An Unexpected Kiss: A Christmas in Snow Valley Romance Read online

  In a moment of temporary insanity, Lucy rushed over to the man and threw her arms around his neck. “Please. Just go along with this, okay?”

  Chapter Two

  Startled, the man only stared at her. Lucy didn’t have time to appreciate how good he smelled. She was on a mission. The man must have seen the distressed look in her eyes. Although somewhat stiffly, he brought his hands up and settled them around her waist.

  “Lucy? What’re doing?” Lance’s voice was loud and irritated.

  “Um, hi,” Lucy said, ignoring Lance, and trying not to get distracted by the color of the man’s eyes. “I’m Lucy, and I need you to kiss me. Right now.”

  “Are you crazy, lady?” the guy answered.

  Was it a good sign that he hadn’t dropped his hands yet?

  “Maybe a little. But I’m also desperate.”

  “Lucy, who is that man you’re with?”

  Lance was closing in.

  “Please. Just one little kiss. If he sees me kissing another man maybe he’ll finally get the message and leave me alone.”

  The guy’s eyes flickered up, and his gaze narrowed slightly. Then his hands tightened around her waist, and in one smooth motion he dipped his head and covered her mouth with his.

  The kiss was tentative, like a kiss between strangers should be. Not that Lucy had ever done this kind of thing before. Still, it was nice, and warmed her all the way down to her toes.

  Too soon, the guy pulled back and gazed at her with troubled eyes. She was anything but troubled, and desperately wanted to ask for another kiss. He must have read her mind. After a slight hesitation, he lowered his head and kissed her again. This time long, sweet and slow.

  Lucy dropped her hands to his chest and gripped his coat to keep from falling over. She held on and returned the kiss. She heard Lance call out her name and knew he had to be directly behind her. She didn’t care. All she wanted was this kiss to go on forever.

  A loud wolf-whistle and thunderous clapping finally penetrated her brain. Well, that and Lance tapping her on the shoulder.

  She reluctantly ended the incredible kiss. Breathless, she and her…kissing counterpart drew back and held each other’s gaze. Heat surged through her when the guy looked like he wanted to resume their spontaneous interchange.

  “Lucy,” Lance said. “Who is this?”

  I have no idea but boy can he kiss. “Um…” She bit her lip, and looked to Blue Eyes for help.

  “Cole.”

  She liked his name, especially the husky way he said it. “Lance, this is Cole,” she said, noticing how breathy her own voice sounded.

  “Yeah, I got that. Why are you kissing him?”

  “I think that would be obvious.”

  “Your mother said you aren’t dating anyone.”

  “My mother doesn’t know everything.”

  Suddenly, a phone vibrated in Cole’s shirt pocket. He cleared his throat and stepped back, making Lucy’s hands fall to her side. “Excuse me, but I need to get this.”

  Please don’t let it be his girlfriend.

  Cole answered, and immediately his eyes widened. “I just landed, but I’ll get there as soon as I can.” He ended the call, and looked at Lucy. “Hey, I’m sorry but I’ve got an emergency and need to leave right now.”

  What could she say to that? It’s not like she could demand he not leave her.

  “Okay. Drive carefully.”

  Cole smiled, shook his head and grabbed the handle of his boarding case. “I will. Thanks…for…uh, understanding.”

  They were talking like they were complete strangers—which they were—she just didn’t want Lance to know that.

  “Call me later,” Lucy tossed out to Cole’s retreating back.

  Looking back over his shoulder, he lifted a questioning brow. “Sure.”

  Yeah, she knew he didn’t have a way to contact her, but she couldn’t just yell out her cell number. Instead, she waved, knowing she’d never see the guy again. It really stunk. Here she finally met a man who lit her up like Snow Valley’s city Christmas tree, and all she knew was his first name. Well, she also knew what a great kisser he was.

  He disappeared through the crowd, leaving Lucy with Lance.

  “You aren’t upset your boyfriend just left you?”

  “He had an emergency.”

  “And he couldn’t have taken you with him?”

