A Mistletoe Christmas. Carla Cassidy

      To everyone who believes in the spirit of giving, of children’s laughter and open hearts, may you have a magical Christmas filled with miracles!

      Happy holidays.

CHAPTER ONE

      JAKE HANSON HATED CHRISTMAS. Every year he swore that when the holiday approached he’d get on a plane, leap on a train and leave the small town of Mistletoe, Texas, where everyone went just a little more than crazy at Christmas.

      The madness started just after Thanksgiving, when colorful lights were strung and the gazebo in the town square was draped with ribbons and candy canes and the ever-present mistletoe.

      It was a week before Christmas, and the mistletoe madness had nearly reached its peak as he parked his truck in front of the Mistletoe Café.

      He got out of his truck and hurried toward the café door, eager to get out of the cold and get some dinner before heading back to his silent, empty two-story ranch house.

      The heavenly scent of warm muffins and hot coffee greeted him, along with the clink of silverware and the laughter of friends dining together, which shot a surprisingly sharp pang of loneliness through him.

      “Jake!” Suzie Walker, the red-haired owner of the establishment, met him at the door, a sprig of mistletoe in her hand. She raised her hand as high as it would go, which thankfully didn’t reach near the top of his head.

      “Are you going to bend down so that we can share a kiss under the mistletoe?” she asked. Her bright blue eyes sparkled with merriment.

      “Not a chance, Suzie. Roger would beat the living heck out of me if he saw me kissing his wife.”

      She dropped her plump arm down and gave him a look of mock disappointment. “I haven’t managed to snag a single kiss because of that big fat old man of mine.”

      Jake smiled. Roger was a big fat older man, who made a perfect Santa each year for the children of Mistletoe. “How about you snag me a booth so I can get some dinner?” He pulled his Stetson off his head.

      Suzie sighed. “Follow me, cowboy.”

      As she led him toward a booth in the back, he raised his hand and nodded to nearly everyone he passed. He’d grown up with most everyone in the café. The town’s total population was only between 1,800 and 2,000 people, small enough that practically everyone knew everyone else. However, at this time of year there were always tourists drifting in and out of town.

      As he passed the booth in front of the one Suzie was leading him to, he saw his neighbor, Melody Martin, seated alone. On impulse he stopped at her booth. “Melody, mind if I join you?” He slid into the seat across from her before she could reply. He smiled at her and set his hat next to him. “I hate to eat alone.”

      “Oh...I... Sure,” she stuttered in surprise.

      “Well, then,” Suzie said, looking at Jake and then at Melody. “I’ve already taken Melody’s order. What can I get for you?” She looked back at Jake.

      “Whatever the special is—that should do it,” he replied, slightly shocked at his own forwardness now that he was seated across from the first woman who had captured his attention in years.

      “Meat loaf, mashed potatoes and a Mistletoe muffin,” Suzie replied.

      “And coffee,” Jake added.

      As Suzie left to head to the kitchen, Jake looked across the table and noted the bright red coat and the shopping bags that took up most of the booth beside Melody.

      “Where’s your daughter?” he asked. He didn’t know a lot about Melody, but he knew she was a widow and had a six-year-old daughter.

      “She’s spending the evening with a friend. It gave me the opportunity to do some Santa shopping for her.” She wrapped her hands around a cup that he saw held the famous Mistletoe Toddy, a mulled-cider drink with all kinds of secret ingredients assured to bring happiness.

      Bah humbug, he thought. He looked around the busy café and then back at her, feeling slightly ill at ease. “I really didn’t give you a chance to say no before I sat down. If you’d prefer that I sit someplace else, I’ll move.”

      “You’re fine,” she replied with an easy smile that shot a touch of warmth through him. “I was just thinking that it isn’t much fun to eat alone. I’m so used to Libby filling every silence.”

      “How’s the dance business going?” he asked as he worked his way out of his leather coat and set it next to his hat beside him.

      “Good. We had our Christmas recital last night, so classes are officially finished until after the New Year.”

      Melody had bought the house nearest his ranch eight months before and had immediately built on a dance studio in the back. According to local gossip, half the kids in town now took lessons from her.

      Suzie arrived with his coffee, and after she left, Jake took a drink, wondering what the heck he was doing sitting across from a woman he found ridiculously attractive when he had no intention of ever having any kind of serious relationship with a woman again.

      Melody wore a blue sweater that perfectly matched her eyes. She had the elegant features of classic beauty but didn’t appear to be wearing any makeup except for a touch of mascara.

      “So this is your first Christmas here in Mistletoe,” he said as he set his cup back on the table. “What do you think?”

      Her blue eyes sparkled as she shoved an errant long dark strand of hair that had escaped the low ponytail behind her shoulders. “I think it’s all wonderful. There’s such joy in the air, and it’s amazing how the whole town comes together to create Mistletoe magic. What about you? Don’t you love it?”

      “Ms. Christmas...meet