Hang the mistletoe and toss some tinsel, it’s time to put the ho-ho-ho in the holidays!

The lights are strung, and the quaint little town of Meadowbrook has never looked more merry and bright. For local artist, Bree, it truly is the most wonderful time of the year. The snow is falling, holiday shoppers are out full force, and the town square festivities have begun.

Dressed in full elf attire, Bree is working as Santa’s helper when she spots Caleb, her high school sweetheart, in line with his daughter to meet the jolly ole elf. Times and circumstances may have changed, but her desire to sit on Caleb’s lap is stronger than ever. Not wanting to land on the naughty list, she adjusts her stockings and tries to keep thoughts of his sugar plums out of her mind.

Recovering from a painful loss, Caleb thought his sleigh rocking days were long since over. Yet when his precocious daughter, Alyssa, sees the twinkle Bree brings to her dad’s eye, she arranges a hot cocoa date for him and the sassy elf.

Will more than jingle bells be rocking when the pair reunites, or will Caleb have an extra blue Christmas?

Dripping baste. Popped timers. Deliciously moist drumsticks…

Knowing her hometown goes ridiculously overboard for Thanksgiving was one of the many things Maeve Cameron hadn’t missed about it. Yet as she’s forced back home after a nasty divorce, her meddling mother lands her smack dab in the middle of the Turkey Day festivities.

Positioned in the paramedic tent, she’s prepared for a day of dehydrated Turkey Trotters, when Kyler, her high school crush, hobbles back into her life. Knowing he was the kind of guy who would baste any bird he could find, Maeve works to treat his injury before he gets any thoughts of candying her yams.

It’s been a long time since Kyler was a one-plate and done kind of guy. Now, he’s ready to commit himself to the indulgences of the perfect buffet spread. Can he convince Maeve that their attraction is one to be thankful for? Or will his past reputation be a recipe for disaster?

Loosen your belt and prep the pie, it’s time for some stuffing!

 

We start toward another game booth, but then I see a familiar face out of the corner of my eye. My smile immediately disappears, and I grab Logan’s arm. Kyler is standing at one of the booths where they’re selling grills, and I don’t think he’s seen us yet.  

“Mom, what’s wrong?”  

I point toward a booth that’s across the park. “Let’s go that way.”  

He shakes his head. “But I want to stop at these first before the parade starts.”  

The last thing I want is to get stopped by Kyler. I just have to hope and pray he doesn’t notice me. Turning my back toward him, I go with Logan to the ring toss game booth. Logan uses my ticket so he can play twice. And, of course, he takes his time. I don’t want to look behind me, so I keep my eyes focused on the game. That is until I hear his voice.  

“Hi, Maeve. I was hoping I’d see you here.”  

Logan turns to him and then looks up at me, wondering why I haven’t responded. Blowing out a silent sigh, I face Kyler. My eyes go instantly to his leg, but I can’t see his knee because of his jeans.  

“Hi there. How’s your knee?” I don’t want to look at his hypnotic blue eyes, but I can’t stare at his leg the entire time. Yesterday was easy because I had to help him. Today, I have no excuse.  

Kyler shrugs. “It hurts to walk. I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow.”  

His crutches are nowhere in sight. “What happened to your crutches?”  

Kyler chuckles and looks away. “Trust me. I walk better without them.”  

Logan taps my arm. “Oliver and Jacob are by the hot dog stand. Can I go over there?” Oliver and Jacob are Jeremy’s twin boys. That means Jeremy and Kaylee are somewhere at the festival. I could use their help right now.  

My heart races, and I want to latch onto Logan’s arm to keep him by my side, but when his friends see him, they wave him over. “Fine,” I give in. “You can go.”  

“Wait,” Kyler calls out. He pulls out an unlimited festival pass and hands it to Logan. “I bought this, but I don’t have any use for it. You can play as many games as you want.”  

Logan gasps and beams up at him. “Thanks!”  

Kyler looks down at his Ravens hat. “You a football fan?”  

“The biggest,” Logan replies. “I’m quarterback for the peewee team.”  

“So was I,” Kyler says. “I was also a quarterback for my high school as well.”  

The last thing I want is Logan getting advice from Kyler, the number one douchebag from my high school. “Your friends are waiting for you, sweetheart,” I tell him.  

Logan nods and smiles again at Kyler. “Bye.”  

Once Logan’s gone, my number one goal is to get away from Kyler. “It was nice seeing you again, Kyler. Hope you enjoy the parade.” I start to walk off, but then Kyler hisses and hunches over, grabbing at his knee. As much as I despise him, the paramedic in me can’t just leave him like that. I grab his wrist and wrap his arm around my shoulders to help give him support. “Here, let me help you.”  

