Dash (Rayne Deare Dating Agency Book 1)
Page 4
Then she’d helped Mrs. Claus make soup and other goodies for the reindeer when they returned. She loved being able to have the joyous woman’s incredible hot chocolate during the holiday season and promised herself that no matter what was going on, she’d make the trip just for a cup of that, if nothing else.
“There’ll be a little one next year who’s going to love my hot chocolate,” Mrs. Claus said as they chopped vegetables and meat for the stew.
“I don’t doubt there will be several little ones hankering for the best hot chocolate in the world next year.”
“Yes, but this little one will share your last name.”
“Huh,” Ashley said. “I haven’t heard anything about Dasher’s sister expecting a-
“Oh,” she said.
“I expect you might just be starting to feel the first symptoms?”
“I hadn’t even noticed really,” she said, suddenly feeling a little lightheaded.
“Don’t you worry,” Mrs. Claus said with a knowing smile. “These sorts of things tend to take awfully good care of themselves all on their own. Not that you shouldn’t take care of yourself mind you.”
“But Dash- “
“Will be a wonderful, fun and loving father,” she said with a wink. “Just mind that hot chocolate fix and you two will be amazing at parenting.”
“Do you know the baby’s name?”
“Oh,” she laughed. “I don’t give away the ending, my dear.”
Nine months later, Ashley delivered a handsome and healthy baby boy. Mrs. C had sent her home with a supply of hot chocolate and she’d allowed herself one cup a week for the entirety of her pregnancy, enjoying the way her little boy bounced in the womb whenever she drank it. She had no doubts that Gavin Edward Holland would love Mrs. C’s hot chocolate when he was old enough to tolerate it. “He’s darling,” Dasher’s sister cooed when she finally got to hold the baby. “Do you think he’ll be able to shift like us?”
“I can’t say,” Dasher said with a shrug. “If he does, I hope he can do more than a reindeer, although he could always take my place on the team when he’s old enough.”
“You’re never retiring,” Ashley laughed. “You love it too much.”
“It’s all I’ve known for so long, I’m not sure I could. Not to mention that Kris saved me.”
“Does he really go by Kris Kringle?”
“Only to those who know him as more than just Santa,” Dasher smiled. “It’s a privilege knowing him on a personal level. It makes flying for him so much better, not to mention the benefits are unreal.”
A knock came on the door and Ashley smiled when a handsome couple came in. “We heard that a sweet baby boy was here for us to see.”
“It’s so good to see you,” Ashley said, holding the baby out for Sarah Kringle to hold. “I see you’ve unthawed from the winter freeze.”
The older woman smiled. “It won’t be long before our hair is turning white again,” she laughed. “You’ll be happy to know I brought more hot chocolate mix for you and a special gift for little Gavin.”
“Bless you,” Ashley laughed, hugging her friend. “Dash won’t tell you that he drank nearly as much of the sweet stuff as I did.”
“Not to fret,” she said, setting the bag of goodies on a tray table. “I brought enough for both of you as I know my reindeer have a fondness for the treat as well.”
“I had to keep up somehow,” Dasher said with a grin. He took the now squirming baby and gave him back to Ashley for a feeding while he saw his friends out.
“I’m so glad everything went well.”
“She was incredible,” Dash gushed. “I’ve never seen her the way she was when she was bringing our son into the world. Every man should be so lucky.”
“I’m glad you see yourself as a lucky man,” Kris said. “There was a time when you would have run the other way as fast as possible if a woman seemed more than a little interested.”
“Ashley taught me so much about myself in our short time before we married. She helped me be at peace with myself.”
“It’s good to see,” Sarah smiled. She gave him a kiss on the cheek before they left, with a promise to visit in the weeks to come with more goodies for Gavin.
As he headed back to their hospital room, Dash couldn’t believe how his life had changed in such a short time; all because he talked to a pretty lady in an elf costume. Now he was a married man, who occasionally turned into a reindeer, with a beautiful baby boy and a whole new life to celebrate. And with the Christmas season quickly coming up, Dash couldn’t wait to make his boy laugh with his crazy reindeer antics. Wouldn’t it be awesome if Gavin turned out to be a shifter as well? Walking into their room, Dash knew that his life had finally come full circle and he was blessed with the best magic of all, love.
Make sure you keep an eye out for Dan – the next reindeer to succumb to Mrs C’s plot!
Dancer- Dancer Prescott is Dasher Holland’s right-hand man, both in and out of their harness. Best friends from the start, they hang out most weekends and during the holiday season they tag team the other reindeer to keep everyone on their game before the huge Christmas Eve toy distribution. Like Dasher, Dancer finds it difficult to find love in a world full of instant matches and temporary hook-ups. He’s after more than just a fast flirtation and he has his sights set on one beautiful woman.
Delaney Grey is beyond tired of the men who traipse through her salon, attempting to flirt with her while their women get pampered. In need of a date for an upcoming family event, she reaches out to the Rayne Deare Dating Agency for help. When Mrs. C matches her with Dancer, she’s not so sure their compatible.
Can Dancer show Delaney that there’s more to him than being second in command? Can Delaney put aside her misgivings to see the man Dancer truly is? True love has its work cut out with this pair.
Prancer- Prancer get stuck between Dasher and Comet. He’s a follower and as much as he’d like to lead, he just doesn’t have the charisma or body to make it happen. Frustrated with life in general, he carries his melancholy attitude into real life and it shows by his habitually single status.
When Mrs. C sets him up on a blind date with a woman who tagged her dating sight, Prancer isn’t expecting much besides being stood up or paying for a date he’d rather not go on. But when Andrea Hornsby walks into the club he’s at, it doesn’t take Prancer long to change his tune.
