Fate with a Helping Hand Book One
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU
Sometimes fate needs a little hand…
Santa Claus is going to have a rough season... Lauren Alexander is raising her daughter alone. Abandoned by her family for her decision to keep her daughter Kristen, she has done a pretty good job for the last six years. Or she thought she had. That's why she is crushed when little Kristen gives up her wish for a toy or goodie and instead asks Santa for a present for her mother. She wants Santa to bring a Daddy. Delivering Daddies isn't Santa's bag.
But this Santa has a plan...
Kyle
Preston knows what it is like to be abandoned too. Luckily he found the
support of loving adoptive parents and has turned himself into one of
the most successful Real Estate developers in town.
Building
a house is easy. Building someone's trust is a whole other story. But
with a little helping hand, a little Christmas magic can make all the
difference in the world.
Purchase ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU now!
Excerpt
"Come on,
Mommy!" Kristen Alexander said, tugging at her mother's sleeve.
"There's no one in line this time."
"Wait a
minute, honey. Let me tie your shoelace." Lauren Alexander
squatted down and blew out a quick breath as she made a bow in the Technicolor
laces of her six year old daughter's sneakers. Kristen was as hard as
ever to keep up with these days.
The shopping mall
had been crowded all evening, filled with holiday shoppers carefully selecting
their Christmas gifts. Scanning the area, she now saw only a handful of
scattered shoppers left, carefully gripping their bundles. With less than
three weeks left until Christmas, Lauren had hoped to be farther along with her
Christmas shopping. This latest trip to the toy stores, meant as a
fishing expedition to find out just what would catch Kristen's eye, had
produced nothing but unrest. She'd hoped to make this a special year for
Kristen. So far, it wasn't turning out to be what she'd planned.
There was no way she would be able to afford the kind of Christmas she'd hoped
to have.
"Mommy!"
Kristen squealed, "I don't want to miss Santa Claus!"
"Okay, give
me a kiss," Lauren requested, reaching out to give her a brief hug.
Smiling, Kristen quickly obliged. "Do you want me to go with you,
baby?"
"No-o-o-o!"
Kristen said, rolling her eyes at her mother.
"I know
you're a big girl now, but I had to ask. I'll be standing right at the
end of the ramp, okay?" Lauren assured her, feeling a tug at her heart.
Her little girl was so grown up at six years old. Time was flying by so
fast. She only wished she had more time to spend with Kristen to watch
her grow.
Kristen trotted up
the ramp a few feet and stopped short, abruptly turning and racing back.
"My letter for Santa! Mrs. Hopkins helped me with it. I forgot
it at home!" she cried with all the panic of a little girl who'd just lost
her kitten.
"No, Krissy,
I have it. Mrs. Hopkins gave it to me when I picked you up after work.
Remember?" Lauren pulled the sealed envelope marked "North
Pole" out of her purse and handed it to Kristen. "Go on.
The mall is going to be closing soon."
Kristen's
exasperated expression was replaced with a chubby faced smile as she clutched
the letter to Santa in her little hand and bolted up the ramp.
Thank the heavens
above for Mrs. Hopkins, Lauren thought. If she didn't watch Kristen
before and after school every day, she couldn't have taken that job at Woodlawn
Industries as a customer service representative. She'd still be
waitressing and paying baby-sitters top money just to make ends meet. At
least now, she had a chance to make something for herself and Kristen.
The Woodlawn position offered her the chance for advancement and training she
never would have gotten if she'd remained at the restaurant she'd worked at
since leaving home.
She watched
Kristen race to meet Santa, determined to tell her Christmas wish. She
sighed, feeling her heart fall. If only she had the money to give her all
the things she wanted.
* *
*
Kyle Preston
watched as a little blue eyed cherub of a girl, no more than a first grader,
came racing up the ramp toward him. It was as hot as a burning August day
in this Santa Claus suit. He'd been wearing it for the last three hours
and was soaked skin deep from his boots to his white beard. He needed a
shower and a good meal. To say that he was tired was the understatement
of the century, but seeing the delightful sparkle of a child at Christmas was
worth all the hassle and discomfort of playing Santa Claus.
