A Dollar Download and a Free Holiday Cookbook

Saving Christmas by Clare Revell for only $1.

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Rather than do the expected thing, Christmas Daniels, pursued a high powered career in London, flying across the world, never being home long enough for anything. When her father is taken ill, she returns to run Hollies Christmas Emporium, an all year round Christmas shop.

Matt Pringle doesn't make a good impression on his new boss when he accuses her of stealing his parking space. Wanting to make up, he tries to impress her, but ends up falling for her instead.

When the bank threatens the store with closure, Chrissie sacrifices everything to try to save it. A committed Christian, Matt knows that Chrissie needs saving just as much.

Will their growing attraction help Matt save Christmas before it’s too late?

Thank you for spending this holiday season with 

White Rose Publishing.

Don't forget to pick up you free holiday cookbook.

http://www.whiterosepublishing.com/WRPHolidayRecipes2010.pdf

www.WhiteRosePublishing.com

White Rose Author Tanya Hanson

Redeeming Daisy by Tanya Hanson

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Veterinarian rancher Pike Martin has no choice but to advise putting down Daisy Denmore’s fatally ill dog, but she swears it's revenge for her mistreatment of Pike's brother years ago. Although stung by her insult at his professionalism, Pike finds himself drawn to the troubled woman who flounders in faith and aches for love and acceptance.

Costly mistakes have sent Daisy down an unrighteous path. Abandoned by her ex-husband, humiliated and broke, she has no choice but to return to her parents’ home in Mountain Cove, Colorado. As soon as she saves enough money, though, she'll be gone. Until Pike Martin's soft voice, caring manner, and downright empathy for her wounds tempt her to stay.

With God on his side, can Pike help Daisy along the path to forgiveness, trust, and whole-hearted love?

Excerpt:

Mountain Cove, Colorado

The big black dog burst through the exam room door with such joy that Pike Martin’s stomach churned. Elway should have several more years of life left instead of…

“Hey, boy.” With both affection and dread, he knelt to ruffle the ten-year-old Labrador’s head. Karen Densmore’s feet rustled nervously nearby. Bad news always devastated a pet’s owner, but she wasn’t somebody he wanted to talk to in the best of times.

After all, her daughter had humiliated Pike’s brother and broken his heart. No matter that Kenn had since found the love of his life. Mountain Cove was a small town, and gossip lived on for years. Pike stood, nearly knocked off his feet by Mrs. Densmore’s resemblance to her beautiful black-haired, black-hearted daughter.  

Always something there to remind you. He frowned, hoping she took it as concern for Elway.

“Hi, Doc. How’s it going, waiting on dogs and cats instead of horses and cattle?” Mrs. Densmore’s voice shook, and right away, Pike shoved away thoughts of Kenn and Daisy. This lady was about to lose her sweet dog, and her heart was likely breaking.

“Oh, I still make plenty of house calls,” he told her lightly. “Make that ranch calls.” They both half-smiled at his attempt at humor. The only large animal vet for twenty miles, he had a lively practice going in addition to tending the livestock at Hearts Crossing, the family ranch eight miles from town. “Just helping out Doc Fahmy for two weeks while he and his wife are on vacation.”

“Lucky gal, that Miranda. A Mediterranean cruise.” Then Mrs. Densmore stopped the small talk with a deep breath and loaded question. “So, what’s the verdict?”

Pike closed his eyes tight for a second. Sure, he was a professional, but he swallowed hard. The news was bad. Really bad. “The ultrasound results aren’t good,” he said softly, laying his hand on the dog’s head. Elway looked up at him adoringly, and Pike’s heart crunched. Professional or not, times like this were never easy.

“I guess I’m not surprised.” She dug in her purse for a tissue and dabbed her nose. “Doc Fahmy was concerned enough about the X-rays to order more tests. So?” Her voice slowed to a dull whisper.

“It’s a malignant tumor between the kidneys called hemangiosarcoma.”

She flinched when he said tumor. “But you can cut it out, right?”

Pike shook his head. “I’m afraid it’s inoperable. It has metastasized. We can give you the name of a canine oncologist in Denver if you’re so inclined.”

“Denver? Chemo?” The choking sounds she emitted almost shredded his composure. She sank into the lone chair next to the aluminum examination table. “No. Chemo almost killed Uncle Luther.” She grabbed Elway and held him close, his long pink tongue lolling in ecstasy. “I couldn’t put my sweetheart through that.”

Pike’s heart panged, and he reached to give her hand a squeeze. Despite everything, she and his ma had managed to avoid animosity. He could do the same. “Would you like to pray together? Jesus loves animals, too.”

As if she hadn’t heard, Karen Densmore stood and smiled over a sparkle of tears. “Joel gave Elway to me when Daisy left for college. So I wouldn’t feel alone. But she loved him just as much. That first year she came home from school almost every weekend to see the pup. I don’t know how I’m going to tell her…”

Her body tensed and her cheeks reddened; he reckoned she regretted mentioning her daughter’s name.  

Daisy.

His fingers curled into tight balls. “Well, I’ll talk to her if you want,” he said slowly. Even though he meant it, the possibility terrified him. Just last week, Daisy had passed out in his arms, and he hadn’t liked the spark he’d felt at her vulnerability—at the dark lashes fringing her cheeks; at the rose petal scent that seemed to linger still in his senses. Pike clenched his teeth. No, he didn’t like it—then, or now.

“I’ll do it.” Suddenly, she lowered her head to stare at her toes. “She and I…aren’t getting along that good anyway. Doc?” She looked back up at him. “I’m so sorry. About that scene she made at Hearts Crossing last week, during the hoedown. I can only blame her drinking on that wretched husband of hers. Ex-husband, I mean. If she’d only stayed with your brother, a true Christian man.”

“It’s OK, Mrs. Densmore. Calm down.” He flushed at the awkward topic. “Kenn’s engaged to someone else now and super happy with Christy. None of us knows what kind of misery Tony O’Neal laid on your daughter.”

“But now this? She’ll come unglued.” She waved her hands over Elway’s head then bleakly looked Pike straight in the eyes. “Again, I apologize, Doc. We were in Parachute that night.” She sighed deeply. “Joel’s mother is doing poorly, but she won’t welcome Daisy into her home. All because Daisy eloped with Tony. Mother reckons my daughter’s getting just what she deserves. So we went without her…”

Discussion Question --

Pastor Hale's Bible study scripture, 2 Corinthians 12, verse 9, fits so many of life's situations. When in your life has this Scripture made the most sense?

White Rose Author Delia Latham

Yesterday's Promise by Delia Latham

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A whirlwind romance amidst the natural splendor of Yosemite National Park.

A spur-of-the-moment wedding near Bridalveil Fall.

A young bride who awakens the morning after to find her new husband gone with the mountain wind.

Songbird Hannah Johns supports the child born of that ill-fated union by singing in a dinner lounge. Her dream of someday owning the elite establishment and turning it into a venue more suited to her Christian values is shattered when an unexpected transaction places it in the hands of Brock Ellis, the handsome biker who abandoned her in their honeymoon suite.

