Agent Buckley stood in the background, and after several minutes cleared his throat.
Ashley reluctantly broke off the kiss and looked over her shoulder to the FBI agent.
“You wanted something?” Dash asked, tightening his hold on Ashley, as if to protect her. His grip told her he wasn’t going to let anyone take her out of his arms.
“I just wanted to wish you both a merry Christmas.”
“Thank you,” Ashley said, feeling a hundred times better already. Picking up Little Blade, she lavished attention on the puppy and hugged him close to her face, grateful that he was safe and well. She’d missed him and Dash like crazy.
It was hard to believe she’d been in custody twenty-four hours when it’d felt like a lifetime. Even now, she wasn’t sure how her identity had been verified, only that it had. It’d all been a terrible misunderstanding.
The agent left and Dash led Ashley outside and into the falling snow. Tilting her head back, she looked up at the sky and smiled until she remembered Dash hadn’t answered her questions about the interview. Tucking her hands on each side of his face, she held his eyes with her own.
“What about the job interview?”
“I didn’t make it.”
She dropped her gaze, feeling dreadful. Dash kissed her nose. “No worries, Ash. There will be others.”
“But this job was perfect.”
He didn’t argue with her. “It is what it is. Even if they had released me in time, there was no way was I going to abandon you until this mess was straightened out.”
“I would have found a way to get to Seattle.”
“I didn’t care how long the FBI held you,” Dash insisted. “I wasn’t leaving without you.”
“But…”
“I agreed to share the car with you all the way to Seattle. I wasn’t going back on my word.”
“But…”
“Are you disappointed I’m here?” he asked, arching his thick brows with the question.
In response, she buried her face in his coat and hugged him again. “No, oh Dash, never. I just hate the thought of you missing out on this job because of me.”
“I called the company and offered my apologies.”
“And?” she asked, looking up at him, certain her eyes must be full of hope.
“And they thanked me for letting them know.”
“That was it?” She could hear the disappointment in his voice.
He nodded. “Like I said, there will be other job interviews. It wasn’t meant to be. Please don’t think twice about it. I’ve put it out of my mind and so should you.”
“I’ll try, but I don’t know that I’ll be able to.” Her heart was heavy, knowing that he’d given up this opportunity in order to help her.
“Come on,” he said, slipping his arm around her waist and leading her toward the parking lot.
The falling snow was so beautiful it took her breath away. Her father used to say that snow came from angels scattering dust from the sky. That’s exactly how this felt. She inhaled, taking in how wonderful it felt to be in the open air with this man at her side.
“Let’s get to Seattle before something else delays us.”
“Who would have ever thought it would be this complicated to drive from San Francisco to Seattle?” she whispered, on the tail end of a yawn. “Did you get any sleep last night?” she asked, covering her mouth and yawning a second time.
“Some. Did you?”
“None. I’ve never been in jail before. I don’t recommend the accommodations.”
Dash grinned and kissed her before opening the passenger door. He paused, his hand on the car door. “Agent Wilkes claimed I’d fallen in love with you and that you’d twisted my thinking.”
“He didn’t!” Ashley was outraged on Dash’s behalf. This was too much, but then she wondered how he’d answered. Biting down on her lower lip, she toyed with asking him.
“Wilkes was quite insistent that I’d been taken in by your good-girl act and lost perspective.”
“Were you?” she asked in a small voice, curious about how he’d responded.
“I’m afraid so. Ashley, I’m crazy about you.”
Now she knew she was going to cry.
“I’d have to be, to put up with everything that’s taken place in the last forty-eight hours. There was no way I was leaving Eugene without you. I called every attorney in the phone book, I contacted Amnesty International and every other agency I could think of that might help. I became a blathering idiot over you and I’d do it again, if I thought it would help.”
“Oh Dash, I’m nuts about you, too. Are we crazy?” She wondered if either one of them was thinking straight, considering they were both sleep-deprived.
“I think we must be,” he agreed. That said, he looked down on her with a big smile on his face. “Still, I wouldn’t change a thing—about you, about this crazy drive, about Little Blade, or a single other thing that’s happened. Well, maybe other than you spending time in the slammer.”
After closing her door, Dash walked around the car, climbed in the driver’s seat, and started the engine.
“No wonder I’m so attracted to you.” Ashley smiled over at him and then leaned her head against the back of the seat. Little Blade was in her lap, his chin on her knee.
Dash reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
They talked, keeping each other awake for the remainder of the drive into Seattle. They hit heavy traffic outside of Tacoma, but it didn’t bother them. They were high on simply being together.
When Dash parked in front of Ashley’s family home, he grew quiet.
“You go inside and greet your mother.”
“You’re coming, too, aren’t you?” she questioned.
“Not now.”
“Dash, we have plenty of room and you’re welcome to spend the night.”
“I want you to take this time with your mother, okay? I’ll be by later.”
“Promise?”
He leaned over and kissed her. “Promise,” he said.
If Ashley knew anything about Dash Sutherland, it was the fact that he was a man of his word. If he made a promise, he kept it.
