Marry Me at Christmas (Fool's Gold) Read online

  Wish upon a Christmas star with New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery’s sparkling Fool’s Gold romance!

  To bridal boutique owner Madeline Krug, organizing a Christmas wedding sounds like a joy—until she finds out she’ll be working closely with the gorgeous brother of the bride, movie star Jonny Blaze. How will a small-town girl like her keep from falling for the world’s sexiest guy? Especially with mistletoe lurking around every corner!

  Jonny came to Fool’s Gold looking for normal, not for love. Happily-ever-after only happens in the movies. Still, nothing about this quirky town is quite what he expected, and “ordinary” Madeline is the most extraordinary woman he’s ever met. Refreshingly honest, disarmingly sweet. Achingly beautiful.

  Planning the perfect wedding leads to candlelit dinners and strolls through snow-covered streets. And Madeline finds Jonny in real life even more captivating than her celebrity crush. But will the action star be brave enough to risk his heart and step into the role of a lifetime?

  “The Christmas Wedding Ring has Susan Mallery’s trademark emotional punch... Another example of how deft Susan Mallery is at creating classic love stories.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “It really is the most wonderful time of the year in Fool’s Gold, where readers will witness heartwarming family drama and tender romance. Another of Mallery’s patented mood elevators!”

  —RT Book Reviews, Top Pick, on Christmas on 4th Street

  “Susan Mallery is one of my favorites.”

  —#1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber

  “The wildly popular and prolific Mallery can always be counted on to tell an engaging story of modern romance.”

  —Booklist

  “[Christmas on 4th Street is] brimming with lively humor, spot-on dialog, small-town charm, and holiday cheer... A joy-filled, Christmas treat.”

  —Library Journal

  “A sweet, heartwarming Christmas romance and a winning seasonal charm in the enchanting, magical community of Fool’s Gold.”

  —Kirkus Reviews

  Susan Mallery

  Marry Me at Christmas

  New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery has won the hearts of millions of readers around the world with books described as “immensely entertaining, intensely emotional” (RT Book Reviews), “hilarious” (Fort Worth Star-Telegram) and “heartwarming” (Publishers Weekly). One major retailer recently described her as “the queen of romantic fiction.” While she deeply appreciates the accolades of critics and booksellers, Mallery is even more honored by the enthusiasm of her readers and the word of mouth that catapults her toward the top of the bestseller lists time and again.

  Mallery lives in not-so-sunny Seattle with her husband and a toy poodle who makes her laugh every day and who’s not even a little bit impressed by her growing fame. Visit Susan online at SusanMallery.com.

  Also by Susan Mallery

  Fool’s Gold

  Thrill Me

  Kiss Me

  Hold Me

  Until We Touch

  Before We Kiss

  When We Met

  Christmas on 4th Street

  Three Little Words

  Two of a Kind

  Just One Kiss

  A Fool’s Gold Christmas

  All Summer Long

  Summer Nights

  Summer Days

  Only His

  Only Yours

  Only Mine

  Finding Perfect

  Almost Perfect

  Chasing Perfect

  Blackberry Island

  Evening Stars

  Three Sisters

  Barefoot Season

  Mischief Bay

  The Girls of Mischief Bay

  To see the complete list of titles available from Susan Mallery, please visit SusanMallery.com.

  I’m one of the luckiest authors in the world. Seriously, I have the best readers anywhere. This book is dedicated to the delightful, creative and fun Kim V.R. I’m thrilled that your girls week friends, radiation friends and Inez got you addicted to romance, and I adored meeting you.

  And...

  To reader Paula B, who asked that this book be “dedicated to my son Tom B for making my dream come true.”

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from Christmas on 4th Street by Susan Mallery

  ONE

  “DO THEY KNOW they look like pumpkins?”

  Madeline Krug appreciated that Rosalind asked the question very softly. One of the first rules of running a successful wedding gown store was to not insult the bride or her wedding party. And while she normally would have mentioned that to her assistant, in this case the question was kind of legitimate.

  It wasn’t just the very full skirt on the bridesmaids’ dresses. A billowing that was oddly, well, pumpkin shaped. It wasn’t the colors, which ranged from tangerine to coral to, um, pumpkin. But when those two elements were put together with a pale green crown of leaves and tiny flowers on each of their six heads, the overall effect was just a little...pumpkiny.

  “The bride told me this is exactly what she wanted,” Madeline murmured. “That she’s been dreaming about her wedding since she was a little girl and these are the dresses she pictured. She was thrilled we could find them.”

  Madeline smiled at her assistant. “Every bride has a perfect dress and a vision for what she wants her wedding party to look like. Our job is to find out what that dream is and make it come true.”

  Rosalind looked doubtful, but nodded, as if taking mental notes.

  The fortysomething brunette had been working at Paper Moon for about a month now. With her kids all in middle and high school, she’d wanted to return to the workforce. Madeline needed someone she could depend on and Rosalind came with good references. So far, they were doing well as a team, although Rosalind still found the various bridal idiosyncrasies surprising.

