“Can we get her a Christmas present?”

What did you get for a woman who must have everything?

“We’ll get a poinsettia,” Alex promised his son. Plants were usually safe, especially since it should look like a seasonal gesture.

Jeremy looked relieved, and turned his head to gaze in the direction Shannon had driven. For the first time in a year his son wasn’t clutching Mr. Tibbles to his chest; instead, he was casually swinging the stuffed animal by one arm.

Alex sighed. He had to be careful. Seeing too much of the woman next door could lead Jeremy into getting ideas about a new mommy.

Yet Alex couldn’t help thinking about Shannon. She was as different from his wife as a woman could be. He’d considered dating since Kim’s death, but none of the women he’d met were particularly interesting.

And none of them were like Shannon O’Rourke.

Dear Reader,

What is the best gift you ever received? Chances are it came from a loved one and reflects to some degree the love you share. Or maybe the gift was something like a cruise or a trip to an exotic locale that raised the hope of finding romance and lasting love. Well, it’s no different for this month’s heroes and heroines, who will all receive special gifts that extend beyond the holiday season to provide a lifetime of happiness.

Karen Rose Smith starts off this month’s offerings with Twelfth Night Proposal (#1794)—the final installment in the SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE continuity. Set during the holidays, the hero’s love enables the plain-Jane heroine to become the glowing beauty she was always meant to be. In The Dating Game (#1795) by Shirley Jump, a package delivered to the wrong address lands the heroine on a reality dating show. Julianna Morris writes a memorable romance with Meet Me under the Mistletoe (#1796), in which the heroine ends up giving a widower the son he “lost” when his mother died. Finally, in Donna Clayton’s stirring romance Bound by Honor (#1797), the heroine receives a “life present” when she saves the Native American hero’s life.

When you’re drawing up your New Year’s resolutions, be sure to put reading Silhouette Romance right at the top. After all, it’s the love these heroines discover that reminds us all of what truly matters most in life.

With all best wishes for the holidays and a happy and healthy 2006.

Ann Leslie Tuttle

Associate Senior Editor

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe
Julianna Morris

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MILLS & BOON

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Books by Julianna Morris

Silhouette Romance

Baby Talk #1097

Family of Three #1178

Daddy Woke Up Married #1252

Dr. Dad #1278

The Marriage Stampede #1375

*Callie, Get Your Groom #1436

*Hannah Gets a Husband #1448

*Jodie’s Mail-Order Man #1460

Meeting Megan Again #1502

Tick Tock Goes the Baby Clock #1531

Last Chance for Baby! #1565

†A Date with a Billionaire #1590

†The Right Twin for Him #1676

†The Bachelor Boss #1703

†Just Between Friends #1731

†Meet Me under the Mistletoe #1796

JULIANNA MORRIS

has an offbeat sense of humor, which frequently gets her into trouble. She is often accused of being curious about everything—her interests ranging from oceanography and photography to traveling, antiquing, walking on the beach and reading science fiction. Julianna loves cats of all shapes and sizes, and recently she was adopted by a feline companion named Merlin. Like his namesake, Merlin is an alchemist—she says he can transform the house into a disaster area in nothing flat.

Julianna happily reports meeting her Mr. Right. Together they are working on a new dream of building a shoreline home in the Great Lakes area.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Epilogue

Chapter One

Shannon O’Rourke pulled into a spot in the post office parking lot and then grabbed her Christmas cards. Normally she would have mailed them at work, but she was reluctantly taking a few vacation days from her job as a public relations director.

In a nearby parking space she saw her new neighbor getting out of his Jeep Cherokee.

She’d only seen Alex McKenzie once, but according to the gossipy head of the condominium association, he was a thirty-four-year-old widowed college professor with a doctorate in engineering.

He was also one of the most ruggedly handsome men she’d ever seen.

“Jeremy, leave Mr. Tibbles in the Jeep for now,” he said, unfastening a small boy from a child’s booster seat.

The boy climbed down from the Jeep with his father’s help, clutching a worn stuffed rabbit to his chest. He was a miniature version of Alex McKenzie, and warmth spread through Shannon’s heart at the sight of the serious youngster, his blue eyes older and more worried than they should have been.

“It’s okay, son, Mr. Tibbles won’t mind staying behind this time,” Dr. McKenzie urged.

Jeremy shook his head, holding the rabbit tighter.

His father sighed and passed a hand over the boy’s dark brown hair. “All right. Stay here while I get the packages out of the car.”

A few moments later he maneuvered his son and a large stack of boxes toward the front door of the post office. Shannon dashed after them.

“Dr. McKenzie…let me help,” she called.

Alex turned and saw a flame-haired beauty hurrying toward him. There was something familiar about the woman, though he couldn’t place her.

“Excuse me,” he said, “do I know you?”

“I’m Shannon O’Rourke, your neighbor.”

“Oh, right.” Alex remembered the day the previous month when they’d moved into the condo from their apartment. He’d been talking to the movers when a woman had pulled into the next driveway, bundled in a heavy coat, with only her auburn hair visible. She’d waved her hand in a quick hello before rushing inside to escape the rain.

It was warmer today and she was dressed in designer jeans that showed off a pair of long legs, and a cashmere sweater that left no doubt about her slim waist and womanly curves. She exuded confidence and flashed an engaging smile.

