Praise for New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Vicki Lewis Thompson
Vicki Lewis Thompson is one of those rare, gifted writers with the ability to touch her readers hearts and their funny bones.
#1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Debbie Macomber
This modern cowboy tale expertly balances sex and emotion with a touch of humor. Its one of the hottest western romances of the year!
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Praise for New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Jill Shalvis
Shalvis thoroughly engages readers.
Publishers Weekly
Shalviss writing is a perfect trifecta of win: hilarious dialogue, evocative and real characters, and settings that are as much a part of the story as the hero and heroine. Ive never been disappointed by a Shalvis book.
SmartBitchesTrashyBooks.com
Praise for USA TODAY bestselling author Julie Kenner
[Julie Kenner has a] flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations.
Publishers Weekly
Julie Kenners characters and their sexual adventures will win your heart.
RT Book Reviews
Holiday Hideout
The Thanksgiving Fix
New York Times and USA TODAY Bestselling Author
Vicki Lewis Thompson
The Christmas Set-Up
New York Times and USA TODAY Bestselling Author
Jill Shalvis
The New Years Deal
USA TODAY Bestselling Author
Julie Kenner
www.millsandboon.co.uk
Contents
The Thanksgiving Fix: Vicki Lewis Thompson
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Epilogue
The Christmas Set-Up: Jill Shalvis
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Epilogue
The New Years Deal: Julie Kenner
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
To the memory of Christopher Reeve,
who was the epitome of Superman.
The Thanksgiving Fix
New York Times and USA TODAY Bestselling Author
Vicki Lewis Thompson
PROLOGUE
Once upon a time, a middle-aged couple named Ken and Jillian Vickers rented a cozy cottage overlooking Lake Tahoe in hopes that a weekend away would revitalize their marriage. The plan worked so well that they bought the cottage. But it was far too small to accommodate their children and grandchildren, so on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, it sat empty.
Ken suggested renting it out for those holidays, which made financial sense to Jillian. But after several seasons, an unusual pattern emerged. Renters routinely left notes expressing their joy at either rekindling an old love or finding a new one during their stay at the cabin.
The consistent theme of the notes fascinated Ken and Jillian, both sociology professors at the University of Nevada in Reno. Perhaps the little cabin had a special effect on couples. If so, Ken and Jillian vowed to collect enough evidence to uncover its secret.
I STILL SAY youre taking the concept too far. Ken Vickers paced the small kitchen. This is a blatant matchmaking attempt, which will skew the data weve collected so far.
And I say its the ultimate test. Jillian scooted under the kitchen sink. Hand me the wrench.
But
With this renter, we have a golden opportunity to see if the cabins effect is strong enough to override a renters preconceived objective. Beth insists shes stopped searching for Mr. Right. I want to see what happens if we bring Mr. Right to her doorstep. She wiggled her fingers. Wrench, please.
Ken sighed as he leaned down and placed it in her outstretched hand. You dont know that Mac is Beths Mr. Right.
Yes, I do. Besides being a terrific handyman, hes a nice person. Beth was one of those great students you never forget. Theyre perfect for each other.
Aside from the fact that he loves it here and her jobs in Reno.
So theyll drive back and forth. Its doable. And theyll make beautiful babies.
Babies? Jillian, for Gods sake. They havent even met and youre already envisioning babies?
You have to admit theyd make a handsome couple, Mac with his dark hair and those startling blue eyes, and Beth with her reddish-brown hair and green eyes. Their kids would be absolutely
What if she doesnt notice the leak and we end up with water damage?
Cmon, Ken. She manages one of the largest hotels in Reno. Shell notice.
I still dont think this is a good idea. Something could go wrong.
I promise you, it wont. Jillian loosened the pipe fitting. Would you please turn on the water?
With another martyred sigh, Ken complied.
Goodweve got a leak. Its just enough to get her attention. You posted Macs number on the refrigerator, right?
I did, butI dont know if I can just walk out of here with that pipe leaking. It goes against my instincts.
Not mine. Shell be here in the next hour, and its starting to snow. Jillian eased out from under the sink. Lets get going before the roads get too icy.
CHAPTER ONE
AFTER UNPACKING AND TAKING a long soak in the claw-foot tub of her Lake Tahoe rental cabin, Beth Tierney put on an old sweatshirt and sweatpants along with her sock-monkey slippers. Then she settled down on the living room couch with a glass of wine, a pen and a yellow legal pad.
Before she left the cabin on Sunday, she would have a Single and Proud of It speech for her well-meaning yet interfering family when they gathered for Christmas. Never again would she face a holiday dreading that theyd try to fix her up with a marriage prospect. Pen poised, she debated how to begin.
Now that Ive turned thirty, I She scratched that out. No sense in calling attention to her age when that was the first thing they mentioned when they broached the subject of her singleness. As you all know, I used my Thanksgiving break to take stock of my life.
That was better. Her father was fond of telling his children to take stock of their lives. Shed reminded her mother of that when announcing she wasnt going to be attending the family Thanksgiving celebration in Sacramento this year. Her two brothers and one sisterall married even though they were younger than she washad thought hiding away in a cabin for the Thanksgiving weekend was stupid, and had called her to say so. But her mom and dad had given their blessing.
She glanced out the window where a light snow continued to fall. Good thing shed made it before the roads got bad. Returning her attention to the yellow legal pad on her lap, she chose her next sentence carefully.
After much considerationher dad would love that partIve decided to embrace my single status. Brilliant opening. She tapped the pen against the paper, pleased with herself.
This getaway had been such a great idea. Besides writing the speech to give to her family on Christmas, she planned to spend the long weekend appreciating all the enjoyable things about being unattached. She sipped her wine and stared into the fire.
