Love at First Snow: A Christmas Miracle (6 page)

“What about the condoms? They sorta indicate
you’ve had women here.”

“What? Oh, those. No, not at all. You
worried I’m a player?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “You are a
professional athlete.”

He looked hurt, but the expression soon
turned to one of confidence. “What does your gut say?”

Her gut said no. Still, she didn’t know if
she could trust it. For the first time…well, ever, lust had ruled
it and not reason. She shrugged.

“The condoms were a joke from one of my
brothers a bunch of Christmases ago, right after the Stanley Cup.
He said I’d need them to take care of all the groupies. I just
shoved them in nightstand drawer and forgot about them.”

“So we’re using condoms that’ve been around
a while?”

He had the grace to look embarrassed. “Uh,
yeah. Stupid, I guess. But they didn’t break.”

Sarah carried her plate to the sink, rinsed
it off, and put it in the dishwasher. When she turned around, she
bumped into Blake’s chest. He put his arms around her, and she did
likewise, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Oddly
enough, it
was.
His quiet strength and manly beauty called
to her. She’d never been so happy.

Laying her head against his broad shoulder,
she closed her eyes and allowed herself to just exist for a short
while. Blake’s steady breathing relaxed her. The scent of him
slipped past all defenses he hadn’t already obliterated, and she
wanted to stay like this forever. But, they didn’t have forever,
did they? She’d been dreaming, and it was time to come back to
reality. He was a professional hockey player, or soon would be
again, and she was a vet on a remote island that he visited on the
holidays. And the holidays were soon going to be over.

She finally tilted her head back. When she
did, Blake smiled a crooked smile that would have melted the
hardest heart.

“Come sit with me,” he said.

She followed him to the couch in front of
the blazing fire he’d rebuilt and sat next to him, making Cyrus
move when he got in their way. Holding hands, they stared at the
flames together and shared a few tentative kisses. She dared not
hope at the promise held by those kisses, yet hope she did, because
if he walked out her life tomorrow, her heart would surely break.
How was it possible she’d been both strengthened and weakened by
one night of bliss? Blake Daniels had made his way inside her heart
as completely as if they’d spent years together. She could almost
bring herself to believe in Christmas miracles. Almost.

Blake turned, took both of her hands in his
and looked deep into her eyes. “Thank you,” he said.

“For what?”

“Giving me back Christmas. For the past four
years, Christmas has been nothing but bad memories. You’ve helped
me heal. For that I’m grateful.”

“Well, I could say the same to you,” she
admitted. “I’ll always remember this Christmas.” If only there
could be many more.

“Our first Christmas together.”

Blake spoke softly, almost reverently, and
Sarah didn’t want to ask him what he meant, afraid to break the
spell. Instead, she just smiled and squeezed his hands. “Have you
given any thought to your future? Will you try to get on another
team?”

“That was my intention when I came here, but
there’s another dream I’ve always had.”

Sarah’s heart pounded. “And what would that
be?”

“I’ve always wanted to open a little bistro,
just a half-dozen tables, to serve some great food for dinner a few
nights a week. Good food for good prices.”

“Where would that bistro be opened?” Sarah
asked.

“I’m thinking these islands might be the
perfect place. I can work as little or as much as I want in the
tourist off-season. So…what do you think about me living here
full-time?”

“I’m think it’s a great idea.” And truly she
did.

He stared at their hands twined together and
seemed to be struggling with something. Finally, he looked up, his
eyes bright. “Do you believe in love at first sight?”

Her heart skipped a beat, and she was again
pressed to fight back the hope that threatened to drown her. “Is
this a line?”

“No, not in the least.” He shook his head
and stared at her. “I never believed in it, but I’ve decided to
reevaluate my opinion.”

“Me neither. Until now.” She touched a
finger to his cheek, happy that last night had happened, happy that
they had both survived their tragic pasts and found each other. And
it all happened in the midst of a rare island snowstorm that seemed
a gift from the season itself. Against all odds. “I think I’ve
fallen in love with you.”

“I
know
I’ve fallen in love with
you.”

The kitten trundled over and crawled into
Sarah’s lap. She stroked the little guy, amused to think that
something so needy had ended up giving her so much. Or maybe that
was always how it went.

“What are you going to name him?” she asked,
turning to Blake.

“Why don’t you do the honors?”

“Nicholas.”

“Nicholas?” Blake repeated.

“As in old St. Nick, because he brought me
everything I ever wanted for Christmas.” She laughed. “I didn’t
even know I wanted sexy hockey player.”

“
Former
sexy hockey player,” Blake
corrected, “and soon-to-be café owner who’s going to cherish his
own Christmas present from this year for the rest of his life.”

“Merry Christmas, Blake.” She smiled up at
him, tentative. But then suddenly she wasn’t. “Maybe we can
eventually even make a family of our own.”

“Merry Christmas, Sarah. And I’m looking
forward to it. A big family, to replace the ones we’ve lost.”

“They’d be happy for us,” she said.

“They would,” Blake agreed. He grinned then,
and they sealed their future with a kiss.

About the Author

An advocate of happy endings, Jami Davenport
writes sexy romantic comedies, sports hero romances, and equestrian
fiction. Jami lives on a small farm near Puget Sound with her Green
Beret-turned-plumber husband, a Newfoundland cross with a tennis
ball fetish, a prince disguised as an orange tabby cat, and an
opinionated Hanoverian mare.

Jami works in information technology for her
day job and is a former high school business teacher and dressage
rider. In her spare time, she maintains her small farm and
socializes whenever the opportunity presents itself. An avid
boater, Jami has spent countless hours in the San Juan Islands, a
common setting in her books. In her opinion, it is the most
beautiful place on earth.

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