A Cornish Christmas is now available from Astraea Press A short and sweet novella without Santa, elves or cute kids but still guaranteed to leave you with a warm Christmassy feeling!
Adam wants Meg to be more than a friend but Meg has her reasons for not wanting to move their relationship on. It takes a stray dog, an emergency at sea and a touch of Christmas to show Meg her true feelings.
And here’s a taster!
The shop was full with people when Meg returned. She left her sandwich and her coat in the staff room and went to help her mother serve the customers. By the time the bell over the door sounded a farewell to the last customer, Meg’s stomach growled.
She hurried into the back room to retrieve her lunch, finally acknowledging the rumbles of complaint from her stomach.
She took a large bite from her brie and cranberry sandwich, chewed and swallowed. “Yum, this is heaven.”
“You know if you made your own sandwiches it would be a lot cheaper,” her mother tutted as she moved around the shop tidying as she went.
“I do make my own most days. Some days though it’s nice to have a treat.” Meg took another bite.
“Did you hear anything about the lifeboat call out?”
Meg licked a crumb of cheese from the corner of her mouth. “Yes, it was two kids in a homemade boat. I met Adam as I was walking back and he told me.”
Her mother paused as she straightened up a basket of shell jewellery. “I’m glad everyone was all right. I assume they were all safe?” she asked, clearly fishing for information.
Meg nodded as she swallowed another morsel of her lunch. “Yes, the kids have gone to the hospital, but they’re fine.”
“Good job Adam was on the boat then.”
“Mum, let’s not have this discussion now. You know how I feel about Adam being on the lifeboat crew.”
Val pursed her lips. “What happened to your dad can’t be undone, love. New Bay men have always gone to sea, that’s how it is. Adam does a vital job for the lifeboat. They need young strong men like him, and his medical know-how is a real bonus to the crew. If he hadn’t been on the boat when they pulled young Brad out of the water a few months back, he wouldn’t be here to tell the tale.”
Meg shivered. In her heart, she knew her mother was right. Brad had been surfing when he’d been caught in an undertow. Without the bravery of her friend Erin’s boyfriend Dan and Adam’s medical skill then Brad would have drowned.
“Dad went to sea because he was a fisherman. It was his living. Adam is deliberately putting himself in danger every time the boat goes out.” Her voice shook as she spoke.
Her father had been drowned when she’d been a teenager. His boat had been caught in a terrible storm a few miles from the safety of the harbour. She’d seen and felt first hand what losing someone you loved to the sea could do.
“And if it weren’t for men like Adam there’d be more folk lost. There’s danger everywhere, Meg. I could have lost your dad to a road accident or cancer.” The lines on her mother’s face softened, and she rested a gentle hand on Meg’s shoulder. “Think about it, Meg, and give Adam a chance.”
© Nell Dixon 2011
For UK readers
For US readers
And why not try Making Waves or September Song also set in the same Cornish village of New Bay?
Astraea Press has lots of lovely Christmas reads - join in the blog hop! Start HERE
