Text copyright ©2016 by the Author.
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Going Toe to Mistletoe
(A Christmas Romance)
A Sapphire Falls Kindle World Novella
Rachelle Ayala
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Description
Dumped, broke, and jobless, Candi Myers visits her sister in Sapphire Falls to help with her upcoming Christmas wedding.
It’s love at first sight for Troy Caine when he spots Candi nabbing mistletoe her first night in town. Catching her should be a slam-dunk for the hometown hero who gives advice to the lovelorn.
Unfortunately, Candi is not looking to be burned again. Will a town filled with mistletoe, busybody matchmakers, and festive Christmas fun bring Candi and Troy’s lonely hearts together?
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Full of twists and unexpected surprises, Going Toe to Mistletoe is a sexy and romantic romp by Rachelle Ayala, writing in Erin Nicholas’ Sapphire Falls Kindle World. It is a standalone story, but can better be enjoyed after reading Going Haywire, Candi’s sister’s story.
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List of Characters:
Original Erin Nicholas Characters: Mayor TJ Bennett, Hailey Connor Bennett, Ty Bennett, Adrianne Scott Riley, Mason Riley, Phoebe Sherwood Spencer, Joe Spencer, Travis Bennett, Lauren Davis Bennett, Tucker Bennett, Delaney Callan Bennett, Hope Daniels Bennett, Kate Leggot Spencer, Levi Spencer, Conrad (owner of grocery store)
Rachelle Ayala Characters: Candi Myers, Troy Caine, Carol Caine (Troy’s mother), Honey Myers (Candi’s sister), Max Wolff (Candi’s brother-in-law), Mattie Wolff (age 4), Sara Wolff (age 18 months), Millie Wolff (Max’s sister), Megan Wolff (Max’s sister), Boris (Candi’s ex), Shirley Myers (Candi’s mother), Jack (owner of sporting goods store), Ginger (Candi’s sister), Amber (Candi’s sister), Dr. T (advice columnist)
Dedication
To my fans and beta readers who enthusiastically read everything I write.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Epilogue
Candi’s List
Scavenger Hunt List
Going Haywire Excerpt - Chapter One
Also by Rachelle Ayala
Chapter One
Candi Myers was never going to kiss another man again.
Ever.
Kissing got her into trouble.
Kissing was germy.
Kissing was hot.
But hot was bad, especially if it meant ending up in bed with her dancing partner.
Business and pleasure never ended well.
Firestorms started with a tiny spark. An avalanche started with a single snowball. Broken hearts started with an innocent kiss.
Breakups were costly, and her latest partner had absconded with more than half of her dancing students, leaving her unable to pay the rent on her studio.
Candi scrolled up and down the spreadsheet her accountant had sent her and cursed a sapphire blue streak.
She was done. Toe-to-Toe Dance Studios would close its doors. Her savings were wiped out, and her dreams were dashed.
Three weeks before Christmas. It was going to be real jolly applying for food stamps while everyone else gave gifts and rocked the parties.
And then, there was her sister’s wedding.
A Christmas wedding.
To be exact, a Christmas wedding in the charming little town of Sapphire Falls, smack dab in a state called Nebraska.
Not that Candi had anything against Nebraska, or Kansas, or Oklahoma, or any of the states full of cattle and corn. They were good for the food chain, but could there really be anything interesting in the middle of the continent?
Not to mention the cold, freezing winters.
With hot and fast farm boys.
No, no, no! Where had that thought snuck in from?
The last thing Candi wanted or needed was hot or fast.
She picked up the picture postcard her sister, Honey, had sent. Sapphire Falls, Nebraska at Christmastime. Heck it looked like a scene from Currier and Ives. Idyllic, Quaint. Boring. Cold.
She exited the spreadsheet and flipped the card around. Even though the wedding wasn’t until Christmas Eve, Honey had invited her to come early and help with the preparations.
She could do boring.
She might do cold.
She could even do quaint.
Not doing idyllic. That concept didn’t exist in the twenty-first century.
But then, what did she have to lose?
* * *
Troy Caine was never going to give advice again.
Ever.
Giving advice backfired on him big time.
Giving advice put him squarely in the dreaded friend-zone.
And giving advice never got him a girlfriend.
Not even in the magical town of Sapphire Falls where other people fell in love—hard, fast, and steamy.
He sat alone in the corner of the Come Again, the local bar, and knocked back another Guinness as he watched his ex-girlfriend walk off with a farmer from the next town—blissfully happy after applying his advice on how to get a guy to commit.
Troy took a look at himself in the pub mirror, squinting between the etched letters touting a draught of Guinness.
He was twenty-nine. Still had a head full of dark brown hair. Women had assured him he was good-looking, and he worked out every day—in a gym, unlike the farmers around here who stayed fit by working on their farms.
