sight. "I'm his guardian and we're moving here so I can combine my work with his needs for schooling."
"I'm very sorry to hear about their deaths." Lance dried Jakob's tears and made him blow his nose. He tried to let go of the boy so he could get up, but Jakob clung to him like a limpet. He shrugged and kept him in his arms as he rose to return the now very wet piece of cloth. "What sort of work do you do that you'd move to Mistletoe?"
"It's not the center of the universe, is it?" The man smiled for the first time, making him look even more attractive. "I'm 6
The Mistletoe Phenomenon
by Serena Yates
a glaciologist. I used to go on expeditions to the Arctic and Greenland, but that's no longer practical. So I retrained as a Park Ranger. I'll start working for the Grand Teton National Park in January, focusing on their glacier research and educational programs."
"A glaciologist, huh?" He never even knew such a profession existed.
"Yes. Uncle Magnus is a very good glaciologist. He studies ice shelves to see if they grow or shrink and how that will affect the weather and sea levels." Jakob was clearly proud of his uncle. "And he promised to teach me how to be one too."
"Did he, now?" Lance suppressed a grin.
"Yes. And he says it's very important to keep your promises." Jakob grinned.
"I did." Magnus nodded. "And right now I need to keep my promise of getting you some Christmas stuff, don't I?"
"Yeah." Jakob looked sad as he looked up at his uncle.
"But I don't know what we need. And you can't really help, can you?"
Magnus shook his head.
"What?" Lance almost left his mouth open.
"Uncle Magnus doesn't believe in superstitions." Jakob frowned.
"So you've never kissed under the mistletoe? You don't know what you're missing." What had made him say that? He felt himself blush in embarrassment.
Magnus looked at him, silver-blue eyes twinkling and both eyebrows closer to his hairline than could be comfortable.
7
The Mistletoe Phenomenon
by Serena Yates
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." Lance wished a convenient hole would appear in the ground and swallow him up.
"Why not? It's true." Jakob tilted his head. "My mom told him that too."
"Jakob!" Magnus shook his head. "Kissing under the mistletoe is just an old tradition. Some people like the excuse to kiss strangers, and that's total nonsense."
"And why would that be nonsense?" Katie's voice from the end of the aisle almost made Lance jump out of his skin. She must have snuck in through the back door when she returned from her lunch break.
"Katie! Don't." He turned around, Jakob still in his arms.
"You may be my sister but that doesn't mean you can come in here and- and say stuff like that."
"What? I just want to know how someone who's never kissed anyone under the mistletoe can be so sure it's nonsense." Katie's impish smile made her look even more like a pixie than her small upturned nose and her slim figure.
"It- just makes no sense." Magnus looked totally flustered.
"I think you can't know that until you've tried it." She grinned. "Have you never been tempted to kiss someone you found attractive and wished for an excuse?"
"Well, not really." Magnus's eyes flitted to Lance, then back to Katie.
"Aha!" Katie clapped her hands. "I knew it."
"Really?" Jakob stared at Katie, and then looked at his uncle and back at Lance. A smile made his cheeks dimple.
"Could you put me down, please? I think my uncle needs to 8
The Mistletoe Phenomenon
by Serena Yates
conduct an experiment. And I don't want to see any of that mushy stuff."
"An experiment?" Lance put Jakob down and watched him take Katie's hand. He was too embarrassed to think straight.
Just the thought of those strong arms around him and those full lips on his had him almost shaking. What was it about this man that made him want to trust again, despite all the disasters which were his love life so far?
"Yeah. Uncle Magnus says that if you're not sure about something you conduct an experiment to
"I'm very sorry to hear about their deaths." Lance dried Jakob's tears and made him blow his nose. He tried to let go of the boy so he could get up, but Jakob clung to him like a limpet. He shrugged and kept him in his arms as he rose to return the now very wet piece of cloth. "What sort of work do you do that you'd move to Mistletoe?"
"It's not the center of the universe, is it?" The man smiled for the first time, making him look even more attractive. "I'm 6
The Mistletoe Phenomenon
by Serena Yates
a glaciologist. I used to go on expeditions to the Arctic and Greenland, but that's no longer practical. So I retrained as a Park Ranger. I'll start working for the Grand Teton National Park in January, focusing on their glacier research and educational programs."
"A glaciologist, huh?" He never even knew such a profession existed.
"Yes. Uncle Magnus is a very good glaciologist. He studies ice shelves to see if they grow or shrink and how that will affect the weather and sea levels." Jakob was clearly proud of his uncle. "And he promised to teach me how to be one too."
"Did he, now?" Lance suppressed a grin.
"Yes. And he says it's very important to keep your promises." Jakob grinned.
"I did." Magnus nodded. "And right now I need to keep my promise of getting you some Christmas stuff, don't I?"
"Yeah." Jakob looked sad as he looked up at his uncle.
"But I don't know what we need. And you can't really help, can you?"
Magnus shook his head.
"What?" Lance almost left his mouth open.
"Uncle Magnus doesn't believe in superstitions." Jakob frowned.
"So you've never kissed under the mistletoe? You don't know what you're missing." What had made him say that? He felt himself blush in embarrassment.
Magnus looked at him, silver-blue eyes twinkling and both eyebrows closer to his hairline than could be comfortable.
7
The Mistletoe Phenomenon
by Serena Yates
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." Lance wished a convenient hole would appear in the ground and swallow him up.
"Why not? It's true." Jakob tilted his head. "My mom told him that too."
"Jakob!" Magnus shook his head. "Kissing under the mistletoe is just an old tradition. Some people like the excuse to kiss strangers, and that's total nonsense."
"And why would that be nonsense?" Katie's voice from the end of the aisle almost made Lance jump out of his skin. She must have snuck in through the back door when she returned from her lunch break.
"Katie! Don't." He turned around, Jakob still in his arms.
"You may be my sister but that doesn't mean you can come in here and- and say stuff like that."
"What? I just want to know how someone who's never kissed anyone under the mistletoe can be so sure it's nonsense." Katie's impish smile made her look even more like a pixie than her small upturned nose and her slim figure.
"It- just makes no sense." Magnus looked totally flustered.
"I think you can't know that until you've tried it." She grinned. "Have you never been tempted to kiss someone you found attractive and wished for an excuse?"
"Well, not really." Magnus's eyes flitted to Lance, then back to Katie.
"Aha!" Katie clapped her hands. "I knew it."
"Really?" Jakob stared at Katie, and then looked at his uncle and back at Lance. A smile made his cheeks dimple.
"Could you put me down, please? I think my uncle needs to 8
The Mistletoe Phenomenon
by Serena Yates
conduct an experiment. And I don't want to see any of that mushy stuff."
"An experiment?" Lance put Jakob down and watched him take Katie's hand. He was too embarrassed to think straight.
Just the thought of those strong arms around him and those full lips on his had him almost shaking. What was it about this man that made him want to trust again, despite all the disasters which were his love life so far?
"Yeah. Uncle Magnus says that if you're not sure about something you conduct an experiment to
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