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Excerpt
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Title: Christmas in Kentbury
Author: Claudia Burgoa
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover Design: Andie B.
Release Date: December 12, 2018
Blurb
Knightly
If practice makes perfect, I should excel at pretending that Heath Miller doesnât affect me. That Iâm immune to that wide jaw, taut body, and the unique woodsy-aftershave-engine-oil scent that makes my ovaries explode.
Since before I could walk, heâs been my champion. My best friend. The one problem I canât solve. Why? If I tell him I love him, Iâll lose him and his adorable daughter. Maybe the best Christmas gift I can give himâand myselfâis to turn in the keys to my B&B and put some distance between us.
Heath
Iâve made my share of mistakes. Lost my MIT scholarship, came home to fix cars and romance Kentburyâs female touristsâuntil I wound up a single father. For all eight years of Cassieâs life, Knightlyâs been my anchor.
Iâve changed. Cassieâs the best part of me, and Knightlyâs been there every step of the way. But as Christmas lays its mantle of magic over Kentbury, she drops a bombâsheâs following a dream to New York City. Iâve got one week to do everything, say everything Iâve never dared. To convince my best friend to be mineâoursâfor all the holidays to come.
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Prologue
Heath
I hate surprises almost as much as I hate Sunday brunch at my parents. My family and I donât get along. Itâs a cliché, but weâre like water and oil. I became everything they hate and I hate everything they represent. My parents are judgmental. During my late teens and up until a few months ago, I fucked aroundâa lotâin every sense.
Needless to say, I lost my scholarship to MIT during my sophomore year. The dean called me irresponsible. My parents wrote me off as a failure until I came back to Kentbury to take over my uncleâs car repair shop after he died. I try to keep myself out of trouble and off the townâs radar. I steer away from the women in town. But I do have fun with the tourists who stay at the lodge. Itâs simple. Theyâre here for a week or a weekend. Then theyâre gone for good.
âBut I ran out of luck,â I sigh and look down.
In the bouncy chair lies Cassie, my one-month-old baby. The fuss of black hair is covered by a pink hat. Her arms aloft as if dreaming of cuddling her mother. I slide my pinky into her open hand and watch as her fingers curl around it. I feel her soft breath on the back of my hand. Already the tension is melting away as I watch my sweet little girl sleep in peace. Sheâs so innocent, she doesnât know that our lives have been forever changed again.
âMaybe I just got lucky,â I whisper close to her ear. âYou and I are going to make it work. Iâll make your proud little one.â
Thereâs a slight knock on the door. I kiss her tiny hand before I open it for Knightly.
âThat must be, Knightly, coming to save the day,â I whisper to Cassie and kiss her tiny hand.
Thereâs so much I could tell her about my best friend, but not enough time. I only tell Cassie whatâs important, âSheâs going to become your favorite person. We call her Lee for short.â
When I swing the door open, I finally relax. Leeâs here.
Her big brown eyes narrow locking her gaze at me. âI need a big explanation,â she says handing me the shopping bags she carries with her.
âHello, Lee,â I greet her and stare at all the bags she brought as she unzips her blue parka.
âI got everything that you asked for,â she says. Bishop is bringing the big items. What do you need that for?â
Her voice is neutral, but I know her well. Sheâs easy to read. The expression on her face matches her mood. I know when sheâs excited about something. I can tell when sheâs tired or cranky. Or, like right now, when sheâs upset that Iâm keeping her in the dark. As she takes off all her winter gear and sets her snow boots on the plastic tray, I close the door avoiding the sight of her body.
I like to think of Lee Harris as my best friend. One of the boys. Sheâs the kid who I hung out with since she could walk. I endless practice not noticing her sweet curves or the way her long, dark, curly hair cascades over her shoulders once she takes off her hat. Iâm a shitty person and canât do relationships. Iâd never do anything to jeopardize my relationship with Lee. Ever.
I tilt my head toward the living room. âFollow me.â
âOh my God, did Santa bring me a baby?â She claps once and takes out the tube of hand sanitizer that she always carries around.
Without asking, she snaps the belt of the bouncy chair open and takes her into her arms.
âHey, beautiful, welcome to Kentbury. Youâre going to love this place.â
Cassie snuggles closer to Lee who looks beautiful holding my baby. I swallow hard and remind myself that sheâs a friend who deserves a lot more than a guy who sucks at life.
âYouâre not going to ask anything?â
âThe mom came to the lodge earlier, asking for you.â She sweeps my body with her gaze. âTall, dark hair, light blue eyes and was friends with the Lodgeâs owner.â
Lee rolls her eyes and sighs.
âYou and Kingston need to stop sleeping around orâ¦â Lee touches her mouth lightly with the tips of her fingers. âOops, it happened.â
âYou couldâve warned me.â I grit my teeth.
âI couldâve.â She shrugs. âMaybe next time.â
I glare at her. Sheâs not funny but I donât have the energy to deal with her banter. Though, maybe she doesnât have much energy either because sheâs not as witty as usual.
âHow are you handling the news?â She asks with a serious tone, though her gaze remains on Cassie.
âIâm dealing, I guess,â I close my eyes briefly taking a deep breath. âCan you picture me as a father?â
I gesture to myself, showing her the hot mess that I am. Then, point to the apartment I live in which is above the car shop.
âIâm a fucked-up guy who canât finish anything. I canât even get along with my parents. What am I supposed to do with a baby?â
âLove her,â she answers.
âYou should give yourself some credit, Heath. She has the best dad in the world, and you two have me and my family.â
I smile at her and say the obvious, âI can always count on you.â
Lee studies Cassie. She smiles at her, but her face looks a little saddened. Her brown eyes are slightly red and watery. Was she crying? Iâm sure itâs nothing. Later, when Iâm not busy with my baby Iâll ask her whatâs wrong. In the meantime, I have to learn how to be a dad.
Maybe I can find a book on how to be a father online. It worked with the car shop, and so far, Iâve managed it well enough.
Author Bio
Claudia is an award-winning, international bestselling author. She lives in Colorado, working for a small IT. She has three children and manages a chaotic household of three confused dogs, and a wonderful husband who shares her love of all things geek. To survive she works continually to find purpose for the voices flitting through her head, plus she consumes high quantities of chocolate to keep the last threads of sanity intact.
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