  Lucy grabbed the handle of her boarding case. She didn’t want to have this conversation. What was that saying her dad used to say? Something about weaving a tangled web when you lied. Her impulsive kiss with a total stranger created one heck of a tangled web. If she kept talking it would only make things worse.

  “I never planned on riding with Cole.” Ha! That was definitely not a lie.

  “So you two aren’t serious then?”

  Shoot. If she answered truthfully it would give him hope. “Does it matter?”

  “Yeah, it matters,” Lance said. “Then I’ll know if I still have a chance.” Lance’s voice cracked, and for a second she thought he might start to cry. In fact, now that she was really looking at him his nose looked a little red.

  “Do I have a chance, Lucy?”

  He sounded so hopeful, but Lucy had to set him straight. “Lance, you’ll always be my friend, but nothing more.”

  His eyes narrowed, and the muscle in his jaw ticked. Suddenly, he leaned over and pressed his mouth to hers. The kiss surprised her, and it took her a few seconds before she pushed him away.

  “What did you do that for?”

  “To show you that you still have feelings for me.” He grinned. “It worked, right?”

  No! Nothing could compare to the incredible kiss she’d just shared with a man named Cole.

  “No, Lance. The only feeling I have right now is anger.”

  She grabbed both of her bags and started marching toward the car rental desk. Lance was right on her heels.

  “Lucy, where are you going?”

  “To rent a car.”

  “It’s snowing outside. You don’t like to drive in the snow.”

  “Then I’ll catch a bus.”

  “You really want to be on a bus in a Montana snow storm?”

  No. She really, really didn’t want to be on a bus. Period. She halted and whirled around to face him. “Then I’ll wait the storm out.”

  “I’m sorry, Lucy.” His voiced cracked again, and he winced when he coughed. “I shouldn’t have kissed you like that.”

  “You’re right about that, buddy.”

  “No, I mean I really shouldn’t have kissed you. I might have strep throat.” He coughed again. “At least that’s what my nephew had last week. Doc Taggart gave me a prescription for antibiotics, but I didn’t get it filled yet. I figured I’d wait until Monday to see if my culture comes back positive.”

  Lucy stared at him, curbing the impulse to slap him upside the head. She did not want to be sick for her Christmas vacation. “So you haven’t started the medication yet?”

  He shrugged. “Nah, you know how I feel about doctors and medicine. I’d rather let nature heal me.”

  Closing her eyes, Lucy silently counted to ten very slowly. Telling Lance she wasn’t going to date him was futile. He would never get it. The only way he’d leave her alone is if she got married, or found him another girlfriend.

  “C’mon, Lucy. Don’t be mad. You’re healthy, so I doubt you’ll get sick.”

  Letting out a defeated breath, she opened her eyes. “Is it really snowing? My weather app said it wouldn’t snow until after midnight.”

  “It’s not here where the storm is. Snow Valley is getting pummeled right now. Heck, even with four-wheel drive I barely made it out of town.”

  “All right. I won’t rent a car.”

  He grinned and handed her the roses. “I almost forgot. These are for you.”

  Lucy accepted the flowers. “Thank you.” She watched as he pulled the little package out of his coat pocket, and didn’t try to prevent him from gi
ving it to her. What would be the point?

  “This is for you too.” Lance held out the gift.

  “I’ll put it under the tree.”

  Lance shook his head. “No, you need to open it now. In case you want to get a nice dress or something.”

  If this was his idea of proposal, she wouldn’t have a hard time saying no.

  Without really having a choice, she slowly unwrapped the gift. The box wasn’t the typical velvet jeweler’s box, which gave her a small measure of relief. Opening the lid, she spied a scroll of paper, tied with a tiny bow.

  Taking out the scroll, she slipped off the ribbon and unrolled the paper. It was a ticket to the Christmas ball. Seven years earlier, that dance had been her and Lance’s first date.

  “Will you go with me to the dance, Lucy? It’ll be like old times.”

  “We’re not in high school anymore.” Her eyes honed in on his coat.

  He laughed. “I know that.” He glanced down at his jacket. “I couldn’t find my other coat and just threw this thing on.”