His blue eyes were supposedly his best trait. Clear like the Nebraskan sky, and his teeth were white and straight.
Dark hair, blue eyes, killer smile unfortunately described most of the men in Sapphire Falls.
Only they got their forever-woman, and he was always the best friend, the shoulder to cry on. The enabler.
Tonight was slow, and the bar was mostly empty except for newcomers. Mechanics, workers at the hardware store, and employees at the new shopping area shot pool near the jukebox, but Troy wasn’t in the mood to socialize.
He’d patched up his ex-girlfriend’s relationship with another man, and while he was truly over her, it still stung that she’d taken all his good advice and applied it to someone else. He should be happy she was no longer a bitch, that she increased her self-esteem and was in control of her temper.
But still, another man had reaped his rewards.
Not wanting to engage in chitchat, Troy browsed through an online advice forum on his smartphone.
It was the same never-ending story. Heartbreak, cheating, lack of communication, lack of commitment. The same as the sad stories he sa
w at his job as a social worker for the county hospital.
Dear Dr. T,
I’ve been dumped again, and I don’t understand what’s wrong with me. It’s always the same. I meet a man. Sparks fly, and I know in my heart he’s the one. We fall in love hard and fast. I move in with him, and within a few months, he calls it quits.
I don’t think I’m bitchy or demanding. I have my own business and interests, and I keep my body in fantastic shape. I’ve done everything the self-help books say—be independent, don’t cling, don’t nag, be supportive, give him space, communicate—only nothing works.
If I had a million dollars for every time I hear the words “It’s not you, it’s me,” I’d be rich enough to buy Trump Tower.
I’m at the end of my rope, literally. My family and friends say I’m a magnet for the wrong type of men. I know I’m fun to be with, on the prettier side of the scale, in great physical shape, passionate, and romantic, but now, I’m beginning to wonder if there’s something wrong with me.
Why do guys run out of my life as fast as they run in?
Signed, Sick of Being Dumped
Nine times out of ten, scratch that, ten times out of ten, she hadn’t found the right guy. But to say that would not be helpful. Troy took another swallow of the bitter brew and tapped in a reply.
Dear Dumped,
Short answer. You haven’t found the right guy. But I know that’s not what you want to hear.
My advice to you is to slow down. You describe your romances as whirlwind—coming fast and going out faster. This is obviously not working for you. You are getting caught up by the beginning of a relationship which is exciting, fun, and exhilarating. At this time, you’re willing to overlook, or indeed, you are blind to the faults of your partner. You idealize each other and fall in love with an image of the perfect romantic relationship, but after the newness wears off, the problems and issues which were ignored become apparent.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with you. Next time, when you meet a guy you think is “The One,” step back and consciously tell yourself to slow down. Make a list of all the negative traits you can imagine about this guy, and take your time in getting to know him. It’s always better to be positively surprised rather than disappointed.
Don’t let your emotions cloud your logical side. Evaluate and grade this guy, as you would if you were buying a car or a house. I know this doesn’t sound romantic, but at least you’ll know if he is the right guy for you.
Best of all luck, Dr. T
A draft of cold air swept through the door as a crowd of locals stepped in. Among them was the mayor of Sapphire Falls, big TJ Bennett, his brother Ty with his wife Hailey, followed by Troy’s best friend Max’s fiancée, Honey Myers. Troy was in a committee with them to coordinate the town’s Christmas events and activities with the interest of bringing in tourists.
Sapphire Falls had changed in the past five years from a sleepy hamlet of old-timers to a growing community with new businesses, retail space, and entertainment and sports venues.
“Hey, Troy,” Ty, who’d once been a world class triathlete, shouted as he removed his coat. “Put that phone away. This isn’t New York City.”
The locals of Sapphire Falls believed it was rude to stare into a phone while at a public place around town.
Honey gave him a hug, and Hailey shook his hand as the Bennett brothers, TJ and Ty, ordered a round of drinks.
“We want to do something different this Christmas,” Hailey Connor Bennett said as soon as she took a barstool. She was the Director of Business Development and Tourism.
“How so?” Troy asked, sliding his phone into his pocket. He was curious to see what Dumped would say about his suggestion to slow down, but it would have to wait until after the meeting.
“I’ve been researching other towns which have Christmas tourism, our competitors, and I’ve decided we need to shake things up,” Hailey said. “We’re too much into the Norman Rockwell small town farm theme here. I mean, it’s nice to be charming and idyllic, but this year, we want to be edgy and different.”
“Edgy and different?” Honey asked. “Why? If people want glamour and glitz, they can go to Vegas or New York City.”
