by Jody Holford
Angel's Lake Box Set
Book 1-3
Jody Holford
Copyright
Original Copyright © 2020 by Jody Holford
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, corporations, institutions, organizations, events, or locales in this novel are either the product of the author’s imagination or, if real, used fictitiously. The resemblance of any character to actual persons (living or dead) is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.
Dedication
To all the Angel's Lakes fans. Thank you.
Contents
Forever Christmas
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Falling for Home
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
Falling for Kate
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
Bonus Story
A Not So Lonely Christmas
About the Author
Also by Jody Holford
Forever Christmas
When Anna Meyers purchases the home that her late mother grew up in, she’s determined to prove her independence to herself and to her well-meaning father and brother. She’s been lovingly sheltered and protected for all of her 26 years but now she just wants to live her life- on her own terms.
Sam Gardner hadn’t given much thought to who would move next door to his small Angel’s Lake bungalow. Once his neighbor arrived however, he could think of nothing and no one else. When Anna makes it clear that she’s not interested in having a man around, he invents a girlfriend to put her at ease.
Thinking that Sam has a girlfriend makes it easier for Anna to be herself and open the door to friendship. He frustrates her, makes her laugh, and challenges her but he never tries to step on her independence. The more time they spend together, the more she realizes that whoever has Sam’s heart is a lucky girl.
The only girl that has Sam’s heart is Anna but there’s no way he can tell her this when he started this friendship on a lie. Things take a turn for the worse when Anna mistakes a nightmare client as Sam’s fiancée.
Anna came to Minnesota to fight for her independence but she ends up fighting for much more.
Chapter One
Through his kitchen window, Sam Gardner watched his new neighbor lean an aluminum ladder against her front porch. Tiny, she was bundled like she was standing on the peak of Mt. Everest rather than her front lawn in Minnesota. Sure, it was cold, but she was dressed like she planned on sleeping outdoors. At the top of a summit. Strands of hair escaped from the hood of her puffy marshmallow jacket which was obviously designed by the Michelin Man. She engaged in a futile battle against the wind, continuously swiping wisps of blond locks out of her face. He smiled into his coffee while he leaned his hip against the counter.
She dragged a box labelled “Christmas lights” in perfect printing, to sit beside her shiny staple gun. It had to be brand new. He wondered if she’d even get a grip on it in those puffy gloves. She disappeared around the side of the house, coming back with an extension tool that sported a hook on the end. That didn’t look like a good plan.
“Pretty technical set up, Blondie,” he muttered, fascinated by the way she moved with an almost palpable energy. He’d just dragged himself out of bed. As he poured his second cup of the day, he checked the calendar on his fridge where his sisters, when they dropped by, scribbled family activities he was expected to attend. Family dinners, his niece or nephew’s school activities, and of course their birthdays. Yup. Still November. It was only a few days after Thanksgiving, making it less than a week since she’d moved next door. His own garage was still littered here and there with unpacked boxes, but he figured he’d move again one day, so why bother? As she bounced back and forth between her tools, arranging them close to the ladder, he figured she wasn’t the type to have unpacked boxes laying around for long.
Probably should have said hello before this. Work had been crazy all week as he and his team finished up a big project. Sam scratched absently at his bare chest while Blondie faced the ladder with her hands on her hips. He could almost hear her thinking how to best approach the task.
Even bundled up in that ridiculous cream puff of a coat, she was no hardship to look at. He was enjoying the way she seemed to be plotting her plan of attack. Finally, she nodded at no one and picked up the extension rod, a string of lights and moved to the ladder.
“Really? All that planning and that’s how you’re going to do this?” he said incredulously, banging his cup down on the counter. No. You’re not really going to…maybe I shouldn’t watch. He squinted so he could barely see but couldn’t look away. Sure enough, she tried to climb the ladder one-handed, the pole in the other and the Christmas lights trailing out of her mouth. He gripped the edge of the sink with both hands and leaned forward. Maybe she would have pulled it off if she’d locked the ladder in place. Since she didn’t, he had a front row seat to a Chevy Chase show. She’d made it five rungs when the second tier of the ladder slipped down from her weight. She dropped the pole immediately but that didn’t stop her from flailing and falling flat on her ass.