Ensuing sparks fly high, revealing buried secrets and forgotten pasts. Seeking to find peace with her painful past, Hannah returns to Yosemite, and Brock follows hard on her heels. Back where it all began, she finds herself in danger of losing her heart yet again to the man who shattered it the first time around.

Excerpt:

“I can’t believe you, of all people, can get that look on your face because I have a son without the benefit of a husband. At least I’m there for my son, and I will be as long as God allows me to walk this earth. I would never, under any circumstances, never abandon someone I love. Never.  It’s right there.” She pointed a trembling finger at Lissy's house and fumbled for the handle as Brock swung the car to the curb.

By the time he brought the vehicle to a full stop, she had the door open and one foot outside the car. Tears burned her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

“Hannah, I…” Brock’s bewildered expression almost passed for convincing. “I’m sorry, really. I didn’t mean…”

“Lissy will take us home.” She ignored his apology, then slammed the car door and marched up the sidewalk, head high, back ramrod stiff.

Davey flew out the door to meet her, his dark curls bouncing. “Mommy! Mommy, I missed-ed you!”

Hannah picked him up, hugging him to her. “Hey, big guy! I missed-ed you too.” She rarely encouraged his mispronunciation of words, but at the moment she wanted Davey to stay little for a very long time.

“Who’s that man, Mommy?” One arm around Hannah’s neck, her son pointed to the car where Brock sat watching them. “Huh? Who is he?”

“Nobody, Davey.” She set the small boy on his feet. Taking his hand, she led him to Lissy's door. Behind her, she heard the BMW pull away, but she refused to look back.

Only your daddy, sweet boy. He’s only your daddy.

White Rose Author Wendy Davy

Snow Angels by Wendy Davy

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A blizzard brings them together…
A twist of fate threatens to tear them apart.

Seeking her father’s approval, ski patrol candidate, Isabelle Rollins, will stop at nothing to secure her place among the highly respected patrollers at Snowcap Resort, even if it means risking her life.  When she becomes lost in a blizzard, she fights her way to the doorstep of a handsome stranger, only to discover he is the one man who can stand in the way of her dream.

Seeking refuge from his tragic past, Ski Patrol Director, Mitchell Donovan, prays his new environment will help his daughter heal and overcome her persistent nightmares.  When a stranded woman shows up on his doorstep desperate to survive a raging blizzard, he brings her in from the cold and into his life, only to discover she's the one woman he has no business falling for.

Excerpt:

Be home. Be home. Be home. She willed the owner to open the door. She imagined the life-saving warmth beyond her reach and shuffled her feet in anticipation.

A curtain fluttered in the window and a yellow porch light came on. The lock scraped out of the frame before the door cracked open. Warmth gushed out of the room, tantalizing her skin with the promise of salvation. Izzy lifted her gaze to the tall man who stood beyond the three-inch gap in the doorway. His astonished, cobalt gaze traveled over her as he held the door solid against the strong winds bashing against it.

“Are you crazy?” his deep voice penetrated the howling wind.

Izzy tilted her head. Those words were not the ones she had expected to come from the man who would save her life. But, she must appear somewhat insane to be out in such dangerous weather.

Instead of wasting energy defending her mental stability, she answered through her rattling teeth, “I-I’m stranded in th-the storm. I n-need help.” She began to sag as her knees buckled with fatigue.

“I can see that.” Concern creased his brow as he swung the door in a wide arc. Striding forward, he banded an arm around her waist and propelled her inside. “You’re going to be OK. I’ve got you now.”

White Rose Author Carla Rossi

Almost Home by Carla Rossi

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The perfect road trip: 2 strangers, 1 truck, and 1500 miles to fall in love.


Detective Justin Hatcher and Cameron McAlister are in a hurry to leave North Carolina-for totally different reasons. He wants to confront his family about a five-year-old betrayal. She wants to escape the remnants of a failed marriage.

Thrown together as unlikely and unexpected travel partners, their trip is filled with both dramatic and humorous situations along the road. But, with God's constant hand in their journey, can Justin and Cameron discover that...

Yes, you can go home again...especially at Christmastime.

Excerpt:

Tears sprang from her fern colored eyes. “Look, I just need to get to Oklahoma City as soon as possible,” she choked. “Can I join you for a while or not?’

“Are you in such a hurry because you’ve committed a crime?”

She looked at him as though he’d just sprouted spaghetti for hair.

“Okay, then. How old are you? You look like a kid in that get-up.”

“I’m twenty five. Would you like to see my ID?”

She pushed a shaky hand out the end of her sweatshirt sleeve and started fishing in the pocket of her jeans. Wadded tissues popped out and tumbled to the ground. A tearful squeak escaped her lips as she hurried to pick them up.

He had no business taking on a passenger. Not even a cute redhead. Not even an intelligent woman who clearly had great conversation potential. Not even until the next major city.

“Get in,” he grumbled and reached for her bag.

She jumped in the cab and secured his thermos between her feet on the floor while he checked the side mirrors and started the engine.

He put the truck in reverse and placed his arm across the back of the seat.

She pulled her hat off and shook her hair loose, and then brushed away the last tear. She turned to him and smiled. Really smiled. Smiled in such a way that it rivaled the first sun of the morning now creeping into the eastern sky.

“Thanks for the ride.”

With one click of the seatbelt, Detective Justin Hatcher knew he was in for the most complicated ride of his life—and he didn’t even know her name.

White Rose Author Tanya Stowe

Tender Touch by Tanya Stowe

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Lacy Butler is graced with the gift of healing. She can save strangers-even those undeserving-yet fails to save her mother. Rejecting her gift, God, and society, she's content to live alone high above the mining town of Harperville. But her solitude is shattered when Royce Darnell builds a water flume through the middle of her mountain. To protect her sanctuary, Lacy sabotages his efforts. Little does she expect Royce to track her through a blizzard and end up half frozen to death on her doorstep. She can heal him, but why should she when he threatens to steal her peace...and her heart?

With the livelihood of the miners and their families depending on his project, Royce refuses to stop building, no matter how good the reason or how lovely the masked saboteur turns out to be. Besides, he's convinced God wants Lacy to use her gift for good and not to hole up in her cabin like a reticent recluse afraid of human contact. But first, she must learn to trust, and Lacy doesn't trust anyone, not Royce and especially not God. Soon Royce finds himself in a battle to save the two things he loves the most-Harperville and Lacy. Is his faith strong enough to save them both?

Excerpt:

High California Sierras 1861

Royce Darnell stared at Stumpy McPherson from beneath the brow of his tan felt hat. “Are you sure you secured the chuck wagon last night?”

The older man nodded before he sent a stream of brown spittle across the snow. “I’m sure.” He wiped at the corner of his mouth where his white beard was stained brown. “There ain’t no way them raccoons could’ve got to the food. Someone had to open it up.”

Royce looked up at the gray, pre-dawn sky. “How much food can you salvage?”

“Enough for breakfast and that’s it.”

