Christmas at Mistletoe Lodge: New Holiday Romances to Benefit St. Jude Hospital

by Sabrina York

  “This is the inn in those pictures you showed me?” her mother asked, her eyes glowing like the snowflakes did in some of her shots.

  “It is. What do you think?”

  “I think it’s the perfect place for the wedding of your dreams.”

  One Year Later

  “Only you would get married on Christmas Eve,” Emma said to Noelle as she sat in the chair of her suite while her hair and makeup were being applied.

  “I would have done it on Christmas Day but knew that was pushing it. I think the only reason the inn allowed this was because of the photos in the museum. They said I’ve tripled their income.”

  “But to get married in the middle of the week?” Emma said.

  “It had to be today,” Noelle argued. “The date meant more than the day. Or close enough. I want to wake up here on Christmas morning as man and wife for the first time.”

  “First Christmas too,” Emma said.

  “Exactly.”

  Two hours later when Noelle walked down the grand staircase while the camera flashed left and right, she stopped in front of her father and noticed his tears.

  “You’re crying already? You’re going to make me cry soon.”

  “All your mother and I ever wanted was for you to be happy. To have everything you wanted in life.”

  She looked to the left at the small restaurant that had been set up and decorated for her wedding and saw Chase at the altar, Bruno, Snacks, and Calvin all sitting there by his side.

  “I’m getting everything I always dreamed of.”

  And at the end of the vows, when Chase and she kissed, and the small wedding party clapped, she knew this was the start of her new life.

  “Mrs. Martin?” Chase said during their first dance. “Are you ready for the first shipment of puppies as my wife in two weeks?”

  She laughed. “You know I am. Are you ready to be a father?”

  “What?” he asked, his feet freezing in place.

  “You heard me. Tonight, in this place that most of my dreams came true…I’d like to work on another dream. I’d like to start our family.”

  “I’m going to give you that family,” he said, his lips on hers. “I’m going to give you everything you want.”

  “I’ve got you,” she said. “I really have it all.”

  The End!

