Last Chance Christmas
Page 27
She turned toward Todd. “I’m sure you’re hungry, son.”
Todd nodded. Todd was always hungry.
“Well, come on, then, I’ll show you the way to the kitchen.”
A burst of cool air greeted them in the hallway. It took a moment for Savannah’s eyes to adjust to the dark interior. The house had changed little in the eight years since her last visit. To the right stood the formal dining room with its gleaming mahogany table and chairs upholstered in light green moiré. The china closet filled with blue willowware still dominated the far wall. She could practically smell the ham and butter beans that Granny had served on those dishes all those years ago.
She turned her gaze to the left. The front parlor still contained Victorian settees upholstered in red velvet and striped damask silk. The baby grand piano, where she’d practiced endless scales and learned Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, still stood in the corner between the bay window and the pink marble fireplace.
She closed her eyes and breathed in the scents of lemon oil and beeswax and memory. This house had once belonged to her grandfather, Aunt Miriam’s older brother. And Savannah had spent most of her summers here. Those had been happy times, for the most part.
Miriam came to a stop beside the oak stairway. “Oh, there you are. I called you to come down five minutes ago,” she said as a dark-headed man of about thirty-five two-stepped down to the landing and leaned into the newel post.
He hooked his thumbs through the loops of his Wranglers, lazily crossed one cowboy-booted heel over the other, and assumed the traditional western pose. Too hard and rangy to belong to the house with its 1940s cabbage rose wallpaper, lace doilies, and china figurines, he looked like he’d just stepped out of a grade B western.
He gazed at Savannah with a pair of sexy eyes as blue as Bradley Cooper’s, and the corner of his mouth tipped up in a craggy smile. “It’s been a long time,” he said in a deep drawl.
She blinked a few times, taken by her visceral reaction to the obvious twang in his drawl. And then recognition flashed through Savannah like the Roman candles Granddaddy used to set off on the Fourth of July.
“Cousin Dash,” she said, “you still sound like a Texan.”
Dash’s gaze did a slow circuit of her body, and she felt naked as a jaybird under his intense inspection. “You’ve grown up some since I saw you last, princess.”
“Don’t call me that,” she said through gritted teeth. “I’m not ten years old anymore.” Granddaddy had called Savannah princess until the day he died, but in Dash’s mouth, the word came out as a twisted insult.
“No, I guess not.” His eyes flashed to Todd and back. “And I see you’ve become a momma.”
She turned toward her son. “Todd, this is Cousin Dash. When he was fifteen, he put a snake in my bed and blew up my favorite Barbie doll with a cherry bomb. I’m sure he is very sorry for what he did. And I am very—”
“Did the Barbie doll melt?” Todd asked.
Dash chuckled. “As I recall, it blew apart in about a dozen flaming pieces. But yeah, it melted.”
“It was my favorite, Twirly Curl Barbie. And—”
“Cool. What kind of snake did you put in the bed?” Todd asked.
“A garter snake, entirely harmless. Scared your momma to pieces, though. You should have seen her running through the hallway in her baby doll nightie. It was the—”
“Dash, I really don’t think we have to rerun our entire history for Todd’s benefit, do we?” Savannah said.
“If we’re talking about the past, princess, it’s because you raised the issue.”
Aunt Miriam entered the fray. “I declare, you two sound just like you did when you were children. Now both of y’all act like the adults you are and c’mon back to the kitchen and have some dinner. I’ve got one of Jenny Carpenter’s pies. A cherry one, I believe.”
Dash flashed a bright smile in Miriam’s direction. “Yes, ma’am, I will try to behave. But no thank you, ma’am, to the dinner and pie. I have errands to run up at the stable. Aunt Mim, will you be all right if I leave you with Savannah for a little bit?”
“You go on, Dash. I’m fine,” Miriam said.
He nodded to Savannah. “Welcome back,” he said without much enthusiasm. Then he strode toward the front door, his cowboy boots scraping across the oak floor. He stopped at the rack by the door and snagged an old, sweat-stained baseball hat bearing the logo of the Houston Astros. He slapped it down on his head and turned toward Miriam. “Don’t wait up. I’ll probably be late,” he said, then turned toward Savannah. “Princess.” He tipped his hat and headed through the open door.
“Dash, don’t slam—” Miriam’s admonishment was cut off by the loud bang of the front door slamming.
Todd spoke into the silence that followed. “He’s really cool, isn’t he?”
Oh, great. Dash Randall was the last person on earth that Savannah wanted as a role model for her problem child.
