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  “I’m not too worried about that,” she said. When he pulled a twig of mistletoe out of his back pocket and held it over her head, she leaned forward to give him a peck on the cheek. Except Jacob had other plans. He turned his head and planted a hot kiss on her mouth.

  Lila wiped cookie crumbs from her lips and rolled her eyes at his mischievousness. Even though there was no sexual chemistry between them it never stopped Jacob from flirting. Lila pulled a disgruntled face. “I guess I should have seen that coming.”

  “What, you didn’t like it?”

  Teasing, she said, “No, I loved it, Jacob. No one gives cookie kisses quite like you do.”

  “I can do better,” he whispered, his voice holding all kinds of promises.

  “Not with me you can’t.”

  “Oh you know you love me.”

  “Of course I do.” Lila angled her head and a wave of heat moved over her when she spotted Jon watching the exchange.

  “So I see you have a guest for the holidays,” Jacob said, the teasing gone from his voice.

  She turned back to Jacob. “Yeah, do you know Jon?”

  He nodded. “Not well. When we were kids he was friends with Adam. He left for college years ago and never came back.” He lowered his voice and almost to himself he murmured, “He’s too hard on himself.” He shook his head. “Thinks we blame him,” he added, and Lila guessed he assumed she knew what he was talking about.

  Lila instantly thought about how Tabby had also mentioned something about blame, but before she could probe, Jacob redirected the conversation and asked, “So, are you going to take a break and come skating with me?”

  She looked at the small stack of cookies still left in the container, then spotted Errol coming her way. She gave another eye roll. “If I leave my post now, Errol—”

  Errol narrowed his eyes. “Errol will what?” he asked, his voice rough and crusty.

  As if expecting a poke in the ribs, Jacob drove his hands into his coat pockets and skated backward a few feet. “I was just asking Lila if she wanted to go skating but she said she has to man her post.”

  Errol pointed his cane at Lila and waved her away. “Go on, go skate, lassie. I’ll give out the rest of the cookies.”

  She grinned and gave Errol a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, Errol.”

  Errol grumbled something under his breath as she bent down to grab her skates but when she stood up, electricity zinged through her body and she didn’t have to turn around to know Jon was standing behind her.

  He put his mouth close to her ear and his warm breath elicited a shiver from deep within. “I have to go,” he whispered

  Swallowing, and without turning to face him she said, “But you didn’t even get a chance to skate.” She really was hoping some time on the rink would help relax him.

  “Maybe later,” he said. “Right now I have to check in with Dani at the clinic.”

  Lila turned to face him and found him close. “Oh, okay. I’ll see you back at the inn later then.”

  He shook his head. “No, I’ll be back to get you.”

  Jacob came skating back up to her table. “I can drive her home. She lives right beside me.”

  Lila didn’t miss the flare in Jon’s nostrils as he lifted his head. “Jacob,” he greeted. “It’s nice to see you again. How are you?”

  “I’m good. It’s nice to see you too, Jon.” If Lila wasn’t mistaken she was certain she spotted real sadness in Jacob’s eyes as he greeted Jon, but she also saw real concern. What the heck was going on with Jon and the people in this town? Why had he distanced himself?

  Jon looked back at her. “Wait for me, okay?”

  When she agreed, Jon nodded to both Jacob and Errol, then cut across the town square to make his way back to his vehicle. But it wasn’t a quick trip to the SUV. Every few seconds he was stopped by folks wanting to talk, to hug even. Once he finally reached his vehicle, Lila tugged on her skates and joined the others on the rink.

  She soon lost herself in the fun and before she knew it the afternoon hours had passed. Over the course of the day, she’d spoken to many people who all seemed surprised to hear Jon was staying at the inn. But the conversation never went any further than that. No one wanted to talk about Jon, which was odd, considering gossip spread quicker than the sniffles in Whispering Cove. But it occurred to her that they considered him one of their own, and in this small coastal village, the townsfolk went to great lengths to protect and care for their own, which was one of the things she loved most about the place.