These days, being single no longer carried a stigma. The words spinster and old maid didnt apply to an educated woman with a terrific future in business. She had a loving family, many close friends and a spacious condo.
She didnt need a man to keep her feet warm at night. Wearing wool socks to bed was a far simpler solution.
She didnt require a ring, a wedding and a home in suburbia to feel complete. Her life was full, and her family might as well give up the quest for a fairy-tale ending. It wasnt going to happen.
She wasnt bitter about that. No tragic love stories had turned her against marriage. Besides her familys endless matchmaking attemptswhich had never gone wellshed dated some almost-right guys over the years. Two had even proposed.
But neither of those relationships had measured up. She wanted to be madly in love, of course, but she also needed to be respected as an equal partner. Her ideal man wouldnt take himself too seriously, but he would take the nurturing part of their relationship very seriously.
For example, he would remember her birthday without being reminded. She would love to meet the man who believed that remembering birthdays and anniversaries was important. If a guy could tell her, without a cheat sheet, the birthdays of his parents and siblings, that would make her sit up and take notice.
Everyone said her expectations were too high, which meant there was a good chance no man would make the grade. She was okay with that. Some people were meant to be married, and some werent. She fit into category B. She was perfectly fine as she was, and she was going to give them a detailed list of all the reasons why. Maybe then her well-intentioned family would get off her back.
The fire needed tending, so she got up to add another log. Once she had it crackling nicely again, she decided she could do with some brain food to help her list along, walked over to the tiny kitchen area adjacent to the living room, and opened the refrigerator. Cheese and crackers sounded good.
She found a wooden cheeseboard on one of the shelves, and used a knife from the well-stocked drawer of kitchen utensils to slice the cheddar shed brought. Ken and Jillian had thought of everything, but then, they would have since they spent many weekends at the cabin during the rest of the year. She rinsed off the knife and left it in the strainer.
But as she picked up the cheeseboard and started back to the couch, she heard water dripping. Returning to the kitchen, she opened the doors and examined the pipes under the sink. Near as she could tell, a pipe fitting had worked itself loose. She tried tightening it by hand and then tested it by running more water in the sink. Still dripping.
She could call the handyman whose number was posted on the refrigerator, but that seemed silly. Shed carried a toolbox in her trunk for years, a habit instilled by her dad. He always said a person should be prepared for lifes little hiccups. Handling this herself would be symbolic: Beth Tierney proves that she doesnt need a man around.
After donning her jacket and pulling boots over her monkey slippers, she hurried outside, fetched the toolbox and ran back in. The handyman shouldnt have to come out in this weather, anyway. He was probably some old guy who was at that moment helping his wife with the pumpkin pies or hauling in folding chairs for the extended family that would arrive tomorrow.
Beth battled a wave of nostalgia. By doing the hermit thing this year, shed miss the carving of the turkey and the Thanksgiving Day toasts. Her mother, sister and sisters-in-law would gather in the kitchen for girl talk while her dad, brothers and brother-in-law watched football and her nieces and nephews ran around fighting over who got the wishbone.
Holidays were chaotic in her family, and she loved every minute, exceptthey would always, always, drag some single guy into the mix, hoping Beth would hook up with him and instead add a sour note to her holidays. If she ever expected to enjoy another holiday with her nearest and dearest, she had to put an end to their matchmaking.
After taking off her coat and boots, she chose a wrench from her toolbox and wriggled into position under the pipe. A few twists of the wrench and the dripping stopped. Scooting out from under the counter, she tested her job by running water into the sink. All fixed. Beth Tierney, single girl, had triumphed over another household emergency. Who needed men?
Although she had to admit there was one thing she did need a man for. She wasnt ready to give up sex at the ripe old age of thirty. But a girl could have sex without expecting it to lead to white lace and promises. In fact, sex would be much more honest if both parties agreed that it wasnt a prelude to courtship and marriage.
Putting away her wrench, she picked up the cheeseboard and returned to the couch. Maybe shed write out that conclusion in her speech, although her sex life wasnt exactly a subject she shared with her parents. Still, she needed a manifesto that would remind her of why shed made this decision to give up on wedding bells. She picked up her legal pad and began to write again as the fire blazed in the hearth and snow fell outside the window.
MOM, please DONT FIX ME UP with someone for Thanksgiving. Mac McFarland cradled the cell phone against his shoulder as he pulled off his boots. Once hed finished this call, hed build a fire and pop open a beer. Snowy weather was a perfect excuse to relax by the fire with a cold one.
Its not a fix-up, his mother said. Shes a friend of the family.
Since when? Ive never heard of this Stephanie person.
A recent friend. Your father hired her last month as his new receptionist. Theres no harm in meeting her, Conneach.
He cringed. Although hed trained everyone else in his life to call him Mac, his mother insisted on using his given name, which had been a burden to him from the moment hed realized other boys had names like Bill and Pete and Sam.
In print, his name stymied people. When he pronounced it for them, they thought he was saying cognac, and they teased him about being named after a type of brandy. Self-preservation had prompted him to change his name to Mac McFarland, and that had worked for everyoneexcept his mother.
Mom, Im sure these single women you round up are embarrassed to be paraded in front of me as if youre trying to marry me off.
Theres no as if about it. I am trying to marry you off. Youre thirty-one years old. Its time. And I dont have to remind you that youre the hope of the McFarlands.
No, you dont have to remind me. But she did at every opportunity. As the only son, he was supposed to guarantee that his fathers branch of the McFarland clan would continue. His younger sister had no such responsibility, and frankly, that was unfair. The whole charade was so three centuries ago.
You intend to get married at some point, I hope?