  “I don’t know, Lance. I’ll have to think about it.” Maybe if she took long enough she could find someone else for Lance to take to the Christmas ball.

  “C’mon, Luce. Say yes.”

  “If I remember right, girls usually have time to answer, right?” The last time he’d asked her to the dance, she’d taken a week to answer him. Then it had been something lame like giving him a bag of Swedish fish with a note saying “Out of all the fish in the sea, I’m glad you picked me.”

  Lance’s eyes lit up, like he remembered her answer, and he had liked it. Or, maybe he just liked Swedish fish. She could get him a few bags and say something like, “There’s plenty of fish in the sea, you don’t want to end up with me.”

  “Okay. I’ll wait for your answer.” He winked and then started coughing.

  Lucy turned away and held her breath. She really didn’t want to get sick. On second thought, if she did come down with strep throat it would be a good excuse to say no.

  Lance took her two bags and led her out to his SUV. It was then Lucy remembered she actually had forgotten to pack her coat. Score one for her mother.

  Chapter Three

  Cole Taggart fell onto the bed, exhausted from the day’s events. And what a day it had been. First, the fight with his ex-fiancée, Nikki, about the engagement ring he’d never given her, but she thought she should get since she’d said yes to his proposal. It didn’t matter to her that she’d been cheating on him with the other doctor in his medical practice. She really believed she was owed the ring. Cole had laughed and walked away, leaving her to have her temper tantrum in private.

  The fourteen thousand dollar one carat diamond had been an investment he’d made before starting medical school. Nikki hadn’t decided on a setting yet, and had been trying to negotiate getting a bigger diamond. Negotiations came to a screeching halt when Cole found her and his partner entangled in a passionate embrace late one night at the clinic. They’d tried to say it wasn’t a big deal, but since neither of them had any clothes on, Cole had won that argument too.

  At least closing up his condo had been uneventful, and the moving truck was now on its way to Snow Valley, Montana. Cole would miss the Southern California weather, especially since he’d chosen to move during the winter, but he’d done his residency at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and was accustomed to cold weather and snow.

  Before catching his plane, he’d stopped by to tell his parents goodbye. It wasn’t even noon and his dad had already had too much to drink. At least his dad was a happy drunk. It compensated for the cold, hard woman his mother was. Like always, she let Cole know how angry she was with him since he’d announced he was buying his uncle’s medical practice and moving to Montana.

  Actually, his mother had been mad at him since he’d opted to specialize in family practice medicine rather than go into plastic surgery. It wasn’t good enough for her social circle. She was also angry he’d broken off the engagement with Nikki. Just like his mother, Nikki came from old money. And money meant everything to his mother.

  A knock sounded on the door, and Cole didn’t have the energy to get up and answer it. “Come in.”

  His Uncle Will stuck his head in the door. “Hey, I just wanted to thank you for your assistance today. The emergency crew and hospital workers were really impressed with you.”

  “Thanks. I’m glad I could be of help.” The twenty car pileup hadn’t taken any lives, but it had left plenty of people injured. Even though it took Cole a little over two hours to get to the hospital, he’d still been needed. He, his uncle and the rest of the health care providers had worked tirelessly assessing and treating the accident victims. They’d finally finished nearly five hours after Cole arrived.

  “I know you’re worn out, but I’ll bet you’re also hungry.”

  Cole was starving, but he didn’t think he had the strength to do anything about it. How could his uncle be so perky? The man was more than twice Cole’s age of thirty-one, and yet he didn’t look at all tired.

  “I could eat.”

  “My neighbor, Beverly, just brought by a pot of homemade beef stew and hot rolls fresh out of the oven.” Uncle Will wiggled his eyebrows. “She’s got a thing for me and is always feeding me.”

  Chuckling, Cole sat up. Uncle Will had a girlfriend. She must be nice since his uncle was so cheerful. “You’re a lucky man.”

  “That I am. I was married to the sweetest woman in the world for thirty-eight wonderful years, and now I’m dating the best cook in the state of Montana.” He winked at his nephew. “She ain’t a bad kisser either.”

