(MSRP: 14.9900)
Some dreams were never meant to be...
Renowned architect Josh McDaniels spent ten years avoiding his hometown and the unforgettable memories of his youth. But when a former classmate phones him before Christmas with a proposal he can’t refuse, he finds himself back in the small town, surrounded by holiday festivities and engulfed in memories of a blue-eyed girl.
Amanda Masterson knows three things about Josh. She loves him, he loves her, and he’ll walk out when those feelings terrify him, as he always does. Ten years ago, he abandoned their dreams. Eight years ago, he returned to break her heart again. Now, he’s back once more, and this time he’s jeopardizing not only her heart but her daughter’s as well.
Can the spirit of Christmas overcome a past riddled with mistakes? Or will fears and doubts destroy the greatest gift of all?
(356 pages) Hot
EXCERPT:
Without a word, her arms wound around his neck, and she stepped in close to him.
He slipped his around her waist and held her tight, inhaling the faint scent of some sort of perfume that made him think of summertime and the lake’s sandy beach. Her body melded into his as it had a hundred times before, snug and perfect. Soft. She felt so good.
He tightened his arms, as if he might be able to erase everything and somehow transcend time. She nuzzled her nose into his shoulder, and he caught the back of her head in his hand, her silken hair sliding through his fingers. Tipping his chin, he leaned his cheek against the top of her head.
Amanda.
Like she could hear the silent plea in his heart, she edged away, freeing herself from his embrace. She didn’t look at him, instead, she stared at his chest. “I better go in. It’s good to see you.”
He couldn’t speak. Could only stare at the large diamond on her ring finger.
She offered him a tiny smile, and he could have sworn, before she turned around, her eyes glimmered with unshed tears.
As she made her way inside the house, he gazed after her. Behind the lightweight curtains of her front room, her silhouette moved across the room, toward the blinking lights on a Christmas tree. A tall, broad-shouldered, masculine figure rose to join her. They embraced, and Josh’s heart twisted.
She could have been his. Should have been. And now, when he hadn’t realized just how much Amanda Henders meant to him until he watched another man hold her, he was too late.
