Books by Fern Michaels
Fate & Fortune
Sweet Vengeance
Holly and Ivy
Fancy Dancer
No Safe Secret
Wishes for Christmas
About Face
Perfect Match
A Family Affair
Forget Me Not
The Blossom Sisters
Balancing Act
Tuesday’s Child
Betrayal
Southern Comfort
To Taste the Wine
Sins of the Flesh
Sins of Omission
Return to Sender
Mr. and Miss Anonymous
Up Close and Personal
Fool Me Once
Picture Perfect
The Future Scrolls
Kentucky Sunrise
Kentucky Heat
Kentucky Rich
Plain Jane
Charming Lily
What You Wish For
The Guest List
Listen to Your Heart
Celebration
Yesterday
Finders Keepers
Annie’s Rainbow
Sara’s Song
Vegas Sunrise
Vegas Heat
Vegas Rich
Whitefire
Wish List
Dear Emily
Christmas at Timberwoods
The Sisterhood Novels
Safe and Sound
Need to Know
Crash and Burn
Point Blank
In Plain Sight
Eyes Only
Kiss and Tell
Blindsided
Gotcha!
Home Free
Déjà Vu
Cross Roads
Game Over
Deadly Deals
Vanishing Act
Razor Sharp
Under the Radar
Final Justice
Collateral Damage
Fast Track
Hokus Pokus
Hide and Seek
Free Fall
Lethal Justice
Sweet Revenge
The Jury
Vendetta
Payback
Weekend Warriors
The Men of the Sisterhood Novels
Truth or Dare
High Stakes
Fast and Loose
Double Down
The Godmothers Series
Getaway (e-novella exclusive)
Spirited Away (e-novella exclusive)
Hideaway (e-novella exclusive)
Classified
Breaking News
Deadline
Late Edition
Exclusive
The Scoop
eBook Exclusives
Desperate Measures
Seasons of Her Life
To Have and to Hold
Serendipity
Captive Innocence
Captive Embraces
Captive Passions
Captive Secrets
Captive Splendors
Cinders to Satin
For All Their Lives
Texas Heat
Texas Rich
Texas Fury
Texas Sunrise
Anthologies
A Season to Celebrate
Mistletoe Magic
Winter Wishes
The Most Wonderful Time
When the Snow Falls
Secret Santa
A Winter Wonderland
Making Spirits Bright
Holiday Magic
Snow Angels
Silver Bells
Comfort and Joy
Sugar and Spice
Let It Snow
A Gift of Joy
Five Golden Rings
Deck the Halls
Jingle All the Way
Books by Kate Pearce
The House of Pleasure Series
Simply Sexual
Simply Sinful
Simply Shameless
Simply Wicked
Simply Insatiable
Simply Forbidden
Simply Carnal
Simply Voracious
Simply Scandalous
Simply Pleasure (e-novella)
Simply Irresistible (e-novella)
The Sinners Club Series
The Sinners Club
Tempting a Sinner
Mastering a Sinner
The First Sinners (e-novella)
Single Titles
Raw Desire
The Morgan Brothers Ranch
The Reluctant Cowboy
The Maverick Cowboy
The Last Good Cowboy
The Bad Boy Cowboy
The Billionaire Bull Rider
The Rancher
Anthologies
Some Like It Rough
Lords of Passion
Happy Is the Bride
A Season to Celebrate
Books by Bestselling Author
Donna Kauffman
The Blue Hollow Falls Series
Blue Hollow Falls
The Inn at Blue Hollow Falls
(eBook novella)
The Brides of Blueberry Cove
Series
Sea Glass Sunrise
Snowflake Bay
Starfish Moon
The Bachelors of Blueberry Cove
Series
Pelican Point
Half Moon Harbor
Sandpiper Island
The Cupcake Club Series
Sugar Rush
Sweet Stuff
Babycakes
Honey Pie
The Hot Scot Trilogy
Some Like It Scot
Off Kilter
“Santa in a Kilt” in Unwrapped
The Hamilton Series
“Unleashed” in To All a Good Night
“Lock, Stock & Jingle Bells” in
Kissing Santa Claus
“Naughty & Nice” in
The Naughty List
The Unholy Trinity Series
The Black Sheep & the Princess
The Black Sheep & the Hidden Beauty
The Black Sheep & the English Rose
The Chisholm Brothers Series
Bad Boys in Kilts
The Great Scot
The Men of Rogues Hollow Series
“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” in
Jingle Bell Rock
“Exposed” in Bad Boys Next Exit
Catch Me If You Can
“Making Waves” in
Merry Christmas, Baby
Standalone Titles
The Sugar Cookie Sweetheart
Swap
Here Comes Trouble
A Great Kisser
Let Me In
Bad Boys on Board
I Love Bad Boys
The Matched to Perfection Series
by Priscilla Oliveras
His Perfect Partner
Her Perfect Affair
Their Perfect Melody
Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation
A Season To Celebrate
FERN MICHAELS
KATE PEARCE
DONNA KAUFFMAN
PRISCILLA OLIVERAS
ZEBRA BOOKS
KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com
All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.
