The Best Christmas Ever

With a wicked smile on his face, Sam went to

Olivia and slipped an arm around her waist. “Both, I hope,” he said.

Kathleen continued to study the table with a critical eye. “You’re right, Olivia. Candles would make it perfect.”

“There’s some in the kitchen pantry,” Ella said. “And I think I can find a pair of silver holders in the buffet. They’re probably tarnished, but we can clean them tonight with the rest of the silverware.”

Earlier that afternoon, Nick had changed out of his military khaki. Now he looped his thumbs into the pockets of his blue jeans and rocked back on the heels of his cowboy boots as he eyed the elaborate table. “I thought this was just going to be a simple wedding. Am I really worth all of this?”

Sam groaned, and Kathleen said, “We didn’t even know if you were actually going to be here or not.”

Nick looked offended. “Sam knew I’d be here even if the rest of you didn’t think so. Isn’t that right, Sam?”

Sam snorted. “I knew if you didn’t show up, you’d better have a hell of an excuse.”

Nick laughed at his brother’s stern warning. Sam had always been the serious one. Even back when they’d been teenagers, it had been a major effort just to make him laugh. There’d been a time when Nick had wished his older brother would lighten up. But now that they’d grown older, Nick knew he wouldn’t want his brother Sam any other way.

“Sam! Do you always talk to your brother like this?” Olivia asked, amazed.

Nick laughed. So did Ella as she came back into the room carrying two white candles. “Olivia, from the time Nick was old enough to walk, Sam has ordered him around and threatened him to within an inch of his life when he wouldn’t obey. Nick’s used to it.”

“Never did mind you very much either, did I, big brother?” he asked with a playful poke at Sam’s rib cage.

Sam gave him a dour look, but then his lips twitched with something close to a grin. “You want Allison to see you with a bloody nose?”

Nick cocked a brow at him, then touched the bridge of his nose. “I’d hate for you to have to get married with two black eyes. Olivia might want to postpone the honeymoon.”

Sam laughed, then pressed a kiss against the curve of Olivia’s cheek. “A couple of black eyes couldn’t keep us apart, could they, honey?”

“Nothing could ever keep us apart,” Olivia murmured.

Nick watched Olivia look adoringly at his brother and wondered what it would feel like to be loved like that. He’d never seen such love on anyone’s face before and he felt a stab of jealousy in spite of himself.

“By the way, Mom,” Kathleen said, glancing at her wristwatch, “is there anything I need to do in the kitchen before Allison arrives?”

“No. The sandwiches and snacks are all ready.”

“What about a high chair for Ben?” Olivia asked.

Ella shook her head. “Ben thinks he’s too big for a high chair. I usually let him sit on my granite roasting pan.”

Nick was thoroughly confused as he tried to follow the women’s conversation. “Allison has a small child?” he asked. “I thought she was an elderly woman. Why, Old Lady Lee is probably close to a hundred, isn’t she?”

“Nicholas, I’m going to whack you if I hear you say ‘Old Lady Lee’ one more time. What will Allison think of you? Especially when I’ve told her that you’re my most mannerly child.”

“That’s not saying too much for us, is it, Kathleen?” Sam commented.

Nick shook his head helplessly. To be honest, he wished his mother hadn’t invited anyone to the house tonight. He’d wanted to spend his first evening back home with just his family. Now he was going to have to make a point of being polite to some woman he’d never seen in his life. He liked meeting people but not tonight.

He almost wished he’d volunteered for Captain Logan’s maneuvers drill and come home a day later. Toting an M16 over miles of wet, dark terrain seemed like a party compared to the evening ahead of him.

Chapter 2

“Now listen, Ben, you must remember to be polite tonight,” Allison told her son as she stepped up on the Gallaghers’ back porch. “Ella thinks you’re a good little boy.”

“I am,” he replied solemnly.

Allison didn’t know whether to laugh or cross her fingers. “I know. That’s why I’m counting on you to be on your best behavior.”

“Where’s Jake and Leo?” the child asked, tugging on his mother’s arm just as she raised it to knock on the screen door.

“I don’t know. We’ll find out when we get inside,” she told him, then reached to slick down the unruly cowlick at his forehead.

Kathleen answered the door and quickly ushered them into the house.

