Read Christmas Kiss (A Holiday Romance) (Kisses and Carriages) for Free Online Page A

to wear the suitcase, I probably would have tried that too.”
    “A suit case? Some sort of luggage?”
    She gave him a narrow look. “You’ve never heard of suitcases? I don’t think so.”
    “I would like to see this thing.”
    “Even if I believed you’ve never seen a suitcase, I don’t think the driver left it. I can’t believe he left me . I’m going to make sure he gets in trouble for screwing up so badly. If he had picked me up at the station, I would have never had to rent that car, so I wouldn’t have slid off the road into the water. I would have never...”
    The woman paused as if suddenly mired in thought. But then her countenance changed. She looked down at the lassie and smiled.
    “But then I would have never met this little pumpkin.” 
    His eyes met hers over the wee one’s head, but the woman quickly looked away. Would that she were as happy to have met him. But still, it was kind of her to consider how her little rant affected the child. A motherly instinct to be sure. And wouldn’t the cherub be needing a mother?
    He shook his head. The woman was clearly not meant for him. He was appalled he’d even imagined such a thing. It would be foolish to harbor more such thoughts until he’d had a few hours’ sleep.
    He pulled the small table closer and began serving. The child looked at the pie and wrinkled her nose, but took a large piece of cheese and a slice of bread. The way she relished her food, for the third time that day, made him wonder if she’d ever had much to eat before arriving on his stoop. He tried to coax her into eating just a bite of pie, then lifted the fork to the woman’s mouth, giving her no choice but to take what he offered. She choked, but whether she choked on the pie or the rush of blood to her face, he could not tell.
    He was surprised when he felt that same rush.  He’d clearly gone mad.
    “Look, lassie,” he said. “Miss Colby likes the pie. If ye want to grow up to be as pretty, ye must eat more than just cheese and bread.
    Too late, he heard the words he’d allowed out of his mouth. Good lord! But his madness was forgotten when the wee lassie dropped open her gob eager for a bite of pie. Perhaps he would make a right clever father after all. After she swallowed, she jumped up to look at her face in a small mirror set low on the wall, and he and Miss Colby burst into laughter.
    “She must think the pie works right quickly,” he whispered.
    “Magic pie,” the woman whispered back. “Or else she’s never seen her face in a mirror before. How old is she?”
    It was a simple question, but he was afraid to tell her the truth, afraid he’d be found lacking and the child would be taken away. For some reason, he felt this stranger had the power to hurt him that much, even if she had not the inclination. And if he’d learned anything at all from his oddly talented grandmother, it was to be mindful of forebodings.
    “What is it?” she asked and placed a hand on his forearm. “Maybe you would rather I mind my own business, but there might be some way for me to help you. For some reason I landed on your doorstep tonight. And if it happened for a reason, then I want to help you.”
    He searched her eyes and found only honesty looking back at him. Well, honesty, and perhaps a little interest. Her gaze kept dropping to his neck for some reason. Had he lost a button?
    “I surrender,” he said, and sat back with a sigh. “A woman brought her to my door only this morning. She claimed the child was mine now, and that the girl did not speak. I was so surprised. Mind ye, the child canna be mine in truth, but while I crouched to take a good look at her and to assure her she was safe here, the nurse slipped away. I could not run after her without leaving the child on her own.” He explained how he’d sent the servants off to their families for the holidays. He and the child had been quite alone and unable to carry on much of a conversation, until Brianna Colby had