“I know you don’t believe me, but if I wanted Tiffany, then why am I out here on a horse, freezing?”

“I don’t know. Why are you here on a horse, freezing?”

“Because I love you, and I wanted to come to your rescue.”

Sam choked on a sob. “Really?”

He tilted her chin up to look at him. “Don’t ever doubt me, Sam. You’re the only woman I’ve ever wanted to take care of.”

Coming from him, that meant something.

She smiled as he kicked the horse forward toward the setting sun.

And in that moment, Sam knew she had the best Christmas present ever. She had her knight in shining leather.

Epilogue

Christmas day

Adrian let out a tired sigh as he pulled up to his apartment, just after noon. He’d spent most of the morning at work, alone, doing his best not to call and disturb Sam. She was spending the day with her family, while his had fled. Heather had gone to Daytona, and his mother was on a cruise in Alaska with her latest boyfriend.

But then, there was nothing unusual about that. He hadn’t had a family Christmas since he was fifteen.

For the last eleven years, Christmas had meant nothing more than a heated TV dinner eaten in front of bad television shows.

“I hate Christmas,” he muttered as he got out of his car, and went to his apartment.

He opened his door. Then, he froze dead in his tracks.

Someone had put a small Christmas tree in his living room and decorated it.

Frowning, Adrian closed the door and took his coat off, then went to the tree where a medieval-looking note card was tied with a ribbon to a branch.

He flipped it open.

Milord, Knight in Shining Armor, methinks thou hast a present in thy chamber.

He smiled at Sam’s writing. She must have stopped by while he’d been at work. How he wished she’d called him. He’d love to see her today.

Oh, well, she’d be at work tomorrow.

Holding the card to his heart, he went to see what she’d left for him. He opened the door to his bedroom and went stock-still as his jaw fell open.

Sam was lying on his bed dressed in a teddy that made his mouth water, and she had a bow tied around her neck.

“Where have you been?” she asked with a seductive smile as she closed the book she’d been reading and put it on his nightstand.

Adrian couldn’t speak, since his tongue was hanging on the floor.

Her smile widened as she left the bed and moved to stand in front of him. “Carpet got your tongue?” she asked.

He smiled.

Cupping her face in his hands, he stared in awe. “I thought you were going over to your mom’s.”

“I am for dinner. But I wanted to surprise you.”