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He let her go up the steps to the stage ahead of him. She was going to do great. He knew it. He was surprised at himself over how much he already cared about that little girl. She and her Uncle Grady had only been in his sister, Hannah’s, life for a short time, but Ava had already found a place in Jacob’s heart.
The crowd went quiet when they saw Jacob and Ava on the stage. Jacob smiled out at them and nodded. Addressing a crowd was nothing new. He was more used to the crowd members being dressed in business suits than coats, hats, and scarves, but other than that, this was nothing out of the ordinary for him. He squeezed Ava’s hand again. It was a big deal for her.
“Welcome, everyone, and thank you all for coming tonight.”
He scanned the crowd as he said his bit. He wanted to find Hannah and Grady and make sure that Ava could see them. He knew she’d feel better once she did. He stumbled over his words when his gaze landed on a woman standing alone near the trailer that was serving hot chocolate and Christmas cookies. She wasn’t the kind of woman who would normally catch his eye. She looked more like the girl next door than his usual type. Her white hat sat on top of long, blonde hair. She was all bundled up in a long, gray coat, so it wasn’t her figure that caught his eye – which was usually the case for him. But still, there was something about her that caught his attention and set his pulse racing. She froze when her gaze locked with his, but then she dropped her head, and he got his act together and carried on.
When it came to Ava’s big moment, she did great. Jacob dug his fingernails into his palm when she told all the people standing looking up at them that this was the first year that they’d had Christmas lights at the Jacobs Estate since his parents died. His other hand held hers a little tighter when she added that this was the first time that she’d had Christmas lights since her mommy died.
She was a good kid, despite the rough start that she’d had in life. And Jacob finally understood that he’d gotten so attached to her because he felt a kinship with her. He’d been devasted to lose his parents when he was thirty. It’d changed his life and changed him. Poor little Ava had been five when her mom died, and she’d never known her father.
He pulled himself together when she got to the end of her part of their speech. When she looked up at him and nodded, his heart clenched in his chest. They hadn’t planned it, but he had to pick her up and sit her on his hip and hug her. The way she smiled at him made him smile right back, even as he swallowed the emotions that burned in his throat. Then they both turned back to face the crowd and shouted, “Merry Christmas,” as Ava put her hand over his and they flipped the big switch that lit up the Christmas tree.
He was glad that the crowd’s attention left them and focused instead on the tree. He needed a second to get himself back under control. He hugged Ava a little tighter and had to swallow again when she kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Uncle Jacob. That was awesome! This really is going to be the best Christmas ever.”
He had to laugh when she wriggled to get down and then grabbed his hand. “Come on. We have to go and find Uncle Grady and Hannah. They were watching, you know.”
“I know.” He let her lead him down the steps and into the crowd while she chattered away about how Madison from school hadn’t believed her that she was going to turn on the Christmas lights.
He smiled at Hannah as they made their way toward her and Grady but then gave her a puzzled look when Ava turned and led him away from them. Then he realized that she was taking him toward the hot chocolate and Christmas cookies.
She looked back at him and grinned. “You have to come and see Miss Taylor. She’s my teacher. She’s here all by herself just because she wanted to see me turn the lights on. Isn’t that kind of her? She’s really kind. I like her a lot. She’s the best teacher ever. I don’t think she has any friends here, and that’s sad, don’t you think?”
Jacob nodded at her and smiled to himself as she rattled on. He’d be happy to put on the charm for Ava’s teacher since she’d gone out of her way to be here for her. He was picturing a plump, older lady who’d left her cat home alone for the evening so that she could come and support Ava. So, it took him a minute to figure out what was going on when the kid stopped and grinned up at him.
“There she is.”
Jacob looked around, but there was no matronly, teacher-looking lady around. He sucked in a sharp breath when he saw the blonde woman who’d caught his attention earlier. Wow! He didn’t understand his reaction to her. Usually, hiswowswere reserved for women in revealing, designer, evening dresses – or out of them. The woman – or was she a girl? – who Ava was waving at was nothing like them.
“Miss Taylor!”
Jacob felt a shiver run down his spine when the woman’s face lit up as she smiled. “Ava! You were amazing! You did such a great job. I’m so proud of you!”
He could see Ava blossoming under the warmth of her praise.
“Thank you, Miss Taylor. I did what you said, and I remembered to breathe. And Uncle Jacob helped, too. He’s awesome.”
Ava tugged on his hand to draw him closer. He loved the way Miss Taylor had been so focused on Ava that she hadn’t even noticed him until now. The kind of women he usually went out with would have ignored the kid and instead, focused all their attention on him.
That she’d been oblivious to him was evident when she met his gaze and froze. “Oh! I …”
Jacob felt it, too. He didn’t know what it was but there was something there. He felt as though the air around them thickened when her gaze met his.
Ava grinned up at them. “I know how to do introductions properly. Aunt Molly taught me. Miss Taylor, this is my Uncle Jacob. Uncle Jacob, this is my teacher, Miss Taylor.”
Jacob could hear that Ava was still speaking but he didn’t know what she was saying. The only thing he was aware of was the pull toward the woman – the girl – in front of him.
He managed to pull himself together and extended his hand. When she placed hers in it to shake hands with him, he felt a ridiculous urge to lead her away, to take her somewhere where they could sit and talk and get to know each other.
When he realized that he’d been holding her hand for way too long, he tried to smile, but his face didn’t feel like it was obeying orders. “Jacob Jacobs.”
~ ~ ~
The moment his fingers closed around hers, Becca’s whole arm tingled – and those tingles didn’t stop when they reached her shoulder. She hoped that the shivers he sent racing down her spine weren’t somehow visible.
He’d had the same effect on her from the stage. Now, he was here, holding her hand – still. His gray eyes held hers captive. It felt as though he wasn’t going to let her look away this time. She tried to swallow, but her throat was too dry. And then he spoke.
“Jacob Jacobs.”
