by Brenda Novak
One Christmas can change your life…
Kyle Houseman believes he’ll never find anyone he could love as much as Olivia Arnold, who’s now married to his stepbrother. Not only did he lose her, he’s been through one divorce and has no desire to go through another. He’s determined to be extra careful about the next woman he gets involved with—which is why he fights his attraction to the beautiful stranger who rents his farmhouse for the Christmas holiday.
Lourdes Bennett is a country music artist. She’s only planning to stay in Whiskey Creek long enough to write the songs for her next album—the album that’s going to put her back on top. Her dreams don’t include settling in a town even smaller than the one she escaped. But as she comes to know Kyle, she begins to wonder if she’d be making a terrible mistake to leave him behind…
Praise for the Whiskey Creek novels of
New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak
“This Heart of Mine is a potently emotional, powerfully life-affirming contemporary romance that can be read and enjoyed on its own, but it also serves as an excellent addition to Novak’s popular Whiskey Creek series.”
—Booklist (starred review)
“This Heart of Mine is another engrossing addition to Novak’s addictive series.”
—Library Journal (starred review)
“Novak’s Whiskey Creek novels are a favorite among romance readers because of their small-town charm… Novak never disappoints.”
—RT Book Reviews on This Heart of Mine (Top Pick)
“Novak is always a go-to author for sassy romance set in small towns loaded with charm. Her latest in the Whiskey Creek series is naughty and nice, and readers will fall in love with the magic of the season portrayed throughout.”
—RT Book Reviews on The Heart of Christmas (Top Pick)
“Once again Novak’s Whiskey Creek springs to life in all its realistic, gritty Gold Country glory as two determined, likable people come to terms with their pasts and give love a chance. This poignant, heartfelt romance puts a refreshing spin on the classic reunion/secret baby theme.”
—Library Journal on Come Home to Me
“[Brenda Novak] weaves a tight story of human weakness and longing, with cross threads of passion and hope. One needn’t wonder why Novak is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author. Just read Come Home to Me.”
—Examiner.com
“The worst part of any Brenda Novak book is the last page. I always want more. Luckily there is usually another Novak book in the wings. The Whiskey Creek series is an absolute delight and this newest installment is…so satisfying I ran out of superlatives. Brenda Novak outdid herself in Take Me Home for Christmas.”
—Fresh Fiction
“It’s steamy, it’s poignant, it’s perfectly paced—it’s When Lightning Strikes and you don’t want to miss it.”
—USATODAY.com’s Happy Ever After blog
Also by Brenda Novak:
Whiskey Creek Stories
THIS HEART OF MINE
THE HEART OF CHRISTMAS
COME HOME TO ME
TAKE ME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
HOME TO WHISKEY CREEK
WHEN SUMMER COMES
WHEN SNOW FALLS
WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES
THE SECRET SISTER
IN CLOSE
IN SECONDS
INSIDE
KILLER HEAT
BODY HEAT
WHITE HEAT
THE PERFECT MURDER
THE PERFECT LIAR
THE PERFECT COUPLE
WATCH ME
STOP ME
TRUST ME
DEAD RIGHT
DEAD GIVEAWAY
DEAD SILENCE
COLD FEET
TAKING THE HEAT
EVERY WAKING MOMENT
Look for Brenda Novak’s next novel
DISCOVERING YOU
available soon from MIRA Books
BRENDA
NOVAK
A Winter Wedding
To Novak’s Notables, that special group of women who do so much to support me online.
Dear Reader,
It’s always a joy for me to return to Whiskey Creek. Even though it’s a fictional town, these days it feels like my second home. I love imagining the quaint bed-and-breakfasts, the Gas-N-Go, the ice-cream parlor, Just Like Mom’s Diner, even the spooky old cemetery—and I’m especially excited about this book because I’ve had so many readers request Kyle’s story. He first appeared in When We Touch (part of the Together for Christmas anthology, if you read print, and the digital prequel to the series, if you’re an ebook reader), so those of you who’ve read Brandon and Olivia’s story will know Kyle’s made a few mistakes. If you’ve been following the rest of the series, you will also know he’s paid for them and is a really kind, fabulous person who deserves his own happily-ever-after. But if you haven’t visited Whiskey Creek before, don’t worry. This book is written to stand on its own; you won’t be missing out.
Not only am I writing books set in Whiskey Creek, I’ve been working on a new trilogy set on Fairham Island, a fictional place off the coast of North Carolina. The first book in that trilogy, The Secret Sister, is already out, with more coming. You can find information about these and my other works on my website at brendanovak.com. There, you can also enter to win my monthly drawings, sign up for my newsletter, contact me with comments or questions or join my fight to find a cure for diabetes. My youngest son suffers from this disease. Thanks to the support of many, many wonderful people, I’ve been able to raise $2.5 million for the cause so far.