  As the crowd parted and the sun set, everyone began making their way home for dinner. Lila packed up her container and wondered what was taking Jon so long. Deciding to walk to the clinic to meet him, she tossed her skates over her shoulders. With night approaching, the air had turned chilly, but the clinic was only a few blocks away.

  Hurrying her steps through the snowplowed sidewalks, she rushed to the clinic and saw three vehicles parked outside. When she realized one was Katy’s she frowned, hoping Katy’s daughter, Katherine, wasn’t sick. Lila pulled open the door and crinkled her nose against the scent of antiseptic.

  “Hello,” she called out quietly. “Anyone here?”

  Her call was met with silence, so she wandered into the waiting area. When she heard voices coming from the back of the clinic and saw a light on in the examination room, she tiptoed quietly down the hall in search of Jon.

  She stopped outside the open door and when she looked in and spotted Jon with little Katherine in his arms, air rushed from her lungs in a whoosh. There was something so lost, so sad and so damn vulnerable in his eyes as he cuddled the baby girl that it had her heart squeezing to the point of pain. It also had her thinking about how much she wanted a family of her own—a baby and husband to help fill that big old house with love and laughter.

  But as she looked at Jon, it wasn’t only her body that was growing needy, aching for something far more intimate from him. Lila swallowed and wondered if she should re-evaluate her snap decision to seduce him, because it never occurred to her that she could actually fall for him. And even though he really was from around these parts falling for him would be a colossal mistake. He was only here for a few days, and while there was no denying that there was an attraction between them, he seemed less than interested in acting on it.

  As if sensing her presence Jon looked up. When his glance met hers, it took the wind right out of her. “Lila,” he said, his voice soft, the emotions in his eyes so incredibly raw as they met hers it had both her legs and her heart wobbling. She locked knees to keep herself standing, but there was nothing she could do to stabilize her heart.

  Rattled she began to back up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean… I was just… I thought…”

  “Lila, come in,” Katy said, jumping from the chair facing Jon. Lila had been so caught up in watching Jon interact with Katherine that she hadn’t even noticed Katy sitting there.

  When Katherine coughed, Lila looked at her. “Is Katherine okay?”

  “She’s going to be just fine,” Jon said, his professional demeanor back in place. “A little bronchial infection that we’re going to take care of right away. She’ll be as good as new on Christmas Day.” He handed a wiggling Katherine back to Katy and turned his attention to writing out a prescription.

  Just then, Dani came out of her office and moved down the hall toward them. “Lila,” she greeted. “I was just about to call you and see if we’re still on for the craft bazaar tomorrow?”

  Lila nodded eagerly. “I’d love to, but I know how busy you are so I wasn’t sure you could get away.”

  She gave Jon a wide grin. “Jon said he’d be happy to help me out while he was here and I really appreciate the break so I can spend more time with Braydon and Ashton.” As Lila thought about baby Ashton and how fast he was growing, Dani turned to Jon and folded her arms in thought. “Now if there was only some way I could convince him to stay for good.”

  Jon stood and moved in beside Lila. Ins
tead of responding to Dani’s not so subtle hint about keeping him in Whispering Cove, he dipped his head. “Sorry about taking so long.”

  “I don’t mind at all. I’m glad you could help out here.”

  “There is one more thing I need to do, then I’ll drive you home, okay?”

  After Lila nodded, he looked at Dani and said, “Can I speak to you for a moment?”

  Before the two of them disappeared into Dani’s office, leaving her with her good friend, Katy, Dani called out, “I’ll swing by and pick you up around two tomorrow.”

  “See you then.” Lila turned her attention to Katy. “Here, let me help you.” She reached out and helped Katy bundle Katherine in a pretty pink snowsuit. “Are you going to be able to join us tomorrow?”

  She nodded. “I’m hoping to get some more blown glass items from Tempest Sky. Her work is beautiful.”

