Unforgettable Christmas Dreams: Gifts of Joy

by Rebecca York

  Naked in the Winter Wind: FREE! (lengthy novel) How does an older woman wind up as a young hottie in Revolutionary War era North Carolina? First book in the time travel series.

  Ha’Penny Jenny: (historical novella) More about the naïve and psychic young girl who was adopted into a time traveling family. Will her past catch up to her?

  Aye, I am a Fairy: (lengthy novel) Young British lord finds himself entwined with a time traveling family and must decide if he should go back in time, too. Second book in the series.

  Dances Naked: (novel) Directionally challenged time traveler is rescued by Cherokee in 18th century. What must he do before the chief will show him to The Trees, the portal through time?

  Chasing Christmas: (historical novella) A young Cherokee is rescued from an abusive man and changes the lives of many in this 18th century America family.

  The Great Big Fairy: (lengthy novel) Very tall Benji grew up in the 20th century but was born in the 18th. When he finds a way to return to his grandparents in the distant past, he goes for it. Once there, he realizes he can’t stay, but must return to the future. Fourth book in the series.

  Little Bear and the Ladies: (historical novella) What’s a bachelor trapper to do with all the females he rescues from the Hessian mercenaries? He’d better hurry and figure something!

  Little Drummer Boy: (historical novella) Young Scout works to earn money for a home in post-Revolutionary War America but runs up against prejudices and snowstorms.

  Never Too Young: (historical novella) Scout and Ha’Penny Jenny have grown up, but will they be able to spend their life together, or will the past and ruffians get in their way?

  Time in a Little Blue Bottle: (time travel ‘mash up’ novella) Elvis, Mark Twain, and the prime vampire are racing to get the bottle of Fountain of Youth water before sweet Bella and the youthful pickpocket. So why are time travelers Marty Melbourne and Master Simon interested?

  CONTEMPORARY NOVELLAS – BENJI, THE LOST YEARS

  Luke the Unexpected: Love of classic motorcycles brought them together, but Luke and Holly have other challenges to face. Find out how their friend Benji got his stripes here.

  Pool Boy Wanted: No Experience Preferred: (rather racy) Young Benji has been a hostage and slave, but life gets worse when an older woman decides she wants him as her own.

  STAND ALONE NOVELLAS (contemporary romances)

  Kit Kringle: An Alaskan Tale: Kay moved to Alaska for the wrong reasons, then decided to stay and start her own business. What she hadn’t planned on were prejudices and falling in love.

  Be My Angel: Wyatt’s dream to help save the wild mustangs began with the purchase of a rundown ranch in western Oregon. What he hadn’t anticipated was being mesmerized by a sassy woman in a wheelchair.

  Three Are One: The post chaplain tried to help the young widow adjust, but would his feelings for her and the search for his lost sister cause problems?

  One Arctic Summer: That unforgettable summer of 1994 in Barrow, Alaska, and the touch she never forgot…If she goes back, will he remember her?

  The Polar Xpress: Will the California chiropractor get a first chance at romance with the owner of Second Chance Kennels when he is stranded in Alaska?

  Too Fast For You: Ten years after Little League, two talented professional baseball players wind up on the same minor league team. Will she remember him? And will their friendship be ruined if she does? Part of The Players: Overcoming the Odds box

  About the Author

  USA Today bestselling author and entrepreneur DANI HAVILAND started writing late in life and has been making up for lost time with a torrential flood of romances. Tackling everything from historicals to suspense to paranormal themes—and sometimes smashing them together—she even tossed a rejuvenated Elvis into one story (Time in a Little Blue Bottle) to give it a little peanut butter crunch! Savor them all but start now. More are coming, and you don’t want to get too far behind!

  Contact information:

  Website Facebook Blog BookBub Goodreads

  Email: dani@danihaviland.com

  Twitter: @dani_haviland

  I love to hear from readers!

  Sign up for my newsletter to get the latest information on new releases, free stuff, and contests at: http://bit.ly/2DHnews

  Awesome readers make up a street team!

