Virginia Henley - A Gift of Joy

VIRGINIA HENLEY BRENDA JOYCE

FERN MICHAELS JO GOODMAN

Zebra Books Kensington Publishing Corp.

http://www.zebrabooks.com

ZEBRA BOOKS are published by

Kensington Publishing Corp.

Copyright 1995 by Kensington Publishing Corp.

"Christmas Eve" copyright 1995 by Virginia Henley "The Miracle" copyright 1995 by Brenda Joyce "A Bright Red Ribbon" copyright 1995 by Fern Michaels "My True Love" copyright 1995 by Joanne Dobrzanski

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as "unsold and destroyed" to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this "stripped book."

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First Printing: November, 1995

Printed in the United States of America 10 9876543

CONTENTS

CHRISTMAS EVE by Virginia Henley

THE MIRACLE by Brenda Joyce

A BRIGHT RED RIBBON by Fern Michaels

MY TRUE LOVE by Jo Goodman

Christmas Eve

Virginia Henley

One

Eve Barlow was naked.

Her towel had slid to the floor with a whisper and here they stood, finally alone together, staring at each other. She posed provocatively, lifting her long blond hair and letting it waterfall to her shoulders.

"Am I beautiful?" she asked. "Am I sexy?"

The questions proved she was vulnerable, which was the very last thing she wanted to be.

Was that a critical look she detected? Silence filled the bedroom. If the answer to her questions took this long, perhaps the answer was no!

She looked straight into the green eyes, saw the humor lurking there, and her exuberant self-confidence came flooding back.

"Yes, you're beautiful; yes, you're sexy! You are also intelligent, successful, and independent," came the answer. The green eyes assessed the full, ripe breasts and watched as the nipples turned to spikes.

"You forgot crazy," she told her reflection as her body shivered with gooseflesh. "Anyone who would stand naked before a mirror when it's below zero outside has got to be crazy!"

Eve knew Trevor Bennett's Christmas present would be a diamond ring. As she drew on her pantyhose, she asked herself if she was ready to be engaged. The answer came back yes. She was twenty-six years oldthe per-

feet age for marriage. Everything else in her life was just about perfect, too.

Her career was in high gear, her finances were rock solid, and her fiance had all the qualities that would make him a perfect husband: sensitivity, kindness, and understanding. Trevor was an English professor at Western Michigan University and often quoted poetry to her.

Eve chose a red wool suit, then pulled on black, high-heeled boots. Even with a power suit she always wore heels. There were no rules that said a career woman couldn't have sexy-looking legs. The minute she picked up her briefcase, the telephone rang.

"Eve? You didn't give me a definite answer about coming home for Christmas, dear."

"Hi, Mom. I sent you an answer on E-mail last night."

"Oh honey, you know I don't understand that computer stuff. Daddy's tried to explain it to me, but I feel so much more comfortable on the phone."

"Of course Trevor and I are coming for Christmas dinner. It's my turn and I would love to take everyone out to The PlazaI hate to see you cooking all day. But since you insist on a traditional, home-cooked turkey, I capitulate."

"You know it's fun for me. I just love doing all the things that make Christmas special."

"I know you do, Mom. That's why we all love you so much. I have to runI have the keys to the office and have to open up today. See you Christmas morning."

"Drive carefully, dear."

Eve sighed. There was absolutely no point in trying to change Susan this late in life. Her mother was a perfectly contented housewife, an angel of domesticity who'd been kept in her place by the men in her life. She had no idea there were worlds to conquer out there.

Susie, as Eve's father insisted on calling her, had made a happy home for her Air Force family, no matter where they'd been stationed. It hadn't mattered much to Susie where she was; Ted was the center of her life and her two children orbited closely around him.

Ted was the macho major who wisecracked about everything, but ruled his family with an iron hand. She had gotten her name from one of her father's wisecracks. He wanted a brother for his firstborn, Steven, but when Susie had a girl, he grinned good-naturedly and said, "Now it's Eve 'n' Steven!"

Her brother had followed in his father's footsteps, joining the military and becoming a macho ace before he was twenty. But Eve was determined not to become a clone of her mother. She avoided dominant, controlling men who thought a woman's place was in the kitchen, unless she was in the bedroom.

Eve pulled her Mercedes into the parking space that had her name on it, then unlocked the front door of Caldwell Baker Real Estate. Within six months she hoped to be a full partner in the privately owned company.

Before she read all the faxes, the other agents started to arrive. Bob and George arrived together because Bob had cracked up his Caddy on an icy road and it was in the shop awaiting parts. When Eve started working at the agency, they had joked about her aggressive salesmanship, calling her a ball-breaker, but now that her sales topped theirs, they gave her the respect she had earned.

"I'm sorry about your accident, Bob. It must be milder todaythe ice was melting when I drove in."

"Warm enough to snow," predicted George, who tended to look on the dark side.

"Congratulations on breaking into the President's Circle, Eve," Bob said.

She had been in the Multi-Million Dollar Club for the last two years, but now that she was selling commercial as well as residential properties, she had reached new production levels. "I haven't quite made it yet, Bob, but thanks."

"Oh hell, it's only December twenty-third. Still nine days left before the year ends," he said, winking at George.

The sons-of bitches hope I don't make it, Eve suddenly realized.

Other agents began arriving and the first thing they did was glance toward the coffee urn beside the bank of filing cabinets. When they saw there was nothing brewing, the second thing they did was glance at Eve. Well, they could wait until their Grecian Formula wore off before she would make coffee, she decided, going into her office to go over the listings. She was two hundred thousand dollars short, and determined to reach her goal if it was humanly possible.

When the secretary arrived, the men heaved a collective sigh of relief. They fell over each other helping her off with her coat and boots, then followed her en masse to the coffee urn. Bo Peep has suddenly found her sheep, Eve thought sarcastically.

Someone came through the front door. Since all the agents were at the back of the premises, Eve came out of her office to attend to the prospective customer. Fie was tall with jet black hair, wearing a heavy blue shirt and a leather vest with decorative bullet-holder loops above and below the pockets. This guy apparently didn't know they were decorative; they held real bullets.

"I'm Eve Barlow. May I help you?"

The man's deep blue eyes stared at her mouth, lingered on her breasts, went down to her legs, then climbed back up her body to her blond hair and, finally, to her eyes.

Why don't you take a bloody picture? It'll last longer, she thought silently.

"I don't think so. I'm looking for Maxwell Robin."