Love at Christmas Inn Collection 2 Read online

  Love at

  Christmas Inn

  Collection 2

  Tanya Stowe

  Marianne Evans

  Mary Manners

  Delia Latham

  Table of Contents

  About the Books

  A Bedazzling Christmas

  Dedication

  Key Verse

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Sneak Peek

  About Tanya

  More Titles by Tanya Stowe

  Wrapped in Hope

  Dedication

  Key Verse

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Sneak Peek

  About Mary

  More Titles by Mary Manners

  The Second Time Around

  Dedication

  Key Verse

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Sneak Peek

  About Marianne

  More Titles by Marianne Evans

  The Button Box

  Dedication

  Key Verse

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Epilogue

  Sneak Peek

  About Delia

  More Titles by Delia Latham

  LOVE AT CHRISTMAS INN

  COLLECTION 2

  COPYRIGHT 2018

  A BEDAZZLING CHRISTMAS

  COPYRIGHT 2018

  TANYA STOWE

  WRAPPED IN HOPE

  COPYRIGHT 2018

  MARY MANNERS

  THE SECOND TIME AROUND

  COPYRIGHT 2018

  MARIANNE EVANS

  THE BUTTON BOX

  COPYRIGHT 2018

  DELIA LATHAM

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Cover Art by Heaven’s Touch Designs, Delia Latham

  This book is a work of fiction. Characters and events are the product of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons living or dead, places, events or locales is purely coincidental.

  Warning: No part of this book may be copied, scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means without the express, written permission of the author. Unauthorized duplication and/or distribution is illegal. Please purchase only authorized editions and do not participate in the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture references are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version ®, NIV ®, Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.(TM) Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

  Published by Haven Group

  First Edition, 2018

  Published in the United States of America

  ISBN:

  Contact information:

  [email protected]

  About the Books

  A BEDAZZLING CHRISTMAS

  Tanya Stowe

  Lauren Bradford’s company is about to break into a major department store chain. The deal is on hold for Christmas, leaving Lauren at loose ends . She hasn’t enjoyed the season since her mother died thirteen years ago. Her father suggests they return to Christmas Inn to tackle the loss that still haunts her. Will she be able to face the past…and the boy she walked away from?

  Shane McCallister has only loved two women in his life…and both of them broke his heart. After three years of battling his mentally unstable ex-wife for custody of their children, he is finally free to enjoy a fun-filled trip to ease his children’s stress. Christmas Inn—where he shared so much with Lauren—is the perfect place to start…until she walks back into his life and straight into his daughter’s heart. Will Lauren disappoint his precious girl like she did him? Will his heart be shattered for a third and final time?

  THE SECOND TIME AROUND

  Marianne Evans

  Dustin Farrell is expected to succeed. He’s gifted with the means and ability to take the world of business development by storm…and he’s doing just that, right on plan.

  As Christmas approaches, he’s called home, to Hope Creek, Tennessee. He’s been given a slam-dunk objective from his investors: Take a small, local art shop and expand it into the retail mainstream.

  Lillianna Bennett, Dustin’s former high school classmate, is part owner of Purple Door Art Market. Long ago, her shy sweetness captured his imagination, but nothing came of the affectionate flame between them.

  Until a reunion at Christmas Inn. Dustin presents his offer, realizing the wallflower of his youth has bloomed into a confident, talented woman with the kind of free-spirited heart for which he always longed. And he wonders: Is a life of expectation, and ‘more’ what he really wants? Will his professional quest end up compromising Lillianna if her gifts and business become part of a wider view?

  Most of all, will love be lovelier...the second time around?

  WRAPPED IN HOPE

  Mary Manners

  Hope Mallory’s Olympic dreams are crushed when a rogue investigation by news reporter and one-time-friend, Riley Tate, exposes her skating partner as a drug abuser. Broken and dejected, she accepts a gift from her grandparents—a week’s stay at the fabled Christmas Inn. There, she hopes to discover peace and a new direction for her future. What she doesn’t expect is to find the man who ruined her life waiting there to confront her.

  When the big break he’s been looking for finally hits, investigative reporter Riley Tate discovers fame’s not all it’s cracked up to be—especially when the woman he secretly loves pays the highest cost. So, he heads to Christmas Inn beneath the guise of research—he’s heard rumors the church bells ring when true love is discovered—and soon finds himself wrapped in hope.

  Can the pair mend their differences long enough to enjoy the holiday—and possibly even a future together?

  THE BUTTON BOX

  Delia Latham

  They were kids on an Oregon beach, passing the time during spring vacation. Afterward, they shared a tearful goodbye, and Alissa Neal gave Scott Lowell a special token of remembrance. He promised he’d never forget her.

