She turned around smiling. “What is all—” She stopped.
He was on one knee.
He was pulling something out of his pocket.
Her breath caught as he opened the small, velvet box to reveal the most beautiful ring she’d ever seen.
“Natalie Taylor, I want a million more memories with you. And I don’t want any more memories without you.” He swallowed; she thought she saw his hands shake. “I’ve waited years to give you this ring. Please say you’ll marry me?”
Stunned didn’t even begin to describe how she felt in that instant. But she had never been more sure about one word in her entire life.
“Yes,” she whispered, pulling him back to a stand and pressing her lips to his. “Yes, yes, yes!”
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Such a little book, yet so many people to thank! First and foremost, I have to thank my husband. He has supported me from the very beginning of this crazy writing journey and didn’t even bat an eye when I told him I wanted to publish a Christmas novella... in a month—even though I had no clue what I was doing. And to my two daughters who bring joy to our lives and don’t judge me for my hours in front of a computer. And to my Heavenly Father for His guidance and love.
A BIG (huge, ginormous, massive) thank you to Tori Earl—you read the earliest version of this book and without you and your help, it never would have made it to this version. And to Tori Beck (I’m blessed with some amazing Tori’s), for reading it next—and SO fast—and giving me the encouragement I needed at every step of this process. And to Cindy Steel, for walking this publishing road with me... even though I’m pretty sure we were both wearing blindfolds and walking backward while we did.
Thank you to my beta readers: Madi Green, Robyn Thornell, Shanda Antuna, and Whitney Hurst. Your feedback is invaluable and I love you all! And to my editor, Hayleigh Burnett, for polishing this manuscript (and showing me I’m very bad at commas).
And, of course, thank you to my critique group. Hollijo, Cindy, and Whitney, this writing journey is way more fun with you three, and I’ve learned so much from each of you!
About the Author
Karen has always loved any creative endeavor. From photography to singing, dance to (admittedly unimpressive) art. But one of her favorite creative pursuits has always been reading. She grew up reading anything and everything. But despite this voracious love of the written word, she'd never thought of writing her own stories until she was a young mom of two. Tired of ending books and saying 'goodbye' to beloved characters, she wondered what it would be like to have her own characters that lived in her head always! It was probably a mark of sleep deprivation and social scarcity that she wanted people living in her head, but the idea was planted regardless. Just over a year after that writing 'bug' was planted, she signed a contract with Covenant Communications. Her first Regency romance is scheduled to release with them in 2022. Meanwhile, Karen continues to write--both regencies and contemporaries, while also doing endless loads of laundry, taking care of her two adorable girls, and, yes, talking to those characters in her head.
Read more at Karen Thornell’s site.
Christmas In Love: A Greenbank Holiday Romance (Greenbank Holiday Romances Book 1) Page 9