One of the packages slipped from his grasp and Shannon caught it. “Let me have some of those,” she said, taking several without waiting for agreement. She stepped around him and looked over her shoulder. “Coming?”

One of his eyebrows shot upward. Shy and retiring obviously weren’t in the woman’s vocabulary.

Alex took Jeremy’s hand.

Everyone said the holidays were especially hard for a spouse who’s lost a partner, but the toughest part for Alex was trying to make things right for his four-year-old son. This would be the first Christmas without his wife. Kim’s death the past January had left a huge hole in their lives. No matter how good it might be, a day-care center couldn’t take the place of a mother like Kim.

The thought of his wife made Alex ache. His friends had called him the most married man they knew, even though he’d spent so much time working out of the country. But they were right. He’d recognized what he had, a sweet, gentle woman who wouldn’t tear him apart the way his parents had torn each other apart. You didn’t find that kind of love twice.

Shannon nudged the door open with her hip and waited for father and son to go ahead of her.

“That’s my job,” Alex said, “opening a door for a lady. But I suppose you’re one of those modern women who don’t believe in that sort of thing.”

Shannon opened her mouth, ready to toss out a smart remark, then hesitated. She’d always believed in being herself, and if a man didn’t like it, then too bad.

But she wasn’t sure what “being herself” was anymore.

She wanted more out of life. She wanted to be in love and married, but lately her love life was practically nonexistent. And now that four of her five brothers were happily wed, the desire to find love such as they had was even stronger. But her life seemed stuck in Neutral, while everyone else’s was Full Speed Ahead.

“I don’t mind,” she said finally. It was true. She didn’t object to men being chivalrous; she’d just learned that waiting for a guy to hold a door could get embarrassing.

“All right.” Alex rested his shoulder against the door to hold it. “I’ve got it, then. Go ahead, Miss O’Rourke.”

He was close enough for her to smell the faint scent of his aftershave, and Shannon’s knees wobbled. That wasn’t good. According to her three sisters, Kelly, Miranda and Kathleen, men with children were complicated, especially when it came to their motives toward women.

She glanced down at Jeremy’s grave face. “Go ’head,” he said, and she melted.

“Thank you,” Shannon murmured.

She glanced swiftly at Alex in her peripheral vision, then walked toward the long line of people waiting for service. Her condominium was in a small bedroom community outside of Seattle, but the post office had the usual holiday crowd. It looked as though they’d be waiting for a while, something she was foolishly happy about.

Lord, she had to be crazy.

For Pete’s sake, he’d called her Miss O’Rourke and said his job was holding the door for a lady. Alex McKenzie was obviously the same breed of old-fashioned guy as the male half of the O’Rourke family. She could spot the type a mile away, and usually ran the opposite direction. She’d dated one in college, only to get her heart broken when he’d dumped her, saying he wanted a homemaker like his mother…something she definitely wasn’t. Her only talent in the kitchen was turning perfectly good food into inedible, blackened messes.

A tug at the hem of her sweater made her look down. It was Jeremy.

“I can help,” he said, pointing at the packages she still carried.

“Oh…all right. May I hold Mr. Tibbles for you? He can sit on top of my purse while we wait.”

Jeremy regarded her for a long moment.

Mr. Tibbles was plainly a very important stuffed rabbit not to be entrusted to just anyone. Shannon crouched so she could be eye-to-eye with the boy. Something about him reminded her of how she’d felt after losing her father when she was a child herself, and her heart throbbed with the old grief.

“I promise to take very good care of him.” She smiled reassuringly.

After what seemed an eternity, Jeremy nodded and traded Mr. Tibbles for two of the packages. She settled the rabbit so its feet were anchored in her purse, and made sure it stayed in full view of its protective human. Only after the exchange had been completed did she see Alex’s stunned expression.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“I don’t know how you managed that. I haven’t been able to separate him from that rabbit since his mother died,” Alex said in a low voice. “He only lets go in the bath, and that’s because he says Mr. Tibbles is afraid of the water. You must have a gift with children.”

Shannon swallowed. What she knew about children could be written on the head of a pin. “Um… I like kids,” she said tentatively.

It wasn’t a lie.

Kids were great little people and she would love to have one someday. Her three nieces and one nephew were the most precious things in the world.

Alex’s gaze was fixed on his son who had wandered over to the Christmas tree in the corner. There was so much pain in his eyes that Shannon’s throat tightened. This was a man who’d lost his wife and was trying to raise his child alone. And it was Christmas, a time when absences were felt worse than ever. She remembered what it was like after her father died—nothing had been right, and even now there were moments when emptiness replaced holiday cheer.

“This time of year must be rough,” she said softly.

“His mother made things so special for Christmas,” Alex murmured, his gaze still focused on his son. “She loved baking and doing crafts with him, and fixing things just right. It’s been hard trying to make up for what he’s lost.”

Shannon shifted her feet, feeling torn.

She couldn’t get involved with a man grieving over his wife’s death. It was simply asking for a broken heart. Besides, her relationships never lasted. Old-fashioned or not, the men she continually found herself dating inevitably wanted her to be less modern and more a domestic goddess in disguise.

Well, she didn’t have an ounce of domesticity in her.

But what about Jeremy? He had responded to her, and that meant something. Didn’t it?