  Madeline returned her attention to the wedding party. She double-checked the fit of each dress, confirmed the bride was giddy with happiness, then promised a final pressing before the dresses were picked up the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Because the, um, pumpkin wedding was the Saturday after the holiday.

  By three o’clock the bridal party had left. Madeline retreated to her office to finish up some paperwork. After processing invoices, confirming a couple of deliveries and noting when her favorite bridal designer’s new summer collection would be available, she leaned back in her chair and allowed herself a rare moment of contentment.

  She loved her job. She wasn’t saving the world or finding a new source of renewable energy—but in her own small way, she helped people be happy. Brides came in all shapes, sizes and temperaments, but for the most part, she loved each one of them. She loved the look on their faces when they found the right dress. The happy tears were so satisfying.

  Sure there was drama, but she could handle a little drama. It kept things interesting. And when the drama was over and the bride emailed her a picture of herself on the big day, well, nothing was sweeter.

  She was just plain lucky, she thought. If not in love, then certainly in every other part of her life. Because—

  “Hello, Madeline.”

  Two
simple words spoken in a kind voice. That should have been fine. Or even nice. Instead, Madeline stared at the well-dressed woman standing in the doorway of her office and knew that her life was about to change. She couldn’t say how or why, but as surely as the sun would rise in the east, when Mayor Marsha Tilson showed up looking slightly expectant, things happened.

  “Ma’am,” Madeline said, instantly coming to her feet. Because that was how she’d been raised. You stood when an older person came in the room.

  Mayor Marsha had been the mayor of Fool’s Gold for longer than Madeline had been alive. She was, in fact, California’s longest serving mayor. She was much loved, warm, caring and had a way of knowing things that no one had ever been able to explain. Madeline had always liked her. She found her a little scary, but she liked her.

  “Do you have a minute?” the mayor asked, already walking into the small office and taking a seat.

  “Of course.”

  Madeline was a little relieved when Dellina Ridge, Fool’s Gold’s event planner, followed the mayor into her office and offered a reassuring smile. Dellina was a good friend. If something bad was about to happen, not only would Dellina have warned her but she would have offered moral support and brownies.

  “As you know,” Mayor Marsha began when they were all seated, “the holidays are a busy time here in town.”

  Madeline nodded. Fool’s Gold loved to celebrate in every way possible. From mid-November until after the first of the year, there was always something going on. Lucky for her, it was an especially slow time at Paper Moon, which meant she got to enjoy everything going on around her.

  The rhythm of a bridal shop was different from regular retail. Come January second, when a lot of stores slowed down, she would be juggling newly engaged brides-to-be. Many a proposal would be made on either Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve. But that wasn’t why the mayor was here.

  Mayor Marsha glanced at Dellina, who scooted to the front of her chair and gave another smile.

  “It’s me,” Dellina admitted, sounding a little rueful. “I’m totally scrambling. The Hendrix family is planning a huge party on New Year’s Eve, there are a dozen holiday events and three weddings, and I’m up to my eyebrows in invitations and details. I can’t take on one more thing.”

  Madeline still wasn’t sure where this was all going. “If you need me to help with something, I’m happy to,” she said slowly. Of course she would be there for her friend. But why wouldn’t Dellina have come to her directly? They’d known each other all their lives. Why involve the mayor?

  Dellina shifted slightly. “Yes, well, it’s more than my usual panicked call to come stuff goodie bags. It’s a wedding.”

  Madeline looked between the two of them. “I don’t understand,” she admitted.

  “There’s going to be a wedding the Saturday after Christmas,” the mayor said happily. “You know how I love a wedding. This will be a small affair. Right now the guest list is at forty. I suspect it will grow a little, but shouldn’t be more than fifty or fifty-five people. There’s no location issue—everything will be at the bride’s brother’s house. The catering is taken care of.”

  “Ana Raquel is handling that,” Dellina added. “She had a cancellation and can fit in the wedding. So it’s just the basic details. Dress, invitations, decorations. I know it’s a lot to ask...” Her friend shook her head. “I’m sorry. We haven’t asked yet, have we?”

  Mayor Marsha patted Dellina’s hand. “I’ll do the asking, dear. Madeline, your town needs you to plan a wedding. Are you up for it?”

  “I don’t know,” Madeline admitted. “I’ve never done anything like that before. I work with brides and we talk details, but to take a wedding from start to finish, even a small one, would be challenging.”

  Which was as close to saying no as she was going to get, she thought as the mayor continued to look at her with that steady, supportive You’ll do what I say because I have powers and you’ve never once refused me anything look that was both famous and inescapable.

  “I have a master list and I’d be happy to help,” Dellina added. “I’m sorry to put you in this position.”

  “Don’t apologize,” Mayor Marsha said firmly. “I’m to blame. When I spoke with Dellina earlier today and she said she wasn’t available, we brainstormed who we could ask. You’re the one we both thought of.”

  Madeline got the subtext of the message. Dellina had been as trapped as she was now. When Mayor Marsha wanted something done, she was unstoppable. Which meant saying no wasn’t an option.

