Savannah Girl's Three Wishes: A New Adult Fantasy Romance

by Paula Millhouse

  She’s a member of Romance Writers of America.

  She’s represented by The Belcastro Agency.

  What’s in it for you?

  A reward. Treat yourself to a diversion from your daily routine by reading Paula’s stories. You’ll find themes like justice does exist, love is worth fighting for, and happy ever afters are expected.

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  Author’s Note and Acknowledgements

  Author’s Note

  All the Savannah girls I’ve ever known inspired this story.

  Growing up in Savannah as a daughter of the historic city, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and festivities meant a lot to all of us. Our favorite part of the day was going downtown, seeing our favorite Savannah institutions marching in the parade, and of course, kissing all the handsome guys. My older brothers warned me about partying on River Street after the parade. They said it could land me in jail.

  Imagine my surprise when, after doing some research on leprechauns I learned they were once fierce warriors who protected the island of Ireland. I love the romance of that notion. That also inspired this story.

  Then, on a family outing one day I learned about Fairy Charms and Fairy Doors, and how all the best dressed houses and gardens put these miniature furnishings out, and invite fairies to their doors. Some accounts advised against the practice—saying fairies are not to be trifled with. But my writer’s mind thought otherwise. Surely out there somewhere good fairies exist?

  I like to think they do.

  Heck, who knows? Maybe a good fairy like Michael McKnight is waiting for his invitation into your heart and your home.

  This story was originally published as Three Wishes back in 2013. I always felt like it needed more Savannah, specifically the St.Patrick’s Day scenes, to honor its place in my heart. As a Savannah native the pomp and circumstance of the celebration is important to me, so when I got my rights to the story back I revised it, and added those very special parts back in.

  I hope you enjoy reading all the Savannah details. It’s an amazing city.

  Many thanks to Christopher Keeslar and Michelle Klayman at Boroughs Publishing Group who saw the potential in this little story ages ago, and originally gave it wings.

  Eternal thanks to author Bonnie Gill, my critique partner, brainstorming partner, encourager, and first reader. My stories are always better because of you.

  Keep flipping pages for an excerpt of Marmalade’s First Christmas.

  MARMALADE’S FIRST CHRISTMAS Excerpt

  Marmalade’s First Christmas

  When horse racing billionaire Jake Simons rescues a kitten the week before Christmas, the orange tabby leads him to the greatest gift of the season - veterinarian college student, Marley West.

  The last thing Marley needs is a client meddling in her business, but Old Man Winter, Mother Nature, and Jake’s pregnant mares have other plans for her holiday. When she gets snowed in with Jake during the worst blizzard in Kentucky racehorse country, sparks fly.

  In this sweet and spicy New Adult Christmas romance will Jake trust Marley enough to let go of his ghosts from Christmas Past? Will Marmalade the kitten find his forever home? And in this friends-to-lovers story, will Marley learn to believe Jake just might be her very own Christmas miracle?

  †††

  Jake

  JAKE SIMONS EASED his pickup truck into a parking space in front of Marley West’s Vets4Pets on Main Street and glanced down at the scruffy kitten on his lap. He smiled. “You ready for this, little one?”

  The orange marmalade tabby peered up into his face with almond-shaped blue eyes, and answered with a curious mew. He had a stumpy, crooked tail, and Jake worried he’d been injured. He stroked the kitten’s chin, and grimaced a little when the tiny cat purred and buried his head in his hand. Sweet little cuss. “I’ll bet Marley can help find you a forever home? You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

  He gathered the marmalade up and secured him inside his quilted denim jacket to protect him from the cold. With Christmas just around the corner, the weather in Lexington had turned icy with the threat of a blizzard blowing in. The kitten hadn’t stopped shivering since they’d found each other.

  Jake made his way into the pet shop and stopped for a moment. “See, there. That’s Marley, little one. She’s the lady for this job.” The kitten poked his head out and searched around, hanging on to him with pinpoints of tiny claws. Jake winced, but held the kitten gently.

  Dressed in green denim jeans and a soft red sweater, Marley was busy helping a customer decide on a Christmas present – a dog bed for a growing Labrador Retriever puppy who wiggled and yipped its owner’s feet – so Jake waited and wandered around the aisles of the old store.

  Jake smiled when he looked around at the Christmas decorations and let the nostalgia of twinkling lights, presents with bows, and candy canes touch his heart for a moment.

  His mother would have loved all the shiny holiday decorations.

  He swallowed hard when Bing Crosby started crooning the lines of “White Christmas” in the background music, one of her favorites. Posters hung on the walls, announcing the annual holiday animal adoption, a town tradition the week of Christmas. Marley’s father had started the pet drive back in the sixties when he’d first opened the town’s historic store. Marley continued the tradition, even though her father had died six months before.

  “Marley and I share a lot in common, little man,” Jake explained. The little orange kitten mewed and touched Jake’s chest with his paw.

  A blonde cashier, Marley’s best friend, Bonnie, rang up another customer’s purchases at the old timey, hand-cranked register, while a mother and son picked out dog bones and filled a holiday stocking full of gifts for their pets.

