WARM WINTER KISSES a feel good Christmas romance novel Read Online Free PDF Page A

long?’
    ‘Five years.’
    Sylvia let out a huge sigh.
    ‘Almost like a marriage, then?’ She nodded, knowingly. ‘And did you love him very much ? ’
    I clasped my fingers around my mug and thought of Martin. It seemed as if he’d always been there. Like the mole on my cheek and the freckles on my nose. And now he wasn’t.
    ‘Do you know, I’m really not sure.’
    Sylvia’s face creased into laughter, the corners of her eyes crinkling fondly.
    ‘In that case, I don’t think you could have done. If you’d loved him, really loved him, you wouldn’t need to think about it.’
    I shrugged my shoulders and sighed.
    ‘Do you know,’ I said, swirling the remaining contents around the bottom of my mug, ‘that’s funny, because it’s exactly what my sister Lexi said.’
    Sylvia stood up from her chair, wiping her hands on her pinny.
    ‘Sounds to me as though your sister knows what she’s talking about. Come on,’ she said, picking up my empty coffee mug and placing it in the pristine white butler sink, ‘I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping.’
    * * *
    As I unpacked my case in the pretty guest bedroom, hanging up my clothes in the white armoire, I wondered how it was that Lexi and Sylvia, who I’d only known for a matter of minutes, could have such an intimate understanding of the state of my love life.
    What kind of klutz was I? Why hadn’t I, when I’d been living, sleeping, sharing my toothpaste with the man, come to realise that I didn’t love Martin any longer, if indeed I ever had done? Because if I was finally being honest with myself, I had to admit that I hadn’t really loved him. Respected, liked and admired him, yes, in bucket loads, but loved? It broke my heart to admit it, but the answer was a definite no.
    After the body blow of Martin’s rejection, the huge smack in the teeth to my pride, my main feeling was one of relief and a little frisson of excitement at being alone again. Of course, there was the worry that I’d never find anyone who’d want to go out on a date with me again, living my days out as a lonely old spinster in a one bed-roomed flat with not a soul to care for me, but that was just a minor consideration.
    I was a product of my generation, an independent, self-assured career woman. I didn’t need a man, hell no! But by God, I wanted one. Preferably one that I’d love with a passion and with whom I’d share everything that went with the whole caboodle. A small house, a couple of kids if we were so blessed, along with the customary golden retriever. Well, it’s hardly the worst aspiration in the world — is it?
    For the moment though I had to content myself with being stuck in a huge country home in the Buckinghamshire countryside, with an absentee boss and a whole pile of paperwork to sift through along with a list of telephone calls to make. The morning sun was just beginning to break through the cloud and a battalion of birds were making themselves heard out in the garden. Life could be a lot worse, I reckoned.
    Sylvia called up the stairs as she left.
    ‘There’s some soup on the stove, if you’re feeling hungry. And there’s a nice slab of cake in the tin. Just help yourself. Tell Rocco, I’ll be in tomorrow as usual. Bye, lovey, see you again.’
    At least I’d found an ally in Sylvia. Already I felt as if we were old friends.
    I didn’t need much encouragement on the food front. I was famished. I helped myself to a steaming mug of soup, sat down at the kitchen table and started working my way down the job list. Within a couple of hours I’d ticked off everything that had needed doing. Shooting was starting at eight the next morning and I’d checked and double checked with everyone involved that they were going to be there at the right time. I didn’t want to get off to a bad start with Rocco.
    By the time I’d finished it was late afternoon. I dipped into the cake tin and helped myself to a thick slice of fruit cake, made a pot of tea and tidied