"Ho! Ho!
Ho!" he called out as the little girl came bustling toward him.
Extending his hands in front of him, he gently lifted her into his lap.
"And what's your name, little one?" he asked in his disguised Santa
Claus voice.
The little girl
looked up at him with wide saucer eyes and murmured softly, "Kristen.
But my mommy calls me Krissy."
"That's such
a pretty name for a pretty little girl. Have you been a good girl for
your mommy this year, Kristen?"
"Yep.
Sometimes I don't pick up my toys before bed though. Am I gonna git in
trouble with you for that?" She didn't look at him. Instead,
she stared off down the ramp where a woman in a bulky blue coat stood waiting. Seeing
no one else in the vicinity, Kyle presumed it to be her mother.
"Is it all
the time, or do you just forget once in a while?" he asked with Santa
Claus authority.
"I thought
you were 'spose to know those things? Mommy always says you can see me
when I don't listen." She looked up at him wide-eyed and innocent.
He chuckled,
despite himself, in his normal tone. Then remembering his part, he
altered his voice and ho-ho'd a laugh that made Kristen giggle.
"Well, Kristen, it's too big a job to look at all the kids all over the
world. So I have to ask for a little help every now and then. You
don't mind that, do you?" He posed the question not expecting a
reply, but to his surprise, Kristen looked up at him thoughtfully,
contemplating her answer.
"I don't mind.
Mommy needs help sometimes, too," she said as innocently as an angel.
He was too much of
a sap for this job, he decided. Maybe it was his nature or maybe it was
growing up in an ever expanding family, but he had a soft spot for this little
girl. She was cute as a button with her baby fine blond curls framing her
face. Looking down the ramp, he decided her mother wasn't half bad
herself. She appeared a bit tired, but pretty in a simple girl-next-door
kind of way. Her flowing ash blond hair fell both to the front and back
of her knee length coat. Even from the distance they were at, he
recognized that mother and daughter bore a strong resemblance and had the same
saucer shaped eyes.
Kyle turned his
attention back to the pressing matter at hand and asked, "So, what do you
want for Christmas this year?"
Kristen's little
face brightened even more, if that was at all possible, and she stuck out the
envelope she'd been crumbling nervously in her hand. "Here. I
wrote it down so you won't forget."
"Well, I'm
impressed. You did this all by yourself?"
"Mrs. Hopkins
helped me."
He took the
envelope and, after breaking the seal, plucked out the note. "Is
Mrs. Hopkins your teacher?"
"Nope."
She shook her head back and forth with exaggerated motion. "She's my
baby-sitter. We live on the top floor of her house. She plays
Barbies with me when Mommy can't cuz she has to work."
"Well, let's
see what toys we have here on your list." Kyle opened the note and
began to read the "Dear Santa" aloud, but stopped as soon as he began.
Dear Santa,
Plez send me a daddy
for Christmas so Mommy doesn't have to work so much.
Luv, Krissy Alexander
Kyle felt his
chest tighten. This letter decided it. He was much too much
of a sap for this job.
"You don't
have a daddy, Kristen?" he asked softly as he re-folded the note.
"Nope."
"What
happened to him?" he asked, immediately doubting the wisdom of putting
forth such a question to someone so young.
"We never had
one. Mommy says we do just fine as a twosome. That means just Mommy
and me," she clarified, nodding her head with certainty.
"Oh.
You're pretty smart for a girl your age."
"I know.
Mommy tells me so all the time," she said unabashed.
"What's your
mommy's name?"
"Lauren
Alexander. She's over there. Hi, Mommy!" Kristen waved her
hand frantically. The woman at the end of the ramp beamed with pride and
waved back.
"Your mommy
is very pretty," Kyle said mostly to himself when he saw how Lauren
Alexander's beautiful wide smile brightened her face and made what he mistook
as being simple much more appealing.
