INTRODUCTION
Home for the Holidays by Mildred Colvin
Overshadowed by her “perfect” sister, Anna Wilkin craves acceptance. To please her papa, she agrees to go east to finishing school although she’d rather walk through her beloved woods … and learn more about a logger named Jeremiah. After a fire takes his parents, Jeremiah Tucker is afraid to love. Yet more than anything, he wants a home of his own. Falling in love with a tomboy like Anna takes him by surprise. Her sister would make a better wife and be less of a risk to his heart. Wouldn’t she?
One Evergreen Night by Debby Lee
Emma Pearson is an orphan whose last living relative is her older brother. When he takes on the dangerous occupation of lumberjack, she hopes to find some way for them to move into the safety of the city. Frederick Corrigan is a reckless man who blames himself for a terrible logging accident. Both Frederick and Emma long for security and love, but will they find it in the dangers of the woods? Or will circumstances derail their hopes and dreams?
All Ye Faithful by Gina Welborn
Every week for the last two years, E. V. Renier has petitioned the local brewery magnate for permission to marry his daughter. Despite receiving a sound rejection each time, E.V. continues in hopes of proving the faithfulness of his character. Heiress Larkin Whitworth has no idea of the quiet yet charming sawmiller’s devotion. Not until awful rumors about her rip through the town. As the annual Christmas soiree approaches, Larkin fears E.V.’s love might not be as strong as the shameful truth she’s trying to hide.
A Carpenter Christmas by Mary Davis
Natalie Bollen has been anxiously awaiting her eighteenth birthday so she can start courting. With five men to every woman, she expects a few suitors, but truthfully, there is only one man she hopes comes courting. Willum Tate has been burned once by a woman he loved, and he’s not sure he’s ready to risk his heart again. Are Natalie’s feelings as strong for him? Or does she just think of him as another big brother?
Home for the Holidays © 2012 by Mildred Colvin
One Evergreen Night © 2012 by Debby Lee
All Ye Faithful © 2012 by Gina Welborn
A Carpenter Christmas © 2012 by Mary Davis
Print ISBN 978-1-61626-845-9
eBook Editions:
Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-62029-070-5
Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-62029-071-2
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without written permission of the publisher.
All scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.
Cover design: Kirk DouPonce, DogEared Design
Published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 719, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683, www.barbourbooks.com
Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses.
Printed in the United States of America.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Home for the Holidays by Mildred Colvin
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Mildred Colvin bio
One Evergreen Night by Debby Lee
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Debby Lee bio
All Ye Faithful by Gina Wellborn
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Gina Wellborn bio
A Carpenter Christmas by Mary Davis
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Mary Davis bio
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Mildred Colvin
DEDICATION
To Jim and Jon for letting me bounce ideas off them.
For we are his workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained that
we should walk in them.
EPHESIANS 2:10
Chapter 1
October 1888
Anna Wilkin missed her trousers. Not that she wore them all the time, but they were a lot more comfortable than the new party dress she’d made for her best friend, Larkin’s, birthday party. The lace around her neck scratched, and the bustle Larkin talked her into adding felt like a cage attached to her backside. She ran her finger around her neck for the tenth time.
“Stop that,” Anna’s older sister hissed in her ear. Kathleen could be so bossy. “You’re scratching like a hound dog, and you’re liable to tear that nice dress.”
Anna ran her finger under her chin again just to annoy her sister. “I shouldn’t have listened to you and Larkin in the first place. The only reason to wear something this fancy is if you’re trying to snag a man, and I’m not.”
She didn’t wait for Kathleen’s next comment but moved to stand by Larkin near the refreshment table. Looked like she needed rescuing from Abigail Leonard anyway. Although a friend of Anna’s, Abigail didn’t like Larkin for some reason.
“What are you two talking about?”
Abigail turned and looked right past Anna. Her eyes widened and a smile curved her lips.
Anna swung around. All she saw were four men standing in the doorway looking uncomfortable. Maybe she’d missed something. She looked back at Abigail. Oh, but of course. Abigail always took note of new men. But even Larkin seemed focused on them.
Why? Anna narrowed her eyes and studied the men. The tall, dark-haired one might be all right. Another one was maybe an inch shorter with lighter hair. He had a square jaw with a cleft in his chin. Another, some might consider the most handsome, stood between those two. He glanced their way with bright blue eyes but didn’t seem to take notice of any of the girls. An unfriendly sort maybe. Anna didn’t bother with the fourth man.
Larkin’s father greeted the four newcomers, welcoming them as if he’d always known them.
Kathleen moved beside Anna. She leaned forward to look at Larkin. “Didn’t I see you talking to those men last Sunday after church?”
When Larkin didn’t respond, Anna turned to look at her friend.
Larkin’s hazel eyes had a glazed look, the kind she got when she was deep in thought, something she often credited to her mama’s Chinook blood.
