If I Had You (Christmas In Harper Falls) Read Free

part, though. You are. Honestly.”
    Lila wanted to be cool. Act sophisticated. Not only was Sam
    Laughton, legendary ladies’ man, in her shop, he lived in Paris. And not as in
    Texas. Her Harper Falls friends may be world travelers, she, on the other hand,
    was not. Visiting different countries, living in one, was a big part of her
    set-aside dreams.
    “Lila Fleming.”
    Sam took her proffered hand, shaking it. Normally he would
    have kissed the back, his eyes locked on hers. Lila, the name suited her, might
    think such a move icky . He needed to rethink his moves. What worked with
    other women was not for Lila.
    “Rose mentioned you were coming to town. I thought I
    would meet you at the party she and Jack are throwing on Christmas Eve. Having
    you come into my shop is a surprise.”
    “A happy one, I hope.”
    “Are you kidding? I was bored out of my mind. The snow
    is keeping everyone where they should be — at home.”
    “Why aren’t you? At home,” he clarified.
    “I live up there.” Lila pointed to the stairs in
    the back of the shop. “I became sick of my own company, even doing
    inventory sounded good. I was about to start when you came in.”
    Sam bit his tongue before he told her he couldn’t imagine
    anyone getting sick of her company. Wow, his lines were cheesy. He realized
    he was getting lazy, or maybe his success made it unnecessary for him to dig
    for anything deeper. He liked women. They deserved more effort on his part.
    Thank you, Lila. From this moment forward, he planned on being more engaged
    when he flirted, more thoughtful. Not every woman was the same. This one?
    Straightforward was definitely the way to go.
    “I stopped in to buy some flowers. For Rose.”
    “That’s nice,” Lila said. “Most women love
    getting them.”
    Most women. But not her , Sam thought. How many
    unthinking men brought her a bouquet? They would know she worked with flowers
    all day. She would take them with good grace, of course. Thanking her date,
    wondering why men had no imagination. What would Lila want? He would have to
    think about that for a while.
    “How did you find me? In this weather, it’s a wonder
    you could see to drive, let alone see my shop, if you weren’t familiar with the
    town.”
    Lila carried on the conversation with her back to him, her
    head inside the refrigerated glass case that took up one wall of the shop.
    “A dog. He walked in front of my SUV. Luckily, I wasn’t
    going very fast. When I stopped, I was literally facing you.”
    “That dog?”
    Sam looked over at the door to find that dog sitting
    on the other side. He seemed to be waiting. Well, hell.
    “I looked for a collar, tags. Nothing.”
    “If he’s lost, the vet might know him. Or he could have
    a microchip implanted.”
    Sam looked at the dog. The dog looked back at Sam.
    “Where’s the vet?” he asked Lila.
    Lila put the finishing touches on the box. A pretty red bow,
    very festive, then handed it to Sam.
    “A mixed assortment. Lilies, tulips, even a few roses.
    The colors are seasonal. As for the vet? She’s just down the street.
    Unfortunately, like everyone else, she isn’t there. She will come in for an
    emergency.” Lila looked outside. “He’s wet, probably hungry. Not
    emergency material.”
    “It is if some kid is missing his dog. Some
    Christmas.”
    Sam expected Lila to brush off the idea. So what if a little
    kid was worried about his dog?
    Lila picked up her phone, did a quick search, and then
    dialed. She talked to someone Sam assumed was the vet, arranging to meet him at
    her office.
    “She’ll call as soon as she gets there. In the
    meantime, we should get that guy in out of the snow.”
    “I’ll do it,” Sam stopped her when she would have
    opened the door. “First, do you have any old towels? The second he’s in
    here, he will be shaking the wet off. Unless you want it all over your
    shop…?”
    “I’ll be right back.”
    Sam didn’t have long to wait. Lila was up and down