Happy reading!
Brenda Novak
WHISKEY CREEK Cast of Characters
Phoenix Fuller: Recently released from prison. Mother of Jacob Stinson, who is being raised by his father, Riley.
Riley Stinson: Contractor, father of Jacob.
Gail DeMarco: Owns a public relations firm in LA. Married to movie star Simon O’Neal.
Ted Dixon: Bestselling thriller writer, married to Sophia DeBussi.
Eve Harmon: Manages Little Mary’s B&B, which is owned by her family. Recently married to Lincoln McCormick, a newcomer.
Kyle Houseman: Owns a solar panel business. Formerly married to Noelle Arnold. Best friend of Riley Stinson.
Baxter North: Stockbroker in San Francisco who is moving back to Whiskey Creek.
Noah Rackham: Professional cyclist. Owns Crank It Up bike shop. Married to Adelaide Davies, chef and manager of Just Like Mom’s restaurant, owned by her grandmother.
Callie Vanetta: Photographer. Married to Levi McCloud/Pendleton, veteran of Afghanistan.
Olivia Arnold: Kyle Houseman’s original true love but married to Brandon Lucero, Kyle’s stepbrother.
Dylan Amos: Owns an auto-body shop with his brothers. Married to Cheyenne Christensen, and they have a baby boy.
Contents
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
Epilogue
1
“Your ex-wife is on the phone again.”
Kyle Houseman squeezed his eyes shut and massaged his forehead. There were few people in the world he considered as difficult as Noelle.
Actually, he couldn’t think of one.
“Did you hear me?” Morgan Thorpe, his assistant, stood at the entrance to his office wearing an impatient frown. Noelle (who still used his last name, which bothered him, since they’d been together for only a year) hadn’t been able to reach him on his cell. She’d tried three times in the past fifteen minutes and he’d let it go to voice mail. So she’d called his business line, which he’d specifically asked her not to do. He didn’t like the way she aired her complaints about him—and everything else—to anyone who’d listen.
His employees didn’t like it, either.
“I heard,” he replied.
“Are you going to take her call? Because if I have to talk to her again, I’m going to tell her exactly what I think of her.”
He gave Morgan a look to make sure she understood that would be a mistake. At forty-five, she wasn’t old enough to be his mother, but she often took a maternal approach with him, probably because she’d been working for him since he started First Step Solar. He’d hired her the same week she came out of the closet and moved in with her partner, who was as soft-spoken as Morgan was bold. “No, you’re not.”
“Why?” she cried. “Noelle’s a terrible person! She deserves whatever she gets!”
“We were once married. We still live in the same small town. We can figure out some way to get along.”
She rolled her eyes. “If it’s that easy, why are you avoiding her?”
She had a point. Dodging Noelle’s calls wouldn’t do him any good, anyway. She’d just track him down at his house or even a restaurant, if she had to. She did that kind of thing all the time—to plead for an advance on his spousal maintenance, a “small loan” to prevent her utilities from being turned off or money to get her car repaired. Once, she’d even asked him for five hundred bucks to go toward fixing her boob job (apparently, her body kept rejecting the implants, but instead of having them removed, she kept trying to make them work). It didn’t seem to matter that none of that was his responsibility anymore.
“Put her through,” he said with a sigh.
“That woman is insufferable. I don’t know how you tolerate her,” Morgan grumbled as she left.
He didn’t, either.
He glanced at the light blinking on his desk phone. Surely Noelle would find someone else and get remarried. He wished that would happen soon. It would save him $2,500 a month, not to mention the relief of not having to deal with her anymore. But he’d been wishing that for the past five years, ever since the divorce. He was beginning to suspect that as long as she had him to pay a hefty chunk of her monthly bills, she’d be unlikely to tie the knot with someone else. She wasn’t the type to part with a freebie. Besides, she saw his financial support as punishment for the fact that he’d never been able to love her—and, truth be told, he saw it in the same light. That was why he’d agreed to that amount and why he helped her out as often as he did. Guilt demanded it.
“Someday,” he muttered as he picked up.
“Someday what?” Noelle asked.
Someday he’d be rid of her. But he couldn’t say that. “Nothing. What’s going on? Why have you been blowing up my phone?”
“Why are you ignoring my calls?” she countered.
“Because I can’t think of any reason you’d need to talk to me. We are divorced, remember? And with all the money I’ve given you over the past few years—in the past several months alone—I’m a good six months ahead in my payments. That pretty much leaves you with no excuse.”
“It’s my water heater,” she said.
“Your what?”
“My water heater.”
She’d found something new to complain about? “What’s wrong with it?”
“It went out on me. I can’t take a shower or do laundry or dishes. I don’t have any hot water.”
