Christmas on 4th Street: Christmas on 4th Street / Yours for Christmas
There's nowhere better to spend the holidays than with New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery in the town of Fool's Gold, where love is always waiting to be unwrapped…Noelle Perkins just got a second chance at life, and she intends to make the most of every minute. That's why she ditched a frustrating legal career to open her own store in Fool's Gold, California. The Christmas Attic celebrates everything that's magical about her favourite season. Business is booming, and as a bonus, gorgeous army doctor Gabriel Boylan has offered to help out during the holiday rush. Gabriel's memories of Christmas past contain more sour grapes than sugar plums, thanks to a drill sergeant father who ran his home like a boot camp. Spending the holidays with his family while he recuperates from injury sounds as appetizing as last year's eggnog. Still, there are some enjoyable distractions in town, including sunny, sexy Noelle… and the red-hot mistletoe kisses they can't stop sharing. Gabriel didn't think he was made for happily-ever-afters. But when fate hands you a love as sweet and surprising as this, only a fool could refuse…Famous former NFL stars don't date single working moms like Bailey Voss. She'll allow herself to daydream about Kenny Scott's muscles and killer smile, but wanting more would lead to post-holiday regret. Then Kenny volunteers to run a toy drive with Bailey, and she learns that he's not just hot… he's also generous, funny, nice. The whole package – tantalizingly out of reach. The ache of past loss reminds Kenny why he needs to avoid getting too close to anyone. Especially to a gorgeous redhead and her adorable little girl. Mess it up, and he'd lose them both. Yet Kenny can only resist Bailey for so long. And as festive spirit spreads throughout the town, he's all wrapped up in Bailey's sweet, sexy kisses and determined to make this the first of many Christmases together…
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Thereâs nowhere better to spend the holidays than with New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery in the town of Foolâs Gold, where love is always waiting to be unwrappedâ¦
Noelle Perkins just got a second chance at life, and she intends to make the most of every minute. Thatâs why she ditched a frustrating legal career to open her own store in Foolâs Gold, California. The Christmas Attic celebrates everything thatâs magical about her favorite season. Business is booming, and as a bonus, gorgeous army doctor Gabriel Boylan has offered to help out during the holiday rush.
Gabrielâs memories of Christmas past contain more sour grapes than sugar plums, thanks to a drill sergeant father who ran his home like a boot camp. Spending the holidays with his family while he recuperates from injury sounds as appetizing as last yearâs eggnog. Still, there are some enjoyable distractions in town, including sunny, sexy Noelleâ¦and the red-hot mistletoe kisses they canât stop sharing.
Gabriel didnât think he was made for happily-ever-afters. But when fate hands you a love as sweet and surprising as this, only a fool could refuse.â¦
Christmas on 4th Street
Yours for Christmas
A Foolâs Gold Romance
Susan Mallery
To those who serve our country. Soldiers, support staff, healers and those who sometimes have the most difficult job of allâ¦waiting at home. May your holidays be a time of love and happiness.
To my cheerleadersâI adore each of you. Thank you for all you do.
Finallyâto my readers. You inspire me every day. In return, I try to make your Foolâs Gold dreams come true. As promised, in this book is a scavenger hunt. Sixteen objects, suggested by readers on Facebook. To get the list, visit the For Fun page at SusanMallery.com and click on Freebies.
Contents
Susan Mallery
In real life, snow was not nearly as delightful as it appeared in movies and on TV, Noelle Perkins thought as her spinning car finally came to a stop in a snowbank. Sheâd been driving up the side of the mountain, not making any sudden moves, when it happened. Although she wasnât exactly sure what the it was. Thereâd been a swoosh and a swerve and then the world twirling around her. There might have been a scream or two, but as she was alone, she wasnât going to admit to that.
She glanced around, noticing how the nose of her car was firmly planted in the wall of a surprisingly firm drift. The good news was she was pretty close to her destination. The bad news was she was going to have to figure out a way to get down the mountain when it was time to leave.
That was for later, she told herself as she turned off the engine then unfastened her seat belt. First she had a puppy to let out.
Noelle opened the door and started to stand, only to discover why her car had gone whirling around. Snow, it seemed, was slippery. Her feet started to go out from under her and she had to grab the door frame to keep from falling.
âThis is so wrong,â she murmured, finding her balance and carefully closing the car door. She started walking very tentatively toward the house at the end of the long driveway.
Snow had come early to Foolâs Gold. There had been several inches in late October, then it had all gone away. More had fallen in early November and now this blast the following week. But it was different in town, she thought as she felt her left foot slowly sliding out from under her.
She waved her arms and managed to stay on her feet, then started forward again. In town, roads were plowed and sidewalks scraped. Someone put magical stuff down so it wasnât slippery. She never had any trouble in town.
Growing up in Florida, followed by a career move to Los Angeles, had not prepared her for a real winter, she thought as she made it to the porch. Her feet started slipping again. She lunged for the railing and managed to hang on as her lower body slipped and stretched until she was nearly parallel to the ground.
She dug her toes into the snow and ice, hoping to find some traction. At last she managed to get her legs back under her and straighten. It was like being a cartoon character, she thought grimly. Only with the possibility of breaking bones.
âThis is so not what I expected,â she said aloud, thinking that Feliciaâs request had seemed so reasonable. With everyone running around, Webster, her friendâs eight-month-old puppy, had been left home alone. Could Noelle go and let him out?
Felicia had been a good friend to Noelle. When Noelle had opened her own storeâThe Christmas Atticâover Labor Day weekend, Felicia had been right there, helping stock the place and offering suggestions. When Noelle wanted to participate in town advertising with the other local retailers, Felicia had helped her navigate the maze that was local government regulations. When Noelle worried that she would never find a man for...well, you know, let alone love, Felicia had reassured her that it would happen. So helping with the family puppy seemed the least she could do to pay back her friend.
