuff might rub off, eh?” Kathleen teased.

His sister was so close to the truth it made Nick shift uncomfortably in his chair. “There’s not a man alive that can truly say he likes weddings,” Nick said defensively.

“The groom does, Nick. Isn’t there someone back in Lawton expecting a marriage proposal from you? You could make it a double wedding with Sam, you know, and save Mom a lot of extra work.”

Nick looked pointedly at his sister. “I’m doing just fine, sis. Thanks anyway.”

“I was only hoping,” Kathleen said with a laugh.

Tired of sitting from the long drive across Oklahoma, Nick got to his feet and joined his mother and sister at the work island in the middle of the kitchen.

“Is Old Lady Lee still living?” he asked thoughtfully. “I see Sam planted the fields around her house this year.”

“I’m sad to say she’s in a nursing home now,” Ella told him. “The poor dear could no longer see to take care of herself. And Allison, well, she has all she can do as it is. Still, the little thing feels so guilty about her grandmother.”

Nick turned to his sister in confusion. “Who is this Allison she’s talking about? The only person I ever remember living in that house was Old Lady Lee.”

“Nick!” his mother scolded. “Quit calling her that. You know her name is Martha. My word, she fed you licorice every day of your young life.”

“Yeah, and I hate licorice. But I kept going to see her thinking she’d give me something different,” Nick confessed.

“Oh, my, you were awful,” Kathleen said with a groan.

Nick gave her a wicked smile. “Awful good, sis,” he teased, then asked, “So, who’s living in Old Lady Lee’s house now? There was wood on the porch.”

His mother gave him an impatient look. “Why, Allison, of course! Martha’s granddaughter.”

“She’ll be here tonight for supper,” Kathleen explained, then with an impish smile, she reached up and grabbed his chin. “She’s coming over to help us with some of the wedding preparations.” Still holding on to his face, she glanced at Ella. “Look at him, Mother. Isn’t he the most handsome thing? Who do you think is more handsome, him or Sam?”

Nick made a face at his sister and playfully swatted her hand away.

Ella’s eyes were suddenly misty as she raised on tiptoe to kiss her son’s cheek. “It’s so good to have you home, Nick. Christmas wouldn’t be right if you weren’t here.”

“Of course it wouldn’t,” Nick said with a waggle of his eyebrows. “If I weren’t here, Santa would skip right over the Gallagher house.”

Kathleen quickly switched on the coffeemaker and grabbed him by the arm. “Come on while the coffee perks, Nick, and look at the Christmas tree. We trimmed it just last night and it’s absolutely beautiful.”

* * *

Allison Lee clutched her three-year-old son’s arm with one hand and waved at the day-care worker with the other. “See you in the morning, Cybil.”

“You drive safely, Allison,” the woman replied. “The radio reported rain moving in and the streets are so busy now—everyone is out Christmas shopping.”

Everyone but her, Allison thought wearily as she hustled Benjamin to the car. She appreciated her job as a bank teller, but even when the holidays weren’t going on, her paycheck did well to take care of the necessities of living.

Once Benjamin was safely buckled into his car seat, Allison started the car and headed home. Her route took her down busy Rogers Avenue. As she passed the huge shopping mall to her left, she noticed the parking lot was completely filled with cars.

With a wistful look in her green eyes, Allison thought of the few friends she would like to buy gifts for this Christmas. But it looked as though she’d been lucky to manage getting Benjamin’s toys out of lay-away.

Don’t be feeling sorry for yourself, Allison. You have a warm roof over your head and a beautiful, healthy son. That’s more than lots of people will have this Christmas.

The reminder made Allison shake back her long strawberry blond hair with a proud toss of her head. She wasn’t a person who whined or thought she deserved more than her fair share of things. She was doing the best she could as a single mother, and if her friends didn’t understand, then they weren’t her friends.

“I’m hungry, Mommy. Let’s eat.”

Allison glanced back at her son. He wasn’t a chatterbox, but when he did talk, his meaning was clear.

“As soon as we get home I’ll fix something, honey,” she promised, then suddenly remembered she was supposed to go to the Gallaghers’ tonight. Two days ago Ella had asked Allison if she could come over and help get things ready for Sam and Olivia’s wedding. Then this afternoon she’d called again to tell her that Nick had surprised everyone by coming home early, and that they’d be expecting her and Ben by six-thirty.

Allison stifled a tired groan at the idea. She’d had an extremely long shift working the drive-in window at the bank, and the steady stream of customers had scarcely let up throughout the day. Her head was fuzzy and her neck and shoulders ached from sitting in one position. A can of soup and bed was all she needed or wanted tonight.

But the Gallaghers were so wonderful to her that Allison could hardly ignore the invitation. Since she’d moved into her grandmother’s house, they’d taken her in and treated her almost like a family member. Benjamin felt at home there, too, and ever since S.T. had taken him for a ride on the tractor, he thought the older man was Santa Claus himself.

She glanced once again at her son. “How would you like to eat with Ella and S.T. tonight, Ben?”

“Yeah! Yeah! Tractor ride!”

Allison shook her head. “We can’t ride the tractor tonight. It’s too dark and cold. But I’ll bet Jake and Leo will be somewhere around the house, and you know how much they like to play with you.”

