Christmas in Snow Valley
Christmas in Snow Valley is packed with six wonderful Christmas novellas sure to bring romance into your holiday season.
Snow Valley, Montana, is a small community with the tradition of doing Christmas big. Festivities begin with tree lighting in the town square the day after Thanksgiving and continue until the culminating romantic Christmas Ball. From the Polar Express to a Winter Carnival, there’s something for every wonder-filled child—and every couple who’s in love—or about to be.
An Unexpected Kiss by Cindy Roland Anderson
Lucy Phillips doesn’t want to spend her Christmas vacation dodging her ex-boyfriend, so when he turns up at the airport to give her a ride home, Lucy panics and asks a complete stranger to kiss her. Although the kiss is incredible, Lucy never expects to see the guy again. Is it bad luck or destiny when Lucy comes down with a sore throat and the new doctor in Snow Valley is none other than the guy she kissed at the airport?
Feels Like Love by Jeanette Lewis
Christmas in Snow Valley is the perfect way for April Winston to introduce her city slicker fiancé, Scott Mecham, to life on a farm. If only Wade Hadley, hometown boy and high school sweetheart, will cooperate! But Wade has no intention of letting April go without a fight. This Christmas, Wade is determined to overcome their painful past and show April that she already has what she’s been seeking all along.
Full Court Devotion by Cami Checketts
Kazlyn is too busy with her schooling and future plans to enjoy life, let alone fall in love with a man who has heartbreak written all over him. Tyrese Hamilton, a college basketball star and major heartthrob, is intrigued when Kazlyn doesn't pursue him or even seem interested. Ty's career is in jeopardy, and he needs a miracle and Kazlyn to save him.
The Christmas Eve Kiss by Taylor Hart
When Molly O’Hare gets a prediction that she will kiss her true love on Christmas Eve, she thinks it’s utterly ridiculous. But when she gets teamed up with Kevin Snow, aka her ex-boyfriend, to decorate a Christmas tree, things start to change. Too bad getting over the past is hard and seeing him kiss another girl is even harder. Now Molly is left with a choice—run away from home and heartbreak or let Christmas work out a miracle all of its own.
Risking it all for Love by Kimberley Montpetit
Succumbing to family pressure, Jessica Mason reluctantly comes home for Christmas. Ever since her high school boyfriend's death from a car accident three years earlier, Jessica and religion have not been compatible. So, when she visits Michael’s grave, she's surprised to meet the handsome James Douglas, Pastor John’s nephew, who’s studying for the ministry. James can not only dish back Jessica’s finely-tuned sarcasm but understands grief all too well, turning Jessica’s world upside down. Is she ready to take another risk on love?
Blue Christmas by Lucy McConnell
As head of Snow Valley hospital's fundraising effort, Paisley Hackett barely has time to organize the craft show, cookie decorating party, and the annual Christmas Ball. What she doesn't have time for is falling in love with Clay Jett, the incredibly handsome bass player who sweeps into town. She's been burned by a tourist romance before and, with everything going on, Paisley will have to work overtime to protect her heart from Clay and his swoon-worthy ballads.
Excerpts:
Full Court Devotion by Cami Checketts
Shivering in the vicious canyon breeze, Kazlyn skirted a group of
slow-moving girls and ran directly into the back of an insanely tall guy. Her
bag flung from her fingers and books scattered in the crusty snow piled up next
to the sidewalk.
“Snot!”
Tall dude turned and gave her a friendly smile. “No, it’s Tyrese.” His
smile grew as he looked her over, white teeth flashing against his smooth, dark
skin. “Most people call me Ty, but you can call me anything you want to.”
“Ugh!” She ignored his flirtations and pretty-boy face. You’d think a man
that large would have a face like Andre the Giant. Grabbing at books, she shoved
them into her bag.
“Here, let me get that for you.” Ty reached farther across the snow bank
than she could; with octopus arms it was probably easy.
“Thanks,” she muttered.
He retrieved a few more books and her peppermint lip gloss. Of course, he
would find the only feminine thing she had time for during school. His grin got
even bigger. “This looks…” He glanced over her face before focusing on her lips.
“Yummy.”
Could the guy get any more arrogant? Kazlyn held out her hand. He
surrendered the books, but held onto the lip gloss. She sighed, shoved the books
into her bag, then held out her hand again. He placed the lip gloss into her
palm and wrapped his warm fingers around her freezing ones.
