It Started One Christmas Read online

  “At some point you’re going to have to surrender to your baser emotions.”

  Keira grabbed a tiny square of carrot and popped it into her mouth. “I’m perfectly happy being single.”

  “You’re eighteen. You’re supposed to fall in and out of love with boys. It’s the way of the world.”

  “Not my world.”

  Keira was not the least bit excited about giving her heart to some stupid, oafish guy. They were too interested in sex, too selfish, too big, and sometimes they smelled. Thank you, no. In her heart of hearts, she knew there might be some leftover emotional issues about her past, but why go there?

  For a couple of years in high school, she’d wondered if there was something wrong with her. Or if she was a lesbian. But she had no interest in playing for the other team, and every now and then, she had to admit she got a bit of a quiver when she met a guy. But then he ruined it by doing something gross like burping or trying to kiss her or lying about how beautiful she was. Keira was smart (not as smart as Dalton claimed to be, but still, she did okay), funny and passably pretty, but she wasn’t anyone’s standard of beautiful.

  “Besides,” she said, leaning against the huge island in the center of the massive kitchen, “you should be discouraging me from falling in love. What if I start having sex?”

  “I’ll be very happy for you.”

  “You’re supposed to treasure my virginity!”

  “Yeah, not so much with the treasuring. By the way, I got out all your ornaments, and Santiago put up the tree last night. So you’re good to go.”

  Keira hugged herself and spun in a circle. “Thank you, thank you. I can’t wait to put it all together. Okay, I’m going to go drag Dalton upstairs. I promise to keep him isolated until we know he’s getting better. And no babies up there. I don’t want them getting sick and missing Christmas.”

  She’d barely finished speaking when she heard the sound of canine nails skittering across the hardwood. She turned and dropped to her knees as a small mixed-breed brown-and-white ball of fluff crashed into her.

  “Emerson!” She scooped up the small dog and hugged him close. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  Emerson wiggled and kissed her face before shimmying free and racing over to Callie. He stood on his hind legs and scratched at her thighs, begging for a carrot.

  “You’re the most spoiled dog on the planet,” Callie grumbled, even as she handed him half a raw carrot.

  He took the treat and made a beeline for his bed in the family room. Keira stood and stretched.

  “All right, it’s time to begin my mission of mercy.”

  “Let me know if you need help wrestling your young man into bed.” Callie paused. “That sounded way more dirty than I intended.”

  Keira laughed and retreated to the car.

  Dalton was exactly where she’d left him, and he hadn’t been kidding about planning to live in his car. He had a couple of duffels, a cooler, a bag of cold supplies and tissues from a local pharmacy, a blanket and two pillows.

  “Practically a five-star hotel,” she murmured, opening the passenger door. “All right, my pretty, let’s get you inside.”

  Dalton’s eyelids fluttered. “Do I know you?”

  “Not really, but you’re sick enough that it doesn’t much matter, does it? There’s no way you could fight me off. All right, big guy, on your feet.”

  He surprised her by obliging. Excellent. As long as he was willing to follow instructions, this should go smoothly.

  “I’m going to get you upstairs and into bed,” she told him. “Unfortunately we’re going to the third floor, so that could take some doing.”

  He rubbed his face. “Where am I?”

  “My place.”

  He looked at her, then frowned. “You’re not Mandy.”

  “I’m her sister. Come on. She’s just inside.”

  “Really? She didn’t dump me? That’s so great. God, she is so beautiful.”

  Keira rolled her eyes. “You’re incredibly shallow. Why is that?”

  “I was physically and emotionally abandoned as a child.”

  “Really?”

  He flashed her a smile that caught her completely unaware. She felt hot then cold, and there was an odd sensation in her stomach. She shook it off and told herself it was just because she was afraid of getting the flu.

  “No,” he said, walking unsteadily toward the house. “My parents were very nice people who supported and loved me until they were killed in a car accident ten years ago.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  “Me, too.” He looked at the house, then back at her. “Mandy isn’t waiting inside, is she?”

  “No.”

  “I didn’t think so. And you brought me here because...”

  “You’re sick and it’s Christmas, and I’m not going to let you spend two weeks in your car.”

  He shuddered. “That makes me sound pathetic.”

  “If the shoe fits,” she murmured, then motioned to the door. “Let’s get this done.”

  Dalton managed to get up both flights of stairs, although the climb seemed to suck the last of his strength. He was shaking and swaying by the time he staggered into the guest room. He managed to stagger across the room before falling onto the bed facedown, leaving Keira with a six-foot-tall dilemma.

  “See,” she said, mentally sending the image to her sister. “Men are a giant pain.”

  She walked toward Dalton. She had to get his shoes off, and she would feel better if he was on his back. Otherwise, she was going to leave him where he was. This wasn’t some ridiculous romantic comedy where she struggled to undress him and things got out of hand.

  She got off his worn boots, ignored the hole in his sock and poked him in the shoulder until he groaned.

  “Roll over,” she said in her most forceful tone.

  He complied but didn’t open his eyes.

  Lizzy, her calico cat, raced into the room, meowing her complaints about Keira being gone for so long. Keira picked her up and snuggled her close.

