Christmas Blessings: Seven Inspirational Romances of Faith, Hope, and Love Read online

  Christmas Blessings

  Falling Leaf Press

  Come to Me Joyful Copyright © 2015 by Leah Atwood

  When You Believe Copyright © 2014 by Belle Calhoune

  Perchance to Dream Copyright © 2015 by JoAnn Durgin

  Nowhere for Christmas Copyright © 2016 by Heather Gray, Second Edition

  First Edition Copyright © 2013 by Heather Gray, published by Astraea Press

  Christmas Lost and Found Copyright ©2016 by Angel Moore

  One Enchanted Christmas Copyright ©2015 by Melissa Tagg

  Season of Miracles Copyright ©2016 by Olga Grun writing as Alexa Verde

  This limited edition Christmas Blessings anthology boxed set is published by Falling Leaf Press with permission from the respective authors. This book is an anthology work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Cover Design: MaxCovers @ five.rr.com

  All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this eBook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, 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 the individual and/or collective authors.

  eBook Edition: October 2016

  ASIN: B01LBSPQ12

  Christmas Blessings

  Seven Inspirational Romances of

  Love, Hope & Faith

  Leah Atwood

  Belle Calhoune

  JoAnn Durgin

  Heather Gray

  Angel Moore

  Melissa Tagg

  Alexa Verde

  Falling Leaf Press

  The authors of the Christmas Blessings Christmas set would like to sincerely thank you for all of your support. We feel very blessed to have such wonderful readers. We hope this collection brings a smile to your face and plenty of holiday cheer."

  Come to Me Joyful

  Leah Atwood

  USA Today Bestselling Author Leah Atwood writes inspirational

  romance to make the heart happy. From Cajun Country to

  the Old West, she believes in writing faith-based

  fiction where love always prevails.

  Although Kate Jergens presents her life as the picture of perfection to everyone, old insecurities prevent her from letting people see who she really is. As the holidays approach, those insecurities reappear.

  Luke Tatum realizes he doesn’t know Kate as well as he thought when he sees her with her guard down. As he discovers who Kate really is, his admiration and attraction to her grows.

  When faced with the possibility of losing someone she loves, Kate’s faith wavers. This Christmas, will she accept support from Luke or will she push him away?

  When You Believe

  Belle Calhoune

  Bestselling author Belle Calhoune loves writing

  happily ever afters with a huge dose of faith.

  When she’s not writing, she’s spending time

  with her family or wrangling her toy poodle and chocolate lab.

  Maggie Kilcannon lives in Breeze Point, Cape Cod after leaving her native Ireland. After tragically losing her parents, Maggie’s weary about loving and losing anyone. When she meets Alec Donahue, a soldier on Christmas leave, she falls madly in love with him. Can she live with the uncertainty of loving a soldier on active duty?

  Alec Donahue always wanted to serve his country, but his life changes when he meets the beautiful, spirited Maggie. He wants forever with Maggie, who’s reluctant to give her heart to someone who might leave her. Can Alec make Maggie believe in happily ever after?

  Perchance to Dream

  JoAnn Durgin

  USA Today bestselling author JoAnn Durgin writes books

  of faith, family, and love. Through her novels, she hopes

  that readers will discover the true joy to be found

  in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

  Ellie Franklin has known Ryan Sullivan her entire life. As their Christmas wedding approaches, Ryan is expected home from his second deployment to Afghanistan. Excitement is in the air as Ellie prepares for his homecoming, and the citizens of Cade’s Corner, Ohio, anxiously await the wedding of their hometown sweethearts.

  When an unforeseen event occurs, will Ellie’s plans be postponed or will they come to a screeching halt? With her faith and family to sustain her, as well as the support of an entire town, will this bride’s prayers for a holiday miracle be answered?

  Nowhere for Christmas

  Heather Gray

  Award-winning author Heather Gray loves coffee, God,

  her family, and laughter – not necessarily in that order!

  She writes characters who are flawed. . .

  but loved anyway.

  Avery’s a journalist and mom to teenager Eli. Gavin’s an enigmatic photographer. A botched schedule lands them all in a rental car for Christmas. With everything that goes wrong, it’ll take a miracle to get them anywhere. But miracles come in surprising packages. Like a bait shop owner and a family that can’t agree on how to remove a skunk’s stink.

  Join the trio as they learn reaching the destination doesn’t mean the journey’s over. God has so much more in store for them. After all—anything can happen on the road to Nowhere.

  Christmas Lost and Found

  Angel Moore

  Angel Moore’s love of God and reading led her to the joy of

  writing stories of faith and hope. Readers connect to her

  genuine characters who live out their faith in real life situations.

  When Serena comes home determined to save her mother’s shop, the manager blames her for her mother’s troubles. But he’s the only person she can rely on for help.

  Has Michael wasted the years he spent trying to keep All Things Christmas open? Serena’s resolve to correct things financially threatens the heart of the store. It’s about Christmas. Not just sales. Has Serena become so calculating that she doesn’t celebrate her faith anymore?

  One Enchanted Christmas

  Melissa Tagg

  Former reporter and current nonprofit grant writer,

  Melissa Tagg writes humorous and heartfelt

  small-town romance including

  the acclaimed Walker Family Series.

  Last December, author Maren Grant went on a magical date with her book’s cover model—Colin Renwycke. Fast forward one year. With a looming deadline, Maren is desperate to recapture her creative spark. Then she remembers Colin’s invitation to visit his family’s Iowa farm…

  Drew Renwycke never planned to move home and take over the farm. But he’s spent too many years watching his siblings unravel—including Colin. When Maren lands on his doorstep, he realizes she may be the key to coaxing his brother home. But what if he’s in for an unexpected holiday romance himself?