  But then he disappeared from her life as if he’d been no more than a pleasant dream.

  Fifteen years later, at Christmas Inn, Alissa comes face to face with the man who once was the boy in her memories. But she’s never really gotten over the heartbreak of first love, and is not about to open her heart to that kind of pain again.

  She’s haunted Scott’s dreams since he was a boy. He’s delighted when Alissa shows up at Christmas Inn like a gift from the Magi. He starts chipping at the fortress she’s built around her heart, determined to prove he never forgot. But then a piece of his past overshadows the here-and-now. Any hope of a future with Alissa disappears in the blink of an eye.

  Is it possible the chapel bells at Christmas Inn might still ring for love that bloomed on an Oregon beach so many years in the past?

  A Bedazzling

  Christmas

  Tanya Stowe

 
Dedication

  For my daughters, Tamara, Veronica and Cristy

  because they love other women’s children.

  Key Verse

  perseverance, character; and character, hope.

  ~ Romans 5:3 ~

  Chapter 1

  WHY, OH, WHY DID I listen to my dad? Whatever made me think this trip down memory lane would be good for me?

  Surveying a room full of blue-haired ladies and squirming girls, Lauren Bradford sighed. All of them, young and old, had signed up for the Christmas Inn Crafting Class, the same one Lauren had attended her very first Christmas at the inn when she was a little girl. Her father and mother met and fell in love at Christmas Inn. They’d returned every Christmas until Lauren was a teenager.

  As a child she was enthralled with the incredible, oversized nativity scene above the check-in desk and the antique clock made of Bavarian wood. She would sit in front of the clock, waiting for the chimes, just to watch Santa and his elves march out of their house and around the clock to the other side. Then she would roam the halls upstairs, peeking into each room as the maids cleaned. A different Christmas theme was featured in each room—cardinals and baby animals, the North Pole room with the white polar bear rug and the room with Santas from around the world. That was her favorite. She asked her parents to book that room each year. She loved sitting in the big, overstuffed chair and studying all the Santas, wondering what it was like in the countries they represented. International travel was in her plans even at that tender age.

  Rising from the crafting table, she looked out the window over the grounds. A large wooden deck spread from one end of the massive inn to the other. Small wrought iron tables and chairs lined the rails and guests gathered around them, sipping hot steamy drinks. On the grounds below the deck, a herd of fake reindeer surrounded a white gazebo decked with red ribbons. The life-sized animals lit up at night. A massive live pine tree swathed in multi-colored Christmas bulbs and more decorations than Lauren could count reigned over the scene. Not far away, on a hill that made it visible even at the inn, she spotted the famous chapel with the bell tower and bells that were rumored to ring when someone fell in love.

  Lauren knew the rumor was true. It had happened to her.

  Christmas Inn was her own fairy tale come true, especially after the year she met Shane McAllister. The minute he walked in, a rolling suitcase in one hand and his little sister’s hand in the other, Lauren recognized the boy who attended her school. He knew her, too, because he gave her a slow nod and a smile. She recognized that stubborn black cowlick on his forehead, the one that wanted to stand straight up. He always tried to swipe it down when he was nervous. At school, she’d watch him talk to other girls, knowing he was nervous by the way his hand would shoot up and swipe down that cowlick. She’d always thought it cute and sweet. But that Christmas, when he walked in and noticed her, it was his smile that knocked her flat. All that dark hair with light-colored eyes flashing like blue sparks of electricity when he smiled. She was smitten.

  Even the way he held onto his little sister attracted her. A sixteen-year-old boy treating the seven-year-old with such kindness tugged at Lauren’s heart. The sweet, cute boy she’d watched from afar turned into the object of her devotion.

  During that wonderful Christmas season, they attended all the Christmas Inn functions together. Shane became her best friend and by the time they went back to school, they were a couple. Those years stood out in her memory like photos in a golden frame. Then everything changed.

  Her mother discovered she had cancer. She passed away just before Christmas a few weeks after their senior year. Lauren no longer understood her world, herself or where she was going. Before their graduation, she broke up with Shane and walked away from her small Tennessee town life… and Shane. That day…she broke his heart…and hers.

  Lauren’s eyes closed. She wasn’t sure hers had ever healed. But she knew for a fact Shane’s had. Her dad told her that just two years after their break up, he married and now had a passel of children

  The only things Lauren took with her when she left were her dreams and those were about to be realized. Comfortable but sparkly Bradford Shoes were on the verge of going even bigger. She was in the middle of a deal that had a major department store picking up her line. Soon her shoes would be in every store across the nation. A dream come true.

  So why did she feel like her life was over?

  This time of year work was always slow and the deal was on hold until after the busy holiday season. Lauren was on stand-by and Christmas was the worst time for her to be without something to do. The whole holiday season thing had been difficult ever since she lost her mother.