"Yep,"
she answered as if the point was not debatable.
He looked down at
Kristen and smiled. "There must be some toy you'd like Santa...uh...me
to bring you Christmas morning."
"Nope.
Just a daddy. I think my mommy could use it."
Kyle couldn't help
but laugh at the double meaning of her words. "Glad to see you're
looking out for your mommy, Kristen. But what about you?"
"I never had
a daddy." Her eyes narrowed in as she frowned. "So I
don't know. Does that mean you're not gonna git us one?"
Kyle had spent the
first twelve years of his life being shifted around until he found a family
that would love him no matter what. The most impressionable years of his
life were spent thinking no one cared, that he was nothing special.
Looking at Kristen, he knew she was special, but did she?
And Lauren
Alexander. Obviously she was alone, raising her daughter the best way she
could. It had to be a hard thing to have no one to lean on.
Looking back on
his life, Kyle realized he'd pretty much forgotten what that had been like.
These days, as far as family went, his cup runneth over. There were a lot
of people to do the leaning and even more to do the leaning on in the Preston
household. Yeah, it had to be hard for Lauren Alexander if her young
daughter felt it necessary to give her Christmas wish away.
"No, Kristen.
That doesn't mean you're not going to get a daddy. It's just..." he
started, but couldn't quite find the words to explain the complications
involved in such a request. Especially when Kristen looked up at him with
wide puppy-dog eyes.
Why couldn't she
have asked for an Easy Bake Oven?
All of the sudden,
he found himself feeling abundantly protective of Kristen and her mother.
This was, after all, the holiday season. It was a time when all should
reach out to their fellow man, woman, or as in this case, child.
He tried a
different tactic, hoping the little girl would quickly see the flaw in her
request and ask for something more Santa Claus possible. "Don't you
think that your mommy would want to pick out a daddy on her own? What if
she doesn't like the daddy I bring?"
Kristen looked
puzzled. Exactly what he'd wanted, although he had to admit to himself he
didn't enjoy trading innocence for the turmoil in her expression. He just
couldn't see any other way around this without flat out telling her he couldn't
do it. That would be like telling her Santa Claus didn't exist at all and
there was no way he'd be the one to say such an evil thing.
"But Mommy
doesn't have any time to find a daddy. That's why I figure it's up to me."
She nodded her head with determination.
If there was
any way to bottle that kind of pure love and devotion, he'd do it. That
soft spot was turning to mush as Kyle felt his heart grow warmer with every
thump. He knew he couldn't do his usual routine and tell the child she'd
only get her wish if she was real good and picked up her toys when asked.
In the end, she'd only surmise she'd done something wrong for Santa not to
grant her Christmas request.
"I can tell
you love your mommy a whole lot," he murmured softly.
Kristen nodded her
reply. A weary smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Or maybe
she was tired, he thought, remembering the time. The mall was closing at
any moment. The grilled gates had already been slammed down and locked up
on the front of some stores. Custodians were busy emptying the trash cans
and vacuuming the carpets. As Kyle panned the area, he saw that the last
remaining shoppers had already vacated the premises.
Turning his
attention back to Kristen, who was now yawning as she lazily leaned against his
chest, he said, "I can't make any promises for this year, honey.
Being so close to Christmas, all the daddy's have already been spoken for.
But I'll see what I can do for next year," he promised.
He wasn't at all
pleased with his answer. What he wouldn't do to make Kristen's dream come
true? He looked down the ramp at Lauren Alexander. She gave him a
forced smile that hinted of impatience as she shifted her weight from one foot
to the other, her hands jammed deep in her coat pockets.
"You be the
good girl I know you are and there will be something extra special for you on
Christmas morning. Okay?"
It was late.
He was hot as hell. He had to get home, have a hot shower, and grab a
good meal.
But none of that
mattered, because now he just felt like a dog. Why couldn't she have
asked for a puppy? he thought as he watched Kristen trot toward her mother.