He rocked back in his chair. “Then...shouldn’t you be looking up a plumber instead of bothering your ex-husband?”
“Why are you being rude? I’m calling because you happen to own a solar manufacturing plant. Can’t you give me a deal on a solar system? So I can get my hot water bill down?”
“I manufacture photovoltaic panels, Noelle. They run air conditioners and other electrical appliances. Anything that requires gas is a whole separate thing.” They’d been married, for God’s sake, and she still didn’t understand what he did for a living?
“You have connections for hot water systems, too. You put one in for Brandon and Olivia’s neighbor.”
Why had they told her he’d done that? “Mrs. Stein is nearly eighty and she lost her husband a year ago. I saw that she got a deal. That’s all.”
“You bought it from the manufacturer at wholesale and let her have it at cost. And your photovoltaic installers put it in for her.”
“Because she could use the break. Brandon asked me to help her out. Occasionally, I do favors like that for my brother.”
“Come on. You didn’t do it for Brandon’s sake.”
Irritation clawed deeper, causing his eye to twitch. “Of course I did. We’ve been getting along great,” he said, and that was true. He and Brandon had once been rivals. They hadn’t met until they were in high school, when Brandon’s mother married Kyle’s father. Two large-and-in-charge boys so close in age would understandably have a difficult period of adjustment. But the dynamic was different these days. In spite of everything that’d happened back then, and with Noelle and Olivia since, Kyle cared about Brandon. He got the impression Brandon cared, too. At least, he heard from his stepbrother quite a bit. He also saw Brandon and Olivia every Friday at Black Gold Coffee. They’d joined the close-knit group of friends Kyle had grown up with.
“Quit lying to yourself,” she spat. “You’d do anything for Olivia. The way you stare after her when she leaves a room—or you avoid looking at her if you’re in the same room—makes it so obvious. They’d see it themselves, except they don’t want to see it.”
His blood pressure shot a little higher. “Fine,” he said. “You want a solar hot water system? I’ll offer you the same deal I gave Brandon and Olivia’s neighbor.”
She seemed startled that he’d capitulated so suddenly. But there wasn’t any point in refusing. She’d never be able to afford it. Besides, he didn’t want to talk about Olivia. What Noelle said was true. Olivia was her sister—which was a big part of the reason Noelle had gone after him in the first place—but Olivia had been, and still was, the one great love of his life. She’d been with him before she’d ever been with Brandon.
“That’s better,” Noelle said. “So...how much will it cost? I have nearly $250 in my account.”
She stated that amount proudly. She wasn’t good at saving money, so this did signify quite a feat. But, as usual, she was completely clueless—or, more likely, calculatedly clueless. “That’s what I thought,” he said.
“What?”
“You don’t have enough to buy even a traditional water heater.”
“I don’t?” She sounded dismayed. “How much are they?”
“A decent one will run you eight hundred or more.”
“And how much is solar?”
“Nearly three grand.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” she cried. “How do you expect me to pay that?”
“I don’t expect you to pay it. You need to drive over to the hardware store and see what’s in your price range.”
“In other words, you don’t give a shit whether I’m in a bind.”
His head was beginning to pound... “I’m sorry your water heater died, but it’s not my problem.”
“You can’t help me?”
Morgan tapped the glass between her workstation and his office and made a face at him.
He waved her away. “What do you expect me to do?”
“A solar hot water system can’t cost you that much,” she replied.
“It can and it does. Check the retail price and you’ll see it’s around six grand. Wholesale would be about half of that.”
“Then maybe you can put one in and let me make payments.”
“We’re divorced! And you’re only renting. Call your landlord.”
“Harry won’t do anything. He’s letting me stay here for a lot less than he’d charge someone else. Why do you think he gave me such a good deal?”
“Because he’s your cousin?”
“Because in order to get that deal, I have to take care of all maintenance and repairs.”
“Then it’s on you.”
“If you can’t get me solar, can you at least help me pay for a regular water heater? From what you just told me, I only need another $550. What’re a few hundred bucks to you? You make so much more than I do!”
“That doesn’t mean I’m obligated to pay for it. You got extra money out of me last month. And the month before.”
“Because I needed a D&C, Kyle. I’ve been having female trouble ever since I lost the baby. Remember?”
As usual, she’d chosen something he had to be careful not to question. That didn’t stop him from wondering, however. Had she really needed a D&C? Or were the documents she’d shown him forged? It could be that he’d paid for another boob job, after all. He wasn’t even sure she’d lost the baby that had supposedly created the need for a D&C. Had she even had a “miscarriage” five and a half years ago? Maybe she’d aborted it. He’d always suspected her of lying, suspected that after she got him to marry her, she’d purposely terminated the pregnancy. At that point, she wouldn’t see any reason to risk damaging her figure, which she protected above all else.