“W-why is the rabbit so important to Jeremy?” Shannon asked, despite the internal warnings clanging inside her head. She could tell when a man wasn’t interested, and Dr. McKenzie had disinterest written all over his face.

“I’m not sure.” Alex gave her a crooked smile. “Maybe you can figure it out.”

Shannon knew she should confess her ignorance about children. On the other hand, she did know about hurting. Pain seemed bottled up inside Jeremy and it wasn’t right; a child shouldn’t have to go through so much.

“I’m sorry things have been so hard. Settling into a new place must make it harder,” she murmured instead. “If there’s anything I can do, please let me know.” She swallowed an offer to babysit while she was on vacation.

“Thank you, Miss O’Rourke. That’s kind of you,” Alex said formally, in a tone that announced he had no intention of asking for anything.

She cocked her head. “Please call me Shannon. Nobody uses Miss O’Rourke unless they want to annoy me. Even reporters aren’t that formal during a press conference.”

“Do you talk to reporters very often?”

Shannon shrugged. “It’s part of my job. I’m the Public Relations Director for O’Rourke Enterprises.”

“Of course,” he said. “You’re one of the O’Rourkes.”

Her nose wrinkled.

Terrific, she was one of the O’Rourkes. Her oldest brother was a talented businessman who’d made truck-loads of money. As one of the richest men in the country, Kane had gotten more press than most movie stars, so people tended to recognize the name. Especially in the Seattle area.

“Sorry,” Alex murmured, his lazy, comfortable grin sending her pulse skidding. It didn’t make sense; he wasn’t the type of man she usually dated. “You must get tired of people saying things like that.”

“Now and then.”

He cleared his throat and motioned to the line that had moved away from them. Shannon strolled forward, making sure that Mr. Tibbles remained within Jeremy’s sight now that he’d rejoined them. The boy was so young. She wondered if he remembered his mother, or if it was the sense of abandonment that still haunted him. It was hard for a child to understand that their mommy or daddy hadn’t wanted to die. But death wasn’t a concept children understood very well.

Nor did some adults, Shannon reflected wryly.

There were times she heard her father’s voice in her subconscious and turned around, half expecting to see him standing there.

She let out a breath and looked up at Alex. “I understand you teach engineering. My brother Kane wanted to be an engineer, but he had to quit school.”

“Instead he became a billionaire,” Alex said dryly. “It must be rough.”

Shannon’s eyes narrowed. She might complain about her atavistic brothers, but nobody criticized Kane except her. He’d done everything for the family, giving up his own plans for the future. The fact that he’d made a fortune in the process just proved his intelligence and determination.

“Kane is brilliant,” she said in a cool tone. “Until he got married he worked fourteen hours a day, so he was hardly living a life of ease and luxury. Money was just his way of taking care of the family after we lost our father. He would have been a wonderful engineer, but he never got the chance.”

The corners of Alex’s mouth twitched. He’d never have believed the vibrant redhead was capable of looking so frosty. She might be fashion-model beautiful, but when it came to her precious brother, she was pure pit bull.

“I wasn’t criticizing,” he said.

“Of course you weren’t.”

She turned her back to him, and he sighed. Women like Shannon O’Rourke were too volatile for a down-to-earth guy like him. And too unpredictable. He liked engineering schematics and formulas, things you could count on. Life was uncertain enough without inviting chaos into the mix.

The line had moved and they finally reached the front, where a postal clerk waited expectantly.

“Our turn,” Jeremy said to Shannon.

She nodded. “You’re such a big help. Let’s put the packages on the counter, so your daddy can mail them.” She cast a glance toward Alex. “And I’ll mail my Christmas cards.”

“Okay.”

Jeremy handed up the packages, which Shannon piled on the counter along with the ones she’d carried. Almost as an afterthought, she added her bundle of Christmas cards, which Alex noticed were already stamped. She hadn’t needed to wait in line with them.

“Well, Jeremy, I’d better return Mr. Tibbles to you, and then get going.”

Shannon took the stuffed rabbit out of her purse and passed it to Jeremy, who didn’t seem to hold it quite as fiercely as before. Alex rubbed his chin as he watched Shannon walk away. His son had never accepted someone so quickly. Hell, she’d gotten Mr. Tibbles away from him with just a smile—he hadn’t managed that feat and he was Jeremy’s father.

“It all goes first-class mail. I’ll be back in a minute,” he muttered to the postal clerk, shoving his credit card in her direction. Muffled groans of protest came from the waiting customers, but Alex ignored them. “Miss O’Rourke,” he said, catching Shannon at the exit. “That is… Shannon.”

“Ever the gentleman, Dr. McKenzie,” she murmured. “But I can manage this door on my own.”

“That wasn’t what I meant.”

“You mean you don’t want to hold the door for me?” Shannon sounded offended and he groaned.

“No, that is, yes, of course I do, but…”

Too late he saw the faint humor lurking in her green eyes.

He’d been had, yet he wanted to laugh as well. There weren’t many women who could forgive a supposed insult that quickly. Especially one concerning family. Whatever faults Shannon O’Rourke might have, holding a grudge didn’t appear to be one of them.

“So, what did you want?” she asked.

