Eight Days Until Christmas: Holiday Network Novels, #1

By R. C. Cannon

With eight days to go before Christmas can Christina Roberts heal the wounds that she infected upon her family fifteen years ago, while keeping alive the chances for the man that she loves, Jack Spencer, to land his dream job as host of the Holiday Networks most popular TV series as well as her hope of hearing those three little words from Jack on Christmas morning. Eight Days Until Christmas is a heart warming holiday tale about love, family and the power of forgiveness. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Holiday Network Publishing
• Release date: Feb 10, 2015
• ISBN: 9781507083185

Book preview

THE HOLIDAY NETWORK PRESENTS

EIGHT DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

BY.

R. C. Cannon

Chapter One

The images on the TV monitors showed a middle aged couple dressed all in black taking what looked like gifted wrapped packages from the back of a truck and loading them into the open hatch of their SUV. The footage had been captured by security cameras at night. As they closed the rear of their SUV police cars came in from all sides to block any way out, but the woman tried to make a break for it and had to be wrestled down by four police officers.

Did you see how Emmy Lou flipped that cop over the hood of his cruiser? I call that country strong.Shana Lee, the Holiday Network’s VP of production said as she moved to take her seat to the right of the Chairman’s chair.

I call it killing a golden goose.John Castle said. He was the producer of the Rescuing Christmas show until his stars got arrested for what they were watching.

Only if we are not proactive.The chairman of the network, Donald Landon said as he turned his chair away from the monitors. We are going to take a shot at fixing this. The Christmas season is about love and forgiveness. Millions of people love this little show and if we give them a new couple that is honest and true and likable then maybe we can keep the show going.

I suppose it can be done. A year long search with all the trimmings. We introduce them before Thanksgiving.Shana Lee said.

We do it all in two weeks. While the media is eating those Grinchs alive we introduce a new rescue couple.Landon said.

Shana Lee and John Castle stared across the table at each other as if darning the other to voice the objections that they both felt.

It is possible.Shana said.

Say what?John Castle leaned back as if he had just been slapped.

We had a constantly updated list of people who could have stepped in just in case of illness or accident.Shana checked her watch; it was eight forty five in the morning. Why don’t we meet back here at four and I will have candidates for the gig.

That is what I like to hear. Get to work on that Miss. Lee. Carter get a list of the possibles and have crews in all the cities ready to roll when the call comes.Landon said.

Chapter Two

Forty minutes in a kitchen going toe to toe with one of the nation’s top desert chefs was not how Christina Rachel Roberts expected to spend the morning, but she had been drafted and where ever Jack Spencer went she followed. The job on being a personal assistant to a rising real estate mogul had its rewards, but being partners in this challenge had come with the delicious job of tasting fresh cookie dough before it made it into one of the industrial ovens.

Jack had gone with a walnut chocolate chip, a double chocolate and white sugar oatmeal to go against chef Anthony Lucci’s cookie factory standard chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin and peanut butter dippy. The puggy cooking network star had a standing challenge to anyone who believed that they could make a better cookie than him and despite the fact that they where suppose to be in this kitchen to finalize the sale of the place to the Lucci cookie factory this had happened.

Christina time?The tall handsome black man who showed his over confidence by wearing his apron over his suit asked.

Four and a half minutes.Christina checked her watch, and then glanced across the kitchen to chef Lucci who was already plating his cookies. Jack.

Yeah?

Win or lose this has been fun.She said.

Then losing will not hurt the feelings of such a pretty young woman.Anthony Lucci said. Christina could not help, but smile at that. Anytime a woman over thirty, in her case thirty two, were referred to as young it was almost a reason to throw a party.

You are wrong chef Lucci. My Miss. Roberts is not pretty, she is beautiful. You have been staring at cookies too long chef.Jack said and after hearing that the rest of the time spent in the kitchen was a blur. She did not make it all the way back to reality until she was standing out in front of the restaurant holding a tray of cookies. Beside her stood the famous TV chef and all around them a crowd had gathered. Fame did have its advantages.

The taste test would be simple. Nine people would sample one of each cookie and tell how they voted to a cop who had been ticketing cars out front. Despite how impressive it would be for anyone to out cook this world class pastry chef she could read Jack and it did not seem to matter at all if he won or lost. He was enjoying watching how nervous Antony Lucci was getting especially when they were tied at three to three. The chocolate Walnut was Jack’s best cookie, while the company’s most expensive cookie, the peanut butter dippy was familiar to the voters and was breaking most ties.

You are a winner in my eyes Jack.Christina was sitting beside him in the rear of the limousine that had been ordered for this meeting by Jack. The cookie competition had ended with Chef Lucci winning five to four. The closest any known challenger had come and it was all on at least a dozen smart phones. Your chocolate chip walnut beat all of his cookies except for the dippy.

I know. He is going to license my recipe and test it out at this location.Jack said and glanced down to the three bags at her feet. They were paper and stained with cookie grease. What is in the bags?

Between you and the chef you guys left ninety four cookies in the kitchen because they were not perfectly round or something. I thought that I would give them to the poor.

I sign your pay check. You are not poor.

It was in cookie currency.

Where can you spend cookies?He asked.

Tummy town.Christina rubbed her stomach to punctuate the point.

You are wonderful, you know that?Jack smiled.

I need to talk to you about that, sort of.Christina figured that now was as good as any time to mention that lately there was an elephant in the room or this case the limo with them.

What?He asked.

Both their phones rang to interrupt her.

As always Christina was quickest on the draw. She had her phone and saw on the display that it was from an executive at the Holiday network. Over a