ZEBRA BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Compilation copyright © 2018 by Kensington Publishing Corporation A Christmas Homecoming © cop
yright 2018 by Fern Michaels An Unexpected Gift © copyright 2018 by Kate Pearce Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls © copyright 2018 by Donna Kauffman Holiday Home Run © copyright 2018 by Priscilla Oliveras
Fern Michaels is a registered trademark of KAP 5, Inc.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
Zebra and the Z logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.
ISBN: 978-1-4201-3574-9
eISBN-13: 978-1-4201-3575-6
eISBN-10: 1-4201-3575-9
Table of Contents
Also by
Title Page
Copyright Page
A Christmas Homecoming
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
An Unexpected Gift
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Christmas in Blue Hollow Falls
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Epilogue
Holiday Home Run
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Feliz Navidad —Merry Christmas Wishes to You!
HOLLY AND IVY
THE RANCHER
BLUESTONE & VINE
THEIR PERFECT MELODY
A Christmas Homecoming
FERN MICHAELS
Chapter One
Kevin Matthews watched from his window seat as the tarmac faded from view. He was finally heading home to Texas after three tours in the military. Home for the holidays. The first time in six years.
At thirty-two, he was going to start his life all over again. Yes, again . . . for the second time. Third if you were counting his birth. He had accumulated a lot of experience in the past several years, and his appreciation and vitality for living had been renewed.
Kevin was twenty-six when he joined the Air Force. A Special Forces group known as Pararescues—“PJs” for short. His proficiency at skydiving and scuba, hobbies from his high school days, had made him a much sought after airman. Throw in six years as an EMS volunteer, and he was the perfect candidate to join the group. And it was the perfect group for him to join.
He needed a serious change of scenery, and the French Foreign Legion was no longer an option. Did people really do that years ago? Join the Foreign Legion? He wondered. But being a Texan, it was hard to imagine joining any international organization that wasn’t homegrown American, even if Texas would make noise about seceding from the Union every couple of years. He thought the new term “Texit” was hilarious. Nope. He was going to serve his country, the USA, and the PJs’ slogan, “Relief from Above,” was something he could easily adopt, especially since he was in need of relief as well.
Running his fingers through his full, black, wavy hair—a habit he had had since he was a kid—he hoped he could endure the next ten hours on the plane to Dallas. Sitting in one position for any length of time could get uncomfortable.
He considered asking the fellow in the aisle seat to switch with him, but the guy had his head buried in what looked like an Avengers comic book and simply grunted when Kevin approached the row. He didn’t even make a move to allow Kevin easy access. When Kevin squeezed past him, the guy gave another annoying grunt. It was obvious he wasn’t going to be very cooperative. As Kevin folded his six-foot-two-inch, lean, muscular body into the seat, he resigned himself to discomfort until he absolutely needed to move around.
