New Release by Constance Bretes
The Christmas Ballet
Can the joy of
Christmas heal the pain of the past?
Laura Hemmingway
cut herself off from men and her family when the man she loved married her
sister. She moved across the country and was doing just fine until she received
a devastating call to return to New York. She had to face the death of her
sister, her sister’s little girl, Maria, and Maria’s father, Stefan—the man she
had once loved. She figured she would pay her respects and leave as soon as
possible. She never anticipated on the beautiful little girl stealing her
heart. And she never expected that seeing Stefan again after twelve years would
stir up old feelings.
Stefan’s life was
complete. He had a successful career as an attorney, a beautiful wife, and an
adorable six-year-old daughter. Although him and his wife had been married in
name only for the past several years, he cared for her deeply. Then her
unexpected death brought him face-to-face with his former lover, and the guilt
he’d carried for years.
Stefan is still in
love with Laura and wants to give her everything she deserves. He and Maria are
racing against time to convince Laura to stay with them in New York.
Can a little
girl’s love, and the true magic of Christmas, help Stefan convince Laura to
stay and give their relationship another chance?
Content Warning: contains some
sexual content
EXCERPT
He
smiled as he thought about the look on her face when he’d stroked her. Maybe
she was more interested in him than she either believed or cared to be.
Then
he thought of something. “One more thing, Laura,” he called out to her, and she
stopped at the door and turned around.
“On
the nineteenth, the law firm is hosting the annual Christmas party. It’s quite
grand and lasts all evening long.”
“You
want me to be sure to be available to babysit Maria,” Laura said.
“No.
I want you to plan to come with me.”
“What?”
“Remember
that beautiful, green, velvet dress we saw at Macy’s? I want you to get that
dress, and the accessories to go with it, and attend the party with me.”
“Stefan,
really. You know I don’t go to those types of events, and I don’t wear those
kinds of clothes. I’m not comfortable with either of those things.”
“You
need to get comfortable.” He smiled.
“This
is not a part of a job for the nanny and teacher. It’s out of the range of the
job description. You need to get Ginger to go with you. I’m not going.” She
gave him a defiant look.
“Laura,
I want to take you to this event. I’m not taking no for an answer. I will
arrange for Rhonda to take you shopping to help you get what you need. You will
charge all the purchases to a credit card I will give you that’s for your use
only. This is the first of many social parties you will be attending.”
He
watched her as she clenched her hands into fists and released them.
“Who
do you think you will get to care for Maria on these…occasions?”
“Usually
Lillian is available.”
“Stefan,
it’s my job to care for Maria, not be your date to your parties. I don’t like
being told what I will or won’t do. I don’t like social parties, and I don’t
like wearing expensive clothes. It’s not me, and you’re not going to change
me.”
“I
don’t want to change you. I want you to attend an event by my side. It won’t
hurt you to have some beautiful clothing to show your feminine side. I want the
world to see the beauty I see. Be glad I want to show you off. Some men might
decide they don’t want others to see what they see.”
“Flattery
doesn’t work with me. You can tell me what to do as far as Maria is concerned,
but my personal life is off limits to you.”
“That’s
good to know. At least I know you won’t get carried away and escape my grasp by
someone making flattering remarks to you. Your personal life interests me.”
“Stefan,
you just don’t get it. I am not going to this party,” she said, enunciating
each word slowly and carefully. “Besides, your mother would be horrified to see
me walk in with you.” Her face hardened as she stared at him.
“Look
at it this way—you’d be doing me a big favor.”
“How?”
She raised an eyebrow.
“I’m
not interested in the other women that come to this social party looking for an
eligible bachelor. With you on my arm, it would send a clear message to all the
others that I’m taken.”
“God,
you’re impossible. Ginger is more than capable of providing you that kind of
service.”
“I
don’t want Ginger. You have the grace, quiet beauty, and finesse I want in a
date, and I will not take no for an answer. After Maria’s recital, you and
Rhonda will set a shopping date. And one more thing. When you get your hair
done, I’d like you to wear it down.” He smiled at her.
“This
is not going to happen.” She put her hands on her hips and glared at him.
“It
will. I’ll just have Maria work on you.” He eyed her.
“What?”
Stefan
grinned. “You heard me. You’d never turn down anything from Maria.”
“Grrrr.”
She growled and stomped up the stairs.
He
laced his hands and put them behind his head. Oh yeah, it’ll be a night she’ll
never forget.
Meet
the Author
Constance Bretes is an author of contemporary romance
and suspense. Her romance books are often set in different parts of the
country, but her favorite site is Montana. She retired from the State of
Michigan after 38-plus years of service and now writes and researches full
time. She is married to her best friend and has recently moved from Montana to
Alabama. Her hobbies include basket weaving, sapphire digging, and checking out
old ghost towns
Instagram:
#constancebretesauthor
