Title: His Christmas Wish
Author: Melissa McClone
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Book Blurb:
When tragedy strikes, everything Carly Bishop ever loved about Christmas is destroyed. Distraught and grief-stricken over the deaths of her fiancé and only brother, Carly left Hood Hamlet and her Christmas spirit behind to start over somewhere new. But now, six years later, her pregnant sister-in-law needs help, so Carly comes home to face her past and...the holiday she no longer celebrates. Mountain rescuer Jake Porter believes he could have saved his two friends that fateful day and kept the Bishop family from experiencing such a heart-wrenching loss. He hopes helping Carly rediscover the magic of Christmas will help him finally move forward with his life, but he's not certain anything is a match for the guilt that's kept him stuck all these years. As Jake and Carly spend more time together, attraction grows, but toe-curling mistletoe kisses aside, his late best friend would never think Jake was good enough for his little sister. The question is, is that enough reason for him to stay away from her?
Excerpt:
Carly tightened her grip on the suitcase handle before climbing the steps to the front porch. With a tentative hand, she reached for the doorknob before remembering this was no longer her brother’s house. She pressed the doorbell and waited.
The doorknob jiggled.
Straightening, Carly forced a smile. Years of working with customers had taught her how to put on a happy face no matter how she felt inside.
The door cracked open.
“Welcome back, Carly,” a male voice greeted her warmly.
She’d expected to see Hannah’s husband of two years, Garrett Willingham, but the man standing in the doorway looked nothing like the clean-cut, non-risk-taking, business-suit-wearing certified public accountant. This guy was too rugged, too fit, too…familiar.
“Jacob Porter.”
Over six feet tall with brown hair that fell past his collar, he still had piercing blue eyes, a killer smile, and a hot, hard body that made the girls, herself included, swoon back in high school. Those features had only improved with age.
Her pulse kicked up a notch. “What are you doing here?”
“Waiting for you.” His grin widened, the same way it had whenever he and Nick teased her. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry…” Simply thinking the word left a bitter taste in her mouth. She couldn’t bring herself to say it. “Season’s greetings. Where’s Hannah?”
“At a doctor’s appointment,” Jacob explained. “Garrett drove her. She didn’t know if they’d be home by the time you arrived or before the school bus dropped off Kendall and Austin, so they asked me to come over.”
Carly noticed Jacob’s clothes—a light blue button-down oxford shirt, khaki pants, and brown leather shoes. A bit more stylish than the T-shirts, jeans, and sneakers she remembered him wearing. He must have come from work.
“Thank you.” Though she wasn’t surprised. Jacob had always gone out of his way for them, a surrogate everything to what remained of the Bishop family. He’d found her the job in Philadelphia. He’d taught Nick’s two kids to ski and fish. He’d even introduced Hannah to Garrett.
“Come inside before you get too cold.” Jacob reached for Carly’s suitcase. His hand—big, callused, and warm—brushed hers. The accidental contact startled her, and she jerked away. “You city girls aren’t used to the temperatures up here.”
Forget the cold. She wasn’t used to her response to his touch. That was unusual for her. “Philadelphia gets cold, too.”
As she stepped inside, heat surrounded Carly, cocooning her with the inviting comforts of home. The homey touches—a fleece blanket on a chair, throw pillows, candles, and framed photos—were ones missing from her apartment.
His gaze ran the length of her. “You look the same.”
He looked better. “So does this place.”
And that somehow made everything…worse.
A fire blazed and crackled in the fireplace. The way it had that horrible, dark Christmas morning when a teary-eyed Hannah had told the kids to unwrap their gifts from Santa.
Carly wanted to shut off the video of years gone by streaming through her mind, but the fresh evergreen scent, the twinkling multicolored lights, and the ornament-laden branches wouldn’t let her.
The popcorn-and-cranberry garland, keepsake decorations marking special occasions, and silver bells and gold balls reminded Carly of the rush to take the tree down before Nick’s funeral. Hoping to protect the children, Hannah hadn’t wanted the event to be associated with Christmas in any way. Her efforts seemed to have worked, but Carly couldn’t think of one without the other. Even now.
The door closed.
She glanced over her shoulder.
Jacob stared, an unrecognizable emotion in his eyes.
One time, during an argument with Iain, she’d turned to Jacob for advice. There’d been a moment when she thought he might kiss her. He’d been studying her then the same way he was now.
Her temperature rose—the combo of forced-air heating and fireplace, no doubt. She shrugged off her jacket.
“I’ll take that.” He hung her coat on the rack by the door. “It’s good to see you again.”
“You, too.” And she meant that. She may have struggled with what happened on the mountain, but she hadn’t forgotten her family and friends. She’d done her best to keep in touch with Jacob and Leanne Thomas, a paramedic who had also been a close friend of Nick’s. “How are things at the Hood Hamlet Brewing Company?”
“Good.”
Jacob’s family owned and operated a craft brewery and pub in the small, alpine-inspired touristy town of Hood Hamlet, set high on Mount Hood and fueled year-round by outdoor enthusiasts and tourists. Nick had worked there. Iain and Carly, too.
That seemed like another life. Who was she kidding? It had been another life.
“Hannah told me things are going well in Philadelphia,” Jacob said.
“They are. Did you see any of my recent posts?” Carly followed him on social media, and he did the same with her.
“I did, but…” He shifted his weight between his feet. “She mentioned you had a boyfriend.”
“Wishful thinking on her part.” Carly dated. She’d had boyfriends—okay, two—but both relationships had petered out. “I go out, but I’m too busy with work for a serious relationship.”
“You’ve really moved your way up the ladder, Miss Brewpub Manager extraordinaire.”
“I have, haven’t I?” She loved managing the restaurant portion of Conquest Brewery, but Carly had never wanted to be a focused career type who worked mega amounts of hours. She’d wanted to be a wife—Iain’s wife. Boy, had she been young, starry-eyed, and idealistic back then. “I still owe you for getting me that server job.”
“You don’t owe me anything”—Jacob winked—“but if I need an extra hand at the brewpub over the holidays, I’ll give you a call.”
“Deal.”
Jacob might be more attractive than before, but he was the same inside—kind, caring, and generous. She found that…comforting, as well as the memories that surfaced.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JB2C6X5
Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/his-christmas-wish-melissa-mcclone/1129730201?ean=2940156068630
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/his-christmas-wish-mountain-rescue-romance-1-by-melissa-mcclone
November is a time to be thankful. What are you most thankful for this year?
I’m so thankful for my health. I didn’t realize how not being healthy colors everything from writing to family to life. I won’t ever take my health for granted again.
Why is your featured book worth snuggling up to?
It’s a small-town holiday read with lots of heartwarming and sigh-worthy moments. At its heart, it’s about family, moving on, and learning to live and love again.
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon gift card.
Open internationally. You must have a valid Amazon US or Canada account to win.
Runs November 1 – 30
Drawing will be held on December 1.
Author Biography:
USA TODAY bestselling author Melissa McClone writes heartwarming women’s fiction and sweet contemporary romance novels. She lives with her husband and has three young adult children. When she’s not writing relatable characters and sigh-worthy happy endings, she spends her time in the rainy Pacific Northwest reading from her Kindle’s ever-growing TBR, napping with her dog and cats, and decorating her Happy Planner.
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