What's a wife to do when her Christmas plans fall apart? Join Becky and Isaac from The Unexpected Bride in a romantic short story complete with sleigh bells, mistletoe, and sweet holiday surprises. It's Christmas Eve, and smoke isn't just rising from the chimney—it's pouring from the stove due to yet another batch of burnt biscuits. Becky wants everything to be perfect for her family, but a ruined meal spells disaster for all her high hopes. Will the night end in despair...or with a happy Christmas dream? Reconnect with your favorite characters from Book 1 of "The Brides" series in Sleigh B ells &Mistletoe. *Includes an excerpt from The Bartered Bride, Jem's Story. The Brides Series #2, A Short Story Sweet Historical Western Romance / Inspirational Romance THE BRIDES SERIES The Unexpected Bride Sleigh Bells & Mistletoe The Bartered Bride Only the Heart Knows

"A great curl-up-on-a-cold-night read, so go grab a copy for yourself!" (USA Today) What’s a man to do when his father orders him a bride? Rebecca Sullivan has been “Becky” all her life, a real hoyden. Her childhood sweetheart taught her to ride bareback and shoot a rifle, but then he chose a “perfect lady” for a wife—a real Southern belle, who’s now expecting a baby. Heartbroken, Becky signs up to be a mail-order bride to a Seattle man, sight unseen. She resolves to squelch her hoydenish ways and become a “perfect lady” for her future husband. If logging-operation owner Isaac Jessup had wanted a bride, he’d have chosen a sturdy frontier woman, not some fragile lady from back East. Ready to explain the mistake, honorable Isaac takes one look into Rebecca’s vulnerable eyes...and knows he’ll marry her, even though this delicate waif is obviously unsuited for wild Seattle. Could an unexpected marriage be a match made in heaven? Sweet Historical Romance / Western Romance A Mail-Order Bride Novel THE BRIDES SERIES The Unexpected Bride Sleigh Bells & Mistletoe The Bartered Bride Only the Heart Knows Excerpt The lean-to was chilly and not for the first time, Isaac considered boarding it up proper and calling it a barn. He sat on the stool and began milking the goat, all the while mentally preparing for the worship service they planned to go to later that morning. The Scriptures he'd read first thing that morning were fresh in his mind, and his prayers kept returning to the problem of Rebecca. One inner voice urged him to send her back home, but another voice spoke of commitment. He'd said vows before God to love and keep her till death do them part. Those weren't words he was willing to dismiss lightly. "What's her name?" Her voice was suddenly in his ear, quite close. Isaac jumped. The goat bleated at him. "Sorry, girl." He patted her side and resumed milking her with slow, careful hands. He glanced over his shoulder toward the subject of his thoughts. Rebecca stood watching him, leaning over the rail and peering in at them with curious eyes. He was surprised to see her out this early. She usually left him to his morning chores, and most times he'd get back inside the cabin and find her already up preparing breakfast. "What's her name?" she repeated. "Name? The goat?" He looked at the goat dumbly. It was a goat. He'd never gotten much further than that. She gave them a daily supply of milk, but other than that she was generally a nuisance. She liked to butt down the stall door. And whenever she got loose, she'd eat what few vegetables he was able to grow in the summer. She also liked to nip at his shirts and underthings when he hung them out on the line--if he was lucky. Most times she'd tug the whole line down and drag it through the mud. "Yes, the goat," Rebecca said, a pleasant-sounding smile in her voice. "Don't tell me she hasn't got a name?" There was something nice about hearing a woman's voice in the morning. It reminded him a little of when he was young, and his mother had chatted with him in soft tones while they ate breakfast. As if speaking too loud would jar them too quickly out of whatever dreams they'd had the night before. Rebecca's soft voice put him much in mind of those times. "All right. I won't." Isaac focused on his milking. "She doesn't have a name?" Rebecca pressed. "How can you have an animal that doesn't have a name?" "Never gave it much thought. She's good for milk, but other than that she's nothing but trouble, always munching on the laundry." "Well, then I think your choice is clear. Either you call her Milky or you call her Trouble." Her teasing tone brought a reluctant smile to his lips. "Well, then, if I have to choose, then I guess she's Trouble." The real Trouble was standing behind him, her elbow propped against the top of the rail, her chin cupped in one dainty hand. ***

What's a wife to do when her Christmas plans fall apart?Join Becky and Isaac from The Unexpected Bride in a romantic short story complete with sleigh bells, mistletoe, and sweet holiday surprises. It's Christmas Eve, and smoke isn't just rising from the chimney--it's pouring from the stove due to yet another batch of burnt biscuits. Becky wants everything to be perfect for her family, but a ruined meal spells disaster for all her high hopes. Will the night end in despair...or with a happy Christmas dream? Reconnect with your favorite characters from Book 1 of The Brides series and learn more about Jem (the hero of The Bartered Bride) in Sleigh Bells and Mistletoe.Christmas Short StoryGenre: Historical Western Romance, Inspirational RomanceTHE BRIDES SERIESThe Unexpected BrideSleigh Bells & MistletoeThe Bartered BrideOnly the Heart Knows