“Take off your coat, Allison, and I’ll help Ben with his,” Kathleen said, already kneeling to assist the small boy.

“My goodness, what a pretty dress. You didn’t have to go to such pains for us,” Ella spoke from across the room.

Allison’s fair complexion became tinged with a delicate pink as she unconsciously smoothed a hand down the moss green skirt. “Thank you, Ella, but this dress has been in the washing machine more times than I could count.”

“Come on to the den,” Kathleen urged her. “I’m dying for you to meet Nick.”

When Allison and Kathleen entered the den, Nick was standing with his back to the fireplace, listening quietly as his father and brother talked farming.

“Well, there’s my little Ben,” S.T. boomed out as he spotted the small boy. “Come here, son.”

The redheaded child ran eagerly to the older Gallagher and climbed up on his lap, while Kathleen urged Allison farther into the room.

Nick tried not to stare, but he felt as if someone had whopped him over the head. The woman with his sister was nothing like he’d been expecting. She was young and lovely. Extremely lovely.

“Allison, this is my brother, Sergeant First Class Nicholas Gallagher. The infamous one, we all like to say,” Kathleen added jokingly.

Allison moved forward and offered her hand to Nick. “It’s nice to finally meet you,” she said.

So this was Old Lady Lee’s granddaughter! She had the most gorgeous red hair he’d ever seen. Or was it blond? Whatever color, the shoulder-length curly tresses went perfectly with her ivory white skin and sea green eyes. Why hadn’t anyone told him a vision was living next to the Gallagher farm?

“Hello, Allison. And before we go any further, whatever my family has told you about me is definitely not true.”

There was a sparkle in his dark blue eyes that Allison couldn’t quite ignore. She found herself smiling back at him in spite of the warning signals going off in her head. “Actually, I didn’t believe the part about you eating bullets for breakfast.”

Nick’s smile grew broader. “You were right. I wouldn’t eat bullets unless I had cinnamon toast to go with them.”

Across the room, Sam made a noise somewhere between a snort and a laugh. Deliberately ignoring his brother, Nick continued to hold Allison Lee’s small hand in his. “Mom tells me you’re Martha’s granddaughter,” he went on, careful to use the old woman’s given name.

Allison looked back at Nick Gallagher. Ella had been right when she’d described her son. He was a tall, handsome man. On first glance his closely cropped hair appeared almost black, but on second look she saw that it was actually a deep shade of auburn. Yet he didn’t have the fair complexion of a redhead. In fact, his complexion was darker than Sam’s or his father’s. A result of his job, she supposed.

At the moment his lean, angular face was creased in a smile that dimpled his right cheek and displayed his straight white teeth.

Allison took a deep breath and pulled her hand from his. “That’s right,” she answered. “My father was Martha’s only child.”

“Nick,” Kathleen spoke up, “why don’t you get Allison a glass of wine, and I’ll go see if Mom and Olivia need any help in the kitchen?”

“Sure thing,” he said and crossed the room to pour the drink. When he turned around, he saw that Allison had taken a seat on the couch a couple of cushions from his brother.

“I wanted to thank you for the wood you left yesterday,” she said to Sam. “You can’t imagine how much it will help in heating the house. But I would like to pay you for it.”

Sam shook his head at her just as Nick arrived with her drink. “I don’t want your money, Allison. Consider the wood a Christmas gift from me,” he said.

Nick offered Allison the wineglass. She accepted it with a brief thank-you and a faint smile, then turned her attention back to Sam. Nick was amazed at the envy that knifed through him. She was looking at his brother as if he were dear and familiar. Maybe he was, Nick thought crossly. But Sam already had one beautiful blonde madly in love with him. Did he really need two?

“You’re too generous, Sam.”

Yes, far too generous, Nick thought dryly. He’d always wondered why women were drawn to Sam. His older brother had always been quiet and brooding, even cynical at times. Maybe they found him a challenge.

Hell, Nick thought, his good humor suddenly returning. He was a challenge himself. No woman had caught him yet. And no woman was ever likely to catch him. He was young and still having too much fun to be tied down by just one woman. Even one as lovely as Allison Lee.

“So how long have you been living in the old farmhouse?” Nick asked Allison as he took a seat on the arm of the couch.