  “Hey, pretty girl. I missed you.”

  Lizzy rubbed her head against Keira’s chin and purred loudly.

  “I’m home for the holidays. We’ll be together every day, I promise. Oh, and I got you something wonderful for Christmas.”

  Lizzy gave her a quick kitty kiss before jumping onto the bed and sniffing Dalton.

  “I can explain that,” Keira said. “Or maybe not.”

  She left him in Lizzy’s capable paws and went back downstairs. Callie met her in the foyer, and together they carried his duffel, the meds and his backpack upstairs.

  “What’s he like?” Callie asked.

  “He thinks he’s really smart, but he’s stupid when it comes to women.”

  “That’s very judgy of you.”

  “I call them as I see them.”

  Callie chuckled, but her laughter faded when she walked into the guest room. “He’s totally out of it.” She crossed to the bed and felt his forehead. “He’s got a fever. Go get the thermometer. It’s in the linen closet on the second floor. Also, get the Tylenol and that small basin on the second shelf. I should have everything else I need up here.”

  “Callie, no. I’ll take care of him. You have enough to do.”

  Her sister smiled at her. “I’m going to spend about an hour with him, getting him settled and comfortable. Then you can take over.” She glanced at her watch. “Hurry. In ten minutes you need to wake up Adalyn and Logan.”

  Because a schedule was a schedule, Keira thought. She smiled at her sister.

  “You’re amazing and I love you very much.”

  Callie smiled back. “I love you, too. Now get my supplies.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  KEIRA CHECKED ON Dalton every hour until midnight, then went to bed. Fri
day morning his fever was about the same, but Callie said to give him another day to see if it broke. Dalton rallied enough to drink tea and sip soup before falling back asleep. Lizzy kept him company, curling up on the corner of his bed.

  After breakfast, the rain slowed enough for Keira to take her niece and nephew down to the lake. She bundled them up and took stale bread to feel the intrepid ducks who dared to winter in chilly Seattle. Once the ducks were fed, she would take the kids to the park.

  “It’s almost Christmas,” four-year-old Adalyn reminded her. “Santa’s coming!”

  “I know. I’m trying hard to be good. Are you?”

  Adalyn’s brown eyes widened as she nodded. “I’m trying extra hard.”

  Logan grinned. “Santa! I want a train.”

  So much for the subtleties of the season, Keira thought. She glanced up at the third-story windows and hoped Dalton was going to be okay. At least he was keeping his liquids down and sleeping, right?

  Callie had been her usual organized self, helping Dalton out of his clothes and into borrowed pajamas. She had him on a schedule with regular doses of Tylenol, cold compresses on his forehead and plenty of soup. Keira had followed her instructions, using the Vitamix to liquefy healthy vegetables and adding them to the chicken broth.

  After a half hour of feeding ducks and playing in the mud, she, Adalyn and Logan walked back up toward the house. She got the minivan keys and was starting to buckle everyone in their car seats when a sleek E-class Mercedes pulled into the circular driveway. Keira smiled as her brother parked and got out.

  “I heard you were back,” he said, holding out his arms.

  She grinned as she ran toward him, then let herself relax into his tight, welcoming embrace.

  “Hey, you,” he said before kissing her cheek. “It’s good to see you.”

  “Good to see you, too.”

  Malcolm was the oldest of the three siblings. He’d moved into the big family home when he was twelve. For over twenty years, he’d thought he was the only bastard Jerry Carlesso had fathered. At first he’d been unsure about welcoming two half sisters, but they’d become a family, and now they were inseparable.

  “I miss having you around,” Malcolm told her.

  “The college is maybe twenty minutes from your house. I see you at least twice a week.”

  He chuckled. “It’s still good to have you back. You seem farther away when you’re at college.” He glanced over her shoulder at the two children in the minivan. “Taking the munchkins to the park?”

  “I’m giving Callie some time to keep moving on the Christmas craziness. It’s the least I can do given that I sprang unexpected company on her.”

  “I heard.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “A boyfriend. Good for you.”

  “No. Not a boyfriend. A friend. Actually, an acquaintance. What is it with you two? Stop trying to pair me up with someone. I’m not ready.”

  He hugged her again. “I love you, Keira. What makes you happy makes me happy.”

  “Good. Then come with us to the park.”

  * * *

  THE DAY PASSED QUICKLY. After the visit to the park, Keira checked on Dalton, but he was sleeping. She used the ear thermometer and discovered his temperature had dropped to ninety-nine, which was encouraging. He rallied briefly around lunch to drink more broth before going back to sleep. She helped the kids pick out three toys to donate to a local charity in honor of Christmas. Adalyn was all in, but Logan couldn’t quite grasp why he had to give up something of his own.

  After that, they frosted cookies and then Keira put them down for their nap. Callie arrived home at three and announced herself ready for the upcoming holiday.

  Keira went upstairs, where she carefully dragged her six-foot fake tree from her bedroom to Dalton’s. She was on her second trip with bins filled with ornaments when she realized he was awake.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked, setting down the bin. “You look better and your temperature’s down.”

  Dalton reached for his glasses and slipped them in place, then frowned at her. “Do I know you?”