Alex hesitated. He didn’t want anything, but for Jeremy’s sake he should keep things cordial between them. “It’s just… I’m sorry I upset you. And I want you to know that I appreciated the way you handled Jeremy. That’s all.”

“Oh.” Confusion filled her eyes.

A woman as beautiful as Shannon O’Rourke probably expected to be asked for a date, but he had no intention of getting involved with anyone, much less someone like Shannon. His friends and colleagues, everyone, kept saying it was just a matter of time, that if you’ve had one good marriage, you’re more likely to have a second good one.

But he didn’t buy it.

With Kim he’d gotten lucky, because he sure wasn’t good husband material, not with his family background of domestic warfare and divorce. God, he’d hated all the screaming and fighting.

“Sir,” called the postal clerk with an edge of irritation in her voice. “There are a lot of people waiting.”

“Better go.” Shannon flipped her hand and pushed through the double glass doors.

Alex released a harsh breath as he watched the gentle sway of her hips as she headed for her car. Kim had been gone for almost a year. There wasn’t any reason to feel guilty for enjoying a woman’s legs.

Except he did feel guilty.

The rustle of restless feet and throat-clearing dragged his attention back to the post office. He returned to the counter and signed the credit slip, accompanied by applause from the line of postal customers. He walked outside with Jeremy while Shannon was still waiting to pull into the busy street, and his son dragged his feet, watching sadly as her sleek sports car finally merged into traffic.

“Come along, son.”

“I like her, Daddy.”

“I know. I’m sure you’ll see her again. Shannon is our next-door neighbor.”

Jeremy let out a very adult sigh. “But you made her mad.”

It was undeniably true, even though she’d appeared to forgive what he’d jokingly implied about her brother. Yes, Shannon O’Rourke was temperamental, but she’d also shown that she was loyal.

A far cry from his own family.

After his parents divorced, Alex and his two siblings had been pawns in their incessant power struggles. And now they didn’t see one another anymore. They were too far-flung for one thing; his brother was in the Arctic studying global warming and his sister was working in Japan. As for his mother and father, they’d each been married and divorced several times to other people, and they still hated each other with a passion that poisoned everything around them.

“Shannon isn’t upset with you,” he said finally. “So it’s okay.”

“But she’s mad at you, Daddy.” Jeremy was obstinate in his own way, and he obviously felt that Shannon being mad was a problem, regardless of who she was mad at.

Alex rubbed the back of his neck. After his rotten up-bringing, he’d worried he couldn’t love a child. But from the minute his newborn son, all red and wrinkled, opened sleepy eyes and blew a bubble at him, he’d turned into a marshmallow where the kid was concerned.

“I know, son, but you still don’t need to worry about it.” He would have said everything was “all right,” but he’d said it too often when Kim was sick, and he’d felt like a hypocrite each time Jeremy crawled into his arms and believed him.

His son gave him an exasperated look, which would have been comical if his eyes weren’t so serious. “Can we get her a Christmas present?”

A Christmas present?

What did you get for a woman who must have everything?

“We’ll get a poinsettia,” Alex promised. Plants were usually safe, especially since it should look like a seasonal gesture. Or as an apology for the verbal faux pas he’d stumbled into over her brother.

Jeremy looked relieved, and as they trudged back to the Cherokee, he turned his head to gaze in the direction Shannon had driven. For the first time in a year he wasn’t clutching Mr. Tibbles to his chest; instead, he was casually swinging the rabbit by one arm.

Alex let out a sigh of his own. He had to be careful. Seeing too much of the woman next door could lead Jeremy into getting ideas about a new mommy.

Yet as he fastened his son into the child’s car seat, Alex couldn’t help thinking about Shannon. She was undoubtedly headstrong and opinionated, as different from his wife as a woman could be. He’d considered casual dating since Kim’s death, but none of the women he’d met were particularly interesting.

And none of them were like Shannon O’Rourke.

Chapter Two

Shannon let herself into the condo and tossed her purse onto the couch before plugging in the lights on the Christmas tree. She had to be out of her mind even to have considered offering to babysit.

“Me, babysitting. Hah!”

Yet even as she scolded herself, she remembered Jeremy McKenzie’s solemn blue eyes and a familiar ache filled her. She’d been eight when her father died, leaving her confused and hurt. The thought of Jeremy feeling the same way tore at her heart.

“I’m not the motherly type,” she muttered. She couldn’t change a diaper or even heat a can of soup, though Jeremy was surely old enough not to need diapers any longer. Even that she wasn’t certain about, though she was pretty sure most kids were potty-trained by the time they were two or three. How old were her twin nieces when they’d stopped needing diapers? It was embarrassing to realize she didn’t know. They were her nieces, and she loved them dearly. Sinking into the chair next to the phone, Shannon dialed her youngest sister.

“Hey, Kathleen. When did Amy and Peggy get potty-trained?” she asked without preamble.

“Shannon?”

“Yes. How old were they?”

“Er…not quite two.”

Two. Well, that was good. Undoubtedly kids developed differently, but Jeremy was probably past that stage. Not that it mattered. Alex McKenzie hadn’t given any sign of being interested in her, so she wasn’t likely to see much of either him or his son.

It was so depressing. Her love life was a disaster area. She wanted an honest relationship with the right man, but what if the “right” man didn’t want someone like her?

“What’s up, Shannon?”