What's a wife to do when her Christmas plans fall apart?Join Becky and Isaac from The Unexpected Bride in a romantic short story complete with sleigh bells, mistletoe, and sweet holiday surprises.It's Christmas Eve, and smoke isn't just rising from the chimney--it's pouring from the stove due to yet another batch of burnt biscuits. Becky wants everything to be perfect for her family, but a ruined meal spells disaster for all her high hopes. Will the night end in despair...or with a happy Christmas dream?Reconnect with your favorite characters from Book 1 of "The Brides" series in Sleigh Bells & Mistletoe.*Includes an excerpt from The Bartered Bride, Jem's Story.The Brides Series #2, A Short StorySweet Historical Western RomanceInspirational Romance

The Greatest Christmas Novels, Short Stories & Poems in One Volume, with its striking assortment of literary styles, brings together a remarkable tapestry of festive narratives. From the whimsical charm of Beatrix Potter to the profound depths of Fyodor Dostoevsky, the collection encapsulates the multifaceted spirit of Christmas. It seamlessly weaves together the joy, melancholy, wonder, and contemplation that characterize the season, offering readers a comprehensive exploration of its significance across different cultures and periods. The anthology's diverse range, including celebrated works like Dickens' ghosts of Christmas and Andersen's fairy tales, underscores the universal resonance of Christmas — a time of reflection, renewal, and connection. The authors and poets featured in this compilation represent a veritable Who's Who of the literary pantheon, each having left an indelible mark on their respective genres. Figures like Selma Lagerlöf and Leo Tolstoy contribute narratives that reflect their complex societies and the human condition, while poets like William Wordsworth and Emily Dickinson offer lyrical expressions of the yuletide spirit. This blend of voices, from the Romantic to the Realist, exemplifies the ever-evolving cultural and emotional landscape of Christmas, illustrating how this holiday transcends geographical and temporal boundaries to speak to universal themes of love, loss, and hope. This anthology is an essential addition to any literary enthusiast's collection, appealing not only for its historical and cultural significance but also for its ability to inspire and resonate on a personal level. Readers are invited to delve into the rich tapestry of stories and poems that, together, compose a multidimensional portrait of Christmas. Whether one is drawn to the nostalgic allure of classic tales or the profound reflections in poetic verse, this volume promises a rewarding journey through the vast emotional landscape that Christmas encompasses, fostering a deeper appreciation for the ways in which this holiday is celebrated — and its stories told — around the world.

This carefully crafted ebook: “CHRISTMAS ESSENTIALS - The Greatest Novels, Tales & Poems for The Holiday Season: 180+ Titles in One Volume (Illustrated)” is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents: A Letter from Santa Claus (Mark Twain) A Christmas Inspiration (Lucy Maud Montgomery) The Gift of the Magi (O. Henry) The First Christmas Of New England (Harriet Beecher Stowe) The Holy Night (Selma Lagerlöf) Christmas At Sea (Robert Louis Stevenson) The Little City of Hope (F. Marion Crawford) Christmas in the Olden Time (Walter Scott) Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (L. Frank Baum) The Twelve Days of Christmas Silent Night Ring Out, Wild Bells (Alfred Lord Tennyson) Christmas with Grandma Elsie (Martha Finley) Little Lord Fauntleroy (Frances Hodgson Burnett) Anne of Green Gables (Lucy Maud Montgomery) Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) The Christmas Angel (Abbie Farwell Brown) Black Beauty (Anna Sewell) Christmas In India (Rudyard Kipling) The Christmas Child (Hesba Stretton) Granny's Wonderful Chair (Frances Browne) The Romance of a Christmas Card (Kate Douglas Wiggin) Wind in the Willows (Kenneth Grahame) The Birds' Christmas Carol (Kate Douglas Wiggin) The Wonderful Life - Story of the life and death of our Lord (Hesba Stretton) A Merry Christmas & Other Christmas Stories (Louisa May Alcott) Little Gretchen and the Wooden Shoe (Elizabeth Harrison) Where Love Is, God Is (Leo Tolstoy) Peter Pan and Wendy (J. M. Barrie) The Wonderful Wizard of OZ (L. Frank Baum) The Christmas Angel (Abbie Farwell Brown) The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Beatrix Potter) Toinette and the Elves (Susan Coolidge) The Heavenly Christmas Tree (Fyodor Dostoevsky) At the Back of the North Wind (George MacDonald) Christmas at Thompson Hall (Anthony Trollope) Thurlow's Christmas Story (John Kendrick Bangs) Christmas Every Day (William Dean Howells) The Lost Word (Henry van Dyke) The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (E. T. A. Hoffmann) The Little Match Girl ...

A short story by a first time author. A Story of a young boy with a marvelous talent for music.