'Tis the Season for Love: A Charity Box Set

by Maggie Dallen

  “And this is my lovely assistant—” He feigned exasperation. “Frosty, I told you, it’s not your turn.”

  Frosty shrugged.

  “You know what happens when you interrupt my show.” He wagged a finger.

  Frosty ran around the stage, eliciting laughter.

  Breck held up both hands. “What’s a magician supposed to do?” He snapped his fingers and stepped on the button for the flash pot. The smoke cleared, and Harmony stood there. He shook his head. What was she up to this time?

  She waved at the crowd. “Hi, everyone!” They clapped for the trick, and some kids waved hello. “Do you know hard it is trick a magician?”

  They grew silent.

  “Especially one you’re married to?” She pulled a large deck of cards from behind her back and fanned them out. “Pick a card.” She winked at the crowd.

  They leaned forward, wondering what she was up to. Breck wondered the same thing. But his wife was pretty much the most amazing woman ever, so he went with it. Stepping forward, he picked a card.

  “Don’t look at it,” she instructed.

  He laughed. “This isn’t how it works.”

  “Just show it to these nice people, but don’t look.”

  He turned and held the card so he could only see the back. The crowd gasped and giggled. Whatever was on there was getting a great response. He turned back to Harmony. “Now what?”

  “Place it in the deck.”

  He did.

  She shuffled the cards and then grinned. “Are you ready?”

  The crowd cheered. Man, they really liked this one. Breck was dying to know what she was up to.

  “One. Two. Three!” She threw the cards in the air, and suddenly it was raining pink and blue balloons and confetti. He stared. What …?

  Harmony turned him to face the back of the stage. In large, sparkling letters were the words “You’re Going to Be a Daddy.”

  He took off his top hat and threw it in the air. Two turtledoves broke out and flew away. “Shoot, there goes my next trick,” he said, making the audience roar.

  “I think your trick is coming in 9 months!” called the owner of the company. The noise level grew.

  Breck scooped Harmony into his arms and kissed her good.

  “Are you okay with this?” she whispered just for him. They hadn’t planned to have a baby so soon—at least he hadn’t. Maybe she had. Maybe that was all part of the trick. If it was, it only made him love her more.

  “I’m ecstatic.” He nuzzled her neck right in the spot that made her knees go weak. “I love you forever, Harmony Mitchell.”

  Awww. His mic must have picked up his words.

  She buried her face in his chest, embarrassed. “I love you too.”

  He hugged her close, a promise that he would snuggle her properly that night, and then stepped back. “We have a show to do, Mrs. Mitchell. Ladies and gentlemen, the only woman who has ever out-tricked me, my wife and lovely assistant, and now the mother of my child …” His eyes clouded with gratitude for this woman. “Harmony.”

  Harmony crossed her ankles and gave a bow. She blew him a kiss and headed offstage to set up their next illusion.

  Breck had to gather himself before he could go on. “Sorry,” he said to the crowd. “My life just got exponentially better. I love Christmas!”

  There’s more Christmas Magic in the world when the Kringle sisters get together.

  Follow Santa’s five daughters as Christmas Magic changes and the Kringle Family scrambles to keep up in this fun and romantic holiday romance from Author Lucy McConnell.

  Click on the link below to start reading.

  Marrying Miss Kringle: Ginger

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  Lucy McConnell has always been a reader and a writer. She writes fantasy, clean romance, Christian romance, historical fiction, and cookbooks under the name Christina Dymock.

  When she’s not writing, you can find her volunteering at the elementary school or the church; shuttling kids to baseball, soccer, basketball, or rodeo, depending on the time of year; skiing with her family; wake boarding; cycling; or curled up with a good book.

  You can sign up for her newsletter by clicking here.

  Keep scrolling! The Perfect Kiss by Britney M Mills is up next!

  He needs a scholarship for college, but meeting her could derail all his plans. Isaac Everton receives the Christmas present of a lifetime when his parents announce he's going to the Barkley Baseball Camp in Florida. He's determined to show all the scouts his skills, until he sees the girl he met on the plane. When he finds out she's the coach's daughter, he knows his growing attraction for her is going to risk all he's worked for.

  Sara Frank has prepped herself for the Christmas vacation with her father. She's been helping at the baseball camp since she was young and the last time she'd visited, she nearly had her heart broken. Giving Isaac a chance to her heart could leave her reliving memories she'd rather forget.

  Enjoy the prequel to the Rosemont High Baseball Series!

  Chapter 1

  Isaac

  I was half-asleep in my third period, sure that the droning of Mr. Kendall would have me snoring by the end of the class. We still had two days until Christmas break and I wasn’t sure if I’d survive. The energy in the room signaled we were all more excited about vacation than reading Hamlet. And sleeping in for the next ten days sounded perfect right about now.

  “Isaac,” whispered the girl who sat next to me.

