Title: Call Me Crazy – A Dickens Holiday Romance
Author: Kathryn Hills
Genre: Holiday Romance
Book Blurb
In Dickens, the magic of Christmas might sneak up on you. In the snow and with a net. But true love always finds a way.
The prospect of a giant reset button is what brings business mogul Trevor Branstone to Dickens for Christmas. He’s looking to shake off the breakup that’s left him questioning his life choices. Renting a mountainside luxury home to relax and ski is exactly what he wants. And Trevor always gets what he wants. Quiet time alone will allow him to search his weary heart and brilliant mind for answers to the question… What’s next? That is until he collides with a force known to townsfolk as “Becca.” He’s been warned: “If she shows up on your doorstep with a passel of possums, don’t let her in!”
Rebecca Gallagher is searching, too … under porches and behind dumpsters for the missing, injured, and abandoned animals of the area. She’s the Dickens Animal Control Officer, working tirelessly to help both domesticated animals and wildlife. Becca doesn’t have a hot minute to question her mission. It’s a calling—a life’s purpose—and she takes names whenever someone or something gets in the way of saving a life.
Is there anything leftover for her when the work gets done? And why is she so attracted to a man that might as well be from another planet? Then again… Skippy, her trickiest rescue yet, loves the handsome visitor, and that’s saying something. Isn’t it?
Excerpt
Once they’d finished Nana’s delicious meal of tender roast pork with potatoes, carrots, and sweet apples from the farm’s own orchard, Becca and Trevor cleared the table so that she could introduce him to one of her favorite pastimes.
“Every first Sunday in December we make birdseed ornaments to hang from the small pines that line the driveway. It’s been a tradition for as long as I can remember.”
Together with Mama, they assembled vintage cookie cutters, gelatin, straws, and birdseed, along with baking sheets that Nana estimated were older than them both.
“First, we combine the gelatine with boiling water,” Becca explained as he eagerly watched. “Once it’s dissolved, we mix in the birdseed.”
Mama shared her method of lining the bake sheets with parchment paper and spraying the old cookie cutters with oil, so that the birdseed mixture wouldn’t stick. She leaned over Trevor, showing him how to add the seeds and use the back of a spoon to flatten them into the forms. “Cut the straws in half and insert them into the cakes to make a hole. We’ll remove the straws once they’ve hardened,” she told him.
“This is cool. Totally into it,” Trevor said, looking like he meant every word. His bright-eyed gaze connected with Becca’s over the messy table. He winked, and her pulse kicked up a few notches.
He passed a big test today. Several in fact. She loved her family and home more than anything, and it was important to her that Trevor fit in. Even if they did only have a few short weeks together. She’d tried to ignore that reality. Right now, she’d settle for relishing the time they had left.
Am I making a mistake?
Her tender heart suited up to take the hit if she was wrong about him.
Still, Becca admitted to herself that she, too, wanted whatever this was with him. Now, all she could do was hang on for the ride.
“What’s next?” Trevor asked, unaware of her inner turmoil. He looked genuinely disappointed when they began cleaning up the mess on the kitchen table.
“We wait,” Mama told him. “They’ll be ready for stringing tomorrow if you’d like to come back and help.”
“I’ll leave that up to Becca. I know she’s got a lot on her plate.” He glanced at his watch. “As a matter of fact, I’d better go. I imagine you still have animals to check on. Thank you, all, for such a great night and for welcoming me into your home.”
Becca stuck a pin in the notion of mentioning Trevor’s thoughtfulness to her mother later. Oh, yeah, great parting line, mister. Mama’s gonna love that one about leaving it to me. Yet out loud she merely said, “I’ll see him out. Be right back.”
The moment they got outside, he began talking her ears off about how fun their day was, and that he’d felt like a kid again.
“I’m glad you had a good time. To tell the truth, I was afraid our smalltown ways would bore you.”
Trevor drew her close, and he gave her a sudden, passionate kiss. “I may live in a big city, but I truly enjoyed this. I’m also overwhelmed by what you’ve got here. Three generations living under one roof. My family is a trainwreck. My father died years ago. Since then, my mother and brother can’t hold it together long enough to get through a meal. Forget about an entire holiday season. It’s the reason I stopped celebrating. Holidays for me have meant more time to work alone and undisturbed. That is…until I met you.”
Becca thought for a moment before jumping out of a proverbial plane without a parachute. “Would you like to celebrate with me this year? I know you’re here to ski but—”
“Yes,” he jumped to answer before she could finish. He kissed her again, only this time harder and for longer. His hand delved into her hair, and one arm snaked around her waist to hold her close. “I want that. All of it. You,” he murmured in a way that made her inside melt like butter.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub)
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/mKBO2L
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/call-me-crazy-a-dickens-holiday-romance-book-31-by-kathryn-hills
About Kathryn Hills
Hauntingly romantic… Unless she’s writing sweet!
The rich history and many mysteries of New England are the perfect backdrop for many of KATHRYN’s books. Winding roads lined by old stone walls, forgotten cemeteries, grand homes with shadowy pasts...all sparks for her imagination. Whether it’s a quaint seaside town or the vibrant city of Boston, it’s easy for this “hauntingly romantic” author to envision the past mingling with the present. No surprise, some of Kathryn’s favorite stories include ghosts! Sprinkle in some magic, and you’re off on a great adventure.
When not writing, this best-selling author is reading, researching, gardening, or cooking up something special in her chaotic kitchen. She shares her colonial home in the north woods with those she loves most – her wonderful husband, daughter, and four crazy rescued dogs.
Find Kathryn Hills Online