Lissa Manley - Mistletoe Matchmaker

Love on her doorstep?

Pet store owner Molly Kent can’t help smiling when Grant Roderick chases his aunt’s poodle into her shop. Grant, who’s pet-sitting, doesn’t know much about dogs and welcomes Molly’s offer of help. Little does Grant know that Molly’s also a matchmaker—not that he’s looking for love.

Yet the more time they spend together, the more Molly wonders if Grant may be her perfect match. But how can she get involved with a workaholic after being raised by one? They’ll both have to put their trust in God if they want to find happiness for the holidays.

Matchmaking rule #1: don’t get caught up in your prospects. Even if they are gorgeous and charming.

“I watched you stare at Grant when he walked away.” Phoebe drilled Molly with her all-seeing gaze. “You were interested all right.”

“I was interested because my matchmaker radar went off when I met him,” Molly said.

Phoebe frowned. “Because...you wanted to fix him up with me?”

“Yep. That’s what I do, Phoebs.”

“You know I’m not looking for romance,” Phoebe said.

“Maybe this time it would be different.”

“I doubt it. You of all people should know that.”

Molly agreed with Phoebe. She’d always dreamed of falling in love, but she’d given up on romance. Safer that way. “Things change. Maybe it’s time.”

“You can say whatever you want, but you’re the one who’ll be seeing him again, not me,” Phoebe said.

A little frisson of excitement squiggled through Molly at the thought of seeing Grant again, taking her a bit off guard. She’d need to watch those reactions. Rule number one couldn’t be ignored. Ever.

LISSA MANLEY

decided she wanted to be a published author at the ripe old age of twelve. She read her first romance novel as a teenager when a neighbor gave her a box of old books, and she quickly decided romance was her favorite genre, although she still enjoys digging in to a good medical thriller.

When her youngest was still in diapers, Lissa needed a break from strollers and runny noses, so she sat down and started crafting a romance, and she has been writing ever since. Nine years later she sold her first book, fulfilling her childhood dream. She feels blessed to be able to write what she loves, and intends to be writing until her fingers quit working, or she runs out of heartwarming stories to tell. She’s betting the fingers will go first.

Lissa lives in the beautiful city of Portland, Oregon, with her wonderful husband of twenty-seven years, a grown daughter and college-aged son, and two bossy poodles who rule the house and get away with it. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, crafting, bargain hunting, cooking and decorating. She loves hearing from her readers and can be reached through her website, www.lissamanley.com, or through Love Inspired Books.

Lissa Manley

Mistletoe Matchmaker

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice: and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God forgave you.

—Ephesians 4:31–32

This book is dedicated to my longtime critique partners, Terri Reed and Leah Vale. As always, thanks, guys, for helping me finally get this book right! I really couldn’t have done it without you.

Contents

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

Chapter Sixteen

Epilogue

Dear Reader

Questions for Discussion

Chapter One

“Stop that dog!”

The words were barely out of Grant Roderick’s mouth before he realized they were futile. Nothing was going to stop the streak of white fluff running down the Christmas-bedecked boardwalk of Main Street in Moonlight Cove, Washington.

Crazy mutt. Fast, too. Fast, and sneaky enough to have bolted by him when he’d opened the front door of his aunt’s house to get the mail.

Grant followed Jade, his aunt’s white standard poodle—the one he was supposed to be taking care of—running like a madman trying to keep up with the runaway dog. Thankfully, the dog looked smart enough to keep out of the street and away from cars. If anything happened to Jade, he’d never forgive himself.

Grant dodged a holiday shopper coming out of one of the many quaint stores lining the street. “’Scuse me,” he said, straining his neck to keep an eye on Jade. If he lost sight of the dog, he’d never get a hold of her. How could he have let the crazy canine get the better of him one measly day into his house/dog-sitting duty?

All of a sudden, Jade stopped so fast she almost left paw skid marks. Yes! A block behind, Grant kept running, hoping she stayed put so he could grab her. He had work to do, work that didn’t involve chasing naughty dogs all over town.

He drew closer, and Jade put her large, furry paws onto the Christmas-light-festooned window of a store and let out a hearty woof. Then she dropped to all fours again. Grant kept moving, closing the distance between them, pretty much expecting her to take off when he got within grabbing distance. She was clever, he’d give her that. She’d outsmarted him. For a while.

But she stayed by the store, her white pom-pom tail wagging up a storm. Just as she reared up on her hind legs again and pawed the air with her front paws, he was in striking distance.

I’ve got you now!

He lunged for her collar…and saw the store door open to his left. As quick as a cat—for a large dog—Jade jumped forward and through the open door. She looked like she was smiling as she dodged past him.

He fell forward, unable to stop his momentum, and crashed to the thankfully dry boardwalk with a bone-jarring thud. The air whooshed out of him instantly, and he couldn’t draw a breath to save his life.

He rolled onto his back, cringing, wondering if anything was broken. He lay there for a moment, flopped out like a dead fish.

Just as he managed to choke some air in, a feminine voice exclaimed, “Oh, my goodness, are you all right?”

He looked up and saw a very pretty woman with a mass of long curly red hair and cute freckles staring down at him, her eyebrows drawn together over a set of gorgeous green eyes.

His cheeks burned. Great. He’d fallen down in front of the most attractive woman he’d seen in a long time. All he could do was groan, his pain mingling with complete embarrassment.

Not exactly a stellar way to start his time in Moonlight Cove, was it?

Molly Kent looked down at the blond man lying on the sidewalk in front of her store, Bow Wow Boutique, concern rippling through her. He’d hit the deck pretty hard.

Given that he was chasing Jade, Molly surmised this guy had to be her friend Rose Latham’s nephew, Grant Roderick, whom Rose had enlisted to pet-sit Jade while she went on a Hawaiian honeymoon with her new husband and former neighbor, Benny Fulton.