“Impressive,” he chuckled, when he saw that she was okay, the string of lights still dangling in her teeth. Though this wasn’t the way he’d planned to spend his Saturday morning, he downed the last of his cup, swearing when it scorched his throat and went to be neighborly.
Anna refused to cry, as she blocked the sound of her father’s voice booming in her head: “Every woman needs a man to take care of things.” Her butt hurt and the snow was cold but she took the extra minute to recover her breath. She had all the necessary tools to get these lights up, including the determination to turn her newly purchased, three bedroom bungalow into a Christmas Wonderland.
“Stupid ladder,” she muttered, heaving herself up off the ground.
“Kinda seems weird to blame the ladder,” commented a deep, brusque voice from behind her, making her jump. Turning, she had to tilt her head back to see the face that went with the voice. Wide shoulders, medium-brown hair sticking up at odd angles, he was looking at her through amused, blue eyes. She was trying to figure out whic
h of his features made him so attractive – the eyes, his defined cheekbones, or the firm, unsmiling lips when he arched his dark brow. He was wearing a pair of worn jeans and a hoodie that read “Just Do It” and she’d bet money that he could “just do” plenty of things. Just because she’d sworn off men when she’d moved, didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate the sight of them and he was worth taking a moment to appreciate.
“Well I didn’t throw myself off the ladder,” she huffed, brushing the snow off her, now freezing, behind. He shook his head and walked to the ladder. Extending it again, he pushed on something behind the ladder and she heard a loud snap.
“Did you break it?” she asked, stomping over. He looked at her and laughed.
“No Princess, I locked it,” he returned, not hiding a yawn. At the word ‘Princess’, her nails pressed into the flesh of her palms. She took a slow, deliberate breath. I moved here to get away from overbearing men, she thought. Still, he had helped her. Even though she hadn’t asked.
“Thank you,” she muttered through pursed lips. He laughed again, a solid, unabashed whoop aimed in her direction. His infectious smile had her lips twitching out of their own firm line into a grin and, finally, an accompanying laugh.
“You’re welcome. I’m Sam Gardner. Your neighbor,” he introduced, holding out his hand.
“Anna Meyers,” she replied, looking over at the house next door. “I like the color of your house.”
His was a pale, green color that looked old and new at the same time; vintage. Hers had probably been a deep and vibrant, rusty red at some point. Now, it was peeling and looked like dull copper.
“To be fair,” he commented, following her gaze, “I didn’t paint mine. I just rent. You bought right?” She nodded.
She’d think about painting hers in the summer, brightly like Sam’s and her other neighbors. Though the lots were close together, the front lawns were deep and rectangular. Long driveways led to a quiet road, made more so by the fact that the homes across the street were also set far back on their properties. So, while she was close to the neighbors on either side of her, the neighbors across the way were a fair distance. To her, the homes looked like tiny gingerbread cottages set against the backdrop of snow and trees. Looking around, she noted the lack of trees on her own property and gave a fleeting thought to planting some in the spring.
Seeing him eyeing her layout of tools, her thoughts refocused as a frown curved her lips downward. He smiled when he looked back at her and she noted that his eyes no longer looked sleepy. In fact, they seemed quite friendly now and she wondered if his tousled hair would be soft to touch. She immediately pushed the thought away. She didn’t need his help, nor did she want the knowledge of what his hair felt like on her fingers or anywhere else.
“Where you from?” he asked.
“Idaho.”
“Long way.”
“This was the house my mom grew up in, so it was worth the move,” she replied, waiting for him to laugh at her again. His compelling eyes met hers and held them easily.
“That’s a cool connection. Past and present combine,” he nodded.
Smiling brightly, she replied, “Yes, exactly. It feels meaningful.”
“You hanging those just on the eaves there?” he asked, moving beside her as she picked up the thick strand of bulbs.
The paint on the trim was chipping where he pointed and a few of the shingles above were loose. She’d known when she purchased the home that it needed some repairs. Still, the covered porch flanked by the wide-framed windows, with their aging window boxes, made her feel like she’d finally found her place.
“I was going to trail them along there and then hang some on the second level,” she answered. She followed his glance up to the dormer window facing the street.
“Are you going up through the attic and out that window?”
“Seems safer than me scaling the roof,” she smirked.
