Christmas Kisses Collection
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- Жанр: зарубежная фантастика, зарубежные любовные романы, исторические любовные романы, короткие любовные романы, современная зарубежная литератураРедактировать
About the Authors
JANICE LYNN has a master’s in nursing from Vanderbilt University and works as a nurse practitioner in a family practice. She lives in the southern United States with her Prince Charming, their children, their Maltese named Moxie; and a lot of unnamed dust bunnies that have moved in since she started her writing career. Readers can visit Janice via her website at: www.janicelynn.net
SUSAN CARLISLE’s love affair with books began when she received a bad grade in maths. Not allowed to watch TV until the grade had improved, she filled her time with books. Turning her love of reading into a love for writing romance, she pens hot medicals. She loves castles, travelling, afternoon tea, reads voraciously and hearing from her readers. Join her newsletter at www.SusanCarlisle.com
Married to the man she met at eighteen, SUSANNE HAMPTON is the mother of two adult daughters, Orianthi and Tina. Her varied career titles have included dental nurse, personal assistant, contract manager and now Medical Romance author. The family also extends to a maltese shih-tzu, a poodle, three ducks and four hens. Susanne has always read romance novels and says, ‘I love a happy ever after so writing for Mills & Boon is a dream come true.’
SARA ORWIG lives in Oklahoma and has a deep love of Texas. With a master’s degree in English, Sara taught high school English, was Writer-in-Residence at the University of Central Oklahoma and was one of the first inductees into the Oklahoma Professional Writers Hall of Fame. Sara has written mainstream fiction, historical and contemporary romance. Books are beloved treasures that take Sara to magical worlds. She loves both reading and writing them.
In 2002 JANICE MAYNARD left a career as a teacher to pursue writing full-time. Her first love is creating sexy, character-driven, contemporary romance. She has written for Kensington and NAL, and is very happy to be part of the Mills & Boon family – a lifelong dream. Janice and her husband live in the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains. They love to hike and travel. Visit her at www.JaniceMaynard.com
USA Today Bestseller LUCY MONROE finds inspiration for her stories everywhere as she is an avid people-watcher. She has published more than fifty books in several subgenres of romance and when she’s not writing, Lucy likes to read. She’s an unashamed book geek, but loves movies and the theatre too. She adores her family and truly enjoys hearing from her readers! Visit her website at: http://lucymonroe.com
USA TODAY bestselling author KRISTINE ROLOFSON has written more than forty books for Mills & Boon. She and her husband of many years call Rhode Island, Idaho and Texas home depending upon the time of year. When not writing, Kristine quilts, bakes peach pies, plays the fiddle and sings in a country blues band. She collects vintage cowboy boots and will not tell you how many are in her closet.
CHRISTINE FLYNN is a regular voice in Mills & Boon True Love and has written nearly forty books for the line.
APRIL ARRINGTON grew up in a small southern town and developed a love for films and books at an early age. Emotionally moving stories have always held a special place in her heart. During the day, she enjoys sharing classic literature and popular fiction with students. At night, she spends her time writing stories of her own. April enjoys collecting pottery and soaking up the Georgia sun on her front porch. You can follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/april_arrington
LOUISE ALLEN loves immersing herself in history. She finds landscapes and places evoke the past powerfully. Venice, Burgundy and the Greek islands are favourite destinations. Louise lives on the Norfolk coast & spends her spare time gardening, researching family history or travelling in search of inspiration. www.louiseallenregency.co.uk, @LouiseRegency http://janeaustenslondon.com
Linda Sole started writing in 1976 and, writing as ANNE HERRIES, won the 2004 RNA Romance Award and the Betty Neels Trophy. Linda loves to write about the beauty of nature, though they are mostly about love and romance. She writes for her own enjoyment and loves to give pleasure to her readers. In her spare time, she enjoys watching the wildlife that visits her garden. Anne has now written more than fifty books for Mills & Boon. You can visit her website at: www.lindasole.co.uk
Christmas Kisses Collection
Hot Docs on Call: His Christmas Wish
Janice Lynn, Susan Carlisle and Susanne Hampton
The Billionaire’s Christmas Desire
Sara Orwig, Janice Maynard and Lucy Monroe
Her Mistletoe Magic
Kristine Rolofson, Christine Flynn and April Arrington
Regency Christmas Courtship
Louise Allen and Anne Herries
ISBN: 978-0-008-90057-1
CHRISTMAS KISSES COLLECTION
It Started at Christmas… © 2016 Janice Lynn The Doctor’s Sleigh Bell Proposal © 2016 Susan Carlisle White Christmas for the Single Mum © 2016 Harlequin Books S.A. Midnight Under the Mistletoe © 2012 Sara Orwig Christmas in the Billionaire’s Bed © 2014 Janice Maynard Million Dollar Christmas Proposal © 2013 Lucy Monroe The Wish © 2015 Kristine Rolofson Her Holiday Prince Charming © 2013 Christine Flynn The Rancher’s Wife © 2016 April Standard His Christmas Countess © 2015 Melanie Hilton The Mistress of Hanover Square © 2009 Anne Herries
Published in Great Britain 2019
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.
