Julianna Morris - Meet Me under the Mistletoe

“Can we get her a Christmas present?”

What did you get for a woman who must have everything?

“We’ll get a poinsettia,” Alex promised his son. Plants were usually safe, especially since it should look like a seasonal gesture.

Jeremy looked relieved, and turned his head to gaze in the direction Shannon had driven. For the first time in a year his son wasn’t clutching Mr. Tibbles to his chest; instead, he was casually swinging the stuffed animal by one arm.

Alex sighed. He had to be careful. Seeing too much of the woman next door could lead Jeremy into getting ideas about a new mommy.

Yet Alex couldn’t help thinking about Shannon. She was as different from his wife as a woman could be. He’d considered dating since Kim’s death, but none of the women he’d met were particularly interesting.

And none of them were like Shannon O’Rourke.

Dear Reader,

What is the best gift you ever received? Chances are it came from a loved one and reflects to some degree the love you share. Or maybe the gift was something like a cruise or a trip to an exotic locale that raised the hope of finding romance and lasting love. Well, it’s no different for this month’s heroes and heroines, who will all receive special gifts that extend beyond the holiday season to provide a lifetime of happiness.

Karen Rose Smith starts off this month’s offerings with Twelfth Night Proposal (#1794)—the final installment in the SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE continuity. Set during the holidays, the hero’s love enables the plain-Jane heroine to become the glowing beauty she was always meant to be. In The Dating Game (#1795) by Shirley Jump, a package delivered to the wrong address lands the heroine on a reality dating show. Julianna Morris writes a memorable romance with Meet Me under the Mistletoe (#1796), in which the heroine ends up giving a widower the son he “lost” when his mother died. Finally, in Donna Clayton’s stirring romance Bound by Honor (#1797), the heroine receives a “life present” when she saves the Native American hero’s life.

When you’re drawing up your New Year’s resolutions, be sure to put reading Silhouette Romance right at the top. After all, it’s the love these heroines discover that reminds us all of what truly matters most in life.

With all best wishes for the holidays and a happy and healthy 2006.

Ann Leslie Tuttle

Associate Senior Editor

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Books by Julianna Morris

Silhouette Romance

Baby Talk #1097

Family of Three #1178

Daddy Woke Up Married #1252

Dr. Dad #1278

The Marriage Stampede #1375

*Callie, Get Your Groom #1436

*Hannah Gets a Husband #1448

*Jodie’s Mail-Order Man #1460

Meeting Megan Again #1502

Tick Tock Goes the Baby Clock #1531

Last Chance for Baby! #1565

†A Date with a Billionaire #1590

†The Right Twin for Him #1676

†The Bachelor Boss #1703

†Just Between Friends #1731

†Meet Me under the Mistletoe #1796

JULIANNA MORRIS

has an offbeat sense of humor, which frequently gets her into trouble. She is often accused of being curious about everything—her interests ranging from oceanography and photography to traveling, antiquing, walking on the beach and reading science fiction. Julianna loves cats of all shapes and sizes, and recently she was adopted by a feline companion named Merlin. Like his namesake, Merlin is an alchemist—she says he can transform the house into a disaster area in nothing flat.

Julianna happily reports meeting her Mr. Right. Together they are working on a new dream of building a shoreline home in the Great Lakes area.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Epilogue

Shannon O’Rourke pulled into a spot in the post office parking lot and then grabbed her Christmas cards. Normally she would have mailed them at work, but she was reluctantly taking a few vacation days from her job as a public relations director.

In a nearby parking space she saw her new neighbor getting out of his Jeep Cherokee.

She’d only seen Alex McKenzie once, but according to the gossipy head of the condominium association, he was a thirty-four-year-old widowed college professor with a doctorate in engineering.

He was also one of the most ruggedly handsome men she’d ever seen.

“Jeremy, leave Mr. Tibbles in the Jeep for now,” he said, unfastening a small boy from a child’s booster seat.

The boy climbed down from the Jeep with his father’s help, clutching a worn stuffed rabbit to his chest. He was a miniature version of Alex McKenzie, and warmth spread through Shannon’s heart at the sight of the serious youngster, his blue eyes older and more worried than they should have been.

“It’s okay, son, Mr. Tibbles won’t mind staying behind this time,” Dr. McKenzie urged.

Jeremy shook his head, holding the rabbit tighter.

His father sighed and passed a hand over the boy’s dark brown hair. “All right. Stay here while I get the packages out of the car.”

A few moments later he maneuvered his son and a large stack of boxes toward the front door of the post office. Shannon dashed after them.

“Dr. McKenzie…let me help,” she called.

Alex turned and saw a flame-haired beauty hurrying toward him. There was something familiar about the woman, though he couldn’t place her.

“Excuse me,” he said, “do I know you?”

“I’m Shannon O’Rourke, your neighbor.”

“Oh, right.” Alex remembered the day the previous month when they’d moved into the condo from their apartment. He’d been talking to the movers when a woman had pulled into the next driveway, bundled in a heavy coat, with only her auburn hair visible. She’d waved her hand in a quick hello before rushing inside to escape the rain.

It was warmer today and she was dressed in designer jeans that showed off a pair of long legs, and a cashmere sweater that left no doubt about her slim waist and womanly curves. She exuded confidence and flashed an engaging smile.

One of the packages slipped from his grasp and Shannon caught it. “Let me have some of those,” she said, taking several without waiting for agreement. She stepped around him and looked over her shoulder. “Coming?”

One of his eyebrows shot upward. Shy and retiring obviously weren’t in the woman’s vocabulary.

Alex took Jeremy’s hand.

Everyone said the holidays were especially hard for a spouse who’s lost a partner, but the toughest part for Alex was trying to make things right for his four-year-old son. This would be the first Christmas without his wife. Kim’s death the past January had left a huge hole in their lives. No matter how good it might be, a day-care center couldn’t take the place of a mother like Kim.