  Also by Natalie Ann

  Love Collection

  Secret Love- Vin Steele and Piper Fielding

  True Love - Jared Hawk and Shelby McDonald

  Finding Love - Erik McMann and Sheldon Case

  Beach Love - Connor Landers and Melissa Mahoney

  Intense Love- Ian Price and Cam Mason

  Autumn Love- Liam Sullivan and Ali Rogers

  Holiday Love- Owen Taylor and Jill Duncan

  Christmas Love- Chase Martin and Noelle Bennett

  Winter Love- Zeke Collins and Kendall Hendricks

  Chasing Love- Troy Walker and Meena Dawson

  First Love- Jace Stratton and Lauren Towne

  Forever Love- Gabe Richards and Leah Morrison

  Simply Love – Blake Wilson and Gemma Anderson

  Gifts of Love – Brendan St. Nicholas and Holly Land

  Fierce Five Series

  How Gavin Stole Christmas- Gavin Fierce and Jolene O’Malley

  Brody- Brody Fierce and Aimee Reed

  Aiden- Aiden Fierce and Nic Moretti

  Mason- Mason Fierce and Jessica Corning

  Cade- Cade Fierce and Alex Marshall

  Ella- Ella Fierce and Travis McKinley

  Fierce Family Series

  Sam- Sam Fierce and Dani Rhodes

  Bryce – Bryce Fierce and Payton Davies

  Drake – Drake Fierce and Kara Winslow

  Lake Placid Series

  Second Chance - Nick Buchanan and Mallory Denning

  Give Me A Chance - Max Hamilton and Quinn Baker

  Our Chance - Caleb Ryder and Celeste McGuire

  Take A Chance - Cole McGuire and Rene Buchanan

  Deserve A Chance - Zach Monroe and Amber Deacon

  Last Chance - Trevor Miles and Riley Hamilton

  Another Chance- Matt Winters and Dena Hall

  It's My Chance- Logan Taylor and Kennedy Miles

  All Series

  All for Love- Book 0- William Harper and Isabel Carmichael

  All or Nothing - Book 1 - Ben Harper and Presley James

  All of Me - Book 2 - Phil Harper and Sophia Mansfield

  All the Way - Book 3 - Alec Harper and Brynn Palmer

  All I Want - Book 4 - Sean Callahan and Carly Springfield

  All My Love - Book 5 - Drew Palmer and Jordyn Montgomery

  All About You - Book 6 - Finn Abraham and Olivia Hartman

  All of Us- Books 7- Landon Barber and Kristen Reid

  Check out where it all started for the Harpers in the Road Series!

  Road to Recovery - Book 1 - Lucas Mathews and Brooke Malone

  Road to Redemption - Book 2 - Cori Summers and Jack Reynolds

  Road to Reality - Book 3 - Mac Malone and Beth Campbell

  Road to Reason- Book 4 - Ryan Mathews and Kaitlin Harper

  About the Author

  NATALIE ANN is a USA Today bestselling author that lives in Upstate NY with her husband, son, and French bulldog. She has always had a love for books, especially happily ever after. She writes contemporary romance with a dash of humor focusing on real life (but fictional) situations and storylines. She’s inspired by the crazy, ridiculous, touching and emotional family dynamics that most people go through. Her series are based right in her home state or cities she has visited.

  Contact

  Website, Twitter, Facebook,

  Pinterest, Goodreads, Bookbub

  Newsletter

  NatalieAnn815@gmail.com

  Christmas Makeover

  Christmas Makeover

  Christmas Makeover

  By Pam Binder

  Praise for Pam Binder

  “Readers will be drawn in by Pam Binder’s magic touch.” Romantic Times

  “Delightful twists and turns.” Reader to Reader Reviews

  “…a truly delightful and heartwarming romance.” American Online Romance Fiction Forum

  “Pam Binder gracefully weaves elements of humor, magic and romantic tension.”

  Publisher Weekly

  Praise for Pam Binder’s Matchmaker Café Series

  A Bride for a Day

  “This story was so sweet and exciting. I really enjoyed the tale. It was a romantic story like it has never been told before. I loved the going back in time to help love bloom. Such a cute concept. The characters were sweet and caring.”

  Thief of Hearts

  “Fun story. Loved the mystery and romance.”

  Falling in Love with Emma

  “The story was sweet and clean and adventurous, and harrowing at times.”

  Match Made in the Highlands

  “Elements of suspense, surprise, romance and fantasy.”

  Praise for Pam Binder’s Young Adult Novel

  Grace Logan and the Goblin Bones

  “Beautifully written, expertly told faerie tale! Binder pulls you in on the first pages to take an adventure of the fantastic with her to the land of sixteenth century Ireland.”

  Pam Binder is an award-winning and New York Times Bestselling author who loves Irish and Scottish myths and legends. She writes historical fiction, Contemporary fiction, time travel, young adult and fantasy

  Pam received the 2018 Romantic Times Pioneers of Romance Fiction Award, is a conference and workshop speaker, and the president of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association.

  Prologue

  In a remote corner of Seattle, Washington, tucked beneath the Cascade mountain range, the kiss between Miranda and Jake lost its warmth. It chilled in the frozen air, as Miranda Gale drew back from Jake, her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend. She knew he had sensed a change in their relationship over the past few weeks. If she broke up with him, he would h
ate her forever. But it had to be done. If she told him the truth, he would abandon his dreams and she’d never forgive herself.

  A reenactment of a fourteenth century Christmas faire had opened that morning with all the medieval trimmings. Music played on harps, lutes and fiddles, filled the air as the smells of meats roasting over open pits, and mince pies, figgy pudding, and sweet breads baking in outdoor ovens, kept the atmosphere festive for the throngs of families in attendance. The memory was bitter-sweet. It would be her last with Jake.

