The Mistletoe Affair

Katherine nodded. “She cornered you and I think you did it so Shannon would get on with her life.'

He nodded, cupping her chin and lifting it. Their gazes locked and she saw sadness reflected in his eyes. “I wanted to convince her I didn't love her and I wasn't marrying you to get even with her.” He clutched at her and crushed her against him. “Instead I almost lost you again.'

“Never, my love,” she vowed. A smile tugged at her lips. “But the next time you decide to help a damsel in distress, discuss it with me first.'

“Always,” he promised, sealing it with kisses.

“Jared,” she whispered against his lips, “I almost forgot.” She snuggled against him. His hand trembled as he unbuttoned her shirt and cupped her breast. “I can't think with you doing that.'

“Don't. Just feel,” he said around a deep breath.

His mouth swooped down and kissed her long and hard. He released a low groan when he drew back and gazed in her eyes.

“Mother and Thomas are engaged.” She moaned. “We have to help them celebrate.'

She felt the suppressed desire as he pulled away from her and kissed her lightly on the cheek. “Now you tell me.” He laughed, took her hand and pulled her toward the door.

* * * *

Katherine sat cross-legged in her jeans, fingering the wheels, washers, rods and snap on nuts that cluttered the living room floor. She chewed her bottom lip and studied the diagrams. “It's Greek. Why are manufacturer's instructions so complicated?'

“So we'll think they know what they're doing when they built these toys and charge a fortune for them.” He sat himself down in the middle of the mess, easily fitting together the alien-produced pieces of plastic and metal that so baffled Katherine.

“Since we pay so much for the toys, why do we end up putting them together?” she asked, holding up three more mysterious pieces.

Jared reached and guided her hands, showing her how to connect the parts. “Katherine, I don't think you're going to solve this huge manufacturing dilemma tonight. We have to assemble these toys for Matt because it's Christmas Eve,” he said with a wink.

She snapped the parts into place. “Now you know the real reason I agreed to marry you.” He grinned and his dimple deepened, shifting her focus to his incredibly sexy mouth.

His gaze drifted to the buttons on her blouse. He looked back up with a roguish smile. He handed her another set of instructions. “Get your mind back on the task. You keep looking at me like that and we'll never get these toys together.'

Her face heated and she stuck her tongue out at him.

“Katherine,” he said in a warning tone and shoved another box her way with a smile. “Get busy.'

By one in the morning, they had the last present assembled and under the Christmas tree. They held each other and inspected their finished work, unplugged the lights and plunged the room into darkness. Katherine reached out and found Jared as they stumbled on the bottom of the stairs.

“Katherine, cut that out,” Jared whispered. “You're supposed to feel your way up the stairs, not up me.'

She giggled. “Can't I do both?'

Her hand drifted down the hard plane of his stomach and over the cotton fabric of his jeans. “If you don't stop that, I'll die from frustration.” He stood in front of the bedroom next to hers. “I don't want to confuse Matt, or give him anything to think about on Christmas morning but his own excitement at opening presents and seeing the two of us coming out of your bedroom wouldn't help that. We don't know what time Matt's getting up.'

Leaning into him, she touched his cheek lightly with her lips before going to her own bedroom.

“Sweetheart, you're killing me,” he whispered.

She closed the door softly and braced herself against it with a smile.

* * * *

Katherine ran into Jared's bedroom, put her hand on his bare shoulder and shook him.

“Matt's awake,” she whispered.

Jared's eyes flew open and he squinted against the dim, gray light.

“I'll stall him while you get dressed.” She hurried on, ignoring the fact that he wasn't moving yet. “Thomas is on his way with the puppy and my mother is already downstairs.'

“What time is it?” he said, throwing back the covers. He hopped out of bed, slid into his pants and yawned.

“Five o'clock.'

He rubbed his eyes, ran his hand over his hair, rumpling it. “Do I have time to shower?'

Katherine stared at him in horror. “No! We can stall him five, maybe ten minutes if you want to shave. So get going.'

Ten minutes later Jared held Matt in his arms and headed down the stairs. “Close your eyes. No peeking. I'll tell you when you can open them.'

Jared stood him in front of the lighted Christmas tree, and Grace and Thomas moved closer so they could see Matt's face.

“Open your eyes,” Jared said.

“Merry Christmas!” everyone shouted as Matt opened his eyes and squealed, hopping up and down and from foot to foot. Katherine practically did summersaults around the living room trying to get photographs of his joyful little face from every angle. “A perfect picture,” she exclaimed every time, aiming and clicking the camera.

Matt ran toward a bicycle. “A big boy's bike.” He put one hand on the handlebar and puffed his chest out with pride.

A scratching and sniffing sound came from a perforated box about to tip over. Hearing a sharp ‘yip', Matt's eyes rounded and his jaw dropped. Jared opened the lid and Matt bent to peak inside. He was quickly rewarded with a friendly lick and giggled as the collie puppy leaped out of the box. The puppy squirmed, wagged her tail, jumped up on its hind legs and knocked Matt off his feet, making him laugh.

After Jared helped Matt sit back up and settled the puppy on his lap, Matt's happy face turned to Katherine, eyes wide with excitement. “Look at her, Mom. Isn't she cool?” His berry-red, chubby lips smiled at her in complete happiness. When had she last seen such joy on his little face?

“Yes, she is,” Katherine agreed with a grin.

Jared urged Katherine to take a picture as Matt cuddled and hugged the pup. “Her food and water are in the washroom, along with her leash. She needs a name though.'

Matt glanced at the beautiful porcelain angel on top of the tree and his eyes lit up. He turned to Jared. “I wanna call her Star. ‘Cause I wished on one and got you.'

A tear ran down Katherine's cheek.

Matt reached under the tree and grabbed a gift-wrapped box. He ran over to her and Star followed close at his heels like a shadow. “Don't cry, Mom. I got you something special, too.'

“Thank you, sweetheart,” she said, kissing him on the cheek and holding the gift he handed her.

“Thomas and I have set our wedding date for December thirty-first. We want a simple ceremony at the house so all our friends and neighbors can attend. We'd like Matt to serve as the ring bearer and Jared as best man.” Her mother took Katherine's hand. “And I'd like you to be my maid of honor.'

Katherine hugged her. “Yes. I can't wait.'

“What does a ring bearer do exactly?” Matt asked.

Katherine knelt beside him. “He walks down the aisle with a ring on a pillow and gets chocolate candy afterwards.'

“I can do that,” he said, nodding.

Jared laughed. “I'll be proud to be your best man, Thomas, and you can be mine sometime in January.” He