She saw him roll his eyes as he pushed down on the ladder again, leaning on it with all his weight, testing the lock. When she’d left Idaho, she’d told her dad, her brother, and her rotten ex that the last thing she needed, or wanted, was a man in her life. They had been experts at pointing out how much easier it would be if she’d just let them handle all the little details that made up a life. She’d never given them reason to believe she couldn’t take care of herself but they’d been unwilling to let her try. She didn’t come here for easy and she didn’t need, or want, a man to make things all better.
“Well, I need to get these up,” she said. “Have a great day.”
“I’ll help you,” he huffed, grabbing the sleeve of her coat as she turned away. She arched her brow as she glanced down at his hand, then looked him squarely in his friendly, too-sexy, blue eyes.
“No thank you, Sam. I’m perfectly capable of handling this on my own. Without a man…I mean a hand. With no help. Thank you,” she felt her cheeks warm as she stumbled over the words. When he laughed again, little creases forming at the corners of his eyes, she was pretty sure he was laughing at her.
“Alright then. Good luck, Anna. Nice to meet you.” He turned and gave her a one arm wave as he walked across the lawn, back to his own perfectly painted house.
Stomping the snow off his boots, Sam closed the door harder than intended and tossed his coat on the back of the couch. Heeding the rumbling in his stomach, he headed back to the kitchen.
“Stubborn woman,” he mumbled, catching sight of her again through the window over the sink. He scoffed when she double-checked the ladder lock that she’d just watched him secure, twice.
“Determined,” he concluded.
Walking to the fridge, he switched his focus to a much-needed breakfast. His stomach growled approval. As the bacon began to sizzle, he heard the steady pop of the staple gun from outside. He tried to imagine any of his three sisters handling loaded tools and shuddered.
“Not looking,” he chanted, flipping the bacon and doing his best to not think about the delightfully cute blond with the killer smile and serious stubborn streak.
Chapter Two
Anna pulled a sweater tighter around her body. “It’s so much colder than I expected.”
“Well, yeah. That’s because you weren’t being logical about what to expect,” Jordan replied.
Anna could hear the clacking of the keyboard in the background. Jordan wasn’t supposed to take personal calls at work but since she was dating her boss, Anna figured he probably didn’t mind.
“You too?” Anna sighed wearily, holding the phone between her ear and her shoulder while she broke down the last of the living room boxes.
“What? No. I’m not saying it wasn’t a good idea to go. Even though you did leave me. I just think that sometimes you see rainbows where others see reality,” Jordan said.
“Well, Ms. Reality, there’s definitely no rainbows here. Just snow and my sweet little fixer-upper. But I do miss you,” Anna remarked, rolling her eyes with a fond smile.
“I got the time off to come out there at Christmas,” Jordan said, the typing stopping momentarily.
“So, I’ll see you in…” Anna calculated quickly, “about four weeks?”
“Yes,” Jordan’s voice lowered before she added, “I’m hoping absence will make Mark’s heart grow fonder.”
Anna laughed and replied, “Great. Glad to know you’re not just coming to visit your best friend and celebrate the holidays.”
“Don’t be like that. Of course, I want to see you. I hate that you moved so far away but it was your choice, remember. This will just be a side benefit.”
“Cool. A friend with benefits that I won’t want to maim,” Anna chortled.
“Speaking of such friends, Nolan apparently got fired from your dad’s company,” her friend said gleefully. Anna didn’t feel glee or even surprise at the knowledge. Her exes who worked for her dad often seemed to find themselves unemployed. Daddy didn’t like for his little girl to suffer any disappointment. His sole purpose in lif
e, along with her brother’s, seemed to be making sure Anna’s life was perfect. Their version of perfect.
“Of course he did. My dad always assumes it’s their fault.”
“Anna, it was Nolan’s fault!”
“Anyway, it doesn’t matter because he was unhappy there. And he certainly wasn’t happy with me, which he made quite clear when I caught him with his secretary. He thought I was an easy way to advance. At this point, that shouldn’t be surprising,” she sighed.
“Don’t say that, sweetie. It should always be surprising. You’re gorgeous and sweet and kinder than anyone I know. Those are the only reasons a man should be with you. Not your dad’s company,” Jordan said fiercely.
“Well, it doesn’t matter right now anyway. A man is the last thing on my mind,” she said before turning to look out her recently cleaned picture window to see Sam shoveling his truck out of his driveway. Wasn’t the whole point of a truck so you could just drive over things?
