Janice Johnson - One Frosty Night

Unexpected Christmas plans

Olivia Bowen would rather avoid this holiday season. Even her satisfaction at improving the family business doesn’t make up for the loss of her beloved father and the sudden tension with her mother. Olivia questions how much longer she can live in her hometown. And her decision is further complicated by Ben Hovik.

She should keep her distance—he broke her heart years ago. Yet his compassion and their still-sizzling attraction are seductive. Could she be falling for him again? When she spends Christmas with Ben and his teenage son, she wonders if this might be the first of many more….

Ben Hovik. Tall, dark and handsome.

He was also one person in town she went out of her way to avoid.

“Olivia.” The way he said her name seemed like a caress.

Her heart cramped, as if she hadn’t already felt like a walking advertisement for Prilosec. Why did he have to look so damn good?

“I need to get back to work,” she said, desperate to avoid him.

“You don’t look like someone who should be going in to work. Is it your dad? I saw you were with your mom.”

Olivia laughed, a corrosive sound that had his eyebrows climbing. “Dad? Oh, sure. And Mom, who is apparently ready to throw off the old life and begin a new one.” Now, finally, she tried to shuffle sideways to go around him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. Really, I need to go—”

“You need to vent,” he said firmly. “I’m here and willing. Plus, I’m discreet.” He looked momentarily rueful. “On my job, you get good at keeping secrets.”

Dear Reader Dear Reader Title Page About the Author PROLOGUE 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 Extract Copyright ,

Ages ago I read about a teenage girl being found dead and how, when she remained unidentified, the folks in a small town decided to consider her theirs. If there was any follow-up to the story, I don’t remember it. I have no idea why this particular snippet of a story stuck with me, but it did. Maybe it was ready-made for me. As I’ve said before, I’m always interested in the aftereffects. You know, those ripples spreading outward from an event that might have seemed momentous, or really trivial, but that set something in motion.

In this case, the discovery of this girl is a catalyst in a small town, where a whole bunch of people start wondering guiltily whether they might know something, or might have done something that played a part in her death. Nothing like the uncomfortable tweak of a conscience, and especially when those same people decide to keep quiet!

You may have noticed that I most often set my stories in small towns. The truth is, I’ve never lived in a city. My parents moved often when I was growing up, but even when my father taught at big-city universities (Mexico City College, San Francisco State University), we always lived in a small town. I love going into Seattle, my closest big town, but have chosen small-town and rural life myself. I like the quiet, and as I was raising kids I also liked the sense of community, knowing other people kept an eye out for my kids, too, just as I did for theirs. When everyone knows everyone, though…well, gossip is, in some ways, an indication people are interested in each other and care, but it can also be destructive.

Ripe ground for a novel about secrets… And all the more ironic when the holiday season is upon these characters and they celebrate goodwill toward all even as they bury their own uneasiness.

Please visit my website at www.janicekayjohnson.com! I love hearing from readers.

Janice Kay Johnson

One Frosty Night

Janice Kay Johnson

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

An author of more than eighty books for children and adults, USA TODAY bestselling author JANICE KAY JOHNSONis especially well-known for her Mills & Boon Superromance novels about love and family—about the way generations connect and the power our earliest experiences have on us throughout life. Her 2007 novel Snowbound won a RITA® Award from Romance Writers of America for Best Contemporary Series Romance. A former librarian, Janice raised two daughters in a small rural town north of Seattle, Washington. She loves to read and is an active volunteer and board member for Purrfect Pals, a no-kill cat shelter. Visit her online at www.janicekayjohnson.com.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text Unexpected Christmas plans Olivia Bowen would rather avoid this holiday season. Even her satisfaction at improving the family business doesn’t make up for the loss of her beloved father and the sudden tension with her mother. Olivia questions how much longer she can live in her hometown. And her decision is further complicated by Ben Hovik. She should keep her distance—he broke her heart years ago. Yet his compassion and their still-sizzling attraction are seductive. Could she be falling for him again? When she spends Christmas with Ben and his teenage son, she wonders if this might be the first of many more….

Introduction Ben Hovik. Tall, dark and handsome. He was also one person in town she went out of her way to avoid. “Olivia.” The way he said her name seemed like a caress. Her heart cramped, as if she hadn’t already felt like a walking advertisement for Prilosec. Why did he have to look so damn good? “I need to get back to work,” she said, desperate to avoid him. “You don’t look like someone who should be going in to work. Is it your dad? I saw you were with your mom.” Olivia laughed, a corrosive sound that had his eyebrows climbing. “Dad? Oh, sure. And Mom, who is apparently ready to throw off the old life and begin a new one.” Now, finally, she tried to shuffle sideways to go around him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. Really, I need to go—” “You need to vent,” he said firmly. “I’m here and willing. Plus, I’m discreet.” He looked momentarily rueful. “On my job, you get good at keeping secrets.”

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

PROLOGUE

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

Extract

Copyright

PROLOGUE

WHERE WAS THAT damn dog?

Marsha Connelly stomped into the woods, swearing when she noticed the laces on her right boot were straggling and now snow-crusted. Grunting, she bent over far enough to tie and double-knot them. After she straightened, it took her a minute to regain enough breath to bellow again.

“Blarney!” she bellowed. “You come right this minute!” Blarney. She only hoped neighbors thought the blasted dog’s name was Barney. What was wrong with Barney or Riley or Felix? Or even just Dog? But, no, she’d had to let the grandkids name the new puppy back a couple of years ago, when he’d been charming and small enough he couldn’t yet bowl people over in his enthusiasm.

She could see his footprints in the snow; that was one good thing. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have a clue where he’d hightailed it off to. On the other hand, it was aggravating to have snow on the ground in October. October!

“Blarney!”

Marsha wouldn’t have admitted it to anyone, but she was starting to worry about the dumb-as-a-box-of-rocks dog. And they said golden retrievers were smart! Well, not this one. Still, it wasn’t like him to take off like a rocket and not come back. He was pretty willing to please, on the whole. Just big and energetic and cheerful. She didn’t like to think he might have slipped on icy rocks into the creek or, who knew, not so long ago there’d still been some trappers around here. Imagining the steel jaws crushing his leg made her swear some more.