Version: 2020-03-02
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Table of Contents
Cover
About the Authors
Title Page
Copyright
Note to Readers
Hot Docs on Call: His Christmas Wish
It Started at Christmas…
Back Cover Text
Dedication
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
EPILOGUE
The Doctor’s Sleigh Bell Proposal
Back Cover Text
Dedication
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
White Christmas for the Single Mum
Back Cover Text
Dedication
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The Billionaire’s Christmas Desire
Midnight Under the Mistletoe
Dedication
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Epilogue
Christmas in the Billionaire’s Bed
Dedication
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Million Dollar Christmas Proposal
Dedication
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
EPILOGUE
Her Mistletoe Magic
The Wish
Dedication
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
Her Holiday Prince Charming
Back Cover Text
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Epilogue
The Rancher’s Wife
Back Cover Text
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Epilogue
Regency Christmas Courtship
His Christmas Countess
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
The Mistress of Hanover Square
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
About the Publisher
Hot Docs on Call: His Christmas Wish
It Started at Christmas…
Janice Lynn
The Doctor’s Sleigh Bell Proposal
Susan Carlisle
White Christmas for the Single Mum
Susanne Hampton
The Hot Docs on Call
COLLECTION
July 2019
Hot Docs on Call: New City Nights
August 2019
Hot Docs on Call: Surgeon’s Seduction
September 2019
Hot Docs on Call: Hollywood Heartthrobs
October 2019
Hot Docs on Call: Tinseltown Cinderella
November 2019
Hot Docs on Call: One Night to Forever?
December 2019
Hot Docs on Call: Healing His Heart
December 2019
Hot Docs on Call: His Christmas Wish
It Started at Christmas…
Janice Lynn
All she wants for Christmas is…him!
This Christmas Dr. McKenzie Sanders knows exactly what she wants in her stocking—her gorgeous colleague Lance Spencer. He’s a sexy, brilliant, caring doctor—and, best of all, he’s just as averse to walking down the aisle as she is!
They agree to indulge in a sizzling fling that will absolutely not end in wedded bliss. But even the best-laid plans can go awry… Will risking their hearts lead to wedding bells?
To Blake Shelton for Retweeting me following his
Nashville concert and giving me a total fangirl
rush moment. Life is good.
CHAPTER ONE
“OKAY, WHO’S THE HUNK that just winked at you?”
At her best friend’s question Dr. McKenzie Sanders rolled her eyes at the emcee stepping out onto the Coopersville Community Theater stage. “That’s him.”
“That’s the infamous Dr. Lance Spencer?” Cecilia sounded incredulous from the chair next to McKenzie’s.
No wonder. Her best friend had heard quite a bit about the doctor slash local charity advocate. Was there any local charity he wasn’t involved with in some shape, form or fashion? McKenzie doubted it.
Still, when he’d invited her to come and watch the Christmas program, she’d not been expecting the well-choreographed show currently playing out before her eyes. Lance and his crew were good. Then again, knowing Lance, she should have expected greatness. He’d put the event together and everything the man touched was pure perfection.
And these days he wanted to touch her.
Sometimes McKenzie wondered if it was a case of women-chasing-him-toward-the-holy-matrimony-altar burnout that had him focusing on commitment-phobic her. She never planned to marry and Lance knew it. She made no secret of the fact she was a good-time girl and was never going to be tied down by the golden band of death to all future happiness. After his last girlfriend had gone a little psycho when he’d told her flat out he had no intention of ever proposing, Lance apparently wanted a break from tall lanky blonde numbers trying to drag him into wedded “bliss.” He’d taken to chasing petite brunettes who got hives at the mere mention of marriage thanks to unhappily divorced parents.
Her.