“I moved in last May,” she answered, trying not to notice how close he was to her.

He was nothing like Sam, she thought. Sam had always treated her like a friend. But this military man was sending her all sorts of dangerous signals. There was a reckless glint in his eyes that left her feeling decidedly edgy and wishing the night was over before it had even began.

“Allison is originally from Louisiana,” Sam explained.

Nick wondered why Allison Lee had left Louisiana and moved into her grandmother’s old house. And where was her husband?

Curiously, he glanced at her left hand to check for a ring. There was none. She wasn’t wearing any jewelry that he could see, yet she appeared anything but plain. She was like a jewel herself—full of vibrant color and a touch of mystery.

Olivia came into the room and took a seat on the arm of the couch beside Sam. Allison smiled warmly at the woman who’d become her friend over the past month.

“Are you nearly ready for the wedding?” Allison asked her.

Olivia laughed softly. “Right now I think we have things in an organized sort of chaos.”

“Well, I’ll be glad to help anyway I can,” Allison assured her.

Olivia exchanged glances with Sam, then looked back at Allison. “Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you,” Olivia began carefully.

Allison looked at her expectantly. “Yes?”

“Sam and I talked it over and we’d love for you to be my bridesmaid.”

Allison couldn’t have been more shocked. “Oh, but surely Kathleen is—”

“Going to be my maid of honor. So please say you will. I know it’s a little late to ask but it would please Sam and me if you would agree.”

Allison was overwhelmed. These people wanted to include her in something that was obviously a family affair. She couldn’t quite believe it. “Oh,

Olivia, I—”

Embarrassed, especially because she knew Nick was listening, she broke off. But then she realized there was nothing she could say except the truth. “I’m so touched that you want me to be your bridesmaid, but to be honest I—don’t have a dress that would be—”

“Don’t worry about a dress,” Olivia quickly assured her. “What you wear isn’t important. Is it, darling?” she asked, glancing down at Sam.

He shook his head. “Olivia isn’t worried about a person’s clothes.”

Sensing how awkward she must be feeling, Nick felt compelled to lighten the mood. “That’s right, Allison, or she definitely wouldn’t be marrying Sam,” he told her. “He’s a true farmer. He wears long johns until April. I just hope the neck doesn’t show when he puts on his tie.”

“Sure, Nick,” Sam said while the rest of them laughed.

“I won’t take no for an answer,” Olivia said when the laughter died away. “Besides, Kathleen has all sorts of dresses you can wear if need be.”

Allison smiled and lifted her hands in a gesture of compliance. “Then I’d be honored to be your bridesmaid.”

“That’s wonderful!” Olivia exclaimed.

From across the room, S.T. broke into the conversation. “Sam, Benjamin wants to know where Jake and Leo are.”

Sam motioned for the boy to come to him. Benjamin approached the couch shyly, one finger stuck in the side of his mouth. Nick could see his resemblance to Allison and for the second time he wondered about the child’s father.

“The dogs are down at the barn, Ben. They’re asleep on the hay.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s cold and dark and they’re sleepy,” Sam explained.

“I’m not sleepy,” Benjamin said, in a way that implied the dogs shouldn’t be sleepy, either.

Amused, Sam got to his feet and held his hand out to the boy. “I know where there’s another dog. Come on, I’ll find him for you. Want to come with us, Olivia?”

Ben placed his hand in Sam’s and the three of them left the room. Nick quickly slid off the arm of the couch and took up his brother’s vacated seat.

Allison took a sip of her wine and crossed her legs. She wished Ella would call them in to supper. She felt like a bird cornered by a persistent tomcat.

“Benjamin is a fine looking boy. How old is he?”

“Three.”

“He seems fond of Dad.”

“S.T. entertains him.”

Nick leaned back and crossed his ankles. He wanted to appear casual and uninterested, but found it impossible to keep his eyes off her. The green dress she was wearing was made of something soft and clingy. The neck was high, but the bodice was fitted, outlining her rounded breasts. She had a lush figure, full at the breasts and hips, narrow and trim at the waist. She was the kind of woman who could turn a man’s mind to a pile of mush in a matter of minutes. In fact, his was getting pretty mushy, he realized with a start.

Allison could feel Nick’s eyes making a slow appraisal of her. A part of her resented it, but a foolish part of her was flattered that he might find her attractive.