Also by Hope Ramsay
Welcome to Last Chance
Home at Last Chance
Small Town Christmas (anthology)
Last Chance Beauty Queen
Praise for
HOPE RAMSAY’S
Heartwarming Series
Last Chance Beauty Queen
“4 ½ stars! Get ready for a story to remember when Ramsay spins this spirited contemporary tale. If the ya’lls don’t enchant you, the fast-paced, easy read will. The third installment in the Last Chance series is filled with characters that define eccentric, off the wall, and bonkers, but most of all they’re enchantingly funny and heartwarmingly charming.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Hope Ramsay has penned an irresistible tale in LAST CHANCE BEAUTY QUEEN with its unforgettable characters and laugh out loud scenes… Watch how an opposites-attract couple find their way to each other… and a possible future. Grab this today and get ready for a rollicking read.”
—RomRevToday.com
“Hope Ramsay has outdone herself… A feel-good read that will make you cry, laugh, and maybe even cheer. This tale could make the most skeptical believe all things are possible. Highly recommended.”
—GoodReads.com
“A little Bridget Jones meets Sweet Home Alabama.”
—GrafWV.com
Home at Last Chance
“4 stars! Nicely told.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Entertaining… Readers will feel once again the warm ‘Welcome to Last Chance’ by the quirky Ladies’ Auxiliary crew… Contemporary fans will enjoy the homespun regional race to the finish line.”
—GenreGoRoundReviews.blogspot.com
“An enjoyable ride that will capture interest and hold it to the very end.”
—RomRevToday.blogspot.com
“Full of small town charm and southern hospitality… You will want to grab a copy of Welcome to Last Chance as well.”
—TopRomanceNovels.com
Welcome to Last Chance
“Ramsay’s delicious contemporary debut introduces the town of Last Chance, SC, and its warmhearted inhabitants… [she] strikes an excellent balance between tension and humor as she spins a fine yarn.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“[A] charming series, featuring quirky characters you won’t soon forget.”
—Barbara Freethy, USA Today bestselling author of At Hidden Falls
“Full of small-town charm and southern heat… humorous, heartwarming, and sexy. I couldn’t put it down!”
—Robin Wells, author of Still the One
“A sweet confection… This first of a projected series about the Rhodes brothers offers up Southern hospitality with a bit of grit. Romance readers will be delighted.”
—Library Journal
“Hope Ramsay delivers with this sweet and sassy story of small-town love, friendship, and the ties that bind.”
—Lisa Dale, author of Simple Wishes
“Ramsay has created a great new series… Not only are
the two main characters compelling and fun, but as you read, the entire town of kooky but very real people become part of your life… I can hardly wait until I visit Last Chance again.”
—FreshFiction.com
“Touching… funny… Ramsay’s characters were endearing and lovable, and I eagerly look forward to the rest of [the series].”
—NovelReaction.com
“A sweet romance… sassy and fun characters.”
—Book Hounds (maryinhb.blogspot.com)
“Captivating… great characterization, amusing dialogue… I am glad that the universe sent Welcome to Last Chance my way, and I am going to make sure that it does the same with Hope Ramsay’s future books.”
—LikesBooks.com
THE DISH
Where authors give you the inside scoop!
From the desk of R.C. Ryan
Dear Reader,
When my daughter-in-law Patty came home from her first hike of the Grand Canyon, she was high on the beauty and majesty of the mountains for months. Since then, it has become her annual pilgrimage—one that fuels her dreams, and feeds my writer’s imagination. I’ve wanted to create a character with the same passion for the mountains that Patty has for a long time, someone who experiences the same awe, freedom, and peace that she does just by being in eyesight of them. And with JOSH, I think I finally have.
Josh Conway, the hero of the second book in my Wyoming Sky series, is truly a hero in every sense of the word. He’s a man who rescues people who’ve lost their way on the mountain he loves in all kinds of weather. There’s just something about a guy who would risk his own safety, his very life, to help others, that is so appealing to me. To add to Josh’s appeal, he’s a hard-working rancher and a sexy cowboy—an irresistible combination. Not to mention that he loves a challenge.
Enter Sierra Moore. Sierra is a photographer who comes to the Grand Tetons in Wyoming to shoot photographs of a storm. At least that’s what she’ll admit to. But there’s a mystery behind that beautiful smile. She’s come to the mountains to disappear for a while, and being rescued—even if it is by a ruggedly handsome cowboy—is the last thing she needs or wants.
But when danger rears its ugly head, and Sierra’s life is threatened, she and Josh must call on every bit of strength and courage they possess in order to survive. Yet an even greater test of their strength will be the courage to commit to a lifetime together.
I hope you enjoy JOSH!
RyanLangan.com
From the desk of Anna Campbell
Dear Reader,
Wow! I’m so excited that my first historical romance with Grand Central Publishing has hit the shelves (and the e-waves!). I hope you enjoy reading SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED as much as I enjoyed writing it. Not only is this my first book for GCP, it’s also the first book in my very first series, the Sons of Sin. Perhaps I should smash a bottle of champagne over my copy of SEVEN NIGHTS to launch it in appropriate style.
Hmm, having second thoughts here. Much better, I’ve decided, to read the book and drink the champagne!