At the mention of the collies, Benjamin forgot about the tractor and began to talk about his last visit with Jake and Leo. Allison did her best to watch the heavy traffic and converse with her son at the same time. All the while she wondered what Ella and S.T.’s other son was like.

She’d heard different members of the Gallagher family mention him from time to time. She knew he was around twenty-four years old and had been serving in the military for the past six years. Ella had told her he was tall and handsome, but didn’t every mother think her son was handsome? she asked herself, her eyes automatically filling with pride as she looked at Benjamin.

Thankfully, her son looked like her and not like the father who’d abandoned them long before Benjamin had been born. Larry didn’t deserve to have a child resemble him. The only thing he deserved was to be treated in the same unpardonable way he’d treated her.

A few minutes later, she and Benjamin arrived at the old farmhouse. She quickly gave him a graham cracker to snack on while she rummaged through her closet for something to wear.

Most of her clothes were left over from her college days. All of them were well-worn, so there was no danger in her overdressing, she thought drearily.

Allison had gotten one year of higher education behind her before she’d met Benjamin’s father, Larry. For a short time she’d allowed herself to be drawn in by his slick charms, his vows of love and the plans he had for their future. Their future.

She gave a deprecating snort at the idea. The only plan Larry had really had was to get her into his bed.

Up until a few months ago Allison had lived in Monroe, Louisiana. She’d been born there and had grown up there, but the place held nothing for her now. Her mother had died a long time ago. After his wife’s death Clifford Lee had never cared much what happened to his daughter. Now that Allison had Benjamin, Clifford Lee had completely turned his back on her and his grandson.

She’d learned a hard lesson about men and responsibilities when Larry had walked out on her. But she’d learned an even harder one, she supposed, when her father had discarded her like an old rug he’d grown tired of stepping on. She could still remember him calling her a worthless embarrassment and that he wanted her out of his house and out of his life. He wasn’t about to let her stick him with raising another kid.

Allison had been three months pregnant at the time and nearing the end of her sophomore spring semester at Northeast Louisiana University. She’d had no alternative but to move out of the house and drop the last of her classes. Up until Benjamin had been born, she’d worked as a bookkeeper for a lumber company. But after that she’d found it nearly impossible to pay her rent and have enough left from her paycheck to care for her son and herself. If it hadn’t been for her Grandmother Lee, Allison didn’t know where she would have been living now, or how she would have been surviving. The older woman had convinced her to come to Arkansas and live in her house. The place was old and a bit run-down, but at least it would take away the added burden of paying rent.

The past three years had been difficult ones for Allison, but since she’d moved to Arkansas in May things were slowly improving. She had a better job, a house to live in, and for the first time since her mother had died, she had a real family—her son and her grandmother.

The three of them would more than likely be the only family she would ever have. But that was just the way Allison wanted it. In her dictionary, the definition of man was trouble. And she didn’t want trouble entering her life or her family’s ever again.

* * *

“Oh my, that’s really going to look pretty, girls,” Ella said appreciatively, eyeing the long dining table. “Especially when we get the wedding cake and serving dishes on it.”

Kathleen had covered the dark aged wood with a white lace tablecloth and Olivia had put together two flower arrangements of white and red poinsettias to flank the cake. Now the three women were standing back, admiring the effect of their handiwork.

“I think we need candles,” Olivia said, just as Sam and Nick walked into the room.

The two brothers exchanged grins. “Does this woman of yours have eating or romancing on her mind?” Nick teased.

With a wicked smile on his face, Sam went to

Olivia and slipped an arm around her waist. “Both, I hope,” he said.

Kathleen continued to study the table with a critical eye. “You’re right, Olivia. Candles would make it perfect.”

“There’s some in the kitchen pantry,” Ella said. “And I think I can find a pair of silver holders in the buffet. They’re probably tarnished, but we can clean them tonight with the rest of the silverware.”

Earlier that afternoon, Nick had changed out of his military khaki. Now he looped his thumbs into the pockets of his blue jeans and rocked back on the heels of his cowboy boots as he eyed the elaborate table. “I thought this was just going to be a simple wedding. Am I really worth all of this?”

Sam groaned, and Kathleen said, “We didn’t even know if you were actually going to be here or not.”

Nick looked offended. “Sam knew I’d be here even if the rest of you didn’t think so. Isn’t that right, Sam?”

Sam snorted. “I knew if you didn’t show up, you’d better have a hell of an excuse.”

Nick laughed at his brother’s stern warning. Sam had always been the serious one. Even back when they’d been teenagers, it had been a major effort just to make him laugh. There’d been a time when Nick had wished his older brother would lighten up. But now that they’d grown older, Nick knew he wouldn’t want his brother Sam any other way.

“Sam! Do you always talk to your brother like this?” Olivia asked, amazed.

Nick laughed. So did Ella as she came back into the room carrying two white candles. “Olivia, from the time Nick was old enough to walk, Sam has ordered him around and threatened him to within an inch of his life when he wouldn’t obey. Nick’s used to it.”

“Never did mind you very much either, did I, big brother?” he asked with a playful poke at Sam’s rib cage.

