Cole's Christmas Wish Read Free Page B

matter-of-factly,
“isn’t coffee.”
    Cole’s grin widened a hair. “Nope. What you have there, Rachel,
is dessert.”
    “Wow, like minds and all that.” Rachel took another hefty
swallow of her “dessert,” and said, “Is this one of those ‘real men don’t eat
quiche’ sort of things? Or in this case, real men don’t drink fancy
coffees?”
    “Nah. I like quiche.” Cole picked up a napkin, leaned across
the table and wiped the corner of Rachel’s mouth. The touch was quick and
effortless, but a flood of warmth overtook her just the same. “A little whipped
cream was...er...anyway, it’s gone now.”
    She felt more than saw Andrew stiffen beside her. In another
second, his arm was cradled over her shoulders. He tipped her chin toward him
and kissed her. Also quick. Also effortless.
    “There. Now it’s all gone.” Andrew
settled into his prior position, keeping his arm snug around her. “I hope that
didn’t make you uncomfortable, Kyle. She’s just so kissable, I couldn’t help
myself.”
    “Not at all,” Cole said with a good ole boy grin and a laidback
shrug. “Nothing there to feel embarrassed about. Why, I’ve given my mother the
same type of affectionate peck in public on more than one occasion.” He winked
at Rachel. “My sister, too, now that I think about it.”
    “Didn’t say I was embarrassed.” Andrew shifted an inch closer
to Rachel. “Some people dislike public displays of affection. I belatedly
thought you might be one of them.”
    “Nope.” Again with the shrug. “But I appreciate your
concern.”
    “Wow, is it cold outside!” Rachel blurted before Andrew could
respond. She faked a shiver. “So...cold. I still haven’t warmed up from
the...um...short walk here from the car.”
    “We could be in Hawaii right now, sipping mai tais by the
ocean.” Andrew kissed Rachel again, this time on the top of her head. “If you’re
having second thoughts, we could be on a plane tomorrow. All you have to do is
say the word.”
    Cole’s eyes narrowed in annoyance. Rachel understood why. She
and Cole had made plans before Andrew had asked to
join her...which he hadn’t done until after Rachel had refused to cancel this
visit to go with him to Hawaii.
    She guessed Andrew saw that as choosing Cole over him, but that
wasn’t the case. Not really. Mostly, it was about going home for the holidays.
Because in many ways, Steamboat Springs was the closest she’d ever had to a real
home.
    Due to Cole and his family, though, not hers.
    “I’m not having second thoughts, but I like the idea of going
to Hawaii for your birthday in May. If you still want to.”
    “Of course I do.” Andrew’s voice was smooth. “I simply wanted
to give you the option, now that you’ve seen your friend.”
    “Thank you, but I’m good. And we’ll have fun here!” She patted
Andrew’s arm. “You’ll soon see why I love Steamboat Springs so much, especially
at Christmas.”
    “You’ve never been here before, Andy?” Cole relaxed in his
seat, looking for all the world as a man completely at ease. “Odd, but I swore I
recognized you when you walked in. A lot of people come through here every
year...thought maybe you’d vacationed with an ex-girlfriend. Or, perhaps, an
ex-wife?”
    Good grief. If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. “Andrew
doesn’t have any ex-wives.”
    “And I never will. I don’t believe in divorce.”
    “Who does? I doubt anyone marries believing they’ll divorce,”
Cole said in a conversational, let’s-get-to-know-each-other manner. “But divorce
happens. Sometimes, folks marry too young, pick the wrong person, make mistakes
in the heat of the moment. Sometimes, a relationship becomes so messy that
divorce becomes the only option that makes any sense.”
    He spoke from experience. His brother Dylan was divorced. In
his case, they were married too young, she cheated and became pregnant, and ran
off with the other guy. So while Rachel didn’t believe in divorce,