“Believe me, he is. Puts on a brave face and if it includes soccer, he’s good. Struggles one on one with the ladies though. Always has.”
“That’s so sweet.” She shared a gaze with Rach who still looked stunned.
Adam leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I think you and I should slip out and have that dance now, what do you say?”
With a giggle, Dakota gripped his hand and pushed her way out through the crowd to the courtyard. She turned into his arms and started to move.
“I seem to remember doing this once before with you.” Adam rested his cheek against hers and contentment filled his heart.
“Who would have imagined we’d be doing it again? Fate has been kind to us, Adam.”
Snowflakes fell and landed on her hair, then a sprinkle on her shoulders. Dakota held her face to the sky. “This is magical.” She poked her tongue out too and lapped up the tiny bits of snow as they landed.
“It hardly ever snows in Cherry Lake.” He poked his tongue out and caught a flake before laughing. “You must be good luck, Dakota.” Soon a fine dusting of powder lay over the cobblestones and the two of them had sprinkles in their hair.
“It truly is a magical Christmas, Adam. All glittery and perfect with you by my side. What more could a girl ask for?”
The End
Valentine Kisses
Ann B. Harrison
Prologue
Bella Moore thought she had everything she ever wanted. After winning Masterchef, she has her own reality show and a contract for two cookbooks a year, with people lining up for her to appear on their shows, attend events, and promote their goods. Burnout creeps up on her fast and even though she tries to insist she’s fine, the show’s producers give her six months’ hiatus because they want her fresh and vibrant for next season.
Not one to sit back and relax completely, she thinks visiting her sister’s in Cherry Lake and helping with the hotel is the only things that will save her from boredom. That way she gets to reconnect with her sisters and her nephew as well as keep her mind occupied. Win/win situation. A small hotel, old-fashioned kitchen and people that don’t ask for more than she is prepared to give sounds perfect before she gets there.
What she doesn’t expect is to clash with the fire chief over her new position. The last chef left the kitchen in a mess and Bella has to step up to help her sister get the premises ready for her next big event. His suggestions are great and she gladly puts them into practice, but the more he is around, the more rattled she becomes. She isn’t here for love, and to think of starting something she can’t finish makes her feel ill.
Jake Woods lost his wife a few years ago and is now happy to concentrate on his teenage son and his job as the local fire chief. He thinks a love like he shared with his wife only comes around once in a lifetime.
Until the new chef at The Lake Hotel almost burns the place down. The kitchen needs renovating but Bella says she’s wary of getting too involved because she has to return to the city when her forced break is over. The outdated equipment needs to be replaced and he is keen to help, but will that make it harder for him to let her walk away when her time is up?
With Bella’s reputation already preceding her, it’s tempting to go all out and do the best for everyone, even at the risk of falling hard for Jake. She’s feeling so much better for the break already. New ideas come to mind and instead of going off on a tangent as she used to, Bella makes notes and puts them in a file for later.
Her sister, Mari, wants to do something special for Valentine’s Day. Her Christmas Tree Auction and Gala worked so well she wants to put the hotel on the map and make a name for it. Bella has an idea. She calls her producer and makes a suggestion for a spin-off to her show which would also make her life so much simpler. They go for it. Now she is confident she can make a move on the only man that has ever made her think to put down her cooking tools when he is around.
Chapter One
“You’re kidding me! What the heck are we supposed to do for Sunday dinners now?” Cory huffed and dropped his shoulders, a typical fifteen-year-old’s response to bad news.
“It’s not the end of the world. I do know how to cook.” Not usually one for feeling guilty, Jake Woods looked to his father for a little bit of confirmation. Woodsie sighed, not quite the sound Jake wanted to hear. “Come on, Dad. When have I ever given you something that wasn’t edible?”
Woodsie dabbed his mouth with the napkin, smoothed down his trademark moustache and gave the hotel owner a quick glance. “Sure hope you have someone else lined up to cook for you, Mari. Not sure I can handle steak, steak, and more steak every night. Man’s gotta have a bit of variety, don’t you think?”
Her laughter turned more than a few heads which only added to Jake’s embarrassment. “Oh, I understand alright.” She patted Jake on the shoulder. “Sorry, Jake, but I feel their pain. Not that you don’t do a mean grill, from what I’ve heard, but choosing a range of different types of food is always a good idea if you want to keep the family happy.” She picked up his empty beer glass. “I’ve been advertising but, so far, no takers who’re capable of running the restaurant and helping me expand. I’d be more than willing to take on a novice chef if they had the right mindset.”
“Such a shame when you’re doing so well here. Best thing that happened to the town,
