At Winterstorm Village, a record-breaking blizzard means a wedding before the season is over. This year promises to bring the mother of all snowstorms, and the residents couldn’t be more excited to see who’s next to tie the knot…
Rhett Parker hates Christmas. When the Mayor of Winterstorm has an unfortunate accident and ends up in a coma, Rhett is left hanging with the proverbial Santa Gift Bag. To make matters worse, the only one who can help him save their money-making tourist season is his office nemesis, Ms. Christmas cheer in a bottle, Parker Cruz.
Parker Cruz, the Mayor's daughter, is determined to save Christmas now that her dad isn’t there to make it all happen. The only person standing in her way is the town’s Scrooge, the newly appointed Mayor, Rhett Parker.
She's willing to do whatever it takes to make good on her promise to her dad. So, when a series of unlucky events strike, and the residents start talking about canceling Christmas, Parker does the unthinkable. She agrees to a fake date with her new boss.
Love is always in
the air during the holidays at Winterstorm Village. So what if this year
it’s all pretend? Or is it?
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Excerpt
Copyright © 2024, Diana A. Hicks
“Jesus, a date?” Rhett reached over and yanked the pen
out of my hand.
“Hey.” I turned to glare at him.
“You need to slow down.” He tossed the pen over his
shoulder. “What are you going to do when people want us to kiss?”
“Why would they even ask? That would be creepy. Relax,
it’ll never come to that. At most, we’ll have to hold hands.” I stopped to
inhale and give him a chance to catch up.
He rubbed the creases on his forehead as he paced to the
fireplace and back. Every time, he glanced up at me, his intense gaze would
settle on mine. He was really considering all the angles. How about that? We
actually made a good team. I was the idea instigator. He was the executor.
“Proximity.” He finally said.
“What does that mean?”
“Can you handle it?” He cocked his head.
“What?”
He prowled toward me as his eyes darkened. Was he mad
now? No, that wasn’t it. Rhett was doing the smoldering thing on me. Shit, I
swallowed to ease my dry throat. Okay, I could do this. I was a professional.
He stopped a mere two inches from me. We’d never been this close before. Oddly
enough, I wasn’t repulsed by it. It was nice.
“I’m not nauseous.” I lifted my head to look at him.
“You?”
He jaw clenched, then released, his gaze never leaving
mine.. “It’s doable.” He nodded then reached behind me.
I glanced over my shoulder and followed his line of
sight. “What are you doing?” I asked when he pressed the intercom button.
“Lila, can I see you in my office, please.” He released
the button and turned to me. “Getting the ball rolling.”
“Lila is Mrs. Birdwhistle’s God daughter. She’ll be
Lila’s first call. And then…”
“And then, the whole town will know.” He brought his hand
up to my waist. “Last call to back out, Cruz. It’s now or never.”
“Never.” I placed my hand on his chest just as he leaned
in to press his forehead to mine.
My heart drummed so hard, I swore I heard its echo
against the walls. Once Lila barged in on us, we would have to follow through
on our lie, all the way to New Year’s eve. How hard could it be?
“Omigod.” Lila dropped her iPad. “I’m sorry.” She bent
down to retrieve it then fell to her knees while trying to reach for her Mac
pen. “I’m sorry. I didn’t meant to…um, the door was opened.”
“It’s fine. I was just leaving.” I tentatively stepped
away from Rhett. I hadn’t considered how much touching we needed to do to
convey our message. As it was, it already felt like I’d been in Rhett’s arms
for a very long time.
For his part, Rhett slowly released my waist and let his
fingers skim the length of my arm until they landed in my palm. Our bodies
moved with such synchronicity, I didn’t have time to react to the goosebumps
fluttering my skin or jerk away from him. I just stood there, spellbound.
About Diana A. Hicks
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