Ashley rang the doorbell and waited. This was the moment she’d held in her mind since she’d gotten word that she had the time off.
She heard her mother walking toward the door, muttering something like “Hold your horses, I’m coming.”
Sallie Davison opened the front door and blinked twice before she shouted, “Ashley Gene.” She threw open her arms and grabbed hold of her in a hug that was strong enough to crack her ribs.
“Merry Christmas, Mom.”
“How…when?” Her mother brought her into the house, but continued to stare at her as if she feared Ashley was a vision and would disappear as unexpectedly as she’d appeared.
“The diner closed for repairs,” Ashley explained, “and I decided to head home and surprise you.”
“And who is this?” she asked, leaning down to pet Little Blade.
“He’s one of your Christmas gifts.”
“Ashley Gene,” her mother whispered, and covered her mouth as tears blurred her eyes.
“Mom, I’ve got so much to tell you, but I’m dead on my feet. I need a shower and a nap before I feel human again. Oh, and Mom, I met the most wonderful man. We rode up from San Francisco together and I’m crazy about him.” She paused and studied her mother. “Is it possible to fall in love with someone after only two days?”
Her mother cupped Ashley’s face and smiled. “It happened to your father and me. We met just as he was about to ship out with the navy and were together only two days.”
“Oh Mom, I have so much to tell you…” The last part escaped on a loud yawn.
“Where is this young man of yours?”
“He’ll be back, but for right now I think he went to buy a phone. You see, he lost his…I’ll explain later, okay?”
Her mother followed her up the stairs and Ashley talk
ed nonstop about Dash and their wild adventures on the drive from San Francisco, until it felt as if she was about to collapse from lack of sleep.
As it happened, Ashley slept through the afternoon and the night, and didn’t wake until seven in the morning on Christmas Eve.
Ashley came down the stairs still groggy but well rested. She kept her phone close at hand, expecting to hear from Dash at any moment—well, maybe not quite this early, but soon. She found her mother busy in the kitchen, getting everything ready for their dinner that evening.
“I still can’t believe you’re here,” Sallie Davison said as she poured a cup of coffee for Ashley and delivered it to the table.
Ashley was scrunched up on the chair, her knees tucked up under her chin, as she cradled the mug in her hands. “I can’t believe it, either,” she murmured, reveling in her first cup of the day. “Oh Mom, it was a crazy, unbelievable drive. I can’t wait for you to meet Dash.”
“I can’t wait to meet him, either. From the minute you walked in the door, he was all you could talk about, and frankly, Ashley, you weren’t making a lot of sense.”
That didn’t surprise her. Not more than an hour after she’d arrived, Ashley had completely zonked out.
Her mother placed an English muffin in front of Ashley, then sat down at the table across from her.
Ashley finished off the English muffin, wiping a smear of peanut butter off the corner of her mouth. “I’m going to go upstairs and get dressed.” She hoped that by the time she finished, Dash would be stopping by.
“I’m running to the grocery store,” her mother shouted up the stairs after her.
“Mom, you don’t need to fix a fancy dinner, you know.”
“It’s Christmas Eve, and…” She hesitated. “Actually, I should probably tell you now.”
“Tell me what?” Ashley asked, standing at the top of the stairs and looking down on her mother.
“I invited a man to dinner.”
“Oh? Who?”
“You’ve never met him.”
This was an interesting development and a surprise. “Who is he, Mom?”
Making a dismissive gesture, her mother said, “Now, I don’t want you making more of this than warranted. His name is Cole and he’s a widower. I met him while volunteering at the library. He volunteers, too. His children live in other states, and since I was going to be alone for Christmas and he was, too, we decided to celebrate the holidays together.”
Ashley was pleased for her mother. “That’s wonderful, Mom.”
Her mother refused to make eye contact. “You don’t mind?”
“Of course not. Why would I mind? How long have the two of you been…dating?”
“Not long. About two months now. We aren’t sleeping together, if that concerns you.”
“Mom. TMI. This is your life. What you and Cole do is your own business.”
Her mother’s smile was shy and sweet, as if she was deeply relieved to have told Ashley about her man friend.
Her mother left, and in an effort to kill time before Dash arrived, she decided to bake cookies. She chose Mexican wedding cakes, the very ones he’d mentioned that he enjoyed. The cookies were baked and set aside when the doorbell chimed.
With her heart in her throat, Ashley hurried to the living room and threw open the door without looking to see who it might be. Dash stood on the other side, holding a poinsettia plant in one hand.
Ashley took it out of his hands and then leaped into his arms. “Merry Christmas, Dash.”
Hugging her with his arms around her waist, Dash whirled her around. Laughing, Ashley wrapped her legs around his waist and captured his mouth with her own. The twirling stopped as they both became deeply involved in the kiss. They’d been apart only a handful of hours, but Ashley had missed him dreadfully. She told him so with her lips and he responded with equal fervor.
Little Blade bounded into the living room and barked excitedly.
Breaking off the kiss, Dash looked down at the puppy. “Looks like Little Blade missed me, too.”
