SNOWED
IN FOR CHRISTMAS
Author:
Sarah Morgan
ISBN:
9781335630940
Publication
Date: September 20, 2022
Publisher:
HQN
Book
Summary:
What happens if the only
Christmas celebration you want to attend is one you haven't been invited to?
USA Today bestselling author Sarah Morgan delights with this hilarious and
heartwarming Christmas cracker of a novel!
The Miller family Christmas is legendary – it’s the kind of perfect
festive gathering that advertising exec Lucy has only ever read about. Until
now. Because this year, she needs to
get Ross Miller on board with a new contract, and he’s not taking her calls. So
she has no choice – she’ll gatecrash the Miller Christmas, get Ross’s
signature, then disappear before her envy at their epic family celebrations
gets too much.
The Miller sisters couldn’t be more different – tough cookie doctor
Alice despairs of soft-hearted nanny Clemmie – but they are united by two
things. A wish to see their disreputable older brother Ross settle down, and
horror at their parents’ well-meaning interrogations every Christmas!
Especially this year, with both women hiding life-changing secrets they do not want dissected over the Christmas
turkey. So when a woman shows up on their snowy Highland doorstep, asking for
Ross, and their grandma mistakes her for Ross’s new girlfriend, an opportunity
presents itself
Before she knows it, Lucy has been invited to stay for the
holidays, as the newest Miller plus-one. Her ‘boyfriend’ is furious, but the
chemistry between them is as tempting as it is surprising. It’s shaping up to
be either Lucy’s worst Christmas of all, or the best mistake of her life….
Buy Links:
Harlequin:
https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335462831_snowed-in-for-christmas.html
Barnes
& Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/snowed-in-for-christmas-sarah-morgan/1140995667?ean=9781335630940
Books-A-Million:
https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Snowed-Christmas/Sarah-Morgan/9781335630940?id=8292090795540
Powell’s: https://www.powells.com/book/snowed-in-for-christmas-9781335449962
Excerpt:
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Maya helped Lucy pack
boxes of the Fingersnug into a bag. “Isn’t there a risk that turning up at his
house in Scotland makes you look like a stalker?”
“I can see why you might be concerned about that and I’m not
going to say it didn’t cross my mind, but no. Firstly because I’m in Scotland
anyway, doing a photoshoot for the Fingersnug along with reindeer and several
influencers, and secondly because this is what Zoe told me to do. I’m simply
following her advice. And it’s not as if I haven’t tried every other route
first.” Maybe she was overstepping a little, but sometimes you had to take a
risk to get ahead.
Ever since Arnie’s health scare she’d been working flat out
to put together ideas for Miller Active. She was excited about her plan and
desperate to get her proposal in front of Ross Miller before the competition
snagged his attention. She was willing to take the chance that the whole thing
could explode in her face. What was the worst that could happen? He’d slam the
door on her, which wouldn’t be pleasant but at least she’d be able to limp home
knowing that she’d done everything she could to help Arnie and protect people’s
jobs.
“Who is Zoe?”
“Ross Miller’s personal assistant. She’s great. She’s
organized, and she knows everything. We went to that new wine bar near the
river last night, and—”
“You went to a wine bar with Ross Miller’s assistant?”
“Yes.” Lucy tucked some of the festive “props” she’d bought
into the bag. “We’ve been talking every day for the past week, and we’ve become
friendly.”
Maya shook her head in disbelief. “How do you do it? If
someone stands still for long enough, you befriend them.”
“It wasn’t hard. I like her. I took my proposal over to the
office and we got chatting. Turns out she’s from Scotland, too, and she knows
Ross from school.”
“And he gave her a job?”
“Why not? She’s brilliant. And who knows, maybe she
threatened to reveal all his secrets if he didn’t employ her.” Lucy added two
boxes of fairy lights to the bag. “They’re obviously good friends. Sounds as if
they have one of those fun relationships full of banter where she scolds him,
and he pretends to do as he’s told. Can you pass me the snow globe?”
Maya handed it to her. “Good friends? Or very good friends.”
“Not romantic. According to Zoe, Ross isn’t involved with
anyone. He occasionally dates, but women tend to get frustrated by his focus on
work. He actually forgot about his last date, left her sitting in a
restaurant.” She forced the snow globe into the bulging bag. Maybe it had been
optimistic of her to think she could manage with the one bag.
“Not the king of romance, then,” Maya said. “Does Ross know
that his assistant is revealing his entire personal life to strangers?”
“I’m not a stranger. I’ve seen her four times this week.”
May rolled her eyes. “And no doubt by Friday you’ll be
godmother to her children.”
“She doesn’t have children, although she would like to.
She’s dating William, but he’s currently living in Edinburgh and she misses him
horribly. William, it seems, is very slow to make a commitment so Zoe is
thinking of proposing herself. We talked through a few strategies.” Lucy tried
to close the bag and failed. “A little help, please?”
Maya pushed the sides of the bag together. “No offense, but
since when did you become the expert on marriage proposals?”
“I know a lot about the theory.” Finally, Lucy managed to
close the bag. “You don’t have to travel the world to teach geography. I’m
creative, that’s my job. I know how to make an impact. Also, I pay attention to
what people want and need. That’s the basis of successful selling and, in the
end, that’s what we’re doing. All the time. Every day. I’m going to be selling
the idea of me to Ross.”
“So where does William fit into this?”
