A Season to Celebrate Read online

“Mm-hmm, and speaking of Mr. Benjamin Thomas . . .” Mami arched a brow, a knowing smirk on her gently lined mouth. “He seems muy interesado in you. Is there something I should know about?”

  Excitement swirled with longing in Julia’s chest. Ay , how she hoped Mami was right and Ben truly was very interested in her. “I’m not sure. I mean he says . . . but it’s too early to tell.”

  “Bueno , I knew your papi was the one the first time we met. The night he tagged along with his brother when Reynaldo’s trío played at my cousin’s birthday. All the girls were crazy for the musicians. Not me.”

  This story had been told and retold countless times, yet Julia never tired of hearing it. Or seeing the wistful look of young love blanketing Mami’s face.

  “Sí , but with Ben and me, the situation is different,” Julia said. “You know I’ve stayed away from dating athletes. And even though he’s no longer playing, broadcasting will keep him on the road. If he decides to move into coaching, baseball will dominate his life. I’m not sure I’d want that.”

  “Ay nena , with the right person, someone who looks at you the way I saw Ben looking at you . . . The way your papi looks at me . . .” Mami raised a finger, emphasizing her point. “You are happy no matter what the situation is. As long as you have each other.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Ben headed up the darkened stairs at the Fernandez sisters’ childhood home, pausing to glance back down at Julia’s mom and her cousin Rosa.

  Both women stood at the bottom, shooing him up with encouraging hand waves.

  He could have changed out of his tuxedo at the Wintrust Bank Building, but his clothes had been in his car and he hadn’t wanted to waste any time getting out to Oakton. Anxious to see Julia, hoping things had gone well with Paula on their drive to the suburbs.

  At the top of the stairs he waited for his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting, then he turned right on the landing. The bathroom should be the second door on the right, according to Rosa’s instructions.

  Halfway down the hall, a door on the left opened.

  Julia jumped, giving a startled “Ay Dios mío ” when she spotted him.

  Light from the bedroom streamed into the hallway, leaving her face in shadows while outlining her trim figure in a golden aura.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you,” he said. “Your mom sent me upstairs when I asked for a place to switch out of this monkey suit.”

  Julia pressed a hand to her chest. “No, that’s okay. I just wasn’t expecting anyone else up here.”

  Leaving the door open, she moved into the hallway. Dressed casually in slim-fitting jeans, a shapely black sweater, and ankle-high, thick-heeled boots, her long hair now loose around her shoulders, she looked beautiful.

  Heart pounding, Ben waited for her to approach. Pleased to have this moment alone with her before they met up with everyone else downstairs.

  “I’m glad you came.” She stopped several feet away, her expression, if he read it correctly in the half shadows, a sweet mix of hopeful pleasure.

  “I wouldn’t have missed this for anything,” he said.

  There was no missing the flash of her smile at his response.

  “I’ve been thinking about what you said to me before the fund-raiser tonight.” She edged closer.

  Every cell in his body screamed for him to meet her halfway, swoop her into his arms, and kiss her till neither one of them could think straight.

  But he owed it to her. Hell, he owed it to himself, to give her the time and space she had asked for. No pressure.

  No matter how hard it was for him to keep his feet rooted to their spot. Allowing her to take the lead here.

  “And what have you been thinking?” he asked.

  In the living room, someone turned on some music. The merengue beat of a parranda tune carried up the stairs to them, a sound Ben would forever equate with the amazing woman in front of him.

  “That, despite my not-so-secret secret desire to stay here and the fact that I’ve missed my familia in Puerto Rico, even though I have Yazmine, Rosa, and Lilí here, there’s been someone else lately who’s helped me forget about that spurt of homesickness I’ve been trying to squelch. Someone who makes me want to stay in Chicago even more.”

  Forget waiting for her to reach him.

  Dropping his duffel on the floor at his feet, Ben closed the distance between them. Sliding his hands along her hips, he dipped his head to press his forehead against hers. “Please tell me I’m the someone you’re talking about.”

  Julia gazed up at him, her minty breath warming the little space separating his mouth from hers.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  That’s all he needed to hear.

  Capturing her lips with his, Ben kissed her the way he’d been longing to do from the moment he’d watched her slip her wool coat off her shoulders revealing the amazing red dress she’d worn to the fund-raiser.

  Julia’s arms looped around his shoulders, her fingers digging into the short hair at his nape. She moaned with pleasure, opening her mouth for him.

  Wanting more, he deepened the kiss. His body tightened with need.

