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Logan felt like he’d been transported into a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie. Allie’s family decorated a pine tree in her living room as if it was the most important task on the planet. Nothing about the world around him seemed real. Even the handful of things that he’d thought he understood, things about family were completely different than what he’d thought.

He’d pictured people, and a nice home, and meals at a table, and parents who attended school functions. But he’d never ever once imagined the love of the thing. It was like a big, glowing, sphere that emanated from each of them and encompassed all of them.

And somehow or other, it encompassed him, too.

He looked at his best friend, who stood there arranging silver tinsel, one delicate strand at a time. A month ago, tough-as-nails Captain Adam Wakeland had been riding beside him in a Humvee over rutted dirt roads in Afghanistan.

His gaze wandered back to Allie. It didn’t stay very long on anything or anyone else. She held a decoration in her hand, a tiny gold frame in the shape of a house with a picture of her family inside. The photo showed grade-school versions of Allie, Angie and Adam with their parents, younger than they were now but every bit as much in love. It glowed from their eyes and gleamed in their smiles.

Logan had always thought of Christmas ornaments as just colorful balls in red and green, but the ornaments in this house were different. Most of them were the kinds of things kids make in school. Paper plate snowflakes, clothespin reindeer, popsicle-stick sleds, and candy canes made from red and white pipe cleaners all twisted together. Logan had made them as a kid too, but no one had been around to wrap his hand-made creations in tissue paper and save them for Christmases to come. He’d rarely even had a tree to hang them on, and usually left them in the classroom.

Mixed in with the school projects were special ornaments that Allie’s parents had bought for each of their children every year. They’d kept some of them, and divided the rest between Allie and Angie, who traded them back and forth each year. Adam would join in that tradition once he was home long enough to have a Christmas tree of his own to decorate. Allie explained all that.

Because her family couldn’t stand the idea of Allie decorating her tree alone, they always joined her to put it up and add ornaments before taking their own trees home.

They recited memories as they hung each ornament. A tiny pink cradle from the year Allie was born. A pair of ballet shoes to honor her first dance recital. A baseball bat for the time Adam’s team had won the regionals. There were dozens of memories hanging from the tree in short order, a visual timeline of their family history.

It made Logan wonder about his own parents. He wondered if they’d had other kids—which would mean he might have siblings. He used to obsess about that, always checking the faces of every kid he met to decide if they looked like him.

He’d got over that habit with a lot of effort. It had been years since he’d given his birth family a second thought. But being in this house was bringing it all back.

Late afternoon sun shone through the window and glinted off Allie’s dark locks as she paced around the tree, making sure every detail was just right. Logan couldn’t help but smile. Their child would know this kind of love, he realized, and knowing that made him overwhelmingly happy, but he also felt a little out of place. He was the one thing that didn’t fit into this happy little picture. He was the Grinch, and they were the Whos.

Adam finished with his tinsel on the tree and sat down on the couch across from Logan.

“So, Edwards, got any plans for this evening?”

In Logan’s experience, Adam only grinned like that when he was about to ask someone to do something they weren’t going to like. But here in bizzaro-Christmas world, maybe things were different.

“That depends. Why do you ask?”

Adam’s grin grew bigger. “I want to take you out to dinner. You’re my friend. You’re spending the holidays with us. I just want to do something nice.”

If it wasn’t for the over-the-top smile, Logan might have believed him.

“Don’t buy it,” Allie interrupted. “He’s up to something.” She had returned to the box of ornaments on the coffee table and was now pulling colorful knit Christmas stockings out of the box. Each one had a name embroidered across the top. Adam. Allie. Angie. “From when we were kids,” she told Logan. “I don’t put anything in them, I just like hanging them every year.”

“Stop changing the subject.” Adam picked up a pillow and tossed it at his sister. It bounced off her face and landed in the ornament box and she shot her brother a dirty look. He grinned at her. “I scored tickets to the biggest holiday event our neighbor town of Tucker Lake has to offer, and I want to take you with me.”

“And what is this event?” Logan asked suspiciously.

“The Haggerty House Holiday Hootenanny.”

“I’m sure I didn’t hear you correctly. A Hootenanny? What self-respecting business throws a hootenanny?”

“It’s more like a country style holiday ball,” Allie said. “But hootenanny adds a dose of downhome charm, don’t you think?”

