by penny watson
Shirley frowned. “Are you kidding? You’re the gift, Hannah. Your love. Don’t you know that?”
Hannah stood up in a daze. Shirley was right. Gregor needed her love. That was her gift to him. And that was his gift to her.
She glanced at the twins. They were sliding down a snowy mound on an old-fashioned sled. Santa and Alena chatted with a small group of elves. Sternschnuppen danced around the street, filling the air with music.
Hannah walked slowly to Gregor. He stood alone, waiting for her. How long had he been waiting? It was long enough.
“You asked me, on Christmas Eve, if I believe we have a future together.”
Gregor held his breath, waiting.
Hannah pressed her palms against his chest and smiled. “I believe.”
Epilogue
One Year Later . . .
“Do my eyes deceive me? Gregor has a hair out of place.” Oskar inspected Gregor’s hair with great interest. “This is a new development. Especially on his wedding day.”
Sven nodded. “You’re right, O. I’m noticing a distinct lack of hair product. What’s up, Gregor? Going for the natural look?”
Nicholas chuckled. “It’s about time. And it appears that the goatee has filled in, too. Nice.”
Wolfgang stroked his thick beard. “Still not as epic as mine. But . . . yeah. You look more relaxed, Gregor. It’s a good look for you.”
Gregor faced his brothers with his arms crossed. “Seriously? You guys are critiquing my appearance. On my wedding day? Give me a break.”
“Just saying, you look laid-back. For you. Not as laid-back as me.” Oskar patted his neon-orange hair.
“I didn’t say anything about your hair, only because Matteo and Anthony think it’s” —Gregor cringed— “cool. So you’re off the hook today, O. But I’ll remember this.”
Santa walked up to the front of St. Nicholas Chapel and pounded Gregor on the back. “Almost time for the bride to arrive. Feeling nervous?”
“Not at all. In fact, I’m impatient. I wanted to marry her the first week we met.” Gregor sighed. “She made me wait.”
“That was a wise decision. You had two families to meld together. That takes time.” Santa frowned. “Your hair looks different.”
Oskar roared with laughter. “Even Dad noticed. It’s a Christmas miracle.”
“I’m glad my hair is entertaining all of you.” Gregor craned his neck to look down the chapel aisle. No sign of Hannah yet.
“Well, mine is snowy white, but I still have a full head of hair. I’m proud of that.” Santa wagged his eyebrows.
“You feeling tired, old man? I know we got an extension from the Council about the Überholen, but if you’re feeling wiped out, we can hustle on that decision. This was another hectic Christmas season,” Oskar said.
“Who are you calling old man? I’m in the best shape of my life. And no, I’m not exhausted. When the time is right, and all of you are settled, we’ll figure that out.” He cleared his throat. “I want my sons to find their own paths first, before they get saddled with the responsibility of the Weihnachtsmann.”
Sven slung an arm around Wolfgang’s shoulder. “You’re next.”
Wolfgang responded with a small, tight smile. “I sure hope so.”
Nicholas shushed his brothers. “The bride’s coming. Here we go.”
All of the Klaus men stopped to stare at the back of the church. Organ music filled the vestibule. St. Nicholas Chapel was aglow with candlelight and sparkling sternschnuppen. Gregor took a deep breath and waited for Hannah to appear in the foyer.
And finally she stepped into the aisle, and a hush fell over the chapel. She looked like a princess encased in fitted white lace. A train trailed behind her, edged with satin rosebuds. Her bouquet was exquisite, bursting with red roses and amaryllis and evergreens. Beneath her sheer veil, Gregor could see her face. She beamed at him with her glorious smile. Her hair was long and loose, just the way he liked it. Like bronze silk. And perched on the top of her head was a delicate tiara, a wedding gift from Gregor. A gift that had made Hannah bawl like a baby.
He watched with impatience as his almost-wife walked slowly down the aisle of the chapel. She took measured steps in her green satin pumps . . . his very own Cinderella. He had to wait for the music to play and the readings to be spoken and the priest—an ancient elf—to bless them. And then finally, Gregor Alric Klaus, Fourth Son of Nicholas and Alena Klaus, Director of Finance for Klaus Enterprises, was married to the love of his life.