  Season of Miracles

  Alexa Verde

  Alexa Verde writes sweet, wholesome books about faith, love

  and hope. She speaks five languages and strives for every one

  of her books to be a love letter to God.

  Nurse Lana Smith gives herself a gift for Christmas,
a fresh start in a small town. After escaping a dead-end relationship with a celebrity, she avoids her patient's grandson, a pro football player. When Arturo gradually thaws her frozen heart, can her Christmas wish for family and affection come true?

  Football is Arturo De La Vega’s life, but he returns to his hometown to help his ailing grandfather. Lana challenges Arturo to reach for stars of faith and love. Is Arturo’s quest for glory worth crushing Lana's dreams and sacrificing his heart’s true desire?

  Christmas Blessings

  Seven Inspirational Romances of

  Love, Hope & Faith

  ________________________________________________

  Table of Contents

  Come To Me Joyful

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Epilogue

  When You Believe

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Perchance to Dream

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Nowhere For Christmas

  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

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Epilogue

  Christmas Lost and Found

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Epilogue

  One Enchanted Christmas

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Season of Miracles

  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

  Epilogue

  Come to Me Joyful

  A Come to Me Novella

  Leah Atwood

  Copyright © 2015 by Leah Atwood

  Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the HCSB®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. HCSB® is a federally registered trademark of Holman Bible Publishers.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Cover Design © Covers by Ramona

  Cover Image © Depositphotos.com

  Come To Me Joyful

  Leah Atwood

  Chapter 1

  After the clock hands hadn’t moved in five minutes, Luke decided they must be broken. At least that’s what he told himself because if time was moving that slow for real, suffice it to say, he was in trouble.

  His gaze shifted to the clock again. Victory! The hand finally moved. If he hadn’t been in a meeting surrounded by his colleagues, he would have pumped a fist in the air. All right, so he didn’t have the best attitude about this conference, but who schedules a three-day conflict resolution seminar to start the Monday after Thanksgiving? An out of town one, at that.

  Didn’t the powers-that-be in corporate have families or non-work related activities? Nah, they’re married to their careers. Luke tapped his company-provided tablet and attempted to find his place in the notes. He’d tuned out somewhere between “for the next fifty minutes” and “practice resolution techniques through role-playing workplace simulations”.

  He really hoped he hadn’t heard the lecturer correctly. Role-play, really? He was an almost thirty-year-old professional. The men and women he supervised were accountants, not high on the chart for creating conflict within the office. But no, somebody, somewhere thought because he’d been promoted to a managerial role that he should attend the conference.

  “I need two volunteers.” The lady in charge—Mrs. Houser, he remembered after a brief glimpse at the outline on his tablet—peered around the room that reminded him of a college lecture hall. “You, in the blue sweater, come to the front.”

  Luke cast a look around the room to see who the unlucky person was, only to realize with horror that he was the sole individual in the room of sixty people who wore a blue sweater. Forcing a smile for the benefit of setting a good example, he marched to where Mrs. Houser stood.

  “You’ll be our person in charge. Sit down here.” She pointed to the oval table that was front and center. “This will be your office.”

  “I think it’s an improvement over my current one.”

  The people in the room laughed and Mrs. Houser smiled. To her credit, she had a sense of humor. She scanned the room again. “Who will be our disgruntled employee? Katherine, would you mind?”

  Hey, why does Katherine get a choice, and I was volun-told? His mental grumbles ceased when he saw that Katherine was Kate Jergens, one of his two bright spots of this confounded conference. Her long blonde hair hung straight to the middle of her back. Not a strand was out of place—never for Kate, who always had it completely together.

  When he’d first moved to Lafayette four years ago, he’d had something of a crush on her, but what man didn’t? Kate was beautiful, inside and out, the consummate girl-next-door. He’d first met her when he’d visited a friend’s church. He and Kate had recognized each other from work and it started a conversation between them. Even though he’d ultimately chosen to attend a different place of wo
rship, that one visit to Kate’s had broken the ice between them at work.

  They’d become acquaintances, and then friends. Several times he’d thought about asking her out, but the timing was never right, and lately, she seemed to keep a distance most the time. Regardless, he enjoyed being in her presence. Kate infused joy in everything around her. Even now, she smiled at him as she stood on the other side of the table.

  “Katherine, you’re to be an employee approaching your supervisor regarding a problem with another employee.” Mrs. Houser tapped a finger to her chin. “Let’s say Johnny Doe turns his reports in late every Friday. In turn, this makes you late with your reports, which reflects poorly on you. You’ve already talked to Johnny, but with no change in his actions—what do you say to your boss?”

  Kate looked at him with sapphire blue eyes. She lifted a fist, knocked on a pretend door.

  “Come in.” He could play this game. It wasn’t so bad. “What can I help you with today, Ms. Jergens?”

  “There’s a problem I’d like to discuss with you regarding Mr. Doe.” Taking a chair from the front row, Kate pulled it to the table.

  He crossed his hands and put on a solemn, all-business expression. “Tell me what’s going on?”

  After Kate had answered, he proceeded to ask further questions to flesh out the details of Step One-Identify the Problem. Mrs. Houser nodded with approval.

  Ten minutes into the exercise, she excused them to return to their seats. “Wonderful job demonstrating the steps for conflict resolution. Thank you for your participation.”