Mistletoe Melody

By STACEY WEEKS

Former musician, Melody Staff, spends Christmas at a bed and breakfast in the village of Mistletoe Meadows. While everyone sings familiar carols of Christ drawing near, Melody stumbles over misplaced notes. Her recent diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis has scared off her fiancé and thrust her life into a grand pause. She's not sure her heart will ever sing again.

Quentin Oxford has endured a devastating year. His preteen daughter suffered a stroke, and they've grieved his wife's sudden death, but the Lord coaxes a surprising refrain from Quentin's heart as God rewrites his and Melody's score into a holiday love song that will last for Christmases to come.

• Language: English
• Publisher: White Rose Publishing
• Release date: Dec 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781522301745

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Mistletoe Melody

Stacey Weeks

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are 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.

Mistletoe Melody

COPYRIGHT 2018 by Stacey Weeks

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

eBook editions are licensed for your personal enjoyment only. eBooks may not be re-sold, copied or given to other people. If you would like to share an eBook edition, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with.

Contact Information: [e-mail]

Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition Copyright 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Cover Art by Nicola Martinez

White Rose Publishing, a division of Pelican Ventures, LLC

www.pelicanbookgroup.com PO Box 1738 *Aztec, NM * 87410

White Rose Publishing Circle and Rosebud logo is a trademark of Pelican Ventures, LLC

Publishing History

First White Rose Edition, 2018

Electronic Edition ISBN 978-1-5223-0174-5

Published in the United States of America

Dedication

Dedicated to Larissa and Kyra—my Melody and Janie. Your positive never-give-up attitudes are inspiring. You deserve more than a character named after you. Keep pressing into the Lord. He is good. Always.

What People are Saying

A refreshing Christmas story.

Years of reading holiday stories have made them all seem similar, but Mistletoe Melody stands out.

1

Incoming!

Before Melody Staff could blink, her brother stooped down, landed a kiss on her cheek, and stole her suitcase from her hands in one gallant swoop.

You better watch out. There’s mistletoe everywhere. Clive swatted at a berry-filled vine that embellished the gingerbread-trimmed porch of the Mistletoe Manor bed and breakfast. A mischievous smile crept across his face—which reminded Melody of their younger days when he continuously hatched elaborate plans and schemes to entertain her and their younger brother, Travis. Clive nodded toward the red front door. Everyone is inside. You’re late.

Hello to you, too. She couldn’t help but grin at him. She didn’t see her brother and his family nearly often enough since his job had transferred him to a new city. She could hardly believe she was seeing him now. When her doctor had told her that she couldn’t make the six-hour trip to join the rest of her family at Clive and Julie’s home for the Christmas holidays, she never expected them to move the festivities here instead.

Her parents had arranged for them to take over this quaint Cape Cod establishment for the entire week leading up to Christmas. A classic black roof, white clapboard siding, and dormer windows made it easy to see why her parents accepted the offer from their old friends to host their reunion here.

The Oxford family had lived beside them for years until Walter had retired, and he and his wife, Helen, bought this Inn.

The wind caught hold of chimney smoke and whisked it away, but not before Melody caught the pleasant and fragrant scent of burning cherry wood. Charcoal shutters framed flickering orange and yellow shadows from inside the house. She followed Clive up the wide and weathered porch steps that swayed into a welcoming smile under their feet. She wasn’t yet inside, and the homey atmosphere had already eased the chill in her bones.

How worried is Mom? Her poor mother must be wringing her hands over Melody’s unavoidable delay. The snow-packed roads made travel from the highway exit into the tiny village of Mistletoe Meadows far slower than her GPS had estimated.

She’s worked up to a level seven. The usual. Clive smirked over his shoulder before giving the front door a gentle toe kick. Look who I found outside, he bellowed.

Melody laboured behind him hoping his large frame hid her struggle to climb the final stair. If her family saw her distress, they would never keep her secret as they had promised. She needed, for once, to be normal—especially around people like the Oxfords, who knew her from before she got sick. She forced a bright smile as she crossed the threshold.

A rustic black woodstove pumped heat from the red-bricked corner of the room. It was the source of the flickering oranges seen from outside. A cat lazily warmed itself by the fire, stretched out on a braided area rug. It lifted its head when she entered, and then returned to its snoozing. Exposed wooden beams and carefully arranged furniture encouraged conversation and left a clear path to a sizeable roll-top desk off to the side of a pair of French doors. A hand-painted welcome sign hung above the desk. It was the kind of room she had envisioned in her dream home when she still dreamed of fairy-tale endings.

A beautiful curved staircase reached a second level where a good-looking man with sandy hair, wide shoulders, and a prominent jaw watched her.

Auntie Melody! Three-year-old Ava wiggled from her mother’s arms and hurled herself across the room, ripping Melody’s attention from the man.

She stooped and braced herself as thirty pounds of squirming love hit her full force. I’m so happy to see you!