“Not to mention the alliteration factor,” Logan shot back, and they shared a smile that lasted a beat too long. He felt Adam’s frown without even seeing it and quickly dragged his eyes off his C.O.’s sister. “So, why are we attending a ball?”

 “I was invited by a high school friend, but she doesn’t want to leave her sister home alone, so you’re my wingman.”

Logan rolled his eyes. A blind date. Adam was trying to set him up on a blind date. And Allie was standing right there, her little body straining to hold his baby inside. “That sounds like a great time, Adam, but I’m…uh…busy.” Lame.

“Doing what?”

Logan tried to think of anything he might be busy doing, but since he was staying at Allie’s house and didn't even have his own car with him, he was having a hard time coming up with any excuse that sounded believable.

“Who’s the friend?” Allie asked, her tone suddenly irritated and sharp.

“Sidney Thompson. Her sister graduated with you. She’s a pretty girl, Logan. I swear. Tell him, Allie.”

“Sure, she’s pretty. Also, has all the depth of a teaspoon and the personality of a wet dishrag, but pretty is all that counts.”

Adam gaped at her. “What are you so worked up about? I’m not asking you to go out with her.”

“I wouldn’t want to go anyway. I have decorating to do. The wind knocked down some of my lights and I refuse to let Christmas come without fixing them.”

Logan smiled to himself. The house was already decorated with so many lights, he’d done a double take the first time he’d seen it after dark. It must have taken weeks to put them all up and he hoped to goodness she hadn’t done it all herself.

But the thing that truly put the smile on his face was the tone in Allie’s voice. She sounded jealous of this Sidney’s sister, and that had him grinning like an idiot.

“I’d really prefer to stay in anyway,” he said to Adam, but his gaze couldn’t seem to stay off Allie. “Gotta catch up on my sleep. Plus, one of us needs to stay with Allie. She’s past her due date.”

“Since when are you Sir Galahad?” Adam asked. He looked from Logan to Allie and back again. “Anyway, it’s not an issue. I got a ticket for Lexie, too. We’re all going.” Allie rolled her eyes and Adam went on. “And, I didn’t want to mention this before, Logan, but you need to get back out there.”

“Oh, does he.” It wasn’t a question. Allie’s voice had dropped an octave. She sounded really pissed off.

Logan sent Adam a withering glare. “Shut up, Adam.”

“No, don’t shut up, Adam. You know I can’t resist juicy gossip. Is our guest trying to get past some big break-up?” The edge in her voice could slice a ripe tomato.

“It’s nothing,” Logan said flatly.

“Oh, come on, Edwards, we don’t have secrets around here.” Adam elbowed him and grinned. “He met some girl before we deployed, and he’s been hung up on her ever since. Casanova here didn’t even catch her full name. What was it again? Sally?”

It was Allie. “I never said.”

“Well, whatever it was, he woke up and she was gone.” He clapped Logan’s shoulder. “It’s a lost cause, buddy. You gotta let it go.”

Logan couldn’t remember the last time he’d blushed, but his face sure felt hot right then. He tried to avoid looking at Allie, but his eyes caught the hint of a smile on her face.

“As for you,” Adam said turning to his sister, “I’ve missed you like crazy, and I want you to come with us. Besides, your house’s halls are decked to the rafters, and anything else you need done, I’ll do it for you myself, tomorrow. Edwards’ll help, right pal?” He slapped Logan’s shoulder again. “We’re going to Haggerty House at seven and you’re both coming.”

If it was possible to kill someone with a single look, Katy Thompson would have been on the coroner’s table before they’d finished their appetizers. Allie sat at a round table at Haggerty House in Tucker Lake, beneath mistletoe and party lights and literal boughs of holly. To her left was Logan, and to his left, Katy. To her right, Adam, then his vapid date Sidney.

Allie had disliked Katy and Sidney Thompson all through high school. She’d tried not to, but it was impossible. They were those kinds of girls who downplayed their intelligence because they thought it made them more attractive to boys. Most girls got over that mindset by the time high school was over, but apparently not these two. Katy played the bimbo card with every sentence she uttered. After five minutes, Allie was ready to vomit and after ten, she wanted to stab the other woman in the eye with a fork.

