Love Blossoms
Kimberly Rae Jordan
Narelle Atkins
Autumn Macarthur
Lynette Sowell
Jan Thompson
Marion Ueckermann
Susette Williams
Contents
Copyright
Introduction
LOVE BLOSSOMS
Kimberly Rae Jordan
A HANDFUL OF FLOWERS
Copyright
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Note to the Reader
About Kimberly Rae Jordan
Books by Kimberly Rae Jordan
Narelle Atkins
THE BRIDESMAID’S HERO
Copyright
Epigraph
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
About Narelle Atkins
Books by Narelle Atkins
Autumn Macarthur
A LESSON IN LOVE
Copyright
Epigraph
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Thank You for Reading
British English & Scottish Glossary
Bible Verses
Acknowledgments
About Autumn Macarthur
Books by Autumn Macarthur
Lynette Sowell
SPRING AT THE BARNCASTLE
Copyright
Epigraph
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
About Lynette Sowell
Books by Lynette Sowell
Jan Thompson
WALK YOU THERE
Copyright
Dedication
Epigraph
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Farewell from Ryan and Tamsyn
Thank You
About Savannah Sweethearts
About Jan Thompson
Books by Jan Thompson
Marion Ueckermann
A MATCH FOR MAGNOLIA
Dear Reader
Praise for A Match for Magnolia
Copyright
Dedication
Epigraph
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
About Author Marion Ueckermann
Books by Marion Ueckermann
Susette Williams
SPRING BREAK
Copyright
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Dear Reader
About Author Susette Williams
Books by Susette Williams
Thank You for Reading LOVE BLOSSOMS
Love Blossoms: 7 Spring-Fresh Christian Romances
A Handful of Flowers Copyright © 2016 by Kimberly Rae Jordan
The Bridesmaid’s Hero Copyright © 2016 by Narelle Atkins
A Lesson in Love Copyright © 2016 by Autumn Macarthur
Spring at the Barncastle Copyright © 2015 by Lynette Sowell
Walk You There Copyright © 2016 by Jan Edttii Lim Thompson
A Match for Magnolia Copyright © 2016 by Marion Clair Ueckermann
Spring Break Copyright © 2016 by Susette Williams
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the authors.
This limited edition LOVE BLOSSOMS anthology is published with permission from the respective authors.
eBook Edition: January 2016
LOVE BLOSSOMS
7 Spring-Fresh Christian Romances
Introduction
This is an anthology of seven contemporary Christian romances from your favorite authors:
Kimberly Rae Jordan
Narelle Atkins
Autumn Macarthur
Lynette Sowell
Jan Thompson
Marion Ueckermann
Susette Williams
A Handful of Flowers by Kimberly Rae Jordan
They had a deal. She’d watch his kids, and he’d do the repairs on her aging home. Neither wanted anything more, but sometimes God has a different plan.
The Bridesmaid’s Hero by Narelle Atkins
Serena Blaxland’s job at her parents’ B&B in Snowgum Creek, Australia, is only temporary. Sparks fly when hire car driver Harry Westmore saves the beautiful pastry chef from disrupting her sister’s wedding day, but the opportunity of a lifetime threatens to push them apart. Can Harry and Serena’s love and faith overcome the obstacles in their path?
A Lesson in Love by Autumn MacArthur
Love can make life complicated! Sports teachers Fraser Maclean and Sarah Browne have worked together all year, but when a garden project for their church brings them together outside of school, everything changes. Can they learn God’s lessons in love, or will secrets and fear keep them apart?
Spring at the Barncastle by Lynette Sowell
After a career disaster, Sadie Barncastle finds herself in rural Vermont, starting over and opening up a shop at the family inn. She meets up with an old friend from childhood, Peter Appleman, a widower next door with a precocious daughter. But Sadie’s not sure if life in the Green Mountains is for her and feels the call of Boston drawing her. Peter, however, is drawn to Sadie but isn’t quite sure if he’s ready to move on yet. As Easter approaches, a time of forgiveness, restoration, and joy, the two realize that it’s also a time for new beginnings, but does that include with each other?
Walk You There by Jan Thompson
A local tour guide who makes a living off Savannah history goes to battle against an award-winning developer who wants to demolish the old city block she lives in.
A Match for Magnolia by Marion Ueckermann
Magnolia Blume’s life is perfect, except for one thing—Davis Rathbone is everything she’s not looking for in a man.
Spring Break by Susette Williams
Kelly Sanders volunteers at an orphanage and loves working with children—even if they can be a bit mischievous at times. Marc Stevenson is used to fighting fires, not rescuing damsels in distress out of trees. He thinks Kelly would be perfect for him, except for that one flaw. How does a man, with visions of children, fill a nest that’s sure to be empty if he spends it with the woman he loves? Will some munchkins playing matchmaker be able to bring Kelly and Marc together? Or will love’s ember never have the chance to be ignited?
A HANDFUL OF FLOWERS
The Callaghans & McFaddens Book 1
Kimberly Rae Jordan
When Emily McFadden first met Steve Callaghan, her only goal had been to gain his permission for his son to come over to play with her hers. When she realizes that he is in need of help caring for his four sons, she decides to see if he’d be interested in making a deal. She’d help him with his boys, and he’d help her with the repairs to her aging house. Steve makes it clear he’s not in the market for a wife which is just fine with her. She has her own reasons for not wanting to get involved romantically.