Sam gave him a dour look, but then his lips twitched with something close to a grin. “You want Allison to see you with a bloody nose?”

Nick cocked a brow at him, then touched the bridge of his nose. “I’d hate for you to have to get married with two black eyes. Olivia might want to postpone the honeymoon.”

Sam laughed, then pressed a kiss against the curve of Olivia’s cheek. “A couple of black eyes couldn’t keep us apart, could they, honey?”

“Nothing could ever keep us apart,” Olivia murmured.

Nick watched Olivia look adoringly at his brother and wondered what it would feel like to be loved like that. He’d never seen such love on anyone’s face before and he felt a stab of jealousy in spite of himself.

“By the way, Mom,” Kathleen said, glancing at her wristwatch, “is there anything I need to do in the kitchen before Allison arrives?”

“No. The sandwiches and snacks are all ready.”

“What about a high chair for Ben?” Olivia asked.

Ella shook her head. “Ben thinks he’s too big for a high chair. I usually let him sit on my granite roasting pan.”

Nick was thoroughly confused as he tried to follow the women’s conversation. “Allison has a small child?” he asked. “I thought she was an elderly woman. Why, Old Lady Lee is probably close to a hundred, isn’t she?”

“Nicholas, I’m going to whack you if I hear you say ‘Old Lady Lee’ one more time. What will Allison think of you? Especially when I’ve told her that you’re my most mannerly child.”

“That’s not saying too much for us, is it, Kathleen?” Sam commented.

Nick shook his head helplessly. To be honest, he wished his mother hadn’t invited anyone to the house tonight. He’d wanted to spend his first evening back home with just his family. Now he was going to have to make a point of being polite to some woman he’d never seen in his life. He liked meeting people but not tonight.

He almost wished he’d volunteered for Captain Logan’s maneuvers drill and come home a day later. Toting an M16 over miles of wet, dark terrain seemed like a party compared to the evening ahead of him.

Chapter 2

“Now listen, Ben, you must remember to be polite tonight,” Allison told her son as she stepped up on the Gallaghers’ back porch. “Ella thinks you’re a good little boy.”

“I am,” he replied solemnly.

Allison didn’t know whether to laugh or cross her fingers. “I know. That’s why I’m counting on you to be on your best behavior.”

“Where’s Jake and Leo?” the child asked, tugging on his mother’s arm just as she raised it to knock on the screen door.

“I don’t know. We’ll find out when we get inside,” she told him, then reached to slick down the unruly cowlick at his forehead.

Kathleen answered the door and quickly ushered them into the house.

“Take off your coat, Allison, and I’ll help Ben with his,” Kathleen said, already kneeling to assist the small boy.

“My goodness, what a pretty dress. You didn’t have to go to such pains for us,” Ella spoke from across the room.

Allison’s fair complexion became tinged with a delicate pink as she unconsciously smoothed a hand down the moss green skirt. “Thank you, Ella, but this dress has been in the washing machine more times than I could count.”

“Come on to the den,” Kathleen urged her. “I’m dying for you to meet Nick.”

When Allison and Kathleen entered the den, Nick was standing with his back to the fireplace, listening quietly as his father and brother talked farming.

“Well, there’s my little Ben,” S.T. boomed out as he spotted the small boy. “Come here, son.”

The redheaded child ran eagerly to the older Gallagher and climbed up on his lap, while Kathleen urged Allison farther into the room.

Nick tried not to stare, but he felt as if someone had whopped him over the head. The woman with his sister was nothing like he’d been expecting. She was young and lovely. Extremely lovely.

“Allison, this is my brother, Sergeant First Class Nicholas Gallagher. The infamous one, we all like to say,” Kathleen added jokingly.

Allison moved forward and offered her hand to Nick. “It’s nice to finally meet you,” she said.

So this was Old Lady Lee’s granddaughter! She had the most gorgeous red hair he’d ever seen. Or was it blond? Whatever color, the shoulder-length curly tresses went perfectly with her ivory white skin and sea green eyes. Why hadn’t anyone told him a vision was living next to the Gallagher farm?

“Hello, Allison. And before we go any further, whatever my family has told you about me is definitely not true.”

There was a sparkle in his dark blue eyes that Allison couldn’t quite ignore. She found herself smiling back at him in spite of the warning signals going off in her head. “Actually, I didn’t believe the part about you eating bullets for breakfast.”

Nick’s smile grew broader. “You were right. I wouldn’t eat bullets unless I had cinnamon toast to go with them.”

Across the room, Sam made a noise somewhere between a snort and a laugh. Deliberately ignoring his brother, Nick continued to hold Allison Lee’s small hand in his. “Mom tells me you’re Martha’s granddaughter,” he went on, careful to use the old woman’s given name.

Allison looked back at Nick Gallagher. Ella had been right when she’d described her son. He was a tall, handsome man. On first glance his closely cropped hair appeared almost black, but on second look she saw that it was actually a deep shade of auburn. Yet he didn’t have the fair complexion of a redhead. In fact, his complexion was darker than Sam’s or his father’s. A result of his job, she supposed.

At the moment his lean, angular face was creased in a smile that dimpled his right cheek and displayed his straight white teeth.

