Tangled Lights and Silent Nights Read online

  COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE INFORMATION

  Each story within this collection is protected by copyright of the author.

  The Moment I Knew I Would Love Ethan Forever — Brenda Vicars

  Yuletide Homicide: A Liz Boyle Short Mystery — Kate Birdsall

  A Crazy Christmas — Kelly Stone Gamble

  Rowen’s Gift — Michael Meyerhofer

  A Merry Mugging — Claude Bouchard

  A Vanderbilt Christmas — Nicole Evelina

  Another Bloody Festival — Ciara Ballintyne

  Holiday in Hartland — Gail Cleare

  Some Carry-Tail: A Gabriel & Orson Story — Victor Catano

  A Twin Oaks Christmas — Reece Taylor

  The Christmas Jacket — Diane Byington

  A Muse-ing Christmas — Kelley Kaye

  Building Cairns — Darren R. Leo

  A Katie Christmas — Erica Lucke Dean

  Convergence — Stacey Roberts

  Caesar’s Gift — LeTeisha Newton

  A Gift for Momma — Debbie TenBrink

  Literally Christmas — Cee Streetlights

  Father Christmas — Timothy Woodward

  And Mercy Mild — Justin Bogdanovitch

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any informational storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright owner.

  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 any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover designer: LeTeisha Newton, Beyond DEF

  Project Coordinators: Kelly Stone Gamble; Tiffany Fox; Beyond DEF

  Interior Layout: Deena Rae Schoenfeldt; E-Book Builders

  Table of Contents

  In This Volume

  LifeAfter

  The Moment I Knew I Would Love Ethan Forever

  by Brenda Vicars

  Contemporary YA

  Books By Brenda

  About Brenda

  Yuletide Homicide: A Liz Boyle Short Mystery

  by Kate Birdsall

  Mystery

  Books By Kate

  About Kate

  A Crazy Christmas

  by Kelly Stone Gamble

  Women’s Fiction

  Books By Kelly

  About Kelly

  Rowen’s Gift

  by Michael Meyerhofer

  Epic Fantasy

  Books By Michael

  About Michael

  A Merry Mugging

  A Christmas Short Story (featuring Chris Barry of the Vigilante Series)

  by Claude Bouchard

  Crime Thriller

  Books by Claude

  About Claude Bouchard

  A Vanderbilt Christmas

  by Nicole Evelina

  Historical

  Books by Nicole

  About Nicole

  Another Bloody Festival

  by Ciara Ballintyne

  Epic Fantasy

  Books by Ciara

  About Ciara

  Holiday in Hartland

  by Gail Cleare

  Women’s Fiction

  Books by Gail

  About Gail

  Some Carry-tail

  A Gabriel & Orson Christmas

  by Victor Catano

  Urban Fantasy

  Books by Victor

  About Victor

  A Twin Oaks Christmas

  by Reece Taylor

  Contemporary Romance

  Books by Reece

  About Reece

  The Christmas Jacket

  by Diane Byington

  Women’s Fiction

  Books by Diane

  About Diane

  A Muse-ing Christmas

  Ms. Parker Teaches Santa—Shakespeare Style

  by Kelley Kaye

  Mystery

  Books by Kelley

  About Kelley

  Building Cairns

  by Darren Leo

  Contemporary Fiction

  Books by Darren

  About Darren

  A Katie Christmas

  Featuring Cooper and Katie from To Katie With Love

  by Erica Lucke Dean

  Contemporary Romance

  Books by Erica

  About Erica

  Convergence

  by Stacey Roberts

  Humor

  Books by Stacey

  About Stacey

  Caesar’s Gift

  by LeTeisha Newton

  Dark Romance

  Books by LeTeisha

  About LeTeisha

  A Gift for Momma

  by Debbie S. TenBrink

  Mystery

  Books by Debbie

  About Debbie

  Literally Christmas

  by C. Streetlights

  Contemporary Fantasy

  Books by Cee

  About Cee

  Father Christmas

  by Timothy Woodward

  LGBT Fiction

  Books by Timothy

  About Timothy

  And Mercy Mild

  by Justin Bog

  Contemporary Fiction

  Books by Justin

  About Justin

  In This Volume

  The Moment I Knew I Would Love Ethan Forever

  by Brenda Vicars

  Contemporary YA

  When Polarity spends Christmas Eve with Ethan’s family, she discovers a side to him that she never knew. In a single moment, the unlikely combination of a deadly rattlesnake, a ten-year-old’s tears, and “O Holy Night” awakens Polarity’s understanding of Ethan, her own heart, and love.

  Yuletide Homicide: A Liz Boyle Short Mystery

  by Kate Birdsall

  Mystery

  In this Christmas mystery, we follow Cleveland Detective Liz Boyle out of the squad room and into her personal life, where we see glimpses of her humanity, that she often conceals.

