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Holly Thompson’s life changed forever when she received an early Christmas present from her dead Aunt Meg. Prior to her death, her former foster mother won the gorgeous PI during one of her Tuesday morning poker games. The only survivor of a tragic automobile accident when she was only days old, Holly grew up never knowing who she was or where she came from. When Ben Holiday claimed to have a clue about her past, Holly set out on a Christmas road trip in the hope of finding the family she never knew she had. Road to Christmas Past is a tender romance that will remind you of the power of love and the importance of family.
Excerpt:
“Four shots, nonfat, extra hot, no
foam.” Holly Thompson’s tall, dark-haired assistant, Jessica
Stewart, set a latte in front of her. “Whole wheat bagel with cream
cheese on the side and today’s letters.” She set those next to
the cup. “My favorite is on the top.”
Holly, a petite blonde with blue eyes
and a sunny smile, tucked a lock of her long hair behind her ear,
adjusted the glasses on her nose, and picked up the letter from the
top of the stack. She glanced at the letter while Jessica perched on
the side of her desk, sipping from her own coffee.
For the past three years, Holly had
worked as an advice columnist for a popular weekly women’s
magazine. Her commitment to offering practical solutions to complex
situations set her apart from other advice columns, sending her
reader share to the top of the charts.
“Looks good,” Holly commented after
scanning the handwritten note. “Get me the woman’s contact
information and we’ll see where it goes. Do I have any messages?”
“Actually, yes.” Jessica set down
her legal pad and pulled a note out of her pocket. “Phillip wanted
me to remind you that he needs your copy early this week due to the
holiday weekend.”
“Holiday weekend?”
“Thanksgiving,” Jessica reminded
her.
“Oh, yeah. Go on.”
“Kira wants to know if you got the
tickets for the benefit next month, and Derek left a message asking
if you wanted to do lunch.”
“Tell Phillip he’ll have next
week’s column by the end of the day. Call Derek and tell him I’ll
have to take a rain check on lunch, then call and get four tickets to
the PETA benefit next month. If you’re able to get the tickets,
call Kira, see where she wants to have dinner, and make the
reservations. Things tend to get busy in December. Oh, and see if you
can find me a date.”
“A date? What kind of date?”
Holly shrugged. “The benefit is black
tie, so preferably someone who has a black tie. Other than that, use
your discretion.”
“You don’t want to go with Derek?”
“Derek?” Holly frowned.
“Derek Quinn,” Jessica reminded
her. “The man you’ve been dating for the past five months.”
“Derek and I aren’t dating. We’re
just . . .”
“Colleagues,” Jessica said,
anticipating her response.
“Friends,” Holly countered.
Jessica smiled patiently, as she would
at a child who was a little slow. “I’m sorry to break this to
you, but you’re dating. Ask anyone.”
Holly frowned as she tried to digest
what Jessica was telling her.
“For someone who gives absolutely
brilliant answers to others concerning their love lives, you are
totally clueless when it comes to your own,” Jessica teased. “For
future reference, when a very eligible single man takes you to dinner
several times a week, showers you with gifts for absolutely no
reason, and sends flowers on a regular basis, you’re dating.”
“Derek gave me one necklace he
brought back from his trip to Paris. He doesn’t shower me with
gifts.”
“Maybe not, but trust me, as far as
he’s concerned, you’re dating. In fact, the entire third floor is
involved in a pool to predict when he’ll pop the question.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Holly
snorted. “We haven’t even . . .” Holly paused, and Jessica
simply smiled at her boss’s discomfort. “Well, you know. Still, I
guess I should talk to him.”
“I think that might be a good idea.”
Holly sighed. She hated to ruin the
friendship she thought she had with Derek by pointing out to him that
she was in no way interested in any type of serious relationship, but
she supposed she owed him some clarification. It wasn’t that Derek
wasn’t perfectly datable. He was indeed quite the catch, but Holly
didn’t have time to date. She had goals, ambitions, and a timeline
that didn’t account for a serious relationship for at least another
five years.
“Anything else?” Holly asked.
“Noel’s on line three and Warren
just called up from the lobby. I gather we have a very interesting
delivery on the way up.”
“Interesting how?”
Jessica shrugged. “I don’t know. He
didn’t say, but he was snickering, so I’m guessing it isn’t
your normal brown box.”
“Okay.” Holly picked up her latte.
“I’ll talk to Noel while I drink my coffee. Buzz me when the
delivery gets here.”
“Hey, Noel,” Holly greeted Noel
Davis, her best friend in the entire world. Leaning back in her
chair, she swiveled around so that her back was to her door and she
was able to look out of the window. “Hope Jessica didn’t keep you
waiting too long.”
… Holly took a sip of her latte as
Jessica opened the door connecting her office to the reception area
and ushered in the most gorgeous man Holly had ever seen. She almost
choked on her coffee as she stared speechlessly at the tall,
dark-haired man, who had eyes bluer than her own, was dressed all in
black, and had a huge red bow taped to his chest.
“Can I help you?” she croaked as
she stood up from behind her desk, straightening the short skirt of
the gray business suit that had cost her a month’s salary.
“Ms. Thompson, my name is Ben
Holiday.” His eyes crinkled as he beamed a lopsided smile and
introduced himself. “I’m your Christmas present from Meg.”
“Meg?” Holly nervously tucked her
long blonde hair behind one ear as she tried to wrap her mind around
what the beautiful man was talking about. “Meg’s dead,” she
informed him.
“I know. She made the arrangements
before she . . . passed.”
“Meg bought you for me?”
“Actually, she won me. In a poker
game.”
“She won you?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Holly stared at the strange man in
front of her, then started to laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“Afraid not.”
“Did Noel send you?” Holly laughed
harder.
“No. Like I said, Meg made all the
arrangements.”
“She won you in a poker game?” She
grinned.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Holly studied the man in front of her.
Broad shoulders, an apparently flat stomach behind the red bow, long
legs, and the warmest smile she had ever seen. Thank you, Aunt
Meg.
“So now what? You said you were my
Christmas present. Are you going to wash my dishes and vacuum my
rugs?”
“Not exactly. More like you have use
of my professional services between now and Christmas, free of
charge, thanks to Meg and a straight flush.”
“Services?” Holly choked.
“Perhaps you should open the box.”
The beautiful man handed her a small box wrapped in bright green
paper. “It’s the second half of the present. Although . . .” He
hesitated. “Maybe this isn’t the best time.”
“Now’s as good a time as any.”
Holly shrugged as she took the box and ripped open the shiny wrapping
paper. Inside were a DVD and two matching necklaces that looked old
and expensive. They each prominently featured a large sapphire
surrounded by diamonds that were placed artistically on a latticework
of intricate gold design. Holly picked up one of the necklaces, then
looked at the man, who had sat down on the chair opposite her desk.
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