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    The Ghosts of Christmas Present
    The Ghosts of Christmas Present
    The Ghosts of Christmas Present
    Ebook34 pages17 minutes

    The Ghosts of Christmas Present

    By Karen McCullough

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Lyndsay Williams reluctantly returns home for Christmas only to find her brother has brought a friend to spend the holidays with them. He's the last man she wanted to meet again.

     

    Because her brother Josh asks her to come for Christmas, Lyndsay Williams returns to the house where she grew up. She has no happy memories of the place other than her relationship with Josh, but she'd do anything for him. Her goals for the holiday are to survive the visit, avoid most contact with her cold, mean foster mother, and return as quickly as possible to her budding career as an architect.

     

    She's not surprised Josh has brought his wife and father-in-law. She's dismayed to find he also invited his best friend, Aaron. Lyndsey had a crush on Aaron growing up, but after a mortifying incident with him at Josh's wedding, she's avoided contact with him since. Having to deal with Aaron and her foster mother could turn this Christmas celebration into a nightmare.

     

    Not everything is what it seems, though. Josh has reasons for bringing together this group of people he cares about. Change is in the holiday air, and it offers the possibility of healing and forgiveness.

     

    If Lynsday can let love—the love of family, friends, and one special man—heal the wounds on her heart, there's a happier future waiting for her.

     

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherKaren McCullough
    Release dateNov 28, 2023
    ISBN9798223983262
    The Ghosts of Christmas Present
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    Author

    Karen McCullough

    Karen McCullough is the author of ten published novels in the mystery, romantic suspense, and fantasy genres and has won numerous awards, including an Eppie Award for fantasy. She’s also been a four-time Eppie finalist, and a finalist in the Prism, Dream Realm, Rising Star, Lories, Scarlett Letter, and Vixen Awards contests. Her short fiction has appeared in several anthologies and numerous small press publications in the fantasy, science fiction, and romance genres. Her most recent release is A GIFT FOR MURDER, published in hardcover by Five Star/Gale Group Mysteries. She invites visitors to check out her home on the web at http://www.kmccullough.com and her site for the Market Center Mysteries series, http://www.marketcentermysteries.com

    Read more from Karen Mc Cullough

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      Book preview

      The Ghosts of Christmas Present - Karen McCullough

      The Ghosts of Christmas Present

      A Sweet Christmas Short Story

      Karen McCullough

      Copyright © 2021 by Karen McCullough

      All rights reserved.

      No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permission requests, contact [include publisher/author contact info].

      The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.

      This story was originally published as part of the Home for the Holidays (Christmas Romance Digest: 2021) anthology

      2nd edition, 2023

      Cover image courtesy of DepositPhotos

      Contents

      Story

      About the Author

      More from the Author (No Links)

      Author Note

      Lyndsay Williams pulled to the side of the driveway and stopped the car, needing a moment to gather her nerve for the ordeal ahead. She switched off the radio, which currently blasted Bing Crosby’s White Christmas, and stared at the ugly old Victorian house.

      A scattering of snow lay on the ground around it, but no decorations festooned the place. None ever had—that she could recall, anyway. She tried to visualize the building with lights lining the porch and wrapping the shrubs along the front, but her imagination couldn’t overcome the weight of the past.

      Drawing a deep breath, she put the car back in gear, drove up to the side of the house and found a parking space on the grass at the side, next to a large new pickup truck and an SUV. Farther back, the shabby green Chevy sedan Marnie used to drive sat rusting into oblivion. No sign of Dale’s beat-up old Ford pickup. Lyndsay wouldn’t be mourning over that.

      She’d just gotten out of the car when the front door of the house opened and a group of people surged out onto the front porch. Josh Sanders led the way. For a moment, he was the only one she saw. They weren’t blood relatives, but she could never think of him as anything but the most wonderful big brother any girl ever had. He was the sole reason she’d made the trip.

      He wrapped her in his arms, enveloping her once more in his warmth and strength and whispered,

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