A Christmas Bride (25 page)

Gracie was right there with a cup of coffee and plate of eggs and bacon for him. He gave Gracie a smile full of laugh lines and dimples and white teeth. And then he turned toward Amy.

Unlike the other customers in the diner, he didn't try to pretend that she was invisible. Oh, no. He gave her a long, assessing gaze that made Amy's pulse jump. Dusty McNeil had a reputation ten miles long. He'd carved a lot of notches on his bedpost over the years. And no wonder—all that golden-blond hair, sharp, chiseled features, and a deep, soulful look in his brilliant blue eyes. The guy didn't have to say a word.

In fact, for a long, crazy instant, Amy wondered if she could throw herself on his mercy. Spending a night with him wouldn't be much of a sacrifice. And it would probably be way more fun than sleeping in the Z4.

Or sleeping with Grady, for that matter.

But no. She had chosen to sleep in her car instead of falling back on a man. So falling into bed with Dusty McNeil wouldn't be a step in the right direction. She looked down at her coffee mug and tried to actually figure out what her next step ought to be.

She came up with nothing.

“Y'all seem to be really busy up at Eagle Hill Manor these days,” Gracie said to Dusty, and since Amy didn't have anything better to do, she eavesdropped.

“Yep,” Dusty said in his mountain accent. “Ever since that article in
Brides.
Willow's hiring another event planner. Know anyone who might be interested?”

Gracie shook her head. “No, but I'll keep my eye out.”

Event planner?
Now, that sounded like a job description Amy might be able to fit. In fact, becoming an event planner at Eagle Hill Manor sounded way more fun than becoming Mrs. Grady Carson. And even if Amy didn't have any real work experience, she had tons of experience planning sorority events, not to mention her sorority sisters' weddings.

She could surprise Daddy. She could get a job.

And this particular job was in the bag because Willow Lyndon, Eagle Hill Manor's owner, was Amy's cousin by marriage.

Hope Ramsay
is a
USA Today
bestselling author of heartwarming contemporary romances. Her books have won critical acclaim and publishing awards. She is married to a good ol' Georgia boy who resembles every single one of her Southern heroes. She has two grown children and a couple of demanding lap cats. She lives in Virginia, where, when she's not writing, she's knitting or playing her forty-year-old Martin guitar. Visit www.hoperamsay.com/mailing-list/ to join her mailing list for information about upcoming releases and book signings.

Welcome to Last Chance

Home at Last Chance

Small Town Christmas
(anthology)

Last Chance Beauty Queen

“Last Chance Bride” (short story)

Last Chance Christmas

Last Chance Book Club

“Last Chance Summer” (short story)

Last Chance Knit & Stitch

Inn at Last Chance

A Christmas to Remember
(anthology)

Last Chance Family

Last Chance Hero

“A Midnight Clear” (short story)

“A Fairytale Bride” (short story)

 

“Fans will enjoy another visit to Last Chance, the quintessential southern small town. The characters in this town are priceless…Readers can expect to have a whole lot of fun.”

―RT Book Reviews

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—HarlequinJunkie.com

“4 stars! Ramsay uses a light-toned plot and sweet characters to illustrate some important truths in this entry in the series.”

―RT Book Reviews

“[This book] has the humor and heartwarming quality that have characterized the series…Mike and Charlene are appealing characters—unconsciously funny, vulnerable, and genuinely likeable—and Rainbow will touch readers' hearts.”

—TheRomanceDish.com

“5 stars! I really enjoyed this book. I love a little mystery with my romance, and that is exactly what I got with
Inn at Last Chance
.”

—HarlequinJunkie.com

“5 stars! The suspense and mystery behind it all kept me on the edge of my seat. I just could not put this book down.”

—LongandShortReviews.com

“An upbeat, empowering, and still sweet novel about balancing community pressure with personal needs.”

—
Publishers Weekly

 “Every time I read one of the Last Chance books, it's like coming back to my old family and friends…[In] no time, you will be caught up in the characters lives and flipping the pages madly until you finish.”

—FreshFiction.com

“4½ stars! [A] first-class romance, with compelling characters and a real sense of location—the town is practically a character on its own.”