Allison took a deep breath and pulled her hand from his. “That’s right,” she answered. “My father was Martha’s only child.”

“Nick,” Kathleen spoke up, “why don’t you get Allison a glass of wine, and I’ll go see if Mom and Olivia need any help in the kitchen?”

“Sure thing,” he said and crossed the room to pour the drink. When he turned around, he saw that Allison had taken a seat on the couch a couple of cushions from his brother.

“I wanted to thank you for the wood you left yesterday,” she said to Sam. “You can’t imagine how much it will help in heating the house. But I would like to pay you for it.”

Sam shook his head at her just as Nick arrived with her drink. “I don’t want your money, Allison. Consider the wood a Christmas gift from me,” he said.

Nick offered Allison the wineglass. She accepted it with a brief thank-you and a faint smile, then turned her attention back to Sam. Nick was amazed at the envy that knifed through him. She was looking at his brother as if he were dear and familiar. Maybe he was, Nick thought crossly. But Sam already had one beautiful blonde madly in love with him. Did he really need two?

“You’re too generous, Sam.”

Yes, far too generous, Nick thought dryly. He’d always wondered why women were drawn to Sam. His older brother had always been quiet and brooding, even cynical at times. Maybe they found him a challenge.

Hell, Nick thought, his good humor suddenly returning. He was a challenge himself. No woman had caught him yet. And no woman was ever likely to catch him. He was young and still having too much fun to be tied down by just one woman. Even one as lovely as Allison Lee.

“So how long have you been living in the old farmhouse?” Nick asked Allison as he took a seat on the arm of the couch.

“I moved in last May,” she answered, trying not to notice how close he was to her.

He was nothing like Sam, she thought. Sam had always treated her like a friend. But this military man was sending her all sorts of dangerous signals. There was a reckless glint in his eyes that left her feeling decidedly edgy and wishing the night was over before it had even began.

“Allison is originally from Louisiana,” Sam explained.

Nick wondered why Allison Lee had left Louisiana and moved into her grandmother’s old house. And where was her husband?

Curiously, he glanced at her left hand to check for a ring. There was none. She wasn’t wearing any jewelry that he could see, yet she appeared anything but plain. She was like a jewel herself—full of vibrant color and a touch of mystery.

Olivia came into the room and took a seat on the arm of the couch beside Sam. Allison smiled warmly at the woman who’d become her friend over the past month.

“Are you nearly ready for the wedding?” Allison asked her.

Olivia laughed softly. “Right now I think we have things in an organized sort of chaos.”

“Well, I’ll be glad to help anyway I can,” Allison assured her.

Olivia exchanged glances with Sam, then looked back at Allison. “Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you,” Olivia began carefully.

Allison looked at her expectantly. “Yes?”

“Sam and I talked it over and we’d love for you to be my bridesmaid.”

Allison couldn’t have been more shocked. “Oh, but surely Kathleen is—”

“Going to be my maid of honor. So please say you will. I know it’s a little late to ask but it would please Sam and me if you would agree.”

Allison was overwhelmed. These people wanted to include her in something that was obviously a family affair. She couldn’t quite believe it. “Oh,

Olivia, I—”

Embarrassed, especially because she knew Nick was listening, she broke off. But then she realized there was nothing she could say except the truth. “I’m so touched that you want me to be your bridesmaid, but to be honest I—don’t have a dress that would be—”

“Don’t worry about a dress,” Olivia quickly assured her. “What you wear isn’t important. Is it, darling?” she asked, glancing down at Sam.

He shook his head. “Olivia isn’t worried about a person’s clothes.”

Sensing how awkward she must be feeling, Nick felt compelled to lighten the mood. “That’s right, Allison, or she definitely wouldn’t be marrying Sam,” he told her. “He’s a true farmer. He wears long johns until April. I just hope the neck doesn’t show when he puts on his tie.”

“Sure, Nick,” Sam said while the rest of them laughed.

“I won’t take no for an answer,” Olivia said when the laughter died away. “Besides, Kathleen has all sorts of dresses you can wear if need be.”

Allison smiled and lifted her hands in a gesture of compliance. “Then I’d be honored to be your bridesmaid.”

“That’s wonderful!” Olivia exclaimed.

From across the room, S.T. broke into the conversation. “Sam, Benjamin wants to know where Jake and Leo are.”

Sam motioned for the boy to come to him. Benjamin approached the couch shyly, one finger stuck in the side of his mouth. Nick could see his resemblance to Allison and for the second time he wondered about the child’s father.

“The dogs are down at the barn, Ben. They’re asleep on the hay.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s cold and dark and they’re sleepy,” Sam explained.

“I’m not sleepy,” Benjamin said, in a way that implied the dogs shouldn’t be sleepy, either.

Amused, Sam got to his feet and held his hand out to the boy. “I know where there’s another dog. Come on, I’ll find him for you. Want to come with us, Olivia?”

Ben placed his hand in Sam’s and the three of them left the room. Nick quickly slid off the arm of the couch and took up his brother’s vacated seat.

Allison took a sip of her wine and crossed her legs. She wished Ella would call them in to supper. She felt like a bird cornered by a persistent tomcat.