  A Crazy Christmas

  by Kelly Stone Gamble

  Women’s Fiction

  All Cass Adams wants for Christmas is a new pair of boots, but her husband, Roland, has other plans. From the USA Today Bestselling novel, They Call Me Crazy.

  Rowen’s Gift

  by Michael Meyerhofer

  Epic Fantasy

  A condemned man learns that not everyone is cut out to be a hero. A tie-in to the award-winning fantasy novel, Wytchfire, Book I in the Dragonkin Trilogy.

  A Merry Mugging

  by Claude Bouchard

  Crime Thriller

  From USA Today Bestselling Author of the Vigilante Series. What better time than Christmas for the Vigilante to show some heart?

  A Vanderbilt Christmas

  by Nicole Evelina

  Historical

  Aspiring suffragist Victoria Woodhull has finally secured an entre into New York high society thanks to an invitation to Christmas Eve dinner at Cornelius Vanderbilt’s house, but her low-class family threatens to ruin everything. A tie-in to the award-winning novel Madame Presidentess.

  Another Bloody Festival

  by Ciara Ballintyne

  Epic Fantasy<
br />
  Desperate to be the world’s leading research wizard, the genius Alloran makes a fateful decision that ends in bloodshed and changes the course of the world’s future. A short story prequel to The Seven Circles of Hell.

  Holiday in Hartland

  by Gail Cleare

  Women’s Fiction

  It’s Christmas Eve at the lakeside cottage in Vermont where Bridget Reilly has been living alone. Soon her daughter Lizzie, born twenty-five years ago and adopted by the birth father’s family, will arrive for their first holiday together in this continuation of Cleare’s USA Today bestseller, The Taste of Air.

  Some Carry-Tail: A Gabriel & Orson Story

  by Victor Catano

  Urban Fantasy

  Gabriel’s quest to find his witchy girlfriend, Sheila, the perfect Christmas gift gets derailed by a family swindled by a street Santa. It’s up to him and Orson, his magical bulldog, to set things right.

  A Twin Oaks Christmas

  by Reece Taylor

  Contemporary Romance

  Featuring Hannah and Lee from Bless Your Heart. Celebrate the holidays in the town of Twin Oaks at the annual Christmas Festival. It is a fun-filled time with a heart-warming, unexpected family reunion.

  The Christmas Jacket

  by Diane Byington

  Women’s Fiction

  Faye desperately wants a high school athletic jacket for Christmas, but her family is too poor. Featuring Faye Smith from the award-winning historical novel Who She Is.

  A Muse-ing Christmas: Ms. Parker Teaches Santa—Shakespeare Style

  by Kelley Kaye

  Mystery

  English teacher Leslie Parker is the super-sleuthing sidekick to Emma Lovett, the protagonist for the Chalkboard Outlines Cozy Mystery Series. No one gets killed in this holiday assignment, but it’s up to Leslie to keep Maisie from murdering iambic pentameter.

  Building Cairns

  by Darren R. Leo

  Contemporary Fiction

  Frog, from The Trees Beneath Us, is innkeeper, cook, den mother, and therapist. Hikers come and go through her life with no idea what they do to it.

  A Katie Christmas

  by Erica Lucke Dean

  Contemporary Romance

  Featuring Cooper and Katie from To Katie With Love. Before crashing Katie’s birthday party, Cooper was firmly stuck in the “client zone.” Desperate to change that status, Cooper shows up at the annual client-appreciation holiday brunch determined to win Katie’s heart.

  Convergence

  by Stacey Roberts

  Humor

  A Jewish boy with a girl’s name discovers a Christmas miracle. His mother is not happy about it. From the autobiographical Trailer Trash with a Girl’s Name.

  Caesar’s Gift

  by LeTeisha Newton

  Dark Romance

  From International Bestselling Author of Whispers in the Dark, featuring the beloved Caesar St. Clair of Vanquished. Ashlyn gave Caesar everything he ever wanted—love, marriage, a son, and the darkness he craved. Now he’s on a mission to give her the world for the holidays.

  A Gift for Momma

  by Debbie S. TenBrink

  Mystery

  Featuring Lieutenant Jo Riskin from Warped Ambition, a Jo Riskin Mystery. When Jo meets a young runaway on Christmas Eve, she’s determined to reunite him with his family and help them give each other the most important Christmas gift of all.

  Literally Christmas

  by C. Streetlights

  Contemporary Fantasy

  When Natalie takes a job as an elf at Santa’s Enchanted Forest, her cynicism toward the holiday becomes overwhelming. Now, after eating one of Santa’s Christmas cookies, Natalie must accept that perhaps not everything about the holiday is exactly what she thinks it is.