  Downstairs laughter rang out. The raucous interruption reminded Ben that her family waited for them to join the party.

  Reluctantly he broke their kiss, trailing soft nips along her jaw before finally forcing himself to pull back. Gently he tucked Julia’s hair behind her ear, then dropped a kiss on her smooth forehead.

  “I’m not sure what lies ahead either,” she said. “But if you’re on Team Julia, I wanna be on Team Ben.”

  He chuckled, recalling his cringe-worthy admission earlier.

  “I’ve been a little lost since I had to retire. But being around the kids the past few weeks, being around you”—he cupped her jaw, warmth and something he felt sure was love blossoming in his soul—“you’ve given me a sense of familia I’d only found in baseball. As far as I’m concerned, I want there to be a Team Us.”

  A huge smile curved Julia’s sweet mouth. It shone in the depths of her hazel eyes.

  She brushed her lips gently against his, then rose up on her toes, her arms squeezing him in a tight hug.

  “Team Us,” she whispered in his ear. “Knocking it out of the park together.”

  Feliz Navidad —Merry Christmas Wishes to You!

  Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday, so I jumped at the opportunity to be part of this anthology. I adore the idea of sharing a romance that blooms during this heartwarming time of year, when familia and friends gather together.

  Holiday Home Run gave me a chance to introduce readers to one of my beloved Fernandez sisters’ favorite cousins—Julia, named for my abuela . Julia’s a confident, creative woman with a strong devotion to her familia and her career—and who, like my abuela , also happens to possess an insane amount of baseball savvy. Then there’s Ben, an ex-MLB player my abuela would have loved to watch on the pitcher’s mound. As a fan of telenovelas, I think she would approve of this baseball- and Christmas-inspired romance.

  I had such fun writing about Julia and Ben! From losing myself in childhood memories of caroling late into the night at parrandas , to creating holiday outings for Ben and Julia in one of my favorite cities, to introducing readers to aspects of my Latinx culture that are as much a part of me as the “rr” that easily rolls off my tongue when I speak Spanish.

  I sincerely hope you enjoy this little peek into my Latinx culture and find yourself falling in love with the Fernandez familia as much as I have. May the music, revelry, and joy of the holiday season bring you and yours much peace, love, and happiness. And maybe a little salsa dancing, too!

  From mi casa to your house, I wish you a Feliz Navidad !

  Abrazos / Hugs,

  Priscilla Oliveras

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  FERN MICHAELS is the USA Today and

  New York Times bestselling author of the Sisterhood,

  Men of the Sisterhood and Godmothers series and

&
nbsp; dozens of other novels and novellas. There are over

  ninety-five million copies of her books in print.

  Fern Michaels has built and funded several large

  day-care centers in her hometown, and is a passionate

  animal lover who has outfitted police dogs across

  the country with special bulletproof vests.

  She shares her home in South Carolina with her

  four dogs and a resident ghost named Mary Margaret.

  Visit her website at fernmichaels.com.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

  KATE PEARCE was born in England in the

  middle of a large family of girls and quickly found

  that her imagination was far more interesting than

  real life. After acquiring a degree in history and barely

  escaping from the British Civil Service alive,

  she moved to California and then to Hawaii

  with her kids and her husband and set about

  reinventing herself as a romance writer.

  She writes for Kensington, Penguin Random House UK,

  Rouge Romance, Carina, and Cleis Press, and is known

  for both her unconventional heroes

  and her joy at subverting romance clichés.

  In her spare time she self-publishes science fiction,

  erotic romance, historical romance,

  and whatever else she can imagine.

  You can find Kate at her website at www.katepearce.com ,

  on Facebook as Kate Pearce, and on Twitter

  @Kate4queen.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  USA Today bestselling author DONNA KAUFFMAN

  is a RITA finalist who has seen her books reviewed in

  venues ranging from Kirkus Reviews and Library Journal

  to Entertainment Weekly and Cosmopolitan . The author of

  over 50 books, she is also a regular contributor to

  USA Today ’s Happy Ever After blog. She has won the

  National Readers Choice award, a PRISM award as well

  as numerous awards from Romantic Times. She lives in

  the lovely Virginia countryside. You can contact her

  through her website at www.donnakauffman.com .

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  PRISCILLA OLIVERAS is a 2018 RWA® RITA®

  double finalist who writes contemporary romance with a

  Latinx flavor. Proud of her Puerto Rican–Mexican

  heritage, she strives to bring authenticity to her novels

  by sharing her Latino-American culture with her readers.