  Miranda heaved a sigh. She felt as though she’d grown up with Jake. They’d met in grammar school. His family owned the Mistletoe Lodge and fairgrounds, and she helped her mother and aunt in one of the booths. In high school they’d discovered that their friendship had deepened to something more. She’d helped Jake’s family greet guests and cook the meals for as long as she could remember. All that was about to change.

  On the edge of the faire, a frozen waterfall cascaded into a pond mirroring a black pearl moon with a fairy shaped from reeds standing watch. Miranda sat on a stone bench beside Jake. He sat tall and rigid and clutched an acceptance letter from a college in England. She had an acceptance letter of her own from the Art Institute.

  She glanced at the time on her cellphone. She knew Jake had plans, plans that didn’t include her. For starters, he’d been accepted to Oxford.

  “We should break up,” she blurted through frozen lips, before she lost her nerve.

  His broad shoulders shattered. “We’ve been over this before. We can write to each other. Video chat, and I plan to be home for your birthday in February.”

  He was making it harder. “You know as well as I do that we will start out with good intentions, then we’ll get busy with our classes or I’ll miscalculate the time difference and call you when you’re asleep.”

  She considered adding that she was afraid of calling and hearing a woman in the background, but that would have been a snarky thing to say, and wildly unfair to Jake. Since they had started dating as sophomores in high school, Jake had never looked at another girl romantically, and as quarterback and captain of the soccer team, he’d had plenty of opportunities. When he’d said he was committed to her, he’d meant every word.

  “It’s better if we make a clean break now.” She paused. “We can be friends.”

  His eyes turned as dark as the black pearl moon. “There are so many things wrong with your argument. You know our being just friends won’t work for me. I asked you to marry me and you turned me down because you’re worried about leaving your mother alone. I get it. I’ll stay. I was accepted to the university of Washington as well. I don’t have to leave.”

  She’d suspected he’d say that, but she couldn’t, wouldn’t, allow him to make the sacrifice. All he talked about was studying music and song writing in Shakespeare’s England. “I can’t let you do that. You received a scholarship. You have to go.”

  He sat back down beside her and reached for her hand. “I know your mom’s health is not that great right now, but she’ll get better. She’s strong. Everyone says it’s just a cough caused by allergies.”

  She nodded, wishing she shared Jake’s optimism. She was expecting a call from her mother’s doctor. “No, that’s not it,” she lied.

  “Then talk to me. What is really going on?”

  She chewed on the corner of her lower lip. Why hadn’t she heard back? Should she tell Jake? She blinked away the weak moment. If she told him, he’d never leave for England. He’d want to stay.

  Jake snatched a rock from the ground and threw it into the pond. It cracked the thin layer of ice and disappeared from view. “Tell me the real reason you’re breaking up with me.”

  Her fingers trembled as she reached for the only reason she knew would drive him away. “I’ve met someone new.”

  1

  Present day

  “Are you going to buy them?” said an older woman with blue sparkles in her white hair.

  Miranda studied the tin box of artists paint brushes. The little art shop had opened its doors next to her dog walking business a week ago and after passing it a half dozen times, Miranda took the plunge and entered the shop. She knew what the tin box contained. Artist brushes in varies tips and sizes and shapes, from round, flat, angular to fan shaped. Her mother had given her a set like this one when Miranda had been accepted into the Art Institute. She hadn’t made it to school that fall. Her mother’s chronic cough had turned into pneumonia and bills to pay, and then a funeral to arrange.

  She blinked away the memory that was still raw after all this time.

  A dog’s loud bark brought her crashing back to the present. She’d left her Golden Retriever leashed to a post and although he was outside, his patience had reached its end.

  “Thank you,” she said. “That’s my dog, Woofy. I’ll try to make it in another time.”

  Even as the words tumbled out, she knew she wouldn’t keep the promise. A career in the arts was a dream for people who didn’t have bills to pay. She’d turned her love of animals into a lucrative dog walking business. She didn’t have regrets. Well, that wasn’t true. She had one.

