CHAPTER ONE

      “MOM, EVEN THOUGH I know there’s no Santa, is it still okay to have a stocking?”

      Bailey Voss smiled at her daughter. Being a single mom was often a challenge, but every now and then she thought maybe, just maybe, she was getting it right.

      “Of course,” she told her seven-year-old. “Christmas is about being with the people we love and sharing our traditions. A stocking is a tradition.”

      Chloe beamed. “When can we put out our stockings? And decorate the house?” Her bright, adorable girl paused. “When we move, right? Can we put up our Christmas tree the very first night?”

      “We can,” Bailey promised, confident she was going to be exhausted after a long day of moving, but determined to make this the best Christmas ever for her little girl.

      Chloe had already been through so much, most especially the loss of her dad over a year ago. But she was happy and thriving now. Bailey and her daughter had made a place for themselves in Fool’s Gold and they were less than a month from moving into what Bailey hoped was their forever home. Bailey had a great job she loved, Chloe had friends and was doing well in school. A wonderful holiday season was exactly how she planned to finish up her year.

      Chloe walked to the calendar attached to the refrigerator and counted out the days.

      “Seventeen days until Thanksgiving,” she said excitedly. “Then twelve more days until we move and get our tree and stockings.” She hurried over to her mother and hugged her. “It’s almost Christmas!”

      Bailey held her tightly, then stroked her hair. “I’m proud of you, honey,” she said, trying to keep from sounding too emotional. “You’re working hard in school and you’re a big help to me.”

      Her daughter looked up her. “I love you, Mom.”

      “I love you, too, sweet girl.” She glanced at the clock on the stove and held in a shriek. “We are so late!”

      Chloe laughed and pulled back, then ran out of the kitchen. “I’m ready. I just need my coat.”

      Five minutes later the Voss women were walking briskly toward Chloe’s school. After dropping off her daughter, Bailey continued on toward city hall, where she worked as Mayor Marsha Tilson’s assistant.

      Mayor Marsha was the longest-serving mayor in California. She ran her town with an impressive combination of carrot and stick. Bailey was pretty sure Mayor Marsha could twist the devil himself to her bidding. Today was no exception.

      Only it wasn’t going to be the devil walking through the mayor’s office doors. Instead they would be visited by a tall, broad-shouldered man who got Bailey’s heart to fluttering in a way that really couldn’t be healthy.

      “It’s just a crush,” Bailey told herself as she waited in line at Brew-haha for her morning latte, then realized that talking aloud in a crowd was a sure way to get her neighbors and friends to worrying about her. She pressed her lips together,