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

the
    stairs in a flash, bringing a pile of light yellow towels.
    “These don’t look very old.”
    “They aren’t.” Lila shrugged. “But they’re
    all I have. I’d rather wash them instead of my shop.”
    “Or maybe get new ones?”
    “It won’t break me,” Lila laughed.
    She had a great laugh. Natural, a little husky. It made him
    want to kiss that sexy mouth mid-laugh, catching the joy. Seeing if he would
    feel what she was feeling.
    “Shouldn’t we let the dog in?”
    Great , Sam thought as he moved to the door. She
    caught him staring at her mouth. For a guy who prided himself on his smooth,
    easy manner around women, it was strange how easily this one was shaking his
    cool.
    Cautiously, he opened the door. There was no telling what
    the dog’s reaction was going to be. With his size, his rampaging body could do
    a lot of damage. He shouldn’t have worried. This guy appeared to be a
    well-trained gentleman. Instead of pushing his way into the shop, he calmly
    walked in, looked around, continued over to Lila.
    “Well, aren’t you the gentleman?” she praised when
    he offered her a paw in welcome.
    She knelt, shaking the outstretched foot. Lila didn’t
    recognize him. People walked their dogs past her shop every day. If she’d seen
    this big, sweet-faced guy, she would remember.
    “Let’s not take any chances that he’s going to remain
    so well behaved.”
    Sam took one of the large towels. Starting at the dog’s
    head, he began the considerable job of drying the soaked coat. Lila noticed
    with pleasure that he was firm but gentle. Sam murmured words of encouragement,
    praising how well the dog was doing.
    So, the big entertainment mogul had a marshmallow center —
    at least when it came to dogs. It was nice. Her celebrity crush hadn’t turned
    out to be a self-centered jerk.
    “There,” Sam said, sitting back. “I rubbed
    the worst of the water off. You’ll finish drying naturally in no time.”
    Sam smiled up at Lila.
    “What?” he asked, puzzled by the bemused smile on
    her face.
    “Nothing, really. I was just thinking. Don’t you
    high-powered guys usually hire people to do this kind of thing?”
    “Unfortunately, I left my dog dryer home.” He
    winked. “This trip I’m on my own.”
    “Let me take those dirty towels. I’ll hang them out to
    dry in the back room. Hopefully, I will be able to knock some of that hair off,
    before I put them in my washing machine.”
    “Do you have a bowl we can use to give him some
    water?”
    “I do,” Lila said as she gathered up the wet
    towels. “I’ll bring it back with me. Won’t be a minute.”
    Sam frowned at her retreating backside. Lila suddenly seemed
    stiff, a little uncomfortable. What changed while he dried the dog? Where was
    his sexy, smiling flirt?
    “Any theories?” he asked his companion.
    No answer came, but Sam took the look in those big, brown
    eyes to mean, as one man to another, he understood completely. Women could be a
    mystery.
    After quickly dispensing with the towels, Lila took a
    plastic container she used to scoop potting soil, rinsed it out, and then
    filled it with fresh water.
    What was wrong with her? She wasn’t a blushing virgin
    feeling her first rush of sexual attraction. Sam Laughton was kind to animals.
    Why should that get her hormones racing faster than usual?
    Maybe, because on top of the gentle way he treated the dog,
    he was outrageously good looking. Tall, the top of Lila’s head just skimmed his
    shoulder. She knew what was under that bulky coat. Just last week People ran a whole page, showing Sam and his woman of the moment, enjoying the beaches
    in some fabulous tropical location. Those pictures showed a man who easily
    could have been in front of the camera instead of behind it. Broad shoulders,
    fabulous chest, one of those washboard stomachs that only seem to exist in the
    movies, or her dreams.
    Then there was that face. Holy crap, what a face. Not a
    pretty boy, Sam Laughton looked