Royce brushed past Stumpy, headed up the hill to the chuck wagon. As he got close, the odor of coffee and sorghum carried. Even before he saw the damage, he could smell the havoc created by the raiding raccoons. Sugar, flour, and beans were strewn across the muddied snow.

Stumpy gestured to a tin of lard, resting in a pile of dead pine cones. “That’s about the only thing they didn’t eat. That and my chaw of tobacco.”

Royce stooped to examine the small tracks trampled into the dirty snow. They led in a clear path straight to the trees. “How did you secure the wagon?”

“I tied it with ropes and knots a man couldn’t undo.”

“Where are the ropes now?”

“Disappeared. Ain’t no sign of them. I expect if he’d left them, we’d seen they were cut.”

Royce’s jaw tightened. Three incidents in three weeks. Someone was determined to drive Royce and his men away from this area of the mountain. He glanced up to see the same certainty in Stumpy’s eyes. “There’s got to be tracks somewhere.”

“I already looked. There ain’t nothin’.”

“Stumpy, this isn’t the work of Indian ghosts.”

Royce and his crew had been building a water flume up the mountain for almost two months. The incidents hadn’t started until they had reached this exact spot, close to the ancient burial ground. The mystery and location had sparked rumors of a haunting.

“Did I say it was ghosts?” Stumpy asked. “I’m just repeatin’ what some of the men say.”

“Well, don’t repeat it. It only gives it credence and that’s what our vandal wants. He’s watched our movements for a while. It isn’t coincidence that he waited till we got close to the burial ground to stage his little scenes.”

Royce made a circuit around the wagon. With his gaze glued to the snow, he followed the prints into the dark shadows of the thick timber. He found a piece of raw bacon at the base of a trunk. Leftover biscuit crumbs were trampled by the well-defined prints of a deer.

“What’d I tell you?” Stumpy pointed to the tiny prints. “Ain’t nothin’ but raccoons.”

“And deer.” Something about the tracks bothered Royce. He turned back for a second look. The pointed hoof marks danced in a circle before they led off in a different direction. Royce followed the deer trail, wondering why the tracks were so blurred. Suddenly, he saw a flat rounded print. He hurried forward and found another and another, all trampled by the deer tracks. A few feet further on, almost obliterated by a flurry of pointed hooves, he saw the print of a boot. He outlined the print with his fingers.

No doubt. A man, walking on the balls of his feet, used the animal tracks to hide his prints. Every few steps he grew tired and his heel came down in a well-defined mark.

Stumpy shook his head. “I can’t believe I missed that.”

“Believe it. Our intruder is one clever fellow.”

 Discussion Question -- 

Is it true that Jesus focused on three things during his ministry on earth as the book states?

According to theologian Dr. Frances McNutt, yes.  When you study Jesus' stories, you see that he did 3 things: taught, healed the sick and cast out demons.  His purpose was to ease the suffering of the world, to show that the Kingdom of God is at hand, here and now.

White Rose Author Deborah Pierson Dill

Perfect Shelter by Deborah Pierson Dill

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“Curse God and die!”

That’s the advice Job got from his wife, and it sounds good to Elaine Mallory. After a life spent seeking and doing God’s will, the course of one turbulent spring strips her of everything but her life. Maybe she’s not quite inclined to curse God and die, but she’s got no problem turning from Him and running hard in the opposite direction.

Justin Barnet wants nothing more than to comfort Elaine and shelter her from more suffering. Her loss and departure leaves him devastated, and for years he waits for her return—years during which his own life falls apart. Now Elaine is back, and he has less to offer than ever.

As Elaine faces her grief for the first time since that tragic spring, will it reopen her heart to God’s perfect shelter—and to Justin? Or will it drive her away again?

Excerpt:

“Aunt Laura?”

The screen door closed with a creak behind her as Elaine stepped tentatively in among the golden oak paneled walls of her great aunt’s living room. Chilly air from outside had come in by way of the wide open front door. No telling how long it had been open. She pushed it closed, and set her purse and suitcase on the floor next to the staircase.

“Hello?” The television was on with the volume turned up as loud as it would go. “Aunt Laura?” She retrieved the remote from an end table and turned the sound down. The whir of an electric mixer came from the direction of the kitchen.

She shed her jacket and hung it on the coat rack, then turned and surveyed the room. She might as well have stepped back in time twenty years. The Christmas tree, with fat twinkle bulbs, crocheted snowflakes, and angels, stood grandly in its traditional place next to the staircase. An evergreen garland spiraled around the banister. A crackling fire burned in the fireplace, already overcoming the chill that had settled in the room.

She sucked in a breath and held it, steeling herself against the warm fuzzy nostalgia. She wasn’t coming home. This visit would only last a few days. She’d check on her aunt, make sure everything was OK here, then she’d go. Lately this place; the town, her old friends, her home all seemed to draw her back as the details surrounding her departure grew hazy and indistinct. Her motivation for leaving faded a little from her memory with each passing day. But Blithe Settlement was still the last place she ever wanted to be.

The sound of the mixer stopped.

“Aunt Laura?” She stepped toward the kitchen.

“Elaine, honey, is that you?”

“In the flesh.” Elaine found her aunt standing over the kitchen counter in a pink terry cloth bathrobe, quickly dropping spoonfuls of divinity onto a sheet of wax paper. Her silky, fine hair had gone completely white since Elaine had been away, but her fair skin was still smooth and soft looking.

Finished, Laura put the mixer bowl into the sink and turned to Elaine.

“Let me look at you!” She outstretched her arms for a thorough hug and then stepped back again. “You’ve gotten taller.”

“No.” Elaine grinned.

“You’ve gotten thinner?”

“Maybe a little.”

Laura stepped back and examined her with a critical eye.

“You’ve cut your hair!” she said. “And had your eyebrows waxed! Oh, good for you. It was unfortunate that you inherited the Maitland brow. I’m sorry for that.”

“Well, it wasn’t your fault,” Elaine said with a smirk.

“No, it was your grandmother’s. Did you just get here?”

Elaine nodded.

“Oh, did you close the front door?”

Elaine nodded again. “Mm hm. I also turned the T.V. down a little.”

“Was the movie over yet?” Laura furrowed her brow. “When it’s over it’s time for me to start getting ready.”

“Well, I don’t think it was, but halfway or so.” Elaine leaned over the counter. Divinity was a family Christmas tradition. Her mouth watered at the prospect of sneaking a piece while it was still soft and warm. “You know, you could put a clock in here. Or get a new microwave. They have clocks built right in now.”

Laura gave her a glance that blatantly accused her of being too big for her britches. “My life’s too close to finished to start messing with clocks, honey. Or new microwaves, for that matter. And that old one works just fine. Oh, go ahead and have a piece.” She pointed a rubber spatula at the setting divinity.

Discussion Question --

Justin and Elaine both suffer great losses. How should we respond to loss in our lives?

White Rose Author LoRee Peery

Moselle's Insurance by LoRee Peery

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Creative artist Moselle Carson gives new life to old items, but she can't seem to renew her shattered ideal of love. When she returns to her hometown to help with a new family business, memories of a broken heart and small-town gossip chip away the tough exterior she's erected over the years. Now she's forced to decide whether she'll rebuild the wall or trust that true love never dies when it is ordained by God.