“Benjamin is a fine looking boy. How old is he?”

“Three.”

“He seems fond of Dad.”

“S.T. entertains him.”

Nick leaned back and crossed his ankles. He wanted to appear casual and uninterested, but found it impossible to keep his eyes off her. The green dress she was wearing was made of something soft and clingy. The neck was high, but the bodice was fitted, outlining her rounded breasts. She had a lush figure, full at the breasts and hips, narrow and trim at the waist. She was the kind of woman who could turn a man’s mind to a pile of mush in a matter of minutes. In fact, his was getting pretty mushy, he realized with a start.

Allison could feel Nick’s eyes making a slow appraisal of her. A part of her resented it, but a foolish part of her was flattered that he might find her attractive.

After a few moments of silence passed, Nick asked, “Do you always talk this much?”

She looked at him, her green eyes slightly veiled by thick brown lashes. “I’m afraid I’m not that much of a talker. Especially after a day like today.”

His brows lifted with curiosity. “And what was your day like?”

She knew he was merely making friendly conversation, so why did she feel so cornered by each question he put to her? “It was very busy. I work as a bank teller, you see, and today was my turn at one of the drive-in windows.”

“Hmm. I suppose at this time of year it’s even worse,” he mused, then smiled. “Are you ready for Christmas? I’ll bet you’re one of those people who has her shopping done weeks ahead of time.”

She glanced away from him as his words reminded her just how meager her shopping would be this Christmas. “No... I’m one of those last minute shoppers,” she said, while twisting the stem of her glass between her fingers.

Damn Nick, why did you have to mention shopping? he asked himself. She’d already admitted she couldn’t afford to buy herself a dress. No doubt she could afford little more than necessities.

“I was sorry to hear your grandmother is in a nursing home,” he said, deciding to quickly change the subject. “I can’t imagine her not living in the old farmhouse anymore. When I was a small boy I went to see her every day.”

“I know. She speaks of you from time to time.”

Nick was surprised. “Does she really? I would have thought she’d forgotten me by now.”

A faint smile touched Allison’s lips. “She said you were a pesky little thing, but when you grew up and stopped coming to see her, she missed you.”

Nick wondered why he suddenly felt a pang of guilt because he’d stopped visiting the old woman. “I’d like to see her while I’m here,” he said suddenly. “Is she well enough to receive visitors?”

Allison was taken by complete surprise. She hadn’t expected him to inquire about her elderly grandmother, much less want to see her. “Actually, she’s a very healthy ninety-two, except for her sight, that is. And she loves visitors.”

Allison’s attention was caught by the sound of running feet. Before she could turn her head in their direction, Benjamin was racing around the couch toward her.

“See my dog, Mommy!” he exclaimed excitedly, then thrust the large stuffed toy at his mother.

Allison reached out and patted the floppy-eared version of a basset hound. It was limp and a little ragged in places, but was still holding together. Apparently the dog had been a childhood favorite of at least one of the Gallagher children. “He’s very pretty. Did you thank Sam and Olivia for getting him for you?”

Benjamin nodded with great exaggeration and Nick grinned at the boy and the old familiar dog. “That’s Buddy,” Nick said, nodding his head toward the dog. “Kathleen dragged that dog from here to Texas. She wouldn’t even go to the dentist without him.”

“Who did I take to the dentist?” Kathleen asked curiously as she walked up on the last of the conversation.

“Buddy,” Sam explained. “I got him out of the closet so that Ben would have something to play with.”

“Good,” Kathleen said, reaching to playfully tousle Benjamin’s hair. “He smells better than Jake and Leo. And he has better dog manners.”

Puzzled, Benjamin looked around the group of adults. “What’s that, Mommy?”

“Come here, son,” S.T. said as chuckles floated around the room. “I’ll tell you all about dog manners and little boy manners.”

“You’ll have to do that while we eat,” Ella said from the doorway. “Everything is ready and waiting.”

The announcement caused a stir as everyone got to their feet and moved to the kitchen. Allison led Benjamin by one hand, while he clutched the stuffed dog to him with the other. But once they reached the table she talked him into letting her put the dog under his chair.

Once Allison finally had her son settled safely on Ella’s roasting pot, she looked up to see Nick holding a chair out for her.

“You don’t mind sitting by me, do you, Allison?”

However could she answer that when the whole Gallagher clan seemed to be looking at her? “No—of course not,” she stammered, feeling a telltale heat warm her cheeks.

“I assure you, I’m like Buddy—I have good eating manners,” he said with a wink.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Allison,” Sam warned from the other end of the table. “He’ll steal the food off your plate if you aren’t watching.”

Allison allowed Nick to seat her, while across the table, Ella said, “If I remember right, Sam, you always dropped most of your food under the table for Sally.”

“That’s right,” Kathleen added. “No wonder the poor dog died. She was so overweight she could hardly walk.”

Sam shook his head at his sister. “She could hardly walk because she had arthritis. And what about all the candy you gave her?”

“She loved chocolate candy—” Kathleen countered, only to have Ella tap her fork loudly against her plate.

“Oh, my word. Let’s not start arguing about Sally now!”