  She laughed. “Really? Still? I’m Keira Carlesso. You were the guy stuck being the lab assistant on the last day of makeups.”

  “That I remember.”

  “And Mandy?”

  He winced. “Yes, she went to Aspen without me.”

  “But with your ski equipment and your ticket.”

  His frowned faded. “You said I couldn’t spend the holidays in my car. You brought me to your home. That was very kind, but you barely know me.”

  She shrugged. “Does it matter? You’re here, and it’s only a couple of days until Christmas. You might as well stay.”

  “What if I’m an ax murderer?”

  “My brother-in-law is a pretty strong guy. I think he could squash you like a bug. No offense.”

  “None taken.”

  “Besides, aren’t you too intelligent to be an ax murderer? If you’re all you claim to be, I would think you’d be more the serial killer type. You know, getting one past the police.”

  He cleared his throat. “I said I was intelligent?”

  “More than once. You’re also going to cure cancer and you have a thing for beautiful women.”

  He looked chagrined. “Is this where I mention the fever?”

  “I would if I were you.” She motioned to the tree. “I brought it in to brighten up your room. It’s my traditional Disney tree. I love it, so no snarky comments. Before I get started, are you hungry? You’ve been living on soup and tea. I wouldn’t suggest a full meal, but Callie said you could have some crackers if you feel up to it.”

  “Crackers would be wonderful. Thank you.”

  “Give me five minutes and I’ll be back.”

  It took her closer to ten, but when she returned she had fresh tea, soup with actual noodles, a handful of crackers and a gingerbread cookie, because it was the season.

  Dalton sat up in bed. He’d washed his face and combed his hair. Santiago’s pajamas were too big for his thin frame, but somehow they still looked good.

  Keira set the tray across his lap and showed him how to lower the feet.

  “Very fancy,” he murmured. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” She walked over to the tree, made sure the three sections were locked together, then plugged in the cord. The white twinkle lights came on.

  “There’s a remote,” Keira told him. “I keep the lights steady when I’m decorating, but after that you can use the twinkle function.” She pulled the remote out of the first bin. “There is a color-morphing function. What you do when I’m not here is between you and your God, but when I’m in the room, you will have the tree on the white twinkle function.”

  One corner of his mouth turned up. “That seems reasonable.”

  “I’m glad you think so.” She nodded at his tray. “Eat your lunch. I’ll talk, and then when you’re finished, you can talk.”

  She unwrapped her ceramic holiday Winnie the Pooh and carefully placed him on the tree.

  “I’m Keira, as I told you. I’m a freshman at U-Dub, and I’m majoring in marketing.” She glanced at him over her shoulder.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Just seeing if you were going to say something snarky.”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “You’ve already been to medical school and you’re getting your PhD in something. I would think you’d mock a lowly marketing major.”

  “Never!”

  She grinned. “Good to know. Let’s see. I was born in Los Angeles and lived there until I was twelve. I never knew my dad. He was kind of a jerk who didn’t want anything to do with me. Sometimes it seemed he didn’t want anything to do with my mom, either. Anyway, he didn’t send much in the way of child support and my mom blamed me and she took off and I was take
n in by a neighbor.”

  She wondered what had happened to Carl/Angelina. Had she ever transitioned or found happiness? Keira had tried to find her, but without a last name, it had been impossible.

  “Your mother abandoned you?”

  “She wanted to be famous and then she got into drugs, and then she OD’d. It was hard and scary. Social services put me in foster care. Then my grandfather found out about me and sent Malcolm to get me, and I moved here. To this house.”

  She thought of the small alcove where she’d lived when she’d stayed with Angelina. “It was a big adjustment. Oh, Malcolm is my half brother and Callie, the one who’s been taking care of you, is my half sister. We share a father.”

  She paused. “What else? Oh, my grandfather is so fabulous. He’s in Italy for Christmas this year. He did that family DNA thingy and found a bunch of our family there, so he’s visiting them. With Carmen. She’s his girlfriend, which sounds weird because he’s old, but she won’t marry him.”

  Keira finished hanging her Disney princess ornaments and opened the box of her Mickey Mouse collection. “It’s not that she loves him, it’s that she loves us. Which is really sweet.”

  “And confusing. Why would her loving you have anything to do with marrying your grandfather?”

  An interesting question. One she should have anticipated. “Have you ever heard of Alberto’s Alfresco? It’s a mail-order food company.”

  “Of course.” He nibbled on a cracker. “Pricy and elegant.”

  “I like that.” She hesitated. “It’s us. I mean, my family. My grandfather started it like fifty years ago. Malcolm and Callie are co-presidents. When I graduate, I’ll go to work there. I’m going to spend next summer interning with a candy maker. I want to start a line of fudge. Anyway, Carmen won’t marry Grandpa Alberto without a prenup because she wants to protect us, but he says he doesn’t believe in prenups.”

  “So I wasn’t imagining the size of the house.”

  “Not really.”

  She waited, wondering if there would be more questions about the family fortune. That was another way guys annoyed her. Once they found out who she was, they wanted to know how much she would inherit and if she really was a third owner of the company. Talk about a turn-off.