Generous insurance agent and vulnerable firefighter, Eric Todd, remembers too well how he mistreated Moselle and then set her aside. Now he longs for true love and the second chance to become a husband and father. Can he learn to forgive himself and still keep the secret that may redeem him in her eyes?

Excerpt:

 I saw you today. The refrain echoed like a song through Moselle’s mind as she slapped the newspaper on the kitchen table in her mother’s cheery kitchen. Every time she picked up the Platteville News, published weekly in this small Nebraska town, Eric Todd’s insurance ad jumped off the page.

Through many nights these past years, his face had haunted her dreams and circled through her thoughts as she went about her days.

Stop! She ordered her mind and turned to get bread slices for the toaster.

But the thoughts wouldn’t go away.

I saw you today. For real.

Laugh crinkles now formed at the corners of his eyes and deeper brackets framed his mouth. His thick tawny hair begged for a finger comb. Was his short beard soft?

Eric’s smiling face hit her full blast from this week’s front-page photo, where the caption congratulated him on the completion of five years as a volunteer firefighter.

The refrain burrowed deeper. I saw you in the flesh today.

The formal insurance photo revealed every hair in place. Unlike today’s front page, where he stood in casual clothes with his hair all mussed.

Now she could chase away the newspaper image and picture him the way he’d been in Today’s Café. Her new refrain could be, “You still make my heart sing.”

White Rose Author Carolyn Bravo

White Water Preacher by Carolyn Bravo

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Kelli Martin needs out—out of San Francisco, out of the advertising rat race, out of a dead end relationship.

She washes up in Roaring River, Nevada, in every way about as far from Frisco as Mars is from Venus. Roaring River gives her a roaring headache. Every person is an exasperation, the most popular dish in town is fried zucchini, and the river's out to get her. The one thing the place has going for it is Spencer Tulane. The man preaches a fine sermon, brings dead things to life, and looks great in flannel. Oh, and he guides rafting parties down the aforementioned river of death. Fortunately, Kelli did not leave her heart in San Francisco—only her brains. Once again, she heads for the exit, only to discover that the door swings just one way.

Did I mention the flannel?

Excerpt:

She halted in her tracks.

The man belonging to the voice coming from the open office door had someone with him and made no attempt to conceal their conversation. He must think he’s alone. The ancient clapboard church, high ceilings, thin walls, and linoleum floors did little to muffle either his words or their meaning. If anything, they echoed embarrassingly loud.

“Don’t you worry, sweetheart. I think you’re the prettiest thing on legs. Such gorgeous eyes…the soft curve of your neck…”

Kelli Martin slowly edged back toward the double oak front doors of Riverside Chapel. She should leave.

“…so smooth, so velvety soft. Yes, yes, I know and I love you, too, little honey. It’s been such a long time…”

In a church of all places! Does the man have no shame?

Unfamiliar with the surroundings, she clumsily hooked a green canvas boat shoe under the claw-footed coat tree near the doors, just managing to grab it before it caromed off the polyethylene folding table supporting a stack of metal offering plates. Still, the ensuing clatter ricocheted off the linoleum like dropped buckets at a funeral.

“Miss Martin, is that you?”

She bit her lip and sidled toward escape.

“I watched you come across the lawn just now. Please, won’t you join us?”

The nerve! She thought San Francisco cornered the market on brazen. Apparently, small town America wasn’t far behind. Maybe this is the way they conduct their private affairs in the boondocks.

“Please, I’ve wanted to meet you.”

Doesn’t he draw the line anywhere, a man of his position in the community?

She’d been seen; she had to say something. “No, that’s all right. I didn’t mean to disturb you,” she called. “You have someone with you. I’ll just, uh, come back another time.” She turned, one hand on the crash bar, one foot poised for a dash into the early October Nevada sunshine.

“Nonsense, I want you to meet Katherine, and she wants to meet you. Besides, I’ve been thinking about what you asked on the phone, and I think I can help. Only keep you a minute.”

It was a strong voice, baritone, part politician, part Ponderosa. There was a tinge of something else. Amusement? Kelli sighed. It wouldn’t be the first exasperating thing about the town. Roaring River, Nevada, was proving itself a bee’s nest of contradictions.

She took a steadying breath. She couldn’t not meet the man. According to half the people in Roaring, he was Mr. Everything, including spiritual leader and town answer man. No matter what sweet nothings he dispensed on the side, if this mad decision of hers had a hope of working, they needed to be introduced. She didn’t have to like it.

Then why had she liked the way he’d said, “I’ve been thinking about what you asked…?” Ruggedly smooth. Smoothly rugged. Easy on the ears…Get a grip, Martin!

“Miss Martin?”

“Yes. Right,” she muttered and squared her shoulders. Conduct your business and be gone.

She hesitated only slightly at the office doorway. The sign above it read: Pastor’s Study. She entered.

White Rose Author Kara Lynn Russell

Nick and Noelle by Kara Lynn Russell

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“What I want,” the pastor stated “is for you two to learn how to get along. Separately you both have much to offer the church. Together – you’re a disaster waiting to happen.”

Nick and Noelle have been in competition against each other from their Christmas day births to their present adulthood. After their rivalry causes chaos at a youth group event, Pastor Thorn assigns Nick and Noelle the task of decorating the church for Christmas. Can Nick and Noelle cooperate? Will they end up killing each other – or maybe kissing each other?

Excerpt:

Nick leaned forward, resting a hand on the counter on either side of her. “Did it ever occur to you,” he growled, his face inches from hers, “that we’d have no problem getting along if you weren’t so stubborn.”

Noelle folded her arms across her chest. “Did it ever occur to you that you might be the stubborn one?”

"I'm trying to be nice."

"Well try harder."

He refused to back up and knew she couldn't as the counter was behind her. "Have lunch with me."

"What?"

"That's what I came in to talk to you about. I wanted to take you to lunch to talk about decorating the church for Christmas."

"Lunch?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"Wherever you like."

Noelle placed her hands on his chest and pushed. He didn't move.

"What's your answer?”

"I didn't know I was being given a choice."

"You are. What's your answer?"

"Really, Ni—"

"And if 'really Nick' comes out of your mouth one more time today I'll..." He stared at her mouth. She was close enough to silence with a kiss. He was suddenly aware of her palms, still flattened across his chest. For several heartbeats he stood there, incredibly attuned to her nearness, her warmth, the smell of her shampoo.

Had he lost his mind? Abruptly, he backed away.

White Rose Author Cindy K Green

Snow Kissed by Cindy K Green

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Today is one of those days Logan Reilly wished he'd stayed in bed. Not only does he have to deal with the annoying Winter Wonderland Carnival but his close friend, that whimsical lover of snow, Holly Armstrong, is leaving town forever. The question is, why didn't she tell him and why today, of all days, does he realize she might be more than a friend?

Holly can no longer stay in town knowing the man she loves only sees her as a friend. It's time to move on. Besides, she has other career prospects.