He lifted the veil over her face and smiled at his new wife.
She laughed back, radiating joy. “We did it.”
“Yes, finally. You led me on a merry chase, Mrs. Klaus.”
Gregor kissed her knuckles, grazing the delicate bands on her fingers that looked like holly and ivy.
Hannah’s eyelashes glittered with tears. “Perhaps I did. I couldn’t believe in my good fortune. Falling in love with you, and you loving me back.”
Gregor squeezed her fingers gently. “Now you know.”
Hannah nodded. “I’m not fighting you anymore, Gregor. I know you’re my destiny.”
He kissed her slowly, a kiss filled with passion and promises for the future. “Thank God for that. You melted the iceman, and gave me back my Christmas spirit. You’re my holiday angel, Hannah. I need you . . . forever.”
Hannah kissed him back. A sweet shy kiss. “Merry Christmas, Gregor. My love.”
“And many more to come.”
They were all celebrating. His four brothers. All of them laughing and filled with joy. And why not? All of them had found their soul mates.
Nicholas and Lucy.
Oskar and Kiana.
Sven and Andi.
And now Gregor and Hannah.
He loved his brothers. More than anything. He wanted them to be happy.
But he couldn’t help his bitterness. Why not him? What was wrong with him?
Wolfgang had traveled all over the world at least a hundred times. He’d been to big cities teaming with life and tiny rural villages so sleepy they weren’t on the map. He’d built schools and planned hospital additions and attended meetings focused on poverty, education, and health care. But still he waited for . . . the one. The one who would drive away the darkness. Complete him. The one he could share his life with. Just like his brothers. Why couldn’t he find her? He’d been looking forever.
His position at Klaus Enterprises was crushing his soul. He’d watched children suffer and die and families desperate for help. Some days his job was like a dagger in his heart. No matter how hard he worked, there were people who couldn’t be saved. Some children would never know the joy of another Christmas.
His heart grew bitter and resentful—resentful of those filled with joy and happiness.
He watched his brothers dance with their wives and laugh with their children, and he painted on a mask for the world. But deep inside of him was a darkness that wouldn’t go away.
There was only one way to fix it.
Escape.
And so as his brothers danced with their wives and laughed with their children, Wolfgang Reinhard Klaus quietly left the church, left behind Glasdorf and Magik and Christmas. Left behind the icy North Pole.
And ventured out.
Alone.
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COMING CHRISTMAS 2016
SWEET DESTINY
Klaus Brothers Series #5
The Final Chapter
Penny Watson’s Klaus Brothers Series Cheat Sheet
AKA, Who The Heck Are All These People?
Nicholas Klaus Senior: Santa Claus. Married to Alena Klaus. CEO of Klaus Enterprises. Fitness buff, runs marathons and works out like a boss. Has a snowy-white goatee and is built like Paul Bunyan.
Alena Klaus: Mrs. Santa. The cute, pixie-like matriarch of the Klaus family. Bohemian style of dress. Awful cook. Also loves to work out, especially triathlons.
Nicholas Klaus (SWEET INSPIRATION): Oldest son. Highly disciplined
master pastry chef at Klaus Küche. Specialty is Christmas cookies. Big beard, wears glasses.
Sven Klaus (SWEET ADVENTURE): Second oldest son. Chief Toy Designer and Woodworker. Tree-hugging, Birkenstock-wearing hippie. Resembles a blond lumberjack.
Wolfgang Klaus (SWEET DESTINY, 2016): Middle son. Director of Charitable Donations at Klaus Enterprises. General do-gooder. Spends a lot of time in pediatric hospitals and third world countries. Tall, dark, and handsome.
Gregor Klaus (SWEET CINDERELLA, 2015): Second youngest son. Financial guru for Klaus Enterprises. Lives in Manhattan. Likes designer duds and expensive coffee. Goatee and Rolex not optional.
Oskar Klaus (SWEET MAGIK): Youngest son. Director of Elfin Resources. Green-haired punk. Extreme snowboarder. Reformed Bad Boy.