Anna frowned. Larkin couldn’t be interested in those men, could she? Of course, she was nineteen years old now—plenty old enough to marry. In another three months, Anna would be eighteen. Little more than a year younger, but she was in no hurry to grow up.
Anna sighed. If Larkin was smitten, she wouldn’t give away her secret. In fact, a change of subject might be a goo
d idea. She swiveled around to face the table. “Hey, what happened to all the cookies? They’re almost gone.”
From a group of girls gathered at the other end of the table, Abigail’s younger sister Elizabeth stepped closer. She giggled and held up a half-eaten cookie. “Maybe I should offer some to our new guests.”
Abigail frowned. “Hush, Lizzie, you’re too young to even be thinking about such things.”
Elizabeth’s eyes opened wide. “What? Eating?”
“No. Men.” Abigail lifted the tray off the table. “Someone may as well eat what’s left of these. I’ll take them around.” She smirked at Larkin. “Maybe you should have let your cook make the refreshments.”
Larkin didn’t flinch at the jab, but the words had to have hurt her. Anna glared at Abigail. She might be her friend, but she could be so cruel sometimes, and she never had a good thing to say to or about Larkin. Everyone else loved Larkin.
“She didn’t make them, Abigail.” Anna stepped between her two friends. “I did. There’s more in the kitchen. I’ll go get them while you ladies drool over the new men.”
Anna spoke over her shoulder as she left. “You can carry cookies to them if you must, but you’ll never catch me falling all over myself just to get attention.”
What made girls act so silly when it came to men? Maybe someday marriage to the right man would be all right, but not yet. Being free to be herself meant so much more. Working with Papa in the woods, helping him the way he’d expect a son to, that’s what she liked. A husband would be a hindrance for sure. Maybe that’s why she and Larkin had become so close. Larkin liked fishing, climbing trees, and swimming, same as she did. Larkin was sweet and kind, too. She and her family often delivered food to the needy, which was something to respect.
Anna admired Larkin’s home as she crossed the room. Tonight, the formal parlor had become a festive faux ballroom to celebrate Larkin’s birthday. The elegant room had been emptied of furniture, so there’d likely be dancing later. Anna snickered. If her parents gave her or Kathleen a birthday party, it’d probably be held in their barn. They mostly stayed at the logging camp, but they owned a big two-story house in town where they spent their weekends. They didn’t have a room as large as this one, or as nice. Considering where Larkin lived, most people might expect her to be a snob, but she wasn’t. And the fifteen months separating them didn’t stop her from being Anna’s friend.
A small orchestra in the music room played one of Anna’s favorite songs. She could hear it in the kitchen as she worked. She arranged the tray of cookies while she hummed with the music then sang the chorus to the catchy new tune called “Clementine.” “Thou art lost and gone forever. Dreadful sorry, Clementine.”
Her feet itched to dance when the band switched to a lively polka. She headed back down the wide hall, carefully holding the tray of cookies. A quadrille had started. Oh my, Larkin and Kathleen were dancing with two of the newcomers. Abigail and her brother, Garrick, along with the reverend’s son and daughter, Matthew and Natalie Bollen, made up the other set. She shook her head. Couldn’t they have mixed it up so Abigail and Natalie didn’t have to dance with their brothers?
She held the cookies high to navigate past the swinging dancers. She’d almost made it to the refreshment table when Garrick stepped back against her shoulder, knocking her off balance.
“Oh.” She stumbled, and her tray tilted. Garrick grabbed for it and hit her instead, knocking her into a hard wall of warm flannel.
“Oomph!” A male voice huffed in her ear.
The aroma of bay rum aftershave surrounded her. His arms closed around her, and she landed in a very undignified heap on the floor, or more precisely, on his chest while he sprawled on the floor.
Again he oomphed in her ear.
Anna scrambled away and turned to stare into the most beautiful light blue eyes she’d ever seen. The man shook his head as if to clear it and rolled to a sitting position, holding his stomach. Cool air rushing up past Anna’s ankles brought her to her senses, and she jerked her dress back into place. She should have worn her trousers. The uncontrollable urge to burst out laughing took over, and she buried her face in her arms before she gave in. Everyone’s stares and the poor fellow trying to get his breath filled her awareness, yet the music played on. Her shoulders shook from the laughter she held in. Didn’t the musicians know she’d taken their job of entertaining? A very unladylike snort escaped her nose.
“Miss, are you all right?” a deep voice asked while a warm hand cupped her shoulder. “Are you hurt? I’m sorry. I got my feet tangled in your skirt when you hit me.”
That remark, and the effort to keep from laughing, brought tears to her eyes. Her shoulders shook again.
“Anna, are you all right?” Larkin knelt beside her.
Garrick joined Larkin. “I’m sorry, Anna. I didn’t see you.”