  Planning a wedding in seven weeks, over the holidays, when she’d never done much more than be a bridesmaid and sell wedding dresses? Were they crazy?

  “Sure,” she said easily. “I’m in.” She frowned as she realized she didn’t know anyone who had recently gotten engaged, or even who was planning a holiday wedding. “Oh, who’s getting married?”

  “Ginger Blaze.”

  The name meant nothing. “She’s not local. Is her fiancé...”

  Madeline felt her heart stop. Physically stop. There had been steady beating, then nothing. That was followed by a distinct popping sound in her ears along with panic. Cold, slimy, I-can’t-breathe panic.

  “Blaze,” she whispered. Quite the trick what with her heart stopped and her lungs not working. “Blaze as in Jonny Blaze?”

  Mayor Marsha nodded. “Ginger is his younger sister. I believe she lives in San Francisco. She’s in a PhD program. Something with biology or genetics. Mr. Blaze wasn’t clear. However, he asked me to help him find someone to plan the wedding with him. That’s when I approached Dellina. You know the rest, my dear.”

  Jonny Blaze? The tall, handsome action-movie star who had recently moved to a ranch outside of town? The man who had a body like a god and a smile that reduced perfectly intelligent, articulate women to puddles? Jonny Blaze, who was, unbeknownst to him, of course, her movie-star boyfriend?

  No. She couldn’t. She had a mad crush on him. Every time she’d seen him in town, she’d stared like an idiot. She’d babbled and he hadn’t been closer than twenty-five feet. She couldn’t imagine being next to him, let alone working with him.

  I can’t. There. She’d said it. Or at least thought it. Which was practically the same thing. She couldn’t.

  “From what I can tell, Mr. Blaze is a very nice man,” the mayor was saying. “He wants to fit in. Be a part of the community. As you know, we take the well-being of our citizens very seriously. Mr. Blaze needs a refuge from the trappings of his career and we can provide that. The quiet, everyday kind of life he craves.”

  “The wedding is going to be close friends and family,” Dellina added. “It’s small and intimate. I swear, if I had an extra second, I’d take it on.”

  “You’re already doing too much,” Madeline said, pleased she could speak. “I know you. You’re running in forty-five directions.”

  If it were anyone else, she thought frantically. But it wasn’t and saying no had never been an option.

  She drew in a breath and told herself she was strong. She was mature. At the very least, she could keep from squealing in his presence.

  “I’m happy to help,” she said.

  “Excellent.” Mayor Marsha nodded. “You’re meeting with him in an hour.”

  Of course she was, Madeline thought, not even surprised. Because that was how the mayor got things done. A well-planned ambush followed by a lack of time to come to one’s senses.

  An hour. Not nearly enough time to lose five pounds, have a makeover and become glamorous and sophisticated. Why, oh, why hadn’t she learned French? Or aikido? Anything that would make her interesting for Jonny Blaze? She briefly wondered if aikido was the martial arts training or the dog breed, then sighed. Too late to worry about that now. As it was, she was going to be stuck being herself.

  “I’m going to tell him I don’t have any experience with planning a wedding,” she said. “I need to be honest about that.”

  The mayor smiled. “I wo
uld expect no less, my dear.”

  * * *

  Jonny Blaze had traveled all over the world. He was used to the insular world of a movie set and the contrast of whatever town they were in during filming. He’d lived in tents, high-rises and, for six gut-churning weeks, on a fishing boat. But none of that had prepared him for the quirky, busy, oddly happy place that was Fool’s Gold.

  Everyone here was...nice. They said hello to each other, knew each other’s kids’ names and, as far as he could tell, celebrated every known holiday and a few he’d never heard of. He’d been looking for a place to hide and instead he’d found himself in an unusual town that he couldn’t seem to ignore, but also couldn’t bring himself to embrace. It was an unexpected conundrum.

  He stepped into Brew-haha for his two o’clock meeting. The barista greeted him by name and asked if he wanted his usual. Had he been anywhere else, he would have known she’d remembered his usual because of his movie-star status. Except in Fool’s Gold, the barista treated everyone exactly the same. An experience so refreshing that coming to the local coffee shop became one of his favorite things to do when he was in town.

  He paid for his order, then went to wait. Because this wasn’t LA where a starstruck employee raced to get him his coffee. He had a turn, just like everyone else.

  Jonny had grown up normal, so he’d been unprepared for how starring in action movies would change everything about his life. Now, over a decade later, he was used to slipping into restaurants through a back door and knowing paparazzi were going to be lurking around every corner. He’d tried living in a secure condo, then had bought the obligatory walled estate, high in the Hollywood Hills. When that didn’t keep out the unwelcome, he’d gone looking for something better.

  He’d found it about twenty-five miles outside of Fool’s Gold, California, on a cattle ranch with a rambling old house and a barn that he’d converted to a shop and workout room. He was close enough to town that he could get his normal fix at Brew-haha, but far enough away that he could revel in the quiet.

  He’d sold the cattle to another rancher and had leased the grazing rights to the same guy. Now, as Jonny took his coffee, he grinned. Yup, he had grazing rights. What could be more middle America than that?

 
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