“Wouldn’t want you to lose that.” Ty squeezed her hand. “Maybe you’ll give
me a sample one day.”
Her eyebrows shot up. She yanked her fingers from his and stomped around
him. “No free samples, buddy.” She tossed a challenging look over her shoulder,
almost hoping he’d call her bluff. He winked and grinned.
Kazlyn whipped back around, smacking herself in the face with her long,
blonde hair. First, she ran into him. Then, she whacked herself with her own
hair.
He laughed. “Maybe I could be an exception.”
Kazlyn kept walking. He caught up to her in four steps, though she’d taken
ten. Curse his long legs. She couldn’t resist looking at him and almost wished
she could dislodge the picture—fabulous smile, dark eyes surrounded with thick
lashes she couldn’t have achieved with heaps of mascara, and chocolate
skin.
“Why are you following me?”
“I’m not. I’m walking next to you.”
She huffed. “That’s because you walk so stinking fast. If you didn’t have
giraffe legs, you’d be following me.”
He laughed. “Come on. I have more muscle on my legs than most
giraffes.”
She allowed him a small smile. “Knobbly-kneed giraffe.”
“I told you it’s Tyrese.” He pumped his eyebrows. “Now, you get to share
your name with me.”
“Not happening. I don’t tell strange men my name.”
“Aw, come on. You already gave me a hug from the back.”
“I ran into you!”
“And I forgave you immediately.” He winked. “I’m sure most people would
forgive that beautiful face of anything.”
Kazlyn wanted to glare at him, but she couldn’t. Her dad used to say a
similar line to her. “Are you always a schmoozer?”
That brought her another chuckle. “Didn’t your momma teach you not to call
names?”
“Didn’t your momma teach you not to follow people?”
He laughed louder. “She said it was okay if the girl was really
pretty.”
Blue
Christmas by Lucy
McConnell
Clay reached one arm around
her.
Her breath caught as his hand
pressed the small of her back and she took a step toward
him.
“Really?” he
asked.
Awareness pulsed just under her
skin, catching Paisley off guard. “Really,” she
breathed.
“Prove it.” Clay swiped a spoonful
of red frosting across her cheek and Paisley’s jaw dropped at the cold feeling
of Crisco and powdered sugar on her skin.
“Clay,” she said in
shock.
Clay pulled her closer and Paisley
felt as though a million bubbles floated through her toes and out her head. She
placed her hand on his chest, not sure if she was trying to hold him back or be
closer to him. Clay smelled like cinnamon and aftershave and Paisley found the
two a dangerous combination. He gently swiped the other cheek. “Play,” he said
in a husky voice.
If Clay’s arm hadn’t been around
her, she would have melted into the floor upon hearing his deep
timbre.
In the entire mess of mini holiday
crisis she’d faced over the last couple of days she’d always known what to do.
If preparedness was her super power, then being caught up in Clay’s embrace was
her kryptonite. She was at a loss for how to handle the situation. The only
thoughts flitting inside her head were how close Clay was and how
he might kiss her and she might let him.
An Unexpected
Kiss by Cindy
Roland Anderson
Unlocking her
door, Lucy opened it and slid in behind the wheel. She closed the door, knowing
Cole probably wondered what was wrong with her. Just as she started the car, a
knock on the driver’s side window made her jump.
Cole stood there
watching her, his face reflecting both a mixture of confusion and amusement.
Lucy lowered the window, and he leaned down so they were eye
level.
“Are you running
away from me?”
Why did he have to
be so direct?
“Yes.”
He grinned.
“That’s the second time you’ve done this. I’m beginning to think you don’t like
me.”
She snorted an
unladylike laugh. “Right.”
“Don’t laugh. I’m
getting a complex.”“
If it’s any
consolation, it’s me not you.”
That earned her
another perplexed look. “That’s a little cliché. I’m sure you can do better than
that.”
Yeah, she could,
but she didn’t dare blurt out how much she liked kissing him, and admit
that that was what scared her.
Inadvertently, her
gaze dropped to his mouth. She noticed the faint shadow of dark whiskers along
his jaw, and she suddenly wanted to kiss him again.
“Aren’t you
freezing?” she asked, hoping to distract him as much as
herself.