  The Lab caught sight of the tabby poking his head out of Jake’s jacket, and tugged on his leash. The kitten hissed, exploding into a puffball with a bottlebrush tail. The puppy reacted and bounded toward them, dragging his owner along behind him.

  “Uh, oh…” Jake said, and turned around just in the nick of time.

  “Bailey! Sit! Heel! Stop!” his owner commanded.

  Bailey, or his owner, rather, had obviously not been to obedience school yet. Jake made himself scarce and headed back toward the front door to move the tiny kitten with the steel shredding claws out of harm’s way. He was about to escape the vigorous black Lab, when another customer opened the door with the tinkling Christmas bells and walked in. Jake looked up into her face.

  Jessica Snow, daughter of Harrison Snow, the town banker, and Jake’s former girlfriend. Great.

  They’d broken things off just before Thanksgiving, but living in a small town offered plenty of opportunities to run into each other.

  “Oh, hi, Jake, I didn’t expect to run into you today. Merry Christmas,” Jessica said, her eyes lighting up with a hungry stare. She was dressed for the city in business attire, a suit with a skirt and high heels.

  The marmalade growled, low and deep, a sound that surprised Jake. He’d never counted on the little guy sounding so fierce.

  “Oh? When did you adopt a… a kitten?” Jessica edged back, a fake smile on her face. She put her finger to her nose, and sneezed.

/>   The kitten hissed at her, then spat. Jessica’s expression fell, then she sort of sneered at them. As Jake recalled, she never liked cats, or any animal whatsoever. For that matter, what was she doing in the pet store?

  He made his living as a horse rancher, so a woman who didn’t take to critters wasn’t exactly his idea of a good match. Besides, Jessica wanted his money, not the real him.

  He looked down at the kitten, who’d set up a proper growl. What was that old saying about trusting your animal’s instincts about people?

  Jake backed away from Jessica. Something plowed into the back of his legs from behind. His knees buckled with the impact, and gave out. He tried to catch his balance, grasping for something to hang onto, but before he knew it, he was sprawled out on the floor, furious at being knocked down.

  Jake managed to twist at the last minute to protect the kitten from being squished. Seventy-five pounds of vigorous black Lab, sporting a dangling leash rushed them, trying to get at the kitten.

  The kitten leapt out from his jacket, every hair on its hide standing up on end. He reared up on his hind legs, and swiped the Lab’s nose with an open pawful of claws. It happened so fast, all Jake could manage to do was laugh.

  The little rascal was a force to be reckoned with.

  The Lab squealed, tucked his tail between his legs, and hightailed it, howling toward the far ends of the pet store. His owner raced after him, yelling, “Bailey stop! Bailey, come here this instant! Bailey!”

  Jake propped himself up on his elbows marveling at the kitten’s stance.

  Jessica reached to help him up, but was rewarded with a clawed kitten swipe as well. She recoiled. “What a hideous creature! You need to put a muzzle on that wild cat before he hurts someone, Jake.”

  “Jake? Jake, are you all right?” Marley rounded the corner and inspected the situation. She eyed Jessica. In a cool tone she said, “Hello Jessica. I’ll be right with you.”

  Jessica huffed off to another aisle.

  Pride wounded, Jake hated for Marley to see him like this. Marley knelt beside him with compassion in her eyes, and caressed his face. Well, he wasn’t expecting that. The warmth of her touch startled him, and he laughed despite his injured ego. “Anything broken?” Marley asked, rubbing her hands down his arms.

  “Just my pride. And I’m afraid that pup’s got a slice across his nose, courtesy of this little lion here.”

  “He’s beautiful.” Marley regarded the kitten with blue eyes the color of a cloudless sky on a warm summer’s day. She tucked a wave of long, strawberry blonde hair behind her ear. “Were you protecting your human, little one?”

  Still twice his normal size with that spiked bristly tail, the little orange tabby cat reminded him of a fierce lion standing on Pride Rock, surveying Marley’s pet store kingdom. Marley lifted her lips at him with a curious stare. “Where’d you find this cutie pie?”

  He sat there watching the two of them interact, his eyes lingering on Marley’s moist, pink lips.

  She eased her hand closer to the kitten, and the mini-hellion settled down for her.

  It didn’t take her ten seconds before the little puffball was nuzzling up to her long fingers, wrapping his tiny body around her hand. He started his motor up and purred for her.

  Jake raised his brows, the memory of Marley’s touch on his arms, both soothing, and caring. She was so damn comfortable to be around.

  “Did that big ole’ puppy scare you, little guy?” she asked, petting the purring kitten with adoration. “What’s his name, Jake?”

  He shrugged. “I was hoping you might help me adopt him out. I found the poor little guy nearly frozen to death on the sidewalk outside the café this morning. He was digging in the trash, looking for food. I think someone abandoned him.”

  “Abandoned at Christmas? Oh, the poor little thing. He couldn’t possibly be six weeks old, right?” Marley scooped up the orange striped kitten and cuddled him under her chin.

  “I was hoping you could tell me.”

