A Christmas to Believe In
Read A Christmas to Believe In Online
Authors: Claire Ashgrove
A Christmas to Believe In
by Claire Ashgrove
The Wild Rose Press
www.thewildrosepress.com
Copyright ©2010
First published in 2010
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A Christmas to Believe In
by Claire Ashgrove
CONTENTS
Other Titles Available by Claire Ashgrove
3
A Christmas to Believe In
by Claire Ashgrove
Want more of the King brothers?
* * * *
A Christmas to Believe In
by Claire Ashgrove
Ethan tossed his controller in front of him, his interest in
the game lost. Jesse braced herself for the inevitable,
knowing full well whatever came out of his mouth next, would
hurt.
"Give it up, would you? I don't want to know him. I don't
have to like your friends."
"But Ethan—"
He scooted away like she'd cracked a whip in his face.
"Enough! Don't you get it? I don't give a damn about him."
"Ethan Scott!"
"What? Too crude for you, Jesse?"
She flinched, drew in a deep breath and held it.
Jesse
. He
hadn't called her by her first name for over a year. Exhaling
slowly, she set her controller down and slid off his bed.
Though she knew in her heart, too many years of pain drove
his emotions, the barb stung. On the same hand, she'd
pushed. Ethan couldn't tolerate pushing. He had to come to
things on his own time.
Foregoing the lecture, she crossed to the door.
"Goodnight, Ethan."
He said nothing. Merely picked up his controller and set
the options back to one-player.
On a heavy sigh, Jesse left his room.
Inside hers, she clicked on the lamp by her bedside and
reclined against her pillows. Tears brimmed in her eyes. She
closed them to keep the salty flow at bay and curled her
fingers into the sheets. In a thousand years, she never would
have imagined that the only man she'd ever truly wanted
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A Christmas to Believe In
by Claire Ashgrove
would be Clint. In his arms, she felt safe. Protected.
Undefeatable. He lit her up in ways she had only begun to
comprehend, and it seemed as if fate determined to work
against her.
If she weren't careful, she'd lose Ethan. Every agonizing
step she'd made would crumble under the weight of his fears.
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A Christmas to Believe In
by Claire Ashgrove
Other Titles Available by Claire Ashgrove
Seduction's Stakes
All I Want for Christmas... Is Big Blue Eyes
Timeless Valentine
Waiting for Yes
"
Timeless Valentine
is a story romantics are sure to enjoy.
Author Claire Ashgrove has created a heartwarming, yet
sometimes heartbreaking, story with compelling characters a
reader can't help but fall in love with."
~Long and Short Reviews
All I Want for Christmas... Is Big Blue Eyes:
"Claire Ashgrove proves yet again what an amazing
storyteller she is with her wonderful new Holiday tale. She
gives us unforgettable characters and not only our hero and
heroine but a cast of truly memorable supporting characters
as well."
~Long and Short Reviews,
"Claire Ashgrove wins a Triple Crown with
Seduction's
Stakes
, a wonderful story, unforgettable characters, and an
amazing love story."
~Long and Short Reviews—2009 Book Of The Year
Nominee
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A Christmas to Believe In
by Claire Ashgrove
"Claire Ashgrove has written a book I found impossible to
put down. Her book,
A Christmas to Believe In
, reminds me of
Linda Lael Miller's wonderful Western family series. Ms
Ashgrove, I commend you for your talent and for taking the
time to write a story, that proves Christmas is the time when
dreams are fulfilled. Jesse, Clint, and Ethan, found those
dreams and tackled the obstacles. This book is a Christmas
gift for all of us, romance reading at it's best."
~Mary M. Rickson, author of
Tripping Through Time
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A Christmas to Believe In
by Claire Ashgrove
A Christmas
to
Believe In
The Three Kings, Book III
by
Claire Ashgrove
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A Christmas to Believe In
by Claire Ashgrove
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and
incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or
are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons
living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is
entirely coincidental.