Despite accepting his invitation and hauling Cecilia with her to watch his show, McKenzie was running as fast as she could and had no intention of letting Lance “catch” her. She didn’t want a relationship with him, other than their professional one and the light, fun friendship they already shared. Something else she’d learned from her parents thanks to her dad, who’d chased every female coworker he’d ever had. McKenzie was nothing like either of her parents. Still, she could appreciate fineness when she saw it.
Lance was fine with a capital F.
Especially in his suit that appeared tailor-made.
Lance was no doubt one of those men who crawled out of bed covered in nonstop sexy. He was that kind of guy. The kind who made you want to skip that heavily iced cupcake and do some sit-ups instead just in case he ever saw you naked. The kind McKenzie avoided because she was a free spirit who wasn’t going to change herself for any man. Not ever. She’d eat her cupcake and have another if she wanted, with extra icing, thank you very much.
She’d watched women change for a man, seen her own mother do that, time and again. Ultimately, the changes didn’t last, the men lost interest, and the women involved ended up with broken hearts and a lot of confusion about who they were. McKenzie never gave any man a chance to get close enough to change her. She dated, had a good time and a good life. When things started getting sticky, she moved on. Next, please.
Really, she and Lance had a lot in common in that regard. Except he usually dated the same woman for several months and McKenzie’s relationships never lasted more than a few weeks at best. Anything longer than that just gave guys the wrong idea.
Like that she might be interested in white picket fences, a soccer-mom minivan, two point five kids, and a husband who would quickly get bored with her and have flirtations with his secretary…his therapist…his accountant…his law firm partner’s wife…his children’s schoolteacher…and who knew who else her father had cheated on her mother with?
Men cheated. It was a fact of life.
Sure, there were probably a few good ones out there still if she wanted to search for that needle in a haystack. McKenzie didn’t.
She wouldn’t change for a man or allow him to run around on her while she stayed home and scrubbed his bathroom floor and wiped his kids’ snotty noses. No way. She’d enjoy life, enjoy the opposite sex, and never make the mistake of being like her mother…or her father, who obviously couldn’t be faithful yet seemed to think he needed a wife on hand at all times since he’d just walked down the aisle for the fourth time since his divorce from McKenzie’s mother.
Which made her question why she’d said no to Lance when he’d asked her out.
Sure, there was the whole working-together thing that she clung to faithfully due to being scarred for life by her dad’s office romantic endeavors. Still, it wasn’t as if either she or Lance would be in it for anything more than to have some fun together. She was a fun-loving woman. He was a fun-loving man. They’d have fun together. Of that, she had no doubt. They were friends and occasionally hung out in groups of friends or shared a quick meal at the hospital. He managed to make her smile even on her toughest days. But when it had come to actually dating him she’d scurried away faster than a mouse in the midst of a spinster lady’s feline-filled house.
“Emcee got your tongue?” Cecilia asked, making McKenzie realize she hadn’t answered her friend, neither had she caught most of what Lance had said as she’d gotten lost in a whirlwind of the past and present.
“Sorry, I’m feeling a little distracted,” she shot back under her breath, her eyes on Lance and not the woman watching her intently.
“I just bet you are.” Cecilia laughed softly and, although McKenzie still didn’t turn to look at her friend, she could imagine the merriment that was no doubt sparkling in her friend’s warm brown eyes. “That man is so hot I think I feel a fever coming on. I might need some medical care very soon. What’s his specialty?”
“Internal medicine, not that you don’t already know that seeing as he works with me,” McKenzie pointed out, her gaze eating up Lance as he announced the first act, taking in the fluid movements of his body, the smile on his face, the dimples in his cheeks, the twinkle in his blue eyes. He looked like a movie star. He was a great doctor. What else could he do?
McKenzie gulped back the knot forming in her throat as her imagination took flight on the possibilities.
“Yeah, well, Christmas is all about getting a fabulous package, right? That man, right there, is a fabulous package,” Cecilia teased, nudging McKenzie’s arm.
Snorting, she rolled her eyes and hoped her friend couldn’t see the heat flooding her cheeks. “You have a one-track mind.”
“So do you and it’s not usually on men. You still competing in that marathon in the morning?”
Running. It’s what McKenzie did. She ran. Every morning. It’s how she cleared her head. How she brought in each new day. How she stayed one step ahead of any guy who tried to wiggle his way into her heart or bedroom. She ran.
Literally and figuratively.
Not that she was a virgin. She wasn’t. Her innocence had run away a long time ago, too. It was just that she was choosy about who she let touch her body.
Which brought her right back to the man onstage wooing the audience with his smile and charm.