—RT Book Reviews

“Abundant Southern Charm and quirky, caring people. Another welcome chapter to Ramsay's engaging, funny, hope-filled series.”

—
Library Journal

 

“I love this story…Southern charm at its funniest.”

—FreshFiction.com

“Last Chance is a place we've come to know as well as we know our own hometowns. It's become real, filled with people who could be our aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, or the crazy cat lady down the street. It's familiar, comfortable, welcoming.”

—RubySlipperedSisterhood.com

 “Hope Ramsay heats up romance to such a degree every reader will be looking for a nice, cool glass of sweet tea to cool off.”

—The Reading Reviewer (MaryGramlich.blogspot.com)

“Amazing…These lovely folks filled with Southern charm [and] gossip were such fun to get to know…This story spoke to me on so many levels about faith, strength, courage, and choices…If you're looking for a good Christmas story with a few angels, then
Last Chance Christmas
is a must-read. For fans of Susan Wigg.”

—TheSeasonforRomance.com

 “Visiting Last Chance is always a joy, but Hope Ramsay has outdone herself this time. She took a difficult hero, a wounded heroine, familiar characters, added a little Christmas magic, and—voilà!—gave us a story sure to touch the Scroogiest of hearts…It draws us back to a painful time when tensions—and prejudices—ran deep, compels us to remember and forgive, and reminds us that healing, redemption, and love are the true gifts of Christmas.”

—RubySlipperedSisterhood.com

“4½ stars! Enchantingly funny and heartwarmingly charming.”

—RT Book Reviews

“Grab this today and get ready for a rollicking read.”

—RomRevToday.com

“A little Bridget Jones meets Sweet Home Alabama.”

—GrafWV.com

“An enjoyable ride that will capture interest and hold it to the very end.”

—RomRevToday.blogspot.com

“Full of small town charm and Southern hospitality…You will want to grab a copy.”

—TopRomanceNovels.com

“Ramsay's delicious contemporary debut introduces the town of Last Chance, SC, and its warmhearted inhabitants…[she] strikes an excellent balance between tension and humor as she spins a fine yarn.”

—
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)

“[A] charming series, featuring quirky characters you won't soon forget.”

—Barbara Freethy,
New York Times
bestselling author of
At Hidden Falls

“A sweet confection…Offers up Southern hospitality with a bit of grit. Romance readers will be delighted.”

—
Library Journal

 “Captivating…great characterization, amusing dialogue…I am glad that the universe sent
Welcome to Last Chance
my way, and I am going to make sure that it does the same with Hope Ramsay's future books.”

—
All About Romance
(LikesBooks.com)

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS COWBOY
By Carolyn Brown

No one tells a cowboy story like
New York Times
bestselling author Carolyn Brown. So grab your hot chocolate and settle in because this Christmas, Santa's wearing a Stetson. Fiona Logan is everything Jud Dawson thought he'd never find. But with wild weather, nosy neighbors, and a new baby in the family, getting her to admit that she's falling in love might just take a Christmas miracle.

   

 

A CHRISTMAS BRIDE
By Hope Ramsay

USA Today
bestselling author Hope Ramsay's new contemporary romance series is perfect for fans of Debbie Macomber, Robyn Carr, and Sherryl Woods. Haunted by regrets and grief, widower David Lyndon has a bah-humbug approach to the holidays—until he's shown the spirit of the season by his daughter and her godmother Willow. Paired up to plan a Christmas wedding for friends, David and Willow will discover that the best gift is the promise of a future spent together…

    

  

CHRISTMAS COMES TO MAIN STREET
By Olivia Miles

It's beginning to taste a lot like Christmas…or so Kara Hasting hopes. Her new cookie business is off to a promising start, until a sexy stranger makes her doubt herself. Fans of Jill Shalvis, RaeAnne Thayne, and Susan Mallery will love this sweet holiday read.

    

   

A HIGHLANDER'S CHRISTMAS KISS
B
y Paula Quinn

In the tradition of Karen Hawkins and Monica McCarty comes the next in Paula Quinn's sinfully sexy MacGregor family series. Temperance Menzie is starting to fall for the mysterious, wounded highlander she's been nursing back to health. But Cailean Grant has a dark secret, and only a Christmas miracle can keep them together.