Glossary of Terms
Council of Seven: governing elfin body of Glasdorf
Demaskierend: Unmasking Spell
Glasdorf: Village near the North Pole where the Klaus family resides
Honigbienchen: little honeybee
Klaus Küche: Nicholas’s bakery in Glasdorf
Magik: elfin Magik in the North Pole
Magik Bändiger: Magik tamer
Pfefferkuchen: gingerbread
Regelbrecher: Rule Breaker
Schneemonster: Snowmonster or Yeti
Sternschnuppen: “shooting stars,” bits of sparkling Magik
Suddie/Sudlander: any person living south of Glasdorf
Sudenwelt: the “Southern World”
Tag der Rache: the “day of reckoning,” when the Council determines the punishment for a law breaker in Glasdorf
The Gate: doorway to Glasdorf, composed of ice, invisible to Suddies
The Tunnel: underground “old skool” passageway to Glasdorf, in Alaska
Überholen: the “passing of the torch,” when the current Santa steps down and his heir takes his place
Weihnachtsmann: Santa Claus
Zeit einfrieren: Time Freeze
About the Author
PENNY WATSON is a native Pittsburgher whose love of romance started at the age of twelve when she discovered Gone With The Wind in the middle school library. This resulted in numerous attempts at a first novel involving a young lady with windswept hair who lived in a tree house.
A biologist by training, Penny has worked at various times as a dolphin trainer, science teacher, florist, and turf grass researcher (don’t ask). After taking time off to raise her two spirited children, she decided to rekindle her passion for storytelling. Now she gets to incorporate her wide array of interests—including gardening, cooking, and travel—into her works of fiction.
Penny lives outside of Boston with one fly-fishing crazed husband, two lively Filipino kids, and a wiener dog.
Sign up for Penny’s newsletter for information about her upcoming releases and give-aways.
Also, please visit her website for reviews, news, and extra goodies.
More Titles by Penny Watson/Nina Clark
Apples Should Be Red
“Hilarious and sweet, a delightfully romantic gem of a story.” —Laura Florand, Bestselling author
of The Chocolate Series
2015 Colorado RWA Award of Excellence Finalist
2015 DABWAHA Finalist
One of the “Best Romance Novels in 2014” at About.com
Recipe for Thanksgiving Dinner:
Start with sixty-two year old politically incorrect, chain-smoking, hard-cussing curmudgeon.
Add fifty-nine year old sexually-repressed know-it-all in pearls.
Throw in a beer can-turkey, a battle for horticultural supremacy, and nudist next-door neighbor.
Serve on paper plates, garnished with garden gnome.
Tastes like happily ever after.
Penny Watson presents an over-fifty romantic comedy novella. 21,000 words. Story includes copious profanity and botanical references.
Purchase APPLES SHOULD BE RED
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The Klaus Brothers Series
“SWEET MAGIK will surely help readers get into the Christmas spirit . . . suspend disbelief and go along for a ride to the North Pole.” —RT Book Reviews
What if the legend of Santa Claus is real? What if Santa has five strapping sons who help him run his empire? Five single, sexy sons looking for romance?
❅ ❄ ❅
Sweet Inspiration
Klaus Brothers Series #1
Nicholas Klaus is a master pastry chef, a strict disciplinarian, and the eldest son of the legendary Santa Claus. One look at café owner Lucy Brewster sends him into an unexpected tailspin of lusty desires. When Lucy is injured, Nicholas makes a decision that catapults both of their lives into turmoil . . .
Lucy Brewster, the free-spirited proprietor of Sweet Inspiration, has a flair for concocting sugary confections but no time for adventure. She gets more than she bargained for when she awakens in the North Pole . . . rambunctious elves, a fitness-obsessed Santa, and the man of her dreams.
Does she have what it takes to become the next Mrs. Klaus?
Purchase SWEET INSPIRATION
❅ ❄ ❅
Sweet Magik
Klaus Brothers Series #2
“To borrow a little German, this book was wunderbar.” —Romancing Rakes
Oskar Klaus’ job is killing him. Not even his favorite hobbies (extreme snowboarding and browsing old bookstores) are enough to snap him out of his funk. It’s not easy living in the shadow of four successful older brothers and a father named Santa. Little does he know that a kiss on New Year’s Eve is about to turn his life upside-down.
