The Christmas Catch Read Online Free PDF Page B

stop
herself.
    John dissected her with piercing blue eyes and her cheeks
caught fire. Now he’d know she’d been stalking him. Not only had she looked up
his e-mail address, she’d practically memorized his bio!
    John cocked his head sideways and studied her with
amazement. “That’s right.”
    Christine slid on her gloves, anxious to extract herself
from the humiliating moment. “Tyler and I should head back.”
    “That’s not a bad thought,” John said, peering out the door
beside them. “It’s starting to flurry out there.”
    “Does it ever stop snowing in Vermont?” Christine asked with
a laugh.
    “A few months out of the year,” he answered.
    Christine finished bundling up Tyler and pulled on her
winter hat.
    “You know,” John said. “The snow may be a pain for driving,
but it makes for awfully good sledding.”
    “Sledding? Yahoo!” Tyler crowed, springing up and down.
    Christine stared at John, her heart hopeful. Oh to be in a
winter wonderland with this handsome man, gliding down snow-covered hills.
Christine brought her hand to her mouth, hoping she’d just thought that, not
said it. By the way John’s eyes crinkled at the corners, she wasn’t sure.
    “I was thinking,” he said as a smile spread across his lips,
“that maybe the three of us could go for a ride?”
    “He knows where all the best hills are!” Carlos shouted from
across the room.
    Christine turned, to spy Carlos seated in the corner,
apparently eavesdropping from behind his splayed newspaper.
    John spouted back, feigning irritation. “Could you mind your
own business for one fraction of a second… please?”
    Carlos shrugged and rattled his paper, making Christine
giggle out loud. Tyler stared up at her with joy in his eyes. “Can we Mommy? Puhleeze? ”
    John met her gaze and said firmly, “I do know where all the
best hills are.”
    “Sledding sounds great,” Christine said with a happy grin.
“Only I don’t think there’s a sled at the house.”
    “No worries. I’ll supply one. Where are you staying?”
    “Winterhaven. Do you know it?”
    “Know it?” John lowered his voice. “Carlos used to date the
woman who lives there.”
    “Oh,” Christine whispered back, intrigued. “What happened?”
    “She’s a very nice person,” John replied quietly. “Just
didn’t share Carlos’s sense of… adventure.”
    Christine’s cell rang, startling her out of the moment.
    “I’m sorry,” she told John. She checked and saw the call was
from Ellen. “I think I’d better take this.”
    “I hope you’re having half as much fun as I am,” Ellen chirped.
Her voice wavered, almost as if it were windblown. “I’m about to go airborne!”
    “What?” Christine
shrieked, before getting herself under control and turning politely away from
John and the other interested coffee patrons. She found herself facing Carlos,
who pointedly lowered his paper. “Ellen, what on earth is going on?”
    “Parasailing, Christine. My gorgeous man Emilio and I are
setting our sights for the sun!”
    “Be careful. That sounds dangerous.”
    “Dangerous, ha! It’s a blast! This is our second time up!”
    “Well, seeing as how you survived the first time, do you
think I could call you back? I’m kind of busy with something.”
    “Just as long at that something spells his name S… T… E… A…”
    Christine pressed End Call and whirled on her heels, finding
herself nearly in John’s arms. She backed away from his broad chest seconds before
crashing into it.
    “Everything all right?” he asked, steadying her by the
elbows. Even through her layers of winter clothing, the electricity from his
touch tore up her arms and sent tiny shivers racing down her spine. Christine’s
stomach flip-flopped. She wondered if she was getting sick or was just nervous.
John’s stare dove into her and she felt faint from his perusal. Had to be the
nerves. Yeah, those combined with the coffee.
    “Oh yes. Everything’s fine.” She affected