A Fairytale Christmas by Susan Meier

simply by keeping her distance from her boss?
    Determined to forget about Drew, she lost herself in Christmas decorating. Stockings were hung on the marble fireplace mantel. Evergreen bows with red velvet ribbons were strung along the top of the tan brocade drapes that covered the two front windows. Santa and Mrs. Santa figurines were placed on the coffee table between the two green plaid sofas that flanked the fireplace. Elf figurines were scattered around the room, making the place look like Santa’s workshop.
    She was so engrossed in her work that she didn’t hear Drew approach until he said, “Wow.”
    She spun to face him. “You like it?” Her face reddened when she realized how eager she sounded for his approval. She cleared her throat and toned down her enthusiasm. “I found these decorations upstairs. There are boxes of them.”
    He stepped into the room. “It’s perfect.” He glanced around, then pointed at the space in front of the side-by-side windows. “Except I think you need a tree.”
    She laughed. “Here I am at a Christmas tree farm and I don’t have a tree.”
    He looked over at her. His dark eyes sparked with appreciation and something else. Something deeper. Something that made her tummy shimmy, her pulse scramble, and a wave of heat fall from her head to her toes. The feeling of promiseshe’d felt lying on top of him at the bottom of the hill returned full force.
    “I’ll get you one.”
    She swallowed and nodded, and then he was gone. Gwen collapsed on the sofa. She wasn’t really sorry she’d taken cocoa out to him and Brody. She wasn’t really sorry she’d suggested they sled-ride. She almost wasn’t sorry they’d landed on top of each other at the bottom of a snowy hill.
    But she had absolutely no idea how she’d handle the ramifications of any of it.
     
    Drew walked straight through the kitchen, grabbed his coat, and went out into the snowy afternoon. He needed the drop in temperature to cool down. Gwen wasn’t just cute and sweet. It was as if she read his mind. Everything he needed to have done, she did. Including decorate for Christmas for his son. If he weren’t her boss, he wouldn’t be able to resist her.
    But he was her boss. He was also twelve years older. And he was a workaholic. And she—
    He stopped. Snow fell heavily on his shoulders and caught on his eyelashes as he stood confused in the circular driveway of his family’s first home. He really didn’t know anything about Gwen. He knew she had a child. He knew she had a twin. She’d helped him with his son, cleaned this mess of a house so he could now live in it, cooked, and acted as his administrative assistant and he knew virtually nothing about her.
    Was he selfish or was it self-preservation? After all, it wouldn’t be smart for them to get involved. Not only were they wrong for each other, but he was leaving soon. And she would—
    Damn. He had no idea what she’d do when he left. When he’d tried to fire her she’d told him she desperately neededthis job, but he hadn’t thought far enough ahead to realize she might not have a way to make money once he was gone.
    A bubble of protectiveness formed in his chest. She’d negotiated a little more money from him than the original salary they’d agreed upon, but when he was gone he had no idea how she’d support herself and Claire.
    He shook his head resolutely. He couldn’t think about that. She was a smart, savvy adult who would be fine. If he meddled in her life they’d get closer, and he might not be able to pull away when the time came. And that would be a disaster. She was young enough and pretty enough that she’d probably forget about him two weeks after he was gone. And then where would he be? Alone in North Carolina, feeling hopeless and dejected, aching with hurt as he had when Olivia left him.
    He headed for the shed, hoping Max had arrived so he could get his mind off Gwen. Instead he passed her beaten-up car, and saw that at least four