The Mistletoe Affair

They stood in silence, admiring the majesty of the most beautiful tree she'd ever seen grace their living room. The white of the tree, against the backdrop of the royal blue draperies framing the window took on a life of its own.

Looking at Matt, Katherine grinned. “Why don't we turn on the Christmas lights and go outside to watch them?'

Matt made a beeline for the front door, while Katherine flipped the switch. They stepped outside to a white wonderland that blinked and sparkled like warm tidings of cheer in the night, illuminating the walks and outlining the house.

“Wow! Santa's flashing runway.'

Katherine felt everything would be fine this Christmas. A sweet smile and serenity filled her mother's eyes and face when the lights twinkled. She hugged her mother, bent and ruffled Matt's dark hair.

“Jared, how about some dinner after that hard work?” her mother asked.

Katherine's head popped up. Dinner?

Her face heated.

Hell. What is he-a permanent houseguest?

Chapter Three

“I'd love to have dinner with you,” Jared grinned, he'd seen a twinge on Katherine's face when her mother had issued the invitation, so he thought he'd just tweak the lion's tail. “How's that leaky pipe I replaced under your bathroom sink? Is it giving you trouble, Grace?'

“It's been bone dry under there. You did a good job. Course I have a small roof leak I meant to call you about. We might have to wait until it rains to find it.'

He shook his head. “We better stop it before it rains and does damage. I'll check it in the next couple of days.'

Jared and her mother discussing house repairs like an everyday occurrence baffled Katherine. She picked up another piece of the puzzle of who Jared really was and found it didn't fit the image she'd already formed, especially in light of that cell phone conversation.

They made their way back to the living room, and Katherine toed the carpet with her boot. “All we're having is leftover roast beef. It's nothing fancy.” He probably ate all his meals at posh restaurants. “We can throw in a kosher pickle for style.'

“And homemade peach cobbler. My daughter can really cook, Jared.'

She scowled at her mom, trying to get her to stop shooting compliments like Cupid's arrows, particularly when they were misdirected. Why doesn't Mom put a neon sign on my forehead that flashes ‘She's Available’ twenty-four hours a day? “I wouldn't brag too much, Mom. The recipe's pretty simple, mix the ingredients in a bowl, dump them in a pan and bake.” With her busy schedule, every meal she served required no fuss and a bare minimum of preparation time spent in the kitchen-preferably twenty-minutes.

Her mom beamed at Katherine's scowl as they all walked into the kitchen.

After heating and dishing out the dinner, Katherine squirmed in her chair again. She wanted to scream, listening to her mother carry on a polite but pointed conversation, prying personal information out of Jared.

“You look awfully young to have a law practice in downtown Houston and a branch office in New York.'

Jared's gaze speared Katherine's. Amusement lit up his face as he turned his attention back to her mother. “I guess I am, but I've worked hard to make it happen.'

“How old did you say you were, Jared?'

Katherine grimaced. I'm going to kill her.

“Old enough to avoid the obvious, Grace.” He chuckled and wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Thirty-four.'

“And how'd you end up with Harriet's place, God rest her soul?'

“Harriet was my aunt. When she died about a year ago, she willed me the property.'

Her mother smiled at Jared. “Why didn't you sell it?'

He grinned back. “I didn't want to.'

“Why would a big, strapping young man like yourself want to live in a quiet neighborhood like ours?'

“Harriet talked about this neighborhood all the time. I came here and enjoyed the people so much that I decided to keep the house-at least for awhile. I divide my time between Harriet's, a penthouse in New York and a ranch I own in Katy, Texas.'

“You own a ranch, too?'

He nodded and glanced at Katherine, who wanted to crawl under the table-and stay. The rapid staccato questions fired by her mom continued for twenty more minutes, interwoven with equally embarrassing personal facts about Katherine.

“So, Jared, you missed your high school prom and always regretted it. That's too bad.'

That's it. I can't stand this Barbara Walter's routine one second more. Katherine glared at her mother. “His favorite color is green. He went to college on a football scholarship. Oh, and he gets hives when he eats strawberries. Anything else you want to know?'

“Dear, we must show interest in our guest, or he'll think we're rude.'

Jared wiped his mouth with the napkin again, but she saw his grin, all directed at Katherine.

“Mom, I want another sandwich and a pickle,” Matt said.

Katherine passed the platter, glad for the diversion.

Her mother turned her head toward Jared. “Are your parents still living?'

Katherine stared at Jared when he didn't answer right away. His eyes blinked, his mouth tightened and his usually sardonic, lazy eyes grew angry and hard. What was that all about?

“No, they're both dead,” he said coldly.

“I'm sorry,” Katherine whispered. He looked up and their gaze held. For a brief moment, they shared some painful emotion that tugged at her heart. An emotion she could not understand.

Wrenching her gaze away, she assaulted Matt's food with a knife and fork. She shredded it into an unrecognizable heap.

Matt stared at his plate, his mouth wide open. “I don't like it tiny.'

Jared placed his hands over the top of his own plate, guarding its contents against any invasion into his territory with her pulverizing knife. She felt her face grow hot. “I'll get you another sandwich and pickle, Matt.'

Katherine appreciated a man with a good appetite. Jared put away a large salad, two sandwiches, three pickles and two helpings of hot cobbler. She hated to admit it, but he even looked sexy when he chewed. The way his jaw tightened and his muscles flexed made his profile stronger.

“You know what?” Matt said in between bites.

Gasping, Katherine dropped her fork, and it clanged against her plate.

Her mother and Jared stared. Katherine lifted her fork, speared a bite of pickle and shoved it into her mouth.

Please let it be something I can do. Let it be something I can do on the ground, something I can lift by myself without Hercules over there-she glanced at Jared-having to assist. I do not want to depend on him every time Matt says, “You know what?'

“What, pal?” Jared asked.

Matt glanced at her and placed his finger on his chin. “We gotta find Santa and tell him we're at Grandma's again. He might deliver our presents wrong.'

She breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. Finally, something she could do by herself.

* * * *

Jared watched Katherine throughout the meal.

He couldn't figure out exactly why she fascinated him, but she definitely did. And her anything-but-subtle