  “Hmm, well, he doesn’t appear to be feral, or you’d never have gotten your hands on him. I know there’s a feral colony nearby that they feed behind the diner, but those cats shy away from people.”

  “Not this one. He came running right over to me, meowing, and scaled my Levi’s trying to catch my attention. I’ve never seen anything like him.” He rubbed the kitten’s back, and when his fingers touched Marley’s, a zap of static electricity that had built up in the kitten’s fur snapped between them.

  They locked eyes, hers a beautiful blue a man could get lost in.

  The kitten meowed between purrs, and wound himself around their hands, practically prancing between the connection the three of them had made.

  Her eyes widened, and she laughed, a deep, sexy sound. “Let’s take him in the back and feed him a decent meal, and examine him, shall we?” She gathered the kitten up in her hands. He filled her hands perfectly, a ball of mewing fur. “Bonnie – would you manage things out here while I see to this little patient and his owner? I think Bailey’s mom might need some help rounding him up.”

  “Sure!” Bonnie called from the register.

  Jake collected himself off the floor and followed Marley to the back of the store where she kept her office.

  †††

  Marley

  MARLEY WEST TOOK Jake’s kitten back to her father’s exam room in the back of Vets4Pets, and placed him on the table. She put her stethoscope to her ears, slid the bell onto the kitten’s chest, and listened intently. Though his little heart was racing from all the excitement, she didn’t hear anything that concerned her except for his stomach growling, and a louder-than-a-bulldozer purr. “No worries, little one. We’ll get a meal in that empty belly in a jiffy.”

  He nuzzled her hands and mewed in agreement, watching her with bright blue eyes and a perfect pink nose. Large, white whiskers fanned out from his face, and his fur was thick. “Your coat is going to grow long and fluffy, Mister.”

  Jake joined them, and when he smiled at her, two dimples peeked out from his clean-shaven face. She was more than impressed that he’d risked wounding his pride to protect the kitten. A girl could do worse than find a man who cared for animals. He stood tall, broad-chested, and so handsome that she had a hard time focusing while he was in the small office with her.

  Jake looked around the exam room with his hands tucked into his front pockets while she finished up the kitten’s exam. When she removed the stethoscope, he asked, “How much longer before you officially take over as town veterinarian?”

  She pointed toward her grand, framed university degree which she’d proudly hung on the wall right next to her father’s.

  “I’m taking the credentialing exam today. I can hardly believe it.” She beamed. Getting her veterinarian degree and license to practice had meant the world to her. Finances had been tough, though, considering she’d had to use most of the money from her parent’s estate to pay off their medical bills. “I just wish my dad could have been here to see me graduate.”

  She and Jake had both lost their fathers this past year. Both mothers were gone as well. She didn’t like sharing that hallmark of life with anyone, but at least she and Jake were sort-of friends who could commiserate.

  Together they focused in on the kitten. “Is he healthy? He sure looks fine, except for that tail.”

  “I think he is healthy. His short tail is a genetic thing – a quirk. He’s not a Manx, there’s too much tail for that, but it won’t hurt him.” She pulled a dish out and scooped out some kitten food. The little marmalade chowed down with appreciative squeaks and growly purrs like he’d never eaten before. “Nothing a few extra calories won’t fix, especially in this freezing cold weather. What are you going to name him?”

  “Uh, hmm. I hadn’t actually gotten that far. I brought him here, hoping you might help me find him a home.”

  “Oh,” she said, her voice falling. She stared up into Jake’s green eyes, wondering why he’d ask such a thin
g. It was hard for kittens to be adopted, and she didn’t think this one should be stuck in a store over Christmas. He deserved better. He deserved a home.

  Jake pulled his hands from his pockets, and said, “With my mares about to foal any day now, I won’t have the time to devote to someone this, well, this small.”

  “He’d be the perfect barn cat, Jake. You could hire him on as a mouser. Did you think of that?”

  Jake slowly shook his head, and she saw he was considering her words.

  “It’s just that, especially this time of year, we have more animals in need of a home than we can place,” Marley said, and stroked the kitten’s fur. “The Annual Adoption Drive is coming up, and I need all the qualified owners I can find. I thought about calling you to see if you might foster some of the puppies I have that need homes.”

  “I guess I can take him for Christmas. Your dad started that organization before he died, right?”

  Marley lifted her brows and smiled. “He did. His point was a community is only as healthy as the way they treat their animals. Matching pets with their perfect owners is a wellness practice.”

  A loud, insistent knock sounded on her father’s office door. “Marley! It’s Jessica. We need to talk. I hope you’re not avoiding me?”

  Marley heaved in a heavy sigh. “Time to deal with the sharks,” she said.

  “What’s she doing here anyway?” Jake asked, tossing his thumb over his shoulder at the door.

  “It’s nothing, really…” Marley lied. The last thing she wanted to do was let Jake in on her personal financial crisis. While it was true that the man had more money than God, she didn’t want him to know she was in danger of losing the shop. Especially not now that she was so close to making all her ends meet in the middle like she planned. “Bank business.”

  Jake raised his brows, and peered at her with his intense questioning green eyes.