Nick and Ella exchanged knowing glances while Allison sat quietly and watched. She’d never been around a big family before, but she’d often wondered what it would be like to have a brother or sister to talk and laugh with, parents that truly loved her.

Her mother had loved her, but her death had left Allison alone with a father who hadn’t wanted her. As a result she’d grown up starved for love and affection. It was no wonder that she’d fallen so easily for Larry’s lies. She’d soaked up the physical love he’d given her and refused to see that it was only skin-deep.

“Your mother is right. It’s time to eat instead of argue,” S.T. said sternly, although the crooked grin on his face revealed just how much he was enjoying seeing all his family together.

“Eat! Eat!” Benjamin repeated.

“Ben! Shh!” Allison scolded lightly.

Nick chuckled. “I think Ben is smarter than the whole bunch of us.”

“Say grace, Sam, and let’s get some food on the boy’s plate,” S.T. instructed his older son.

* * *

The meal was full of boisterous conversation and laughter. Allison was content to merely eat and listen. And try not to notice the man beside her. She tried especially hard not to notice the way his eyes lingered on her face each time he passed her something. But try as she might she could not ignore the curiosity she had about him, or the strange rush of excitement it gave her to have him sitting beside her.

If Allison hadn’t known beforehand that he was a military man, she probably wouldn’t have guessed him as one. But as she studied him covertly, she could see little things about him that looked military. Like the neatness of his clothes, his proud, erect carriage, the trim hardness of his body.

He was very unlike Sam, she thought. And she wondered what had made him want to be in the army. Had he disliked farming, or was it that he loved being a soldier more?

Benjamin’s small hand tugging at her arm brought Allison out of her musings. She saw that her son was finished eating and growing impatient to leave the table.

After excusing them both, she took Benjamin to the den and settled him and the stuffed dog on a braided rug not far from the fireplace. She’d just taken a seat on the couch to wait for the others when Nick walked in carrying three small plates.

“You haven’t had dessert yet,” he explained at her look of surprise.

“You shouldn’t have bothered,” Allison insisted. “I’m already stuffed.”

“Mother’s feelings would be hurt if you didn’t eat a piece of cake. She thinks of it as one of her specialties.”

Nick handed her the dessert plate holding the thick slice of cake, gave one to Ben and then took a seat next to her.

“Everything Ella cooks is a specialty,” Allison said as she dipped a fork into the cake. “But you don’t have to sit in here with me, Nick. I’m just a neighbor, not a guest that has to be entertained.”

His sudden smile was crooked, as though he found her words amusing. “You don’t have to make such a point of getting rid of me, either.”

A blush spread across Allison’s fair cheeks. Had it really been so obvious that she wanted to avoid his company? She hoped not. She didn’t want him to think she disliked him. But then, she didn’t want him to think she was interested in him, either. “I wasn’t. I mean—I just meant that your family will be wanting you to finish eating with them.”

Nick shifted around on the cushion so that his back was resting against the arm of the couch and his knee nearly touching Allison’s thigh. She felt every nerve inside her coil to sudden attention.

“I’ll be here until after Christmas. They’ll all be sick of my company by then. Besides, I’m curious.”

Without looking at him, she lifted the cake to her mouth. “Oh? About what?” she asked, although she could already guess. He’d probably been wondering throughout the evening about Benjamin, and why a young single woman like herself had a child.

“About my family,” he answered. “Not one of them mentioned to me that a beautiful woman had moved next door. I wonder why that is?”

Allison’s eyes remained on the fat slice of cake she was holding. “Probably because I’m not beautiful,” she murmured, hoping he couldn’t sense the rapid beat of her heart.

She knew she was behaving like a complete idiot, but she wasn’t used to dealing with men or compliments. At least not since her ordeal with Larry. Since then, she’d steered clear of any kind of male attention.

Nick laughed softly and took a bite of his cake. He could see that he bothered her. He didn’t exactly understand why, but the fact that he did pleased him enormously.

“You don’t like me much, do you?”

His question was so unexpected that her head jerked up. “What?”

He gave her a patient smile. “I said that you—”

“No, I mean, why would you—why do you think that?”

He smiled again, knowingly this time. “Oh, it probably has something to do with that ice I see in your eyes every time you look at me.”

Embarrassed, she jerked her eyes away and looked across the room to where Ben still sat playing on the rug. “You’re misreading me,” she said as casually as she could manage. “How could I not like you? I don’t even know you.”

“That’s true,” he said thoughtfully, then took another bite of cake. “At first I thought it was simply because I was a man. But you seem to like Dad, and it’s obvious that you like Sam.”

“Of course I like Sam. He’s a dear man.” Since she’d moved into her grandmother’s old house, Sam had done things for her that she could never possibly have managed on her own. Like when he’d fixed the broken water line in the bathroom and patched the roof where it had leaked near the foot of her bed. She never forgot a kindness and Sam had been kind to her.

Nick snorted, but the sound was softened with a grin. “Believe me, Allison. Sam’s not a dear. He’s a bear.”

Tilting her head to one side, she looked at him. “Really? Then what are you?”

His dark blue eyes were suddenly full of laughter. “Why, Miss Lee, I thought you knew I was a soldier.”