Do you like fairytale romance? I love stories based on Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty or some other mythical hero or heroine. SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED is a dyed-in-the-wool Beauty and the Beast re-telling. To me, this is the ultimate romantic fairytale. The hero starts out as a monster, but when he falls in love, the fragments of goodness in his tortured soul multiply until he becomes a gallant prince (or, in this case, a viscount, but who’s counting?). Beauty and the Beast is at heart about the transformative power of true love—what more powerful theme for a romance writer to explore?
Jonas Merrick, the Beast in SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED, is a scarred recluse who has learned through hard and painful experience to mistrust a hostile world. When the book opens, he’s a rogue indeed. But meeting our heroine conspires to turn him into a genuine, if at first reluctant, hero worthy of his blissfully happy ending.
Another thing I love about Beauty and the Beast is that the heroine is more proactive than some other mythological girls. For a start, she stays awake throughout! Like Beauty, Sidonie Forsythe places herself in the Beast’s power to save someone she loves, her reckless older sister, Roberta. Sidonie’s dread when she meets brooding, enigmatic Jonas Merrick swiftly turns to fascination—but even as they fall in love, Sidonie’s secret threatens to destroy Jonas and any chance of happiness for this Regency Beauty and the Beast.
I adore high-stakes stories where I wonder if the lovers can ever overcome what seem to be insurmountable barriers between them. In SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED, Jonas and Sidonie have to triumph over the bitter legacy of the past and conquer present dangers to achieve their happily-ever-after. Definitely major learning curves for our hero and heroine!
This story is a journey from darkness to light, and it allowed me to play with so many classic romance themes. Redemption. A touch of the gothic. The steadfast, courageous heroine. The dark, tormented hero. The clash of two powerful personalities as they resist overwhelming passion. Secrets and revelations. Self-sacrifice and risk. Revenge and justice. You know, all the big stuff!
If you’d like to find out more about SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED and the Sons of Sin series, please visit my website: www.annacampbell.info. And in the meantime, happy reading!
Best wishes,
From the desk of Katie Lane
Dear Reader,
One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is to read The Night Before Christmas. So I thought it would be fun to tell you about my new romance, HUNK FOR THE HOLIDAYS, by making up my own version of the classic.
’Twas four days before Christmas, and our heroine, Cassie,
Is ready for her office party, looking red hot and sassy.
When what to her wondering eyes should she see
But the escort she hired standing next to her tree?
His eyes how they twinkle, his dimples so cute,
He has a smile that melts, a great body to boot.
There’s only one problem: James is as controlling as Cass,
But she forgives him this flaw, when she gets a good look at his ass.
He goes straight to work at seducing his date,
And by the end of the evening, Cass is ready to mate.
Not to ruin the story, all I will say,
Is that James will be smiling when Cass gets her way.
Mixed in with their romance will be plenty of reason
For you to enjoy the fun of the season.
Caroling, shopping, and holiday baking,
A humorous great-aunt and her attempts at match-making.
A perfect book to cozy up with all the way through December,
HUNK FOR THE HOLIDAYS will be out in September.
For now I will end by wishing you peace, love, and laughter.
And, of course, the best gift of all… a happily-ever-after!
From the desk of Hope Ramsay
Dear Reader,
I love Christmas, but I have to say that trying to write a holiday-themed book in the middle of a long, hot summer is not exactly easy. It was hard to stay in the holiday mood when my nonwriting time was spent weeding my perennials border, watching baseball, and working on my short golf game.
So how does an author get herself into the holiday mood in the middle of July?
She hauls out her iPod and plays Christmas music from sun up to sun down.
My husband was ready to strangle me, but all that Christmas music did the trick. And in the end, it was just one song that helped me find my holiday spirit.
The song is “The Longest Night,” written by singer-songwriter Peter Mayer, a song that isn’t quite a Christmas song. It’s about the winter solstice. The lyrics are all about hope, even in the darkest hour. In the punchline, the songwriter gives a tiny nod to the meaning of Christmas when he says, “Maybe light itself is born in the longest night.”
When I finished LAST CHANCE CHRISTMAS, I realized that this theme of light and dark runs through
it like a river. My heroine is a war photographer, who literally sees the world as a battle between light and dark. When she arrives in Last Chance, she’s troubled and alone, and the darkness is about to overwhelm her.
But of course, that doesn’t last long after she meets Stone Rhodes, the chief of police and a man who is about as Grinch-like as they come. But as the saying goes, sometimes the only way to get yourself out of a funk is to help someone else. And when Stone does that, he manages to spark a very hot and bright light in the dead of winter.
I hope you love reading Stone and Lark’s story as much as I did writing it.
Ya’ll have a blessed holiday, now, you hear?
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Contents
Welcome
Dedication
Acknowledgments
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
Reading Group Guide
A Preview of Last Chance Book Club
Also by Hope Ramsay
Praise for Hope Ramsay’s Heartwarming Series
The Dish
Newsletters
Copyright
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.