A Christmas Creek Carol

By Rachelle Ayala

A modern romantic retelling of a classic Christmas favorite.
Ebony Cruse is a romance writer with no time for fun--much less dating.
When an old friend, Blaze O'Carroll, stops by to ask her to the Christmas Creek Gala Ball, Ebony refuses to go since she has a deadline.
Ebony dives into her work in progress and is surprised when characters from her past, present, and future come to life. When Ebony sees Blaze in trouble, she has a big decision to make.
Will the Christmas Creek magic give her and Blaze a Christmas worth remembering?
---
Christmas Creek romances are a fun way to get into the holiday spirit. They are sassy, standalone romances centered around a town which celebrates Christmas all year round. Each story has a happy ending and can be read in any order, but of course, they are more fun if read together.
Deck the Hearts, #1 Can Holly's jolly Christmas spirit help Grinchy Gordon Gills save the town of Christmas Creek?
Her Christmas Chance, #2 A woman with cerebral palsy and her tomcat disagree about the attractive ex-con living next door. Will a dose of Christmas magic reach through his dark secrets?
A Christmas Creek Carol, #3 A reclusive writer, Ebony Cruse, is given a one-star review on her life by characters in her past, present, and future.
Kitty, It's Cold Outside, #4 When mailman Mick Jolly delivers a kitten to an abandoned millhouse, he is ensnared by a beautiful Victorian woman caught in a Christmas curse.
A Christmas Creek Caper, #5 Someone's stealing packages off the Christmas Creek porches. Sheriff Brad Wing is on the case—until he's caught with his hands up and his pants down.
Toy Soldier Christmas, #6 Breast cancer survivor, Nutmeg Brown, finds a broken toy soldier under her Christmas tree. It's love at first sight with a wooden toy or is it?
Red's Christmas Woodsman, #7 When Ruby Red Rumsey visits her grandmother's Christmas Creek cottage, she finds a hunky woodsman asleep in her grandmother's bed.
Dashing Through Christmas, #8 Misty Jolly and Dash Weston play guessing games while rushing through a Christmas project with no help from Westie, a “talking” dog.
Dottie's Christmas Wish, #9 All Merry Jolly wants is to make Dr. Colton Dale smile. All his daughter, Dottie, wants is a dog. Will Christmas wishes come true for three lonely hearts?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rachelle Ayala
• Release date: Sep 10, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005082345

Rachelle Ayala

Rachelle Ayala is the author of dramatic romantic suspense and humor-laden, sexy contemporary romances. Her heroines are feisty, her heroes hot. Needless to say, she's very happy with her job.Rachelle is an active member of online critique group, Critique Circle, and a volunteer for the World Literary Cafe. She is a very happy woman and lives in California with her husband. She has three children and has taught violin and made mountain dulcimers.Visit her at: http://www.rachelleayala.net and download free books at http://rachelleayala.net/free-books

Book preview

A Christmas Creek Carol

Copyright © 2018 by Rachelle Ayala

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

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

All trademarks belong to their respective holders and are used without permission under trademark fair use.

Contact Rachelle at:

http://smarturl.it/ContactRachelle

A Christmas Creek Carol

A Christmas Creek Romance #3

Rachelle Ayala

http://rachelleayala.net

Contents

Description

Christmas Creek Romance Series

Welcome

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Epilogue

Excerpt from Kitty, It’s Cold Outside

Blue Chow Christmas Excerpt

Reading List with Heat Levels

Rachelle Ayala Books in Other Languages

Many Thanks

Meet Rachelle

Description

Ebony Cruse is a romance writer with no time for fun—much less dating. When an old friend, Blaze O’Carroll, stops by to ask her to the Christmas Creek Gala Ball, Ebony refuses to go since she has a deadline.

Ebony dives into her work in progress and is surprised when characters from her past come to life. When Ebony sees Blaze in trouble, she has a big decision to make.

Will the Christmas Creek magic give her and Blaze a Christmas worth remembering?

Christmas Creek romances are a fun way to get into the holiday spirit. They are sassy, standalone romances centered around a town which celebrates Christmas all year round.

Each story has a happy ending and can be read in any order, but of course, they are more fun if read together.

Deck the Hearts, #1 Can Holly’s jolly Christmas spirit help Grinchy Gordon Gills save the town of Christmas Creek? Audiobook link.

Her Christmas Chance, #2 A woman with cerebral palsy and her tomcat disagree about the attractive ex-con living next door. Will a dose of Christmas magic reach through his dark secrets? Audiobook link

A Christmas Creek Carol, #3 A reclusive writer, Ebony Cruse, is given a one-star review on her life by characters in her past, present, and future. Audiobook link.

Kitty, It’s Cold Outside, #4 When mailman Mick Jolly delivers a kitten to an abandoned millhouse, he is ensnared by a beautiful Victorian woman caught in a Christmas curse.

A Christmas Creek Caper, #5 Someone’s stealing packages off the Christmas Creek porches. Sheriff Brad Wing is on the case—until he’s caught with his hands up and his pants down.

Toy Soldier Christmas, #6 Breast cancer survivor, Nutmeg Brown, finds a broken toy soldier under her Christmas tree. It’s love at first sight with a wooden toy or is it?

