Date of publication: December 2018
A
snowstorm. Her much older business partner. One very hot night.
Laura Holiday doesn’t
believe in romance. Her life revolves around her work and her six-year-old son.
The last thing she wants is a fling with her friend and business partner, Russ
Matheson, who is emotionally unavailable and thirteen years older than her. But
one night in a snowstorm changes their relationship forever.
Add
to your TBR list: Goodreads
Stranded for Christmas is the forth novella in the Holiday Acres series. This is Laura and Russ's story. It is the only one that I have read and it works well as a stand alone. Some of the events in the story make me think this happens around the same time as the other three. However, I didn't feel like I missed anything by not reading the other stories.
This is a cute friends/co-workers to lovers story. Both characters were wary of starting a relationship having been hurt in the past by both family and lovers. It was fun to watch them finally realize they should be together. There was a serious lack of communication that frustrated me, but I was still rooting for the couple. I definitely want to go back and read the previous three books in the series.
Enjoy this excerpt!
“The
snow is getting bad,” Russ said, turning back to look out the window.
“Is
it?” Laura looked pretty and flustered and breathless. Her shoulder-length
brown hair was slipping out of her ponytail, and she must have gotten hot
because she’d taken off her sweater. She was wearing a fitted white shirt that
gave him a clear view of her slim body, including the luscious curve of her
breasts.
Russ
dragged his eyes back up to her face, but that didn’t really help because she
looked flushed and tousled, like she might have just gotten out of bed.
His
bed.
He
gulped, remembering how she’d looked that morning in her pajamas.
He
really needed to stop thinking such things.
Laura
would be mad as hell if she found out.
“Russ?”
He
blinked, trying to refocus on their conversation. “What?”
“I
asked if it was really bad out there.”
“Oh
yeah. Take a look. It looks like the parking lot is mostly empty, so the
customers have obviously cleared out. The roads must be pretty bad. You
probably should have picked Tommy up early.”
“Shit.”
Laura came over to stand beside him so she could look out the window too.
“Well, I better go get him now before it gets any worse.”
“You
want me to drive you?”
She
turned her gaze up at him, her brown eyes big and deep. “I’m capable of driving
in the snow, you know.”
“I
know you are. It was just an offer.”
“I’ll
be fine. I’ll take the SUV.” She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Olivia and Penny
have to go out in this too. And I’ve got to stop by Candy Cane Cottage to
assess the damage to the bathroom.”
“Surely
that can wait.”
“We’ve
got someone else renting it this weekend. I need to assess it so Ed has time to
fix it tomorrow morning.”
Russ
shook his head. “That driveway to Candy Cane Cottage is steep. You’re never
going to get up it in this snow. And if you get up, you won’t be able to get
down.”
“I’ll
be fine. I told you I’m taking the SUV.”
“You’re
putting a lot of faith in the powers of an SUV.”
“Oh
shut up.” Her words weren’t sharp. Her expression was almost fond. “I can’t
believe this snow. Why couldn’t it wait a few more hours?”
“The
weather isn’t prone to following your timeline.” His voice was dry because she
was still standing very close. He could smell the fresh scent of her hair. He
wanted to tangle his fingers in it. He wanted to trace the freckles on her face
and neck with his tongue.
“I
don’t know why it shouldn’t follow my timeline. My timeline is a good one.” Her
voice lilted slightly, and she leaned against the wall as she gazed up at him.
Russ
took a step closer to her so he could smell her again. “I’ll let the weather
know it needs to improve its performance to fall in line with your schedule.”
She
took a shaky little breath, and her eyes dropped, causing her thick lashes to
spread out against her freckled skin in a way that enchanted him. He edged a
little closer, bracing one hand on the wall beside her.
He
had her trapped against the wall now, and he’d completely forgotten the track
of their conversation. His breathing had quickened, and his body had tightened,
and his mind was buzzing with attraction. Need.
Something
a lot deeper.
She
wasn’t pushing him away. She wasn’t trying to cut the tension. She looked
breathless. Excited.
Like
maybe she wanted him to kiss her.
He
wanted to kiss her more than he’d ever wanted to kiss anyone in his forty-five
years. He’d assumed that was something she’d never want, but maybe…
Maybe…
He leaned
forward a little more. He could hear her quick intake of breath. Her eyes
darted up to his face and then down again.
“Russ,”
she said, raising a hand to put on his chest the way she had that morning in
the kitchen.
“Yes?”
His voice was way too husky, but there was nothing he could do about that. She
was so close. Almost within reach at last.
Her
fingers fisted in the fabric of his shirt. “Russ.”
“Yes.”
This time it wasn’t a question. It was the pure articulation of his heart.
She
licked her lips, and the small gesture made his groin harden. “Russ, please
don’t.”
He’d
been leaning forward even more, but at that he grew very still. “Don’t what?”
“You
know what.” She took another breath—different this time—and looked up to meet
his eyes again. “Please don’t.”
“Laura,
I’m not going to do anything you don’t want, but I think maybe you do want—”
“I
don’t—” She broke in, dropping her hand from his shirt. “Please don’t.”
Russ
sighed and took a purposeful step back, feeling like he’d been hit by a truck.
Laura
gave him another quick look and then grabbed her purse and started for the
door.
“Be
careful,” Russ said as she left. “The roads are bad out there.”
“I’m
always careful.”
Copyright
© 2018 Stranded for Christmas by Noelle Adams
Noelle is offering
one (1) lucky Grand Prize winner a paperback set of her Holiday Acres series
containing Stranded on the Beach, Stranded
in the Snow, Stranded in the Woods, and Stranded for Christmas! Two (2)
Runner-ups will receive an eCopy of one book from Noelle’s backlist titles
(winner’s choice). To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below:
About the author:
Noelle
handwrote her first romance novel in a spiral-bound notebook when she was twelve,
and she hasn’t stopped writing since. She has lived in eight different states
and currently resides in Virginia, where she reads any book she can get her
hands on and offers tribute to a very spoiled cocker spaniel.
She
loves travel, art, history, and ice cream. After spending far too many years of
her life in graduate school, she has decided to reorient her priorities and
focus on writing contemporary romances.
I am SUCH a sucker for stranded-in-the-winter types of novels so I'm totally here for this. Sounds fun!
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