He could have easily run right down to the pet shop at the mall and picked out
a golden retriever, or collie, or whatever kind of puppy looked cute as a
button, just like the little girl. Instead, she asked for the one thing a
Santa had no control over.
There were times
in his life when Kyle had known failure. Going from nothing to being the
owner of his own shopping mall in Western Massachusetts had given him cause to
stare failure right between the eyes. But in all his thirty years, he
never felt as low and pitiful as he did right now.
His appetite
suddenly gone, he decided the heck with the dinner. He changed out of his
straight jacket and called it a day.
* *
*
Lauren turned the
key in the ignition for the second time and said a silent prayer that the car's
engine would turn over.
Nothing.
"Not
now," she moaned, a sinking feeling flooding her. She'd already
secured Kristen in the back seat and fastened her seat belt. A quick
glance in the rear view mirror showed the little girl had already fallen asleep.
Popping the lever
that released the hood of her late model sedan, she noticed the light panel.
Her hands instinctively pushed the knob on and off in frustration when she
realized she'd left her lights on the entire time she'd been shopping.
Now her battery was dead.
"Good going,
Lauren," she chided herself.
After climbing out
into the cold, she lifted the hood and blankly stared down at her car engine,
feeling the bitter cold sting her exposed cheeks. Taking in another
frosty breath, she realized she had no idea what she was looking at and no idea
what to do. Cursing, she kicked the air in frustration.
To add insult to
injury, it had begun to snow while she'd been in the mall. Any other time
it would have brought out the playful spirit of Christmas in her. She'd
always loved a white blanket of snow on the ground during the Christmas season.
She glanced over
at Kristen and saw that she was already fast asleep, slumped over in the back
seat. The snow was going to make it more difficult to carry her to a pay
phone and call a tow truck, but she had no other choice. The temperature
had dropped considerably in the few hours they'd been shopping and it wasn't
safe to stay exposed for too long.
Twisting her body
around, she saw that the parking lot was empty. At least she'd parked in
a well-lit area just below a lamppost, something working late nights at the
restaurant had taught her to do many years previous. As she gazed up at
the bright light above her, she became hypnotized for a fleeting moment by the
colors of the dense snow falling like crystals from the sky.
"You
stuck?" a deep voice, one that sounded much too close for comfort, called
out and startled Lauren, causing her to swing around.
She licked her
chapped lips and stared at the tall man who had seemingly come out of nowhere.
His hair was wet and matted, colored a mousy blond. He was hunched
forward slightly with his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his sporty ski
jacket.
"No,"
she lied. The last thing she needed was some deranged wanderer to come by
and steal what little she didn't have. Lauren quickly shifted her
thoughts to Kristen, sleeping in the back seat. He could take anything he
wanted, but she'd walk through fire to protect her precious daughter from harm.
"Interesting,"
he returned, darting a glance in the direction of her exposed engine.
"What is?"
She tried desperately to appear unfazed.
"Well, I'm no
expert, but I have never known someone to fill their engine with snow before
taking it out for a drive," the stranger said teasingly, his hot breath
misting as it hit the cold air. He moved to the front of the car, half
out of her view, presumably looking at the engine.
Crow bar!
That's what she needed now, she decided. If she only knew where it was
kept in her car, she was sure she could make good use of it, if need be.
Now was no time to beat herself up about not paying attention during drivers Ed
class. Something else to thank Kristen's father for at some later date
since he was the subject of her attention during that fateful time in her life.
In any case, it didn't stop her stomach from lurching forward with every move
this stranger made.
The man stuck his
head out from behind the hood. "Nothing seems to be disconnected.
Let me try the engine."
"That won't
be necessary," she blurted out. There was no way she was going to
let some stranger climb into her car and drive away with her baby. In an
attempt at bluffing, she informed him, "I've already called my husband,
and he'll be here any minute."
"No he won't."
The aplomb in his voice, more than his words, told her that he was unconvinced.
She struck a
threatening pose with her arms held out in front of her, fists clenched, and
shouted, "Don't come any closer. I'm a black belt in Karate."
