Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 53521 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 268(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53521 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 268(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
Falling for your grumpy neighbor? That’s rule number one in the book of what not to do. Seriously, who could ever be into Shepherd Atwood, the king of grouchiness?
Apparently, me.
In a bid to prove that my love life isn’t a complete disaster, fate throws me a curveball, and Shepherd offers to help. One magical night later, I thought maybe, just maybe, this prickly guy had a heart after all. But then, poof! He vanishes for months.
Now, I’ve got a surprise of my own—a baby on the way.
When Shepherd finally reappears and learns about the baby, he’s all in, ready to play daddy. Could this be the start of an unlikely love story? Or am I setting myself up for more heartbreak?
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Playlist
Thank you to my Naughty and Greedy Girls over on Patreon for coming up with the Playlist for Shepherd and Felicity.
Click Here to check out my Patreon!
Click Here to listen to the playlist on Spotify!
I Was Made For Lovin' You - Kiss
All of Me - John Legend
Lose Control - Teddi Swims
You Are The Reason - Calum Scott
Legendary-Bon Jovi
Leave a Light On - Papa Roach
Beautiful Things - Benson Boone
Baby, Baby - Amy Grant
A Thousand Years - Christina Perri
Heaven - Bryan Adams
I Want You To Want Me - Letters to Cleo
When a Man Loves a Woman - Michael Bolton
I'll Be There For You - Bon Jovi
I Don't Want to Miss a Thing - Aerosmith
Never Let You Go -Third Eye Blind
Shape of You - Ed Sheeran
Sunset in July - 311
I Want To Know What Love Is - Foreigner
Important
Around Christmas time I released a book for free titled The Beard That Stole Christmas. It was a freebie, and the prequel to this book.
If you read that prequel, then the first 7 chapters will appear very familiar to you.
If you haven’t read the prequel, no need…I’ve included it right into this book.
The first 7 chapters of this book is the prequel: The Beard That Stole Christmas.
Enjoy…
Chapter 1
Felicity
This will be my first holiday without my fiancé, Karl by my side. That asshole stole three years of my life, and I’ve got nothing to show for it except a pile of debt and a bad case of the lonelies. Not that I’d have stayed with him to drown out the lonelies. No way. He left me at the altar, and I am not ok with that.
He told me he loved me. We were creating a life together. I wanted children. And I thought he did too.
I went through all the stages of a bad breakup, and sure, I cried for a few months but then my best friend, Emmie, told me I needed to get back out there.
Date.
I’m so not ready for that.
She, however, says I am.
Either way, I don’t plan on dating anyone anytime soon. My plan is to get through this holiday season as drunk as possible. I grab a bottle of wine, and sit at my dining room table, glancing outside.
My neighborhood is a quaint little subdivision with fun and laughter. Everyone gets along, and for the most part, I love my neighbors.
Except for him.
Shepherd Atwood.
The neighborhood grump. While everyone else enjoys the company of others in the neighborhood, Shepherd keeps to himself. Which I wouldn't mind so much if he were indeed a good neighbor, but he’s not.
Like right now.
Leaves from his yard blow into mine, piling up and creating twice the work for me to do. Why can’t he rake his leaves like everyone else in the neighborhood? I should just go over there and give him a piece of my mind.
My anger boils, and I breathe in deep. Yes, I’m going to go and tell Shepherd Atwood exactly where he needs to stick his rake.
Wait. Oh my god.
My lighted Christmas deer display is gone. I look down the street, wondering where on earth they’ve gone. They didn’t just run away.
It was a three-piece set. A father, a mother, and a little deerling. I even named them. Freddy, Freida, and Frou-frou.
My eyes scan my yard, and the only thing littering the lawn is the leaves from Shep’s yard. All of my Christmas decor is gone.
The lights.
The reindeer.
The Santa statue at the end of my driveway.
Missing.
What the heck?
That’s when I see it. A hoof sticking out of his trash container on the side of his house.
I leap to my feet. He threw my reindeer away.
Oh, this is not the day.
He can not throw away my decor on the very day I’m feeling sorry for myself. I’m going to go over there and yell at him.
I’m going to knock on his door and—Oh, I’m just so mad. I don’t know what I’m going to do just yet. But it’ll be something to teach him a lesson.
I stare out my window, picturing what he’ll do when I yell at him. How he’ll look when I’m cursing him out.
His intense eyes get lodged in my brain, and I’m momentarily stunned just thinking about him.
Did I mention he’s handsome?
A very handsome jerk.
He’s on his porch, and I narrow my eyes on him through my window.
He’s large, a man’s man, and in charge. Muscles bulge behind his flannel, and his jeans fit him snugly. I’ve only seen him a handful of times, but from what I’ve seen, I can tell he works out. Or maybe he has a job that requires him to use his hands.
I wonder what the exact shade of his eyes are. I’ve only talked to him once, and he was rude and cold. Bitter about my Christmas lights last year shining into his bedroom window.