Jane's Gift (Lone Pine Lake 1)

It didn’t sound like something Jane would encourage, but then again, this was her big brother talking. Wouldn’t he know? “I’m not sure I can do it right now.”

“Your call, man.” Cam paused, his green eyes, so very similar to Jane’s, feeling like they were seeing right through him. “You’d put all the rest of us to shame, proposing on Christmas day.”

That didn’t sound so bad. After all, it was Jane’s favorite holiday. “I might…”

What could pass for a smile curled Cam’s mouth. “Good. She’d definitely say yes, especially in front of the whole family.”

Shaking his head, Mac went to Chris and embraced him quickly, gave him a slap on the back before he pulled away. “You’re much braver than me, man. No way can I imagine asking a woman to marry me in front of everyone on Christmas. I can’t even ask a chick if she wants to come to my parents’ house for dinner.”

Both brothers laughed, but Chris just smiled. They’d get their turns someday. “This is quite the event. You have a ton of family.”

“More are here than usual, to see Cam and Jane. Neither of them has been around much for a big family holiday. Jane was still recovering last year and Cam was out of the country.”

An extra-large crowd to witness his asking Jane to marry him—not intimidating at all. Chris swallowed hard, tugged at his shirt collar. Despite the coldness in the air, he started to sweat. Could he handle this? Or would it be too much pressure? Maybe he should wait till this evening when they were alone before he proposed. But he wanted her to know how much she meant to him, how much he loved her. Wouldn’t a grand gesture like asking her to be his wife in front of her family on Christmas day be the mother of all grand gestures?

Hell. He didn’t know what to do.

…

Christian had been acting weird ever since dinner. She wondered if he didn’t feel well but didn’t know how to tell her. Maybe they should leave early so they could go back home and relax without all the chaos around them.

But when Jane went searching for Chris throughout the house, she couldn’t find him. Pausing in her search, she spoke to Chloe, who had stopped by on her way home from her own family festivities, as well as Mindy.

“Have you seen Chris?” Jane asked.

Mindy shrugged. “No, but who could find anyone in this crowd?”

“I saw him. He went outside, and Mac and Cam followed him.” Chloe’s cheeks turned bright pink. “I was by the back door and saw it.”

Hmm. Jane wondered at that. She knew Chloe had that crush on Cameron long ago, but did it still linger? She seemed to take extra care in keeping tabs on Jane’s brother.

But then another thought invaded her brain. Chris was outside alone with her two brothers? That couldn’t be good. They were probably drilling him, making sure he’d do right by her, and all that macho brotherly nonsense they loved to spout.

She appreciated their concern and love, but they could also be super intimidating.

“I should go rescue him.” Jane started for the back door. “Before they scare him to death.”

“He’s right there.” Mindy grabbed hold of Jane’s upper arm and steered her around so she could spot Chris as he worked his way through the crowd of relatives. “And he’s coming for you.”

“Hey,” he said as he approached, grabbing hold of her hand. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

She sent a fleeting look to her sister and friend, who both smiled their encouragement for her to go with Chris. He led her into the living room, close to the fireplace, where her dad had made a quick announcement not fifteen minutes ago that dessert was going to be served soon. It was a busy spot, not quiet at all, and she wondered what he might be doing.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

Chris glanced around, his movements jerky. “I need to talk to you.”

“Now?” Like they’d have any privacy? The place was a mob scene. She’d never seen so many of her relatives all together before besides at her, Patrick’s, or Mindy’s weddings, and the group had grown over the years with other marriages and children galore.

Besides, she knew Chris wasn’t completely comfortable yet with the crowd that was her family.

“Yeah.” He gave her a crooked smile and her heart cracked open. “It’s kind of important.”

“All right,” she said slowly, surprised that he’d raised his voice. Like he wanted to be heard.

“I never gave you a Christmas gift.”

“Yes, you did.” She glanced around, noticed that more than a few people had stopped to watch, including Mac and Cameron, who had an extremely smug expression on his face. “You’re my gift,” she whispered.