Andrea Hornsby is gunshy when it comes to dating. She’s been stood up more times than she’d care to count. Socially awkward, Andrea is more than hesitant to date a guy named Prancer, especially after he introduces himself. Why would a hot guy like him want anything to do with a nobody like her?
Can Prancer show Andrea that he’s not shallow, even though he’s exceptionally good looking? Can Andrea really trust a guy who looks like a G.Q. model? When blind dates go sideways all sorts of interesting things can happen. Step inside the Rayne Deare Dating Agency to see if Prancer gets his girl.
Vixen- Vixen Wainwright is a bad boy with a reputation for fast and flirty love. He gives 100% while he’s interested and moves on as fast as he can fly. Mrs. C has her work cut out for her when it comes to finding this troublemaker true love.
Gretchen Dillard is as straight laced as they come. Owner and Operator of Treasured Times Antiques and Collectibles, she prides herself on offering one-of-a-kind embellishments that only she can procure.
When Vixen takes on a remodel in his off-time, can Mrs. C get Vixen to take a look at a woman who’s everything he isn’t? Will Gretchen give this bad boy the time of day or kick him to the curb without a second glance?
Comet- Comet Carter loves everything fast. Like his name, the faster the better. When it comes to love, he’s only interested in the kind that burns hot and fast before fizzling just as quickly. Anything more complicated isn’t something Comet’s into.
Rochelle Blanchard is right up Comet’s alley. She too, is only interested in the sort of love that flames and fizzles. Permanency isn�
��t something she’s looking for and when these two cross paths the fire they create could melt steel.
When an accident threatens life and limb, however, will Rochelle and Comet discover the importance of true love, or will they choose to walk away, no matter how bad the scars?
Cupid- Cupid Donnelly, unlike the fat cherub, isn’t into matchmaking. Never one to have much success with women, he prefers to have his nights to himself. He figures he can enjoy the opposite sex without complicating it with feelings. Never one to turn down an offer, he’s obliging when Mrs. C has a proposal to entertain a pretty lady for a night.
Nicole Ferrari, heiress to the Ferrari fortune, is just about as high class as they come. When she’s matched with Cupid for a dinner date, she pulls out all the stops for the hot hunk and leaves him reeling.
Can Nicole show this eternal bachelor that she has much more to offer than money? Will Cupid finally find his match in one of the richest women in the world? Mrs. C will have some work to do to get these two to see eye to eye.
Donner – Don is as easy going as you’d expect for a mid-level reindeer. He’s close enough to the front to gloat without the responsibility that comes with it. Unfortunately for Don, he’s also stuck in a perpetual state of loveless-ness. Unable to land a date, even to save his own hide, he turns to Mrs. C after hearing that several of his teammates have found love.
Heather Chase is a flower fanatic. Even so, she’s crippled by self-doubt and has yet to make a name for herself, not because she lacks talent, but because she just doesn’t believe she can be successful. When Don places an order that she’s afraid she can’t meet, Don and Heather will both learn a thing or two about the nature of true love and loving oneself?
Can Mrs. C help these two walk the ropes in a dating game fraught with doubt and plagued by genuine mistakes? Join the dating game at RayneDeerDatingAgency.com.
Blitzen-Blitzen Chikovsky, born to a Russian ambassador, is broody and doesn’t have time to invest in relationships that don’t last. Coming off of a bad breakup, Blitz isn’t interested in dating and prefers the life of a bachelor.
Sarah Stevens is a lonely librarian whose biggest adventure lies inside the cover of the latest book she’s reading. She’s so used to her life that the idea of changing any part of it is physically uncomfortable for her. Still, she’s tired of going home to only her cat. When she gets an email about the Rayne Deare Dating Agency, she accidently clicks on it instead of deleting it. Boy is she surprised by the men she sees on the page. Their descriptions are even better and one in particular catches her eye.
Can Mrs. C help Sarah and Blitz see that there’s more to life than the work that occupies too much of their time? Can a serial bachelor learn to love a woman who is more comfortable in a book than in reality? Only the Rayne Deare Dating Agency has the answers.
Rudolph- As the leader of the pack, Rudolph was a misfit of monumental proportions, until Santa needed a way to light up the sky on a particularly snowy Christmas Eve. Now, he leads the way every Christmas season. Naturally charismatic, he makes friends easily and the ladies adore him-a little too much if you were to ask him. With so many friends and acquaintances, Rudolph finds it difficult to find one woman to form a meaningful relationship with.
Alexis Garrison is a confident twenty-something who loves the club scene. She’s outgoing, smart, energetic and just cocky enough to have men stepping back a pace or two when her pretty eyes turn their way.
During their first night off from the grind of preparing for Christmas, Rudolph takes the guys out to Club Sisco, the newest and most modern club south of the Artic. When he has a run-in with Alexis, he immediately notices the way she sends out the frigid vibes. Still, he’s intrigued by her and lets her know it. When she seems uninterested, he shrugs it off and moves on, gladly taking out several women who contact Mrs. C through the Rayne Deare Dating Agency.
Can Rudolph find the woman of his dreams or is he destined to live in the friend-zone forever? Can Mrs. C help Alexis learn to trust when everything tells her not to? Let the Rayne Deare Dating Agency lead you to love this holiday season.
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Marie
About the Author
Marie Fraser has always been a fan of all things sexy. Her husband enjoys being her Guinea pig and willingly endures her experiments to see if they are physically possible.
Due to the nature of their relationship, they have 11 children with one on the way. You are helping support their modest family with the support of this book.
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If you enjoy my work, please be totally awesome and leave a review so others might discover it as well. Long review or short, your opinion will help other readers make future purchase decisions.
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If you enjoy my work, please be totally awesome and leave a review so others might discover it as well. Long review or short, your opinion will help other readers make future purchase decisions.
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