Tagline:
Christmas is a time for miracles...will Katy claim hers?
Blurb:
Katy Sullivan has brushed aside past hurts to
make a name for herself in the small town of Holly Haven. Her Main Street
Boutique is a successful showplace while her sugar cookies are destined to
repeat blue-ribbon fame at this year's Christmas festival. All is well...until
Caleb Kendrick rides back into town. Caleb Kendrick returns home to Holly Haven
to help his sister rebound from a flare-up of Multiple Sclerosis. He's thankful
to find high school sweetheart Katy Sullivan unattached, and hopes for a second
chance to win her love. But, Katy won't easily forget that he broke once her
heart--even though that was a decade ago. Christmas is a time for miracles, and
Caleb aims to claim his. But will Katy block the blessing?
Except:
Katy turned to him, her gaze steely with resolve
that matched her posture. “I’m not the same person you remember, Caleb.”
“How do you know what I remember?”
“I can see it in your eyes. You want…you need—”
“What do I want, Kat?” He reached for her hand,
lightly stroked her fingers. “What do I need?”
She pulled back, shook her head ever so slightly
as her lower lip trembled. “You tell me.”
“I’m not sure you’re ready to hear what I have
to say.”
“Try me.”
“OK, then…What I want—what we want…well, we’ll just have to figure that out together, won’t
we?”
“There is no together for us, Caleb.”
“But there is. We’re here…together…aren’t we?”
He kept his voice low, steady, as he matched her gaze. “As for what I need…what
you need, as well…that’s a
conversation for another day.”
“There might not be another day, Caleb.”
“I’ll take my chances. Holly Haven is a small
town, and we do work right next door
to one another.” He reached out, skimmed her fingertips with his just long
enough to remind her that he was there beside her again, flesh and blood. “And,
for the record, I’m not the same as you remember, either, Kat. I’m…changed.”
“It will take an awful lot of proof for me to
believe that.” Yet, she didn’t pull away. She watched him, those alluring
emerald eyes as large as a frightened doe’s. “A trainload of proof, and then
some.”
“Then, let’s not waste any time.” Caleb dropped
his hand but his gaze held firm. “It is, after all, the holiday season, and
Christmas is a time for magic.”
“It’s going to take more than magic to soften my
heart and allow me to trust you again, Caleb.” Katy’s eyes shimmered with
unshed tears. “It’s going to take a miracle.”
Mary Manners
is a country girl at heart who has spent a lifetime sharing her joy of writing.
She has two sons and a daughter, as well as three beautiful grandchildren. She
currently lives along the sunny shores of Jacksonville Beach with her husband
Tim.
A
former teacher as well an intermediate school principal, Mary spent three
decades teaching math and English to students from kindergarten through middle
grades. While growing up in Chicago and as a student at the University of
Illinois, Mary worked her way through a variety of jobs including paper girl,
figure skating instructor, pizza chef, and nanny. Many of these experiences led
to adventures that may be found between the pages of her stories. Mary loves
long sunrise runs—she’s completed three marathons—ocean sunsets and flavored
coffee.
Find
out more about Mary on her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com. “Like” her author
page on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.
What I like
most about Christmas is that my daughter comes home from college and my kids
and grandkids are all together again, even if it I only for a little while!
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