Ava, dear, don’t be so hard on Auntie. Clive’s wife, Julie, offered an apologetic smile and tried to pull Ava back.

It’s OK. Melody dipped her head and breathed in the soft scent of innocence, and she stroked Ava’s silky toddler curls. That was the best hug I’ve had in months. The only hug, actually, but she wasn’t about to say something so personal in mixed company.

She stood upright and shrugged out of her winter jacket. Who was the man shamelessly watching their family reunion? He leaned forward resting his forearms on the wooden banister and tilted his head to the side. He was far too young to be their former neighbour, Walter

Reviews for Mistletoe Melody

[harley0326 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Melody has a lot going on in her life. It made me think of how life throws us curves and God is watching to see what we do with those curves. Sometimes we can get angry at our circumstances and close ourselves off from everyone. I think Melody was trying to do that so people wouldn't find out about her diagnosis of MS. She is so afraid that Quentin will reject her that she keeps her distance from him. It is sad how she feels that she can't trust him enough to tell him how she feels or about her illness.I did like learning about mistletoe and all the different kinds there were. I had no idea you could make tea from mistletoe. All I knew about it was when you stand under one, you are suppose to kiss the person standing under it with you. The author really did her research on mistletoe and it intrigued me to study more about it. Quentin is a wonderful character who is raising his daughter by himself. She has health issues as well that is hard to deal with. I was surprised at how young his daughter was to have such intense health problems. His back story about his ex-wife helps readers understand why he is so protective of his heart. His faith has carried him through some difficult days and made him stronger to face whatever comes his way.Their story is filled with trust, secrets and learning to let go and allow God to heal wounds. I loved how each character found their strength in faith and it makes for a great lesson in being set free from things that hold you back from God's blessings and to remember our hope is in the Lord.I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

[stardust_fiddle · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Generally speaking, short stories are not my choice of reading material. Charles Dickens is one of my favorite authors, after all. For the most part I gravitate toward full-length novels because I love detail and I want to spend enough time with the characters to get to know them and to hear their story in its entirety. As a result, short stories rarely satisfy me. However, since these two stories were both Christmas-themed, I wanted to read them in-season and decided to sign up to review them.To my surprise, I enjoyed both “Mistletoe Melody” and “Mistletoe Mission” very much! Author Stacey Weeks has created the festive town of Mistletoe Meadows, complete with mistletoe tea and the Mistletoe Mile row of shops that are open year-round. What better time to go there, though, than Christmas? Of the two stories, my favorite was “Mistletoe Melody”, which should be read before “Mistletoe Mission” because otherwise the latter will contain spoilers. Even though “Mistletoe Melody” was predictable, I found myself absorbed by the story, and I loved the Staff family’s focus on courting rather than dating. Melody Staff’s recent diagnosis of multiple sclerosis struck a chord with me as someone who has multiple chronic illnesses. The spiritual healing that she experiences as she comes to realize that her (and our) hope is in God and that a “sacrifice of praise…is the best kind of worship” spoke to my heart. I loved how Melody works with Janie and, in doing so, helps heal herself too. Melody’s insight into how God reaches out to us when we find ourselves metaphorically paralyzed by fear and grief is one of the best explanations I’ve read: “This is how God pursued us, but we didn’t listen to Him. God called us from heaven and mankind resisted. God sent prophets, but we closed our ears. Finally, God sent Jesus, God in the flesh. Only then, when He came and dwelt with us in difficulty and pain did we have the courage to reach for His hand and accept the forgiveness that comes only through Him. That’s why Jesus came. He meets us in our pain and leads us out toward God.” Both stories felt complete and unrushed, which is often not the case in my experience with short stories. “Mistletoe Mission” is also a contemporary romance but is gratifyingly different, featuring some of the same characters but focusing on new ones. Emily’s perseverance in trying to win a spot on Mistletoe Mile for her business, Magical Mistletoe Marriages, is inspiring. Battling superstitions and sabotage, she also struggles with her own heart at the reappearance of her first love: “What an odd pair they made, a wounded event planner and a jilted minister. What was God thinking putting a Christmas Eve wedding in their hands?” I did not predict how this story would play out, and I was delighted by the ending. I also appreciated that, through the narrative, Weeks speaks about missionary work and practical aide for missions. At the end of both stories is a note from the author, and “Mistletoe Mission” also includes a short devotional. Although both are Christmas stories, the lessons within reach far beyond December and are worthy of reading and pondering regardless of the season. I received a complimentary copy of this book through CelebrateLit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.

[penelopemarzec · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a wonderful story. The instant connection between Melody and Janie was heartwarming. While Quentin’s overprotective manner toward his daughter was understandable it was distressing when he assumed the worst of Melody due to his past experience with Janie’s mother. The use of the love of music was a nice touch. Life is filled with difficulties and it’s encouraging to read about characters who accept their limitations and choose to live with joy. Recommended!