  Woofy barked again. More insistent then before as she rushed outside into the grey morning. She knelt down and unwound his leash from the post. “I was only gone for a short time. I’ll take you on a longer run this morning before our customers arrive.”

  As soon as the leash was unwound, Woofy yanked it free and took off in the direction of the park as though he was in a race.

  “Where are you going?” She took off running as storm clouds darkened overhead.

  Woofy disappeared into the park. A few minutes later she heard his barking and followed the sound. He stood in a grove of trees. His body faced the direction of a tree that had fallen across a swollen stream.

  She jogged over to him. “What has gotten into you? This is not like you at all.”

  He turned his head toward her, blinked then turned back in the direction of the fallen tree. He leapt onto it and jogged to the center.

  “You can’t be serious. What are you doing? You come back here this instant.”

  Woofy ignored her and sat down on the tree then turned and met her gaze. If she was a dog whisperer instead of a dog walker, she would have said that the look Woofy gave her was full-on defiant, with a touch of come and get me added in for good measure.

  She eyed the rain-drenched tree trunk. “You want me to come and get you, is that it?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, I won’t.”

  An icy breeze with the hint of rain, drifted through the trees and tugged loose what was left of the maple leaves still clinging to the trees. The damp leaves showered down around her to join the others on the ground or drift in the meandering stream.

  Woofy cocked an eyebrow that sent an arrow straight to her heart. It was the same expression he had given her the day he’d appeared on her doorstep over a year ago, lost and afraid. She’d taken him in and estimated his age between four and five months old. She’d plastered posters of him around town, but they hadn’t yielded an owner, so after a month, Woofy had become a permanent resident of her growing assortment of rescue animals.

  With an upward tilt to his head, he gave a short deep woof.

  She shook her head and smiled. “You win.”

  The soft drizzle of rain turned serious as the breeze morphed into a winter storm. The day had started out sunny and crisp, as though last night’s storm had passed, but then the clouds rolled in again. The well-used expression in the Pacific Northwest was that if you didn’t like the weather wait ten minutes because it would change.

  Woofy wagged his tail and gave a short, clipped bark as though to say, “Come and get me.”

  She accepted Woofy’s challenge and stepped over one of the tree’s branches, lost her balance, and sank to her knees. Sharp pain shot up her leg. Heart racing, she eased down, straddled the tree and held on tightly as she scooted closer to Woofy.

  She didn’t know what Woo
fy’s story was or why he had ended up on her doorstep. But he’d never showed signs of mistreatment and from the day she brought him into her home, he’d been the perfect dog. Today had her worried. He’d never run off like this before and he’d always come to her when she called. She hoped that whatever had him behaving out of character was weather related, and not something from his past that resurfaced unexpectedly.

  “Stay right there,” she said in a soothing tone, “I’m almost there.”

  Woofy barked again and stretched out. He rested his head on his paws as his gaze locked on hers.

  She inched closer and reached around a broken branch, snagged the leash and gave it a tug. Woofy didn’t budge. He was as unmovable as a stone lion statue outside one of the banks in Seattle.

  Miranda moved closer and gave another tug. “What is wrong with you?”

  He sat back on his haunches and blinked, turning his head slightly to his left. There was a muffled meow behind him. He lowered his head and licked a shivering calico kitten on its head.

  Miranda’s heart softened. “Ah. Now, I understand.” With one hand, she gripped a broken limb and inched closer to Woofy. The kitten’s golden eyes widened as it hissed and backed to the end of the tree trunk.

  “No, don’t do that, little one. You’ll fall into the water. Kittens don’t like water. Come to think of it, neither does Woofy.” She stretched out her free hand. “Come here little one. Please let me help you.”

  The kitten stayed frozen in place. It’s eyes wild and afraid as rain slicked the kitten’s fur against its rail-thin body.

  Woofy blocked her path to the kitten. She stretched out on her stomach and ordered Woofy to jump over her. It was a game they played at home. But in her apartment, there was carpet, not a slippery rain-soaked, tree trunk.