“Yes.” He
unexpectedly rounded the car, opened the door and took the passenger seat.
“That’s better.” He held out his bare hands in front of the vent, which blew
mildly warm air.
The scent of his
cologne permeated the air, and having him so close started a slow burn inside
Lucy’s belly. Who needed heating systems with this man
around?
“What are you
doing?”
“Trying to get
warm.” He looked her way, that smile back on his face. “And trying to get a
straight answer out of you about why you keep running away from
me.”
“I don’t want to
talk about it.”
“Is it about that
kiss we just shared?” His blue eyes twinkled. “Or about the ones in the
airport?”
Both. “I said I don’t
want to talk about it.”
“Okay. What do you
want to talk about?”
She laughed. “I
never said I wanted to talk about anything.”
Cole studied her
silently, like he was really trying to figure her out. Lucy felt the intensity
of his gaze, and was unable to pull her eyes away. The interior of the car
seemed to shrink, and the air pulsed with an electrical energy that prickled her
skin with goose flesh.
As if a giant
gravitational force was at work between them, she felt herself leaning toward
him. Cole slanted closer until she felt his warm breath mingle with hers. She
should move away, make some wisecrack…anything to stop this crazy
attraction.
Instead, her eyes
fluttered closed as their lips connected. Slowly, he moved his mouth against
hers, and like a beautifully choreographed dance, she returned the kiss. Heat
infused every part of her, leaving her limbs languid.
Her heart thumped
wildly, and a sigh escaped as he deepened the kiss. Barley cognizant of her
surroundings, Lucy was both relieved and frustrated when Cole ended the kiss and
edged slightly back.
“Lucy, I’m coming
to pick you up tomorrow.” His voice was rough with emotion, his eyes
serious.
She swallowed, and
knew it was pointless to argue. “Okay.”
The Christmas
Eve Kiss by Taylor
Hart
“Hey, Mol.” Kevin
said it before I got there. “Are you coming to sell me something? Mud pies, snow
balls? Let’s see, what else did I buy from you over the years?” He snapped.
“Rocks. Do you remember when I paid a nickel for a bag of rocks?” He let out a
soft laugh.
Mol. He had said
‘Mol’ like he still could say it. Like he was still that boy that I went to the
swimming ditch with. Like he was still my best friend. Like he cared about me.
He couldn’t talk to me like that. “Why are you doing the chores?” I
demanded.
His chin jerked up
and he gut laughed. “You sound angry.”
“I am angry.” And
I was. So angry. For so long angry. He sat here like…like…like he could just sit
here and talk to me about the past and do chores for my
parents.
His face got
serious. “How’s your dad?”
This question
almost dispersed my anger. “He’s fine.”
Kevin put his hand
on the rope above his head; his eyes slowly searched my face. “What do you think
of the swing?”
“What?” He kicked
his legs back and then forward. “I dug her out of the shed today.” The side of
his lip tugged up. “I could use a push here.”
I shook my head,
trying to understand this ludicrousness. “Wh-no. No. Kevin, you and I are not
people who push each other on swings anymore.”
The speed of the
swing increased with his leg pumping. “Oh.” He cleared his throat. “Right. Well,
I just thought it would be fun to swing on it again.”
Fury. Damnation.
Hell itself wouldn’t describe the way I wanted to push his swing off the tree
track or whatever… “Well, it’s not fun. It’s not fun to swing or push or see you
sitting out here.” I looked at my bedroom window. “Have you just been waiting
for me to come out like some stalker?”
He lifted his
eyebrows. “You look good, Mol.”
I didn’t
respond.
He grinned. “Let’s
try this again. I say ‘you look good.’ You say, ‘thank you, Kevin, you look
amazing. What—do you do like one hundred push-ups a day? You look like it. Plus,
I know you’re not a crazy stalker.”
I wanted to be
anywhere except here.
“C’mon, you used
to love it when I’d have conversations for us.”
I longed to chip
more paint off my fingernails, but they were hidden in my
gloves.
“What do you
want?”
“I just want to
know about you, what you’re doing?”
Before I could
stop myself, I said. “Really? You want to know? Because I thought we ‘needed
time.’” I air quoted and then hated myself. For showing
myself.
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1 comment:
Thank you for sharing!
Warmest,
Cami
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