A Christmas Miracle
There's no place like Bliss for the holidays…What else does Jason Macland have to do this Thanksgiving except save the town of Bliss from the idiot banker his dad hired? Step one: fire the idiot banker. Step two: help Fleming Harris save her Christmas shop or—better yet—foreclose on the place, because it would take a miracle to save a store that can't break even selling holiday trinkets during the holiday season. And all Jason wants to do is cut his dad's losses, salvage what local businesses he can and get out of the hometown he doesn't even remember before all the ghosts of his past—and one particularly memorable Christmas-shop manager—threaten to melt his Scrooge heart.
Читать A Christmas Miracle онлайн беплатно
Thereâs no place like Bliss for the holidays...
What else does Jason Macland have to do this Thanksgiving except save the town of Bliss from the idiot banker his dad hired? Step one: fire the idiot banker. Step two: help Fleming Harris save her Christmas shop orâbetter yetâforeclose on the place, because it would take a miracle to save a store that canât break even selling holiday trinkets during the holiday season. And all Jason wants to do is cut his dadâs losses, salvage what local businesses he can and get out of the hometown he doesnât even remember before all the ghosts of his pastâand one particularly memorable Christmas-shop managerâthreaten to melt his Scrooge heart.
âIâm not going to attack you because I wasnât smart enough with my business.â
Having said that, Fleming couldnât help weighing Jason up as the villain of her bad holiday season.
As they walked into the hotel, Lyle Benjamin appeared at the top of the cellar stairs, his arms full of firewood.
âNot you, too, Fleming?â he asked, glancing from Jason to her.
She blushed.
âThe gossip in this town defeats any need for the internet,â Jason said impatiently.
âSorry.â Lyle sent Fleming an apologetic look. He carried the wood to the hearth near his check-in counter and tossed a log into the fire. âTable for two?â
âNo.â Fleming flinched as Jasonâs voice echoed her own.
âIâll call down for room service,â the banker said.
Fleming breathed a sigh of relief. She had to create a battle plan. This man wanted his bank in the black. He might say he was helping her, but heâd take the Mainly Merry Christmas shop if shutting her down bettered his bottom line.
Itâs holiday time in Bliss, Tennessee! Jason Maclandâs in Bliss to rescue his familyâs bank. Unfortunately, that means he might have to foreclose on some bad loans, including the one for Mainly Merry Christmas, a shop run by Fleming Harris.
Fleming believes in the spirit of the holidays. Jason just wants to do his job and move on to the next one. Determined to remain detached from the citizens in the hometown he doesnât even remember, every day for him is like a visit from some ghost of his past. Will he learn about joy from Fleming? And will he help her finally believe that a loving, honorable man can stay?
Iâm so happy to be back in Bliss, the Smoky Mountain town where Now Sheâs Back and Owenâs Best Intentions are also set. As always, my visit back was like a trip through memories of my own childhood in the Smokies. I hope youâll find your own sweet memories bounding up out of this story of celebrating love.
All the best,
Anna Adams
ANNA ADAMS wrote her first romance on the beach in wet sand with a stick. These days she uses pens, software or napkins and a crayon to write the kinds of stories she loves bestâromance that involves everyone in the family and often the whole community. Love, like a stone tossed into a lake, causes ripples to spread and contract, bringing conflict and well-meaning âhelpâ from the people who care most.
For Pete, and for all of us who love you. My memories of you will always bristle with joy and your laugh. I miss you so much, but you are not lost to any of us.
Contents
DESPITE BEING GOOD friends with technology, Fleming Harris answered Jason Maclandâs summons to the bank with printed copies of all the paperwork she could find. She knew very little about Jason. He was the son of the bankâs owner, but he was a stranger to the remote Smoky Mountains town of Bliss, Tennessee, not having set foot there in decades.
Fleming had heard stories. People said Jason was his fatherâs hired gun, brought in to close accounts, trim fat, sew up loopholes.
She swallowed a lump of panic as she smoothed her skirt beneath the pile of folders on her lap. Across the room, Hilda Grant, Jasonâs admin, shared an empathetic smile that worried Fleming.
Her shop, Mainly Merry Christmas, was her future and her past. Sheâd grown up âworkingâ with her single mother behind the counter, playing with the wooden trains that doubled as decoration during the holiday season, learning to count by handing out change. Her pride was tied up in the twinkling lights and the beautiful ornaments.
And the burdensome loan payments. Sheâd missed only two. Shame burned her. Only.
This bank guy wouldnât have summoned her if he wasnât about to threaten her shop.
âYou can go in now,â Hilda said.
At the same time, the office door opened and a man emerged, lean and tall, with wary dark eyes and dark brown hair. His gaze caught her as if she were in a spotlight.
