by: Nan Reinhardt
Series: The Lange Brothers
Genre: Contemporary Christmas Romance
Release Date: October 18, 2022
Publisher: Tule Publishing
Her heart is wide open, but he’s nailed his shut.
Preschool teacher Harley Cole has always viewed life through rose-colored glasses. With a career she loves, friends she enjoys, and a home that is her haven, there’s only one thing missing—finding her soul mate. As the holidays approach, Harley is inspired to help her former high school crush rediscover his holiday joy. It’s just a good deed…until the feelings she thought were gone come rushing back.
Fire Chief Becker Lange returns home to River’s Edge with a heavy heart. His divorce has emotionally ravaged him, leaving him more confused than ever about what women want. So to protect himself from another failure, he closes his heart. And then Harley Cole makes him a flirty dare that she can help him overcome the holiday blues. Beck’s not sure he wants to, but Harley’s a hard woman to tell no.
Can the magic of Christmas and a sweet stray kitten bring these two lonely souls together?
Age: 39
Date of birth: March 15
Physical Description: Tall, lean, muscular, dark hair, stormy gray eyes
Occupation: Firefighter/Fire Chief for the River’s Edge Fire Department
3 likes in no particular order: Working on my 1968 Camaro; playing guitar; time with my brothers taking our Waverunners down the Ohio River
3 dislikes in no particular order: Raucous parties; having to be social; dealing with my father
Drink of choice: Coffee, always; Jameson Irish whiskey
Favorite food: Chili or Mac’s chicken and dumplings.
Favorite song: Anything by the Eagles’, particularly, “Love Will Keep Us Alive”.
Choice of transportation: Walking mostly, but I also love driving the old antique firetruck that belongs to the REFD.
Favorite way to spend an evening: Sitting by the fire with a glass of Jameson and music and now with Harley and Lucy, the kitten.
Favorite holiday tradition: I’m just discovering the holiday joy again, so that’s a tough one, but I do love making pies with Harley and Aidan Flaherty’s annual Christmas Eve pitch-in/variety show on the River Queen.
Best memory to date: Oh, man, that’s even tougher. I think any of the memories Harley and I are making qualify as best. If I had to pick one, I’d say singing to her on Queen. I had a blast and it really got to her, which was the point after all.
If you could have a do-over, what would you do differently? My first marriage—I should’ve gone with my brothers that day before the wedding when they offered to take me back home to River’s Edge.
What’s something you’ve said you would never do, but in fact have done? Own a pet—I always thought I didn’t have the temperament to take care of an animal, but my cat Lucy is the second-best love of my life. Go figure, eh?
Most romantic gesture (done or received): When Harley showed up at Mom and Gerry’s the night that Dad passed. She knew exactly what I needed and she was there for me without questions. Just held her arms out to me. It was a perfectly romantic moment.
Words to live by: My brother Rye told me, Happiness is choice. I try to choose that every day now that I’m with Harley. She makes it easy.
Beck’s horror-stricken expression would have been comical if Harley hadn’t had a good idea what he was thinking. She was proved right when, aghast, he said, “What? You think I should do what?”
She offered a reassuring smile. “Dating, Beck. Stop looking at me like I’m suggesting that you join a satanic cult or go on a crime spree across the country. I just think you should start dating again.”
“Why?” He leaned back as Sheila placed a plateful of chicken and noodles and mashed potatoes in front of him, along with a side dish of green beans and a basket of biscuits. “I mean why now all of a sudden?”
“It’s not all of a sudden. I’ve been thinking it for a few weeks now. Well, since Valentine’s Day, frankly, when you sat in the corner at Four Irish Brothers looking cranky while the rest of us toasted Kitt and Rye.”
He held up his coffee cup. “I toasted them.”
Harley shook out a napkin and laid it across her lap before taking a bite of her fish, which was as delicious as Mac had promised. “Yeah, with a look on your face that said you thought it was a huge pain in the butt to do it.”
