Beauty in the Binding: Book Spotlight & Giveaway: Home for Christmas

Home for Christmas
(Shores of Indian Lake #12)
By Catherine Lanigan
Contemporary Romance
Paperback and ebook, 384 Pages
November 1st 2019 by Harlequin Heartwarming

Can a magical Christmas under glass…

…bring them back together for good?

Widowed dad Adam Masterson still doesn’t understand why Joy Boston left Indian Lake and broke his heart all those years ago. Now she’s returned to sell her grandfather’s beloved poinsettia greenhouse—and Joy and Adam’s connection is as strong as ever. But Joy has a life in New York. And Adam has only until Christmas to convince Joy that she belongs in Indian Lake—with him.

(Affiliate links included.)

Goodreads | Amazon | B & N | Harlequin | iBooks

Excerpt

The excitement on Titus’s face hit mega wattage. “We’re gonna have the biggest, bestest tree ever! We’re going out to Pine Country Tree Farm, where you can ride out to the groves and pick any tree you want. They cut it down, unless you wanna do it yourself.” He tilted his head up to Adam. “You gonna do it again this year, Dad?”

“Probably.”

Titus turned back to Joy. “Then we ride back and they bundle it up and put it in our truck. I want a really, really huge one this year.”

“Wow,” Joy replied. “Just how big is that?”

Adam chuckled. “Titus’s imagination is always a bit over the top. Our living room ceiling is only eight feet.”

“I know,” Titus groaned. “Not like here. Right, Mrs. Beabots? Last year we got her a really, really big tree. Timmy and I and Mr. Luke and Dad went out to get the tree.”

“Yes, but I go in November and pick my tree out. Tagged. Purchased and bailed by the time they get there,” Mrs. Beabots added.

“What’s your tree like, Joy?” Adam asked.

“I don’t have one.”

“What?” Titus shook his head. Adam nearly choked on his wine. Mrs. Beabots clanked her fork against the plate.

“You, of all people, don’t have a tree?” Adam said.

Joy bristled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

His tone softened as he said, “You and your family, your parents, Frank—you were the heart of Christmas for this town. For someone like me with no family, when I found yours and worked at the greenhouses during Christmas, and saw how beautiful you made everything, it was...magic.”

“Magic?” Titus’s eyes widened.

Adam nodded. “What happened to you?”

Joy’s defenses rose. “Life. Work. You wouldn’t understand how crunched for time we are at the firm. That’s why I loved having Grandpa with me in New York for Thanksgiving. If you ever came to New York at Christmas, you’d understand. The entire city is decorated. I never felt the loss of not having decorations of my own. New York is amazing. And as far as a big tree, Titus, the one in Rockefeller Center is truly ‘blowout.’ I’d love for you to see it.”

“Cool! Can we go to New York sometime, Dad?”

“Maybe.”

Joy’s hand traced the scalloped edges of the spoon to her right. “You’re right, Adam. The greenhouses were part of Christmas for a lot of people in Indian Lake. But they’ve been closed for a long time. Certainly, Titus didn’t get to experience them.” She took a deep breath. “It seems they died long before my grandpa.”

Adam leaned forward. “What do you mean?”

“Cate worked up the comps and did some digging for me today. She says the greenhouses are worthless.”

“That doesn’t sound right,” Adam retorted.

She shrugged her shoulders. “I mean, the land has value and she says the house might sell before the end of the year. But it’s far less than what I’d thought it was worth.”

Mrs. Beabots reached over and placed her hand on Joy’s arm. “Do you need money, dear?”

“I’m not destitute, but I’m not wealthy by any means. My job pays well. But it’s the craziest thing. I feel like I’m giving away my legacy—as if I failed by not knowing that Grandpa was in trouble. And I don’t like this feeling.”

“Then fight it,” Adam said. “The greenhouses were a thriving business until the heating costs skyrocketed. I’m sure Frank kept all the old revenue reports and tax returns that show how successful it had been. The man kept everything, he told me. And now my geothermal system is nearly finished. If you were to fill those greenhouses with poinsettias, stock the shelves with garlands, ornaments, decorations, candles—all that stuff he used to sell—and then, after a successful season, put the greenhouses on the market...you’d have a viable business. That’s the plan Frank and I had.”

“Adam, I can’t possibly do anything that foolhardy.”

“My idea is foolish?” He frowned.

“It doesn’t make good business sense. The cost of buying the poinsettias will be huge...”

“I’ll help,” he said quickly.

Joy was astonished and she knew it showed on her face. “Adam, I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“You didn’t. I offered. There’s a difference,” he ground out with finality.

Titus turned his wide eyes from his father to Joy. He couldn’t be more intense if he’d been watching a scary movie.

“It’s impossible,” she countered.

“Nothing is impossible,” Adam shot back, leaning toward her, his eyes stern and determined. “You’re just chicken.”

“Am not.”

“Are, too.”

“Dad!”

Joy and Adam looked at Titus, who was smiling at them both.

They all burst into laughter.

“What are we doing?” Joy asked, covering her mouth with her hand as she laughed harder. When she calmed down, she looked at Mrs. Beabots.

“You need to think of the bigger possibilities, Joy,” Mrs. Beabots said. “If the property was improved and potential buyers saw the activity of the business...”

“I’d get a better price,” Joy surmised.

“And you wouldn’t feel like a failure,” Mrs. Beabots said.

Joy looked from one excited friend’s face to the other. “But it’s nearly Thanksgiving and we have to clean the floors, replace the broken glass...”

“So?” Adam jumped in. “We have lots of friends here. I’ll help clean up.”

“Me, too!” Titus chimed in.

“Joe Peterson over at Quality Glass could get that work done in two days. You handle calling the suppliers in the morning. Get the orders going. I’ll supervise the cleanup and construction. What do you say?”

“I say it’s crazy.” She shook her head at the red flags she recognized from her years in accounting and business. “Absolutely not. Besides, I have to be back in New York.”

She watched their faces fall. For a moment she’d actually felt excited. The possibility of fulfilling her grandpa’s dream was thrilling. She could almost feel Frank in the room, egging her on. Begging her to try. But her penchant for reality, the stuff of bottom lines and profits, was enough to squelch even an angel’s dreams.

Still—

Other Books in the Series

About the Author

Catherine Lanigan is the international bestselling and award-winning author of over forty-five published titles in both fiction and non-fiction, including the novelizations of Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile. Ms. Lanigan’s novels have been translated into over twenty-four languages. Lanigan was tasked by the NotMYkid foundation to pen a collection of compelling and informative true stories of teen addicts. Ms. Lanigan’s SHORES OF INDIAN LAKE series for HARLEQUIN HEARTWARMING includes LOVE SHADOWS, HEART’S DESIRE , A FINE YEAR FOR LOVE, KATIA’S PROMISE, FEAR OF FALLING, SOPHIE’S PATH, PROTECTING THE SINGLE MOM, FAMILY OF HIS OWN, HIS BABY DILEMMA, RESCUED BY THE FIREFIGHTER and HERS TO PROTECT (2019).

Ms. Lanigan is a frequent speaker at literary functions and book conventions as well as inspiring audiences with her real stories of angelic intervention from her Angel Tales series of books. She is an outspoken advocate for domestic violence and abuse and was honored by The National Domestic Violence Hotline in Washington, D.C. She has been a guest on numerous radio programs including “Coast to Coast” and on television interview and talk show programs as well as blogs, podcasts and online radio interview programs. She writes a monthly blog for Heartwarmingauthors.blogspot.com.