  I have a Facebook Page for folks who are interested in early excerpts and insights into my latest books and box sets. I’d appreciate a like on the page. Drop in and see if I’ve remembered to add photos and excerpts of my works in process. http://bit.ly/2DaniStTeam

  A COMPLETE FAMILY

  A Complete Family

  Love You Doc, Book 1

  Mona Risk

  New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2019 Mona Risk

  Book Description

  Nurse Melody Parker is continuously late at work. She doesn’t seem sorry about it and has the gut to ask for an increase. Although she’s an excellent nurse, Dr. Aidan Olson gives her a reprimand, but later faces a scolding from his own boss about his lack of managerial capability. Mortified and determined to find out the reason for Melody’s tardiness, he visits her house, scares her little daughter, and is attacked by her German Shepherd.

  Melody works a second job to pay for her neighbor’s medical bills and leaves her daughter with the dog as she can’t afford a sitter or daycare. Feeling guilty for depriving her of an increase, Aidan signs up the little girl in a reliable daycare center and visits the sick neighbor.

  His attraction to his pretty nurse escalates but the meddling neighbor complicates his life to no end, and manages to spoil everything for everyone with her advice and orders, her many secrets and crazy decisions.

  Can Aidan help Melody create the complete family she’s been dreaming to have?

  Praise and Awards

  New York Times Bestselling Author

  USA Today Bestselling Author

  Outstanding Achiever 2013 Award at Affaire de Coeur Magazine

  Best Romance Novel winner at Preditors & Editors Readers Poll

  Two-Time winner of Best Contemporary Romance Novel at Readers Favorite.

  EPIC’s Ebook Award Finalist.

  “Mona Risk writes heroes with heart, heroines with spunk, in stories and settings that are simply unforgettable.” Roxanne St. Claire, NY Best Selling author.

  “I am very happy with our author’s research for this story. Perhaps even a bit in awe. A good romance novel: a believable plot, a likeable hero and heroine, and is long enough to flesh out the story, and enjoy the characters.” The Long and the Short Reviews.

  “Mona Risk knows how to pull a reader into the minds of her well-crafted characters. Her work takes us on a journey be it local or overseas.” Night Owl Reviews.

  Chapter One

  “You’re late again.” Aidan tossed his nurse a scathing look. “You’ve been late almost every day for the last ten days.”

  “I’m sorry, Dr. Olson.” Melody’s casual tone didn’t sound apologetic. Her lifted chin and light frown seemed to accuse him of being harsh and despotic.

  Immediately on the defensive, he retorted, “You know our patients are our top priority.”

  “By all means, Dr. Olson,” she muttered, her lips drooping. “I’ve always done my best for our patients. I’ll try not to be late again.”

  He flinched under the direct gaze of her deep blue eyes. Damned if she didn’t make him feel like a monster torturing his dedicated nurse. Yet he stifled a sigh and repressed the urge to draw her into his arms and beg her to let him help her if she was facing a problem.

  “Is anything wrong? Is there something I can help with?” As the new director of Neurosurgery at St. Joseph Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, he was doing his best to rally his staff and subtly modernize the well-established but old-fashioned procedures. Not an easy task for a newcomer to direct the experienced personnel that had worked at the hospital for ages.

&
nbsp; “Thank you, Dr. Olson. There’s nothing wrong. But I’ll remember your offer if any problem arises. Now I’d better scrub.”

  Melody Parker seemed so contrite at the moment, but the next day she’d forget and be late again.

  And cause him more headaches.

  With a nod and a smile, she left him, paused at the nurses’ station to check the day’s schedule, and ignored snickers or pointed looks from her curious or disapproving colleagues.

  That scenario, or a similar one, had happened so often lately, Aidan was ready to pull out his hair. How hadn’t she noticed she’d created a sticky situation for him and for herself? Shouldn’t she worry she was heading toward a reprimand or even a firing?

