Embattled Christmas Read Free

doesn’t guarantee that the marriage will be good.”
    “No, it doesn’t. You will be taking a chance. But if I didn’t think you were good for one another I would tell you that.”
    “And what if I’m not enough for her?”
    Duncan blinked at the raw question and John wished he could drag it back. Duncan was his friend and business partner, but he had just outed his deepest fear. John’s mother hadn’t stayed with his father. Hell, his mother hadn’t even stayed with John himself. She’d given him up to make a better life for herself and his brother.
    John hadn’t relied on anyone in years. Until Shannon.
    As crazy as his life seemed, she made everything normal. And acceptable. Being in a wheelchair made you humble, but he didn’t feel that way with her. He felt like a man with her. Period.
    But he would never be able to treat her like a regular man would. No swinging her up into his arms to be carried to bed. No dancing. Last year was a great example. He hadn’t been able to get close enough fast enough when her life was in danger. Other men had saved her.
    How could she rely on him? Fuck, he couldn’t even change a light bulb.
    Duncan had cocked his head, looking at him steadily. “Do you really think she would have wasted a year of her life with you if she didn’t think you were enough?”
    John hated Duncan’s level-headed response. Because it was exactly right. Shannon wouldn’t have wasted her time loving him. She would have moved on if she thought it would be better for her.
    A devastating thought occurred to him. She wasn’t staying with him because she thought he needed care, was she?
    No. She knew he valued his independence more than that.
    Leaning forward, he gripped his head in his hands, at a total loss. When he looked up at Duncan he shrugged. “I don’t know what to do. Marriage seems like an automatic death sentence for a relationship. It’s like getting your girlfriend’s name tattooed on your shoulder. As soon as you do the partnership implodes.”
    Duncan grinned at him. “Don’t get her name tattooed on your shoulder then.”
    Choking out a laugh, he turned away. “I’ll think about what you said but no promises.”
    Duncan watched his buddy roll through the office door. John Palmer had a lot on his mind, but he was spinning his wheels needlessly. Shannon Murphy was the best thing that could have ever happened to him. The man was just too damn stubborn to admit it.
    It was obvious to everyone at LNF that the two of them were in love. There was a secret betting pool running to see when John would actually give in. There was a separate pool running that Shannon would propose to him, but that one seemed to be longer odds. Shannon was a level-headed Midwestern girl. She would probably wait for him to make the first move.
    Hell, if Duncan could find a woman to love and care for him like that he would be all over it. He would do everything in his power to make sure she felt cherished.
    The auburn-haired doctor from Kansas City flashed into his mind. Now that had been a woman. A little young, but definitely intriguing.
    Duncan knew he was beyond the family stage. His military career and starting his own business had left little time for personal relationships. It was embarrassing to think about how long it had been since he’d been on a date, let alone had sex. Unfortunately he didn’t have much of a pool of eligible women to choose from. There had been a few through the years, but not very many.
    Duncan allowed himself just a moment to think about Alex Hartfield. She had definitely been his type. A little leggy, a lot brainy. But so damn young. Their life experiences would be so dissimilar. Too tenuous to build anything on other than something physical.
    The thought of pressing his lips to hers and tasting that fiery red lipstick stoked his libido like nothing else had for a long time.
    Slamming a door on the dead end thoughts, he pushed to his feet and circled the desk back to his