As the carnival unfolds, watch God work in amazing ways. Can He change Holly's mind and make her stay? Can He help Logan see beyond the friendship?

Only time can tell.

Excerpt:

“So, what are you up to this afternoon?”

Before Holly’s expression could waver into a frown, she forced a smile. “I…I’m off for a snow walk.” Possibly my last in Meriden.

“That is what’s so stupid about this…this whole Winter Wonderland Carnival. There’s no snow!” He raised both his hands in aggravation.

“There might not be any right now, but there will be.”

“How do you know? There’s no snow expected. Cold, but no snow.”

“There’ll be snow tonight.” She stepped close to him, laying her hand in the crook of his arm. The contact brought a swirl of pleasure moving around inside her stomach—more so than normal. It must be from all the excitement of her news—nothing more than that.

“Just breathe,” she whispered to him, as she slowly took in a deep whiff. “You smell that?”

He shook his head. “What? Burgers from down the street?”

“No.” She laughed; he could be so dense sometimes. “It’s the first snowfall.” She inhaled another intoxicating aroma of winter air. “It’s coming.”

“And what’s so good about snow? It’s just annoying and inconvenient.” He pulled his arm away and folded them across his lean frame.

“Snow is beautiful…magical.” Her voice came out breathy with the idea of snow making her feel all tingly.

“It’s cold, wet stuff that falls from the sky.”

“Then there are the wonderful clothes: hats, scarves, gloves…”

“…galoshes, wool socks,” he countered.

She continued, not to be undone by his cynicism. “Fresh baked cookies, hot apple cider, hot cocoa, hot toddies…what is a hot toddy?”

White Rose Author Dana Sudboro

Continents Apart by Dana Sudboro

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Odette Peterson has a clear understanding of where the Lord wants her, and that's in the African missionary field. When she meets veteran missionary, Xavier Sand, she embraces their budding relationship. He's everything she's wanted in a man: Christian, kind, and a man who's dedicated his life to ministry. But when he insists she put aside her evangelization efforts and join him in Japan, she finds she must let Xavier go.

Xavier cannot understand why Odette stubbornly clings to the idea that God wants her in Africa. Missionary, yes, but she can do missionary work anywhere. After all, he does. Despite all his efforts to convince her to change her conviction, she refuses and Xavier finds himself floundering for significance in his life.

Across three continents, and with others vying for their hearts, Odette and Xavier must learn to trust that God knows what's best for their futures...even if that means they will never be together.

 Excerpt:

Odette could guess what Xavier was thinking. Due to her Tuareg garb, people assumed she was married to Pastor Isa. She hastened to clue him in. “As a favor to the national church, I’m assisting the pastor until he arrives safely in the hands of the conference host. Then I’ll continue my journey home.”

Xavier’s forest-green eyes widened but didn’t waver. “And where might that be?”

Unnerved by his intense gaze, she looked down at her sandals. “Davis, not far from the campus. My dad’s a physics professor.”

“I leave you peace.” Pastor Isa withdrew.

Xavier continued, “You mean you’re just now arriving home? Your parents haven’t seen you for four years? What an awful time for your flight to be delayed.”

“Actually, it’s only been three years. We had a week together after language school.”

“Did they cry and cling and beg you not to go overseas?”

She raised her gaze to his, to make sure he was teasing, and noticed a lock of chestnut hair falling over his forehead. Handsomer than his photo. “No, they were quite happy to be rid of me―the last baby bird to leave the nest.”

“I’ll bet.” He glanced at his backpack.

She took that as her cue to escape his disquieting presence. “I’ll let you get back to your book.”

“No, it’ll wait. Do you suppose Pastor Isa would watch our belongings while we stole off for a cup of coffee?”

Lightning flashed as she hesitated. Careful. Remember, a man’s attentions nearly derailed your last itineration.

“We’ve plenty of time, I assure you.” A rumble of thunder accompanied his voice.

One cup can’t hurt. “Sure, I’ll ask.” She returned to Pastor Isa, explained the situation, and motioned Xavier to come.

With a boyish smile, Xavier brought his backpack and thanked Pastor Isa. Then he took her arm and piloted her toward the coffee shop. “So, where are you stationed―Kuwait? Egypt? I’m not familiar with Middle-Eastern missions.”

“Mali, West Africa―south of Timbuktu.”

“And your earrings are made of camel bone?”

Odette marveled at how much male attention her hand-crafted baubles attracted. To show them to best advantage she lowered her scarf onto her shoulders and shook her head. “Nope.”

“Ivory and ebony?”

“Glass. Bead making is my hobby.”

He stopped behind a businessman at the counter. “Really? What do the local artisans think? Doesn’t that interfere with their commerce?”

“I don’t sell them in the marketplace. I give them away as prizes to ladies who come to my Bible study.”

“Clever.” Xavier moved forward. “What will you have…mocha…latté… cappuccino…fermented ox blood?”

“Yuck, you’re thinking of animists on the other side of the continent. People in my region are Muslim. I’ll have the mocha.”

He ordered two. “They don’t drink blood?”

“Nor alcohol. Not if they obey the Koran.”

“So, if you’re evangelizing the Muslims, how do you approach the men?”

“I don’t. I conduct classes for women―nutrition, sanitation, maternity―plus a Bible study in my home.”

“You’re a nurse?”

“Uh-huh.”

He paid for their coffee, handed her hers, and scanned the crowded room.

She followed him to a corner, no chairs or tables vacant. “What about you?”

He winked. “I thought you read all about me. Or did you just stare at the photo?”

“I…” She could feel herself blushing. “I want to hear it from you.”

“Of course, forgive me for teasing. I develop websites and media productions for churches, Bible colleges, and Christian schools. With high tech and big bucks I try to do what your glass beads do―entice people to explore God’s word.”

She took a careful sip. “You’ve picked a challenging field.”

Discussion Question -- 

Can we trust God with our dreams and desires and expect Him to fulfill them? There is a scripture that promises this.

Psalm 37:4, Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. (We can trust Him with our longings—to transform them and fulfill them in His way.

White Rose Author Anne Greene

Masquerade Marriage by Anne Greene

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A SECRET LIST
To protect his loved ones and escape the dark fate of his brothers, a noted warrior abandons his identity. Hiding from relentless soldiers who want him dead, Brody MacCaulay vows to protect the woman he loves more than life, more than freedom, more than Scotland. But his presence throws her into danger.
A VOW HONORED
To escape an arranged marriage to an abusive noble, a Lowland Lady weds a stranger to save his life. But vows spoken do not make a marriage, especially when Megan MacMurry holds a different love inside her heart.
A SACRIFICE MADE
Outlawed, and with a price on his head, Brody condemns himself to a life of heartbreak without Megan. Wanting her desperately, knowing he can't have her, he heads alone to certain death...

Excerpt:

April 16, 1746 - Drumossie Moor, Scotland—the Culloden Estate

Brody MacCaulay woke to a pounding head and gut-wrenching thirst. What happened? The wind and sleet had blown through. Smoke from blazing canons no longer choked him. He no longer heard the deafening din of battle. Silence hung around him, slit at times by weak cries of wounded men.