  I turned to her, trying to blink my eyes awake enough to see. “What?” I had to close one eye, trying to get the dryness to go away. When I finally focused on her, she was pointing to the front of the room and I turned, pausing when I saw Mr. Kendall staring at me with a pink piece of paper in his hand.

  Pink meant it was from the office, but was it a good summons or a bad one? I never got notes to get me out of class and from the boredom I could see in my classmates’ faces, I needed to take advantage of this and run.

  I grabbed my backpack and walked up to take the note from my teacher, avoiding his gaze so he wouldn’t be entirely sure I’d fallen asleep in class. It didn’t take long for me to read the checklist-like sheet to still wonder by why I was being called to the office.

  The door opened before I had the chance to open it and I thanked the kid leaving as he held it out for me to pass through.

  “Mom?”

  “Isaac. Do you have all your things? We need to hurry.” She gave me a smile and glanced down at her watch.

  “Hurry for what?” I hadn’t heard about any events we were supposed to attend. All the family parties we attended each year without fail weren’t for another two days.

  “You’ll see,” she said, walking out of the office. When I saw my dad in the car, I knew something was up. The two of them were real estate partners and it was rare to see them together this early in the day, as one would always have a showing of a house somewhere around Rosemont.

  As the only child, I didn’t get many surprises, usually because I figured them out long before my parents told me, but somehow, they’d been able to keep this secret, whatever it was.

  “Do you have your wallet? And your license?” my dad asked me as he pulled out a bag from the car so I could squeeze into the backseat of my mother’s crossover vehicle.

  I patted the pocket of my jeans. “Yes, why?”

  The furthest away any of my cousins lived was about two hours, but I wouldn’t need my license for that.

  “We’re going to the airport, son.” My dad clapped his hands together, looking like it was really a present for him. We didn’t travel by plane much, as my mom got really sick every time.

  We’d always been the family that honored traditions, usually spending the Christmas holidays split between my par
ents’ families. Eating plenty of food, watching and playing games, all of those usually made for an epic break from school. So the car loaded with suitcases and talk of airplanes was almost like a dream.

  My mom leaned over and changed the radio station, humming along to “Jingle Bells”. I raised an eyebrow, holding my breath as I awaited the answer to my next question. “What about the Christmas parties?”

  My dad smiled and my mom handed me a packet. I flipped through it, seeing the flyer for Universal Studios, Disney World, some excursion brochures and the paper all about the Barkley Baseball Camp. The one camp I’d been dying to go to since I’d heard about it two years ago. All the major college and professional recruiters turned up for that one and I wanted that chance to showcase my talents and maybe get a scholarship.

  Excitement pumped through me. “We’re going to Florida?” I held my breath as I studied their faces, in the hopes they would say yes.

  My mom nodded, tears in her eyes. She did that a lot, especially this year since it was all the “lasts” for me, i.e. last first day of school, last homecoming game and so on.

  “We thought since this is your last Christmas before graduation,” she paused and took an intake of breath after that phrase, “it might be nice to get out and do a few things. Have a memorable family vacation.”

  “Are any of the cousins coming?” I asked, glancing between the two of them. Since I’d been an only child for forever, my cousins were basically my siblings and our families did a lot together.

  “The Evertons are going. Nate is even going to the camp with you.” Nate was one of my younger cousins, a freshman. Not my first pick for who would join me at camp, but I had to be grateful I was going at all.

  I’d done some traveling for baseball over the past few years, but going to some of the amusement parks in Florida and then to the camp was only going to make this trip epic.

  By the time we made it through security at the Houston airport, we only had a little over an hour before we boarded.

  Nate sat down beside me, a grin on his face. “Are you ready for this, cuz?” he asked.

  “For sure. I never thought I’d get to go to this camp. It’s going to be awesome.”

  “Especially when I run circles around you, man.” Nate sat back in one of the chairs while we waited to board the plane.

  He was only a freshman but he had some good skills, especially speed. We could use everyone possible to make it to the state championship this year. Rosemont High baseball hadn’t won a title in at least thirty years, and this was the first time we had a shot. The polls ranked us in the top five, which was saying something since Texas had more schools than I cared to count.

  “That might be true, but I’ve got to show off my fielding and hitting skills to make up for lack of speed,” I said, grinning. “I hear that at least fifty percent of the guys who go to the camp get a good scholarship to college.”

  “I bet I’ll be the youngest one there,” Nate said with a grin. That was usually the case whenever Nate was invited anywhere. I was used to him tagging along for a lot of things where baseball was concerned, but I just hoped he wouldn’t hang on my arm during the sessions at the camp. My parents had declared they weren’t paying for college and I had this one shot to get a scholarship to somewhere outside Rosemont. I didn’t want anything screwing it up.

  “Now boarding for Orlando, Florida, Flight 2568. Please advance to the ticket area to prepare for an on-time departure.” I stood, shaking out my legs a bit since I’d be sitting for the next couple hours. At least we weren’t driving there. Counting stops for bathroom breaks and sightseeing, we’d probably only get there by the time the break was over.

