Snow of Mansion: A Collection of Clean Romance Short Stories

By Magda Conway

This collection of unusual, intriguing romance stories will remind you that every love has its own kind of magic!

 

In "Cast for the Perfect Part", self-made billionaire and entrepreneur Beau Reynolds has recently decided to try his hand in the movie business. His movies have become huge box office hits and he seems to have an eye for successful movies. Amanda Gooding, an aspiring actress, hasn't had much success. She only gets small parts in B-Movies and must work additional jobs just to stay afloat. While working as a caterer on a yacht, she meets the talented entrepreneur. Together they may discover that movie magic isn't just for the big screen.

 

In Aspen, Colorado, Tristan Carter has settled down at The Lodge, working as a guide and caretaker depending on the season. Carmen Reiner has a bad case of wanderlust, so she never stays in one place for long. She gets a job as a server at The Lodge, interested in the slopes. Carmen immediately has distaste in Tristan when they meet, and they can't seem to get along. However, after Carmen goes out on the slopes alone after hours, a dangerous situation changes things drastically. Can Tristan melt the heart of the "Aspen Ice Queen"?

 

"Stay With You" focuses on a mysterious hidden town in a forest that harbors wizards and witches! Jack is a professor and talented wizard in town. When a woman from the outside world, Laura, runs into the town terrified, Jack is immediately infatuated with her. He wants nothing more than to protect her from whatever she has secretly run away from. Now Laura must decide if she is willing to stay in this hidden little village or if she has no choice but to return to the old life she's fled.

 

Jeff is a corporate executive with a fascination for clockwork – particularly watches. He buys a mysterious watch from someone, but it has no history attached. Jeff attempts to fix the watch. In doing so, he's transported to a terrifying future full of corruption and evil. Upon arriving, he is mugged and the time-traveling watch is stolen. Realizing that being away from his wife is too heart-breaking, Jeff attempts to find her in the future. He finds her, but she is married to another man and has children with him. Now, Jeff must either find the watch or accept the life he has here, all "In Good Time".

 

A collection of romance stories that all have their own version of magic, whether it's movie magic or wizards! This consists of 4 standalone clean romance short stories (all ending HEA) or over 40k words of reading!

• Language: English
• Publisher: PN.Books
• Release date: Jun 6, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393194200

Book preview

Copyright © 2018 by Magda Conway (Editor)

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Some characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Thank you very much for reading this book.

Title Page

Title: Snow of Mansion

Subtitle: A Collection of Clean Romance Short Stories

Editor: Magda Conway

Table of Contents

Copyright

Title Page

Cast for the Perfect Part

Aspen Ice Queen

Stay with You

In Good Time

Cast for the Perfect Part

Description

Beau Reynolds was a self-made billionaire.  He had scrapped and fought his way up the ladder, amassing his fortune the hard way through grit and determination.  Now, he could branch out with his companies cared for by his dedicated staff.  He had recently dipped into the movie industry. He found another niche he was good at, producing box office hits.  Beau was on top as his films became masterpieces, his magic touch once again working miracles.  No one saw the demons inside, the carefully locked secrets that had driven him to success.

Amanda Gooding had followed her dream to Hollywood but had only seemed to get a few small parts in B-rated films.  As with most aspiring actresses, she worked for a living.  Her most recent gig was working for her best friend in the catering business, this time on a yacht the size of Manhattan.  Would anyone ever notice her?  Could she find that producer who would take her under their wing?  Just as she had given up all hope, she found herself gaining the attentions of Beau Reynolds, a very rich, very eligible bachelor.

Has her proverbial ship come in or will she just be cast for a bit part again?

Chapter 1

The bright California sun streamed down on Hollywood Boulevard, not the safest place to be for a young woman in her prime.  The budding actress walked down the street to work like she owned the world.  Her father had always told her that if you were going to do something, don’t do just a half-done job, make it count for all it’s worth.  So, Amanda did.  She moved with grace and style, her shoulder length dish-water blonde hair swinging with each step.  Amanda had the perfect body for an actress—slim, petite, some acceptable curves and five feet six inches tall.  Tall enough to be seen, but not to overpower her leading man.  This was all polished off with expertly crafted make-up that accentuated a pair of brilliant azure blue eyes with just a hint of lavender in them.  Her uniform did not complete the look she was going for, but she couldn’t be perfect all the time.  A girl had to eat, after all.