He was playing with her, Allison thought. But, surprisingly, she didn’t resent the fact. Why should she? she asked herself. Nick was more or less a stranger and he’d be gone from here in a matter of days. He couldn’t hurt her in any way. She felt a bit safer at the thought.

Smiling now, Allison sliced off another bite of cake. “And what kind of soldiering do you do? Do you sit behind a desk or are you out in the field?”

“A little of both.”

“Do you like it?”

Nick shrugged. “I guess I like it. I’ve done it for six years.”

He hadn’t really answered her question. But Allison wasn’t going to point that out to him. The last thing she wanted was for Nick Gallagher to get the idea she was interested in him.

Chapter 3

A few moments later S.T. and Sam came into the den. Allison quickly excused herself to join the women in the kitchen. Ella brought out the silver polish and they all went to work cleaning the silverware and table pieces that would be used for the wedding reception. When that job was finished they went to work making bags of rice, cutting tiny little squares of fine red netting, filling them with dry rice and tying the tops with satin ribbons. It was a painstaking job, but Ella said it wouldn’t be a wedding unless the guests had rice to throw at the bride and groom.

None of them realized they’d been working for nearly two hours until Sam and Nick came into the room.

“Olivia,” Sam said, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “You’re going to be worn-out. Why don’t you call it quits for tonight?”

Ella quickly agreed, saying they could all use another round of cake and coffee.

“I’d really better be going,” Allison said quickly. “Ben needs to be in bed. Especially with tomorrow being a workday for me.”

“Your son is sound asleep,” Nick told her. “I think Dad told him one too many farming stories.”

Allison glanced to where he was standing across the table from her and smiled briefly. “Thank you for keeping an eye on him. I’ll just go start the car and let it be warming before I get him.”

She was over by the door, pulling on her coat, when Nick walked up behind her. Allison knew it was him even before he spoke and her heart began to thud heavily against her breast.

“I’ll go start your car,” he said.

Her hands stilled on the button at her neck. His voice was so coarse and deep, so totally masculine that it sent shivers down her spine. “That’s okay. I’m used to doing it.”

“Nonsense. Give me the key.”

Not wanting to appear ungrateful to the rest of the Gallaghers, Allison pulled her keys out of her coat and handed them to him.

He went out the door with a grin on his face while Allison took a deep breath and headed to the den for her son.

She’d told everyone good-night and was carrying Ben across the breezeway when Nick suddenly appeared in front of her.

“The car is running,” he said. “Let me carry him for you.”

“Really, Nick, I can—”

Before she could say more, Nick reached for the sleeping child. Allison could do little more than hand him over. As she did, her fingers inadvertently touched Nick’s arm. The warmth and strength she felt beneath the thin material of his shirt left a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. She tried her best to ignore it as they made their way through the kitchen to the back door.

“Oh, Allison,” Kathleen called, hurrying to catch her before she stepped onto the porch. “You forgot to take Buddy.”

Allison hesitated, then shook her head as Nick’s sister thrust the floppy-eared dog toward her. “No, I couldn’t take your dog.”

Kathleen laughed at Allison’s protest. “Why ever not? Ben loves him.”

“I know. But the dog is obviously your keepsake.”

Kathleen smiled fondly at the dog in her hand. “I’ve had him forever. Now I want to give him to Ben.”

Maybe it was just a worn-out toy, Allison thought. But she knew how much she’d missed her own keepsakes. “That’s very sweet of you, Kathleen, but I’d feel awful about taking him. You might want to give him to a child of your own someday.”

As soon as the words were out Allison knew she’d said something wrong. Pain, or something close to it, flickered in Kathleen’s eyes and her hands gripped the furry dog. “That’s something that won’t be happening,” she said in a husky voice, then thrust the dog into Allison’s hands and hurriedly turned away. “Take good care of him. That’s all I ask,” she called as she left the room.

Allison looked up at Nick, who was standing just outside on the porch. His expression was solemn.

“What’s wrong? What did I say?” Allison asked anxiously.

Nick shook his head. “It’s not your fault. Come on. I’ll tell you later.”

Allison hurried across the backyard and to her car so that she could have the door already open for Nick. After he’d carefully placed the child on the back seat, he turned and opened the front door on the passenger side.

“I’ll go with you to carry him in,” he explained.

Allison’s heart was suddenly flopping like a fish out of water. “It’s all right. I’m used to carrying him,” Allison assured him, then climbed behind the wheel.

Nick ignored her protest and joined her on the front seat anyway. Once he’d shut the door, he looked over at her bemused face. “Let’s go, woman! It’s freezing in here.”

Frowning, Allison thrust the car into reverse, then headed down the road. Relax, she quickly told herself. It wasn’t like he was going to make a pass or anything. He was just here to help her with Benjamin.

She glanced over at the man sitting only a few inches away from her. “I hope I didn’t upset Kathleen too much over the toy. It was so generous of her that I...” Allison sighed, then started again. “I guess I reminded her of her dead husband when I mentioned her having children, didn’t I?”

He shook his head. “No, it wasn’t that. Kathleen and her husband were never able to have children.”

Allison wished she could kick herself. “Oh, my, I’m so sorry. What must she think of me?”

