The Scrooge Of Loon Lake
It’s the most wonderful time of the year… …with the grumpiest man in town! Former Lieutenant Des Gallagher sees no joy in Christmas and refuses to celebrate it. Until single mum Natalie Pierce shows up on his doorstep. Can Natalie show this Scrooge that Christmas can lead to Happy Ever After…
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It’s the most wonderful time of the year…
…with the grumpiest man in town!
The love of his life left him. The navy discharged him. So former lieutenant Des Gallagher sees no reason to celebrate Christmas—now or ever.
Yet when Natalie Pierce shows up on his doorstep, a bright light enters his gloomy existence. As Des shapes her—and her little son’s—world for the better, she wonders if a scrooge could turn into the perfect Santa…
CARRIE NICHOLS grew up in New England but moved south and traded snow for air conditioning. She loves to travel, is addicted to British crime dramas and knows a Seinfeld quote appropriate for every occasion.
A 2016 RWA Golden Heart® Award winner and two-time Maggie Award for Excellence winner, she has one tolerant husband, two grown sons and two critical cats. To her dismay, Carrie’s characters—like her family—often ignore the wisdom and guidance she offers.
The Marine’s Secret DaughterThe Sergeant’s Unexpected Family
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk
ISBN: 978-1-474-09178-7
THE SCROOGE OF LOON LAKE
© 2019 Carol Opalinski
Published in Great Britain 2019
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
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This is dedicated to the two Jills.
My agent, Jill Marsal, who believed in my writing
voice before I knew how to plot or write conflict,
and my walking partner, Jill Ralph, who not only
pulls me away from my desk twice a day but is the
perfect sounding board for story problems.
Contents
Note to Readers
Desmond “Des” Gallagher heaved a frustrated sigh as he stared at the scattered pieces of colorful glass laid out on his workbench. This was the third day in a row he’d come to the former business office in the spacious barn he now used as his workshop and done nothing but sit and stare. The scarred and chipped wood that made up the table’s surface attested to the fact that work did indeed get done here. Just not today. Or yesterday. He rubbed a hand over the stubble on his face. And not even the day before that. Normally, seeing the glass laid out before him was enough to spark an idea, even if he had no concrete design in mind.
Today’s project was an unfinished stained glass window that could be installed in place of an existing window frame or framed and hung like a painting. While those remained popular, his new love was shattered glass sculptures. Shattering the glass himself, he enjoyed taking those broken pieces and creating something new and better from them. Although he’d experimented with small, blown glass items, he’d shunned the much larger ones because crafting those required more than one person.
Having to think about a project stifled his creativity. His best work came when his brain sent signals directly to his fingers and he assembled pieces without conscious thought. Crazy, but who was he to argue with something that had served him well enough to earn a living? He wasn’t getting rich from it but his art supplemented his military disability.
