A Very Braden Christmas Read online

  “Oh no! Someone left Hope’s stall open,” Adriana said.

  Treat and Hal exchanged a tearful smile.

  “No, darlin’,” Hal said. “Hope just has a way of knowing when we need her most.”

  Want More Bradens?

  I hope you loved spending Christmas Eve with the Bradens. If this is your first Braden book, you might want to read each of the Bradens at Weston love stories, starting with the full-length novel LOVERS AT HEART, REIMAGINED, Treat and Max’s love story. All of my books may be enjoyed as stand-alone romances. Jump in at any time!

  New to the Love in Bloom series?

  The Love in Bloom big-family romance collection features several families. Characters from each series appear in future Love in Bloom books. Find free downloadable series reading order and publication order checklists, family trees, and more on Melissa’s Reader Goodies page: www.MelissaFoster.com/RG.

  Please enjoy this preview of

  LOVERS AT HEART, REIMAGINED

  TREAT BRADEN DIDN’T usually charter planes. It wasn’t his style to flash his wealth. But today he needed to be anywhere but his Nassau resort, and missing his commercial flight had just plain pissed him off. He owned upscale resorts all over the world, and he’d been featured on travel shows so many times that it turned his stomach to have to play those ridiculous media games. Most of the pomp and circumstance surrounding him had begun to irk him in ways that it never had before meeting Max Armstrong. It had been too many long, lonely weeks since he’d seen her standing in the lobby of his Nassau resort, since his heart first thundered in a way that threw him completely off-kilter—and since they’d spent one incredible evening together. Treat wasn’t a Neanderthal. He’d known he had no claim on her, even after their intimate evening. Hell, they hadn’t even slept together. But that hadn’t stopped his blood from boiling or kept him from acting like a jerk the next morning when he’d seen her with another man in front of the elevators, wearing the same clothes she’d had on when Treat had left her the night before.

  He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Max since the moment he’d first met her, despite the uncomfortable encounter, but he’d been burned before, and he wasn’t into repeating his mistakes. Getting away from resorts altogether and spending a weekend with his father at his ranch in Weston, Colorado, a small ranch town with dusty streets, too many cowboy hats, and a main drag that had been built to replicate the Wild West, was just what he needed.

  His rental SUV moved at a snail’s pace behind a line of traffic that was not at all typical for his hometown. It wasn’t until he crawled around the next curve and saw balloons and banners above the road announcing the annual Indie Film Festival that he realized what weekend it was. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with crowds.

  His cell phone rang, and his sister’s name flashed on the screen. Savannah. Before he could say hello, she said, “I can’t believe you didn’t call me before you came out.”

  “Hi, sis. I miss you, too.” The only girl among his five siblings, Savannah was a cutthroat entertainment attorney, but to Treat she’d always be his baby sister.

  “You big oaf,” she said with a laugh. “I’m at the festival with a client. When will you get in?”

  “I’m here now, sitting in traffic on Main Street.” He hadn’t moved an inch in five minutes.

  “Yeah? Come to the festival and see me. I’ll wait for you at the rear entrance.”

  All he really wanted to do was reach his father’s two-hundred-acre ranch just outside of town, but Treat knew that if he didn’t see Savannah right away, she’d be disappointed. Disappointing his siblings was something he strived not to do. Having lost their mother when Treat was only eleven and his youngest sibling, Hugh, had been hardly more than a baby, his siblings had already faced enough disappointment for one lifetime.

  “You’re with a client. Sure you can get away?” he asked.

  “Who are you kidding? For you? Of course. Besides, I’m with Connor Dean. He can handle things for a little while. Come in the back gate. I’ll wait there.” Connor was an actor who was quickly climbing the ranks of fame. Savannah had been his attorney for two years, and whenever he had a public engagement, he brought her along. It wasn’t a typical attorney-client relationship, but for all of Connor’s bravado, he’d been slandered one too many times. Savannah kept track of what was and wasn’t said at most events—by both Connor and the media.

  “I’ll be there as soon as traffic allows.” After he ended the call with Savannah he called his father.