“I remember that night as being very…nice. Rye and Kitt are a great couple.” He scooped up a forkful of potatoes and chicken and noodles, clearly savoring it as he chewed and swallowed, before going after the green beans with great relish. The guy loved to eat, no question. And how unfair was it that he could eat like a lumberjack and stay sleek as a panther?
“How about when Laurie stopped the showboat a couple of months ago so she could tell Max she loved him?”
He quirked a dark brow in her direction and added another dab of butter to his biscuit. “Also a great couple.” He pointed one finger at her. “And I danced on that boat, if you’ll recall.”
She ate a bite of jasmine rice—the best she’d ever tasted—and pointed right back at him. “One crummy dance and I had to practically drag you out on the floor. I’m just saying you need to learn how to have fun again.”
“And you think dating qualifies as fun, is that it?”
“I do.”
He set his fork down, sat back, and folded his arms over his chest. “The stress of trying to connect with someone, wasting time texting reassurances to a woman I barely know, figuring out where to take her, reading her moods, drama when I don’t call immediately, jealousy when she flirts with other guys or vice versa, getting on each other’s nerves, pretending to like it when her big damn slobbery dog jumps on me?” His expression was as pointed as his words. “Sounds like loads of fun to me, Harles.”
She offered a reassuring smile. “Dating, Beck. Stop looking at me like I’m suggesting that you join a satanic cult or go on a crime spree across the country. I just think you should start dating again.”
“Why?” He leaned back as Sheila placed a plateful of chicken and noodles and mashed potatoes in front of him, along with a side dish of green beans and a basket of biscuits. “I mean why now all of a sudden?”
“It’s not all of a sudden. I’ve been thinking it for a few weeks now. Well, since Valentine’s Day, frankly, when you sat in the corner at Four Irish Brothers looking cranky while the rest of us toasted Kitt and Rye.”
He held up his coffee cup. “I toasted them.”
Harley shook out a napkin and laid it across her lap before taking a bite of her fish, which was as delicious as Mac had promised. “Yeah, with a look on your face that said you thought it was a huge pain in the butt to do it.”
“I remember that night as being very…nice. Rye and Kitt are a great couple.” He scooped up a forkful of potatoes and chicken and noodles, clearly savoring it as he chewed and swallowed, before going after the green beans with great relish. The guy loved to eat, no question. And how unfair was it that he could eat like a lumberjack and stay sleek as a panther?
“How about when Laurie stopped the showboat a couple of months ago so she could tell Max she loved him?”
He quirked a dark brow in her direction and added another dab of butter to his biscuit. “Also a great couple.” He pointed one finger at her. “And I danced on that boat, if you’ll recall.”
She ate a bite of jasmine rice—the best she’d ever tasted—and pointed right back at him. “One crummy dance and I had to practically drag you out on the floor. I’m just saying you need to learn how to have fun again.”
“And you think dating qualifies as fun, is that it?”
“I do.”
He set his fork down, sat back, and folded his arms over his chest. “The stress of trying to connect with someone, wasting time texting reassurances to a woman I barely know, figuring out where to take her, reading her moods, drama when I don’t call immediately, jealousy when she flirts with other guys or vice versa, getting on each other’s nerves, pretending to like it when her big damn slobbery dog jumps on me?” His expression was as pointed as his words. “Sounds like loads of fun to me, Harles.”
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I was a preschool teacher after I graduated college, so I think that I would go back to that age if I were to go back to teaching.
ReplyDeleteI just knew that his favorite Eagles song would have been Lying Eyes! Thank God he's not another Mustang fanatic!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your release of The Fireman's Christmas Wish, Nan, sounds like my kind of hero!
ReplyDeleteIf I was a teacher, I would teach second or third grade, I think!
Have a magical holiday season!
I think I would teach maybe third or firth grade.
ReplyDeleteHigh school.
ReplyDeleteI would love to teach the first grade
ReplyDeleteI’d be 1st or 2nd grade because I love the little kids and they would be fun & easier to teach, plus my 2nd grade teacher was always my favorite.
ReplyDeleteI’m a retired teacher. I loved teaching 4th graders.
ReplyDeleteI would teach either pre-school or first grade.
ReplyDeleteI would teach college or high school.
ReplyDelete