Cold weight pinned him upon icy ground. He could scarce draw a breath. Fingers dangled in his face. He felt the hand. Cold and stiff. He jerked back his own. Slowly he realized three clansmen crushed him against the frozen earth.

Even as his heart flamed hot hating everything English, the sound of approaching voices alerted him to lie still. He dug numb fingers into blood-dyed ground to keep from springing up and using his dirk.

Duncan, Collin, and Da were dead. He’d seen them fall. Sharp pain bit into his chest. He gritted his teeth. And Angus? Brody’s stomach heaved. Only a protecting angel could have spared Angus. Darkness, black as the smoke of gun powder, descended deep inside Brody’s mind. For certain his favorite brother lay dead, too.

Brody wedged his anguish deep inside his heart, slammed the door, and disciplined his thoughts into calculated coolness. He was a warrior.

The voices drew closer. Clipped. Not softly burred.

A sliver of moon lit ice upon the ground, casting enough light to see heaps of bodies, twisted limbs. The voices grew close. Two scarlet-clad English soldiers stalked among the kilted bodies.

A wounded Highlander looked up at them and begged. “Water.”

With cold-blooded deliberateness, one of the soldiers ran him through with his bayonet, strangling the Highlander’s weak voice into silence.

Brody slammed his eyes shut, hardly dared suck in a breath, and counted his heartbeats. English voices spoke so close that hair on the nape of his neck spiked. As the awful sound of a bayonet slashed into a nearby body, he fought back bile rising into his throat. “I say, I do believe we’ve dispatched all the wounded Scots.”

“Right. Nasty job.”

The first soldier snorted. “Sure to be an awful stink. Letting all these bodies rot.”

“Good riddance, say I.”

Boots clumped off. The voices faded.

“’Tis almost light.” Brody’s own whisper, though hoarse as a rusty hinge, infused him with courage. Somehow he lived. He must fight his way to Ma and Fiona. Protect them before the English hunted them down. A piper’s family proved precious booty for scavenger soldiers. With Da and his brothers dead, his duty lay in protecting Ma and Fiona.

He’d do whatever it took.

He struggled free of the weight sprawled atop him. The dirk lay half-frozen to the ground beneath his cheek. He gripped the handle of the sgian-dhu, worked it free, and jammed it into the sheath on his right leg. Panting, numb hands planted on frozen earth, he pushed to his knees. The scent of bog-myrtle and blood clogged his nostrils. He gazed over the silent battlefield.

What he saw would haunt him forever.

Discussion Question -- 

Do you find it difficult to discover the will of God in your life? If you do, what can you do to make it clearer?

Romans 12:2 - Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

White Rose Author Mary Manners

Mended Heart by Mary Manners

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Jade McAllister returns home to Pineyville, Tennessee to help nurse her estranged mother back to health. She's grateful her friend found her a job as an administrative assistant at Pineyville Church. That is, until she runs into Shane Calkin-the bad-boy-wannabe who broke her heart.

Shane's job as Youth Director at the church is a far cry from his high school days as the town's privileged rich kid. The death of his sister has left him with a young niece to raise and a rambunctious puppy to tame. He's not the self-centered person who once hurt Jade, and all he wants now is a second chance to love her. But how can he prove it to her?

Excerpt:

“What are you doing here?”

Shane slid two English muffins into the toaster and pressed the lever to warm them. “Claire let me in an hour ago. She had to get to the hospital.”

She brushed fingers through long strands of wavy hair and tossed her head to work out the tangles. Her eyes glittered beneath sunlight that streamed through the window over the sink, and she pulled the edges of her powder-blue terrycloth robe tighter before cinching the belt. “I’m not a charity case. I don’t need a babysitter.”

He let the comment slide. “Nice slippers.”

She glanced down to see two fuzzy bunny heads staring back at her.

“Claire bought them for me—a gag gift last Christmas.” The pink of a blush crept up her neck. No matter she wasn’t wearing a lick of makeup and that her hair was matted and tangled—she still looked beautiful.

“I made you breakfast.” He reached for the muffins as they popped from the toaster, nicely browned. He gave each half a healthy slap of butter as Jade looked on. The aroma of eggs and crispy bacon filled the air.

“I’m not hungry.” Like a traitor, her stomach chose just that time to let loose a rumble that could have rivaled an earthquake.

“Your belly begs to differ. Did you eat anything at all last night?”

She crossed her arms over her stomach and ignored the question.

Discussion Question--
Jade feels uncomfortable praying in front of others.  Have you ever felt this way?  Do you think there's a "right" and a "wrong" way to pray?

White Rose Author Kimberlee R. Mendoza

Wanted: Boyfriend For Christmas by Kimberlee R. Mendoza

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Due to a childhood tragedy, Heather has a hard time dating and keeping a boyfriend. With her thirtieth birthday looming in the near future, her mother is determined to play matchmaker over the Christmas holiday. Not wanting her dating life to fall in the hands of the one who bore her, Heather is determined to find Mr. Right via the Classified ads. Time is short and the race is on. But if she'd slow down and open her heart, she might discover that love has been there all along.

Excerpt:

Heather tapped her painted fingernails against the keyboard on her desk, staring at the blinking cursor. The white document empty. Her mind blank. How many times had she helped clients write their personal ads? Daily. Almost hourly. She was in charge of the Classifieds for the West County Times. It’s what she did and yet, she couldn’t do her own.

The phone rang.

She hit receive on the console and spoke into her microphone. “Classifieds Department. Heather speaking, how may I help you?”

The man cleared his throat before answering. “I’d like to place a personal ad.”

Heather grabbed a form from a tray on her desk and a pencil. “Your name?”

“John Melton.”

“How old are you?”

“I’m forty-six years old.”

“And what area do you live in?”

“Point Loma.”

She wrote his answers on the form. “And what would you like your ad to say?”

“Witty, intelligent, self-made man looking to hang out with a woman who has a good sense-of-humor and doesn’t take herself too seriously. Who loves to travel and experience the great outdoors? Seeking a low-maintenance woman who isn’t in a hurry to get married.”

She wrote down his ad, and then took his contact number and credit card information. When she was finished, she hung up and sighed. How hard can it be? I’m obviously trying too hard. Okay, if I was my client, how would I help me?

She tapped the pencil on her chin.

I’d ask first who I am and then what was important. She tossed the pencil on her desk and returned to the computer. Typing she wrote:

Wanted: Boyfriend for Christmas…

White Rose Author Marianne Evans

Hearts Surrender by Marianne Evans

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Kiara Jordan is a sophisticated modernista, but beneath an engaging personality and super-model looks, her heart hungers, and she longs for deeper meaning in her life.

Ken Lucerne is the charismatic young pastor of Woodland Church; he's adjusting to life as a widower and copes by keeping as busy as possible with his parish and missionary work.

A home-building mission in Pennsylvania brings them together, and forces them to look hard and deep at the relationship they share, and where God means for it to go. Already bound by mutual respect and caring, love dawns, a love that takes them to a life-point neither would have expected.