  Father Christmas

  by Timothy Woodward

  LGBT Fiction

  Sean Jackson is determined to come out to his dad over the holidays. Will the spirit of Christmas help his dad accept Sean’s sexuality, or will Sean’s coming out ruin the holiday for his whole family? A continuation of the ALA Rainbow List novel If I Told You So.

  And Mercy Mild

  by Justin Bog

  Contemporary Fiction

  Seeking redemption, a mother of two daughters examines her past, makes a bold change to her present, and hopes for a future not haunted by her memories. “And Mercy Mild” is linked to the story “Hark,” from the holiday collection Hark: A Christmas Collection.

  LifeAfter

  The LifeAfter Project is a pathway to awareness.

  Created by world-renowned Rock and Celebrity Photographer, Michael Strider, partnering with Supermodel Julie Anderson and entrepreneur Brian Whitfield. The trio has a goal fueled by a passion, that passion is to shatter the stigma and spread awareness to three taboo topics that underscore society today: Suicide, Substance Abuse, and Domestic Violence.

  The term LifeAfter was born from the idea there is life after any problem someone may have, no matter how severe they feel it may be. We believe that no matter the problem, things can and will get better. With your help, together we can ensure that those in need see that light.

  Proceeds from the LifeAfter Project will fund organizations that have a positive impact on suicide prevention, drug addiction, and domestic abuse.

  Our Mission

  The LifeAfter Project aims to reach out and provide assistance for those who struggle with thoughts of suicide, substance abuse, or domestic abuse. All these things are related to mental illness. Our goal is to educate, inspire and spread awareness. We hope that our efforts will help eradicate the stigma associated with this insidious epidemic.

  http://lifeafterproject.org/

  Tangled Lights

  and

  Silent Nights

  The Moment I Knew I Would Love Ethan Forever

  by Brenda Vicars

  We were only sixteen, but in one moment I knew I would love Ethan forever. It happened at his grandmother’s farm two days before Christmas. His grandmother had invited us to a cookout—just our family and his. It was at the end of a warm December day. That sounds weird—warm December—but in south Texas warm days and nights in the Christmas season are common. We had finished eating and everyone was sitting on the back porch in lawn chairs drinking iced tea and watching the dying embers in the barbeque pit glow orange wavers among the black charcoal and ashes.

  Ethan’s chair was next to mine, and I was hoping now that the meal was over and the sun was setting, we would take a walk alone, steal a few minutes. My family would be leaving town the next morning, and this was the last time I’d be with Ethan for weeks or even months. He had whispered to me earlier that we’d take a walk after dinner. But neither of us had anticipated how his youngest sister, Keisha, would attach herself to me. To her five-year-old mind, I was a delightful new playmate. Braced with her favorite doll and a handful of tiny dresses and accessories, she wedged herself between my and Ethan’s chairs.

  She dropped the wardrobe items onto my lap. Her dark brown eyes, so much like Ethan’s, darted from the clothes to my face and implored me to love this game as much as she did. She thrust a pink dress at me. “This is Ellen’s favorite outfit.” She watched as I looked it over.

  “Oh!” I turned it from side-to-side. “Beautiful.”

  Ethan, from behind Keisha’s back grinned at me. Unlike most guys his age, he didn’t need to roll his eyes or put on a macho show of being disinterested in his sister’s childish play. He honored her interests with the same respect he’d give someone his own age.

  Keisha stripped her doll and took the pink dress from me. “Now when she puts on her ball gown, we have to take her to the palace to dance.”

  I helped her slip the doll into the new outfit. “That sounds like fun.”

  As soon as the doll was dressed, Keisha grabbed my hand and tugged. “Come on. The palace
is this way.” She angled her head toward a gazebo about twenty feet from the house.

  I laughed. “Okay, we’re going on a journey to the palace?”

  “Yes.” She glanced over her shoulder at her ten-year-old sister. “Theresa, you can come, too.” Keisha paused to wait until her shy sister pushed herself up from her chair.

  I didn’t think Theresa had said a word during the whole visit, and every time I tried to bring her into a conversation, she shrank into herself.

  Ethan stood as if to come with us, but when we stepped to the edge of the porch, Dad said to him, “How about if I help you lift the grill and clean it? I think the pit has cooled enough.”

  Keisha, still clasping my left hand, led me off the porch. I stretched my free hand out to Theresa, but she seemed not to see me. She kept up with us, but she walked several feet to my right.

  There were dozens of cedar fence posts, at least seven feet long, lying parallel in rows on the ground in front of the gazebo as if someone were planning to build a fence. Stepping carefully onto a post, Keisha dropped my hand so she could stretch both arms out to mimic balancing on a tight rope. She walked across the posts. “This is the moat around the palace. Be careful and don’t fall into the water. There’s alligators and monsters in there.”