Steve had no interest in a relationship after having dealt with his ex-wife and her rejection of their children. However, he finds himself drawn to Emily as she showers his boys with love in the same way she does with her own four children. But is it just gratitude or something more? Is it possible that God has a different plan for their families than what they’d thought they wanted?
A Handful of Flowers
The Callaghans & McFaddens
Book 1
by
Kimberly Rae Jordan
Copyright ©2016
By Kimberly Rae Jordan
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic or mechanical without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations being used in reviews or articles about the book.
This is a work of fiction. The situations, characters, names, and places are products of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to locales, events, actual persons (living or dead) is entirely coincidental.
Scripture is taken from the New King James Version. Copyright ©1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter One
“He can’t come over, Mommy.”
Emily McFadden looked down at her son as she finished washing her hands in the sink. Ryan gripped the edge of the counter with both of his small hands and propped his chin on his fingers. His bright blue eyes held concern as he stared up at her. With his dark hair, he may have been the spitting image of his father, but his personality was all her.
“Did he say why?” Emily dried her hands then slid the pan filled with chicken legs into the oven.
When she turned around, Ryan stood leaning his shoulder against the cupboard, watching her. For a six-year-old, the little guy tended to carry the weight of the world on his narrow shoulders. His desire to have a lonely new student from school come play with him was just one more manifestation of his loving, caring heart.
“He said he can’t come because they have to go home and stay there until his dad comes home from work.”
“So they have a babysitter?” Emily took Ryan’s hand and led him to the table in the corner of the eat-in kitchen. She sat down and lifted him onto her lap. Out of all her children, he was the only one who had an overwhelming need to care for others which often required her help for him to carry it out.
Ryan shook his head, his shiny dark brown hair sliding back and forth as he did. “Mitchell said their older brother watches them. He’s ten.”
Emily frowned. She was pretty sure that children under the age of twelve weren’t supposed to be left without supervision. Maybe Ryan’s concern had merit.
“And there’s no one else to watch them?”
Ryan just shrugged as he leaned against her shoulder.
“How about their mom?”
“She’s not with them. Mitchell said she left.”
Emily felt a pang in her heart for both the dad and the kids. “Where do they live, sweetie? Do you know?”
The question had Ryan straightening. “Yes. They live down the street. They just moved in.”
Emily recalled seeing a moving van parked about halfway down the next block a couple of weeks earlier. She felt bad for the kids having to adjust to a new school this late into the school year. With school out the end of June, they had just over two months left. Since something similar had happened with her kids, she could sympathize with them. Their abrupt departure from the Texas military base where they’d been staying while James had been on tour had been confusing to say the least. And not just for the kids but her as well.
She’d never found out the exact details of what had happened to James, but whatever it was, it meant she hadn’t had an extended period of time to get out of military housing. In the end, it had been easier to just leave since, no matter when they went, the kids would be leaving during the school year and it would have meant two moves instead of one. So she understood all about having to help children make adjustments like Ryan’s friend was having to make now along with his siblings.
Maybe it was time for her to pay a “welcome to the neighborhood” visit to the new family on the block.
“Mooooom!” Eight-going-on-eighteen-year-old Makayla’s wail floated through the whole house.
Emily closed her eyes and counted to ten. She wondered if the word would sound less annoying if the kids used the Canadian pronunciation of the word instead of the American one. As the shriek came again, she decided it was unlikely. Mom or mum…either way—screamed at that pitch and drawn out—would still be annoying.
She checked her hair one last time then grabbed her Bible and purse before leaving her room in search of the shrieker.
“What is it, Makayla?” Emily asked when she found her daughter sitting at the top of the staircase, a dark thundercloud hovering over her.
“That nail ripped my stockings.” The little girl pointed at the offending item. “Again! I thought you said it was fixed.”
Emily looked at the nail that had once again worked its way up from the floorboard at the top step. She had fixed it, but like with everything else in this house, nothing ever seemed to stay that way. It was like the house knew how much she hated trying to do the home repairs and had it in for her.
“I’m sorry, Kayla. I’ll try and fix it again.” She motioned for the little girl to get up. “Is the hole on the bottom of your foot?”
With dark brows drawn together over flashing blue eyes, Makayla stood up and began to stomp down the stairs. Obviously, she knew what her mother was going to suggest and didn’t want to hear it.
Sighing, Emily followed her downstairs where the other three kids were waiting. She did a quick clothing check and then had them all put on light jackets. The calendar might say it was spring, but this far north the days still held a touch of cold.
“Where’s your Bible, Ben?” Emily asked her oldest son.
Once she was sure that each of the kids had their Sunday school lessons, Bibles, and offerings, they left the house. They quickly fell into step ahead of her, well-rehearsed in the routine of their walk to the nearby church. Bennett and Ryan walked side by side while Makayla followed, holding her five-year-old sister Samantha’s hand. Emily brought up the rear, keeping an eye on them as they crossed the three streets that stood between their house and the church.
Large patches of snow still lay on the south side of the street, particularly underneath the trees and bushes. Spring in centr
al Canada really wasn’t the prettiest season. As the snow melted, it inevitably left behind dirt and flattened grass, and most flowers didn’t put in an appearance until at least May unless temperatures were unseasonably warm. The only reason it was her favorite season was because it signaled the end of winter.
They’d definitely gotten spoiled living in warmer climates for so many years, although the kids didn’t seem to mind the cold the way she did. It just made things so much more complicated as a single mom. There were days when they couldn’t walk to school because it was just too cold, so then she had to clean off the car and warm it up in order to drive them. And then there was the shoveling…probably her least favorite winter chore of all.