He glanced at her
blankly and darted his eyebrows upward. "No you're not."
Lauren's pulse
quickened, and she nervously shifted her body weight from one foot to the
other, grounding herself in. The mama bear in her reared up and her claws
stretched out in full fighting force. Just let him try to take her little
cub away. She'd make sure it was the sorriest day of his pathetic life.
He shot her a
mocking grin that tilted ever so slightly. "Why don't you use some
of that heat to fire up the engine?"
"Huh?"
Her heart pounding in her chest, Lauren unclenched her fists and stepped back
toward the driver's side door.
"Try turning
the ignition."
"What do you
want?" she asked suspiciously, her guard never faltering.
"You don't
have to be afraid. I just want to help you and your daughter get home
before you freeze to death out here."
A bone chilling
fear shot up her spin. He hadn't been close enough to see a child in the
back seat. How could he have known? "Are you stalking me?
I have a gun, you know. And I won't hesitate to use it!" She
stuck her thumb and her index finger out and aimed it at the most sensitive
part of his male anatomy, sneering at him.
"I believe
you would," he said. Tilting his head to one side, he blew out an
exaggerated breath, emitting a cloud of mist from his mouth. "But if
you're going to bluff, at least try to be a little more convincing. Right
now, you're about as threatening as a kitten."
"Kittens have
claws," she warned, flexing her fingers.
"Cats have
claws," he amended. "You, my sweet, are still a kitten."
Lauren
straightened her spine and huffed. "I'm going to scream. Is
that threatening enough for you? The security guards will be more than
willing to arrest you on the spot and throw your sorry butt in jail
for...for..."
"Helping you?
No, they wouldn't do that," he said confidently.
"What makes
you so all mighty sure, buster?" she shot back, verbally attacking him.
Nothing else seemed to make a dent in him and she was running out of bluffs.
"Because I'm
the one who signs their pay checks." He turned back at the mall and
extended his hand. "I own this place."
"No you
don't!" she challenged. She wasn't born yesterday. On her own
since she was pregnant at eighteen, Lauren knew a snow job when she saw one.
He blew out
another quick breath and shrugged. When he moved his hand toward his back
pocket, Lauren screamed loud and long.
The stranger
stopped dead in his tracks. "What on earth did you do that
for?"
"Don't try
anything funny!" she commanded, holding her hands out in front of her as a
shield.
Ignoring her, he
extracted his wallet. After sifting through it, he plucked out what
appeared to be a business card and extended it to her. "See for
yourself. Kyle Preston, owner of Preston Galleria."
She quickly
glanced at the card in his hand without taking it, then followed his gaze to
the sign on the two story building behind him.
"How do I
know you're legit?" she asked, still leery of accepting his story.
She'd been a fool once when she was young, taking every little word as being
the truth. That only left her alone, struggling to make a life for her
and Kristen. She couldn't afford to keep making that mistake.
"I assure you
that my intentions aren't mercenary. Please, just get behind the wheel
and try to start the car. If my instincts are right, all you have is a
dead battery," he said evenly, seemingly tired of the game.
"I know
that's all it is." She folded her arms across her chest, feeling
pretty proud of herself for at least figuring that one on her own.
"I left my lights on."
"Oh.
Good," he said in resignation. "Then I'll jump you."
"Not on your
life!" She struck her Karate pose and ground her teeth, the mama
bear in her coming to life again.
When he caught the
double meaning of his words, he revised, "I'll bring my car around so that
I can jump start your car's battery."
With that, he was
gone. Lauren wasn't sure if he'd come back after the way she'd attacked
him. Kitten, my butt, she fumed. She had claws just like the next
cat.
Kyle was gone for
what seemed liked hours, but in reality was only a few minutes. The cold
may have had a hand at the slow passing of the time. She couldn't feel
her toes in her boots anymore.
What would it hurt
to accept some help from a stranger? she thought as she moved to the back of
the car. She'd conditioned herself not to trust anyone in the past seven
years. Maybe she was becoming too hard, too cold. And although Kyle
Preston looked like he'd been put through the proverbial ringer when he
appeared out of thin air, he did seem sincere about just wanting to help.