  “Where are you sitting?” Nate asked, leaning over my shoulder while we waited in line. My parents were in front of me and Nate’s dad stood behind us, on the phone with some problem that had come up in Rosemont. As the mayor of the town, he was always on the phone. Nate benefitted from the perks of being the mayor’s son, but I felt bad for him a lot. My dad worked long hours, but when he was home, he was mentally home, not just physically.

  “I’m thirteen C,” I said. I liked the aisle seats as it gave me the chance to stretch my long legs during the flight. The seats in coach definitely weren’t made for people over five-eight, and when you’re six-three, that window seat is brutal.

  “I’m in four A. First class, baby!” Nate laughed in my face and I shook my head. At least with him at the front of the plane, I wouldn’t have to listen to him brag about this or that.

  “It’s all good,” I said. “I’ll just be back here, happy I’m flying at all.” Nate’s face sobered, as if I’d just taken all the air out of his balloon when I wasn’t annoyed with the difference in tickets. Sometimes I think Nate just needed attention and he did just about anything to get it.

  I made it to row thirteen and stashed my stuff in the compartment above me. My parents were behind me a few rows, and I was fine being alone and listening to music. Maybe even getting some shuteye in the process of the flight.

  I’d cranked up the newest ColdStar single and was bobbing my head to the beat, not really paying attention to anything.

  A hand touched my shoulder, causing me to jump. I looked up, figuring it would be a flight attendant telling me to put away my phone or something. Instead, a girl with long light brown hair stood there, smiling down at me.

  I pulled out one of my earbuds and smiled, not sure if she’d already asked me something.

  “Sorry?”

  She smiled, revealing a dimple in her right cheek and highlighting the pale green of her eyes. “I’m next to the window there. Can I squeeze in?”

  “Oh, yeah. Of course.” I stood up, accidentally bumping into her. I had to reach out and grab her arm before she fell into the lap of another passenger.

  “Sorry about that,” I said, surprised by the zip of excitement traveling up my arm from how close we were.

  “It’s okay. Let me just put this up here,” she said, raising her backpack above her head. She stood on tiptoe to get it on the shelf and I helped push it all the way in so it didn’t fall out.

  “We need to clear the aisle for the rest of the passengers to board, please,” an announcement from the flight attendant over the intercom sounded. I glanced down the aisle to see the announcer looking directly at me.

  The girl scooted in and sat down, buckling her seat belt right away before pulling a book out of her backpack.

  I thought about putting my earbuds in but I never got the chance to sit by a pretty girl on a flight. I might as well make the best of the next two-and-a-half hours, that is, if she didn’t get lost in that book.

  Spoiler alert: she did.

  Chapter 2

  Sara

  I felt bad for the kid sitting next to me on the plane. He seemed like he wanted to talk but I had every intention of reading this book since I’d gotten out of school that afternoon. I’d been waiting for at least a year since the last book in the series had been published and the wait had been sheer torture.

  Reading books is like my super power. I mean, I can shut out the world and totally immerse myself in the scenery and the characters. So it wasn’t until the boy had tapped my shoulder, much like I’d done when I was trying to get his attention to scoot past to my seat earlier, that I finally pulled my eyes away from the pages.

  He was my type of guy too, athletically built, stark blue eyes, and a smile that made my stomach flip like a gymnast. I glanced around as several passengers were already on their feet, even though the cabin doors hadn’t opened yet. I could already hear the flight attendant with the necklace made of bells move around. The jingle of the bells only made me more excited for the holiday.

  “What brings you to Florida?” the boy asked, once the plane taxied from the runway to the terminal. The eagerness on his face made me wonder if he'd been trying to figure out a way to talk to me for the past two-and-a-half hours.

  “Visiting for Christmas,” I said, marking the p
age with the ticket from the flight. I wanted to know what happened next as I’d made it to the most suspenseful part of the book, but with us getting off the plane, it would be a lot of interruptions and I didn’t want to waste that feeling. I turned back to him, his eyes drawing me in and causing my breath to hitch. “What about you?”

  He grinned and I found myself surprised that a guy like him would be willingly talking to me. It wasn't like we were at my dad's baseball camp, where talking to me seemed like an advantage. Suck up to the coach’s daughter so they could get special treatment. What they didn’t realize is that my dad had a policy against favorites.

  “Christmas in Florida. Something different from the usual and we’ll get to go to some actual beaches instead of the fake ones near our house.”

  I smiled. I understood that. There was something about the smooth sand and warm sun of Florida that made every other beach next to water in Texas mundane.

  “Are you with your parents?” I asked, tucking my book in my bag under the seat. I had to look away so I didn’t drool over him. I was like ultimate nerd status at my high school, but as my mom liked to say, that just meant I’d wow them all at future reunions by the accomplishments I garnered. Not the kind of thing a seventeen-year-old girl waiting for her first kiss wants to hear.

  My mom is a go-getter, a beauty consultant in Groveton, Texas. And I was the more laid back, observant product of my father, with a few brains mixed in there somewhere.