  Repressing an exasperated huff, Aidan passed the nurses’ station with a blunt “morning.”

  “’Morning, Dr. Olson,” a mix of feminine voices and male grumbles replied. And a few thorny whispers reached him.

  “She did it again.”

  “Twisted him around her pretty fingers.”

  Gossips irritated the hell out of him. As the new boss, he was working hard to promote a friendly atmosphere and prove to the hospital administration that his mentor, Dr. Turner, had made a good decision in choosing his much younger colleague to succeed him as head of the Neurosurgery Department.

  With a sigh, Aidan went to scrub in preparation for delicate surgery on a sixteen-year-old paraplegic. The poor kid had been bumped off the road by an eighteen-wheeler during his driving lesson. The car had careened into a ditch. By some miracle, the instructor had walked away with two fractured ribs and a few cuts, but the young driver had ended up with a broken back.

  In the OR, his medical team waited for Dr. Olson. Melody was ready and perfectly composed, with the necessary tools available for when he needed them. The surgery on the spinal cord lasted five hours. A couple of nurses got tired and left, and were replaced by new ones. At his side, Melody barely blinked and never looked away. As Dr. Turner had mentioned on several occasions, Ms. Parker represented the ideal nurse for a surgeon who couldn’t afford to waste a minute of his precious time in the OR

  “Done.” Aidan released a sigh of relief. “You can close now.” He raised a hand and signaled to both the attending and senior residents who had assisted him. His part done, Aidan backed up a few steps, observing their work and the various monitors. Hopefully, his patient would walk again after intensive therapy.

  “Recovery,” he ordered when his team had finished their suturing job. Melody moved to the head of the bed and wheeled the patient out to Recovery.

  Good job, Nurse Parker. To be fair, Aidan owed her a compliment and would soon deliver. Eager to get out of his surgery garb, he peeled off his disposable paraphernalia and tossed it away in a trash basket. With a sigh of relief, he stretched his arms high and wriggled his shoulders to take the kinks out of his stiff neck. He’d have time for a cup of coffee and a quick lunch at the cafeteria before checking on his patient in Recovery. With a bit of luck, he might meet Melody at a table and congratulate her on her excellent performance in his OR

  Sure enough, he came across his whole surgical team—attending doctors, residents, and nurses—occupying a few tables. But no sign of Melody. Didn’t she eat lunch? Had she brought it with her?

  On a whim, Aidan returned to the second floor and the station where two nurse aides fussed with patient charts. “Have you seen Nurse Parker?”

  “Melody left a moment ago. She said she’d be coming back in half an hour, straight to Recovery to check on her patient.”

  “She left?” His jaw dropped.

  “It’s her lunchtime.”

  “Yes, of course.” Unwilling to let a nurse aide see his irritation, he spun around and strode to the cafeteria. It would have been too much to assume she’d act like...like a normal nurse would act after surgery. Yet he couldn’t blame her for leaving. It was her lunchtime.

  At the cafeteria, he bought a double burger and a black coffee. Inhaling the coffee’s strong aroma, he coached himself into calming down and joined Dr. Anwar and Dr. Leo at their table, where they discussed the success of their recent surgery and the precautions needed to avoid any possible complications.

  His burger finished, Aidan swallowed the rest of his coffee, pushed back his chair, and carried his food tray to the buffet. His mind flitting back to his elusive nurse, he strode to Recovery and stopped short as he found her standing next to their patient, watching the monitor and typing on her tablet. Once more, the perfect nurse.

  Not to mention, she was so pretty with gorgeous blue eyes, brown silky hair always pulled back into a bun or a ponytail, and a perfect figure that haunted Aidan’s dreams and created delicious fantasies in his bachelor mind.

  It would be intolerable to ask her why she’d left the hospital for half an hour...only half an hour.

  Swallowing his frustration, he approached the bed. “How’s he doing?”

  “Still out. But his vitals are good. You did an amazing job, Dr. Olson.”

  She was congratulating him. Why did he feel like a skunk?