Red’s Christmas Woodsman, #7 When Ruby Red Rumsey visits her grandmother’s Christmas Creek cabin, she finds a hunky woodsman asleep in her grandmother’s bed.

Dashing Through Christmas #8, Misty Jolly and Dash Weston play guessing games while rushing through a Christmas project with no help from Westie, a talking dog.

Dottie’s Christmas Wish #9, All Merry Jolly wants is to make Dr. Colton Dale smile. All his daughter, Dottie, wants is a dog. Will Christmas wishes come true for three lonely hearts?

Christmas Creek Romance Series

Deck the Hearts, #1 (Holly & Gordon)

Her Christmas Chance, #2 (Bella & Chance)

A Christmas Creek Carol, #3 (Ebony & Blaze)

Kitty, It’s Cold Outside, #4 (Katherine & Mick)

A Christmas Creek Caper, #5 (Ivy & Brad)

Toy Soldier Christmas, #6 (Nutmeg & Craig)

Red’s Christmas Woodsman, #7 (Ruby Red & Nate)

Dashing Through Christmas, #8 (Misty & Dash)

Dottie’s Christmas Wish, #9 (Merry & Colton)

Welcome

I invite you to explore my world of over seventy romances, from dangerous suspense to sweet family drama, featuring hot, steamy flirts, brainy, strong heroines, and hunky men with big, gigantic hearts and melty, warm hugs.

For book descriptions, go to the Reading List with Heat Levels section or check out my Reader’s Guide at:

http://rachelleayala.net/books/

Don’t forget to download my Free Books from your favorite bookstore:

Deck the Hearts (sweet)

Christmas Lovebirds (sweet)

A Father for Christmas (sweet)

Going Haywire: Sapphire Falls (steamy)

Bad Boys for Hire - Ryker (steamy)

Playing Without Rules (steamy)

Broken Build (romantic suspense)

Intercepted by Love: Part 1 (steamy)

Hidden Under Her Heart (sweet)

For updates and two more free books, sign up for my newsletter at:

http://smarturl.it/RachAyala

To chat and read new works in progress, join my Reader’s Club at:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/ClubRachelleAyala/

Thanks for coming into my story world and letting me take you on an unforgettable excursion. Turn the page to begin.

Bon voyage!

Chapter 1

Why aren’t you guys speaking to me? Ebony Cruse threw her hands up from her laptop and waved them at the ceiling.

She was a writer of hot, erotic romances, and her characters were not cooperating. Abby, the heroine refused to speak to Blaze, her would-be hero. Instead, all she wanted to do was to jump his bones.

Not that Ebony had anything against her heroine jumping her hero’s bones, but hadn’t they already had sex inside an elevator on page one?

You have to talk about it, Ebony said. And no, you cannot have elevator sex again. That elderly couple, the preacher and his wife, who walked in on you were scandalized.

Blaze, a Marine home on leave, didn’t see a reason for speaking either. He pulled the stop button between two floors and took a roll of masking tape from his pocket where he proceeded to tape over the security camera lens.

Wait, where did you get that masking tape? Ebony asked Blaze.

Blaze didn’t answer. Instead, he dropped his pants—again? Or wait, weren’t his pants already down, or did he only finger Abby?

Ebony held the backspace key down. There is to be no pant-dropping in the elevator.

Abby and Blaze were oblivious to their author’s admonishments. Instead, they not only dropped their pants—Abby wasn’t wearing even a thong, but they proceeded to—

Cut, cut! Ebony shouted. You two already did it.

Did not, Blaze protested. She got off. I didn’t.

Wasn’t my fault you’re pretending to be a gentleman, Ebony said. Now, take it to the hotel room, and we’d better have some dialogue. Abby? Do you have anything to say?

Abby ignored her creator. Her eyes gleaming with unslaked lust—wait, how could it be unslaked when she’d popped off at least twice?—she pushed both breasts up at Blaze’s hungry lips.

That’s enough. I’m giving you two a timeout. Ebony slammed her laptop lid shut. The cracking sound coming ominously from the plastic top startled her cat, Sugar Pops, from his nap.

Meow. He yawned and butted his head against Ebony’s hand while pawing her leg for attention.

Ebony picked up a fishing pole toy with a yarn mouse attached to it and cast it. Sugar Pops pounced while she kept the mouse just out of reach.

After a few tosses of the fake mouse, Ebony checked her digital timer display. She’d been writing all day, and she had nothing to show—except a worn delete key.

Her miscreant characters, Abby and Blaze, didn’t want to do anything but have sex. Normally, Ebony would let them go at it all day and night, but she had a deadline and she needed a real, human-interest story for a boxed set dealing with wounded warriors. All proceeds would go to a veteran’s charity, and the organizers specified sweet and sassy, not steamy and erotic.

She used a precious minute to play with Sugar Pops, then dished out a bowl of cat food for him. Since her characters were in timeout, she doled out a few more minutes to brew a pot of strong, all-nighter coffee and fix herself something to eat.

She shivered as she opened the refrigerator and extracted the half-eaten carcass of a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store deli. Shriveled lettuce hung like discarded rags over the chicken bones, and a half-empty can of