Mistletoe by Lyn Gardner Page A

house used to be the rectory.”
    “Really?”
    Hunching down just a bit, Jamie pointed over Diana’s shoulder. “There’s a set of steps built into the hill. See them?”
    Diana could see the stairs in the distance, but with the feel of Jamie's breath washing over her cheek, speaking was not yet possible. Taking a moment to relish in the closeness, she cleared her throat. “That's one hell of a climb.”
    “You get used to it,” Jamie said as she stood straight.
    “You go to church?” Diana said, turning around.
    “I try to make an appearance when I can,” Jamie said. “I hadn’t been since I was a kid, but after I moved in here, I kept finding stuff that belonged to the church. I must have climbed those stairs a dozen times in the first week alone, and then one afternoon, the pastor showed up at my door with a welcome basket and an invitation to come to Sunday service. I figured what the hell...and I've been going ever since.”
    “That’s nice.”
    “It works for me,” Jamie said, shrugging her shoulders.
    Nodding in agreement, Diana turned her attention back to the landscape behind the house. Breathing in the chilly air, she said quietly, “This is absolutely beautiful.”
    “So are you,” Jamie murmured.
    Diana smiled, and without saying a word, she leaned back just far enough so that their bodies touched. What she was feeling was as marvelous as it was frightening, and in a whisper, she said, “Jamie, I've never felt like this before.”
    “Neither have I,” Jamie said, resting her chin on Diana’s shoulder. “I know that we’ve only just met, but I feel like…I feel like I did the first time I sat in that church up on the hill.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I’ve found something that I want in my life…for the rest of my life.”
    Diana's jaw dropped as all the air rushed from her lungs. What she was thinking Jamie had just put into words, and taking a ragged breath, she whispered, “Me, too.”
    With her mouth mere millimeters away from Diana's ear, Jamie purred, “I want to kiss you.”
    Turning around, Diana looked up at the sky for a moment. Lowering her eyes to meet Jamie's, dimples appeared as she said, “But there’s no mistletoe hanging above us.”
    “That's because I didn't buy any.”
    “No? Why?”
    “To tell you the truth, I was a bit…well…I was a bit pissed off when I found out that Gwen wasn’t going to be here tonight. I thought you were standing me up.”
    “Not a chance.”
    “I know that now,” Jamie said.
    Invading Diana's space, Jamie rested her hands on Diana's hips. “And I don’t think we need mistletoe, do you?”
    Silently, Diana shook her head.
    Watching as Jamie lowered her mouth to hers, Diana’s eyes fluttered closed, but just as their lips were about to touch, a snowball collided with Jamie’s head.
    “What the fuck!” Jamie shouted.
    Wiping the snow from her face, she trotted to the other side of the patio to look for her assailant.
    “Do you see anyone?” Diana asked with a giggle.
    Scratching her head, Jamie returned to Diana’s side. “No, but it was probably just one of the kids having some fun.”
    “And ruining ours,” Diana said with a playful pout.
    Stepping closer, Jamie said in a sexy whisper, “Now, where were we?”
    Slowly, lowering her mouth to Diana’s, Jamie’s eyes closed, but then they opened wide hearing a loud, chattering chime coming from her coat pocket. “Fuck!” she said, pulling out her mobile. Turning off the alarm, she jammed it back into her pocket. “Shit!”
    “What's wrong?” Diana asked.
    Grabbing Diana's hand, Jamie said, “No time to explain, but I’m late. Come on.”
    Jamie led Diana to a set of steps at the far end of the porch. Gesturing toward a path shoveled in the snow, she said, “We've got to run. Okay?”
    Clueless, but loving the spontaneity of the moment, Diana said, “I’ll follow you anywhere.”
    “I'm going to hold you to that.”
    Giving Diana's hand a quick squeeze,