Sealed with a Christmas Kiss Read Online Free PDF Page A

glass half full. Nobody noticed that she was topping up everyone else’s glass but not her own, and by the time she pulled
the salted caramel tart out of the larder, the mood varied from pleasantly mellow (Roddy) through to surprisingly plastered (Leo). He was definitely more communicative with several drinks inside
him, and as Kate set the tart down he turned to her with a grin.
    ‘Tart’s on the table, eh, Kate? Dress rehearsal for my stag do.’
    ‘Leo! You’d better be joking.’ Maddy glared at him, pulled up short from her conversation with Susan, who cocked her head at Kate, frowning slightly.
    Kate shook her head in a response which was almost imperceptible. Their friendship had been forged over a long year in the close-knit island community, and Susan had been delighted when Kate and
her best friend Roddy had finally admitted how they felt about each other. It was a relief to know that Susan had her back.
    Leo smirked at Kate, a knowing expression on his face. ‘’Course, darling.’
    Kate balled her hands into fists behind her back. He was an absolute
arse
, and nobody else seemed to think so. And if she was Maddy, she’d be running at a hundred miles an hour in
the opposite direction, not down the aisle with that tosser. She took a deep breath.
    Later that night she’d probably lie in bed thinking of numerous witty, tart-based retorts. Instead Kate bit her tongue and passed the jug of cream around the table, smiling politely.
    ‘Coffee, anyone?’ Susan pushed her chair away from the table, its legs screeching on the wooden floor.
    Kate gave her a thankful look and sat down to eat her pudding, realizing as she did that she had no appetite.
    Nobody apart from Kate and Susan had taken up the offer of coffee, and the meal was just breaking up when there was a banging at the door, followed by a swirl of cold air and
the sound of swearing.
    ‘Bloody freezing out there!’ Another island accent, this one deep and lyrical.
    Maddy and Leo looked up, confused. It was ten o’clock at night – late for someone to drop in in the middle of town, let alone at a house in the countryside on an island. Nobody else
in the room seemed surprised, and Roderick was already reaching into the dresser for another whisky tumbler.
    ‘Evening, all.’
    Standing in the kitchen doorway was the embodiment of Celtic gorgeousness, and he knew it. Clocking Maddy immediately, he ruffled a hand through his sandy hair and flashed her a smile
reminiscent of a young Ewan McGregor.
    ‘Well, hello there.’
    Maddy, being only human, flushed. Faced with the direct beam of Finn McArthur’s charm, it was hard not to react. He’d honed it over many years. Kate and Susan, both by now impervious
to his lines, treated him more like an over-exuberant pet labrador.
    ‘Turn it down a notch, Finn, you’re freaking out the bridegroom.’ Susan stood up, putting a reassuring hand on Leo’s shoulder. ‘Leo, Maddy – this is Finn
McArthur.’
    Roderick stood up, went to shake his friend’s hand and ducked as he went for a high five. They ended up tangled in a drunken bear hug.
    Kate took control of the situation, realizing Maddy and Leo were looking more than a little confused by the sudden arrival of this tawny-haired giant.
    ‘Finn, here’s a drink. Maddy, Leo – our friend Finn. He was invited to dinner, but he got a better offer.’ Kate’s tone was amused. She and Finn had history, but
that was in the past now, and their relationship was based on mutual teasing and a shared sense of humour.
    ‘I had some business to attend to, actually,’ Finn defended himself, gratefully accepting his whisky.
    ‘Whatever.’ Susan’s tongue was in her cheek.
    ‘Anyway, he’s here now. You’ve missed dinner, but there’s some – oi, fingers off, get a plate at least!’ Before she could finish her sentence, Finn had picked
up the final slice of the tart and it was gone.
    ‘We were just about to go through to the sitting room for a game