  “Thank you.” He gave her a warm smile. “But I was looking for you to tell you how much I appreciate the way you practically guessed my every move and were such a great help.”

  The patient stirred. They forgot their personal conversation and focused on him. Back in his more comfortable medical domain, Aidan relaxed, positive that his conflict with his senior nurse could be put to rest.

  The next morning, a mouthwatering aroma of cookies greeted him as he approached the nurses’ station. Several members of his staff milled about the counter, munching with appreciative grins.

  “’Morning, Dr. Olson. Wan’ a cookie?” Stacy proffered a big plastic plate covered with brown and pink cookies. “Trust me, they’re delicious. Some are chocolate dipped and some are strawberry coated. The best thing with a morning coffee.”

  Aidan reached out and took one to taste. “Aw, amazing. Thanks, Stacy. You made these?”

  “Melody did.”

  “Mel...” He choked on his cookie.

  “She’s in surgery,” Stacy answered his puzzled look. “Dr. Anwar asked her to sub for Norma, who had to take her father to the ER.”

  “All right.”

  Melody Parker baking cookies? At least the crisis of her late arrivals had come to an end. He grabbed three more cookies and headed to his office, clucking his tongue. In addition to being a good nurse, she was an incredible cookie baker.

  Around lunchtime, he wanted to notify her of an unexpected surgery that he’d scheduled at two o’clock or as soon as the medical copter landed with an eight-year-old being transported to the hospital. He stopped by the nurses’ station. “Have you seen Melody?”

  Stacy coughed on her sip of water. “She likes to take her lunch out.” Her chin jutted toward the backyard, and then she buried her head in a low drawer.

  Aidan checked the backyard, and the front yard for safe measure. To no avail. This woman had a knack for disappearing. Hoping that Melody would return on time from her lunch break, he headed to the scrub room and the assigned OR and found her there.

  “You’re here?”

  “Yes, of course. Don’t we have an emergency surgery? The little boy who fell from a balcony and hurt his head.” She’d had time to read the details of the accident and prepared her tray.

  Bless you, Melody.

  Without wasting time, he worked on the boy. Three hours later, Melody wheeled the gurney to Recovery and waited next to her patient until he awakened and Aidan examined him, then she handed his file to the night nurse.

  Aidan followed her out of Recovery. “Thank you for being so thorough.”

  She shrugged with a faint smile. “It’s my job. I always do my best for the patient.”

  “And thank you for the delicious cookies.”

  “Ah.” She chuckled. “My neighbor’s recipe. I love them too. Excuse me now, Dr. Olson. See you tomorrow.” Her shift was over, and she was already flying along the hal
lway as if she couldn’t waste another minute in his company.

  He wished he could keep her for a chat, learn more about her. In any case, he was happy she’d solved the problem of her frequent tardiness. They had no scheduled surgery for the next day. He’d make his rounds, checking on his patients and working in his office.

  In the morning, Aidan made a point to stop at the nurses’ station before going to his office. “No cookies today?” he joked, noting that only Stacy, Heather, and two nurse aides hung around, discussing the daily schedule.

  “There’s still hope. Melody is not here yet.” Heather scoffed.

  “Ah.” He lingered at one of the computers, determined to see when she’d arrive.

  Fifteen minutes late. “Hi there.” Melody clocked her time and rushed to an examination room to prepare for the first patient, who’d been there long before her. By the time Aidan entered the exam room, Melody had already taken the patient’s vitals and typed in his medical history and new symptoms.

  The day went by without incident, but Aidan was perplexed. He couldn’t let the situation drag. Should he insist she stop by his office for a serious talk?

  Instead of leaving as soon as she was done, Melody followed him.

  “Dr. Olson, I need to talk to you.”

  Alleluia. He too needed to talk to her and couldn’t wait to clear the air.

  “Sure.”

  He opened the door of his office, indicated the chair in front of his desk, and sat in his own, behind the desk. “Yes?” he said after she’d settled.