Haggerty House was packed. Allie scanned the large cream-colored room and saw a few familiar faces—a lot of Big Falls folks made the Hootenanny a holiday tradition, including Darryl Champlain, the songwriter, and his wife, her doctor, known to one and all as Doc Sophie. Bobby Joe and Vidalia Brand McIntyre were there, too, dancing up a storm. The place was filled to capacity. She was glad. The Haggerty girls, who ran the place with their grandmother, had been through a lot and she was happy to see them doing so well.

“Allie, you’re so lucky that you don’t have to worry about what you eat anymore,” Katy said, pulling Allie’s attention back to the table. The five of them had just returned from the buffets, which were loaded with food. Ham, turkey, roast beef, potatoes and gravy and every imaginable side. There were several other tables holding multi-tiered pyramids of mouthwatering desserts.

Allie had filled her plate until it wouldn’t hold any more and she was seriously considering going back for more. She restrained herself only after looking at the dessert tables and knowing she wanted to save room for that.

Katy and Sidney had made themselves salads with fat free dressing on the side. It looked about as appetizing as a patch of Red River crabgrass. Allie would have said so too, if she didn’t have mashed potatoes in her mouth. But Katy didn’t wait for a response. “Of course, I’ve always been naturally thin, but you can never be too careful.”

Allie swallowed her potatoes, dabbed her mouth with a red linen napkin, and muttered, “Probably the only natural thing about you,” behind it.

Logan heard her and choked on a bite of buttery homemade bread, but no one else at the table heard.

“So when are you due, Allie?” Katy continued, oblivious.

“Day before yesterday. But the doctor said first pregnancies often go past the due date.” She answered as nicely as she could, feeling a little bad for being so bitchy.

But then the twit said, “Are you sure it’s not twins?” And she put a hand on Logan’s arm and leaned closer. “She’s so big!”

“I was gonna ask the same thing,” Sidney said with a saccharine smile.

Allie’s fingers tightened around the handle of her knife.

Logan cleared his throat and shifted his chair a little closer to Allie’s. “So Katy, tell me about yourself,” he said.

Katy turned her attention to Logan, and Allie tried to ignore them. She hated that he was paying attention to the wench, but she supposed she should be glad it had happened before she’d committed a capital offense.

She took a few bites of her dinner and tried to engage in conversation with Adam instead. It took less than a minute for her to realize that Sidney was determined to monopolize all of his attention. She definitely wasn’t going to find any scintillating conversation at this table.

This had been a bad idea. Allie shoveled in another bite of her dinner and was immediately full. This late in the pregnancy her appetite was huge, but the baby left very little room for her stomach to expand, so she always seemed to take way more than she could eat. She looked around the table. The others were barely touching their food. She couldn’t stand being trapped as the fifth wheel on a double date for much longer.

Katy whispered something into Logan’s ear. Allie wished she could have a drink. If she could have a glass of Grandma Haggerty’s famous spiced rum punch, she might be able to get through this night with a smile on her face.

Katy was eyeing Logan the way Allie had eyed the dessert bar a few minutes ago. Nope, probably not.

She pushed her plate away and was contemplating how difficult it would be to fake contractions when Logan spoke up.

“Allie, are you ready to show me the Christmas tree?”

“What?”

“The Haggerty House Holiday Tree. You mentioned it this morning. How it’s the biggest tree in Tucker Lake. I’ve been dying to get a closer look.”

Katy placed a hand on Logan’s arm. “I could show you,” she offered, batting long fake eyelashes at him.

“Not a chance. You’re still eating. I’m sure Allie doesn't mind. Do you, Allie?”

She tried not to look too smug, but she couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. “Of course not.” She stood up, bumping her giant belly on the table and shaking the water glasses in the process, but not even that could detract from the satisfaction of seeing the look on Katy’s face.

Logan placed a hand on her elbow and together they walked toward the large open staircase.

“Thanks for helping me escape,” Logan whispered once they were out of earshot.

“You? I thought I was the one desperate to get out of there. I had forgotten exactly how annoying Katy Thompson could be.”

“Not sure how you could ever forget that. I’m pretty sure I never will.”

“So you weren’t falling for the brainless beauty routine?”

“I like women with a little more…substance.”

 “Was that a fat joke? ‘Cause I can send you right back there.”

“Please don’t. I can’t stand another minute of listening to her talk about her fitness routine, and I honestly think that might be the most interesting thing about her.” He smiled down at her, and a warm feeling spread through her chest.

“Adam will be so disappointed that his match-making plans failed,” Allie said, picking up speed as the tree came into view.

