Merry Christmas to
all! My name is Diana Tobin and I love
this time of year. For many years I
collected so many ornaments and decorations I could’ve put a certain card store
out of business; or, perhaps, I kept them
in business. I also spent a lot of time
painting a ceramic village, which my granddaughter now sets up each year,
complete with Santa in his sleigh flying overhead. Not any easy task, trust me. Over the years my family’s traditions have
changed and grown along with the change and growth of the family, as well as
changes and growth in the valley we call home.
What never changes is the magic of Christmas. I believe in magic and miracles, especially
when powered by love, and while it can happen any time of year, it is strongest
now.
Wanting to share some
of the fun and excitement of our traditions, a Christmas story seemed the best
way. You can get a peek at some of the
happenings around our town, while sharing in the joy of love. And, who better to bring about the magic of
Christmas than Santa, or in this case, Nick St. Clair in SANTA NICK.
Blurb: With Christmas on the way six year old Faith
Reynolds is determined to get the very best present ever for her widowed mother
– a new husband – but one that would be a nice daddy, too. Though Faith’s mother, Jenny, is not a big
believer in Santa, a chance meeting with handsome high school teacher Nick St.
Clair might just change everything.
Nick portrays Father
Christmas at the yearly holiday celebration in nearby Jacksonville. When he
hears Faith’s heartfelt Christmas wish, he makes one of his own – and Santa
Nick gets what he wants!
But Jenny’s heart has
been betrayed by her deceased husband, and she’s not sure she can ever trust
again. Can Nick bring the joy of
Christmas and a loving relationship into Jenny’s life? Making Jenny and little Faith his own family
could be the Christmas magic they all need!
Excerpt:
Nick
slid his arm along the back of the bench behind Jenny, turning to speak to her
and Faith. “You don’t have your
Christmas tree yet?”
Jenny
could feel the heat from Nick’s body and had to stop herself from leaning into
him. “We’re going to look for one this
afternoon.”
“My
uncle has a tree lot. If you can wait
until I finish out here, I’ll take you out to get one,” Nick offered.
“You
mean we can chop one down,” Faith asked with excitement.
“Usually
we take a saw,” Nick said on a chuckle.
“Won’t
it be too dark by then,” Jenny asked.
“I
think we can close the North Pole early today.”
“Oh,
puleez, Mama.” Faith bounced up and down
on the seat as she clung to Jenny’s arm.
“Can we go cut down our own tree?”
Nick
put his lips near Jenny’s ear. “It’s
something she asked for,” he whispered.
He felt her shiver and hoped he was the cause, not the weather.
Jenny
moved closer to Faith before turning toward Nick. She didn’t meet his gaze, looking just beyond
his shoulder. “Are you sure it will be
all right if you leave early?”
“I’m
sure of it,” he stated. “Especially if I
find a replacement elf for our ailing one.”
Faith
stood up to ask more questions of the driver giving Jenny a chance to speak
some what privately with Nick.
“Did
she really ask to cut down a tree?” She
turned her head and found her face much too close to Nick’s. If she leaned forward just the tiniest bit
her lips would be on his. She could see,
for the first time, what it was like to kiss a bearded man. Realizing where her thoughts were going, she
faced forward, gazing at the brick building across the street as if she found
it mesmerizing.
Nick
leaned a bit closer, letting his chest touch her shoulder, but keeping his lips
to himself. “It was one of her wishes,”
he said quietly. “I can’t tell you what
else she asked for. At least, not till
after Christmas.”
I hope you enjoy SANTA
NICK. I wish you all the joy, love, and
magic of the season!
What is your favorite Christmas decoration? Comment and you just might win a free ecopy of Santa Nick.