After all, can a chic, vivacious woman find fulfillment within the quiet, mission-centered life of a clergyman? Can they trust God's hand strongly enough to surrender their hearts to one another...forever?

Excerpt:

In an unexpected, graceful motion, Ken caught her swing by the chains. He held her in place, suspended backward, with nothing but a cushion of air between them. All at once Kiara went dizzy and hyper-focused, tempted once more by that full, supple mouth, and the satiny-looking fall of his thick brown hair as he leaned over her. He was close enough to touch. In this moment, she wanted nothing more than to do just that.

“Some time, at some point, I’d like to hear more about that, Kiara. I’d like very much to know how you became the woman you are.”

She looked at him steadily. “I’d bore you to tears. It’s nothing extraordinary.”

“All present evidence to the contrary.” He set her gliding once again and Kiara’s stomach performed a sparkling fall-away. She delighted in his words but forced herself to brush them aside before they could take root and sway her into believing he saw richness to her spirit. After all, it was part of Ken’s persona to be gracious and encouraging.

But he continued, and those arguments splintered to shards when he said, “You're moving forward in directions that are not only admirable, but eye-opening—not just for you, most likely, but to everyone who's part of your life—don't hold to what other people see, or expect of you. Be who you are. And while you're at it, create the best version of yourself you can imagine. The only question, with the only relevance that matters, is this, Kiara:  Who are you now?”

Discussion Question

At the start of Hearts Surrender, Kiara does battle with temptation. She's been offered a deluxe trip to Europe that might fulfil a seductive fantasy with her boyfriend, but sell-out her soul. When have you been confronted by a temptation, or a life circumstance, that required doing battle with the good and bad elements of your life, and faith walk?  How did you resolve it?

White Rose Author Teri Wilson

Rodeo Redemption by Teri Wilson

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A Former Rodeo Queen

Josie Turner spends her days at the local dog grooming shop pampering the pooches of Angel Springs, Texas. When rodeo season rolls around again, the townfolk are excited about who their new Rodeo Queen might be. Josie, on the other hand, finds herself reminded all too often about a night she’d just as soon forget.

A Former Rodeo Cowboy

Luke Anderson lived for three things – riding, roping and rodeos. Until the day he met Josie Turner, the girl who gave his life meaning, and whose heart he was destined to break. Now, ten years later, he returns to Angel Springs to find the town hasn’t changed much, but the girl he left behind has become a stranger he hardly recognizes. What, he wonders, will she think of him, and the man he’s become?

A Rodeo Weekend

Determined to break through the wall Josie has erected around her heart, Luke must face his demons while at the same time helping Josie overcome hers. With the whole town cheering them on, can Luke mend Josie’s heart and can one rodeo weekend help them both find redemption?

Excerpt:

Josie Turner’s gaze flitted to the quote hanging askew on the powder blue wall of Josie’s Poodle Parlor. She frowned. “I would rather be a beggar and single than a queen and married,” it read. The frame around Queen Elizabeth I’s words still bore an angry tilt, as if it had been slapped up there yesterday rather than nearly a decade ago. Josie fought the urge to straighten it. Most days, she forgot about the quote altogether.

Today was not one of those days.

“Here he comes.” Ruth Davis, Josie’s young grooming assistant, peered over the top of the white Maltese perched on her grooming table and out the front window of the salon.

Josie didn’t need to ask who he was. She turned her back to the window and ran a comb through the silky ears of the Cocker Spaniel she’d been working on all morning. “He’d better not bring that cigar in here.”

Ruth frowned and continued staring outside. “How’d you know he had a cigar?”

“The same way I knew he would show up here this morning. Some things never change.” Josie didn’t need to mention the particular significance of this day. There wasn’t anyone in town who didn’t know it was the official opening day of the Angel Springs, Texas Rodeo Queen Pageant. But just in case there was one clueless soul out there, the Angel Springs Herald headline screamed the big news in bold black letters.

The tinkling bell on the front door announced Cooper Dotson’s arrival. That and the deafening sneeze of Josie’s pug, Remedy, who was curled in her usual spot at Josie’s feet. Josie sighed in irritation and turned around, prepared to chastise Cooper for bringing that blasted cigar into her salon. “Cooper, I’ve told you time and again…”

Her voice trailed off when she spied him standing there with his huge cowboy hat in his wrinkled hands, no cigar in sight. Finally he’d learned. But the ever-present cloud of cigar smoke surrounding him was enough to trigger Remedy’s allergies. She sneezed once more, spraying Josie’s foot.

“Mornin’, Josie. Ruth.” He nodded at them both and fiddled with the brim of his hat. Then, he turned his back to the framed quote on the wall.

The move irritated Josie to no end. Cooper knew as well as everyone else in town why she’d hung it there, right below the photo taken of Josie when she herself was crowned Angel Springs Rodeo Queen. Even though she was a small town Texas girl, Josie harbored no illusions and was well aware that being Queen of England and Rodeo Queen were not one in the same. The sentiment fit, though, so up on the wall it had gone. She’d even banged the nail into the wall with the narrow heel of her creamy white wedding shoe.

“How can I help you today?” Josie pasted a sweet smile on her face, like she didn’t know the exact reason for his visit.

Cooper cleared his throat and squirmed, as if the long ago image of Josie behind him, with her big hair and even bigger Rodeo Queen tiara sparkling on the brim of her pink Stetson, was burning a hole in his back. “Well, Josie, as I’m sure you know, today is a very special day.”

White Rose Author Kimberlee R. Mendoza

Johnny B Goode for Christmas by Kimberlee R. Mendoza

To Puchase

Emma has returned to her high school to teach art and literature. Despite painful memories close to a "Carrie" experience, she agrees to chaperone the school Christmas dance.

She is barely holding it together, and then it gets worse. Johnny B. Goode, the jerk from high school who caused her so much pain, has just been hired as the new P.E. coach. It is hard enough to return to the scene of the crime, but to have to look at the cause of all her adolescence angst is too much. Though Emma makes sure Johnny knows she wants nothing to do with him, he isn't easily deterred.

Can Johnny be good this Christmas, or will Emma experience the same heartache again?

Excerpt:

She blinked, wondering if she’d somehow been transported back in time. There, standing across from her, framed by a sea of people, stood her Johnny. Or, not her Johnny, but the jerk who ruined her life. “No way.”

Ginger glanced around. “Where?”

“Am I imagining him? Do you see a guy with dark messy hair, a goatee, and way too attractive to be a thirty-three year old man? Or am I having a hallucination brought on by a traumatic experience in my adolescent years.”

Her friend followed her gaze and smiled. “Who, Jonathan Goode?”

Emma spun around and slumped to a nearby bench. Her chest constricted. In, out. In, out. Just breathe. Her vision blurred. This is only a nightmare. Nothing more.

“Honey, I think you’re about to hyperventilate. You have to slow down and breathe.” Ginger grabbed a water bottle from the refreshment table and handed it to her. “You’re really worrying me. Are you okay?”