“I’m disappointed. I thought Adam liked me more than that.”

Allie stopped beside the staircase. The center of the dining room was open all the way up, with the second-floor dining, loft style. A huge Christmas tree reached clear up to the rafters. It was covered in twinkling white lights, red velvet ribbons, and silver and gold ornaments. Allie had photographed it three years ago and the Haggerty sisters had liked the shot so much they’d ordered postcards with the image on the front. It was the first photograph she’d taken that had made money, and it had set her on the path to figuring out what she wanted to do with her life.

She gazed at that tree and felt holiday magic wrap its soothing glitter around her aching soul.

“Beautiful,” Logan whispered.

Allie glanced up at him. But he wasn’t looking at the tree. He was staring at her, smiling in the glow of the Christmas lights and her stomach knotted up when she saw the look in his eyes.

“We’re not going to be able to hide out from the Thompson girls for long,” she finally said, when the intensity of looking into his eyes got to be too much to take.

“That’s okay. I have a plan. Do you trust me?”

Allie narrowed her eyes and pretended to think about it. “Hmm…does this plan get me out of having to make any further conversation with them?”

“It does.”

“In that case, I’m in.”

Logan smiled and Allie’s heart picked up its pace again. She was going to have to get that thing checked if this continued. “Meet me on the patio in ten minutes.”

The old Logan Edwards would have jumped at the chance to spend an evening with an attractive blonde, especially one giving off signals the way Katy Thompson had been doing all evening. But he hadn’t spared a second look at Katy. Sure, he’d seen the figure hugging red dress, with the slit to the top of her thigh and the neckline plunging deep into a sea of cleavage. You couldn’t not see it.

He just wasn’t interested in any of that. He didn’t care enough to look again. 

He’d been entirely focused on Allie.

She wore a simple black knit dress that stretched over her sizable baby bump, but also hugged the rest of her body. And he’d never known a pregnant woman could look sexy, had never really pondered it much. He’d never had reason to before. But now, he found himself captivated by the curve of her hips and the swell of her breasts. Pregnancy had supersized them.

But it was more than that. Allie was the one he wanted to talk to tonight. She was the one he kept sharing bad puns with, and she was the one he kept exchanging looks with, every time one of the Thompsons said anything stupid. Which was often. She was the one he insisted taste his roast beef, because he’d never had roast beef that good and she hadn’t put any on her plate.

She was the one he wanted to pull into his arms, and out onto the dance floor.

In hindsight, he wondered if his growing feelings for Allie had been obvious to everyone else at the table. Had Adam noticed?

He almost didn't care. It didn’t matter that he’d only known her a short time. He knew her well enough to know that he’d like to know her better. He wanted to learn everything about her, every mood, every nuance, every habit. He wanted to hear every childhood story she had to tell, and watch all her favorite movies, and for her to watch all his.

Nothing like this had ever happened to him before. Could this be…could this be…something? The thing?

He stood by the dessert tables and waved at the woman who’d just placed a giant platter of Christmas cookies there. She was one of the owners, he thought.

“My friend isn’t feeling well,” he said, when he had her attention. “Is there any way I could pack up some of these desserts for her?”

“That depends. Is your friend Allie Wakeland?” the girl asked.

“That’s right. How’d you know?”

“Spotted you walking in together. Allie’s a friend. She helped put this place on the map. I’ll pack up all the best treats and bring them to your table.”

Logan winced. “What if I just wait here?”

The pretty redhead smiled. “Ah, you two are ditching Adam and the Thompson sisters, huh?”

“No. Well… kind of.”

“No problem. I’ll tell Adam Allie didn’t feel well and you took her home. He’ll believe me.”

Five minutes later, Logan had their coats, a plastic container of desserts so large he thought there must be one of everything inside, and he was walking along the stone path behind Haggerty House.

The air was cool outside, but not too cold. Nothing like the cold New York winters he’d seen as a kid. Oklahoma winters were mild by comparison.

The outside of Haggerty House was magnificent. The patio opened onto a stone footpath that led to a flower garden. He bet it was spectacular in the summer, but it couldn’t compare to what it looked like tonight. Hundreds of tiny white Christmas lights sparkled in the night, illuminating the walkway all the way to the garden, and twinkling  from every branch and twig in it. Elegant wire reindeer grazed. A pretty pagoda, entirely twinkling, stood in the center, and Allie was sitting right there on the top step. She had her head back and her palms up.

