A Carolina Christmas Read online

  Even before that, he’d never brought a woman to spend the night at the duplex. And since they didn’t exactly run in the same social circles, everything she knew about his romantic life in Magnolia was secondhand.

  Tonight she’d gotten an up close view of his appeal to the opposite sex. At least a half dozen women had approached him during the caroling event, including the two that had pulled him away when the Jake Combs concert started. Women who’d alternately flirted, then pouted, demanding Sam’s attention and gleefully reminding him of their shared pasts with a knowing wink.

  It was as if most of the women in Ridgeway had allergies related to Sam. All that winking and feigned trouble catching their breath. Bella had wanted to start handing out inhalers just to calm the panting he seemed to invoke.

  She felt like ten kinds of a fool because she’d actually started to believe there might be something special between the two of them. He’d stayed at her side for much of the time spent with his family, making sure she was comfortable and felt cared for. He’d looked after Tater with a protectiveness that melted Bella’s heart.

  Her stupid, foolish heart.

  It was to blame for getting her into this situation. Making her believe there might be something more than friendship or a sense of guilt between them.

  But he’d allowed himself to be drawn away tonight without an ounce of protest. His brother had been sweet and asked her to dance, but Bella had feigned being tired. When Jayne suggested taking one of the cars to head home before the rest of the group, Bella had been happy to go along.

  Sam certainly wouldn’t notice she’d left.

  She smiled as Tater rolled onto his back in the dry grass, then glanced up at the sound of crunching gravel.

  Her puppy gave a gleeful bark, and she quickly bent to shush him as Sam approached from the main cabin.

  He wore the same faded jeans he’d had on earlier, only he’d also added a thick fleece over his denim shirt. The mountain air was crisp, although at the moment heat poured through Bella like someone had turned on the hot tap at the faucet.

  “You’re up late,” he said with a hesitant smile.

  “You’re home early,” she countered.

  “Am I?” His smile faded. “I came looking for you when Jake Combs started ‘Only Your Love.’ Heidi told me you’d left with Dad and Jayne.” He drew in a deep breath. “And Kyle.”

  “I thought I’d catch a ride back. Figured there was no telling when your fan club would let you leave.”

  “You said ‘Only Your Love’ was one of your favorite songs. I figured you’d stay to hear it.”

  She shrugged, unwilling to admit how hard it had been to leave in the middle of Jake’s performance. And what an easy decision it was to make because she didn’t want to see Sam dancing with someone else. “I’ve got it on my playlist.”

  “You know I don’t want a fan club,” he said, running a hand through his blond hair. It was rumpled, a few loose strands standing up in different directions like he’d been tugging on them all night.

  “It’s not a criticism,” she lied, because she had no right to judge whom he spent his time with or how many women from here or Magnolia he dated. “You’re popular, Sam. Those women are only human, after all.”

  He laughed at that, but there was no humor in it. “Do you like my brother?” he asked suddenly, bending to scratch behind Tater’s floppy ears. The puppy leaned into the touch because he was no dummy.

  “I like everyone in your family,” she said, trying hard not to imagine how it would feel to have Sam’s hands on her. A new low, jealous of her dog.

  “I’m not talking about everyone.” Sam bit down on his lower lip, then looked up at her. “I mean Kyle. Do you like him?”

  “Sure. He’s nice. A sweet guy.”

  “Sweet,” Sam repeated, like the word was bitter on his tongue. “He thinks you’re sweet, too, and he isn’t wrong. You two will make a great couple.”

  Bella blinked. “We’re not going to make anything.”

  “He likes you. Likes you, likes you.” He stood, paced a few feet away before turning to her again. “A great couple,” he repeated, his voice strained.

  Blood pounded through Bella’s veins like she’d injected caffeine directly into them. The way Sam was looking at her could only be described as... Longing.

  Raw and untethered. The kind of look she’d never imagined receiving from any man, let alone the one standing in front of her. As if he were on fire and she was the only thing that could douse the flames.

