The Heart of Christmas. Brenda Novak

      

      Just call her Christmas Eve…

      Eve Harmon has always enjoyed Christmas, but this year it reminds her of everything she doesn’t have. Almost all her friends are married now, and that’s what Eve wants, too. Love. A husband and kids of her own. But the B and B she manages, and even Whiskey Creek, the small Gold Country town where she was born and raised, suddenly seem…confining.

      Eve’s worried that her future will simply be a reflection of her past. There’s no one in the area she could even imagine as a husband—until a handsome stranger comes to town. Eve’s definitely attracted to him, and he seems to have the same reaction to her. But his darkly mysterious past could ruin Eve’s happily ever after—just when it finally seems within reach. And just when she’s counting on the best Christmas of her life!

       www.BrendaNovak.com

      PRAISE FOR THE WHISKEY CREEK NOVELS OF NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR BRENDA NOVAK

      “[The characters’] heartwarming romance develops slowly and sweetly. The sex is fantastic, but the best part is how Simon and Gail tease and laugh as they grow closer.”

      —Publishers Weekly on When Lightning Strikes

      “It’s steamy, it’s poignant, it’s perfectly paced—

      it’s When Lightning Strikes and you don’t want to miss it!”

      —USATODAY.com’s Happy Ever After blog

      “In this sensitive, passionate, and heartbreakingly poignant second installment of her Whiskey Creek series, Novak masterfully explores what happens when a woman whose entire life has been consumed by playing a variety of roles casts off her suffocating masks and, with the support of an unexpected lover, embraces who she was, is and can be.”

      —RT Book Reviews on When Snow Falls (2012 Reviewers’

      Choice Winner and Nominee for Book of the Year)

      “With a great supporting cast of characters Novak fans have come to know quite well, When Summer Comes is a magical addition to the already heartwarming Whiskey Creek series.”

      —Fresh Fiction

      “[Home to Whiskey Creek is an] engrossing, character-rich story that takes a hard look at responsibility, loyalty and the results of telling (or concealing) the truth.”

      —Library Journal

      “Once again Novak’s Whiskey Creek springs to life in all its realistic, gritty Gold Country glory as two determined, likable people come to terms with their pasts and give love a chance. This poignant, heartfelt romance puts a refreshing spin on the classic reunion/secret baby theme.”

      —Library Journal on Come Home to Me

      “[Brenda Novak] weaves a tight story of human weakness and longing, with cross threads of passion and hope. One needn’t wonder why Novak is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author. Just read Come Home to Me.”

      —Examiner.com

      The Heart of Christmas

      Brenda Novak

       www.mirabooks.co.uk

      To Marilyn Burrows—for her love of reading

      and her friendship with Ruth Carlson.

Dear Reader,

      In one of my romantic suspense trilogies—Inside, In Seconds and In Close—I created a character named Rex McCready who was a good friend to Virgil Skinner (the lead character in Inside). Rex had a tragic past, one that led him into trouble early on. And sadly, it was the kind of trouble that doesn’t disappear easily. That made him, at least on the surface, appear to be less than the kind of man most people would admire, but I always saw him as a diamond in the rough. I wanted him to have his own happily-ever-after, but I wasn’t sure my readers would agree that he deserved it—until I started receiving so many letters and emails requesting his story. Ever since then, I’ve been looking for just the right home and situation for this particular character, the place where he can finally shed his old skin completely, be the man he was destined to be and find peace. I discovered that place in Whiskey Creek, so you’ll get to meet him in this book (if you don’t already know him from Inside, In Seconds and In Close).

      Those of you who’ve been following the Whiskey Creek series will be happy to learn that this is also Eve’s story. Not only does Eve find the right man for her in a very unlikely stranger, she also learns the answer to the 1870s mystery that has plagued her B & B since her parents bought it when she was a child.

      I would like to extend a special thanks to my Aunt Channie for purchasing the chance to name a character in this book via my annual online auction for diabetes research. She chose the name of one of her best friends, Marilyn Burrows, whom you’ll see in the story as Rex’s assistant. Like every other person who’s helped me raise money for this important cause, my Aunt Channie (Ruth Carlson) is a hero to me.

      I love to hear from my readers. Please feel free to visit my website at www.brendanovak.com, where you can use the contact button, enter various monthly giveaways, learn more about this novel as well as all my others (I’ve now written fifty books!) or get involved in my online auctions for diabetes research. Thanks to everyone who has gotten involved so far, we’ve been able to raise $2.4 million. My youngest son has this disease, as well as 350 million people worldwide, so here’s to finding a cure.

      Happy reading!

      Brenda Novak

      Whiskey Creek Cast of Characters

      Major Characters

      Aaron Amos: Second-oldest Amos brother (one of the “Fearsome Five”); works with Dylan and brothers at their auto-body shop. Had a relationship with Presley Christensen some years earlier and is now engaged to her.

      Cheyenne Christensen (now Amos): Helps Eve Harmon run Little Mary’s B & B (formerly the Gold Nugget). Married to Dylan Amos, who owns Amos Auto Body.

      Sophia DeBussi: Jilted Ted Dixon years ago to marry investment guru Skip DeBussi—later revealed as a fraud. Mother of Alexa. Reconnected with Ted and is now married to him.

      Gail DeMarco: Owns a public relations firm in LA. Married to movie star Simon O’Neal.

      Ted Dixon: Bestselling thriller writer.

      Eve Harmon: Manages Little Mary’s B & B, which is owned by her family.

      Kyle Houseman: Owns a solar panel business. Formerly married to Noelle Arnold.

      Rex McCready (aka Brent Taylor): New to town.

      Baxter North: Stockbroker in San Francisco.

      Presley Christensen: Former “bad girl” who left town and recently returned. Mother of Wyatt.

      Noah Rackham: Professional cyclist. Owns Crank It Up bike shop. Married to Adelaide Davies, chef and manager of Just Like Mom’s restaurant, owned by her grandmother.

      Riley Stinson: Contractor.

      Callie Vanetta: Photographer. Married to Levi McCloud/Pendleton, veteran of Afghanistan.

      Other Recurring Characters

      The Amos Brothers: Dylan, Aaron, Rodney, Grady and Mack.

      Olivia Arnold: Kyle Houseman’s true love but married to Brandon Lucero, Kyle’s stepbrother.

      Joe DeMarco: Gail DeMarco’s