AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Steeling himself as best he could, Calen went to the door and threw it open, prepared to give his visitor one very sour unwelcome, but he froze when he saw the smiling woman on his porch. Not someone from Christmas Creek but someone he recognized from her DMV photo.
Nessa Bozeman.
She obviously recognized him, too, because her smile widened. “Calen,” she said, laughing with delight. “Finally, I get to meet my big brother.”
Calen silently muttered anotherwell, hellthat he couldn’t voice aloud because it felt as if all the air had been knocked out of him. Maybe it was some kind of cosmic genetic connection, or the realization that he’d just looked into eyes that were a DNA copy of his own.
Either way, Calen knew this woman was truly his sister.
“Oh, I suspect you have a lot of questions,” Nessa said, pulling him into a hug. Well, as much of a hug as she could manage considering her hugely pregnant belly. “I’ll see if I can answer them.”
Chapter Four
Emmy stood frozen in the doorway, and beside her, Calen wasn’t moving either. But his visitor was. Nessa continued to hug Calen. Continued to laugh as if this were the best day of her life.
And maybe it was.
Emmy hadn’t read all the cards and letters from her, but it was obvious Nessa was more than happy to see her brother.
Since the icy wind was taking swipes at them, Emmy moved back so the embracing siblings could come inside. She shut the door just as Nessa finally stopped the hug, and the woman stepped back, studying Calen.
Now that Calen and Nessa were face-to-face, Emmy thought the woman looked familiar. She could also see a resemblance to Calen. Of course, DNA could be tricky, but Emmy figured Calen didn’t have any doubts that Nessa and he shared the same father.
“I got your voicemail,” Nessa said, uncoiling a chunky holly green scarf. “And I was already in Christmas Creek to do some shopping. I stopped by the sheriff’s office, and one of your deputies said you wouldn’t be in until this afternoon.”
There was a lot to process in that handful of sentences, which was probably why it took Calen a while to reply. “You knew where I live?” he asked.
Nessa smiled again. “Yes. I’ll confess I’ve sort of stalked you over the years. You, too,” she added to Emmy as she took off her coat and that scarf. “I’ve seen a lot of pictures of Calen and you on social media and know that you’re close friends. I’ve even bought some books from your store. I was there last Christmas and again about three months ago.”
So that’s why she looked familiar. “I remember you.” And Emmy picked back through her memories. “You bought cookbooks.”
Nessa’s smile went up a notch. “That’s right. I manage a bakery in San Antonio, but what do I do on my days off? I bake,” she answered with a chuckle. “I love your bookstore and all the shops in Christmas Creek. The Yuletide Tea Shop is one of my favorites and, oh, the Candy Cane Bakery. That’s where I was heading when I got your message,” she added to Calen. “I was craving one of those white chocolate cranberry muffins. Then I was going to Santa’s Workshop to get a holiday mobile for the baby’s nursery.”
So, Nessa had planned on being in town for a while, which meant she now had time to catch up with Calen. That was Emmy’s cue to leave.
“I’ll just be going,” Emmy said, fluttering her fingers toward the door.
“No,” Calen and Nessa said in unison. Calen’s tone had an edge of desperation to it while Nessa’s was more of aplease stay.
Emmy volleyed some glances at them to make sure it wasn’t lip service. It wasn’t. So she nodded, and that caused Nessa to smile again.
“From everything I’ve heard, you and Calen are very close,” Nessa said. “I suspect he could use his best friend right about now.”
Calen made a sound of agreement and met Emmy’s eyes. Yes, he could use a best friend. He didn’t want to put distance between them despite that kissing session they’d just had in his kitchen. Good. Maybe it meant he wasn’t having any regrets about it. And since she was feeling hopeful, Emmy added that maybe the regrets wouldn’t come at all.
She certainly wasn’t feeling regretful about those kisses.
Just the opposite. She was trying to wrap her mind around how she could convince Calen that kissing, and maybe doing a whole lot more, were very good things. For now though, she just needed to help get him past this visit and the aftermath.
When Nessa rubbed her hand over her hugely pregnant belly, Calen seemed to yank himself out of his stunned trance. “Why don’t you come and sit down.” He took her by the arm and gently led her into the living room. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“No, thanks. I had some herbal tea at the Yuletide, and Gladys topped off my cup a couple of times while we chatted. It must be amazing to live in a town that feels so happy.” She paused, and the smile faded. “Well, maybe not always happy,” she added in a murmur.
So, Nessa obviously knew about their broken engagements. Of course, she did. If she’d visited Gladys, Nessa would have heard all about it.
“I’ve never told Gladys or anyone else in Christmas Creek that I’m Waylon’s daughter,” Nessa went on as she sat in one of the chairs across from the couch. Emmy and Calen took the sofa. “I figured if you’d wanted people to know, you would have told them.”
“I didn’t know about you,” Calen immediately said. “Not until yesterday.”
