Christmas Kisses

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Christmas Kisses is a continuation of The Romance on the Ranch Series, but it can be read as a stand-alone, as can all the stories in this collection. Order of books: Dream Kisses; Honey Kisses; Baby Kisses; Candy Kisses; Christmas Kisses Mild profanitySweet/Sensual love scenesAlthough born into wealth and privilege, Cecelia Brightman has never found the forever-after kind of happiness she seeks. She has devoted her life to helping others through charity work, but now, at the age of forty-two, she can no longer continue along the same path. Much to the chagrin of her parents, she leaves the trappings of wealth to follow her heart to the small town of Paxtonville in Colorado to be near her brother and his large family.As for the hero of Christmas Kisses, he is new to the series and carrying baggage from a previous sorrow that almost destroyed him. However, I have a feeling Cecelia may be the perfect answer for Connor MacKenzie.This story has been written specifically with Christmas in mind, so, of course, there are children involved. Some of the youngsters are new to the series; others are rejoining the ongoing saga. But all will have a wonderful Christmas!Excerpt:Cecelia gasped and covered her mouth with her palm. She was speechless. Never had she seen a more beautiful painting. The artist, renowned for mystical renderings, had created a scene straight out of a magical forest. Known for his muted colors and lighting, the gray mist blended so perfectly with the green pines that the viewer could not distinguish where one ended and the other began. Filtered light penetrated the mist to barely reveal several deer beside a stream. The canvas was about four feet high and five feet in length and the pines stretched all the way to the top while the stream ran the width.Such was the beauty of the artistry that Cecelia felt tears welling up. She stepped closer and looked for the painter's trademark. She scanned for a long time.Charles said, "It took me awhile, but I finally located them."Moving until she was close enough to touch the painting, she eyed it inch by inch. Her eyes sparkled as she lifted her gaze to Charles'.He grinned. "Ah-hah, you've found them. Tell me what you see?""I see the man and the woman in the far left corner. Hmm, something seems odd." She gave Charles a startled look.He responded, "Exactly. This painting is going to sell for tens of thousands. As far as I know, it's the first one he's done with a third person painted."With wonder, Cecelia said, "And it's a child. There's a child between the man and woman holding their hands. How perfect for the charity it's going to benefit." The tears Cecelia had been sniffing back, now dripped down her cheeks.ReviewTRR Top Pick...Reviewed by 'Angie Just Read' (5 stars):The very talented Verna Clay simply leaves me in awe. Her ability to capture on the page the deeply emotional subjects that drive the everyman is done in a series of warm and tender moments that mean her craft for writing just gets better and better with every story told.Reviewed by Natasha Jackson for Readers' Favorite (4 stars):...Throw in a mystery son and a host of adorable children and you'll quickly see why Christmas Kisses is more than a love story...Whether she intended to or not, Verna Clay has presented us with a story about healing in all of its varied forms...From the AuthorWhat fun I've had writing this Christmas story! I love the season, especially driving around and viewing all the decorative lights. I hope I was able to capture enough of the magic of Christmas that it overflowed the pages of this novella. As for the next Romance on the Ranch release, I haven't decided whether to jump ahead a few years by bringing the teenagers into adulthood and revealing their stories, or staying closer to this time frame with a "mature woman" romance. Decisions! Decisions!