Excerpt
“It’s only a week,” he said, and
Chloe jumped.
He was at her side again, all
lethal stealth. He set her fast-acting asthma inhaler on the nightstand for
easy reach and then her cell phone, which he’d no doubt charged for her since
she’d forgotten. His bag hung from his shoulder, and he watched her from those
fathomless eyes. If she looked closely she could see the gold flecks in them.
Sometimes, when he laughed, those flecks danced.
But they were still now.
As still as the man watching her.
“I know,” she murmured. “Just a
week. You’ll be back for the town Christmas party. You promised to take me.”
His jaw went a little tight.
Parties weren’t exactly Mr. Social’s thing. “We talked about this,” he said.
“Yes, and you agreed to take me.”
He shook his head. “I said it
wasn’t a great idea, you exerting the energy to dress up and go to a crowded
event.”
“I’m not a piece of china,” she
said.
“No one would ever mistake you for
one,” he responded, and she was pretty sure it wasn’t a compliment.
“But,” he went on in that voice of
steel, “you’re eight months pregnant and suffer debilitating asthma. Give
yourself a damn break.”
“I’ve had one,” she said. “Maddie
and Tara won’t even let me work at my own spa. I need to get out, Sawyer. I
need to see people.” Before her life changed forever… “I’m going.”
“I’ll be back,” was all he said.
“And the party?”
“We’ll see.”
Not exactly a promise, but then
again he was careful never to promise anything he couldn’t deliver. His word,
when he gave it, was good as gold.
He lifted her chin and looked into
her eyes for a long beat. “Dr. Tyler is only a call away,” he said. “Your
sisters are close by. Jax and Ford are in your speed dials and are on standby
for anything.”
Chloe’s obstetrician was wonderful,
and so were her sisters Maddie and Tara and their husbands—Sawyer’s BFFs Jax
and Ford. But if there was an emergency, it wasn’t any of them that Chloe
wanted.
It was the tall testosterone and
attitude-ridden man standing in front of her, already long gone given the look
on his face.
“I want you to take care,” he said.
“You heard what Dr. Tyler said the
last time we were in her office for false labor.” She patted her belly. “The
Bean’s in for the long haul.”
“I meant you,” Sawyer said. “Take
care of you.”
Coming from him, the words were
tantamount to a shouted vow of love, and they moved her as only Sawyer could.
“Always,” she promised, softening. “And what about you?”
“I haven’t had any labor pains,
false or otherwise,” he deadpanned.
That got a laugh out of her.
He smiled but it faded quickly.
“You know you can text or email me, and that I’ll call when I can,” he said.
“And if anything happens—anything at all, Chloe—I can be back here in two
hours.”
“Anything?” she asked playfully,
trying to lighten the mood, using a voice that once upon a time would’ve made
him kick off his shoes and strip and crawl back into bed with her, the hell
with obligation and responsibility.
“I’ll be here.” He met her gaze,
his own serious. “Always.”
An alarm on his watch beeped. He
turned it off without taking his eyes from her.
She blew out a breath. “You’ve
gotta go.”
He touched her face. “Chloe—”
She closed her eyes and turned her
jaw into his touch. “I know,” she said. “And it’s okay. It’s all going to be
okay.”
She just hoped that was true.
MERRY CHRISTMAS, BABY by Jill Shalvis (December 2, 2014; Grand Central Publishing E-Novella; $1.99)
Wild child Chloe Thompson can't believe how much things have
changed. She still can't get enough of her sexy husband Sawyer, but he
seems to prefer working to impending fatherhood. So tonight, a very
pregnant Chloe is escaping her troubles at the town
Christmas party.
Sheriff Sawyer Thompson hopes surprising Chloe at the party will give him a chance to set things right. But as the snow begins to fall and the wind rages, he wonders whether he can make it back in time. While mother nature conspires to keep Sawyer and Chloe apart, an unexpected arrival will require them to kiss and make up . . . and ring in the happiest holiday Lucky Harbor has ever seen.
Sheriff Sawyer Thompson hopes surprising Chloe at the party will give him a chance to set things right. But as the snow begins to fall and the wind rages, he wonders whether he can make it back in time. While mother nature conspires to keep Sawyer and Chloe apart, an unexpected arrival will require them to kiss and make up . . . and ring in the happiest holiday Lucky Harbor has ever seen.
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About the author:
New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a
small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to
the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for
Jill's bestselling, award-winning books
wherever romances are sold and visit her website for a complete book
list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-
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