  “Hey there, son.”

  Hal’s slow, deep drawl tugged at Treat’s heart. He’d missed him. Hal had always been a calming influence on Treat. After his mother passed away, his father had pulled him and his siblings through those tumultuous years. But Hal wasn’t a coddler. He had instilled a strong work ethic and sense of loyalty into their heads, and that had enabled each of them to be successful in their endeavors.

  “Dad, I’m here in town, but I’m going to stop at the festival first to see Savannah, if you don’t mind.”

  “Yup. Savannah called. Treat, enjoy your time with her. She misses you, and I’d venture a guess that you could use a little extended family time, too.”

  He could say that again. Anything to keep his mind off Max.

  To continue reading, please buy

  LOVERS AT HEART, REIMAGINED

  More Books By Melissa Foster

  Love in Bloom Romance Collection

  LOVE IN BLOOM SERIES order

  Love in Bloom books may be read as stand alones. For more enjoyment, read them in series order. Characters from each series carry forward to the next.

  SNOW SISTERS

  Sisters in Love

  Sisters in Bloom

  Sisters in White

  THE BRADENS (Weston, CO)

  Lovers at Heart, Reimagined

  Destined for Love

  Friendship on Fire

  Sea of Love

  Bursting with Love

  Hearts at Play

  THE BRADENS (Trusty, CO)

  Taken by Love

  Fated for Love

  Romancing My Love

  Flirting with Love

  Dreaming of Love

  Crashing into Love

  THE BRADENS (Peaceful Harbor, MD)

  Healed by Love

  Surrender My Love

  River of Love

  Crushing on Love

  Whisper of Love

  Thrill of Love

  THE BRADENS & MONTGOMERYS (Pleasant Hill – Oak Falls)

  Embracing Her Heart

  Anything for Love

  Trails of Love

  Wild, Crazy Hearts

  Making You Mine

  BRADEN WORLD NOVELLAS

  Daring Her Love

  Promise My Love

  Our New Love

  Story of Love

  Love at Last

  THE REMINGTONS

  Game of Love

  Stroke of Love

  Flames of Love

  Slope of Love

  Read, Write, Love

  Touched by Love

  SEASIDE SUMMERS

  Seaside Dreams

  Seaside Hearts

  Seaside Sunsets

  Seaside Secrets

  Seaside Nights

  Seaside Embrace

  Seaside Lovers

  Seaside Whispers

  BAYSIDE SUMMERS

  Bayside Desires

  Bayside Passions

  Bayside Heat

  Bayside Escape

  Bayside Romance

  THE RYDERS

  Seized by Love

  Claimed by Love

  Chased by Love

  Rescued by Love

  Swept Into Love

  SUGAR LAKE

  The Real Thing

  Only for You

  Love Like Ours

  Finding My Girl

  TRU BLUE & THE WHISKEYS

  Tru Blue (Set in Peaceful Harbor)

  Truly, M
adly, Whiskey

  Driving Whiskey Wild

  Wicked Whiskey Love

  Mad About Moon

  Taming My Whiskey

  WILD BOYS (Billionaires After Dark)

  Logan

  Heath

  Jackson

  Cooper

  BAD BOYS (Billionaires After Dark)

  Mick

  Dylan

  Carson

  Brett

  HARBORSIDE NIGHTS

  Includes characters from the Love in Bloom series

  Catching Cassidy

  Discovering Delilah

  Tempting Tristan

  Standalone Books by Melissa

  Chasing Amanda (mystery/suspense)

  Come Back to Me (mystery/suspense)

  Have No Shame (historical fiction/romance)

  Love, Lies & Mystery (3-book bundle)

  Megan’s Way (literary fiction)

  Traces of Kara (psychological thriller)

  Where Petals Fall (suspense)

  Meet Melissa

  www.MelissaFoster.com

  Melissa Foster is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. Her books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. Melissa has painted and donated several murals to the Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC.

  Visit Melissa on her website or chat with her on social media. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups and welcomes an invitation to your event. Melissa’s books are available through most online retailers in paperback, digital, and audio formats.