Sweet Christmas: Montana Matchmakers, #1

By Reina M. Williams

A Second Chance Romance Short Story

All Dean Manning wants for Christmas is a second chance with his first love...

 

For Maya Perry, Christmas Eve in Loving, Montana is just another lonely closing at the café where she works. Worse, her truck won't start, and the only person there to help is Dean Manning, her childhood friend, and first kiss at thirteen. They're both back in town forging new lives, but Maya has no time to rekindle a relationship. She has big plans to open her own bakery, and Dean's adorable smile is already too much of a distraction.

 

Dean's Christmas improves when he gets to spend it with Maya, but she doesn't seem to feel the same. He wants her in his life, but not if she doesn't want romance. Santa delivers Maya and Dean a chance at a sweet Christmas, if they can see the gifts right in front of them.

 

Spend Christmas in Loving, Montana, where the Matchmakers are always at work!

 

Length: 50 pages/11,000 words (Perfect for reading on a break, while you wait, or on a cozy holiday evening!)
Heat level: Kisses Only

 

Inspired by Jane Austen couples and old Hollywood musicals like Hello, Dolly! and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, the Montana Matchmakers series will leave you with a smile!

Sweet Christmas (short)

Sweet Valentine (short)

Sweet Spring (short)

Sweet Summer (short)

Hello Dolly (novella)

Sweet Fall (short)

One Moment (novella)

Sweet Winter (short)

Sweet Easter (short)

Sweet May (short)

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rickrack Books
• Release date: Dec 5, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393419457

Book preview

Chapter One

Maya turned off the twinkle lights and Christmas music, and bagged the remaining two cookies from the Gallagher Café’s bakery case. The front bell jangled. Her lips tightened at the sight of him: Dean Manning. Why did he seem to time his visits for one minute before closing? She did not need to deal with him tonight, not with his too-adorable smile and shy ways that made her want, against her better judgment, to get to know him again. They did know each other; heck, they’d shared their first kisses at thirteen.

But now they were both twenty-eight, so they didn’t know each other, not really. They’d barely even spoken these past months he’d been back in town, besides pleasantries and his requests at the café. She plastered on a smile, pretending his presence had no effect on her, but the warmth pooling in her chest made a liar out of her.

Evening. She couldn’t call it a good one, broke and alone on Christmas. What can I get you? White chocolate mocha. He was the only one other than the owner who ever ordered that.

He slid his iPhone into the pocket of his slim-fitting jeans, his Rolex catching the low light. He and his brothers had become wealthy. Dean was their company’s lawyer, for cripes sake. When they were young, his family hadn’t been rich. He’d been from a working family, just like she was. He pulled out a fancy leather billfold, drawing her eyes again to his legs. Not that she noticed his long legs, or that the warmth radiated from her torso into her core and arms, on its way to overheating her, even in the Montana winter’s night.

White chocolate mocha, if you please.

She didn’t please, but the customer was always right, so her boss, Mrs. Gallagher, liked to say. ’Course.

And a molasses cookie.

It’s all we’ve got left. You can have them, she said, turning from him.

As she prepared his mocha behind the counter, she pressed her lips together more tightly, willing away the warmth he inspired, and focusing on her irritation. She should be turning the sign to Closed now. Heaven help him if another customer entered now. Unlikely, this Christmas Eve with the snow swirling and the chill factor making people want to stay inside. Didn’t say much for Dean’s common sense.

It’d been a slow night, once the holiday orders had all been picked up, so she’d taken care of the closing tasks. She wanted to get home and check the attic. There had been noises coming from the space, and she needed to assess whether mice had set up home there.

He smiled. She ignored how this made the dimple in his left cheek pop out, and how he resembled that actor from Gran’s favorite show, Monarch of the Glen, all black hair, light skin, lean build, and handsome face, who she’d had a crush on. The same giddy feeling she used to get watching him fluttered into her now, looking at Dean.

But she didn’t want to notice him, or any man. She was on a long break from the dating scene. It took too much time and energy. And she really didn’t want to make small talk.

Ready for the holiday? he asked.

She shrugged. Spending the holiday alone didn’t need readiness. You?

My brothers are back at the ranch. I’m just here scouting things out.

She made a huh sound and placed his mocha and bagged cookies on the counter. She’d heard rumors of the Mannings buying up property in town. And, according to her cousin Ana, the Mannings were bad news. Though Ana was prone to exaggeration. Ana’s older sister, Nora, wouldn’t say one way or another. Not that Maya had asked. She and Nora were alike that way: private and practical.

Thanks. He paid, slipped the change and something else into the tip jar, smiled again, grabbed his order, and waved with his free

Reviews for Sweet Christmas

[Nancy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Maya and Dean were two childhood friends reunited, one shy and the other more outspoken. They shared their first kiss at thirteen and then life events separated them. Now that they were reunited would his shyness and her fear of a relationship detouring her plans to open a bakery stop their budding romance... time will tell if they can open up to one another and have their HEA ending.