Once Upon A Christmas. Jennifer Joyce
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Название: Once Upon A Christmas
Автор: Jennifer Joyce
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Контркультура
isbn: 9781474048514
isbn:
Chapter Two: Frostie the Snowman Forgot
Chapter Three: Two Parents A-Rowing and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
Chapter Four: We Made a Wish
Chapter Five: The First Stage in Wish-Fulfilment: Denial
Chapter Six: The Second and Third Stages in Wish-Fulfilment: Fear and Anger
Chapter Seven: The Fourth Stage in Wish-Fulfilment: Acceptance
Chapter Eight: The Gloves Are Off
Chapter Nine: It Isn’t (Christmas) Fair
Chapter Ten: Monday’s To-Do List: Tattoos, Waxing and Make-up
Chapter Eleven: The Fifth Stage in Wish-Fulfilment: Acknowledgement
Chapter Twelve: Monday Night Blues
Chapter Thirteen: There’s a Rumour Doing the Rounds
Chapter Fourteen: PTA (Pain in the Arse)
Chapter Fifteen: Man Trouble
Chapter Sixteen: The Shepherd and the Grinch
Chapter Seventeen: A Bad Day
Chapter Eighteen: The Presentation
Chapter Nineteen: Father and Son
Chapter Twenty: Good News/Bad News
Chapter Twenty-One: The Christmas Fair
Chapter Twenty-Two: Not Quite Driving Home for Christmas
Chapter Twenty-Three: Step into Christmas
Chapter Twenty-Four: All I Want for Christmas Is Me
Epilogue: A New Year
About the Publisher
Copyright
T. A. Williams
For the perfect Christmas…
When career-girl Holly Brice learns that her estranged father has died, she decides to take a trip down memory lane and find out about the man she never knew. Arriving in the sleepy little Dartmoor village, she’s shocked to discover that she’s inherited the cosy little cottage she remembers so fondly, a whole load of money – and her father’s adorable dog, too!
Head to snow-covered Devon!
And as the first snowflakes begin to fall and Holly bumps into her gorgeous neighbour, Jack Nelson, life gets even more complicated! Men have always been off the cards for high-flying Holly, but there’s something about mysterious writer Jack that has her re-thinking her three-date rule…
A fabulous, feel-good festive read, perfect for fans of Debbie Johnson and Carole Matthews.
TREVOR WILLIAMS
lives in Devon with his Italian wife. He lived and worked in Switzerland, France and Italy, before returning to run one of the best-known language schools in the UK. He has taught people from all over the world, among them Arab princes, Brazilian beauty queens and Italian billionaires. He speaks a number of languages and has travelled extensively. He has eaten snake, live fish and alligator. A Spanish dog, a Russian bug and a Korean parasite have done their best to eat him in return. He has written historical novels, humorous books and thrillers. His hobby is long-distance cycling, but his passion is writing. You can follow him on Twitter, @TAWilliamsBooks, find him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrevorWilliamsBooks or visit his website: www.tawilliamsbooks.com.
With thanks to my lovely editor, Charlotte Mursell
To Mariangela and Christina with love
‘So why did your dad choose to come and live all the way out here? It’s very pretty and all that, but, let’s face it, it’s the back of beyond.’
Five minutes earlier, they had turned off the busy A38 trunk road and now found themselves plunged into a totally different world of narrow winding lanes, woodland, rivers and hills. So far the only other vehicle they had seen had been an ancient tractor pulling a trailer full of sheep.
Holly shook her head in annoyance and glanced across at Julia. ‘I wish I knew for sure. It’s like I’ve been telling you, I know virtually nothing about my dad at all. Mum refused to talk about him. The news that he’d died was the first I’d heard of him for over twenty-five years.’
Julia still couldn’t get her head round that. ‘But surely you must have known if he was dead or alive?’
Holly shook her head. ‘No idea at all. I haven’t seen or heard from him since he left. And, don’t forget, I was only seven when that happened. I barely remember him at all. He could have been anywhere, alive or dead.’
Still puzzled, Julia arched her back and did her best to straighten her legs. ‘I love your car to bits, Hol, but bloody hell, it’s uncomfortable. I feel as if my backbone’s about to come out through the top of my skull. Any chance of stretching my legs? Apart from anything else, I’m dying for a pee.’
They had been driving non-stop for over four hours. Holly pressed back against the steering wheel and stretched her back. ‘Now that’s a thought, Jules. And a hot drink would be a good idea too. The next service station I find, I’ll pull over. Coffee and a comfort break coming up.’
Twenty minutes later, they still hadn’t found a petrol station. Holly’s old Porsche was loving the twisting, turning road that snaked up and down like a rollercoaster through an ever changing patchwork of fields, woods and open moorland. The road was getting steadily narrower and the warning light on the dashboard was now reminding Holly that it might have been prudent to fill up with fuel before heading out into the wilds of Dartmoor. Beside her, Julia was squirming around in the passenger seat. ‘Do something, Hol, I’m really getting desperate now.’
Then, miraculously, they came down a steep hill to a ridiculously narrow humpbacked granite bridge and spotted a sign on the right advertising, Last fuel before СКАЧАТЬ