“You didn’t know. She understands that.”

“I didn’t know. But, oh, my,” she said again, feeling an unbearable sadness for Nick’s sister. “Please explain to her, will you?”

“I will. But you should forget it. I’m sure Kathleen already has.”

By now they had reached the short driveway to her house. Allison pulled in slowly and parked on the west side beneath the bare branches of a huge sycamore tree.

She’d left the door to the house unlocked and a lamp on in the living room. With Ben in his arms, Nick followed her through the small shadowy rooms to a bedroom at the back, then stood to one side as she pulled the covers on a half bed equipped with a safety rail.

After Nick had gently laid the boy on the smooth sheet, Allison removed his outer clothing, then pulled a heavy comforter up over his shoulders and placed a kiss on his cheek. It was a sight that called up Nick’s own childhood, when his mother had done the same nightly ritual for him. He’d always felt utterly loved by his mother. Just as Ben probably did. For it was more than obvious that Allison was devoted to her son. It made him wonder if she was still devoted to the child’s father. Wherever he was.

Turning from the bed, Allison almost bumped into him and nearly lost her footing trying to avoid a head-on crash into his broad chest. Nick caught her arm to steady her.

“S-sorry,” she stammered a bit breathlessly. “I didn’t realize you were still here.”

The room was dark, but there was enough of a glow coming from the yard light outside for Allison to see his mouth curve into a crooked smile.

“I figured I’d better follow you back through the house so you could lock up,” he said.

Allison was acutely aware of his fingers, the warmth that radiated from them. Although he was holding her gently, she somehow knew the grip of his hand could be powerful if he wanted it to be so. She wasn’t used to big strong men, and certainly not big, strong, good-looking men like Nick Gallagher. And that was the only reason she was having these strange reactions to him, she told herself.

“I’ll—just give me a moment and I’ll drive you back to your house,” she told him.

She made a move toward the door. Nick was forced to release her arm and follow. Although he realized with a start that he would have been perfectly happy to keep standing there close to her in the darkness. Perfectly happy to simply hold her arm and look down at her face.

That’s not your style, Nick. You’re a man of action, not a sentimental, romantic sop.

“I couldn’t ask you to leave Ben,” he told her while trying to sort out the strange things wheeling around in his head.

“It only takes a minute. Two at the most. I’m outside at the clothesline longer than that.”

The sweet, erotic scent of jasmine drifted to him as he followed her through the darkened hallway. Nick took a deep breath and tried to cleanse his wayward thoughts. “Still, I wouldn’t hear of it. I’ll jog back.”

They were in the living room now. Allison stood stiffly with her hands folded in front of her. Actually, they weren’t folded, they were clenched, but she hoped he wasn’t able to see her nervousness in the low lamplight.

Nick took a moment to look around the long room. There was a faint glow of dying embers in the shallow fireplace, a few steps away from it a cherry-wood rocker. Nick stared at the old, familiar chair. “That was Martha’s old rocker. I remember her having it out on the porch in the summertime.”

The fact that he remembered both touched and surprised Allison. She’d been speaking the truth when she’d said her grandmother had often mentioned Nick. But there’d been times when she’d wondered if those accounts of his visits had been just the imagination of a lonely old woman. Now that she’d met Nick, she knew they hadn’t been.

“You really did come to see her, didn’t you?” she said, her voice touched with wonder.

He turned his head to look at her, then almost wished he hadn’t. She was like a vision with the faint glow of light haloing her long, red hair and outlining the lush curves of her body. Nick had known lots of women. Some of them had even been beautiful. But none of them had affected him quite like this one. Nick couldn’t understand it. Why did this one make him feel so giddy, like a schoolboy with sweaty palms?

“Of course I did. Dad used to get angry with me because I spent so much time over here instead of doing my chores.”

A faint smile touched her face. “And why did you spend time with Grandmother? To get out of doing your chores?”

Nick laughed softly. “It sounds that way. But actually, no. My grandparents lived in Texas and I rarely got to see them. I guess Martha was like having a grandmother here at home. She’d give me licorice, which I hated with a passion, but I’d eat it anyway just so she would tell me Civil War stories.”

“Why didn’t you tell her you hated licorice?”

Nick’s expression was suddenly sheepish. “I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.”

Allison couldn’t imagine this sergeant in the army being worried about such a thing. “What about Sam? Didn’t he want to hear Civil War stories, too?”

Nick shook his head and jammed his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “Sam was always content to work on the farm. Whether it was planting time or harvesting time, he wanted to be in on the doing of it.”

“And you didn’t?”

“Not always.” Which was true enough, Nick thought. But he’d never been as good at it as Sam. Sam had been able to plow a straight row from the time he was twelve years old, whereas Nick had always ended up daydreaming and straying off course. S.T., hotter than the devil himself, would come out to the fields and order Nick off the tractor and Sam up in the driver’s seat. It was a scenario that had been repeated over and over during their growing up years. Sam was still in the driver’s seat as far as the farm was concerned, Nick realized. This year his brother had taken over sole responsibility of running the farm. Nick didn’t know how he felt about that. Actually, he tried not to think about it at all.

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