  Why did his uncle have to bring up kissing? Cole’s body heated at the thought of the pretty girl he’d kissed in the airport. He hoped his face wasn’t as flushed as he felt.

  “TMI, Uncle Will.”

  “I’m too old to know what that means. You’ll have to translate.”

  “It means too much information.”

  His uncle barked out a laugh. “You’re just jealous.” He waggled his brows again. “You need a woman of your own. Bev and I can set you up with a few pretty gals that will keep you warm this winter.”

  “No thanks.” Cole stood up and stretched. “I’m done with women.”

  “Hogwash. Just because that uppity thing you about married cheated on you, doesn’t mean all women are like that.”

  “I know, but I’m not ready to date anyone right now.” He made his way to the door to the adjoining bathroom. “Give me a minute to wash up and I’ll be out.”

  “Just make a lot of noise so Bev and I’ll know when to stop smooching.”

  Cole laughed, marveling that his father and Uncle Will were brothers. They couldn’t be more opposite. More than once he wished he’d been born to the older brother. It wasn’t the first time he’d wanted William Taggart to be his father, nor would it be the last.

  Once inside the bathroom, Cole splashed warm water on his face, and immediately his thoughts went back to her. Lucy.

  He’d noticed her when she’d first walked up to the ticket counter. Her long, blonde hair hung in loose curls, coming to the middle of her back. With her light blue eyes and tanned skin, she looked like the typical California girl. He’d also liked her laugh. She’d smiled and joked with the ticket agent, and it hadn’t come off as fake and flirtatious but as if she really liked to laugh.

  Turning off the water, Cole grabbed a towel and dried his face. When she’d boarded the plane, and then stopped next to him, he thought for sure she’d be seated next to him. After the fight with Nikki, he wasn’t in the mood to talk with a girl he found attractive.

  He’d been relieved when she announced her seat number would put her on the opposite side, while at the same time he felt sorry she’d had to sit next to Jed. Cole had already heard enough from the big guy in the five minutes it took for him to wait until he could load his duffle in the overhead storage.

  But it was that unforgettable kiss they’d shared spontaneously
that made him glad he didn’t know her last name and would never see her again. Cole had kissed his fair share of women over the years, but nothing could compare to the feelings he’d experienced the moment his mouth touched hers.

  If Uncle Will hadn’t called about the mass accident, Cole wasn’t sure what he would’ve done. He’d been tempted to kiss her again, even with her boyfriend looking on. The phone call had saved him.

  He flipped off the light, and loudly shut his door. The last thing he wanted to see was his uncle and his girlfriend making out.

  That made him think about the kiss again. Who did that anyway? Kissed a complete stranger? Of course she’d admitted to being desperate. She also admitted she was a little crazy.

  He should count himself lucky he hadn’t gotten her name and number. For all he knew, she kissed men she didn’t know just for kicks. His former fiancée didn’t have a problem kissing other men, either.

  Women. They caused nothing but trouble. At least the women in his life did.

  Even if he found someone attractive, he wasn’t looking to get married any time soon. Taking over the medical practice would require a lot of his time. It would take a little while for his uncle’s patients to transition to Cole as their primary care physician. Uncle Will hadn’t even notified his patients he planned to retire before the new year. The letters were written but needed to be mailed out.

  It would be so much simpler if things could be done electronically. One of the first changes Cole planned to make was converting all of the patient’s files over to the computer. He hoped he could hire somebody local to do the job, but knew for the right price, he could get someone out of Billings or Missoula.

  Coming into the kitchen, Cole caught the heavenly scent of the beef stew, which made his stomach rumble. Uncle Will and his neighbor sat close together at the little dining room table in front of the fireplace. Thankfully they weren’t kissing.

  “Cole, come on over here and meet Beverly Thompson.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Thompson,” Cole said, shaking the older woman’s hand. “The stew smells delicious.” Beverly had pretty skin, and looked to be about ten years younger than his uncle who had just turned sixty-eight last month.