She focused on a crumpled yellow candy wrapper on the floor and exhaled deep. How stupid was it that he could still make her legs wobble like gelatin? “Is this some sick joke? What is he even doing here?”

“He’s the new health teacher and football coach. I met him in the hall this morning. He’s super nice. Cute, too.”

“What?” Emma jumped to her feet. “You aren’t serious!”

Ginger put a finger to her lips. “Ssh…we’re supposed to be the adults here, and the kids are staring.”

“Sorry,” Emma said, lowering her voice. “It’s just…you have no idea what that man put me through.”

White Rose Author Robin Shope

The Christmas Edition: A Journey to Paradise by Robin Shope

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Lucy Collins is desperate. A large newspaper is planning to set-up shop in town, threatening the livelihood of her small, family-run business, The Turtle Creek Newspaper. Only a miracle can save them...but it's Christmastime, the season of miracles. At the staff Christmas party, Lucy makes a wish, and what seems like the answer to her prayer walks in the front door. Joe McNamara a genius when it comes to the written word, and he's gifted with ideas about keeping the newspaper afloat. Lucy finds herself not only falling in love with his talent, but also the man.

Joe McNamara is desperate. He loves everything about Lucy-her fresh spirit, her zeal for the newspaper, and the way she looks at him across the table when they share hot chocolate. But Joe is harboring a dark secret that threatens to tear him up inside. If Lucy ever discovers his part in her fiancé's death, what looks like a promising relationship will unravel like discarded Christmas ribbon. How can he find redemption for his sins and continue to keep the truth from Lucy?

Will the spirit of celebration be enough to heal two hearts? Or will the reality of deception make this the worst Christmas of all?

Excerpt

December 1

The usual winter blizzard blew into southern Wisconsin.

Lucy Collins carefully maneuvered her car through snow that grew deeper with every gust of wind. She parked directly in front of her family-owned business, The Turtle Creek Newspaper, just as her brother, Mike, was making a pass along the drive with the snow blower.

“Hey, Mike! Help me carry these inside, will you?” Lucy called to him as she got out of her heated car. A sharp wind sucked up her words and nearly knocked her off balance.

Mike turned off the blower and cupped his hand around his ear. “What did you say?” His breath circled around his face in the frigid air.

“Help!” Lucy hollered. She popped the trunk and pivoted her body in an exaggerated fashion—the way models do when showcasing prizes on a game show. She stepped to the other side and waved her hands, palms up, along the food trays and her mother’s crystal punch bowl set. Then she flashed her younger brother her biggest smile.

Mike galloped to the car just as another gust of wind hammered snow at them. “It’s freezing out here! Even my nose hairs are frozen solid. You go on in. I’ll get these as soon as I’m finished shoveling the walk.”

“Thanks.” Lucy gave him a kiss on the cheek. She gingerly walked across the crunchy ice crystals and into the warm building.

Passing the reception area, she made her way into the newsroom where the room's low ceilings were decorated with garland and lights. A miniature Christmas tree sat on each of the half-dozen desks in main work area. As she neared the break room, Lucy inhaled deeply, taking in the fresh pine scent from the large Christmas tree that stood in the corner of the break room.  It cast out its scent among the other holiday smells of home baked cookies and pastries. She loved the smell of a real pine tree.

The drone of the newsroom chatter drew Lucy's attention. The employees—her friends, really—were busy readying the next issue and packing boxes for the food drive. The office excitement was like this every year—a tradition that kept Lucy's world in balance.

She smiled, acknowledging each person as she hurried past them. As she reached her dad’s office, Lucy focused her eyes on the huge wreath hanging above the door where Christmas music played on an old stereo turntable.

Reaching her desk, she slowly drew in her breath as she hung her coat and scarf on the back of her swivel chair, and then tugged off her boots, dropping them under her desk.

She let out a breath as she noticed a fresh sprig of mistletoe hanging over the empty desk at the back. That will surely go to waste. Christmas used to be her favorite holiday, but after the disastrous end to her engagement a couple of years ago, this particular holiday now only served as a dark reminder of broken promises.

With a shake of her head, she tried to whisk those thoughts out of her mind. She was not going to fall apart. Not this Christmas. With prayer and a loving family, it was time to start her life again. She’d already resolved to buy her own place right after the first of the year. Working and living with the same people was often stifling, especially when those people were her parents whose personalities matched as well as Jolly Santa and a stressed-out elf. 

Lucy’s mom was the cheerleader as well as the gopher, making sure everyone had what they needed, whereas Lucy’s father focused persistently on getting the next edition out on time.

Each year at Christmastime, however, Harold Collins took off his publisher hat and donned something completely different. The weeks wedged between Thanksgiving and Christmas became about assisting others. She loved it all, and nothing could ever take her away from this life.

White Rose Author Clare Revell

Season For Miracles by Clare Revell

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A Killer lurks in Headley Cross...

...And Holly Carmichael is the only woman to survive his attack. Now she lives in fear, searching for normalcy and trying to put her life back together. When she meets Kyle Stevens, he turns her world upside-down. He's as exasperating as he is appealing. How can Holly make sense of her awakening feelings when she's so unsure of Kyle? His voice is familiar, he's left-handed, and he wears the serial killer's cologne. Who is he...really? As Holly struggles to restore her damaged faith, she must find the strength to trust once again--in Kyle and in God.

Kyle Stevens isn't ready to live again. Racked by guilt, he's afraid to feel. His sole focus is finding the Headley Cross serial killer-his girlfriend's murderer. That is, until he meets Holly Carmichael. He's drawn to Holly, vows to protect her where he failed to protect his former love. But Holly makes him feel again, emotions quickly morphing into something much more dangerous to his hardened heart.

When the serial killer returns to finish what he started, only a miracle can save them...but then, it's the Season for Miracles.

Excerpt

Kyle’s voice came from a long way off, and Holly had to concentrate to hear it. “I’m sorry, Holly. He’s normally pretty well behaved, but he’s never seen snow before and is a little over-excited. Plus he was on his own all day yesterday. Are you all right?”

Holly nodded. The headache upped a notch. That was a stupid thing to do.

“Can you stand?”

She moved her head a little as Kyle helped her to her feet. She brushed the snow from her coat and tried to focus on the man. His hat, pulled down over his ears, hid his hair. Her head pounded, stars danced in front of her eyes, and it was all she could do to stand upright.

I want to sit down. Please, let me sit down. The words echoed in her mind, but she wasn’t sure she’d said them aloud. He didn’t respond.

His deep voice reverberated as he pulled off his glove. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

Holly nodded for a third time. She had a huge lump in her throat and she struggled to breathe. Her legs didn’t want to hold up, but she didn’t want a fuss. Fingers tingled inside her glove where he held her hand. His grip kept her upright.

Kyle’s other hand cradled the back of her head. Holly winced as he found and examined the lump. His touch increased the pain by a magnitude of five. Kyle checked his fingers and relief crossed his face at the lack of blood. “Holly? Please, say something. Otherwise I’ll have to assume Orion ate your tongue.”