Christmas Once Again

By D. K. Deters

She's dead broke. And eviction looms. On Christmas Eve antique consultant Madison Knight takes a phone call from local rancher Zach Murdock. Through a mix-up at an estate sale, Madison's company purchased his grandmother's beloved painting. He offers double the money for its return.

Madison risks her job to track down the artwork, but success falls short when she's stuck in a blizzard. Stranded, she seeks help from a frontier family. Are they living off the grid, or did she somehow travel through time?

Zach's the only person who knows her plan. He also knows a secret about his gran's painting. It's up to him to rescue Madison, but maybe he's not cut out to be a hero.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
• Release date: Nov 12, 2018
• ISBN: 9781509221806

D. K. Deters

D. K. Deters is a fantasy and historical romance author. She was a communications consultant before turning to a writing career. D. K. has a deep interest in history, and the nineteenth century is her favorite. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her adult children and their families. Her hobbies include restoring old dollhouses and secondhand furniture. Christmas is her favorite time of the year.

Book preview

retailers

My grandmother had an estate sale last week, and she didn’t want it sold, unfortu—

Oh? She should’ve kept quiet. Run-ins with greedy family members happened in the antique business, and a judging attitude didn’t increase revenues.

It wasn’t on purpose, he said. The day was chaotic, and someone had shuffled around the artwork. We didn’t realize it was missing until a couple of days ago, and it took this long to sort out the mix-up and discover your shop bought it.

She felt guilty for jumping to conclusions. I see how that could happen. It’s obvious your grandmother treasured the piece. If it becomes necessary, we have additional resources to find a similar style. Is there a specific artist or significance?

Held hostage by the slow computer response and trying not to rush him, she picked up a hand weight, intending to fit in a few curls.

Keep in mind Gran’s ninety-two, and she thinks…

Uh-huh. With her free hand, she grabbed the latte and took a sip.

Gran thinks it holds a special power.

She chose that moment to swallow, and creamy espresso went down the wrong pipe. A dry, hacking cough followed, and she dropped her hand weight, which thudded on the carpet. For heaven’s sake, he didn’t hear her, did he?

Christmas Once Again

by

D. K. Deters

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

Christmas Once Again

COPYRIGHT © 2018 by D. K. Deters

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Contact Information: [e-mail]

Cover Art by Rae Monet, Inc.

The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

PO Box 708

Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

Publishing History

First Fantasy Rosette Edition, 2018

Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-2180-6

Published in the United States of America

Dedication

This story is dedicated to my family: Stephen, Brian, Chris, and Katie. Love you always.

Acknowledgment

Special thanks to Katie for beta reading and providing generous feedback.

Chapter 1

Madison Knight read her bank balance for the second time. Dead broke.

Until now, holidays in the Colorado Rocky Mountains had always been her favorite time of year, but that was before the money ran out—before facing eviction.

She didn’t believe in windfalls, at least, not from long-lost relatives or lucky lottery numbers. Any serious chance of getting ahead came down to her New Year’s bonus from Once Again Antiques. Today, December twenty-fourth, starting at nine a.m. until closing, twenty percent of all sales generated from the client wish list contributed to the bonus—if she held onto her job until New Year’s. One more misstep, one more unsatisfied customer, and there’d be no ifs, ands, or buts—the owner, Savannah Charm, would terminate her employment.

She slid a quilt over her shoulders and slumped back on the couch. Fresh snow swirled on the balcony, and a bitter north wind pounded the sliding glass door. On days like today, working from home was ideal, but it took discipline. Her morning latte remained untouched on the coffee table as did the hand weights next to the couch. Frustration had kept her from an earlier workout, and it was already nine a.m.

A computer reminder caught her eye: December twenty-fourth - Happy Birthday Spencer. She pressed delete, remembering

Reviews for Christmas Once Again

[nicx27 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Anyone who knows me knows that I can't resist a time travel book, or in this case, a time travel short story. DK Deters has written a sweet, festive tale.Madison Knight works for Once Again Antiques. On Christmas Eve she gets a phone call from Zach Murdock who tells her that his grandmother's precious painting has being sold by mistake. Madison promises to retrieve it and make his grandmother's Christmas but in doing so she goes on a little time travel adventure of her own. The painting has special powers!Christmas Once Again is a really quick read at 43 pages, but still full of story and depth. I liked the main characters very much, especially Zach, but all were well drawn. The ending has a nice touch to it and, as always with time travel, I loved the way that what happened when Madison travelled into the past came through into the present.If you want a quick, festive, time travelling read then you can't go wrong with this short story. It has warmth and spirit and I enjoyed it a lot.

[thegenreminx · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

GoodreadsWhat could be more interesting than a Christmastime story with a time travel component?! I was absolutely intrigued by the idea and Christmas Once Again took me on a short journey through time that was not only fascinating but it had heart as well. Madison was a great character who was a bit down on her luck. With nothing going right in her life she wanted to make sure that tried to make a difference in the life for someone else. It was this motivation that had her driving into the snowy weather to try and right a wrong. Never did she expect that she would end up in a reality that was beyond her imagination.The time travel portion of this plot was quite the twist and I appreciated how it connected Madison to other characters as well. I liked how everything was tied together and that there was an emotional connection weaved in. It made the story very appealing and I enjoyed the twists and turns in this fast-paced story. There was not much in the way of a Christmastime feeling in this story, other than the fact that it took place on Christmas Eve, but with the upcoming holidays, Christmas Once Again is a short novella that will provide you with a wonderful escape from reality when you are pressed for time!This review is based on a complimentary book I received from Author, D.K. Deters. It is an honest and voluntary review. The complimentary receipt of it in no way affected my review or rating.