Home for the Holidays Read Free Page A

stranger.”
    He kissed her again. “I don’t have a problem with that.” After a military career spanning eighteen years and seeing many of his buddies die in combat, he believed in living in the moment. And because of his career, the thought of a relationship with a woman was something he’d avoided for most of his adult life.
    Releasing her face, he walked over to the coffeemaker and turned it off. “I think I’m going to pass on the coffee.” Turning on his heel, he walked out of the kitchen and the apartment. He took out his cell phone and punched in a number. Fifteen minutes later one of the owners of Happy Hour maneuvered into the parking lot to drive him back to the club. Collier managed to forget about Iris as he caught up with people he hadn’t seen in years. But the image of her beautiful face and her sexy body kept coming back to him once he was alone again in the hotel bed. He was able to recall with vivid clarity the sound of her smoky voice, the scent of her perfume, and the softness of her lips when he touched his mouth to hers. He fell asleep with a smile on his face just thinking about it.
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    Collier opened his eyes, his heart pounding painfully in his chest, his body drenched in sweat as he struggled to surface from the invisible demon holding him in its vicious grip. The nightmare had returned. It’d been several weeks since the last one, and it was always the same. The blast, a ball of fire scorching the earth, the shrapnel from the exploding Humvee, and the horrendous screams from the men burned beyond recognition from a roadside bomb. Gritting his teeth to keep from screaming for the horror to stop, he sat up, swung his legs over the bed, and stumbled in the direction of the bathroom.
    He lost track of time as he sat in the tub with a spray of icy cold water beating on his naked body. It was only when Collier began to shake uncontrollably that he turned off the water and rested his head on the side of the tub. His mind cleared and he realized he was no longer in Afghanistan, but stateside where he was safe from sniper fire and improvised explosive devices. He didn’t remember climbing out of the tub or returning to the bedroom to fall facedown across the bed. This time when he fell asleep, it was without the dreams that kept him from a restful night’s sleep.

Chapter Two
    Butter Pecan Shortbread Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup finely chopped pecans
    Cream butter; add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add flour, mixing well. Stir in pecans. Divide dough in half. Cover; chill one hour. Roll one portion of dough to ¼-inch thickness between two sheets of waxed paper; keep remaining dough chilled until ready to use. Cut dough into desired shapes with two-inch cutters; remove excess dough. Remove top sheet of waxed paper. Place a greased cookie sheet on top of cookies, greased side down. Invert cookie sheet, allowing cookies to transfer to sheet; remove remaining waxed paper. Bake at 300°F for eighteen to twenty minutes or until lightly browned. Put on wire racks to cool. Repeat rolling, cutting, and baking procedure with remaining dough. Yields about three dozen.
    I ris woke at four thirty, opting for a warm bath instead of her usual shower. As she played the sponge over her body, she couldn’t help wondering what it would feel like to have Collier’s hands following the same path. It was hard to imagine letting an utter stranger into her house, but he’d made certain she made it home safely and left without making a scene. Too bad he was only going to be in Charleston for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
    The transformation from seductress to working woman was complete when she pulled on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeve tee; she’d exchanged the stilettos for running shoes, and a rich moisturizer for her skin type and clear lip gloss replaced