Christmas Miracle: A Family. Dianne Drake

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

       Dear Reader

      Welcome to the third book in my Mountain Village Hospital series. I’ve really enjoyed writing this story because I love old steam locomotives, and I’ve featured one in my story. It’s called The Christmas Train. I was fortunate enough to ride this train a couple of years ago. The steam engine was dated 1923, as were the cars. It was an amazing ride. A little bumpy. Quite loud. But so much fun because this was the original train that skirted the rim of the mountains in this area and, except for a bit of maintenance, the train was unchanged since 1923. It even had an old-fashioned black pot-bellied stove in the cars for heat.

      So my husband and I, along with my husband’s parents, took this little train trip, and the whole time I kept thinking how I wanted to use this beautiful little train in one of my books. Why? Because my grandmother loved riding trains, and she was riding the rails back in 1923. For just a while I got to experience something my grandmother loved, something she’d done, and it was amazing stepping back in time. For me, it was a wonderful, unexpected Christmas gift.

      At this time of the year there are so many fun, exciting things to do. Be good to yourself and, if you’re able, reconnect to something you’ve loved from your past. That would be my fondest wish for you this holiday season.

      Wishing you health and happiness

       Dianne Drake

      PS: I’d love to hear about your experiences of reconnecting to something beloved from your past. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]

      About the Author

      Now that her children have left home, DIANNE DRAKE is finally finding the time to do some of the things she adores—gardening, cooking, reading, shopping for antiques. Her absolute passion in life, however, is adopting abandoned and abused animals. Right now Dianne and her husband Joel have a little menagerie of three dogs and two cats, but that’s always subject to change. A former symphony orchestra member, Dianne now attends the symphony as a spectator several times a month and, when time permits, takes in an occasional football, basketball or hockey game.

       Recent titles by the same author:

      FOUND: A MOTHER FOR HIS SON

      DR VELASCOS’ UNEXPECTED BABY

      THE WIFE HE’S BEEN WAITING FOR

      A BOSS BEYOND COMPARE

      Chapter One

      FALLON O’GARA glanced at her watch, and the panic in her rose a little more than she’d expected. It was ten after one now, and she was late to meet her good friends and colleagues Gabby Ranard and Dinah Ramsey for lunch. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to open the car door because she was about to take a big step, and it scared her. She’d fretted, paced, worried all night, and now it was time. Time to make a decision about Gabby’s job offer, and finally think about returning to work for the first time since the plane crash. But she couldn’t lay her hand on the doorhandle, let alone open the door and get out.

      A loud tapping on the passenger’s side window startled Fallon out of her dilemma. It was Gabby, standing there with Dinah. “I’m coming,” Fallon called without opening her window, without making the slightest motion toward getting out.

      “We’ve got the back table reserved,” Gabby yelled. “And you know Catie. She can’t wait to see you. She’s standing at the front door right now, ready to cry.” To prove her point, Gabby stepped back and pointed to the café owner standing with hankie in hand, on the verge of blubbering.

      Fallon loved these people! They were the best. But being here at Catie’s Overlook, her favorite restaurant in the world, was suddenly feeling like a mistake. She wanted to go in, wanted to accept that job offer Gabby had made to set up the practical details of White Elk’s new women’s hospital—buy the beds, hire the staff, hire the contractors to make the renovations. It was a kind, generous offer, since she’d told Gabby that she wasn’t ready to go back to nursing at the main White Elk Hospital. But she was afraid to accept Gabby’s offer. Afraid not to. Not sure what to do. Consequently, her hands were shaking, her breath was clutching in her lungs. But surviving an airplane crash…there were always the reminders, and for her one of them was the panic attacks.

      Gabby took another step toward the front of the car, and simply smiled at Fallon. “Well, darn,” Fallon muttered to herself. “Having lunch with my best friends should be an easy thing to do. I’ll simply get out, go in, say…” Well, she wasn’t sure what she’d say to Gabby, and Gabby did want an answer. “I’ll eat, chat, go home.” And forty-five minutes later, well into a heaped piece of chocolate cake, she still wasn’t sure what she was going to say to Gabby.

      “Well, should I order a celebratory flute of ginger ale?” Gabby finally asked. Gabby wasn’t drinking alcohol as she had a baby on the way. “Assuming your answer to my offer is yes? And if it’s not, could you explain that to little Mary here, because her mommy needs rest at this stage of the pregnancy and if you don’t take this job, little Mary’s mommy is going to be worn out by the time little Mary’s born.”

      “Good guilt trip,” Dinah commented, laughing. Gabby patted her belly, smiling. “Just using what I have to, to get my way.” She looked over at Fallon. “Seriously, I really do need you. Not because of my pregnancy but because of your skills. I trust you to do this job and do it well.”

      Fallon sighed. Her back was to the wall now; she had to be fair to Gabby. Yes, or no? She wanted a voice from the heavens to cry out the answer, but when none came, she braced herself, trying to force aside the awkward tension attempting to burrow its way out. It was a job made to order. One where she could build up some confidence, still be close to medicine, and work her life out from that point forward. Also, this was something she could do on her own terms. If ever there was an opportunity to step back into her life, the way it used to be, the way she wanted it to be again, this was it. And it was true what they said about the very first step being the hardest.

      Looking