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The Patient Gift |
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“Please read it. It’s not long. Not at all, in fact. Then after you read it, don’t ask me to talk about it. Sometime we’ll talk, but not now. Okay?” “I understand. Regardless, there’s nothing in here that could change how I feel about you. I want you to know that before I open it.” He pushed his empty cup away and she sat across from him. Then he opened the heavily-quilted front cover. The first page simply had written in lovely script:
Journal ... As promised, Durham made no comment, but he couldn’t deny the tears that sprang to his eyes. Across from him, Lea sat, tears streaming down her cheeks. He stood and gathered her into his arms. The wonderful citrus aroma of her hair teased his nostrils as he kissed the top of her head. He ran his hands down her shoulders and around her back, gently kneading his fingers into the sparseness of her. Finally, her wracking sobs ceased and he pushed her a hairsbreadth away. He tilted her face up and with the backs of his fingers wiped the tears, stopping at her chin, which he held between his thumb and index finger. He leaned down and tenderly kissed the lips he’d dreamed about the last three weeks. Reserved at first, she slowly responded. He was a patient man and anything more would have been presumptuous.
If you were to buy one anthology this year of short Christmas stories to settle in on a cold winters night than you won’t go wrong by picking up this entertaining compilation of an even dozen featuring some bright and fresh new talent. The stories run the gamut of contemporary to historical and even a bit of time travel – but more importantly they’re all magical enough to warm the cockles of your heart! Christmas At Home / Leanne Burroughs – Prepare to be charmed completely by Burroughs poignant tale as wounded WWII gunner pilot Ryan Burgess discovers that a lovely widow and her precocious daughter Becca are the perfect pair to help him ring in Christmas with hope for the future. *** Have lots of tissues nearby as Burroughs tugs your heartstrings with this one. The Christmas Store / Anne Marie Bradley – After finding her fiancé in bed with another woman Aine is spending Christmas up north with best friend Holly who takes her to The Christmas Store with a Mr. & Mrs. Claus looking remarkably like the real deal! Who knows what Christmas wishes would come true when she and a cute orphan named Joey write their wishes on golden stars to hang on Santa’s tree! *** Bradley’s sweetly touching tale will make you believe in Santa again! Love’s Eternal Hope / Amber Dawn Bell – Bell serves up every older (mature) woman’s fantasy with this gem of a story. When Hope Lacey felt all had been lost a magical journey sent her back to her Cherokee roots giving her back not only her self-esteem but a very surprising gift on Christmas Eve. *** Oh, so very satisfying. Operation Family / Billie Warren Chai – Major Sean Spencer wanted to be in control and wanted a stay at home wife. Ava’s career meant just as much to her as Sean’s so heartbreakingly, they split. Some months later when Sean arrived to bail his crew out of jail he ran into a very pregnant Ava and knew he was going to be a daddy. Sean, a special ops specialist knew changes were called for and put Operation Family into overdrive in order to convince the woman of his dreams that marriage would be the best Christmas gift ever. *** You gotta love take charge guys who know how to make Christmas special! The Gift of You / Kimberly Ivie – After suffering groping attempts and abuse from her slime ball boss Liliana Brooks quit her job knowing the worse would come later when telling her parents. Little did she know the worst would come sooner than that. Jake Dellatore wasn’t looking to be a hero but after saving Liliana from being raped he felt more alive than he had since losing his wife and child five years before. Perhaps this Christmas would bring Liliana and Jake a gift both had lost all hope of ever receiving. *** Ivie offers up a lovely spun sugar Christmas romance served up sweetly sensual. The Patient Gift / Patty Howell – Patty Howell delivers a delightful and emotionally moving tale of love when she brings together Lea and Durham during a winter storm. With a little bit of coaching from a very smart canine called Basil they would discover that hearts could be mended with a little bit of help from a furry friend. *** A tissue nearby would not go to waste while reading this beautifully moving and magically inspirational tale. In Time For Christmas / Cheryl Alldredge – When Beth Markham made a wish upon a very old and ancient box sent to her after being handed down through many generations, she’d never guessed that her wish for a family would bring such a delightful turn of events. *** Alldredge’s time travel will take you back to medieval Norway and one very sexy Norseman. Oh my, the sensuality is sure to keep you warm on a cold winter’s night! Once Upon a Snowflake / Shelli Stevens – Stevens tells a light hearted tale featuring a young woman and her son who find the perfect home