Mission of Christmas: Barrum, Ks, #0

By Candice Gilmer

He's going to make sure she has a really great Christmas, even if he has to drag her kicking and screaming.

A Barrum, Ks Holiday Romance

Erica Jones doesn't "do" Christmas, never has, never will.

For anyone who believes that everything is "merrier and brighter" during the holiday season, she has a news flash—it's not any better. Just colder.

Andrew Hawkins has never had a bad Christmas, never understood his best friend's aversion to it.

After all, it's all about family and togetherness and faith, right? Instead, the faintest twinkle of tinsel or the whiff of evergreen sends Erica into self-imposed exile to watch the latest action movie.

Not this year. This year, Andrew is on a mission to find Erica's Christmas spirit.

With him.

Even if he has to drag her, kicking and screaming.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Flirtation Publishing
• Release date: Oct 15, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386290308

Candice Gilmer

USA Today and NY Times bestselling author Candice Gilmer leads a dangerous double life as a mommy and a writer. In between boo-boo healing and fixing broken toys, she writes stories usually to the tune of children’s television shows. Growing up in the Midwest, Candice stays close to her family, especially the ones with basements when the tornadoes come around. All in all, she stays very busy, but really, she wouldn’t have it any other way. Well, maybe a little less children’s television.

Book preview

Mission of Christmas

PRAISE FOR CANDICE GILMER

A great book with a cup of eggnog

THAT GUY WHO’S ALWAYS AT STARBUCKS

Super sweet and OMG, I need the thing now!

YOUR #1 FAN

Romantic. Sweet. I laughed. I cried. Absolutely a sweet holiday story.

FELLOW AUTHOR WHO WAS BRIBED WITH COFFEE AND DONUTS.

MISSION OF CHRISTMAS

A BARRUM, KS HOLIDAY STORY

CANDICE GILMER

Flirtation Publishing

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Dear Reader

About the Barbie

Turn the Page for More in the Barrum World

Fantasy Girl

Have you read The Reluctant Prince?

The Reluctant Prince

About the Author

Other Books by Candice Gilmer

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

---

Flirtation Publishing

Wichita, KS

---

Mission of Christmas

Copyright © 2017 by Candice Gilmer

Cover by Flirtation Designs

---

All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

---

FIRST PUBLICATION: 2010

SECOND PUBLICATION: 2013

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

For Holly, who gave my little Christmas story a second chance. And always, for my husband, who watched the kids and put Christmas music on my mp3 player so I could write a Christmas story in July.

1

EIGHT DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS

S eriously, isn’t there enough holiday cheer around here? You all don’t have to invade my office. My coworkers, decked out in their fancy Christmas finery—complete with Santa hats and jingly socks—spread out across my minuscule office like a plague of jingle bells.

I should have been expecting this—it was a week before Christmas.

I had to start locking my door.

Now Erica Jones, it’s the season! Judy replied, grinning as she carried a huge poinsettia to the end table near the door. Judy was fifty if she was a day, but certainly more of a girlfriend-type than a motherly-type.

Well, at least if I let her. Girlfriends tended to steal husbands and gossip. I didn’t have time for that nonsense.

I had things to do.

I rolled my eyes at Judy’s attempt in bringing seasonal cheer. It’s a waste of décor for me.

What are you, a Scrooge or something? Judy’s partner in crime, Cindy Stone, asked as she hung a little green bell on my doorknob.

I pushed away from my desk and crossed my arms. I just hate Christmas.

Both women dropped their boxes with a screech of murdered jingle bells.

But why? It’s the most joyous time of the year! Cindy stared at me like I had turned into the Grinch.

I just don’t like it.

With his usual perfect timing, Andrew Hawkins came through the door. He glanced at Cindy and Judy, then back at me.

I knew that look too. He was about to pull out the charm.

Come on, ladies, not in here. Erica’s not a big fan of Christmas, Andrew said, winking at me.

Both Cindy and Judy went all moony at Andrew, even though Judy was a little old and Cindy was happily married.

Really, though, who could blame them? He was tall, dark haired, broad shouldered, and endowed with a killer smile. He could charm himself into Queen Elizabeth’s pants.

He hadn’t changed since he was six.

He glanced at me, a look of, well, not sympathy exactly, but understanding of my position. Erica’s family died on Christmas a few years ago, he told the women.

Which was true, sort of. They died in December, but I used it as an excuse to explain why I didn’t do Christmas. Hawkins understood Christmas had never been my happiest time of the year, even when my parents were alive.

Oh, they replied in unison.

We’re sorry, Judy said, her eyes filled with sympathy. We didn’t know.

I waved them off. It’s okay.

Cindy attempted to come over to give me a hug, but thought better of it—probably because of the look I shot her. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask, she told me instead, and both she and Judy headed out the door, their decorations jingling all the way.

Andrew watched them leave, then faced me. The charm face was gone, replaced by the same kid who used to dig for worms while we waited for the bus. You okay?

Fine. At the door, the poinsettia still sat. They forgot the plant.

Andrew shrugged it off. You should have some color in here.

Aren’t those things toxic?

You’re not going to die from a single poinsettia.

Might make the holidays more bearable. I shifted in my chair, getting back to work mode.

He shook his head. Seriously, Erica. Don’t you think you should at least try to enjoy the season? I know you never liked it.

I held my hand up. Stop right there, Hawkins. Do you have some official capacity to be here, or are you going to torment me about the office holiday party again?

Well, since I don’t have a death wish, I thought I’d bring you more work.

Andrew worked in the sales department of Inventive Proposals. I was a graphic artist with the company, and I pretty much made him look good.

Something not new to me—I’d been making him look good since the first grade. He used to copy my tests and borrow my homework. Now, he just schmoozed the clients and presented the designs I made.

I wasn’t the only graphic artist in the company, but after four years of working almost exclusively with Andrew and his clients, I’d wound up as the company’s top designer.

They kept offering me promotions, but I kept turning them down. I didn’t want to deal with some of the others in the sales department. I liked how I worked with Andy. It was a comfortable relationship. We were both in our mid-thirties, both of us divorced from our high school sweethearts, and both of us had an understanding.

We were best friends. No complications of nookie getting in the way. Some around the office thought we were friends with benefits, but whenever such rumors popped up, Andy took care of them.

I didn’t care. I mean, he was a cutie. I could say that in a clinical capacity because I’d known