And it was more
than that, she had to admit to herself. Except she couldn't quite put a
finger on what it was about Kyle Preston that made her think she should trust
him. Without something tangible for her to grasp on to, trusting was a
dangerous thing to do to say the least.
After inserting
the key in the lock, she opened the trunk and pulled out the blanket she kept
there for just this type of emergency. She was just placing the blanket
over Kristen when she saw headlights approach. The vehicle stopped head
to head with her car and Kyle jumped out.
"Why don't
you sit in your car? You'll be warmer. I'll only be a minute,"
Kyle said as he opened the hood of his Jeep and began connecting jumper cables.
Lauren slid into
the driver's seat and rubbed her hands together, thankful that this ordeal
would soon be over. She blew a hot breath through her frozen fingers
before positioning them on the frigid steering wheel as she waited.
"Ready?"
she called out the crack in her window after hearing a car door slam.
There was a sudden
roar of the Jeep's engine. Then Kyle hollered, "Go ahead and try to
start her."
Lauren turned the
key in the ignition once. The Ford whined in protest until, finally, the
engine turned over. She released the breath she hadn't realized she'd
been holding. "Thank God," she whispered, looking up at the
ceiling of her car.
"You should
run it for a few minutes before trying to drive. Let the battery get a
little more juice." Kyle quickly removed the wires conjoining the
two cars and closed the hoods.
She floored the
gas pedal to warm the engine and turned on the heat in the car before climbing
out.
"I don't know
how to thank you," Lauren said softly. Embarrassment flooded her
with the memory of the way she'd behaved earlier.
"No need.
You're all set now." Kyle smiled warmly. As he spoke, the
sound of his resonant baritone voice soothingly settled her fear. She
looked at him and, for the first time, she felt completely at ease. His
face was kind, his smile was warm, and she realized he meant what he said, he
only wanted to help.
"I apologize
for the way..." she started, staring down at the inches of snow on the
ground that had accumulated during the short time.
As if sensing her
embarrassment, Kyle broke in and said, "Like I said. There is no
need. Good will toward men and all that holiday cheer. Woman in
your case, Ms. Alexander. You and Kristen are all set now."
His eyes grew bright as he gazed at her. Despite the calming effect the
deep timbre of his voice gave her just a few short moments ago, she now felt as
if she'd just been struck by a bolt of lightning.
Fear racked her
body causing her to shudder. "How do you know my name? M-my
daughter's name?" she stammered, not missing a beat. She hadn't told
him, but he knew. That feeling of ease was short-lived. She
trembled, more fearful than she'd been earlier when she foolishly bluffed.
Kyle dug his hand
deep into his denim clad pocket and extracted a crumpled piece of paper and
held it out to her.
"What's this
all about," she blurted out, her eyes fixed on his hands, her breathing
becoming shallow.
"You don't
have to be afraid. This will explain it all. I promise you."
He smiled warmly and Lauren wanted to trust him if only to believe in simple
kindness.
With shaking
hands, she took the piece of paper, warm from being in the pocket close to
Kyle's body. She held it up straight so that she could see Kyle while
reading the words on the paper. "Dear Santa..." she read out
loud, then read the next part silently. "Oh, no," she moaned.
"I know.
That's just how I felt."
Lauren shot him a
skeptical glance. "How did you get this?"
"Kristen gave
it to me."
"That's
impossible. Mrs. Hopkins just helped her with it this afternoon
and-"
"And she gave
it to me in the Mall," Kyle finished for her.
She looked at him
quizzically, still trying to comprehend the course of events leading up to his
seizure of her daughter's precious note.
"It's not
that hard to figure out, Lauren," Kyle said warmly. His dark eyes
gleamed with the light from the lamppost. He wore no hat to protect his
head from the falling snow. Now his hair was filled with powdered flakes,
matting it down. His grin was bright and wide as he informed her,
"I'm Santa Claus."