Linda Miller - Christmas In Mustang Creek

No one does the holidays like Linda Lael Miller, whose Christmas novels have warmed the hearts of millions of readers the world over!

Charlotte Morgan grew up in Mustang Creek, Wyoming, and couldn’t wait to escape to the big city. But life in New York isn’t as fabulous as she’d like to admit—she’s lonely, doing a job she doesn’t love and dating too many frogs she meets online.

There was one potential prince, though—Jaxon Locke, a veterinarian with definite possibilities—but his move to Idaho to fill in at his dad’s vet practice ended things just as they were getting interesting. What Charlotte doesn’t know is that he misses her, more than he expected…

Meanwhile, Charlotte’s great-aunt Geneva—the woman who raised her—needs to enter an assisted-living facility. So, just before Christmas, Charlotte moves back home. When Jax catches wind of her move back West, he’s determined to get to Wyoming and do whatever it takes to win her back.

Christmas in Mustang Creek is a magical time in a magical place, not least because of a mysterious visitor named Mrs. Klozz. She knows that love is the greatest gift of all, and she’s ready to help out Santa by giving these two a push in the right direction!

Christmas in Mustang Creek

Linda Lael Miller

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Dear Friends Contents Cover Back Cover Text Title Page Dear Reader Dedication 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Epilogue Extract Copyright ,

It’s Christmas in Mustang Creek and you’re invited to join the celebration! You’ll catch glimpses of some of your favorite characters from The Marriage Pact, The Marriage Charm and The Marriage Season, and make some new book friends, as well.

Charlotte Morgan, somewhat at loose ends after losing her high-paying, high-profile job in New York City, has come home to Mustang Creek to look after her aunt, Geneva, and the family home, a charming old Victorian in need of some TLC. Imagine her chagrin when the first person she runs into is Jaxon “Jax” Locke, the handsome veterinarian she used to love. When they wind up sharing a hotel room due to a raging blizzard—separate beds, please—the adventure begins.

Christmas in Mustang Creek is a magical story in many ways—for instance, what about the mysterious Millicent Klozz, the white-haired cooking genius of a housekeeper nobody remembers hiring?

And then there are the animals, always a favorite element in my stories.

The tree is decorated and sparkling with a thousand points of light. There’s a fire crackling on the hearth, and snow is drifting past the windows. Sit right down, have one of Mrs. Klozz’s delicious cookies and get ready to share in the joys of Christmas, Mustang Creek style.

With love,

For all those who believe in magic.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text No one does the holidays like Linda Lael Miller, whose Christmas novels have warmed the hearts of millions of readers the world over! Charlotte Morgan grew up in Mustang Creek, Wyoming, and couldn’t wait to escape to the big city. But life in New York isn’t as fabulous as she’d like to admit—she’s lonely, doing a job she doesn’t love and dating too many frogs she meets online. There was one potential prince, though—Jaxon Locke, a veterinarian with definite possibilities—but his move to Idaho to fill in at his dad’s vet practice ended things just as they were getting interesting. What Charlotte doesn’t know is that he misses her, more than he expected… Meanwhile, Charlotte’s great-aunt Geneva—the woman who raised her—needs to enter an assisted-living facility. So, just before Christmas, Charlotte moves back home. When Jax catches wind of her move back West, he’s determined to get to Wyoming and do whatever it takes to win her back. Christmas in Mustang Creek is a magical time in a magical place, not least because of a mysterious visitor named Mrs. Klozz. She knows that love is the greatest gift of all, and she’s ready to help out Santa by giving these two a push in the right direction!

Title Page Christmas in Mustang Creek Linda Lael Miller www.millsandboon.co.uk

Dear Reader

Dedication For all those who believe in magic.

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Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

1

Charlotte Morgan shouldn’t have checked her bag for the flight from New York to Wyoming. Her layover in Denver had already been far longer than planned because of a storm that was coming in from the West Coast, and now she was— finally —waiting by a luggage carousel at the Cheyenne airport. And waiting... As her friend Karin always said, there were two kinds of luggage—carry-on and lost. And hers appeared to be of the lost variety.

December 21 meant it was almost the festive season, but her spirits were definitely on the low side.

This airport mess was typical of the dismal way her luck had been running lately.

Let’s see. She’d had to arrange for her aunt Geneva to move into assisted living. Dealing with that, mostly by email and over the phone, hadn’t been easy. Then there was the fact that a stranger was staying at Geneva’s house, the house Charlotte had grown up in. Of course, she’d questioned her aunt about Mrs. Klozz, asking how she and the mysterious visitor had met, but Geneva’s answers had been consistently vague, even evasive.

Worried, Charlotte had called Spencer Hogan, an old friend and Mustang Creek’s chief of police, to request a background check. He’d chuckled and said that wouldn’t be necessary; Mrs. Klozz was, as he’d put it, “all right.”

Finally, Charlotte had decided to drop the subject. She’d meet the woman soon enough and form her own opinion.

Despite all this, she felt uneasy.

Then—just when she’d thought things couldn’t get any worse—she’d been laid off.

Merry, merry Christmas.

Oh, the company, an advertising firm, had given her a generous enough severance package. Her boss had explained that budget cuts were taking a toll on everyone.

Not on him, apparently. His job seemed to be safe, unlike her own. It had taken some effort to not say something to that effect, but in truth, she just wanted to go home.

As she watched everyone retrieving luggage while hers was, predictably, nowhere in sight, she realized how ironic it was—as a teenager, she’d been convinced that all she wanted was to leave the small town of Mustang Creek, become successful, meet the right man and never look back. She’d done it. She’d left. She’d gotten a great job. She’d met the right man.

But she sure had looked back.

There was one other hopeful passenger waiting, and they exchanged a shrug of commiseration. The carousel was still moving, so maybe...

Yep, she’d left the small town. Got the dream job—and lost it. Met one Dr. Jaxon Locke, fell in love, and that hadn’t worked, either.

The other passenger won the lottery and his case slid down.

“Happy holidays,” he said in sympathy as he hurried away.

Then...a Christmas miracle! Her suitcase actually bumped out—no more than two seconds before she was going to head over to the airline counter to fill in the claim form—and began the journey toward her. Yay! Clean underwear for Christmas.