Second Chance Christmas (The Colorado Cades) by Tanya Michaels

worthy of her—if Lina’s reservations were misplaced—then Justin had no right jeopardizing her future. He took a step back, trying to repress the desire he’d felt, trying to repress memories of how exquisitely responsive she’d always been to his kisses.
    “I should go,” she stammered. “I have a lot to wrap up before Steven gets into town.”
    “You kids have fun this weekend.”
    “Right.” Her smile was tinged with sadness. “Fun.”
    He knew without her saying it that she was looking for something more profound than fun. Just as he knew it was all he’d ever be able to offer a woman.
    * * *
    W HEN L INA APPEARED in the doorway of the lodge’s main office Thursday afternoon, Elisabeth shot to her feet. Her wheeled chair flew backward across the hardwood. “I don’t know what kind of incense you burn during those relaxation therapy sessions, but I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt that you were high on some crazy New Age fumes when you decided to talk to Justin Cade about my engagement.”
    Lina froze, glancing over her shoulder as if debating whether it was too late to retreat.
    “I’ll chase you down,” Elisabeth threatened. “You can’t possibly outrun me in those heels.”
    Sighing, Lina entered the room where Elisabeth and Graham Donnelly worked. With two desks facing each other, the office was cramped yet cozy. Although Patti Donnelly chipped in with reservations and overseeing the housekeeping staff, she didn’t hold a full-time position at the lodge. Lina’s smaller workspace was on the third floor. She focused on new products for facials and making visitors feel welcome—she’d said more than once that if they put her in charge of accounting or inventory, the place would be out of business in a month.
    Looking as guilty as a kid in the principal’s office, Lina slid into their dad’s chair. “Okay, I get why you’re peeved.”
    “ Peeved? I’m debating throwing this stapler at your head.”
    “No, you aren’t.” Lina laughed. “You’d never do anything like that. Although I must say, this is feistier than I’ve seen you in a long time. Don’t you think that means something, your tapping into this much emotion on the same day you had lunch with Justin? Mom told me about it.”
    Elisabeth repositioned her chair and sat. “The emotion I’m demonstrating is toward you , my Benedict Arnold of a sister, not some ex.” Some ex who’d almost kissed her in plain view of employees and guests.
    A shiver ran down her spine. Had Justin been about to kiss her, or had she imagined it? Worse, had she really considered, for one brief self-destructive moment, letting him? No, of course not. But the refusal was unconvincing. Shame boiled through her. All right she had considered it—for a millisecond. Maybe it was as simple as misguided sense memory, her body’s conditioned reaction to being in those strong arms, breathing in his familiar scent.
    “You okay, sis? You look...flustered,” Lina said.
    “I am! Put yourself in my shoes. Christmas is just around the corner, I have a wedding to plan, Mom and Dad are formally meeting my fiancé tonight, I recently became a mother—and to top it all off, you randomly decided that I needed to deal with an ex-boyfriend?”
    Lina ducked her head, her expression appropriately sheepish. “That may have been a bad call on my part. But whenever Mom or I ask if you’re sure you’re doing the right thing, you get dismissive. Strategy called for a different approach. Ergo, Justin.”
    Reminding herself that her sister meant well, Elisabeth tried not to grind her teeth. “You’ve confused dismissive with confident. And your track record with giving advice... Remember when we were nineteen, you convinced me my hair would look good highlighted, and it ended up bright orange? Or when I was hesitant about sleeping with a lodge employee, and you convinced me to go for it? Not that I blame you for what happened with Justin,” she stressed.