âI canât look. You do it.â
âYou sure?â
She just couldnât. âIâm sure.â
Closing her eyes, Rachel waited an interminable heartbeat of time, heard David suck in his breath.
âOh my God.â His words were a reverent whisper.
âYouâre kidding!â She knew heâd never joke about this. Still, maybe heâd misread the test, orâ¦âLet me see.â
He moved aside, letting out an earsplitting whoop even as she viewed the proof for herself. âWeâre pregnant!â
Her knees trembled. She was carrying his baby. Tears welled in her eyes. Before she could classify them as happy crying or something more bittersweet, he pulled her into his strong arms.
And kissed her.
Dear Reader,
In 2007, I created the town of Mistletoe, Georgia, for a Harlequin American Christmas novella and I loved the setting and characters so much that I knew I had to return! (Luckily, my editor agreed.) Many of you wrote to ask if there would be more Mistletoe stories and the answer is a resounding yes: four, as a matter of fact! One for each season.
First up is the winter tale of David and Rachel Waide, a husband and wife who love each other deeply but have lost their way, due in part to the emotional toll of infertility struggles. The last thing they want to do is upset their loved ones at Christmas with news of a separation, especially when Davidâs brother is about to get married. The entire Waide family is busy with wedding preparations. So David and Rachel agree to put on a happy face until the end of December. Amid the magical holiday season and poignant reminders of what matrimony means, can they rediscover what drew them together in the first place and maybe discover brand new gifts as well?
Watch for the next book, Mistletoe Cinderella, to be out April 2009! You can learn about all four stories at my Web site, www.TanyaMichaels.com.
Happy reading & enjoy your stay,
Tanya
Tanya Michaels started telling stories almost as soon as she could talkâ¦and started stealing her momâs Harlequin romances less than a decade later. In 2003, Tanya was thrilled to have her first book, a romantic comedy, published by Harlequin. Since then, Tanyaâs sold nearly twenty books and is a two-time recipient of the Booksellersâ Best Award as well as a finalist for the Holt Medallion, National Readersâ Choice Award and Romance Writers of Americaâs prestigious RITA>® Award. Tanya lives in Georgia with her husband, two preschoolers and an unpredictable cat, but you can visit Tanya online at www.tanyamichaels.com.
This holiday story about marriageâ
one couple preparing to join their lives while another couple rediscovers their loveâis dedicated to real-life married couple Jane and Eric, aka The Mims Who Saved Christmas. Thank you so much for everything youâve both done, for always picking up the phone no matter the hour, for always having a kitchen stocked full of comfort food, and for always laughing at the right moments.
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
It was the worst basketball game in Waide brother historyâeven including the one when David, at fourteen, had been showing off for a cute neighborhood girl and ended up with stitches. At least heâd sunk the layup before taking the trip to the emergency room, not to mention going on the subsequent movie date and having his first real kiss.
Given David and Tannerâs combined performance this December afternoon, however, a team from Whiteberry Elementary could probably take them. Davidâs shots kept going wild. He knew he was throwing with too much force, taking repressed anger out on a ball that had never hurt anyone.
âThis is getting humiliating,â he called as Tanner jogged after the ball for the rebound.
âGetting?â His younger brother smirked. âThen you havenât been paying attention for the past hour. The irony is how hard youâre trying. Last time I saw a guy push himself like that was Dylan Echols when he was up for a baseball scholarship. But youâre not a high school athlete, youâre a middle-aged store manager.â
âThirty-one is not middle age,â David retorted. âAnd itâs not like youâre doing any better. You couldnât hit the broad side of a barn.â
Tanner grinned, unfazed. âGuess my mindâs on my beautiful bride-to-be.â
David rolled his eyes, but they both knew he was happy for his brother. Ecstatic even. Definitely not jealous.
âSo we know my excuse,â Tanner continued. âYou want to tell me whatâs eating you?â
No. He and Rachel had agreed not to break the bad news until after the holidays, after the wedding. Maybe by then, it wouldnât even be necessary. Their problems could be nothing more than a temporary aberration brought on by Rachelâs medication and mood swings. âNothingâs wrong.â
âYou sure? I could pay you back for all that great advice you used to give me.â