for Christmas – and strong arms to keep her safe and warm all winter long. *** Lovely imagery, very nicely done – sweet! Joy’s Christmas Wishes / Gerri Bowen – Gerri Bowen will delight you with a blast from the past – Regency style – complete with darling children, friends and relatives as eleven year old Joy makes a couple of Christmas wishes that ultimately come true for Lady Emily and her papa. *** Absolutely darling, the characters and the wish come true theme. Loved it. Miracles and Mistletoe / Kimberly Grant – Marla wanted more than anything a future with the most thrilling man she’d ever met, Chance Yardley. Would a raging blizzard keep the results of Marla’s latest medical test results keep them from truly enjoying a very special Christmas and life together. *** Ms. Grant packs a terrific punch in this powerfully moving story. Very nice. The Christmas Wish / Rebecca Andrews – Rebecca Andrews will delight readers with young Kevin’s Christmas Wish to bring him a new mom and someone nice for his dad. Holly St. Nick turned out to be just perfect in all ways, for him and for his dad. *** Sweetly sensual – a delightful treat! All I Want for Christmas is a HulaHoop…and a Mother / DeborahAnne MacGillivray – Take one precocious five year old angel, a devastatingly handsome dad, a sexy ballet teacher, one fat cat, a pony, and a blizzard – tuck them away in a snug cabin in the country and you’ll have all the ingredients needed to make one magical Christmas where everyone’s wish comes true. *** MacGillivray once again proves whether writing a long Medieval or Contemporary she is entirely up to the challenge of packing a wallop of entertainment into a short story! This is one very talented wordsmith! ~ Marilyn Rondeau, RIO - Reviewers International Organization
“The Christmas Store” by Anne Marie Bradley—Aine decides to spend the holidays with a friend after finding her boyfriend celebrating the holidays with another woman. A trip to a Christmas store is going to change her life in ways she never thought possible. “Love’s Eternal Hope” by Amber Dawn Bell—Hope Lacey’s life has taken a turn she never thought to experience after her long time husband leaves her. She decides to get in touch with her Cherokee roots and this decision takes her on a magical journey. This gift will be beyond anything she could ask for. “Operation Family” by Billie Warren Chai—Major Sean Spencer and his wife Ava want too many different things and they separate but when fate brings them together he realizes that he is about to be a daddy. Now his only concern is to prove to Ava they can have a happy ending. “The Gift of You” by Kimberly Ivey—Liliana Brooks quits a job where she has been abused by her boss. Her troubles are just getting started when she finds herself being attacked. She is saved by Jake who has his own demons haunting him. The holiday season which starts off rough for them both ends up offering them more then they ever thought possible. “The Patient Gift” by Patty Howell—Lea and Durham learn a very good lesson that hearts can heal with the help of a very special dog named Basil. This holiday season is going to be a good one. “In Time For Christmas” by Cheryl Alldredge—When Beth makes a Christmas wish on a for a family. She never guessed just how that wish was going to be answered and from where her handsome hero would hale. “Once Upon a Snowflake” by Shelli Stevens—Lilly and her son are on their way to start a new life in a new place. But an accident changes things and she and Ben are about to realize the magic that can be found during the holiday season. “Joy’s Christmas Wish” by Gerri Bowen—Joy wants her papa to be happy and this little girl makes a wish that will bring two people together and this Christmas they learn that wishes really can come true. “Miracles and Mistletoe” by Kimberly Grant—Marla is awaiting test results that are going to tell her if her life is about to be numbered…literally. How unfair since she only met the man of her dreams two weeks earlier. Will a storm keep them from finding out if they are going to have a happy holiday and happy ending? “The Christmas Wish” by Rebecca Andrews—Ryan Conner lost his wife a year earlier and their son Kevin doesn’t seem to understand that she won’t be back. So when he makes a wish to have a new mother come and take care of him and his father…Holly St. Nick is a wish come true but will they have the happy ending he so badly wants? “All I Want For Christmas Is A Hula Hoop…And A Mom” by DeborahAnne MacGillivray—Keon Challenger and his beloved daughter Allison share a very special relationship but one thing is missing…a mama. When Allison asks St. Nick for that very important thing…he has to wonder what he’s going to do and then he meets her. This is going to be a very happy holiday. This is a charming collection of holiday stories that celebrate the emotions of the season. From precocious children to hopeful adults there is a story here that will touch your heart and make you believe in happy ending. This is the perfect way to spend a holiday evening. ~ Kristi Ahlers, Author/Reviewer
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