One peek at the worried expressions on their faces broke Anna’s control, and her laughter pealed forth. A moment later, Garrick laughed, too.
With a crooked smile, Larkin stood and waved at the others who’d pressed close. “All’s well. Papa, would you have the orchestra play something new so we can begin another dance?”
When he nodded, she turned to Anna and the poor man struggling to get off the floor. “This seems the appropriate moment for introductions. Anna, this is Jeremiah Tucker from Seattle. Mr. Tucker, I’d like for you to meet my dearest friend, Anna Wilkin.”
On her feet again, Anna smiled at the tall, dark-haired man who watched her as if she might break. “I’m glad to meet you, Mr. Tucker. I’m sorry I bumped into you. Garrick hit me in one of the turns. Did my … did I hurt you?”
Her face burned. She’d almost mentioned her bustle. She still felt bruised where she’d landed on the thing. Why she’d agreed to wear it, she had no idea.
He chuckled. “No, I’m fine, except I believe you owe me a dance, Miss Wilkin.”
Anna motioned to the scattered cookies. “I can’t. The mess—”
“Go ahead.” Larkin touched her shoulder as if to guide her away. “I’ll—”
“We’ll clean it up.” The blond man with the cleft chin drew Larkin closer to him and out of Anna’s way. “Go dance.”
“Thanks, E.V.” Mr. Tucker motioned to where the other dancers were lining up. “I became quite concerned when I thought you were crying.”
“Crying? Me?” Resigned to dance with the poor man, Anna shook her head. “I assure you, I would not be crying over a silly spill such as that.”
Jeremiah Tucker kept a close eye on his dance partner. She was a petite young woman. He’d hate it if she were injured. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to be. A pleasant smile brightened her pretty face while her quick, sure steps kept time to the polka. Something about her struck a chord in his memory. Rebekah would be about the same age if she’d lived. She’d always been as plucky as this girl, too.
They locked arms and twirled in a circle. He grinned at her. “Tell me, Miss Wilkin, what’s a fun activity you enjoy even more than dancing?”
“Fishing.” She giggled and moved away.
She was teasing, and he was intrigued. They came together, and he took her small, gloved hand to lead her through the steps. He could tease, too.
“So you sink worms and like it?”
“Of course, every chance I get. Mama thinks it’s unladylike, but she cooks all the fish I catch.” Her dark brown eyes sparkled with humor.
How refreshing to talk to a girl who didn’t bat her eyelashes. “Go fishing with me Sunday afternoon. Maybe you can show me how.”
A light flickered in the depths of her eyes before the dance carried her away from him. She’d caught on to his skepticism. The girl was fun, cute, and smart.
When she returned, she accepted his hand, twirled, curtsied, and stepped into place beside him, graceful and light on her feet.
“I will, with my friend. Right after lunch. Meet us at the lake.”
“I’ll be there, Miss Wilkin.” He hadn’t
expected her to accept. His grin remained as the set came to a close. He bowed, and she offered a little curtsy.
“Mr. Tucker, there you are.” A beautiful young woman resembling Anna, her sister perhaps, hurried toward him. “The orchestra has agreed to play some popular songs for us to sing. Please say you’ll join our group.”
“I’d be delighted.” Jeremiah turned toward Anna in time to see her long blue skirt flare out as she pivoted away. She stopped beside Garrick Leonard, one of the workers at the logging camp. They exchanged words then walked to the refreshment table where E.V. and Miss Whitworth were talking. About time his friend found a female who could woo a conversation out of him.
Movement at his side brought his attention back to Kathleen. “Your sister and Garrick Leonard seem to be good friends.”
A frown touched her brow. “Yes, they are.”
Jeremiah chuckled.
“Is something funny?”
“Sorry, your kid sister just doubled up her fist and punched Leonard.”
Kathleen shrugged. “Anna is a child. Garrick—Garrick is—” She turned away with her fingers pressed to her eyes. “Will you excuse me? Something’s in my eye.”
As she hurried away, Jeremiah wondered if he should follow, but Anna’s laughter rang out, capturing his attention. Rebekah would have loved her, but his little sister was gone, taken in the same fire that killed his parents. He watched Anna, captivated in a way he’d never been before. A fishing companion? He chuckled again. He couldn’t wait to watch her touch a worm. If she even showed up.
Chapter 2
Anna sat beside Abigail and tried to listen to Reverend Bollen’s sermon. If Mama knew how Anna’s insides skittered in anticipation for this afternoon’s fishing excursion, she would withdraw the privilege of leaving the family pew to sit with the Leonards.
Would Reverend Bollen ever finish preaching? If nothing else, she’d have a fun outing with Larkin. Competing with Jeremiah would add to the fun. Her lips twitched upward. She really shouldn’t think of him by his given name. Mama wouldn’t like that any more than she would the squirming, but she couldn’t call a fishing buddy Mr. Tucker, could she?
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