Kate Hoffmann - Unexpected Angel

Two brand-new stories in every volume…twice a month!

Duets Vol. #41

Bestselling Harlequin author Kate Hoffmann kicks off with a special Christmas Double Duets this month. This writer never fails to “thrill us with light-hearted humor, endearing characters and piquant situations,” says Romantic Times Magazine.

Duets Vol. #42

Talented Jill Shalvis also presents her own fun-filled Double Duets this holiday season. “Get ready for laughs, passion and toe-curling romance, because Jill…delivers the goods,” says reviewer Kathee Card.

Be sure to pick up both Duets volumes today!

Unexpected Angel

Undercover Elf

Kate Hoffmann

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Unexpected Angel Unexpected Angel Kate Hoffmann

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Epilogue

Undercover Elf

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Unexpected Angel

Kate Hoffmann

As the conductor blew his whistle, Eric’s dad crouched down beside him. “Holly has to go home, son. Her train is leaving.”

“No,” Holly murmured. “I can stay until Christmas.”

Holly and his dad stared at each other a long time. Eric frowned. There was something funny going on here. Holly was staring at his dad the same way that pest, Eleanor Winchell, stared at Raymond, the new kid in school. And his dad was staring at Holly the same way Eric’s best friend, Kenny, stared at Eric’s Michael Jordan rookie card.

Kenny wriggled his eyebrows. “Kissy, kissy.” He laughed, puckering his lips.

Eric looked from his friend to the two adults. Could his Christmas angel be falling in love with his dad? “You really think so?” he asked Kenny.

“Hey, I was the one who broke the news to Raymond about Eleanor Winchell. I know all about guys and chicks. And your dad definitely has the hots for your angel.”

Eric thought about that for a moment, then grinned. “Cool!”

Dear Reader,

Another holiday season is here, and since I finished all my shopping last summer (I wish!), I decided to add my devoted readers to this year’s Christmas list. But what do I get for the reader who has everything? Nothing I found seemed right, especially with so many tastes to take into account.

In the end, I found a present I hope everyone will like—not one, but two new stories filled with romance, humor and a lot of Christmas cheer. Unexpected Angel and Undercover Elf feature all my favorite Christmas fantasies—a small town blanketed by sparkling snow, sleigh rides at sunset, an endless supply of home-baked treats (in fiction, they’re calorie free!) and not one, but two handsome men to share it all with.

So consider Alex Marrin and Tom Dalton my gift to you. Curl up in front of the fire with some hot apple cider and a plate of those calorie-free Christmas cookies you’ve been trying to avoid, and enjoy!

Happy holidays,

P.S. I love to hear from my readers. You can write to me c/o Harlequin Books, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, M3B 3K9, Canada.

HARLEQUIN TEMPTATION

731—NOT IN MY BED!

758—ONCE A HERO

762—ALWAYS A HERO

795—ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT

With special thanks to Faye and Charles McDaniels, who shared their love of horses with me and gave me a peek inside the stable doors.

IT WAS ALL EXACTLY as he’d remembered it. The little candy cane fence, the gingerbread cottage with the gum-drop roof, the elves dressed in red shoes with jingle bells around the ankles, and the tinsel-trimmed Christmas tree. Eric Marrin’s heart skipped a beat and he clutched his mittened hands to still the tremble of excitement.

He peered around the chubby kid standing in front of him and caught a glimpse of the man he’d come to see, the man half the kids in Schuyler Falls, New York, had come to see this night. “Santa Claus,” he murmured, his voice filled with awe.

As he stood in line waiting to take his turn on Santa’s lap, he wondered whether his name was on the “nice” list. Eric made a quick mental review of the past twelve months.

Overall, it had been a pretty good year. Sure, there’d been the time he brought the garter snake into the house and then lost it. And the time he’d put his muddy shoes in the washing machine with his dad’s best dress shirts. And the time he’d gotten caught down at the railroad tracks squashing pennies on the tracks with his best friends, Raymond and Kenny.

But in the whole seven and a half, almost eight, years of his life, he’d never done anything naughty on purpose—except maybe for today. Today, instead of going straight home from school, he’d hopped a city bus with Raymond and jumped off right in front of Dalton’s Department Store. Riding the city bus alone was strictly against his dad’s rules and could result in punishment harsher than anything he’d seen in his life. But, technically, he hadn’t been alone. Raymond had been with him. And the trip had been for a very good reason. Even his dad would have to see that.

Dalton’s Department Store was considered by everyone in the second grade at Patrick Henry Elementary School as a shrine to Santa Claus. From the day after Thanksgiving until the hours leading up to Christmas Eve, children flocked though the shiny brass revolving doors and up the ancient escalator to the magical spot on the second floor where Santa and his minions reigned supreme.

Raymond claimed that a meeting with Dalton’s Santa was much better than a visit to any other Santa in New York. Those others were all just “helpers,” pretenders dressed up like the real Santa to help out during the Christmas rush. But this Santa was special. He had the power to make dreams come true. Kenny even knew a kid who’d gotten a trip to Florida just because his dad had lost his job right before Christmas.

Eric reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the letter. He’d used his very best penmanship and sealed the note in a colorful green envelope. He’d even added some of his favorite smelly stickers to decorate the outside, just to make sure the letter stood out from all the others. For this was the most important letter he’d ever written and he’d stop at nothing to make sure it got into Santa’s hands.

He watched as a little girl in a blue wool coat slipped her own letter into the ornate mailbox outside the Candy Cane Gate. She’d sealed it in a plain white envelope, addressed in sloppy crayon. Eric smiled. Surely her letter would be passed over for his. He closed his eyes and rubbed the lucky penny he always kept in his pocket. “Don’t mess up,” he murmured to himself. “Just don’t mess up.”