She shrugged, though her sister couldn’t see the gesture. “A little boy moved in next door, that’s all. He’s really cute, and I started thinking about diapers and stuff. It doesn’t mean anything, except I got curious.”

“Are you sure that’s all?”

“Positive.”

Shannon said good-bye and dropped the receiver with disgust. It had to be her biological clock ticking that made her ask stupid questions. She was twenty-eight years old and unmarried—and unlikely ever to be married at the rate she was going, so of course her clock was screaming.

Shaking her head, Shannon walked up to the bedroom to change into a pair of sweats and then began to run on the treadmill in her spare room.

She had a great family, a terrific job, made plenty of money, and was perfectly comfortable, she told herself in time with her steps. It wasn’t the end of the world if the love of her life never showed up. Of course, it was hard to keep believing that with the rest of the world obsessed with love, and her own family acting as if Cupid had gone target-happy with his bow and arrows. Even Neil, her brother who had once equated marriage with the plague, had fallen off the deep end. So now Neil had Libby. Her oldest brother, Kane, had Beth and baby daughter, Robin. Patrick had Maddie and their new son, Jarod. Dylan and his wife, Kate, were expecting a baby. Only her youngest brother, Connor, was still unattached. Of course, her sisters weren’t married, though Kathleen was divorced. Shannon grimaced at the thought of Kathleen’s ex-husband. There were worse things than being single…like having a cheating spouse who’d run off when you were almost nine months pregnant with twins.

A half hour later the doorbell rang and Shannon stopped the machine. She wiped her face with a towel, grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and took a swig on her way to the door.

“Who is that?” she called on her way downstairs to the door.

She peeped through the curtain and gulped at the sight of Alex and Jeremy McKenzie.

“Isn’t this just perfect?” she mumbled. Her face was flushed, her hair damp, and she was wearing an old pair of sweats. Well, it couldn’t be helped, so she lifted her chin and squared her shoulders as she opened the door. You could get through the worst situation by acting as if you owned the world.

“Hi.”

“Hello.” Alex’s velvet-rough voice rubbed over her edgy nerves like a silky cat. “Jeremy wanted to be sure you weren’t mad at us.”

Mad?

Shannon thought for a moment, then recalled the way Alex had seemed to mock Kane, her darling oldest brother. She was willing to give him a second chance, especially with Jeremy looking at her with that anxious expression in his eyes.

“I’m not mad,” she said, looking down at Jeremy and smiling. He really was the dearest child, with such a sweet, sad, worried little face. No wonder her scant motherly instincts were clamoring for attention. How could anyone fail to adore him?

“It’s for you,” Jeremy said, holding out a poinsettia wrapped in green foil and banded by a big gold ribbon and bow. “Can we come in?”

“Of course you may,” Shannon said over Alex’s attempts to shush his son. She stepped back and raised an eyebrow.

“Thank you,” Alex muttered.

“Oooh,” exclaimed Jeremy. He’d marched into the center of the living room, and stared transfixed at the Christmas tree, winking and glowing in the corner.

Alex understood his son’s fascination. It was a great tree, and at its base a small train ran around and around a miniature Victorian town at the foot of a snowy mountain. The houses were lit, ice-skaters twirled around a silver lake, and even the small street lamps twinkled.

“Sorry about how I look, you caught me exercising,” Shannon said. She made no attempt at feminine fussing, and since she was flat-out beautiful with her healthy flush and sexy, mussed hair, it wasn’t necessary.

“You look fine,” Alex muttered.

In the soft glow from the Christmas tree her hair was a deep rich auburn, and he had a crazy urge to run his fingers through the silken strands, to discover if it was as soft as it looked. It occurred to him that she might not be a natural redhead since there wasn’t a freckle in sight on her peach complexion, but he shoved the thought away. Whether she was or wasn’t didn’t concern him. And he’d certainly never see the proof.

“Well…thanks for the plant,” Shannon said. She put it by the fireplace, smiling at Jeremy as he tore his gaze away from the tree. “This is so pretty. Did you pick it out all by yourself?”

“Uh-huh,” he said.

“That was nice of you. You got the best poinsettia I’ve ever seen.”

Jeremy’s smile was like sunshine, and Alex blinked. Where was his shy little boy? The grief-stricken, barely talking, rabbit-clutching four-year-old?

“Mr. Tibbles said to get that one.”

“You and Mr. Tibbles have good taste.” She glanced at Alex. “I don’t keep many treats around the house, but are lemon drops on the okay list?”

“They’re fine,” he agreed, still bemused.

Shannon took a crystal dish from the mantel and removed the lid before offering its contents to Jeremy. Soon his son was sucking on lemon sours and playing with the controls of the train gliding around the extravagant Christmas tree. Steam even came from the top of the engine when a button was pressed on the control panel. Jeremy seemed to enjoy that part especially, along with the train’s abrupt stops and starts.

Alex warned Jeremy to be careful, but Shannon seemed unconcerned that the expensive set might be in danger.

“It’s all right,” she said. “Would you like some soda?”

“We don’t want to be any trouble.”

“If you were trouble, I’d tell you.”

Undoubtedly she would. Shannon O’Rourke was direct, self-assured and definitely wouldn’t pussyfoot around. She was also the walking, talking embodiment of everything he’d avoided his entire life—an explosion of emotion and passion wrapped up in flame-colored hair and flashing eyes.