“We both did,” Ashley assured him, twining her arms around his neck. “But I missed you more.” She pressed the side of her head against his shoulder.
Reluctantly, Dash released her. “As soon as I left you yesterday afternoon, I picked up a new phone. It drove me crazy not to have my cell.”
“You didn’t call me?”
He traced his finger down the side of her face. “I didn’t know your number, which I found frustrating as hell. If I’d been thinking, I would have gotten it earlier.”
With their arms around each other, Ashley led him into the kitchen.
“Where’s your mother?” he asked.
“The store, and guess what? My mother has a man friend. He’s joining us for dinner, and…would you mind very much if I called and talked to your mother again?”
Dash’s head came back. “You want to talk to my mother? Is there any particular reason?”
“I want to let her know she raised an honorable man and that I’m seriously taking into consideration what she told me.”
“Which is?” he asked with arched brows.
“Between your mother and me.”
“Okay, but I think you should know I made a decision last night.”
He sounded serious. “Which is?”
“I’m going to look for a job in the San Francisco area. We’ve just gotten to know each other and I want to give us a chance.”
“I want to give us a chance, too.”
“I’m looking for a position as a consultant. I should be able to find enough work to keep me afloat until you graduate. If this thing between us works out the way I hope it does, then we can both move to Seattle.”
Ashley stared back at him, hardly able to believe Dash was willing to change his plans for her.
Who would have believed that only three days ago she’d been frustrated because she’d been unable to fly home? Her plans had been thwarted in the most surprising of ways. Instead, she’d found herself dashing through the snow in a twist of fate that led her to Dash.
Her arms were securely wrapped around him and they continued kissing until Dash reluctantly broke off the heady exchange.
Ashley followed his gaze and looked over her shoulder to discover her mother standing in the doorway, her arms loaded down with groceries. Right away, Dash went to help.
“You must be Dash,” her mother said, coming into the house.
“I am, and in case you didn’t know, I’m pretty much crazy about your daughter.”
“So she says,” Sallie Davison said, smiling. “And she also tells me she feels the same about you.”
Dash brushed the hair from Ashley’s brow. “Good thing,” he whispered, his eyes boring into her.
“It is a very good thing,” Ashley agreed, and not caring that her mother was watching, she leaned forward and kissed Dash again. Ah yes, this was going to be a great Christmas after all.
To Dan and Mary Wolgemuth,
who understand the Reason for the Season
BALLANTINE BOOKS FROM DEBBIE MACOMBER
ROSE HARBOR INN
Silver Linings
Love Letters
Rose Harbor in Bloom
The Inn at Rose Harbor
BLOSSOM STREET
Blossom Street Brides
Starting Now
CHRISTMAS BOOKS
Dashing Through the Snow
Mr. Miracle
Starry Night
Angels at the Table
STANDALONE NOVEL
Last One Home
For a complete list of books by Debbie Macomber,
visit her website at www.debbiemacomber.com.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DEBBIE MACOMBER, the author of Dashing Through the Snow, Silver Linings, Last One Home, Mr. Miracle, Love Letters, Blossom Street Brides, Starry Night, Rose Harbor in Bloom, Starting Now, Angels at the Table, and The Inn at Rose Harbor, is a leading voice in women’s fiction. Nine of her novels
have hit #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, with three debuting at #1 on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly lists. Her holiday novels, Mr. Miracle, Mrs. Miracle, and Call Me Mrs. Miracle, were all top-watched movies on the Hallmark Channel. In 2013, Hallmark Channel produced the original series Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove. Debbie Macomber has more than 170 million copies of her books in print worldwide.
debbiemacomber.com
Facebook.com/debbiemacomberworld
@debbiemacomber
Pinterest.com/macomberbooks
Beloved author Debbie Macomber celebrates the most
wonderful time of the year in her heartwarming
Christmas novel of romance, hope,
and the comforts of home.
Mr. Miracle
Available from Ballantine Books
Continue reading for a sneak peek.
This wasn’t the way it was supposed to happen. Six years out of high school, Addie Folsom had envisioned returning home loaded and driving a fancy car. Instead, she was limping back in a twenty-year-old Honda with close to three hundred thousand miles and her tail between her legs.
So much for the great promise of moving to Montana and walking into a get-rich-quick opportunity. She’d left Washington State with such high hopes…and ended up living in a leaky trailer and waiting tables in a run-down diner. It took all six of those years for Addie to admit she’d made a very big mistake. Pride, she’d learned, offered little comfort.
Oh, she’d returned home for visits at least a couple of times a year. When asked pointed questions about her work in the silver mine, she’d made sure her answers were vague.
Then, last summer, her chiropractor father had died unexpectedly of a heart attack.
Addie had adored her dad as a child, but the moment she’d hit her teen years, their relationship had deteriorated. She hadn’t repaired things before he’d passed away so suddenly. In retrospect, she suspected she and her father were too much alike. Both were stubborn and headstrong, unwilling to admit when they were wrong or make the effort to build bridges.