Kiana Grant’s Manhattan life is a world away from her childhood in Oahu. She traded sunsets and surfing for a respectable career in library science, but Oskar Klaus is a temptation that’s hard to resist. Before she knows it, she’s in the midst of an outrageous adventure in the North Pole, dealing with mischievous elves, wicked demons, and a devastating attraction to Santa’s youngest son.
There’s just one problem . . . a bitter elf hell-bent on revenge threatens the future of everyone in the North Pole, even Santa himself . . .
Purchase SWEET MAGIK
❅ ❄ ❅
Sweet Adventure
Klaus Brothers Series #3
“Fans of the Klaus Brothers books will eat this one up.” —Babbling About Books
Sven Klaus, Chief Toy Designer for Klaus Enterprises, will protect his family at any cost. He’s prepared to battle the most threatening adversaries to do it—frost flowers, snowstorms, Yeti. And beautiful tenacious tabloid journalists.
Andi De Luca’s reporting career is built on lies—about corrupt politicians, greedy Hollywood stars, and Bigfoot. Now she’s determined to uncover the truth about Klaus Enterprises, and she always gets her story. Even if it means revealing her own secret desires to Santa’s son.
After all the lies and deception are exposed, will Andi and Sven survive this North Pole adventure? Or will YETI MAKE THEM DEADY?
Penny Watson presents a 45,000-word holiday romance novella, #3 in the Klaus Brothers Series. Includes paranormal phenomena, Christmas spirit, and yes . . . an abominable snowmonster.
SWEET ADVENTURE can be read as a stand-alone story.
Purchase SWEET ADVENTURE
❅ ❄ ❅
Sweet Cinderella
Klaus Brothers Series #4, A Novella
Just one night.
Hannah De Luca Andersen has been battered by the worst year ever, but even that can’t squash her love of the holiday season. She has one night to forget life’s hardships and enjoy the magic of an elegant Christmas gala. Maybe if she’s really lucky, a handsome prince will ask her to dance.
Gregor Klaus, Director of Finance for Klaus Enterprises, has completely lost his Christmas spirit. One look at Hannah thaws his icy demeanor and gives him a new sense of purpose. If he can only figure out the key to Hannah’s heart, then maybe he’ll have the best Christmas of his life.
But one night isn’t enough for Gregor Klaus.
He won’t be satisfied with anything less than forever.
SWEET CINDERELLA is a 29,000-word holiday novella, part 4 of the Klaus Brothers Series. It’s a continuation of Book #3, Sweet Adventure.
SWEET CINDERELLA is now available.
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Lumberjack in Love
“The delicious beard! The magnificent log!
This city-girl-meets-lumberjack tale is a crazy sexy hairy delight.”
—Carolyn Crane, author of The Disillusionists Trilogy
City slicker Ami Jordan was just dumped by her backstabbing boyfriend, has no job prospects, and can’t find a decent cup of coffee in the entire state of Vermont. The last thing she needs is a sexy, bearded lumberjack complicating her life. Even if he’s smart, talented, and has the hottest ass she’s ever seen.
Tree house builder, environmental champion, and Bulldog owner Marcus Anderson has no patience for flatlanders with an attitude. But when landscape designer Ami Jordan shows up at his log cabin, he suddenly develops a hankering for a high-maintenance city gal. Now his house looks like a jungle, his recycling is in disarray, and his libido’s on fire.
He’s a lumberjack in love.
Purchase LUMBERJACK IN LOVE at Amazon.
Download FREE EPILOGUE for Lumberjack In Love
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Check out the children’s series
by Nina Clark and Sara Pulver
Lucy the Wonder Weenie!
“Lucy is sure to tickle the funny bones of young kids and wiener dog-lovers of all ages. The bright, charmingly wacky illustrations build the perfect world for a wiener dog with a newly-found superpower.” —Pam Smallcomb, author of EARTH TO CLUNK