“Tell you what,” she said. “If you haven’t eaten dinner yet, we can order some pizza. I’m out of milk for Jeremy, but maybe they can bring some with the delivery.”

He wanted to say no. He even opened his mouth to say no, only one look at his son’s ecstatic face changed his mind. Jeremy loved pizza, but his mother had declared it was unhealthy for children, so they’d rarely eaten any. Come to think of it, he wasn’t sure why Kim had disapproved of restaurant and take-out food so much, but she had.

“That sounds good,” he agreed. “But it’s my treat.”

“Whatever. The phone’s over there with the phone book, so go ahead and order. I’m going upstairs to change.”

“Any preferences?”

“No anchovies, that’s all.” She glanced at Jeremy. He looked hopeful, and she tried to guess what he might be wishing his daddy would order. “How about one of those dessert pizzas, too? One with lots of sugar and stuff on top.” Jeremy’s face turned blissful and she winked at him.

Shannon climbed the staircase to her bedroom and willed her heart to stop beating so fast. She’d figured the post office was the last close contact she’d get with Alex McKenzie and his son, but now they were in her living room and her pulse was doing the Macarena.

She took a quick shower, then pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweater. Her footsteps were muffled on the thickly carpeted stairs, so when she descended to the living room, she was able to observe Alex and his son without them being aware of her presence.

With a quiet sigh she sat on a step and watched.

The two of them were lying on their stomachs, side by side, gazing at the tree and the train set her decorator sister, Miranda, had arranged for her a few days after Thanksgiving. This year, Miranda had outdone herself, creating a Victorian holiday wonderland out of the living room.

“Choo, choo!” crowed Jeremy as the train chugged through the tunnel in the snowcapped mountain.

He was darling, yet it was Alex who drew her gaze the longest, his jeans pulled taut over long, strong legs and a tight rear end. He didn’t look like any college professor she’d ever studied with, or else she would have paid more attention in class. His rugged good looks had probably turned engineering into a very popular subject—with the female students, at least.

Shannon’s eyes drifted half-closed as she imagined what it would be like to be married to someone like Alex.

It was a great fantasy, but reality kept intruding. Alex had said his wife had loved baking and doing crafts and making Christmas special; he’d probably be shocked that she had her home professionally decorated every year and couldn’t bake a cookie to save her life. Even Shannon’s mother had declared defeat in teaching her eldest daughter how to cook.

The doorbell rang and she jumped up.

“That must be our pizza,” she said brightly.

They ate in front of the tree, sitting cross-legged and using the napkins provided by the delivery guy.

“Mommy didn’t let us eat pizza,” Jeremy said after a while, then looked even more worried than before.

“She didn’t?” It seemed odd, but there might have been reasons Shannon knew nothing about, like allergies or another problem.

“Uh-uh.” He glanced quickly at his father, then carefully put his crust down on a napkin. “I get afraid, ’cause I don’t r’member her so good anymore.”

Alex looked pained, and Shannon bit the inside of her lip. Jeremy had been so young when his mother died, it was inevitable his memories were fading.

She put her forefinger over Jeremy’s heart, the way her own mother used to do when her youngest sister had worried about forgetting their father.

“You’ll always remember her in here,” she said softly. “That’s the most important kind of remembering. Your mommy is always right here, so you don’t need to be afraid.”

The youngster seemed to think about it, then nodded, looking more cheerful. His father handed him a piece of dessert pizza and they ate in silence until Jeremy looked up, his expression brightening.

“Daddy, I bet if Shannon was my new mommy, we could eat pizza whenever we wanted.”

Shannon inhaled a crumb and choked. Between coughing, thumps on the back from Alex and her eyes tearing, the moment passed without either of them having to say anything.

Cripes.

How did you handle a remark like that?

“I think it’s time for us to go home,” Alex said when her windpipe had finally cleared. His face had become closed. “We’ve imposed long enough on Miss O’Rourke.”

“But, Daddy, we—”

“It’s time to go, son.”

Jeremy’s mouth turned down mutinously, but he didn’t object again. Shannon insisted they take the last of the pizza, and she sank against the door as she closed it behind them, exhausted.

She didn’t know what the expression on Alex’s face had meant, but he obviously did not share his son’s enthusiasm for getting a new mommy. He didn’t know her well enough to object to her personally, so it must be the idea of marrying again that had him feeling grief or guilt or another of the thousand emotions a widower must feel.

Not that it mattered. She just wanted to help Jeremy.

Right?

But as Shannon gathered up the crumpled napkins and put the dirty glasses in the sink, she couldn’t shake the melancholy that had overtaken her. It was painfully obvious she was attracted to old-fashioned men, no matter what she’d told herself about wanting a modern guy with modern attitudes. And Alex McKenzie made her nerve endings stand at attention more than any man she’d met in recent memory.

It doesn’t matter one way or the other, she told herself. Men usually were drawn to the same kind of woman, and from the little she’d learned about Alex’s dead wife, she wasn’t the least bit like her.

“I’m going back to work,” Shannon told Kane a few days later. Her brother and his wife, Beth, had come to their mother’s house for a visit and she’d joined them, more on edge than ever. Not that seeing her brother had helped. Kane’s blissfully happy marriage was another reminder of how alone she felt.