I reach around his waist with his arm around my shoulders and slowly move him over to an empty picnic table. He sits down and stretches out his leg, grunting in pain. “Thanks for helping me. Guess I shouldn’t have left my crutches in the car.”  

It figures he’d leave them. “Do you want me to grab them for you?” I offer.  

He shakes his head. “No, thanks. I’ll be fine.”  

“Have you iced it the way I told you to?”  

His lips pull back in that familiar smile of his. “I did. It helped me a lot.” The sound of horns echoes down the street, signaling the parade has begun. Great. It’s too late to disappear across the street to head down to my car. “How have you been?” he asks.  

I keep my eyes on the parade floats. “Fine.”  

“Some of the ladies at the bank said you moved back to town after your divorce. I’m sorry to hear that.”  

I scoff but bite back the snarky comment I was going to make. I’m pretty sure he could care less about my divorce. “Are you sure you don’t want me to get your crutches?” I ask, hoping to change the subject. “I can help you to your car so you can leave.”  

Kyler throws his head back and laughs. “Are you trying to get rid of me?” He stares at me, but I don’t respond. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch him slowly stand. My stomach clenches with guilt, and I feel somewhat bad for being a bitch, even though I shouldn’t. I should be the bigger person and not hold grudges, but sometimes, it’s easier said than done. “I hope you have a good day, Maeve. Maybe I’ll see you again tomorrow.”  

He hobbles off, and I can’t help but watch him. My mom walks down the path into the park right by him, and she stops to talk to him, smiling and carrying on as if she was his best friend. Mouth gaping, I watch them laugh together. What the hell is going on there? When she sees me, she waves and hurries over.  

“Hey, honey.”  

I point at Kyler. “What were you doing talking to Kyler Groff?”  

She holds a hand over her heart. “He’s just the sweetest thing. I have an appointment with him at the bank to change over my money to a different retirement account.”  

“And that requires you to be friends?” I ask incredulously. “Him and his friends were dicks in high school. I can’t stand him.”  

Her face falls. “People change, Maeve. The boy’s been through a lot.”  

I scoff. “He still seems like the arrogant ass I’ve always known him to be.”  

She pats my hand. “Oh, no, honey. He’s not. Do you not know what happened to him after high school?”  

“I made it a point not to know,” I answer. “I didn’t care.”  

Her gaze saddens. “For starters, he got hurt when he went off to college. It ruined his football career.”  

“Am I supposed to feel sorry for him?”  

She shakes her head. “That’s just the beginning. I won’t go into detail, but I want you to know he hasn’t had an easy life.”  

Neither have I, but you don’t see me asking for pity. I have sympathy for those who deserve it. Kyler Groff is not one of them. 

 

 

Title: A Date for the Masquerade

Tee up for the long drive, it’s golf season!

After winning the U.S. Open, Greyson Jennings couldn’t help but take playful jabs at the expense of his prime competition, Bryan Nelson. His snarky claims during the press junction may have burned off like fog on the green, if a week later they hadn’t found themselves at the same golf resort.

Hungry for a little payback, Bryan challenges Greyson to a grudge match: Grey and his best friend versus Bryan and his sister, Leah. Turns out, Leah is a ringer with a swing—and curves—that turn Grey’s thoughts to a hole in one of another kind.

Unfortunately, Leah’s opinion of him has been formed by the many stories Bryan has shared. That may hurt this golfer’s handicap, but he’s nowhere near ready to give up. It’s game on as Leah agrees to meet Grey on the green and go head to head with the hole as the goal.

Can Greyson prove there’s more to him than an impressive club and a carefully crafted bad boy persona? Or will the sting of Leah’s rejection leave him in need of some alone time and a good ball washer?

“You have got to be kidding me,” Bryan growls.

Heart racing, my eyes snap open. “What?” I gasp.

He points toward the fairway. “Look who it is.”

There’s only one person it could be to earn such a hated look from my brother. And of course, when I focus on the guy about to hit his ball, I recognize his stance. Greyson Jennings has his own style when it comes to golf. I hate the guy, but he’s one of the best. You can’t help but admire how talented he is.

Bryan fumes and clenches the steering wheel. “Of all places he could be, why in the hell is he here?” I’ve been wondering the same thing. Greyson never answered when I asked him. It wouldn’t surprise me if he did it on purpose. The only way he could’ve found out would be through my social media.

Bryan hops out of the cart and reaches for his driver. Eyes wide, I can feel my heart pounding harder. “Bryan, what are you doing?”

He tees up his ball and smiles. “Just having a little fun, sis. If I knock him out, he deserves it.”