After a few moments of silence passed, Nick asked, “Do you always talk this much?”

She looked at him, her green eyes slightly veiled by thick brown lashes. “I’m afraid I’m not that much of a talker. Especially after a day like today.”

His brows lifted with curiosity. “And what was your day like?”

She knew he was merely making friendly conversation, so why did she feel so cornered by each question he put to her? “It was very busy. I work as a bank teller, you see, and today was my turn at one of the drive-in windows.”

“Hmm. I suppose at this time of year it’s even worse,” he mused, then smiled. “Are you ready for Christmas? I’ll bet you’re one of those people who has her shopping done weeks ahead of time.”

She glanced away from him as his words reminded her just how meager her shopping would be this Christmas. “No... I’m one of those last minute shoppers,” she said, while twisting the stem of her glass between her fingers.

Damn Nick, why did you have to mention shopping? he asked himself. She’d already admitted she couldn’t afford to buy herself a dress. No doubt she could afford little more than necessities.

“I was sorry to hear your grandmother is in a nursing home,” he said, deciding to quickly change the subject. “I can’t imagine her not living in the old farmhouse anymore. When I was a small boy I went to see her every day.”

“I know. She speaks of you from time to time.”

Nick was surprised. “Does she really? I would have thought she’d forgotten me by now.”

A faint smile touched Allison’s lips. “She said you were a pesky little thing, but when you grew up and stopped coming to see her, she missed you.”

Nick wondered why he suddenly felt a pang of guilt because he’d stopped visiting the old woman. “I’d like to see her while I’m here,” he said suddenly. “Is she well enough to receive visitors?”

Allison was taken by complete surprise. She hadn’t expected him to inquire about her elderly grandmother, much less want to see her. “Actually, she’s a very healthy ninety-two, except for her sight, that is. And she loves visitors.”

Allison’s attention was caught by the sound of running feet. Before she could turn her head in their direction, Benjamin was racing around the couch toward her.

“See my dog, Mommy!” he exclaimed excitedly, then thrust the large stuffed toy at his mother.

Allison reached out and patted the floppy-eared version of a basset hound. It was limp and a little ragged in places, but was still holding together. Apparently the dog had been a childhood favorite of at least one of the Gallagher children. “He’s very pretty. Did you thank Sam and Olivia for getting him for you?”

Benjamin nodded with great exaggeration and Nick grinned at the boy and the old familiar dog. “That’s Buddy,” Nick said, nodding his head toward the dog. “Kathleen dragged that dog from here to Texas. She wouldn’t even go to the dentist without him.”

“Who did I take to the dentist?” Kathleen asked curiously as she walked up on the last of the conversation.

“Buddy,” Sam explained. “I got him out of the closet so that Ben would have something to play with.”

“Good,” Kathleen said, reaching to playfully tousle Benjamin’s hair. “He smells better than Jake and Leo. And he has better dog manners.”

Puzzled, Benjamin looked around the group of adults. “What’s that, Mommy?”

“Come here, son,” S.T. said as chuckles floated around the room. “I’ll tell you all about dog manners and little boy manners.”

“You’ll have to do that while we eat,” Ella said from the doorway. “Everything is ready and waiting.”

The announcement caused a stir as everyone got to their feet and moved to the kitchen. Allison led Benjamin by one hand, while he clutched the stuffed dog to him with the other. But once they reached the table she talked him into letting her put the dog under his chair.

Once Allison finally had her son settled safely on Ella’s roasting pot, she looked up to see Nick holding a chair out for her.

“You don’t mind sitting by me, do you, Allison?”

However could she answer that when the whole Gallagher clan seemed to be looking at her? “No—of course not,” she stammered, feeling a telltale heat warm her cheeks.

“I assure you, I’m like Buddy—I have good eating manners,” he said with a wink.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Allison,” Sam warned from the other end of the table. “He’ll steal the food off your plate if you aren’t watching.”

Allison allowed Nick to seat her, while across the table, Ella said, “If I remember right, Sam, you always dropped most of your food under the table for Sally.”

“That’s right,” Kathleen added. “No wonder the poor dog died. She was so overweight she could hardly walk.”

Sam shook his head at his sister. “She could hardly walk because she had arthritis. And what about all the candy you gave her?”