“I don’t think so.”

“Kane, I want—”

“You’ve been stressed out, you need to relax,” Kane interrupted. He finished diapering his daughter and lifted the baby to his shoulder. Robin looked even tinier against his broad chest, and something inside Shannon ached with renewed force. It was yet another reminder of everything she wanted, and couldn’t seem to get.

“I’m fine.”

“You can’t spend your entire life working,” Kane pointed out. His advice would have sounded reasonable except that before he’d gotten married he used to work more hours than she’d ever thought of putting into the company.

Shannon’s mother patted her arm. “That’s right, darlin’.” Her Irish accent lilted, never quite lost despite the years she’d spent away from her native land.

“I’m fine. It’s being on a forced vacation that’s driving me crazy.”

That, and thinking about the McKenzies.

She’d realized that Alex’s bedroom was on the other side of the wall from hers, and that knowledge was keeping her awake nights. The walls were too well insulated to hear his bed creak, but she heard other faint sounds and couldn’t help wondering about certain things.

Innocent things.

Such as…did he sleep nude at night?

Yeah, that was innocent.

Perfectly innocent.

It had been awhile since she’d thought about a man that way. Her last relationship had turned into such a disaster that she’d become frozen. Now she was thawing, and it was just her luck that a guaranteed heartbreak was the reason.

“You’re still on vacation,” Kane said calmly. He rubbed the baby’s back and smiled at Shannon’s frustrated expression.

“You can’t be so arbitrary just because I’m your sister.”

“I’d do the same for any executive with signs of burn-out. You’re still getting paid, so what’s the big deal?”

“I am not burned-out.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

Shannon swallowed.

After their father had died, she’d decided she would be the tough one, the one who teased and laughed and smiled when she didn’t feel like smiling. If she had trouble at school, she braved things out. If her heart got broken, she turned it into a joke—just so long as nobody found her crying in bed and upsetting her family. Over the years she’d perfected a breezy veneer that made everyone think she was impervious to the usual hurts and disappointments. She was an expert on putting on a good face; now was the time to prove it.

“Nothing is wrong,” Shannon said, waving her hand. “It’s the holiday season and people slack off. I must have gone overboard trying to keep my staff geared up for any problems that might happen.”

Kane nodded, his gaze searching her face. He didn’t seem entirely convinced, though he appeared less concerned than before. “All right. But I promised everyone they’d have another few days without the dragon lady, so you’ll have to stay away longer.”

She wrinkled her nose, making certain none of her frustration showed. “Dragon lady? Thanks a bunch. Is it too late for me to cancel a few Christmas bonuses?”

He chuckled. “Way too late.”

Shannon kept things light through lunch, working to get her mother, brother and sister-in-law laughing. But it was a relief when she pulled out of her mother’s driveway, escaping their watchful gazes. She drove for a long time, up into the hills, finally swinging by Neil’s house.

She frowned as she tapped her fingers on the steering wheel and gazed at the modern log structure. She would have sworn that Neil, of all her brothers, would never get married and live outside the city, but he’d fallen for Libby like a ton of bricks. Two tons.

Sighing, Shannon headed home, deciding not to call Neil and his wife.

A winter sunset burned pink and gold on the western horizon as she finally pulled into her driveway, but she didn’t have time to appreciate it before Jeremy flew across the yard, waving madly with one arm, the other clutching Mr. Tibbles.

An involuntary smile curved her mouth.

“Hey, Jeremy,” she said, opening the car door.

“Hey, Shannon.”

They had exchanged a few hellos and good-byes over the past few days, with Alex then hustling his son away with insulting speed. Of course, the speed might have been due to Washington’s beastly winter weather, but it was still a little insulting.

“What have you been up to?” she asked as she got out.

“Daddy ’n’ me are putting up Christmas lights,” Jeremy said solemnly.

She noticed an expandable ladder leaning against the McKenzies’ condo. “That’s nice.”

“But he got hurted and said a bad word.”

Alex had followed his son across the yard, and Shannon glanced at him, trying not to laugh at his chagrined expression. She guessed his injury was relatively minor since there wasn’t any visible blood and no bones were sticking out.

“He did?”

“Uh-huh. He said—”

“Jeremy,” Alex interrupted hastily, “I was wrong to say that in the first place, and it certainly isn’t something to repeat in front of a lady.”

The youngster quieted and clutched Mr. Tibbles even tighter, mumbling an apology, so Shannon smiled and ruffled his hair.

“That’s okay. I’m lucky, I have five brothers to help put up my Christmas lights.” Five brothers with the same sort of old-fashioned views about a “lady’s” delicate ears and sensibilities—all part of the O’Rourke Code they’d been taught by their father. The “Code” was sacred to the male members of the family, much to the frequent frustration of the female members.

“I wish I had a brother,” Jeremy said, sounding wistful.

Oh dear.

Wasn’t wishing he had a brother just one step away from talking about getting a new mommy? Presuming he understood the relationship between the two events.

“I also have three sisters,” Shannon said quickly. “Miranda, Kelly and Kathleen. Miranda and Kelly are twins.”

“Do they like dodgeball?”

Dodgeball? She searched through her memory and vaguely recalled kids standing in a circle, with others in the middle dodging a large red ball.