“William works in risk assurance so it’s understandable that
he won’t be given to impulse. He needs a little something to nudge him past
that caution barrier. Fortunately Ross Miller closes the office for a week over
Christmas, which means Zoe can go home, too.” Lucy lifted the bag. “This weighs
a ton. Nothing else is fitting in there.”
“He closes the office?”
“Yes. He goes home to Scotland to spend time with his
family.”
“That’s nice.”
“It is. I like it when people appreciate family.” Lucy
lowered the bag back to the floor. “I feel as if I’ve forgotten something. What
else do I need?”
“A whole lot of good luck and the bound copies of your
proposal. You wanted two, is that right?” Maya handed them to her. “You haven’t
discussed this with Arnie, have you?”
“No. He is supposed to be resting. No stress. You know what
he’s like. If I even mention this, he’ll want to be involved.” She knew she’d
never forget the sight of Arnie being taken away in an ambulance. For a
horrible moment she’d thought she might lose another person she loved, but
fortunately it hadn’t turned out to be as serious as they’d feared.
Arnie had been discharged with medication and a lecture on
lifestyle.
He was keeping in touch with the office, but Lucy had given
everyone strict instructions not to contact him.
The office felt strange without him there. Even the
Christmas tree and the decorations couldn’t make up for his absence. But if he
rested now, hopefully he’d be well enough to come back to work in January.
In the meantime she was holding the fort.
Maya gestured to the proposals in Lucy’s hand. “Good work,
by the way. Clever. I think Ross Miller will be impressed.”
“Let’s hope so.” She grabbed some Christmas wrapping. “Did
you see the photo Ted sent round? The baby is gorgeous.”
“They’re not getting any sleep.”
“I know. Ted says he watches the baby half the night to
check she’s still breathing.” Lucy knelt on the floor, cut the wrapping paper
and measured a length of ribbon.
“Ribbon?” Maya frowned. “You’re not seriously gift wrapping
the proposal?”
“Why not? It’s Christmas.” She wrapped the document
carefully. “Even the most hard-hearted businessman can’t help but respond to
wrapping paper covered in cheerful robins, surely?”
“That’s why you’re wrapping it? To fill his hardened heart
with festive joy?”
“No.” Lucy tied the ribbon and secured the label she’d
handwritten in careful script. “I’m wrapping it in case something happens and
I’m not able to deliver it to him personally. It’s Christmas, and they have a
big family gathering every year.”
“Zoe again?”
“No. I read about it in that magazine feature I mentioned.”
She’d pored over every page, envious of the oversize Christmas trees, the lush
garlands adorning fireplaces and the curved bannister. “If I hand them a
boring-looking proposal the chances are they’re going to forget about it. Who
wants to read a boring document at Christmas? If I wrap it, then there is a
good chance that at some point over the festive season it’s going to be
opened.”
“Possibly by one very disappointed kid who is immediately
going to throw a tantrum before tossing it out of the window.”
“No young children in the family, according to my research.”
She tucked the wrapped parcel carefully into her laptop bag, along with the
spare unwrapped proposal.
“Please tell me you’re not dressing as Santa when you drop
it off.”
“I wasn’t planning to—” Lucy rocked back on her heels “—but
now you’re making me think.”
“Well don’t think. You’ve done enough thinking.” Maya rested
her hip on the desk and folded her arms. “So why didn’t he go into the family
business?”
“Ross? I have no idea, and it’s not relevant. I am not there
to interfere with family politics. I am simply going to ring the doorbell and
hand over my gift. Merry Christmas. That’s it.”
“You should have put a copy of that marketing magazine in with
the proposal. Cover girl Lucy.”
Lucy stood up and put the unused wrapping paper back on her
desk. “That’s one of those awards that we are all super proud of, but no one
else in the world has ever heard of.”
“But you’re the face of modern marketing. He might be
impressed.”
“Or not.” Lucy glanced at her phone. “I have an hour before
my train leaves.”
“The sleeper. I’ve always thought that sounds romantic.
Traveling on a train through the darkness, clickety-clack, clickety-clack.”
“There is nothing romantic about having a carriage to
myself.”
“Maybe it will be like one of those spy movies,” Maya said,
“where the bad guy is lurking, waiting to throw you out of the window.”
“And for that comforting thought, I thank you.”
“You should have taken some days for yourself while you’re
up there. Have a mini break.”
Lucy couldn’t think of anything worse. “I’ve already booked
my return journey the following night. All organized. It’s a flying visit.”
Even if she had the money for it, she didn’t want to spend
time in a hotel on her own at Christmas. How miserable would that be?
No, she’d spend the day taking creative photos of the
Fingersnug with the reindeer herd as her backdrop, and then she’d deliver her
proposal to Ross Miller on her way back to catch the train.
As far as she could see, there was nothing that could go wrong.
Excerpted from Snowed in for Christmas by Sarah Morgan. Copyright © 2022 by Sarah Morgan. Published by arrangement with Harlequin Books
Author
Bio:
|
|
Sarah
Morgan is a USA
Today and Sunday Times
bestselling author of contemporary romance and women's fiction. She has sold
more than 21 million copies of her books and her trademark humour and warmth
have gained her fans across the globe. Sarah lives with her family near
London, England, where the rain frequently keeps her trapped in her office.
Visit her at www.sarahmorgan.com Find her online at: |
Author
Website: https://sarahmorgan.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSarahMorgan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SarahMorgan_
Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahmorganwrites/
Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/45898.Sarah_Morgan
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