“I didn’t mean that.” Hailey flipped her blond hair over her shoulder and smiled at her husband, Ty, as if she were winning an argument. “Since the reenactor guilds worked so well during our Halloween festival, I think we should have a convention of time travelers here and do a Dickensian Christmas. We should open the haunted house and fill it with ‘Christmas past’ spirits.”
Big TJ Bennett grunted, shifting his weight on the bar stool. “What’s wrong with doing Christmas the way we’ve always done?”
Hailey hooked her husband a meaningful look, and Ty quickly set down his drink. “Because it’s boring. Everyone has the Santa’s lap, the caroling, the pageant, the traditional stuff. Hailey’s right. We need to spice it up.”
“Honey, what do you think?” TJ looked to the relative newcomer for support. Honey was a native of San Francisco who was about to remarry her ex-husband, an investment banker who had grown up in Sapphire Falls. Her first encounter with the town was at the haunted petting zoo, and despite the series of frights she experienced over Halloween, she had become one of the town’s biggest boosters, writing the ad copy for the tourist bulletins and including the town in her romance novels.
“It’s good to combine the traditional with something new,” Honey replied. “But I’m afraid we don’t want to do a copycat thing. There’s a town in California called Christmas Creek that does the Dickensian reenactment most of December. Their citizens go around dressed in costumes the entire month.”
“They have one glaring weakness,” Hailey said. Her eyebrows lowered, obviously not used to being challenged. “They don’t have snow. They don’t have the winter wonderland we have. They’re foggy and full of redwood trees.”
“We should make use of our snow-covered fields,” Troy cut in, kissing up to the mayor who was quite a traditionalist. “Put up a Santa’s village and have a workshop of elves. Maybe reenact the North Pole. We already have reindeer at the petting zoo.”
Hailey huffed and took a sip of beer, then slammed the glass on the table. As town prima-donna and the former mayor of Sapphire Falls, she wasn’t used to being contradicted.
“I still think we should open the haunted house,” she said. “It’s one of our biggest assets. We can at least have a big party there the day before Christmas Eve.”
“A party would be a great idea,” Honey agreed. “It’ll give everyone a chance to mingle, and we can invite the entire town, including the tourists.”
“I’m for the party,” TJ said. “It’s a one-day event, rather than staffing people the entire month to haunt the house.”
“Same thing with the Santa’s Village,” Hailey retorted. “You’d have to staff people there all month, too.”
“I’m sure we can get volunteers,” TJ replied evenly. “The Blue Brigade can be the elves, along with the children who are out of school, and we can set up booths in the so-called Village and sell things like crafts and gifts. All we need is a Santa.”
“I’ve already taken care of that detail.” Hailey shot Troy a devious glance that sent prickles skittering up his spine. “I took a vote and the town has elected Troy Caine to be Santa Claus this year.”
Troy jumped to his feet. “Me? What about Frank, Conrad, Thomas, and Albert?”
They were the old guys in town who could usually be found at the diner, shooting the breeze and talking about past fishing and football exploits.
“Sorry, it’s you, Troy.” Hailey lifted her chin as if she’d beaten him on a bet. “Since you like doling out advice, the twist this year is the Dear Santa activity. Instead of children sitting in your lap, you’ll get people with love problems. There will still be an old guy for the children at the gazebo, but you’re going to be Dear Santa—advice for the lovelorn—and star of our Christmas party.”
“I’m Director of Business Development and Tourism, and this is something Christmas Creek doesn’t have.” Hailey snapped her planner shut and set it on the counter with an air of finality. “Let’s start writing ads and posting this on social media. Once we post a picture of our hunky Dear Santa, the entire world of lovesick women will descend on our town for some of that Sapphire Falls magic.”
TJ groaned loudly and gave Ty a sympathetic look, which he shrugged off, while Honey put an arm around Troy and patted his back.
“This is a good thing,” she said, reassuringly. “Maybe this year, Santa will find his Mrs. Claus.”
Now, everyone groaned, including Troy.
It was going to be a long December.
Chapter Two
Candi hadn’t been able to close her mouth since getting off the Interstate and driving through Sapphire Falls. The town was exactly like the postcards. Thoroughly charming and oh, so cute. It was like every Christmas movie she’d ever seen.
Snow crusted the streets, and fat flakes danced off her windshield. The evergreens looked like they’d been dusted with powdered sugar, and holiday lights twinkled from every house and business.
She circumnavigated the town square which outshined every Nutcracker set she’d ever been in. Back home, the snow had been fake, and the frost was sprayed on. Here, it was an honest-to-goodness winter wonderland.
Four Christmas trees surrounded the square with each of them decked to the hilt with lights and large, shiny ornaments. Plastic waist-high candy canes lined the walkways, and each sapphire blue lamppost had a pair of silver bells hanging from it.
Sapphire Falls: Going Toe to Mistletoe (A Christmas Romance) (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 1