“She loved chocolate candy—” Kathleen countered, only to have Ella tap her fork loudly against her plate.

“Oh, my word. Let’s not start arguing about Sally now!”

Nick and Ella exchanged knowing glances while Allison sat quietly and watched. She’d never been around a big family before, but she’d often wondered what it would be like to have a brother or sister to talk and laugh with, parents that truly loved her.

Her mother had loved her, but her death had left Allison alone with a father who hadn’t wanted her. As a result she’d grown up starved for love and affection. It was no wonder that she’d fallen so easily for Larry’s lies. She’d soaked up the physical love he’d given her and refused to see that it was only skin-deep.

“Your mother is right. It’s time to eat instead of argue,” S.T. said sternly, although the crooked grin on his face revealed just how much he was enjoying seeing all his family together.

“Eat! Eat!” Benjamin repeated.

“Ben! Shh!” Allison scolded lightly.

Nick chuckled. “I think Ben is smarter than the whole bunch of us.”

“Say grace, Sam, and let’s get some food on the boy’s plate,” S.T. instructed his older son.

* * *

The meal was full of boisterous conversation and laughter. Allison was content to merely eat and listen. And try not to notice the man beside her. She tried especially hard not to notice the way his eyes lingered on her face each time he passed her something. But try as she might she could not ignore the curiosity she had about him, or the strange rush of excitement it gave her to have him sitting beside her.

If Allison hadn’t known beforehand that he was a military man, she probably wouldn’t have guessed him as one. But as she studied him covertly, she could see little things about him that looked military. Like the neatness of his clothes, his proud, erect carriage, the trim hardness of his body.

He was very unlike Sam, she thought. And she wondered what had made him want to be in the army. Had he disliked farming, or was it that he loved being a soldier more?

Benjamin’s small hand tugging at her arm brought Allison out of her musings. She saw that her son was finished eating and growing impatient to leave the table.

After excusing them both, she took Benjamin to the den and settled him and the stuffed dog on a braided rug not far from the fireplace. She’d just taken a seat on the couch to wait for the others when Nick walked in carrying three small plates.

“You haven’t had dessert yet,” he explained at her look of surprise.

“You shouldn’t have bothered,” Allison insisted. “I’m already stuffed.”

“Mother’s feelings would be hurt if you didn’t eat a piece of cake. She thinks of it as one of her specialties.”

Nick handed her the dessert plate holding the thick slice of cake, gave one to Ben and then took a seat next to her.

“Everything Ella cooks is a specialty,” Allison said as she dipped a fork into the cake. “But you don’t have to sit in here with me, Nick. I’m just a neighbor, not a guest that has to be entertained.”

His sudden smile was crooked, as though he found her words amusing. “You don’t have to make such a point of getting rid of me, either.”

A blush spread across Allison’s fair cheeks. Had it really been so obvious that she wanted to avoid his company? She hoped not. She didn’t want him to think she disliked him. But then, she didn’t want him to think she was interested in him, either. “I wasn’t. I mean—I just meant that your family will be wanting you to finish eating with them.”

Nick shifted around on the cushion so that his back was resting against the arm of the couch and his knee nearly touching Allison’s thigh. She felt every nerve inside her coil to sudden attention.

“I’ll be here until after Christmas. They’ll all be sick of my company by then. Besides, I’m curious.”

Without looking at him, she lifted the cake to her mouth. “Oh? About what?” she asked, although she could already guess. He’d probably been wondering throughout the evening about Benjamin, and why a young single woman like herself had a child.

“About my family,” he answered. “Not one of them mentioned to me that a beautiful woman had moved next door. I wonder why that is?”

Allison’s eyes remained on the fat slice of cake she was holding. “Probably because I’m not beautiful,” she murmured, hoping he couldn’t sense the rapid beat of her heart.

She knew she was behaving like a complete idiot, but she wasn’t used to dealing with men or compliments. At least not since her ordeal with Larry. Since then, she’d steered clear of any kind of male attention.

Nick laughed softly and took a bite of his cake. He could see that he bothered her. He didn’t exactly understand why, but the fact that he did pleased him enormously.

“You don’t like me much, do you?”

His question was so unexpected that her head jerked up. “What?”