  Her dad said the company was consuming her, and it was time to deal with this Christmas depression thing. He was right. Her denial had been going on too long. She hoped her dad was correct in his assumption that a reconnection with her roots would bring back the good memories and maybe even recharge her creativity. So she’d agreed and allowed him to book a suite for them for the holidays.

  So far the trip had only brought on more depression, especially since memories of Shane popped up around every corner. It was pretty sad that at thirty-three she realized Shane was the love of her life. There had been others but they never quite measured up to the boy with sensitive nature, a cowlick that wouldn’t stay down and the kindest heart she’d ever had the pleasure of knowing.

  She opened her eyes. Maybe it would be best if she skipped the class and headed up to her room. Maybe things would look better after a nap. As she glanced around, a little girl about ten-years-old entered the craft room and chose the empty seat next to Lauren’s. With her long dark hair and oversized black glasses perched on a pert little nose, she reminded Lauren of herself at that age. She wore a striped “T” with long sleeves, taupe pants and a sassy pink belt. She definitely had fashion flare…that sparked Lauren’s interest even more. Lauren went back to her seat. The girl looked up and held out her hand.

  “Hi. I’m Olivia.”

  Bold and brassy. Just like Lauren used to be. Lately she hadn’t felt so bold or brassy. Just run down.

  She grasped Olivia’s hand. “I’m Lauren. Pleased to meet you Olivia.”

  Her nose wrinkled. “Call me Livy. Olivia sounds way too…something.”

  Lauren couldn’t help but laugh. “I think Olivia is a lovely name.”

  “Oh, yeah. It’s a great name. But I mean…look at me.” She rolled her hand down her body. “Do I look like an Olivia?” She shook her head. “Not hardly. Maybe if I had my hair cut like yours in that cool, bouncy way. But…”

  She lifted one long very wavy, glossy lock and shook her head.

  Lauren smiled. “You don’t like your long hair?”

  “It’s okay. I’d just like to try something different but my dad says not yet. When I get in high school he says I can do what I want but for right now, it’s a no-go.”

  “What does your mother say?”

  The child’s features clouded and she looked down. “My mom’s not around.”

  The very open girl suddenly clammed up and Lauren felt a little bit of light leave the room. She understood that closed look. The anxious worry. The frustrated twist of her mouth. She’d felt the same way when she lost her mother. This girl had already warmed her heart but now her words broke Lauren’s heart open. It wrapped around Olivia like a protective blanket, like she was a daughter…the one Lauren didn’t have but wished she did.

  Was that the true source of her blue funk? She was missing a family…one she purposely decided she couldn’t have because it would be incompatible with her career path. Lauren walked away from the family life a long time ago. It was a little late now to be changing her mind.

  Of course that wasn’t the problem. She knew her mind. Always had. Her mother’s dying words made sure of that. No regrets, Lauren. Make sure you have no regrets in your life. Follow your dreams. Never let anything get in the way.

  Whatever the motivation for he
r mood, she was anxious to reassure this young version of herself, so she smiled and gestured to the belt. “That belt is is just the right touch.”

  A smile flitted over Livy’s lips. “You noticed? Most people would say it doesn’t match.”

  Lauren shook her head. “They would be wrong. It adds flair.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Trust me. I know fashion. It’s what…”

  She was interrupted as the instructor walked in. A teenager not much older than Livy shuffled across the room with a large plastic container in her arms. One of the hotel’s bell boys trailed behind her, hefting another box in his arms.

  “Hey, everyone. I’m Crissy. I’m sorry to say Miss Opal can’t be here today, so there won’t be a real class. But we didn’t want you to miss out on the fun so we brought in the materials and some examples of previous things done in our craft class. Have fun!”

  With that Crissy spun and hurried out as if she was afraid someone might ask her a question she obviously couldn’t answer. Many of the older ladies began to chatter and pick through the boxes but Livy sagged.

  “What’s wrong?”

  The young girl shrugged one shoulder. “I really wanted to learn how to bedazzle. I have a pair of jeans that need some sparkle.”

  “Well, I can teach you how.”

  “Really?”

  “Sure. In fact, I took my first lesson right here in Miss Opal’s class. I can’t believe she’s still teaching it.”

  “She must really be old.”

  Lauren hid her smile by ducking her head. “Yes, she must. Why don’t you see if you can find some jean material in that box and I’ll get the tools.”

  For the next hour Lauren and Livy played with a large strip of jean material. Lauren showed her how to attach silver snaps. Then they spent the rest of the hour arranging and gluing flat-backed crystal gems in a pattern. Livy was a natural. Lauren was impressed with the sunburst she created with little to no help.