Read A Home for Christmas for Free Online

her into the kitchen and watched her
get mugs and a Tupperware container that held hot chocolate mix.
    “Do you make your own?” he asked, surprised.
    “I do,” she said, giving him a soft smile. 
“It’s my grandmother’s recipe and I’ve tweaked it a bit over the years. 
Cam won’t even touch any other hot chocolate.  That makes me kinda proud,
I must admit.”
    “As it should,” he said and she couldn’t help but
notice how his eyes sparkled.  He had the most beautiful eyes she’d ever
seen.  She thought she could stare into them all day long and not be
bored. 
    The tea kettle whistle broke her gaze and she
turned her attention to fixing his cup, then hers. 
    “Marshmallows or whipped cream?” she asked him.
    “Whipped cream,” he replied, “My sweet tooth is
my weakness,” he admitted.
    She giggled and added a generous dollop to his
mug, along with a peppermint stick to stir it.
    “You go all out,” he said, smiling when she
handed his mug to him.
    “Absolutely!  I told you, I love Christmas.”
    He took a sip from his mug and she laughed when
his eyes bugged.
    “Wow!” he said, taking another sip.  “This
is…the best hot chocolate I’ve ever tasted.”
    “Thanks.  I’ve worked hard at perfecting
it.”
    “Homemade lasagna, homemade hot chocolate…I think
I hit the jackpot today,” he teased.
    Jenna smiled at him over the rim of her mug. 
She’d been doing a lot of smiling today.  Riley was always smiling and it
was infectious.  He was so easy to be around, except for the few times
today when she caught herself acutely aware of the fact that he was an
extremely attractive male.
    She led him back into the living room and sank
down on one end of her couch, tucking one leg under her so she could face him
when he sat down.
    “Are you sure you won’t mind spending the day at
the track tomorrow?” she asked.
    “I’m sure.  Now, tell me about you,” he
said, studying her.  “Do you still clean houses or do you have a staff
that does them?”
    “I have a staff that does the majority of my
accounts, but there are some clients, some of my very first ones, that I still
do.  I actually clean your aunt’s house, Lisa Riley, and your cousin
Lainey’s.”
    “Really?  Small world, huh?”
    “Lainey was one of my very first clients, and
then I got her mother off of her recommendation.  Now that I know you’re
related to Lainey, I see the resemblance.  Blonde hair.  Green
eyes.  You probably look more like Lainey than I remember Trevor does.”
    “Trev’s hair is darker than mine,” Riley said.
    “And his eyes aren’t as green,” she said, then ducked
her head to hide her blush.  Did she seriously just say that?
    He chuckled.  “Can’t say I’ve really ever
noticed.”
    “Eyes are windows to the soul,” she said, “I’ve
always noticed people’s eyes.  Do they shine, are they flat?  You can
take the measure of a person by looking into their eyes.”
    “Very true,” he said, “part of my training dealt
with reading people and the easiest way is through the eyes.”
    “Your eyes are very expressive,” she said.
    “Are they?”
    “Yes.  They’re very vibrant.  You enjoy
life and it shows in them.”
    “Yours, on the other hand, are a mystery. 
They light up when you smile and when you look at your son…but I’ve seen
wariness in them, too.”
    “I’m a divorced, single mom.  I have to keep
my guard up.”
    “Understandable…but I’ll let you in on a secret:
you can trust me, Jenna.  You and Cam, you’re safe with me.”
    She drew a deep breath.  “I’m not so sure
about that, Riley.  You may be the biggest threat I’ve ever encountered.”
    “Who me?  I’m a teddy bear.”
    Jenna laughed at that and tried to keep her voice
down to keep from disturbing Cam. 
    “A teddy bear?”
    “Absolutely!” he insisted.
    “A teddy bear with a six-pack and a tattoo.”
    He winked at her.  “That’s the best kind.”
    She shook her