Tracy Madison - Cole's Christmas Wish

COLE FOSTER HAD ONLY ONE WISH THIS CHRISTMAS…

And that was for Rachel Merriday to realize, finally, that she was in love with him! The only problem was, he and Rachel were friends…just friends. Sure, they kissed that once—and what a kiss!—but Cole was waiting for the right time to tell her how he really felt.

But has time run out? Rachel was coming home to Colorado for Christmas with a new man! And from what Cole’s been hearing, this guy might just be “the one.” How could that be, when it’s been so obvious from the moment Rachel first leveled him with a snowball as kids, that it’s Cole she should be kissing under the mistletoe!

Maybe now is the right time to finally let Rachel know that all he wants for Christmas…is her.

A tingling sense of awareness snapped into place.

Yep, there she was, crossing the street with her arm linked in a man’s. The other man tipped his head to her level and whispered in her ear. Something primal roared to life inside of Cole, reminding him of what was at stake, and it was all he could do to stay seated. Yes, he decided, for Rachel’s sake, he would try to play nice....

But at some point, Cole would pony up and meet this guy at the gaming table. Because Cole now knew he was in this for the duration. Somewhere in between seeing Rachel again and remembering how it felt to have her in his arms, he’d made a decision. He was done waiting for the right time, the right words, the right moment or the right anything.

This was war.

Dear Reader,

Like the heroine of this story, Christmas is my most favorite time of year. I am addicted to every one of the trappings the holiday brings—decorations and lights, eggnog and home-baked cookies, shopping and wrapping and, of course, spending time with family and friends.

Christmas tends to bring people closer together. We gather to decorate the tree, bake cookies and exchange gifts. We visit family or welcome guests into our home to celebrate the holiday. And, by and large, people are happier and more upbeat during the Christmas season.

In Cole’s Christmas Wish, you’ll meet Cole Foster and Rachel Merriday. Cole is the youngest of the Colorado Foster brothers, and is determined to show Rachel that they belong together. This would be easier if she hadn’t brought a man with her to celebrate the holiday!

So what’s a guy to do? Use the holiday and all its trappings to his advantage, of course. Toss in a pretend girlfriend, a nosy-but-well-meaning family, the beauty of Colorado in December and a woman who wants nothing more than to fall completely in love with the right man, and how can Cole lose? Maybe this is the Christmas his wish—and Rachel’s—will finally come true.

I hope you enjoy Cole and Rachel’s story, and I wish you the merriest of Christmases!

Tracy Madison

Cole’s Christmas Wish

Tracy Madison

www.millsandboon.co.uk

TRACY MADISON

lives in northwestern Ohio with her husband, four children, one bear-size dog, one loving-but-paranoid pooch and a couple of snobby cats. Her house is often hectic, noisy and filled to the brim with laugh-out-loud moments. Many of these incidents fire up her imagination to create the interesting, realistic and intrinsically funny characters that live in her stories. Tracy loves to hear from readers. You can reach her at tracy@tracymadison.com.

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To my agent, Michelle Grajkowski, and my editor, Gail Chasan.

Thank you both for your support, wisdom and encouragement.

Contents

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

Excerpt

Chapter One

Christmas had all but exploded in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Wreaths adorned with big red bows and holly berries hung from doors and windows, lampposts and storefronts were strung with sparkling white lights, holiday music played inside and out, and everywhere Cole Foster looked, people—residents and tourists alike—were literally glowing with cheer.

There were a few, he noted, who walked quickly, either because they were used to the frenetic pace of a larger city or because they were intent on reaching their destinations after a full day of shopping, skiing, or both. Still others chugged along the sidewalks slowly, enjoying the sight of Steamboat Springs dressed in its Christmas best.

The locals, on the other hand, fell somewhere in between, neither rushing nor dawdling, yet obviously focused on going home or getting to work. Typically, Cole fell into this group, especially after a long, busy day dealing with the ins and outs of managing the sporting goods store his family owned. Today, however, he wasn’t going home.

He stopped and shoved his hands into his coat pockets, breathed in a deep lungful of fresh, cold December air and took a moment to gather his bearings. Thick, fat snowflakes dropped lazily from the sky, enhancing the appearance of the perfect Christmas village. It was, he admitted, a beautiful night.

The weight didn’t lift from his shoulders, though. Nor did the anxious adrenaline pummeling through his blood abate. Hell, this year, he had more in common with the Grinch than he did with jolly ole St. Nick—and he had no one to blame but himself.

He’d waited too long to act on his feelings, and while there were reasons for his slow-footed approach—valid reasons, dammit—too long was, at the end of the day, still too long. And now, Rachel Merriday might have gone and fallen in love with someone else.

So yup, the merry had been sucked clean out of Cole’s Christmas.

Ironic, really, at the timing. For months, he’d thought about Rachel’s visit, about how he was finally going to broach the “taboo” topic and put their past behind them. So maybe, just maybe, they could return to what they were beginning to share before the accident that had changed everything.

Four years ago—had it really been that long?—his entire future looked bright. His career in downhill skiing was speeding along, his relationship with Rachel was starting to turn the corner from the friendship they’d always had to something more—something deeper. One fall—one disastrous fall—had ended not only his career, but the aftereffects had sent Rachel running.

Shouldn’t have been a surprise. Rachel’s first instinct when anything skewed off-balance was to get the hell out of Dodge. Hadn’t he seen her bolt time and time again throughout the years? Yep, he sure as hell had. Just not with him. So when she had, that bit in hard. Real hard.

Unfair, perhaps. He still didn’t know exactly why Rachel hadn’t stayed, hadn’t stuck with him when his world shredded apart. Oh, she’d called. Sent care packages and notes of encouragement, but she hadn’t been physically present throughout his year of rehab, or for the time it took to get his head screwed on straight again.

In fact, she hadn’t returned to Steamboat Springs until last Christmas, when they’d somehow managed to breach the gap and reestablish their friendship in person. It had been too soon to dredge up the past—their one and only kiss and the words they’d each said the night before the accident—so he’d waited until this year. Until this Christmas.