  “I’d like to grab a few things for the B&B too.”

  As they retraced their steps back to the lobby, Katy looked at her hesitantly and said, “Jon mentioned that he’d be leaving on Christmas Eve.”

  “Yeah, he’s in a big rush to get back to Miami,” she answered, wanting to ask what her friend knew about Jon, but feeling a bit torn about prying.

  “That’s too bad. I hate to see him spend Christmas Day alone.”

  “He’s really going back to Miami to be alone?” Katy nodded, and Lila touched her friend’s shoulder to stop her. When Katy turned to face her, she couldn’t help but ask, “What is he running away from, Katy?”

  “Something that happened a long time ago,” Katy supplied, but before she could elaborate, they heard Jon’s footsteps in the hall. Katy leaned in and whispered, “I sure wish he’d stay. Maybe if he had a reason to…” Leaving that statement lingering in the air, Katy pushed open the front door, and said, “See you tomorrow.”

  As Lila thought more about the man who was kind and sensitive, a man who looked so lost and wounded that it made her heart ache, she wondered exactly what it would take to get him to stay in Whispering Cove, a place where he obviously belonged.

  Chapter Five

  Jon drove his truck through town and stole a sideways glance at the woman beside him, noting that she was unusually quiet as he drove her home. Considering she was the chattiest girl he knew—a quality he’d never found endearing until her—he could only assume she had something on her mind.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  When she offered him a smile, the same playful grin she’d given Jacob, he felt a weird tightening inside him. What was it about this woman that had him feeling things he didn’t want to feel?

  She stifled a yawn. “I think all the fresh air made me tired.”

  Jon flicked on his signal and carefully negotiated the slick street as he turned toward the B&B. “I’m sorry about keeping you waiting for so long.”

  “It was no trouble at all.”

  He smiled.

  “What?”

  “Nothing ever gives you trouble, does it?”

  “I guess I’m just an easygoing kind of girl.” She gave a breezy laugh and added, “Either that or I’m very simple.”

  “You’re far from simple, Lila.”

  She went quiet for a moment then said, “When I left Chicago I decided to leave all my stresses with it.” She waved her hand around. “Things are much less complicated here.”

  “What was complicated in Chicago?” he asked.

  “Besides dating?” she asked with a grin.

  “Ah, I see.”

  “The truth is, I worked most nights at the restaurant and didn’t have a whole lot of time for dating, or for anything really. When I did date it always seemed to end in disaster.”

  “How so?”

  “I either attracted fast-food/fast-hands kind of guys, or the city was just full of them. And at the restaurant I got tired of cooking for people who rushed through their meals the same way they rushed through life. I was simply going through the motions and for a while there I lost my love of cooking, and pretty much everything else. I hated all the hurrying and watching my life fly by faster than a Chicago cab.” A small smile touched her mouth as she glanced at the huge snow banks. “When Katy had an opening on her show, I immediately applied.”

  “Did you find it hard to move so far from your family?”

  “I miss them.” She put her hand over her heart. “But they’ll always be here with me.”

  “You’re just a small town girl at heart aren’t you?”

  Lila smiled. “My dad came from a small town and I spent my summers with my grandma and grandpa in Iowa. I just think small town life is in me.”

  Jon nodded, understanding it was in him too.

  “There is just something special about Whispering Cove. The pace is slower, the people are nicer and I know this is a place where I can settle down with my own family, cook big Sunday dinners and eat and play at a relaxed pace. Besides,” she added with a wink, “my grandma always said small town guys make the best husbands.”

  Jon’s chest tightened as she poured her heart out to him. While it should have surprised him that she was telling a virtual stranger something so personal, he wasn’t shocked at all. Lila wore her emotions on her sleeve, and when it came to her, what you saw was what you got. She had no hidden agenda and the only ladder she was looking to climb was the one in her shed. Damned if he didn’t like that about her.

