Eggnog and Candy Canes: A Blueberry Springs Christmas Novella (13 page)

Katie sat back, the news hitting her so hard she had trouble breathing.

“Now go in there and tell Nash you love him. That you can’t live without him and you want to have hot monkey sex with him.” Beth swiped at her damp eyes.

“Beth? I think the hormones might be controlling the mother ship.”

Her friend slammed a fist on the table, her cheeks pink. “Shut up and claim him already!”

Chapter 8

So this was it.

Nash was heading back to the city. Blueberry Springs had been dug out overnight and the roads were open once again.

The day felt like a big letdown. The holidays were officially over. All that prep and then boom. Celebration finished. Life resumed as normal.

Only this time life was no longer normal. It was as though Katie had finally received the pony she’d been wishing for. She wasn’t left sitting by the tree among the shredded wrappings, wondering why Santa had bypassed her once again.

She had the pony and, as a result, her whole world had opened up. All she had to do was walk out into the yard and claim it.

Claim her new career. Claim the man she’d carefully sidestepped all last night while she mulled over Beth’s advice, her own feelings, his words.

It was time to step out of her pre-pony days and become the girl she’d always dreamed of being.

She didn’t need a life plan; she was living it this time. Eyes open. Arms out wide. Ready to grab it all.

Nash was hers. She’d known it in her heart as soon as her eyes had opened this morning. The hollow spot within her had been filled and she couldn’t wait to see him.

And right now, that was all that mattered.

Stretching, Katie walked to the living room’s bay window and took in the snowy scene. Her mother’s yard decorations were still buried under massive drifts, the street invisible behind the piles of snow the plows had left. In a while, Katie would go home to her basement suite and call Nash’s friend Monica, then start figuring out what she needed to take with her to the city. But first she was going to help her mother put on the best post-Christmas buffet in the history of the Reiter household. A little something to try and help stretch out the holidays for her mom.

As Katie turned from the window, something caught her eye. What was that? It looked like the roof of a silver BMW squirreling its way to a stop in front of the house.

She knew only one person who drove a Beemer. She flung open the front door, slipping into her father’s winter boots on her way out. She clunked up to the car, sliding to a halt as the driver’s door opened.

“Nash!”

He wrapped her in his arms, breathing her in as if they hadn’t seen each other in months. “Katie.”

Her name sounded amazing tumbling out of his rumbly chest, with her body clutched against his.

“I missed you already.” She laughed, tipping her head up to smile at him. His nose was red from the cold. “You are going to have to buy a more rugged vehicle if you move back, you know. One with a good heater.”

“Maybe you can keep me warm.” He kissed her in a way that made the need for a winter coat unnecessary. “I missed you, too,” he murmured, his lips warm against hers. She sagged into him, allowing his strength to support them both.

“I love you.” She blinked and took a sharp breath. She hadn’t meant to say that.

But it felt right. Scary, it was so right.

“Good.” He squeezed her against him, his voice thick with emotion. While he seemed so strong, possibly he needed someone like her in his life. Someone who was strong enough to be his anchor. And when it came to anchors, not just anyone would do. But she would.

She smiled, knowing she would one day be the woman he came home to. The woman who, starting now, would hold him strong against the current.

“I love you, Katie Reiter,” he whispered in her ear. “Be mine.”

“It’s not Valentine’s Day, silly man,” she teased, her eyes filling with gratitude and love.

“I know, but I want you today and every day until then. And then beyond. Much beyond.” He held her face so he could meet her eyes. “Can you handle that?”

“Challenge accepted, Nash Leham. Challenge gladly and wholeheartedly accepted.”

The End

The Blueberry Springs story continues! Keep turning the pages for more on this series…

Psst! You can also get more great reads from Jean as well as her new book news. Click here:
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The Blueberry Springs Collection

Small Town Romance by Jean Oram. Women’s fiction soul with chick lit charm.

Book 1: Champagne and Lemon Drops

Will Beth be able to win back her fiancé when he asks for a break? Or will the process of winning him back teach her things about herself that will ultimately lead her to another man?

Book 2: Whiskey and Gumdrops
 

Will Mandy be able to sort out who she is and what she wants in time to save not only her friendship with Frankie, but get what her heart has always wanted?

Book 3: Rum and Raindrops

Will Jen be able to prove she didn’t start the forest fire threatening Blueberry Springs as well as face her past in order to get the man of her dreams?

Book 4: Eggnog and Candy Canes
(This book!)

From enemies to lovers. Nurse Katie Reiter’s nemesis, Dr. Nash Leham is back in Blueberry Springs and he came for one thing—Katie. Will their battles turn to stolen kisses in the midst of a Christmas storm or will Katie find her happily ever after in the arms of another?

Book 5: Vodka and Chocolate Drops
(Click to see if it is available!)

After her boyfriend’s betrayal, will tell-it-like-it-is Amber be able to keep her mouth shut long enough to allow others to tell their side of the story, including the one that reveals not only her own past, but also that of her one true love?

P.S. Amber is going to have her own Valentine’s Day short story—coming in 2015. Snag a spot on my mailing list to find out more! Don’t miss out, subscribe:
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*While it is not necessary to read this series in order—all the books are stand-alone novels—they do spoil each other’s endings, so it is advisable to read them in order.

What else is by Jean Oram?
 

The Summer Sisters

Four sisters. One cottage. And four men who will sweep them off their feet and teach them what life is really all about.