Unexpected Gifts: (The Steamy Version) (A Castle Mountain Lodge Romance Series Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

the man or why he was alone during Christmas. Maybe he was at the Lodge for business, although she couldn’t imagine what business he would have in the mountains the week of Christmas.
    Distracted by her thoughts, she didn’t notice the little boy until he crashed into her legs.
    “Oh,” she said, bending down to help him up. “Are you okay?”
    The moment she spoke, the little boy burst into tears.
    Andi glanced around, looking for a parent. She didn’t know how to handle kids, especially ones who were crying. For the last eight months, she’d done her best to avoid children, even her half-brothers, when she could manage it.
    She looked around desperately, but there was no one around except her and the little boy, whose cries had only become more intense. She crouched and took his hand. “It’s okay,” she said, trying her best to sound calm. She could feel her body shaking and hoped he wouldn’t notice. “Where’s your mom?”
    The boy looked to be about four. “I’m lost,” he managed to choke out between sobs.
    “Don’t worry,” she said. “We’ll go find your mommy, okay?”
    The little boy nodded and wiped his nose with the back of his mittened hand. She took his hand in hers and stood. They only got a few steps when she heard a woman’s voice calling through the trees. A moment later, the woman turned the corner on the path and spotted them.
    “Noah,” she called and jogged—as best she could with a baby strapped to her chest—towards them.
    The little boy dropped Andi’s hand and ran towards his mom. Andi watched the reunion and squeezed her now empty hands together. It had felt nice to hold him, even for a minute.
    Once their reunion was complete, the woman and her son walked towards Andi. “Thank you,” she said. “He just ran ahead on the path and the next thing I knew…”
    “It was no problem,” Andi said. “I’m glad I was here when he needed me.”
    “At least this one isn’t walking yet,” the woman said.
    Andi felt her chest tighten with the familiar pain as she looked at the baby. She knew it was socially acceptable to ask how old the baby was, or even what her name was. Instead, Andi managed a smile and said, “You’re very lucky.”
    “I’m Sarah.” The woman extended her hand.
    “Andi.” She took the woman’s hand but couldn’t tear her gaze away from the sleeping infant. She must have been about six months old. She would know if she asked. But she couldn’t. She didn’t want to know. Not really.
    “Sarah? Noah?”
    Both women turned towards the voice as a man came running down the path towards them.
    “Dad!”
    Noah tore away from his mom and ran full force to his dad, who swept him up in a big hug.
    “I’m glad I could help,” Andi said again, and excused herself from the happy scene.
    “It was nice to meet you,” Sarah called after her and smiled one more time before turning and joining in a family hug.
    Andi walked as fast as she could, leaving their voices far behind her. Paige would have been a few months older than that baby. They would have been celebrating her first Christmas as a family.
    She couldn’t stop the thoughts from forming. But as soon as they did, she wished them away. The fact was, she would never know what Paige would have looked like if she’d lived, and there would never be a happy family scene for them. She was alone, and the sooner she accepted it, the easier it would be. She sniffed hard and wiped her gloved hand across her face.
    I refuse to think about it this week, she thought to herself, as if willing her brain to cooperate with her heart would make a difference this time.

    He should have waited for her, Colin thought for the hundredth time. Or at least left a note. He’d struggled with the proper way to handle leaving the villa earlier. He hadn’t wanted to disturb her while she was in her room. He’d been more than pleasantly surprised that she’d agreed to stay, but he didn’t want to make it weird for