Two years back, during a precision air-drop exercise, some of the supplies had plunged from the cargo plane too soon, and he had to jump to retrieve them. His chute got caught in a bizarre tangle that sent him spinning perilously to the ground. Fortunately, he was able to come out of free fall and managed to land safely but not well. Two operations later and he had his mobility back, though he still had a slight limp. No, sir. Rigorous activities were no longer an option. If he ever took a bad fall, the titanium that held his femur together would stay intact, but it would also cause the shattering of what remained of his own bone structure. Nope. Horseback riding wasn’t on the menu, and neither was skydiving anymore—maybe scuba diving if he ever got back to Lake Travis. Hiking, fishing, and riding a bike would be his limit. He’d have to avoid anything that would threaten his Humpty-Dumpty leg.
He sighed and smiled at the same time. It was worth it , he told himself. The faces on the refugees as they clamored for the lifesaving supplies were more than a “thank-you,” and the rescues from the earthquake in Japan that he participated in were experiences he could never have imagined. Knowing he actually made a difference in people’s lives—total strangers, in fact—gave him a sense of satisfaction that nothing else on this earth could replicate.
The broken bones eventually healed. But the greatest recovery was his heart. It had been broken—devastated. Now he was whole, with the additional help of some titanium and screws, and an experience that gave new meaning to life and the little things in it.
Yes, he was thankful for it. He was still alive and heading home to his mom’s skillet corn bread. During the flight attendant’s safety speech, Kevin thought back to the circumstances that had brought him on this journey: the hobbies that would scare the bejesus out of his mother, and the breakup with Melissa. Funny thing about it—he was grateful. Grateful for the breakup, but at the time, he couldn’t imagine what his future life would be like.
They had been high-school sweethearts. Getting married, having a family, and—one day—opening a sporting goods shop were the only things he envisioned. Yes, he was going to thank Melissa when he saw her, because running into her was inevitable. Cedar Park was a small town: the very reason he started his life all over for the second time, counting his birth. Now here he was again, starting fresh. This time, though, he had a much better attitude.
Kevin squirmed in his seat as he imagined what his homecoming would be like. Mom would have the house decorated, as in everything. There was not one tabletop, chair, or dresser that didn’t have some kind of Christmas ornament. Even the vanity in the bathroom had elves doling out toilet paper. When he was in his teens, he thought it was totally corny. Almost embarrassing. Now it would be a sight for sore eyes, and he’d be thrilled to assemble the hundreds of pieces that were transformed into a Christmas village, surrounded by the miniature trains that would run around the entire perimeter of the living room. As soon as Mrs. Matthews gave it the seal of approval, Kevin and his dad would start working on the exterior of the house,
stringing the thousands of lights collected over the years on every tree, bush, and shrub that had a branch. The giant Santa and his entire entourage would sit proudly on the front lawn. Yes, the Matthews house would rival anyone else’s attempt at decorating. “Eat your heart out, Macy’s!” would be his dad’s battle cry when he flipped the switch. The only other place that presented any challenge was the Cedar Park Christmas Tree Farm, with acres of cedars. Hence the name of the town, Cedar Park. His grandfather had started the farm just under a century ago, and his dad started managing it when Pops retired. As soon as Halloween arrived and the hayrides were over, Mrs. Matthews would be in charge of decorating everything in sight at the tree farm, and everyone would joke about being able to see Cedar Park from the International Space Station.
* * *
They had been airborne for over an hour, and Kevin’s leg was beginning to stiffen. He softly nudged the guy sleeping next to him. “Excuse me, sir, sorry to disturb you.” His Texas drawl let the words drop politely from his mouth.
Suddenly, he got the attention of a very attractive young woman in a blue suit, whose name tag on her navy blue uniform said ALLISON . “Oh, sir. You’re with the military, correct? Thank you for your service!” She beamed her very best flight attendant smile.
“My pleasure, ma’am.” Kevin was never fully aware of the effect he had on women. He had always been ruggedly handsome, with his deep blue eyes and his tanned skin from the outdoors. But he and Melissa started going steady at fifteen, so the thought of dating other girls had never been on his radar. Then, after enlisting, he had no time for anything resembling a relationship. Once in a while he would have friendly drinks with other military folks, but a love affair was by no means on the table.