Slowly Unwrapped: A Very Short Christmas Story Read online

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  Hours later, with a wink at her sister, Shelby made an excuse to go out, leaving Wade and Nikki stretched out on the couch watching It’s a Wonderful Life.

  “I’m so sorry about dinner, Wade.” Try as she might, Nikki couldn’t suppress the quiver from her voice or the burning sensation behind her eyes.

  Wade’s warm strong arms tightened around her. She loved having his arms around her, being cloaked in his body, in his scent.

  “Why’s that sweetheart?” he asked.

  “Because everything was just awful.”

  “What makes you think I’m so hard to please? For the record, one of the best meals I ever had was fried Spam and a can of cling peaches up in that mountain cabin with you.”

  That was their first time together and he’d made it a night she’d never forgotten either.

  “I don’t think it was the meal that you remember so fondly.”

  He grinned. “Probably not. But I sure liked the dessert.”

  “Stop humoring me, Wade.” She gave him a playful swat. “You aren’t helping a bit. Can’t you see I’m trying really hard to be miserable? I don’t even have a gift for you. I mean I do, but it’s not anything you can unwrap.”

  “What is it then?” he asked.

  “I was hoping we could go away together. You’ve worked so hard for so long, I thought that now with things settled down a bit with your brother, maybe I could entice you into taking some time off. Since Dirk has Janice helping him out at the ranch, I was hoping maybe you and I could take that trip to Mexico we’d once talked about.”

  “I think that’s a mighty fine idea indeed. In fact, why don’t we plan to make it a honeymoon trip?”

  “Really?” She instantly brightened. “I’m so glad you like the idea.” Then her smile faded again. “But that still doesn’t make up for this lousy Christmas. I wanted so badly to show you how we do it Southern style.”

  He laughed, a deep throaty rumble. “If that’s all that’s eating you, sweetheart, you can make it up to me real easy.”

  “How?” she asked.

  He tipped her face up to his, his eyes gleaming with humor and something else that made her insides quiver. “Why don’t you just grab that can of Reddi-Wip, put on that little pink Santa hat, and do me cowgirl style?”

  ~THE END~

  Wade and Nikki’s full story is told in SLOW HAND

  In rural Montana... Wade Knowlton is a hardworking lawyer who's torn between his small-town Montana law practice and a struggling family ranch. He's on the brink of exhaustion from trying to save everybody and everything, when gorgeous Nicole Powell walks into his office. She's a damsel in distress and the breath of fresh air he needs.

  Even the lawyers wear boots... Nicole Powell is a sassy Southern girl who has officially sworn off cowboys after a spate of bad seeds-until her father's death sends her to Montana and into the arms of a man who seems too good to be true. Her instincts tell her to high tail it out of Montana, but she can't resist a cowboy with a slow hand...

  Available now in print and all e-book formats

  Also coming soon

  ROUGH RIDER by Victoria Vane

  Two wary hearts ... Janice Combes has two loves, bucking bulls and Dirk Knowlton. But Dirk only has eyes for a dazzling rodeo queen. How can Janice ever compete while mired ankle-deep in manure? Exchanging playful banter with Dirk is all Janice can expect-until the stormy night he knocks on her door dripping wet and needing a place to crash.

  Different Dreams... Dirk Knowlton is living the cowboy dream. Life should be good-roping, branding, backing broncs, riding bulls, but there's a void he can't seem to fill. After getting hung up by a bull, he wonders if this is really the life he wants. Restless and rebellious, he bolts...but there's a certain cowgirl he can't forget.

  When a battle-scarred Dirk returns to his Montana ranch he's determined to hang on at any cost. Janice has come back home to lick her own wounds. When old dreams turn to dust, can two wary hearts take another chance on love?

  Excerpts available at: WWW.VICTORIAVANE.COM