  Impossible.

  Incomprehensible.

  Undeniable.

  She took a step closer to him, her fingers gripping the leash as if her puppy, who was currently occupied chewing on a stick in the grass, was some kind of lifeline to reality.

  Except Bella didn’t want real life if it would take away this moment.

  The desire in Sam’s crystal-blue gaze seemed to become almost a palpabe force.

  “I don’t like your brother that way,” she said quietly.

  “You should,” Sam answered immediately. “He’s a catch, whatever that means. Everyone says so. It’s all I hear about from my sisters and Jayne when he’s not within earshot.” Sam put his hands on his hips like he was giving a lecture. “When is Kyle going to settle down with a nice girl?” His voice had gone into a bad falsetto, but Bella didn’t smile.

  She could barely breathe.

  “He’s got so much to offer, and we need some more cousins in the family.” He let out a long breath. “They never wonder when I’m going to settle.”

  “You don’t know what they say when you’re not in the room,” she pointed out.

  He gave her a bland look. “I know.”

  “You’re younger,” she offered. “You have time.”

  “They’ve been talking that way about Kyle since he broke off his engagement. I see how he looks at you, Bell. I see how much my family would welcome you into the fold. It would be perfect.”

  “No.” Her heart was kicking against her ribs so hard she thought maybe Sam would hear it. “It wouldn’t be perfect at all,” she said despite the pounding of blood between her ears. “Because I don’t like your brother that way. Not even a little bit, Sam.”

  “Why not?” he whispered.

  She almost laughed at that question. “Do you really not know?”

  He shook his head.

  “That’s how I feel about you.” She gathered her hands in front of her as if she needed protection from his response. There was no way she could say more, not without gauging his reaction first. And she was so darn afraid that one sentence was already too much. What if he laughed at her or walked away or, worst of all, felt sorry for her?

  What if she’d misread this night or the look in his eyes? Maybe the light from the starry sky had led her astray.

  Sam stared at her for so long, she almost started to fidget under the weight of his gaze. Oh, yeah. She’d probably misread it all.

  But just as she was about to make a joke of things, he closed the distance between them and pressed his mouth to hers.

  CHAPTER SIX

  SAM HAD NEVER dreamed of kissing Bella, not in any real way. Yet, at the first brush of his lips across hers, it felt as though she was an answer to a question he’d been asking all of his life.

  He deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding along the seam of her mouth. She opened for him, and his knees went weak when she drew closer. His hands sifted through her soft hair and he reveled in the soft moan she made in the back of her throat. Bella might be practical and understated, but she kissed like a woman on a mission.

  It was almost too much. His need for her threatened to obliterate every last shred of common sense he possessed.

  He’d get back to that common sense part in a second. First, he released her mouth to run a trail of kisses along
her jaw and down the graceful column of her throat. His body hummed with satisfaction at the sweetness of her skin and the scent of lemons that enveloped him. She had a tiny beauty mark just above her collarbone, and for the past several months it had tempted him beyond measure every time she wore a shirt with a collar low enough to reveal it.

  He kissed that tiny mark the way he’d wanted to and heard her tiny gasp at the same time he felt her pulse flutter. That was just the start of what he wanted to feel from her, but he forced himself to pull away.

  Her eyes were hazy as she stared up at him, and Tater let out a plaintive whine from where he’d come to stand next to her. What did it say about the situation that the dog seemed to have more sense than either of the humans involved?

  “Merry Christmas, Bella,” he said, and cupped her face between his hands.

  She gave him a shy smile that turned his insides to goo in a way Sam would have sworn he was impervious to. “I got you a present,” she told him, eyes twinkling.

  “I think you just gave me a present.”

  He could almost feel the heat of her blush and wondered for just the briefest moment, if that color would extend all the way down her body.

  It felt like a question he had to have answered.