  Since earning an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from

  Seton Hill University, she also teaches an online

  continuing education course entitled “Romance Writing”

  for ed2go. Priscilla is a sports fan, a beach lover,

  a half-marathon runner and a consummate traveler

  who often practices the art of napping in her backyard

  hammock. To follow along on her fun-filled and hectic

  life, visit her on the web at prisoliveras.com

  or on Twitter @prisoliveras.

  HOLLY AND IVY

  In a heartwarming novel of secret wishes and

  family lost and found, acclaimed New York Times

  bestselling author Fern Michaels creates a

  timeless Christmas story to cherish . . .

  The flames of memory always seem to glow a little

  brighter during the holidays. Perhaps that’s why this time

  of year is so difficult for airline heiress Ivy Macintosh,

  as she faces thoughts of yet another festive season alone.

  Since the plane crash that claimed the lives of her

  husband and two children eight years ago,

  she’s been submerged in grief.

  When eleven-year-old Holly Greenwood knocks on her

  door, lost and frightened after a forbidden visit to her

  singing teacher, Ivy’s self-imposed exile is shattered.

  Holly has an extraordinary voice, and wants nothing

  more than to perform in an upcoming Christmas musical.

  Holly’s father, Daniel, doesn’t allow music in their home,

  refusing to give a good reason why—just as he refuses

  to talk about Holly’s mother. Ivy has no idea how

  closely she and Daniel are linked by their tragic pasts,

  yet she’s drawn to the warmth she senses beneath his

  gruff exterior. And as Christmas nears, their shared

  concern for Holly begins to draw Ivy back into the

  world again . . . and toward a family who may need

  her just as much as she needs them . . .

  THE RANCHER

  On the legendary ranch she can now call home,

  one woman searches for her place in her birth family—

  and finds so much more . . .

  Now that she’s completed her engineering degree,

  Rachel Ford Morgan is trying to find her footing around

  her birth father and her four brothers. She gets a chance

  to prove herself when she discovers worrisome fault lines

  around an abandoned silver mine. But they’re

  nothing compared to the cowboy who seems

  determined to shake up her world . . .

  Cauy Lymond doesn’t take kindly to the woman nosing

  around his property—especially since she’s a Morgan.

  He came home just to keep his father’s failing ranch

  out of their super-wealthy hands. But he soon realizes

  that Rachel’s skill—and admirable courage—may be the

  only things that can shore up the old mine that threatens

  both their futures. Still, it will take pouring all of their

  blood, sweat, and secrets into saving the land—

  and ultimately, themselves—to bring their

  true feelings for each other to the surface . . .

  BLUESTONE & VINE

  Pippa MacMillan is a legend on the Irish

  folk music scene. But when her voice requires a time-out,

  she’s left wondering how—and where—

  to find happiness in the silence . . .

  Seeking answers, Pippa leaves Ireland in favor of a small

  town in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Turns out

  lovely Blue Hollow Falls is the perfect place to heal—

  and solitary Seth Brogan is the surprisingly perfect host.

  After all, Seth is beginning again too: turning his

  renovated stone barn and beautiful hillside into a

  vineyard is the start of a whole new life for the former

  Special Forces soldier. Only Mother Nature keeps

  thwarting both their plans, leaving Pippa snowbound

  with unsettling thoughts about how life

  can take unexpected turns . . .

  To Pippa’s surprise, she might actually fall for small-town

  living. She might even fall for Seth, whose quiet strength

  is a balm for her world-weary soul. But when the music

  starts once more, will she follow her fortune back to

  Ireland, or surrender to the call of her heart?

  THEIR PERFECT MELODY

  With talent, heart, and ambition to spare,

  the Fernandez sisters have each followed their own

  unique path, even when it leads to surprising

  destinations—in life and love . . .

  Growing up, Lilí María Fernandez was affectionately

  known as the family “wild child.” The life of the party,

  she loved to dance, especially salsa, merengue,

  and bachata, and often sang beside her father during

  rehearsals for his trío group. But tragedy and loss

  have drawn out Lilí’s caretaking side, compelling herr />
  to become a victim’s advocate. These days, the special

  rhythms of the past seem like a distant memory.

  Until she meets Diego Reyes . . .

  A police officer with the Chicago PD, Diego also has

  a talent for playing classical Spanish guitar. And Lilí

  soon finds herself inspired by his passion—for the music,

  for her, and for their shared love of familia

  and community. Can Diego reignite Lilí’s fun-loving

  spirit, persuade her to balance work and pleasure—

  and embrace her wild side once more?