Beyond the Storm (9780758276995) (29 page)

 

Eight-year-old Janey Sullivan has had a difficult year, between losing her mother and adjusting to life with her guardian, Brian Duncan. But with the holidays approaching, her one Christmas wish is to find the perfect gift for Brian—if she can learn to trust him first.

Reeling from the loss of his soul mate, Brian is determined to give her daughter, Janey, an extraordinary Christmas. But he struggles to read her irregular moods, and when he catches her in a lie, he begins to doubt the future of their new little family. Yet with the help of their friends in Linden Corners, and a bit of Christmas magic riding on the wind, they may be able to preserve Janey's mother's traditions, perhaps even start some new ones—and discover that the life they hadn't planned on can still bring the happiness they've always wished for.

 

Nora Connors Rainer has returned to her hometown, Linden Corners, to tend to her elderly but spunky pie-baking mother—and to nurse a broken heart. To keep busy, Nora opens A Doll's Attic, a consignment shop where locals can unload their unwanted heirlooms. And the upcoming holidays are bringing a host of interesting objects—and people—through her doors.

Eighty-five-year-old Thomas Van Diver hands Nora her first challenge: track down a rare, vintage item that holds powerful childhood memories for him—memories of his father and their last Christmas together before he went off to war and never returned.

Helping them both is Brian Duncan, whose farmhouse and windmill Thomas once called home. Together with his irrepressible young charge, Janey, Brian will uncover the mysteries of Christmas past—and create a Christmas present that just might restore their hope, and fulfill everyone's deepest wishes. . . .

KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by

 

Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018

 

Copyright © 2013 by Joseph Pittman

 

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

 

Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

ISBN: 978-0-7582-7698-8

eISBN-13: 978-0-7582-7699-5
eISBN-10: 0-7582-7699-0
First Kensington Electronic Edition: June 2013