A Home For Christmas

2 short stories (e-book)

A Christmas Angel by Robin Lee Hatcher

The Sweetest Gift by Mary Connealy

Mary tells the story of Adelaide agreeing to marry her best friends widowed husband, Graham, to take care of  their toddler. She's willing to do this for Greta even though she feels Graham killed Greta. Adelaide is twenty-eight, never married and no prospects in sight. She's a librarian and loves to play the piano. Adelaide has been saving her earnings and has acquired some very valuable, original, sheet music which she hides in her things when she leaves with Graham as his bride. Graham arrives on the train, they go to lunch with her parents, to the preachers house to get married and leave on the afternoon train to return to Graham's, her, home. 

Graham wants a wife in name only, as he believes he killed his first wife, Greta, and doesn't want to kill another wife. When they arrive back home, Adelaide gets to meet Bridget, Graham and Greta's daughter, Graham's two sisters and his brother. They are not friendly at all, they are businesslike, to the point and talk in short very clipped words. In other words they speak only what needs to be said and that's it.

You will have to read the book to see what happens from here. Mary did a good job of making this a short story as you feel there is a lot that could be added if she'd wanted to, but it is great as it is done.

Robin tells the story of Jennifer and Mick, who have known each other since Jennifer was a young girl and Mick worked in her Father's store. Mick married her step-sister in a hurry and left Chicago to live in Idaho on a farm. Jennifer's family was told that Christina had died then their daughter Annie had a accident and couldn't walk. When Mick ran out of money and options to care for Annie he wrote to Christina's family asking for help. Jennifer remembers the handsome Mick from when she was 13 and wonders what he's like now. Being a nurse, Jennifer offers to go care for Annie. Her Father and Step-Mother reluctantly agree to let her go as they consider trying to make Mick send Annie to them. The problem is, they don't know the whole truth about anything. Guess you'll have to read about everything that they don't know.

Robin really kept my interest and wanting more, it was hard to stop when I'd have to get out of the car or get called back to the doctor's office. 

I would highly recommend this book with the two short stories by two excellent authors.