Read Online A Family for Christmas (Contemporary Romance Novella) by Helen Scott Taylor - Free Book Online Page B

I'd better get back to the office. Have a lovely Christmas."
    "Sorry we can't see you on Christmas Day. We're going to Mum and Dad's," Lilly said.
    "No problem. I'll see you sometime after New Year's."
    They hugged again at the door, and Eve headed back to her car, a sense of peace calming the place inside her that had been in turmoil for many months. If nothing else, her stay with Tom and Polly had made her step back and examine what was important in her life—and being kind and thoughtful to her family was the most important thing in the world.
    ***
    "There's a new client to see you, Eve."
    "What now?" Eve glanced at her watch and rolled her eyes. Why did people leave their tax affairs to the very last moment? In thirty minutes she would be leaving for the Christmas break, and she needed these last minutes to deal with a few admin issues. The last thing she wanted right now was a new client.
    "Are you sure you can't persuade him to come back after the holidays."
    "I doubt it. He was very insistent."
    Eve frowned in frustration. It wasn't as if she could do any work for him now. She needed to get home promptly to pack her suitcase. It was months since she'd seen her brother, Ed, so she'd made a last-minute decision to accept his invitation to join his family in Germany for Christmas. She was booked to fly out tomorrow and didn't plan to return until the second of January.
    "Okay, better show him in. What's his name?"
    "Mr. Millington."
    Eve had just bent to slide her new laptop into her bag. She jackknifed upright at the name, a question forming on her lips. But her personal assistant had gone. There in the doorway stood Tom.
    Her breath rushed in and burst out, her heart racing. His dark hair gleamed under the bright lights, his eyes bluer than she remembered. He wore a black leather jacket she'd never seen before and dark blue trousers. He didn't look at all like a farmer!
    "Tom." The word came out all croaky and she had to clear her throat and repeat it. "What're you doing here?"
    "Polly showed me your business card. You didn't tell me tax was your thing."
    "It never came up, I guess."
    "I need some advice."
    Her wildly beating heart fluttered and dropped. Had he really come all this way to see her only to ask advice about his tax affairs?
    "You'd better take a seat." She pointed to the chair on the other side of her desk.
    He approached but ignored the chair, coming around to her side. "I didn't say I wanted tax advice, although that might come in handy down the line."
    "What, then?"
    He smiled, and despite his apparent confidence, a touch of uncertainty crept into his eyes. "I need advice on what to buy Polly for Christmas."
    He was standing so close that Eve struggled to think straight. He smelled of something deliciously spicy, and behind the fragrance was the wonderful, familiar smell of wood smoke that immediately pulled her back to the comfortable old farmhouse. "Haven't you already bought her Christmas presents?"
    "Uh-huh. But I doubt I've got it right."
    "Oh, Tom, don't put yourself down. I'm sure she'll be pleased with what you've chosen for her."
    "Maybe. But I want to give her some girly things. The sort of things a mum would buy as a surprise for her daughter." He raised a hand to Eve's hair, stroked a finger down the side of her face. "We miss you, Eve. I know the partnership means you have to stay in Bristol, but Polly and I both want you in our lives. Even if you can only make it down to visit us occasionally."
    "You want me?" The moment the words left her mouth, heat flooded her cheeks. That hadn't come out quite as she intended.
    "I want to get to know you better. I can't stop thinking about you." Tom stepped closer and drew her into his arms.
    He leaned down to kiss her, but she flattened a hand on his chest, held him at bay. "There's something I need to tell you. I haven't accepted the partnership yet. I asked for time to think the offer over."
    Tom's gaze sharpened. "And have you thought it