From Southern Scrooge to holiday hero?
Brennan Henry doesn’t have time for holly and jolly. He’s been too busy boosting the bottom line for the family business. That is, until his eccentric grandfather hands over a lot of money to a stranger on the street. Some nonsense about her being the true spirit of Christmas. Yeah, right. All Brennan can see is he’s now got a situation on his hands with one Mary Paige Gentry.
Then he meets Mary Paige. And no matter how deep he searches, it seems she’s the real deal. Kind, compassionate and just enough sass to keep him very intrigued. The spark of attraction between them could land him on the naughty list! But his is still a dollars-and-cents world…unless she can prove there’s more to the season—more to life—than money.
Mistletoe hung from a string. Directly over her.
“Kiss her, Brennan!” someone in the crowd called.
Mary Paige shook her head and waved off the comment.
“Yeah, kiss her!” More voices, more laughter.
In a panic she glanced over to where Brennan stood. He laughed and waved off the remarks.
“Kiss her!” More people. Clapping started. All were merry. All were bright. All were insane.
She raised her hands to her cheeks. They were afire with embarrassment. For heaven’s sake, couldn’t they see she was not the type of girl who got kissed by the Brennan Henrys of the world? She wasn’t elegant, beautiful or—
“Oh,” she said as Brennan loomed above her.
Her gaze found his and there was amusement in the gray depths…and maybe something more. Satisfaction?
Maybe. But she didn’t have time to think any more about it.
Because at that moment Brennan kissed her.
Dear Reader,
I’m delighted to announce exciting news: beginning in January 2013, Harlequin Superromance books will be longer! That means more romance with more of the characters you love and expect from Harlequin Superromance.
We’ll also be unveiling a brand-new look for our covers. These fresh, beautiful covers will showcase the six wonderful contemporary stories we publish each month.
So don’t miss out on your favorite series—Harlequin Superromance. Look for longer stories and exciting new covers starting December 18, 2012, wherever you buy books.
In the meantime, check out this month’s reads:
#1818 THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS
Liz Talley
#1819 THE TIME OF HER LIFE
Jeanie London
#1820 THE LONG WAY HOME
Cathryn Parry
#1821 CROSSING NEVADA
Jeannie Watt
#1822 WISH UPON A CHRISTMAS STAR
Darlene Gardner
#1823 ESPRESSO IN THE MORNING
Dorie Graham
Happy reading!
Wanda Ottewell, Senior Editor, Harlequin Superromance
The Spirit of Christmas
Liz Talley
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
From devouring the Harlequin Superromance novels on the shelf of her aunt’s used bookstore to swiping her grandmother’s medical romances, Liz Talley has always loved a good romance. So it was no surprise to anyone when she started writing a book one day while her infant napped. She soon found writing more exciting than scrubbing hardened cereal off the love seat. Underneath Liz’s baby-food-stained clothes, a dream stirred. She followed that dream, and after a foray into historical romance and a Golden Heart final, she started her first contemporary romance on the same day she met her editor. Coincidence? She prefers to call it fate.
Currently Liz lives in north Louisiana with her high-school sweetheart, two beautiful children and a passel of animals. Liz loves watching her boys play baseball, shopping for bargains and going out for lunch. When not writing contemporary romances for the Harlequin Superromance line, she can be found doing laundry, feeding kids or playing on Facebook.
For Ursuline Academy, New Orleans, for teaching me the importance of Serviam—I will serve. I will always cherish my time walking those historic halls, teaching girls who could be angels one minute, devils the next and knitting together a foundation of education and service with the best faculty ever.
I may be gone, but my thoughts often drift back to the land of Merry Macs, Skips and Sioux. Go, Lions!
And for the readers who reliably buy my books and tell others how great they are—there is no greater compliment than a friend who is a devoted fan. Thank you.
Contents
CHAPTER ONE
MARY PAIGE GENTRY stepped into an icy puddle of water as she exited the taxi with not only one high-heeled shoe, but both of them.
“Darn, darn, darn!” she said, trying to turn back to the driver without stepping into the cold water again. The cabbie raised bushy eyebrows