Since I’ve got a new holiday novella releasing next month, I figured today would be a good time to put up a little tease from it.
SANTA BABY ( A Dickens Holiday Prequel – Dorrit’s Diner) was a joy to write – took me a week plus a few hours to get the first draft down. Amy Dorrit, owner of Dorrit’s Diner, was one of my favorite drive-by characters in Angels Kisses and Holiday Wishes from the first Christmas Comes to Dickens anthology and I sosososos wanted to give her a great backstory and HEA. SANTA BABY is the prequel to this years full length romance from Dickens from me, FIXING CHRISTMAS, but more on that in months to come.
SANTA BABY is a short – only 57 pages – sweet romance novella set 38 years ago. In the world of book publishing that makes it an historical read!! HEEHEE. No cellphones, iPads, or laptops in this story, kids. Just two people who love each other and an abandoned baby.
I hope you enjoy this little teaser…
Here’s the blurb and then a little tease from the pages….
It’s Christmas Eve morning in the tiny New England town of Dickens.
Santa’s arrival is imminent, and a hint of snow is in the air.
Amy Dorrit is just about to open her popular diner for the breakfast rush when she discovers an abandoned baby on her back doorstep.
Amy knows she should call the authorities and turn the infant over to them, but she just can’t. Thoughts of her own abandonment as a baby flood through her and she wants to keep the little one out of the hands of the authorities until the mother – hopefully –returns.
But will the mom come back? And if she doesn’t, what is Amy prepared to do about the baby who has, already, claimed her heart?
…..
“I know that look like the back of my hand,” Andy said. He shook his head as he closed the door behind him. “It usually means there’s a come to Jesus lecture about to be spoken and I should bow my head and fold my hands.”
When a corner of his kissable mouth lifted, her annoyance fled. Andy took two steps forward, his arms outstretched and she went into them willingly and without hesitation.
As she breathed in the scent of leather from his uniform jacket, Amy closed her eyes.
“Sweetheart, why didn’t you call me right away? You know I would have been here in a blink, sirens blaring if I had to.”
She pulled back, quirked an eyebrow and asked, “And this would be because you carry formula and diapers in your patrol car, would it?”
He had the grace to look sheepish. “Well, no. But I could have run out and gotten them for you.”
It took her a millisecond to realize he wasn’t so much angry as hurt he hadn’t been her first call. She cuddled into him again.
“The only reason I called Corrine and Matilda is because I wanted to talk to my mom. Unfortunately, I couldn’t.” His arms tightened around her waist. “Since those two are like mothers to me, I called them.” She shifted so she could look into his eyes. “I figured they’d know what to do, what I’d need. And they did. That’s all it was.” She cupped his cheeks and placed a sweet kiss on his mouth.
He sighed against her lips. “It’s a good thing your door is closed because if anyone saw me kissing you while I’m on duty, I’d never hear the end of it from the Chief.”
She kissed the tip of his nose and then pulled out of his embrace.
Intrigued? I hope so. You can preorder the novella now and have it delivered right to your device on June 7!
Easy Peasy.
And because I’m such a visual person, I love a good book trailer, and Nancy Fraser produced the perfect one for me. Check it out:
See? Perfect!
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Peggy Jaeger, Author 