A Christmas to Believe In: The Three Kings, Book
Three
COPYRIGHT (C) 2010 by Claire Ashgrove
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or
reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written
permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press except in the
case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or
reviews.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Cover Art by
Rae Monet
The Wild Rose Press
PO Box 708
Adams Basin, NY 14410-0706
Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com
Publishing History
First Champagne Rose Edition, 2010
Print ISBN 1-60154-789-7
Published in the United States of America
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A Christmas to Believe In
by Claire Ashgrove
To Alicia Dean and Dyann Love Barr,
without whom this would never have transpired.
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A Christmas to Believe In
by Claire Ashgrove
Thank you to the Dreamweaver ladies, Dyann Love Barr,
Melissa Lattin, Kimberly Baskett McEnany, Trisha Huntsman,
and to the ladies of WCW, Linda Kage, Leigh Stites. You gals
are awesome. Thank you to my best friend, Erin Huttig, for
always listening to my endless babble and helping me through
the rough spots. Midwest Romance Writers, Mid-America
Romance Writers, and Heartland Romance Writers—you've
taught me so much. I'm grateful I found you and for the time
I've spent learning craft. Mary Belk, as always, thank you for
your belief, motivation and friendship. Cindy Davis, for your
enthusiasm and the nitty-gritty.
Alfie Thompson, you've been a mentor from day one. It
occurred to me, I never mentioned that aloud. So here it is—
without you, I'd have quit a long, long time ago.
Thank you, Mom. Without your support and patience with
the grandkids, none of this would ever come together.
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A Christmas to Believe In
by Claire Ashgrove
Snow crunched beneath the Chevy pickup's tires as Clint
King navigated around a turn. In the silent dark, his blinker
clicked a steady beat that tempered his nerves. In the rear-
view mirror, he checked that the two-horse trailer on his
bumper didn't slip in the light sheen of ice. The last thing he
needed was a wreck.
As if today wasn't bad enough.
He mumbled as he glanced down at the gas gauge. A few
more miles and the warning light would come on. Thank God
Mom's house lurked just around the next bend. He could
finally get off the snow-covered highways between
Brandenburg, Kentucky and the Kansas City Northlands. Eight
hours of treacherous roads was enough strain to turn a saint
into a sinner.
Then again, if his mother hadn't dosed out a heavy round
of guilt, he'd be happily tucked into his couch, watching the
latest DVD release. Even a saint couldn't stand up to Mom's
masterful manipulation. He could still hear her heavy sigh.
The carefully chosen words echoed in his head.
But Clint, you
missed your father's last Christmas.
He had. Certainly not intentionally, but he'd missed it all
the same. None of them had foreseen their father would die
the following summer. This last summer. When Clint had been
too busy prepping for the track to come home for the Fourth
of July.
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A Christmas to Believe In
by Claire Ashgrove
Guilt rose up to curdle his stomach and compressed his
chest. He tightened his hands on the wheel. Damn, he didn't
want to do this. Coming back here stirred up all kinds of
memories. Each mile he crossed brought pictures of the past.
Dad taking him and his brothers sledding. Dad holding the
camera as they all opened gifts. Even the last Christmas Clint
had spent with his family his father had maintained the
specific role of photographer. Who would take the pictures
this year—Alex?
Clint shook his head. No,
he
was the eldest. That should be
his responsibility. Alex had other things on his mind. More
important things like a long-lost sister none of them had
known about until a few weeks ago. Alex also had new triplet
daughters to worry about. News Clint would have loved to see
Alex's high and mighty fiancee hear. That ought to be quite
the twist to Alex's Christmas Eve wedding.
Heath would be too caught up in the festivities. Hell, for
that matter, Heath probably hadn't even thought to bring a
camera. Even if Dad's sat in the closet, Heath would be
goofing off. He'd always gotten away with it too. As the
peacemaker of the family, he'd never been on the receiving
ends of Mom's down-the-nose looks, or Dad's stern, "I
expected more from you" frowns. No, Heath fixed everything
with an innocent expression and humor.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Clint steered around a slow left
hand curve. Up the hillside, pale blue lights dangled from high
gables. White strands wound around the porch beams. Even
from this distance, the deep red glow of his mother's
Christmas wreath shone from the front door.
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A Christmas to Believe In
by Claire Ashgrove
Home. Five years later, and he was home.
Further off in the distance, he observed the festive red and
green bulbs that always decorated Jesse Saurs' folks' barn.
Some things never changed. Odd though, Mom had
