I'm delighted to welcome one of my favorite small-town contemporary romance authors to TRD! I first discovered Debbie in 2010 (writing as Debbie Mazzuca) when I fell in love with her debut, a Scottish historical paranormal romance titled Lord of the Isles. Two years ago, she changed her pen name to Debbie Mason and her writing to contemporary romance, introducing readers to the lively residents of the mountain town of Christmas, Colorado with the release of The Trouble With Christmas. That first book was all it took to reel me into this quaint town with its heartwarming stories, occasional danger, and cast of quirky characters. Five books later, I still look forward to each new story with joyful anticipation. Today, Debbie is bringing us a new scene from Christmas, written just for us, starring the lead characters from her new book, Snowbound at Christmas. Thank you, Debbie!
Christmas, Colorado
Present Day
Cat walked toward the man sitting in front of the outdoor
brick fireplace. Grayson turned his head and gave her a smile that made her
knees weak and her heart flutter.
"How
long do you think we have before they figure out we're not there?" he
asked, as she settled in the chair beside him.
She
spread the blanket over them and glanced at the kitchen window. "Ten
minutes, if we're lucky."
"We
better make the most of it then," he said, opening his hand to reveal a
sprig of mistletoe. He waggled his eyebrows and held it over their heads.
She laughed
and curved her hand around his neck, drawing his mouth to hers. "I like
the way--"
"Time
for the birthday cake, you two. You can go back to canoodling later."
Nell's voice cut through the cold night air.
Grayson
groaned against Cat's lips. "That wasn't even ten seconds."
Cat
felt like groaning too, but she didn't want to miss her niece's reaction to her
first birthday cake. "Leave everything here. We'll come back as soon we're
done. Promise," she said when Grayson gave her a skeptical look.
The
first thing Cat noticed as they walked into the great room was the bearskin rug
in front of the floor-to-ceiling fireplace. Her sister-in-law Skye was an
animal rights activist. With today's excitement, they hadn't had time to hide the
rug when her brother and his family arrived at the ranch. They'd taken turns
sitting on it to keep it concealed, but someone had obviously fallen down on
the job. Thankfully, Skye was nowhere in sight.
Cat, with Grayson in tow, made a beeline for
the rug. She pulled Ty and Annie down with them. Her brother, who was sitting
on a wingback chair with Evie on his lap, frowned. Then his eyes went wide when
he realized what they were hiding. He opened his mouth but didn't get a chance
to say anything because his wife, wearing a sparkly purple dress, lilac wings,
and a cupcake tiara on her head, walked into the room carrying a sugar plum
cake and singing "Happy Birthday." They all joined in, laughing when
Evie squealed with delight and grabbed two fistfuls of cake. Which she promptly
tried to shove in her father's mouth.
Cat's
mother and her stepfather retrieved the cake while Skye attempted to cleanup Evie
and Ethan. Grayson leaned into Cat. "Why is she dressed like that?"
"She's
the Sugar Plum Cake Fairy."
"Of
course she is," he said, looking like he thought he'd fallen down the
rabbit's hole.
"Madison
came up with the idea. She's a silent partner in the Sugar Plum Bakery. Grace's
cake is pretty famous now," Cat explained.
"Because
it comes with its own fairy?" he asked with a glint of amusement in his
pale-blue eyes.
"No,
because the wishes in the chocolate sugarplum come true. Maybe you'll get one,"
she said, nodding at the piece of cake her mother had just handed him.
"Other
than some time alone with you tonight, I got my wish, love."
She
kissed the underside of his stubbled jaw. "Me too."
"Make
mine a big one, Mommsy," Chloe called from where she sat between Nell and
Easton on the couch. "I want to increase my chances for a sugarplum wish."
Easton
cast a nervous glance at Chloe, no doubt concerned he was the reason her sister
wanted a wish. Nell must have been as nervous as Easton because, a few minutes
later, she nudged Chloe and whispered in her ear. As soon as Chloe turned her
head, Nell switched her piece of cake with Chloe's. "Would you look at
that, I got a chocolate sugarplum," Nell announced seconds later.
Chloe
looked at her plate and frowned. "My piece of cake shrunk." She
narrowed her eyes at Nell who was opening the sugarplum.
The
older woman pulled out a thin strip of paper.
"What
does it say, Aunt Nell?" Cat's stepfather, Paul McBride, asked.