This is going to be a disaster. I just know it. The sound of his driver connecting with the ball is so loud it echoes in my ears. I watch it sail through the air, right in the direction toward Greyson. He doesn’t even yell fore, and I’m too shocked to even speak. The ball starts to drop from the sky and when it lands, it’s only about three feet away from Greyson and his best friend, Eli. He jerks around and throws his arms up in the air. Bryan bursts out laughing and flips them both off.

Greyson and Eli jump in their cart and head toward us. This is not what I want. “Just great,” I grumble. “Now look what you did.”

Bryan comes over to me and leans against the cart. “The fucker deserved it. It’s time he knows I’m back in the game.”

The last thing I want is to get in the middle of a testosterone match. I don’t care about seeing who has the bigger balls. When Greyson gets closer, his snarl turns into a smile when he notices me. Definitely not what I want. Bryan steps forward, driver in hand.

“Sorry about that,” my brother taunts, “I didn’t exactly hit what I was aiming for.”

Greyson bursts out laughing and steps out of the cart. “You never do. You obviously don’t know how to handle your shaft.”

Here we go. Groaning, I smack a hand to my forehead. “Really? This is what I’m going to have to put up with today?”

Greyson smirks at me, his gaze roaming over my bare legs before settling back on my eyes. “It’s good to see you again, Leah. I didn’t know you played golf.”

Busted. Bryan’s going to be pissed I didn’t tell him. His shoulders tense but he doesn’t look at me. Instead, he moves to the front of the cart to block Greyson from looking at me. “How about we play teams? My sister and I against you and your caddy.”

The day just got worse. I’m going to kill my brother. Then again, maybe we can teach Greyson a lesson. 

“Bryan, no,” I snap. “I suck at golf. We’ll lose.”

His eyes meet mine for the briefest of moments. Even though he can’t read my mind, we have a connection. Bryan stands up straighter and turns back to Greyson. “No worries, sis. I’ll play good enough for us both.”

“What are we playing for?” Greyson asks, moving to the side so he can see me. “Money? A date?”

I roll my eyes. “You can forget that.” I hop out of the cart and join my brother. “How about a thousand dollars?”

Greyson and Eli look at each other and I can see the outright arrogance on their faces. That’s their downfall. Greyson holds out a hand to my brother. “Deal. A thousand dollars.”

Bryan shakes his hand, the muscles in both of their forearms clenching. “Deal,” Bryan agrees.”

Greyson tips his hat at me and smiles. “I’m happy you’ll be playing with me.”

I grab my driver out of my bag. “I’d rather play with myself.” He finds it hilarious, but I see it as a jab. The guy is an insufferable tool.

Since Bryan already drove his ball to hit Greyson, it ends up being my turn. I tee up my ball and swing. It slices to the right, completely out of the fairway and into the rough. Greyson and Eli chuckle under their breath as they drive away while Bryan glares at me.

“Please tell me you did that on purpose?”

My lips pull up into a smile. “Of course, I did. Think about how much fun it’s going to be when we kick his ass.”

Bryan grins wide. “Let’s show him what we can do.”

Hole after hole, we’re neck and neck with only one stroke between us. It’s a close match, but I’m holding my own, especially for a female in a mostly male dominated sport. It all comes down to the eighteenth hole. It’s a par three with water all around the green. We all managed to get across the water, and now, it’s time to putt. It’s all down to me. If I can birdie my putt, my brother and I will win. If I don’t, we’re screwed. I can’t let Bryan down. He needs this win, and Greyson needs to be taken down a notch.

Taking a deep breath, I look over at the hole and then down at my ball. It’s about an eight-foot-long putt. I breathe in and out and close my eyes. Come on, Leah, you can do this. I open my eyes and tap the ball. It rolls across the green … and right into the hole.

Bryan yells and scoops me up into his arms. “Hell fucking yeah. You did it!”

He swings me around and I laugh. Greyson and Eli both seem impressed. Greyson walks over and pulls out a wad of cash from his wallet. Bryan sets me down and Greyson hands him the money. “Good job. It’s about time you won at something. I hate it had to be because of your sister.”

Bryan narrows his gaze. “But at least she kicked your ass cocksucker. You got beat out by a girl. Wait till everyone finds out about this.”

Greyson shrugs and Bryan walks over to the cart. Before I can turn, he lightly grabs my arm. “I’m impressed. Guess it’s not a surprise since your father’s a legend. He taught you well.”

“Yes, he did.”

His eyes search mine. “Go out with me tomorrow. I think we could have some fun.”

I snort. “I can do that without you.” My smile grows wider. “Besides, I’ll be busy spending that thousand dollars.”

Greyson chuckles. “You do that. Maybe next time.”

I walk backwards toward the cart. “Not gonna happen.”

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