Christmas Hearts
In July
By
Marlene Bierworth
Ornamental Match Maker Series # 25
Copyright © 2020 Marlene Bierworth
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without written permission of the author, Marlene Bierworth, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Disclaimer
This book is a work of fiction. Names, places, character and events are the product of the author’s imagination. While the author has tried to be historically correct, her goals in this book are great characters and storytelling. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locals, is purely coincidental.
About the Series
Mrs. Claus is all about spreading Christmas cheer — especially to the many lonely-hearts seeking friendship, love, healing, second chances, and that special someone of their own.
To help each lovely heroine and dashing hero find their perfect match, Mrs. Claus sends them a magical holiday ornament. From a carousel horse that matches the exact horse a hero will be found riding to an iced angel just like the cookies a dreamy chef bakes, each ornament has a real-world counterpart that, if followed, will lead to true love. These books are designed to be a fun quick read with a touch of magic and romance.
From historical to contemporary, from heartfelt to humorous, from magical to inspirational; each of these sweet romance stories ends in a festive happily ever after that will leave you wanting more — so be sure to check out all the titles by multiple authors in our Ornamental Match Maker Series, by visiting
https://www.facebook.com/groups/712109532498752/
From the Author
This is my eighth contribution to the series. If you love clean romance and a short fun read, then this book is for you.
Join us at Heritage Inn, for another intervention from the North Pole in this who’s who story of love, separation and healing. Jolene needs a vacation, and arrives only to find her father honeymooning with a woman she’s never met. Craig and his distraught girlfriend are taking a well-earned time away, and when the fashion-queen, Sheki arrives, no one can stop the hands of time from colliding.
Mrs. Claus has her hands full, merging the past, present and future in this box of surprises, and it’s definitely not all neatly wrapped with red ribbons and a Christmas in July bow.
May the Spirit of Christmas rein in your life all year round, and may readers the world over, continue to enjoy tales of romance everyday! Love reigns!
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Selene
Chapter 2 Jolene
Chapter 3 Craig and Selene
Chapter 4. Jolene’s Surprise
Chapter 5. Playing with Fire
Chapter 6 The Contest
Chapter 7 Another Player
Chapter 8 Sheki Arrives
Chapter 9.The Dance
Chapter 10Eavesdropping
Chapter 11Secrets
Chapter 12The Aftermath
Chapter 13Treasures Unfold
Chapter 1
Selene Gabel was burning the midnight oil again. Five years of toiling – almost every waking hour of every day – had earned her the sought-after consideration for partnership at Fashion Queen Magazine. Only Steven stood in the way of her securing the position. Cherise – the president of the company – was every bit the female displayed on the covers of her award-winning publication, and Selene had noticed the jezebel watching Steven. It certainly was not for his outstanding contributions to the woman’s business: The man was hot. Selene could not compete against that, and she felt angered that a smart, respected entrepreneur like Cherise Queen, would lower herself to even consider promoting this unskilled man to a senior position in her successful business.
Exhausted, she shut the lid of her computer. If she didn’t get some sleep tonight, all the makeup stuffed in her oversized vanity drawer would not be sufficient to disguise the black circles under her eyes – and that would never do. She needed to be in top form when all the underlings in the company jealously watched the baton of partnership pass to her.
At the conclusion of that personal pep-talk, she grabbed her designer purse from the bottom drawer and hurried to the door of her tiny office. She couldn’t wait to move into the huge one awaiting her on the top floor of this building. In fact, she’d already started packing – so confident was she that her over-achievement efforts would secure her the coveted spot. One entire wall was window and the massive desk took center-stage, making visitors feel small just to view the authority figure seated behind it. The lounge area, decorated with modern leather couches and glass tables, would be used for less demanding meetings or the occasional break she would probably not have time to enjoy. The prized cover art that hung on the walls would inspire her imagination to reach new heights and there was enough free floor space to do cartwheels, should she be so inclined.
Selene sighed. This final, top-dog destination, had been her dream since she started working in the uptown building straight out of college. She’d made milestone leaps in the company and her sacrifices were all about to pay off.
She closed the door and marched to the elevator, as if this were merely the beginning of her day instead of being trapped inside her office’s stuffy four walls for the past sixteen hours. At home, sleep evaded her, long after she’d laid her head on the soft pillows and snuggled beneath the weighed blanket. The glow from a street lamp filtered through the French doors but Selene was too weary to get up again and close the lined curtains to block it out. She loved the classy condo where she mingled with the upper-crust and pretended she’d already achieved the position on the top-rung of the financial ladder. Truth was, Selene could ill-afford such luxury, but after