  As if she was answering his unspoken prayer, Bella stepped back and held out a hand to him. “You should probably come in and see what else I have for you.”

  It was a damn miracle Sam remained standing, based on the fact that his heart stammered and his knees nearly buckled.

  He might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but Sam was no fool. He’d stopped believing in Kris Kringle or Christmas miracles a long time ago. Still, he took Bella’s hand and followed her into the cabin, Tater trotting along, the cast not slowing him down in the least.

  When Bella shut the dog in his crate, turned out the lights and led Sam to the small bedroom at the back of the structure, it was like every Christmas wish he’d ever had coming true all at once.

  * * *

  BELLA WALKED TOWARD the main cabin the following morning, her mind and heart a tangle of nerves and hope. Sam had left her bed in the wee hours after lavishing so much attention on her body, she thought she might die from the pleasure of it.

  Merry Christmas, indeed. No wonder he was so popular with women, both in his hometown and in Magnolia.

  A man with skills like that was quite a rarity, at least in Bella’s experience, measly though it might be.

  She’d been the one to suggest he return to his room before anyone in his family noticed his absence. As amazing as their night together had been, Bella didn’t relish being a topic of conversation for his family on Christmas morning.

  Another secret part of her didn’t trust that their night together—as special as it was—meant the same thing to him as it did to her. What if she’d been a convenience, an easy, friends-with-benefits way to pass the time.

  The front door to the resort’s main cabin opened as she approached up the flagstone walk. But it was Kyle who greeted her, not Sam.

  “Merry Christmas,” he said with a wide smile.

  She wished him the same and led Tater into the resort. They entered the kitchen, where Jayne was icing cinnamon rolls while Pete drank his coffee at the large mahogany table. Bella knew Heidi and Marla, along with their husbands and kids, would be joining them later that morning, once they’d all had their private family Santa gift exchanges.

  She hugged Jayne and waved at Sam’s dad, who wished her a Merry Christmas, then turned his attention back to the sports section of the local newspaper.

  “Sam’s still asleep,” Kyle told her when he noticed her glancing around.

  “He’ll be up once the kids get here,” Pete said, flipping a page and taking a long swig of coffee. “Have some coffee, Bella,” he suggested. “We’re all going to need stamina for the pint-size tornado that will hit once the rug rats get here.”

  Bella grinned and headed for the pot on the counter. She got a kick out of Pete’s gruff attitude when it was clear he was a pushover for any and all of his grandkids.

  “It wouldn’t be Christmas without Sam indulging in some random holiday hookup,” Kyle observed.

  Bella’s hand stilled on the coffeepot.

  “No need to be rude,” Jayne told her stepson. “Sam is obviously maturing. He’s different than usual this year.”

  “Sam might be more discreet,” Kyle muttered, “but he’s the same as he ever was.” He gave Bella a pointed look when she turned with her mug. “Trust me.”

  “Well, Merry Christmas to you, too, big brother.”

  They all turned as Sam entered the kitchen, hair tousled and wearing baggy sweats and a faded UNC T-shirt.

  “It’s true.” Kyle placed his hands on his hips. “It’s the same little Sammy show we’ve all seen for years. You might know how to have fun, but you’re not a good long-term bet.”

  “What the hell do you care what kind of bet I am?” Sam demanded.

  Kyle turned to face Sam, and the way they stared at each other made Bella think of some old-time Western standoff. She didn’t like it one bit—or the worry crawling over her skin that she might have something to do with the animosity radiating between the two of them.

  “She’s different,” Kyle said through clenched teeth. “She deserves better than you.”

  “Agreed on both counts,” Sam answered without hesitation.

  Bella sucked in a small gasp of air and felt Jayne shift closer to her. “It’s okay,” the older woman whispered.

  “You’re using her,” Kyle spit out, his tone disgusted. “Probably because you knew it would piss me off.”

  Bella waited for Sam to argue. Of course what had happened between them had nothing to do with his brother.

