Christmas Wishes - Special Delivery
Tagline:
Love comes
full circle when a child’s Christmas wish arrives special delivery.
Blurb:
When attorney
Riley Harper comes home to Maple Ridge following the death of his grandfather,
the last thing he expects to find is Kaylee McKenna living in his grandparents’
guesthouse. Though they were once best friends—even more—Riley cannot find it
in his heart to forgive Kaylee for the death of his mother ten years ago as a
result of her father’s reckless actions. His heart, full of bitterness and
resentment, has room for little else.
Kaylee has
not time to dwell on events of the past—or all she’s lost; she’s too busy
raising her six-year-old niece, Rosie, and working as an ER nurse. With
Christmas quickly approaching, her days are spent helping with charity events
and filling the wishes on Rosie’s Christmas list. But when Rosie’s father makes
and unexpected visit, Kaylee must call on Riley’s legal expertise to ensure
Rosie of a safe and secure future.
Will
Rosie’s special Christmas wish heal Riley’s damaged heart and bind the trio
together as a forever-family?
Excerpt:
“I’m
sorry.” Riley broke the ice, so to speak, with those two simple words. “This
has gone on long enough, this—whatever you want to call it—disagreement,
argument, debate. I take full responsibility. I was wrong. I hurt you.”
The
heartfelt words shocked the chill from her. Warmth flooded, and Kaylee huffed
out a long, ragged breath. “It’s OK.”
“No,
it’s not.” He placed his hands on her shoulders, gave them a gentle squeeze.
“It’s never OK to hurt someone you care about.”
“I
don’t…” She shrugged from him, turned to clomp through the snow as a slow burn
ignited in her belly. “Why now, Riley? After all this time, why now?”
“We’ve
left this undone long enough.”
Kaylee
picked up speed, putting distance between them. “On the contrary, it was done a
long time ago.”
“I
have things to say—things that need to be said. I’ve changed, Kaylee. I don’t
know why or how. I just know I feel…” His boots crushed the snow as he came
after her. His voice held an edge sharp as steel, pleading. “Don’t walk away,
Kaylee. I want to work this out. We have to work this out.”
“There’s
nothing to work out.” She spun back to face him, matching his heat spark for
spark, ember for ember. “We’ve both changed, Riley. Time—events beyond our
control—have changed us—altered what we once shared. It’s OK. I’ve come to
terms with it.”
“Have
you?”
“Yes.
Change, however painful, is a part of life. I have Rosie to consider now. I
don’t have time to be…all muddled.”
“Muddled?
Is that what you’d call it?” He reached for her hand, drawing her close. His
breath rushed out in puffs like the smoke of a coal engine as he dipped his
head, blocking the glare of the sun. In an instant, his lips claimed hers. One
moment, two, seemed like eons as the ground shifted beneath Kaylee’s feet. Her
heart jolted as a shockwave shuddered through her. Powerless, she leaned into
him, let go of the thin fiber of resolve that had bound her for so long.
“How’s
that for muddled?” Riley’s husky voice broke the spell.
“What
have you done?” Kaylee gasped as Riley loosened his grasp and stepped back. Her
eyes flew open and his gaze, dark and dangerous with need, speared her.
“That’s…not fair, Riley. None of this is fair.” She pressed a gloved finger to
her lips. The warmth of his touch, the shock of raw emotion, left her reeling.
Her breath rolled out in small, white puffs as the chill rushed in once again—a
slap of cold, harsh reality. “You can’t just march back into my life, say the
things you said yesterday—the things you’re saying now—and then do that.”
“I
believe I just did.” He stroked the length of her hair, his fingers full of the
tenderness she’d once taken for granted. “I care about you, Kaylee. I do. I’m
just not sure what to do with this feeling—so powerful. I’ve never felt
anything like it before you—or since. I thought going away would change things,
but coming here again, seeing you, has made me realize it’s only grown
stronger.”
Kaylee
stood there, her heart fluttering like the wings of a hummingbird. She thought,
for a moment, that the raw depth of his words might short-circuit her
breathing, quite possibly bring on a heart-attack.
“You don’t mean that, Riley. Maybe you feel
something now, or maybe you just think you feel something. But when the
courtroom calls—when the next high-profile case hits the headlines—you’ll feel
the wanderlust, and, just like that”—She yanked off her glove, snapped her
fingers to drive the point home—“you’ll be gone again.”
“You
think so?” His gaze lingered a moment while he smoothed a strand of hair from
her cheek, let the callused pad of his thumb slide along the length of her jaw
to sear her skin. “Well, I suppose we’ll see.” He dropped his hand and turned
away.
Mary Manners is an award-winning romance writer who
lives in the beautiful foothills of East Tennessee with her husband Tim and
the cherished cats they've rescued from local animal shelters...Lucky and
Gus.
Mary’s debut novel, Mended Heart, was nominated
Best Inspirational Romance and was finalist for the Bookseller’s Best Award and
her follow-up, Tender Mercies, was awarded an
outstanding 4 ½ star rating from The Romantic Times Book Reviews and was also a
finalist for the Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Buried
Treasures, her third novel, was named Book of the Year by
The Wordsmith Journal. Light the Fire took top honors for
the Inspirational Readers Choice Award while Wisdom Tree garnered
National Excellence in Romance Fiction. Mary was named Author of the Year by
Book and Trailer Showcase. She writes romances of all lengths, from short
stories to novels—something for everyone.
Readers, thanks for visiting Lagniappe!
I pray that you find "a little something extra" in each of your days.
Holly Moreau and Nick Zernigan aren’t friends at school – or anywhere else. Especially since Holly blames Nick for her broken nose after a freak accident. But when they find themselves unexpectedly dropped with older relatives at a retirement complex over Christmas break, they must make peace. They have to. It’s the only way to survive karaoke night and a senior citizen Christmas dance.
Carla Rossi is a multi-published, award-winning author as well as a cancer survivor, life-long music minister, and speaker. She has been writing inspirational romance for Pelican Book Group since 2007. Carla lives north of Houston with her husband and writing partner - a Maine Coon Cat. She has three grown children and one grandson.
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