  She laughed out loud and he couldn’t deny that there was a strange new intimacy between them. Sure, he just met her, but she was so easy to be around, so comfortable and honest that it felt, inexplicably, as if he’d known her for a lifetime.

  “I guess I sound pretty jaded for a girl my age, huh?”

  Jon smiled, loving the way she laughed. In fact, there were a lot of things he loved about her. And he wasn’t the only one. Earlier today he could feel the town’s affection for her. She might not have been born and raised in Whispering Cove, but the townsfolk had taken her under their wings and treated her like she was one of their own. Then again, she put everyone around her at ease, which made it so easy to like her.

  “Not jaded, Lila. You just know what you want, and that’s a lot more than I can say for most people.”

  “What do you want, Jon?”

  Jon didn’t miss the hitch in her voice, the soft invitation lingering beneath her words. The air changed, sexual energy arcing between them. Jon gripped the steering wheel tighter as he pulled into her driveway. When her heat reached out to him, he instantly reaffirmed his vow to stay away from her. Two seconds ago she’d pretty much just told him she wanted the white picket fence and a family to fill her house, which meant he wasn’t the guy for her.

  He swallowed the lump in his throat and said, “Well, right now I’d like to gather some wood and get a fire going, because it’s damn cold out here.”

  “Right,” she said, disarming him with a seductive smile that has his cock thickening. “A fire is a great idea.” She rubbed her stomach. “Why don’t you get that started while I prepare dinner for two.” She wet her lips and added, “You are staying for dinner, right?”

  “I didn’t realize the B&B came with dinner too.”

  “It’s good to learn something new every day,” she teased, tossing her long hair over her shoulder. “And hurry up with the wood. I’m starving.”

  Jesus, everything in the way she was looking at him spoke of a different kind of hunger, and if he knew what was good for him, and for her, he’d back his vehicle right out of her driveway and get out while he still could.

  “Meet me in the kitchen when you’re done.”

  Despite his best interests, he nodded, and with that Lila fished her key out of her pocket and made her way inside. As soon as she disappeared from his line of sight, he grabbed his cell from his pocket and called Errol, fearing if he stayed in the house one more night he might do something he could only regret later. After three rings his great-uncle picked up.

  “What’s up, boy?” Errol answered.

/>   “Has your place been fumigated yet?”

  “Not yet. It’s the holidays. Hard to get anyone to come by over the holidays.”

  Jon gave a frustrated sigh and took note of the time. It was well past work hours, but he made a mental note to call the exterminator himself first thing tomorrow.

  “Are you free to meet up tonight?” Jon asked.

  “Can’t. Helping get things ready for the craft bazaar tomorrow.” Before Jon could ask when his uncle would be free, Errol said. “Nice thing you’re doing for Dani. That girl needs a break.” Jon was just about to ask if that was why he’d wanted him to come home, but Errol said, “Gotta go. Delilah’s got dinner on the table and you don’t want to—”

  “I know I know. Don’t want to keep a catch like her waiting,” Jon said, finishing his uncle’s sentence. “Listen, I’ll be at the clinic tomorrow. Stop by to see me, okay?”

  Errol got quiet for a moment then asked, “You’re not going to try to poke me with a needle, are ya?”

  Jon exhaled a frustrated sigh. “No, Errol. I came home because you asked me to, and I really want to spend some time with you.”

  “You will, boy. You will.” With that, Errol hung up and Jon shook his head as he shoved his phone back into his pocket. What the hell was going on with that man? After talking with Dani today he knew it wasn’t health related. So what was really behind the need for Errol to have him home for the holidays only to end up too busy to spend time with him?

  Jon climbed from the SUV and made his way over to the tarp covering the pile of wood. He gathered a few logs and hurried inside the house. He turned his attention to the fireplace in the main living room and spent the next fifteen minutes getting a small blaze going. Once he was done, he noticed the delicious smells coming from the kitchen. He followed his nose and found Lila humming to a Christmas tune as she tossed spices into the dish she was preparing.