Linn Halton - Christmas at Bay Tree Cottage

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Harper Impulse an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

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London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain by Harper Impulse 2017

Copyright © Linn B Halton 2017

Cover images © Shutterstock.com

Cover design © Books Covered 2017

Linn B. Halton asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780008261290

Ebook Edition © October 2017 ISBN:9780008261306

Version: 2017-07-19

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page Christmas at Bay Tree Cottage LINN B. HALTON A division of HarperCollins Publishers www.harpercollins.co.uk

Copyright Harper Impulse an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk First published in Great Britain by Harper Impulse 2017 Copyright © Linn B Halton 2017 Cover images © Shutterstock.com Cover design © Books Covered 2017 Linn B. Halton asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library. This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins. Source ISBN: 9780008261290 Ebook Edition © October 2017 ISBN:9780008261306 Version: 2017-07-19

Dedication My Christmases have been, for the most part, wonderful times creating memories I will always cherish and for which I am so very grateful. But, as is true for lots of people, there have been occasions when my heart has been heavy. When you lose a loved one it’s a bitter-sweet time, but as a new generation starts to fill the empty seats around the table, you know you are truly blessed. Seeing Christmas once more through the eyes of the children around you isn’t just special, it’s magical and the best Christmas present I could ever ask for. So I’m dedicating Christmas at Bay Tree Cottage to Billy, Lily, Joe and Maddie. The Christmas table is growing and even though Mum and Dad can’t take their seats, their presence is keenly felt. Merry Christmas to everyone and hugs to those whose Christmas this year will be tinged with sadness. Remember that love never dies because we carry it with us in our hearts, always. Linn x

Prologue Prologue ‘Daddy, you’ve been gone a while. I was worried you wouldn’t make it back in time for Christmas!’ Maya’s sweet little voice rose up in the darkness, reflecting a real sense of relief, closely followed by the love and joy bubbling up inside of her. ‘I know, Princess, it’s complicated. Some journeys take longer than others. Have you been a good girl?’ ‘Yes, Daddy. Well, mostly. It’s still dark outside, is it snowing?’ ‘No, no snow today.’ Maya wriggled down the bed, snuggling in as Niall tugged the duvet a little higher, tucking it in around her. ‘It’s still early, baby, you need to go back to sleep now.’ ‘Will you stay with me?’ Her voice was a whisper, sleep beginning to wrap itself around her once more. ‘You won’t go away?’ ‘I’ll be here when you need me, Maya. Daddy’s always here.’ Niall lay down next to his daughter and within seconds her breathing settled into a slow, rhythmic pattern. ‘I’ve missed you, baby, and I’m sorry.’ His words seemed to echo around the room, even though his voice was barely audible. In his head all he could hear was the haunting strains of Maya’s favourite Christmas song by the infamous Wizzard. The words seemed to overtake his thoughts as he began to relax. When the snowman brings the snow—

Chapter 1 Elana

Chapter 2 Elana

Chapter 3 Elana

Chapter 4 Luke

Chapter 5 Luke

Chapter 6 Luke

Chapter 7 Elana

Chapter 8 Elana

Chapter 9 Elana

Chapter 10 Luke

Chapter 11 Luke

Chapter 12 Luke

Chapter 13 Elana

Chapter 14 Elana

Chapter 15 Elana

Chapter 16 Luke

Chapter 17 Luke

Chapter 18 Luke

Chapter 19 Elana

Chapter 20 Elana

Chapter 21 Elana

Chapter 22 Luke

Chapter 23 Luke

Chapter 24 Luke

Chapter 25 Elana

Chapter 26 Elana

Chapter 27 Elana

Chapter 28 Luke

Chapter 29 Luke

Chapter 30 Luke

Chapter 31 Elana

Chapter 32 Elana

Chapter 33 Elana

Chapter 34 Luke

Chapter 35 Luke

Chapter 36 Luke

Chapter 37 Elana

Chapter 38 Elana

Chapter 39 Elana

Chapter 40 Luke

Chapter 41 Luke

Chapter 42 Luke

Chapter 43 Elana

Chapter 44 Elana

Chapter 45 Elana

Chapter 46 Luke

Chapter 47 Luke

Chapter 48 Luke

New Year’s Eve

Chapter 49 Elana

Chapter 50 Elana

Chapter 51 Elana

1st December, Eleven Months Later—

Chapter 52 Elana

Chapter 53 Elana

Chapter 54 Elana

Chapter 55 Luke

Chapter 56 Luke

Chapter 57 Luke

Chapter 58 Elana

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

Also by Linn B. Halton

About the Author

About HarperImpulse

About the Publisher

My Christmases have been, for the most part, wonderful times creating memories I will always cherish and for which I am so very grateful.

But, as is true for lots of people, there have been occasions when my heart has been heavy. When you lose a loved one it’s a bitter-sweet time, but as a new generation starts to fill the empty seats around the table, you know you are truly blessed.

Seeing Christmas once more through the eyes of the children around you isn’t just special, it’s magical and the best Christmas present I could ever ask for.

So I’m dedicating Christmas at Bay Tree Cottage to Billy, Lily, Joe and Maddie.

The Christmas table is growing and even though Mum and Dad can’t take their seats, their presence is keenly felt.

Merry Christmas to everyone and hugs to those whose Christmas this year will be tinged with sadness. Remember that love never dies because we carry it with us in our hearts, always.