“It’s snowing,” she said when he got close enough to hear.

He’d noticed a few stray flakes coming down, but hadn’t thought much about it. “I take it that’s rare here?”

“Not rare. But special.”

She looked out over the garden covered in twinkling lights and decorations, a slight smile on her face, and he would have been content to stand there watching her for a long time. But then she shivered, just a little. He could see her breath make tiny puffs in the air and he was moving before his body consciously decided to take a step.

“I almost thought you’d changed your mind,” Allie said.

“Not a chance. I just had to enlist the help of an ally.” He held up the covered container of deserts as he sat down beside her on the steps.

He set the take out container down and draped Allie’s coat around her shoulders. Then he left his arm around them, too. Just couldn’t convince himself to move it.

“How did you find allies in a room full of strangers?” She leaned a little closer.

“Apparently, people around here like you.”

“Ah, I see. You’re trading on my good name.”

“Whatever it takes to impress a lovely lady.”

Allie looked up at him in surprise. It was all the encouragement he needed. He brushed his lips across hers. Soft, gentle and brief. He wanted it to be more, but he didn’t want to scare her away, either. She placed a hand on his chest and gave him a firm shove.

“Stop trying to charm me,” she said.

“Why?”

“Because I haven’t figured out why you’re doing it.”

“I’ve only just started figuring that out myself.”

She blinked at him. “Really?”

“Uh-huh.”

“You gonna tell me?”

He smiled. “What I’ve come up with so far is that it’s because you’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met, not to mention, absolutely stunning, and drop-dead sexy.”

Her eyes widened. He knew it wasn’t the answer she was expecting. That was good, because he hadn’t intended to say it. It wasn’t a line or flattery, he meant it. He just hadn’t known it until the words came out of his mouth.

He put his hand on her cheek and tilted her chin up so her eyes met his, and then his lips were on hers. He kissed her gently, sweetly, and he didn’t draw back this time. There wasn’t a need, because her arms wrapped around his neck. Her fingers caressed his nape and she pushed herself closer to him. His tongue darted across her lips, tracing the shape of them and feeling the silky smoothness of her mouth. He threaded his fingers through her hair and pulled her closer. She was plastered against him. Her hands raced up and down his back and he imagined how they would feel running over other parts of his body. He wanted to find out. He wanted to push her backward on the pagoda and find out exactly how much of their first encounter they could relive. He’d been remembering that night for nine long months.

He felt a strong jab in his stomach and then another. It took a second for him to realize what it was, then he looked up at Allie in surprise. “Was that…?”

She smiled. “Yeah. Your kid has great timing, huh?”

“Wow!” He was awestruck. “Is he… I mean she… I mean… always that active?”

“Not always, but a lot. Mostly when I’m trying to sleep. Here.” She grabbed his hand and placed it on the side of her belly. “Feel that?”

As if on cue the baby moved, twisting beneath his hand. He wanted to stay just like that. To sit in the cold air and feel his baby move under his hands and stare at the beautiful woman in front of him and believe for just a second that things could work out for them.

The French doors on the patio opened and Logan dropped his hands, just as Adam came stalking toward them.  “Lexie, I’ve been looking all over for you,” he said.

She looked nervous. Her cheeks were rapidly turning red, but he didn’t think Adam had noticed that. “You found me.”

Adam’s gaze cut from Allie to Logan and back again. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I’m taking the girls home and then I’ll meet you back at your house.

“I’m fine, Adam. Really. Don’t let me ruin your night. I was feeling a little queasy. That’s all. Honestly, you should have fun. I already texted Angie and told her I’m on my way. I want to check on her and the kids again. It’s a rough time of year for them.”

Adam’s eyes narrowed in suspicion as he glanced toward Logan. “And what about you?” Adam asked.

“I’m driving her.” Logan smiled at Adam. “I’m still pretty jet-legged.”

Adam didn’t look entirely convinced, but he didn’t argue.

“Fine. Text me when you get home so I know you’re all right.”

“Of course.” Allie smiled at her brother.

“And when I get home, Lex, I think we need to have another talk about your situation.” His tone was firm and Allie didn’t think she was going to be able to put him off for much longer.

Adam kissed Allie on the cheek and gave his friend a searching look before turning around and returning to the restaurant.