Beth Carpenter - A Gift For Santa

It’s the season for giving...and starting over?

A reindeer farm without Santa wouldn’t be Christmas in Marissa Gray’s Alaskan hometown. Luckily Chris Allen’s there to pinch-hit, although for Marissa, seeing her ex-fiancé again brings back memories of what might have been.

Ten years after their breakup, the feelings between the wildlife biologist and blue-eyed fisherman are stronger than ever. Only now there’s a foster kid in the mix, as well as the shocking crime that cost Marissa her job and her family’s security. She and Chris need to find their way to a meeting of minds and hearts to make this truly a season for second chances...

“Are you ready to collect on our bet?”

The corners of Chris’s eyes crinkled after he said it.

“I am.” Marissa smiled and took a step closer. “Kiss me.”

He ran a finger down the side of her face to brush her hair back behind her shoulder. And then he gathered her into his arms and pulled her tight against his chest. Her heart beat faster, and he hadn’t even gotten to her lips yet. He lowered his head and brushed his mouth against hers like a whisper. She parted her lips to draw in a breath, and he captured her mouth. Her arms wound around his neck, bringing him closer.

How she’d missed this. The way they fit together. His arms holding her safe, his heart beating in time with hers. It was like the last piece of a jigsaw puzzle that fit into the remaining spot and brought the whole picture into focus. It was never this way with anyone else. She wanted to stay in his arms forever.

Dear Reader,

I love Christmas. I love the decorations, the food and the excitement of children as they anticipate Santa coming. In my heroine Marissa’s family, Christmas is not only a passion, but a way of life. Marissa grew up on her aunt and uncle’s reindeer farm in Alaska, and Christmastime is their busiest season. Her uncle Oliver is a natural Santa, with his white beard, round belly and love for children. But Oliver is sick, and it’s up to Marissa and Aunt Becky to carry on.

For my hero, Chris, Christmas magic was in short supply during his childhood. Until he met Marissa, he’d never known that that sort of supportive and happy family unit existed. But a fundamental disagreement led to their breakup.

Now, as much as Marissa would like to deny it, her family needs our hero’s help. Partly to annoy her, he agrees to step in. Just to complicate things, a dinosaur-loving boy in dire need of a dose of Christmas spirit ricochets into Chris’s life. And Christmas starts to work its magic...

I hope you enjoy reading this story. There will be more Northern Lights romances to come. To keep in touch, visit www.bethcarpenterbooks.blogspot.com, where you can find my email, Facebook and Twitter contacts as well as the latest book news. You can also sign up for my newsletter.

Wishing peace, love and joy to you and yours the whole year through.

Beth Carpenter

A Gift for Santa

Beth Carpenter

www.millsandboon.co.uk

BETH CARPENTER is thankful for good books, a good dog, a good man and a dream job creating happily-ever-afters. She and her husband now split their time between Alaska and Arizona, where she occasionally encounters a moose in the yard or a scorpion in the basement. She prefers the moose.

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To my husband, Steve. Thank you for supporting my dreams.

I also want to thank my agent, Barbara Rosenberg, and editors Kathryn Lye and Victoria Curran for believing in me and working with me to make each story the best it can be. And thanks to Brenda, Brenda, Christy, Sue, Diana and other early readers. Your encouragement made all the difference.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

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

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Extract

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

Twenty-four days till Christmas

NO SNOW. No Uncle Oliver. Even the reindeer weren’t cooperating. Instead of following the others out, Peppermint pawed at the floor of the trailer and shook her head, jingling the bells on her harness.

Marissa scratched the hairy diva’s forehead and spoke in a low voice. “Come on, girl. You’ll have fun. Think of all those kids so excited to ride behind a real live reindeer.” She patted Peppermint’s neck until she seemed calm. “Let’s go. Your public awaits.” She gave a little tug on the lead, and with a toss of her antlers, the reindeer trip-trapped down the ramp. Her snort formed a cloud of white vapor in the icy air.

The last few rays of sun cast a pink glow on the oval track of trucked-in snow, breaking up the expanse of brown grass. Ordinarily, at least ten inches of packed snow would blanket the area beside the golf-course clubhouse Grizzlyco always rented for their Christmas party, making it the perfect venue for reindeer sleigh rides. But there was nothing ordinary about this year, especially without Oliver playing Santa Claus.

It felt wrong, setting up for a party without Oliver’s hearty “Ho, ho, ho,” booming in the background as he warmed up for his favorite role. Her uncle barely had the energy to get out of bed these days, much less spend a strenuous evening handling reindeer and wrestling children on and off his lap.

Aunt Becky pulled one of the pop-up Christmas trees from the back of the truck and stopped to look across the clearing, where a man was attaching grooming equipment to the back of a snow machine. “The snow track looks good.”

“It does. I’m amazed Grizzlyco took on the expense of trucking in snow.”

“Lucky for us, this is their premier event of the year, and the sleigh rides for the kids are a big draw.” Becky frowned. “And speaking of draws, have you seen the guy who’s supposed to play Santa?”

“Not that I know of.” A few people had been milling around the kitchen and decorating the party room when she went inside earlier, but she hadn’t seen anyone who looked like a would-be Santa. Of course, it was hard to picture anyone else in the role except Oliver.

Becky clucked her tongue. “He was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago. I’ll take this tree inside and see if he’s arrived.”

Marissa unloaded the other tree and Santa’s throne. On her final trip indoors, she found Becky pressing the cell phone to her ear, a look of panic spreading across her face. Was Oliver okay? Marissa stepped closer to listen to the conversation.

“Yes, it’s today. What’s all that noise? Are you in a bar?” Becky paced back and forth as she waited for the reply. “No, thank you. And don’t bother showing up for the next one, either. Yes, well, I’m sorry, too. Goodbye.” Becky tapped the phone and met Marissa’s eyes. “No Santa.”