  He only smirked. “You must think a lot of yourself, Kyle. More than I would have guessed. Especially when we both know all I have to do is breathe wrong in your hallowed vicinity and it would make your blood boil. Getting under your skin isn’t even a challenge.”

  “You’re going to hurt her like you hurt all of them.” Kyle gave a laugh entirely devoid of humor. “At least the ones with any sort of heart or dignity.”

  “They have a good time, which is more than you can offer,” Sam countered. “If casual works for Bella and me, then it’s none of your business.”

  Casual. Bella’s stomach seemed to turn inside out. It was just what she’d been afraid of.

  “What’s all this about?” Pete pushed back from his chair, lifting his reading glasses off his nose.

  “Who wants a cinnamon roll?” Jayne asked, offering the plate to Bella.

  Bella could barely swallow past the humiliation clogging her throat.

  “You ruin everything,” Kyle said, his voice tight with anger.

  “Enough,” Pete shouted, but it was too late.

  Sam launched himself at his brother, and they both went tumbling to the floor, a rolling fracas of punches and angry grunts.

  Tater came running into the room, followed closely by Gracie. The puppy clearly thought the two men were playing a game, and he wanted in the mix. He pounced on the two of them, then yelped when he was tossed to the side and his cast hit the corner of the doorway.

  Gracie let out a series of angry barks as she came to nudge the puppy, and Bella wanted to follow suit even though Sam and Kyle stopped fighting.

  They both sat up, looking equally guilty, and Sam held out a hand to Tater. “Come here, boy.”

  “Don’t touch him.” Bella managed to give the command with a steady voice.

  “Bell, I’m sorry,” he said at once. “About all of it. You know last night—”

  “No.” She cut the air with her hand, then bent to scoop up her dog. “I suppose I should thank you for the good time,” she said, feeling heat blaze in her cheeks. “But I don’t have it in me.”r />
  She turned to Kyle. “I don’t need anyone to fight my nonexistent battles,” she said with a sniff. “I’m a big girl, and I know what Sam is and isn’t able to give.”

  Glancing up from the brothers, she saw Jayne dash a hand over her cheeks, obviously swiping away a tear. Pete offered her a sympathetic shrug, then moved toward his wife.

  Bella hurried toward the front door, wondering how she was going to escape the worst Christmas she’d ever had.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “CINNAMON ROLLS MAKE everything better,” Jayne told Bella as they sat in the quiet kitchen of Bella’s cabin an hour later.

  Although the pastries were indeed melt-in-your-mouth delicious, they tasted like sawdust to Bella. She couldn’t stop ruminating over the fact that she’d gotten everything she thought she wanted for one blissful night, only to have it ripped from her hands before the glow had faded.

  She’d retreated to the solitude of her cabin after the blowup between the brothers. She didn’t want to make a big scene or ruin the Andersons’ family Christmas, but she also couldn’t pretend she hadn’t been hurt by Sam’s refusal to deny the accusations his brother made.

  Maybe she had been just a way to scratch an itch or a casual holiday hookup. She still didn’t understand how she’d managed to misread the way he’d looked at her and touched her, the feeling of connection between them as he’d moved inside her.

  She refused to believe that Sam felt nothing for her, but what was she supposed to think at this point? The rest of the family had shown up shortly after Sam had driven away and Kyle stomped out the back door.

  Kyle had apologized to her for the scene as she’d loaded her bag and Tater’s crate into the back of Jayne’s Subaru station wagon, and Pete had given her a tight hug and told her she was welcome back anytime. He’d thanked her for recognizing Sam’s unique gifts and holding him to a high standard, making tears prick the back of her eyes.

  Jayne had offered to drive her back to Magnolia, but at the last minute had asked her to stay for a bit longer. All Bella wanted was to be home again, but she felt guilty for interrupting Jayne’s plan for the holiday so agreed to postpone their departure.