SILVER BELLS

by Jacquie Biggar

Genre: Holiday Romance

 

Mystery writer, Joel Carpenter, has no time for romance. He has a deadline to meet, and too many skeletons in his closet to trust the slightly spinny artist renting his house.

Christy Taylor has her hands full dealing with an ailing business and a diabetic daughter, she doesn’t need the temptation that is her landlord, Joel Carpenter.

Can a Christmas wish bring two stubborn souls together and give a little girl the gift she wants most?

A family of her own.

 

Joel saw Christy’s hesitation and cursed the fact he was the cause of her distress. He’d told Grannie he shouldn’t come, but she had insisted.

“Joel Francis Carpenter, how often do I ask you to do something?” She’d stared at him with reproof shining from her watery eyes. “I don’t get to see you near enough as is, what with you off writing the novel of the century and all.” She smiled and hugged his arm. “C’mon, honey, it’ll do you good.”

What could he say to that?

So here he was, and there she was, and Grannie would have some ’splainin’ to do when they got home.

Christy looked gorgeous. The late afternoon light hitting her hair turned it to a fiery nimbus around her head. She wore one of the flowing gypsy skirts she seemed to prefer, rain boots on her feet. Her jacket was a tight-fitting chocolate brown suede with a band of fringes that showed off her generous cleavage. Give her a tambourine and a pair of gold hoop earrings and she’d fit right into a Romanian countryside.

He glanced down at his Salvatore Ferragamo Oxfords and his freshly pressed suit pants. She was sunshine and apple pies and he was cloudy nights and stormy seas. The two didn’t mix. He should make an excuse and leave, let them enjoy the parade without him. But then he glanced down at the kid in Grannie’s arms and he couldn’t say the words. Her enthusiasm in the upcoming event shone from her pixie face. Her thin body fairly vibrated with excitement and Joel craved to be a part of it. After years of solitude this little girl—he looked up as Christy joined them—and her mother had broken the seal he’d wrapped around his heart.

He felt invigorated. Energized. Powerless to fight the feelings these two engendered.

He didn’t even want to try.

Now he just had to convince her to give him a chance.

 

 

$20 Amazon Giftcard giveaway

MoB Promotions