Lips
pursed, Nell cast Chloe a sidelong glance. "That my match has been made in
heaven, and I'll get my happy-ever-after very soon."
Chloe
released a disheartened sigh, then went back to her cake. A moment later she
cried, "I've got one too!"
Both Nell's
and Easton's panicked gazes shot to Chloe.
Her
sister frowned as she read her sugarplum wish. "I think Grace made a
mistake. This is a birthday wish for someone named PJ."
Everyone
was trying to figure out who PJ was when Nell snapped her fingers. "I know
a PJ. Debbie talks about her all the time," she said, referring to the co-author
for her Christmas, Colorado romance series. "Says she's one of the sweetest
ladies she's ever met. Besides me, of course. PJ has a romance review blog, the
Romance Dish, and always has nice
things to say about our town and you kids. But I thought her birthday was in September,
so it's a little late . . . Wait a minute, Cat and Grayson's book is releasing next
September. We can--"
"Am
I ever going to get a book, Nell?" Chloe asked.
Nell ignored
her. "Come on, everybody. Let's take a picture for PJ by the tree. We'll
send it along with a copy of Snowbound at
Christmas."
Ethan
widened his eyes at Grayson and Cat, nodding at the rug.
Grayson
dug in his pocket, pulled out the sprig of mistletoe, and tossed it to her
brother. While Ethan distracted his wife with a kiss, Grayson and Cat scooped
up the bearskin rug. When they returned from throwing it out the patio doors,
Annie, Ty, and Lily were kneeling on the floor making a sign. Her sister was
hunting through the presents under the tree.
Cat
walked over to Chloe. "What are you doing?"
"I
bought Evie a fur coat for Christmas," she whispered, then stood up as
everyone crowded around the tree. She brightened. "I'll put your name on
the card instead of mine. Skye will forgive you. She likes you better."
Before
Cat had a chance to respond, Nell held up her cell phone and made a face. "We
need one of those selfie sticks."
"I
have one," Chloe said and started to walk to away.
"Of
course you do," Easton muttered.
Anxious
to get back to canoodling with the man she loved, Cat grabbed her sister's gold
lame top and reeled her in. "Let's just take the picture."
They
all squeezed together and smiled for the camera while Annie and Lily held up a
sign that read Happy Birthday, PJ!
Nell
snapped the picture. She had to take three more before Chloe was satisfied with
how she looked.
When
everyone finally began moving away from the tree, Cat grabbed Grayson's hand.
They sprinted for the mudroom and headed outside, then stopped short. Her
mother and Paul were sitting in their chairs, kissing under the mistletoe.
Grayson
looked down at her, then leaned back and opened the door. "Hey everybody,
NORAD just announced that Santa's flying over Colorado. Come on out and see if
we can spot him." Once they were all gathered outside looking up at the night
sky, Grayson pulled Cat inside and locked the door behind them.
Awww... Thank you, Debbie! That was awesome!
Readers, want to read more about Cat and Grayson's story? Pick up a copy of Snowbound at Christmas (out Sept. 29th)!
Do you enjoy reading Christmas-themed romances?
When do you start reading them? Do you wait until December or (like me) dive in as soon as they're released?
Have you read Debbie Mason's Christmas, Colorado books yet? Do you have a favorite story? I confess, I love them all!
If you were lucky enough to get the chocolate sugarplum in one of Grace's cakes, what would you want the wish to say?
Two randomly chosen people who leave a comment will receive a package of books from my prize stash. (U.S. only)
One randomly chosen person will receive a copy of Snowbound at Christmas by Debbie Mason. (open to all addresses serviced by bookdepository.com)
Snowbound at Christmas
By Debbie Mason
Publisher: Forever
Release Date: September 29, 2015
Surviving the holidays will take a Christmas miracle . . . Ex-cop Cat O'Connor is bored working for her sister, Chloe, as a personal assistant on the set of her soap opera. Until Chloe gets an opportunity to audition for the role of a lifetime and asks her identical twin to substitute for her on the soap with no one the wiser. It's a perfect switch-until Cat attracts the attention of the mysterious Mr. Tall, Dark, and Way-too-handsome leading man. Grayson Alexander never thought being snowbound in the charming town of Christmas, Colorado, for the holiday would get so hot. But between working with sexy, tough Cat on set and keeping his real reason for being there under wraps, he's definitely feeling the heat. And if there's one thing they'll learn as they bring out the mistletoe, it's that in this town, true love is always in season . . .