Amanda wandered in and out of the tourists trying to see the Walk of Fame.  She had to get to work at the Starbucks in the shopping center and these gawkers weren’t making it easy.  But, they did pay for her wages, so she smiled her best pretend smile and pushed her way into the lobby of the center.  She caught her breath and hurried off to the shop, flying in the door at the last minute.  The line was long as usual, about ten people deep.  She smiled a genuine smile at Charlotte, her manager and owner of the shop, as she passed to go back for her apron and to hang up her purse.  She came back out, tying her apron around her slim waist.

’Morning, Charlotte said, steaming some milk for a latte.  Can you grab the counter?  I’ve been stacked since we opened.  And Wonder Boy over there is more worried about how he looks than what coffee he should be making.  We’ll move Devon over to the register, where he can charm the sock off the tourists.  Ha, ha. Charlotte rolled her eyes, not at all pleased and looking a bit stressed out.

Amanda just chuckled and moved Devon over to the register while she grabbed a marked cup and began to mix the next coffee. She worked steady for about three hours, when there suddenly were no customers standing in line.

Wow, that was impressive.  Did they just bring in ten busloads of tourists, or was everybody just thirsty this morning?  Amanda wiped away the perspiration under her bangs with a napkin.

Charlotte shook her head.  Some days are just more fun than others.  I’ve got to get to my paperwork.  Think you and Wonder Boy can hold down the shop?  Just holler if ya need anything. She grinned.  Ya know where I am.

Will do, Amanda replied.  She turned and told Devon to get out in the lobby and clean up as she started to wash dishes and reorganize for the noon rush.

Amanda had her back to the counter when she heard Devon welcome someone in and ask for their order.  She turned around and saw who he was talking to.  Nice!  The customer was one of the most striking men Amanda had ever seen.  He was tall, maybe six feet five inches tall and wore the classic golfing tee with white chino pants.  Darkly suntanned, he looked like an ad out of a travel magazine for the extremely wealthy.  Wonder what he’s doing in a Starbucks on the Boulevard?  Odd place for his kind.  And Amanda certainly knew his kind.  That’s what had gotten her here in the first place- ‘his kind’. But today was going well, so she cut that thought off at the pass and began brewing his coffee.  Iced, with two shots of expresso.  She called out the order and he strode forward to take it from her hand.  Oh, my God!  Look at those eyes!  Almost black, they’re so dark. Could cut through glass without any problem.  Fits the description, doesn’t it?  The man thanked her and walked out of the shop.

Well, Devon put a hand on his hip.  I could go for one of those, with a double expresso, if you know what I mean. He waved his hand in front of his face like he was fanning himself.

Cut the drama, Devon, and finish the front.  Lunch is coming up and Charlotte likes a spotless front for her customers. Amanda shook her head in disgust.  What a jerk!  Her shift finally ending, Amanda dashed home to get ready for her next gig.

Chapter 2

Amanda unlocked the door to her less-than-lavish studio on Santa Monica Boulevard.  It was only a mile away from work and the cheapest place she could find that was decent.  Her place faced east and was sunny in the mornings, which seemed to get her up and moving easier.  She had splurged on a Murphy bed, so there was quite a bit of space when she didn’t have the bed down.  It was her own little piece of heaven in her crazy world and she loved it.

Purse and clothes got strewn across the floor as she doffed her uniform for a set of black pants, a tuxedo shirt and black bow tie.  Her other gig was working for her new best friend, the first she had made when moving here. 

Maycella, or Cella as her friends called her, was a pint-sized Hispanic with a big heart and a passion for cooking.  Her reputation was building quickly as she worked her way up the culinary ladder.  She hoped to have a restaurant to go with the catering by the time she was thirty.  She was twenty-eight now, and it looked like she was getting to her goal fast.  She had taken Amanda in when her fiancée had dumped her, leaving her high and dry.  Cella shared her tiny one-bedroom apartment with Amanda until the girl had gotten on her feet.  They only lived three blocks away from each other now.

Amanda threw clothes all over again, as she searched for her purse under the rubble.  Grabbing the hobo bag that held her life in it, she locked her door and headed down the three flights of stairs to the lobby, checked her mailbox which had no acting offers, and headed out to Cella’s.

Cella was already packing the back of her minivan with supplies when Amanda walked up.