He wanted to touch her body. Not that he’d said those exact words out loud. It was in how he looked at her.
He looked at her as if he couldn’t bear not to look at her.
As if he’d like to tear her clothes off and show her why she should hang up her running shoes for however long the chemistry held out.
She gulped again and forced more of those possibilities out of her mind.
Loud applause sounded around the dinner theater as the show moved from one song to the next. Before long, Lance introduced a trio of females who sang a song about getting nothing for Christmas. At the end of the trio’s set, groups of carolers made their way around the room, singing near the tables rather than on the stage. Lance remained just off to the side of the stage and was directly in her line of vision. His gaze met hers and he grinned. Great, he’d caught her staring at him. Then again, wasn’t that why he’d invited her to attend?
Because he wanted her to watch him.
She winced. Doggone her because seeing him outside the clinic made her watch. She didn’t want to watch him…only she did want to watch. And to feel. And to…
Cecilia elbowed her, and not with the gentle nudge as before.
“Ouch.” She rubbed her arm and frowned. No way could her friend have read her mind and even if she had, she was pretty sure Cecilia would be high-fiving her and not dishing out reprimands.
“Just wanted to make sure you were seeing what I’m seeing, because he can’t seem to keep his gaze off you.”
“I’m not blind,” she countered, still massaging the sore spot on her arm.
“After seeing the infamous Dr. Spencer I’ve heard you talk about so much and that I know you’ve said no to, I’m beginning to think perhaps you are. How long has it been since you last saw an optometrist?”
“Ha-ha, you’re so funny. There’s more to life than good looks.” Okay, so Lance was hot and she’d admit her body responded to that hotness. Always had. But even if there wasn’t her whole-won’t-date-a-coworker rule, she enjoyed her working relationship with Lance. If they dated, she didn’t fool herself for one second that they wouldn’t end up in bed. Then what? They weren’t going to be having a happily ever after. Work would become awkward. Did she really want to deal with all that just for a few weeks of sexy Lance this Christmas season?
Raking her gaze over him, she could almost convince herself it would be worth it…almost.
“Yeah,” Cecilia agreed. “There’s that voice that I could listen to all night long. Sign me up for a hefty dose of some of that.”
“Just because he has this crowd, and you, eating out of the palm of his hand, it doesn’t mean I should go out with him.”
Cecilia’s face lit with amusement. “What about you? Are you included in those he has eating out of the palm of his hand? Because I’m thinking you should. Literally.”
She didn’t. She wouldn’t. She couldn’t.
“I was just being a smart aleck,” McKenzie countered.
“Yeah, I know.” Cecilia ran her gaze over where Lance caroled, dressed up in old-fashioned garb and top hat. “But I’m serious. He could be the one.”
Letting out a long breath, McKenzie shook her head. “You know better than that.”
Cecilia had been her best friend since kindergarten. She’d been with McKenzie through all life’s ups and downs. Now McKenzie was a family doctor in a small group of physicians and Cecilia was a hairdresser at Bev’s Beauty Boutique. They’d both grown up to be what they’d always wanted to be. Except Cecilia was still waiting for her Prince Charming to come along and sweep her off her feet and across the threshold. Silly girl.
McKenzie was a big girl and could walk across that threshold all by herself. No Prince Charming needed or wanted.
Her gaze shifted from her friend and back to Lance. He was watching her. She’d swear he’d smiled at her. Maybe it was just the sparkle in his eyes that made her think that. Maybe.
Or maybe it went back to what she’d been thinking moments before about how the man looked at her. He made her want to let him look. It made her feel uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable.
Which was probably part of why she kept telling him no.
Only she was here tonight.
Why?
“I think you should go for it.”
She blinked at Cecilia. “It?”
“Dr. Spencer, aka the guy who has you so distracted.”
“I have to work with the man. Going for ‘it’ would only complicate our work relationship.”
“His asking you out hasn’t already complicated things?”
“Not really, because I haven’t let it.” She hadn’t. She’d made a point to keep their banter light, not act any differently around him.
If she’d had to make a point, did that mean the dynamics between them had already changed?
“Meaning?”
“Meaning I don’t take him seriously.”
“He’s looking at you as if he’s serious.”
There was that look. That heavenly making-her-want-to-squirm-in-her-chair look.
“Maybe.”
“Definitely.”
But then suddenly he wasn’t looking at her.
He’d rushed over to one of the dinner tables and wrapped his arms around a rather rosy-faced gentleman who was grabbing at his throat. Everyone at the man’s table was on their feet, but looking lost as to what to do.
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