“Uh, they haven’t played for a while. They’re all grown up.”

Jeremy sighed. “I wanna play dodgeball, but the big kids say I’m too small.”

“That’s too bad, but they probably want to be sure you don’t get hurt accidentally.”

Alex stuck his throbbing thumb in his pocket and watched Shannon O’Rourke charm his son all over again. Jeremy’s gaze was fixed on her adoringly, and he was talking like a normal little boy, rather than a traumatized child.

He’d asked around and learned a great deal about the O’Rourkes since meeting Shannon. People in all walks of life counted them as friends. They were highly respected, were active in church and charity work, and gave generously of both their time and their money. Shannon served on the boards of three foundations and was personally credited with saving an inner-city homeless mission.

No wonder, he thought, staring at her stunning beauty and trademark smile—a smile that said she was ready to take on the world single-handedly. The force of her personality alone was probably enough to save a hundred homeless missions, much less one. She was so…electric.

He smothered a half laugh, remembering the way people had described Shannon as cool and sophisticated. They were blind if they couldn’t see the wildfire beneath that polished surface.

“Hello, Shannon,” he murmured, illogically annoyed that she’d barely noticed him. Once upon a time the opposite sex had found him reasonably attractive.

Yet even as Alex formed the thought, he stomped on it. Shannon O’Rourke might be a beautiful woman, but he’d rather appreciate her beauty from a distance. He didn’t have to own Botticelli’s Birth of Venus to admire the painting.

“Hello.” Shannon smiled. “Are you having trouble putting up your Christmas lights?”

“Some.” Alex flexed his thumb and a sharp throb went through it. He’d been distracted, thinking about Jeremy and the day-care center’s third request for the name and phone number of a backup person to call in case of emergency. He had a babysitter for when the daycare was closed, but except for Shannon, there wasn’t a single person in Washington with whom Jeremy would willingly go if his father wasn’t available. That was the problem. Shannon was good with Jeremy and had an excellent reputation so there wasn’t any reason not to ask…besides wanting to keep that precious distance between them.

Damn.

Around Shannon he felt as if he was being sucked into a whirlpool with no bottom. The sensation reminded him too much of when he was a kid and had no control over his life, or the crazy people masquerading as his parents.

“If you’re hungry, I was going to order some Thai food for dinner,” she said, breaking into his thoughts. “You’re welcome to join me.”

He hesitated.

“Consider it a welcome to the neighborhood,” she said breezily. “I should have brought you cookies or something, but…” Her voice trailed and she shrugged.

That but had some interesting undertones to it. Shannon had a way of saying things that had so many layers of meaning, he could get dizzy trying to figure them out.

“Yeah, you blew your chance of being nominated for the neighborhood welcome party,” he said, trying to sound humorous. “Tami Barton made us a casserole. Naomi Hale did Jell-O salad, and Lisa Steeple brought us a cake. And there’s also been homemade candy, cookies, several kinds of bread and some sort of cheese log rolled in almonds.”

“Let me guess, mostly from the unmarried women in the condo association? I know Naomi, Tami, and Lisa are all unattached.”

Alex frowned, realizing there had been quite a few single women—divorced or never married—knocking on his door lately. It had been the same in Minnesota. After Kim’s death few days had gone by without a knock on the door and a woman standing on the other side. Their culinary offerings had ranged from child-pleasing dishes to gourmet meals. It was one of the reasons he’d come to Seattle, trying to get away from would-be mothers, looking for a ready-made family. Hell. He must have been blind not to see the pattern. Lisa and Naomi had been too friendly, but he’d ignored their flirting the way he’d always ignored feminine overtures that didn’t come from his wife.

A pang went through him as he reminded himself that Kim was gone. He’d never put much thought into the marriage vow “till death do us part.” Women usually lived longer than men, and he’d figured he’d go first. But he hadn’t gone first, and now he had to deal with a reality that didn’t include Kim.

His stomach turned as emotions crawled through it, a reminder of those horrible, empty days after the funeral, when he’d cursed himself and God…and his wife for being human enough to get leukemia and die.

“Alex?”

“Yeah,” he said tightly. “They were mostly single.”

Shannon’s gaze flicked over him, seeming almost as tangible as a touch. “I may be single, but I promise not to bake you any cakes or cookies.”

“Skip the Jell-O salad and casseroles, too, okay?” Alex muttered. He didn’t want anything that reminded him of the food at Kim’s wake.

“I promise.” Once again something unknown flickered in Shannon’s expressive face, but he couldn’t begin to guess at the meaning. “And you can skip the offer of Thai food, if you prefer. I may be single, but I’m not on the prowl like Lisa or the others.”

“What’s ‘on the prowl’?” Jeremy asked.

He was examining them both with his serious eyes, and Alex saw that Shannon was as nonplussed as he was over the question. For some reason it reassured him. She was so darned confident about everything, it was nice to know there were some things she wasn’t certain how to handle.

“It means that Shannon just wants to be our friend,” Alex said.

“That’s right,” she added quickly. “Just friends.”

The emphasis she put on the words drained some of the satisfaction from Alex, which just proved how illogical he could be. The last thing he needed was a neighbor who saw him a potential mate, particularly a neighbor as unsettling as Shannon.

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