It’s about time you got here, girl.  I was about to give up on you.  The thought of having to do this all by myself, well, with Trixie, was just too horrible to contemplate, so I started packing.

Pftt, you know that I would never leave that vapid airhead for you to have to deal with alone.  We’re lucky if she gets the appetizers out without forgetting what she’s doing, right? Amanda chuckled.

Cella sighed.  So true.  I would never have hired her if it hadn’t been for Jimmy.  ‘Hire my girlfriend.  She’s great.  You’ll love her.’ Poor Jimmy, he’ll have to babysit for the rest of his life.  But he does love her, so what can the sister say except okay?

Yeah, that really sucks.  So, what else needs to be done?

Get the containers out of the refrigerator; there’s three, and then we’ve got it all.  This gig is on a rich man’s yacht and I’ve got to warm appetizers while I get the chicken on to cook.  Lots to do, so snap to it, slave. Cella snapped her fingers.

My body is yours, for the next five hours, anyway. Amanda bowed, then laughed as she went to get the food.

It took the girls over two hours to get through traffic and down to the wharf where the yacht was moored.  They just stood there looking up, and up, and up, at this gargantuan boat as big as the island of Manhattan.

What a monstrosity!  I’ll bet that’s got four bedrooms or more.  You could fit three families on that thing.  Amanda’s mouth stood open in amazement.

Yeah, I’d like to have the money that thing cost.  I could open a whole chain of restaurants and hire someone to do my catering. 

Both girls got out and went up to the mooring.  A ramp led up to the deck and a man in a white uniform was coming down to meet the.

Good afternoon, ladies.  I trust you are the caterer? He had a British accent and was very formal.  I am Lucas, Mr. Reynold’s steward for the ship and I will show you to the galley, so you may begin preparing. Two men stood behind them, perhaps crew as they wore white polos and white slacks.  Bartle and Smith will carry your goods on board for you if you will show them what you need.

Cella turned to Trixie and threw her the keys.  You can help them Trixie.  They know the way back from the car.

Trixie just smiled and began to lead the men away.  Amanda just rolled her eyes at Cella as they followed Lucas up the gangplank.  Trixie didn’t get the joke about finding her way back.  Trixie never got the joke about anything.

If the girls thought the outside was amazing, they practically died over the inside.  All decking was wood, polished to a fine sheen.  The main area on the middle deck was covered with an antique Aubusson rug.  There was a baby grand piano in one corner, a full bar and windows surrounding the entire area.  A large deck was out on the stern through sliding glass windows that could open the space between the two areas.  The next level down contained the galley or kitchen, crew’s quarters and an exercise room.  Lucas explained that there were two decks up above the main deck with cabins and Mr. Reynold’s private space which was off limits for the party. As Lucas showed them the galley, explaining where everything was, he opened the cabinets where the glasses, silver and trays were located, making sure that the women had all they needed for the night’s service. Nothing had been left to chance.  Lucas had even hooked two of the crew to serve as stewards for the evening, so no passengers on the voyage around the Bay would be left lacking anything.

Lucas wanted to ensure everything would be perfect, as Mr. Reynolds was entertaining a group from one of his latest ventures and wanted the atmosphere to reflect his quality and taste to the group.  They would set sail at seven p.m., and refreshments were to begin being served at six p.m.

As Lucas left, Amanda whispered to Cella, Hey, did you know we were going to go out tonight on the water?

Yeah, girl, didn’t I tell you that?

No, I hope I don’t get seasick.  I’m not real fond of the water.

Great!  I hope not either.  This will set my career, you know.  I can get a lot of gigs from this.  Party-animals, these Hollywood types.  Oh, sorry, not you, Amanda.  Don’t think I’ve ever even seen you drunk.  Lucas told me that Reynolds is becoming some new producer and he’s fishing for pictures to produce.  More power to him.

Amanda just nodded her head.  She was thinking that this might not be so bad now, rubbing elbows with the big boys.  She might just get noticed.  Who knew?

Chapter 3

Amanda walked around the main cabin and deck with her tray of hot hors d’oeuvres and smiled as she offered them.  She had counted three directors and two other famous producers in the crowd so far, not to mention several well-known actors and actresses.  She was definitely in the upper echelon tonight.  The sun was just setting when she saw to a small group standing on the side of the deck watching the sunset and talking in quiet tones.  She plastered on her smile and approached.  She stood next to a tall man and cleared her throat.  She almost swallowed her tongue