Christmas in Eternity Springs by Emily March Page A

blinked back tears. Solemnly, he said, “Maybe I can. Miss Celeste says that if you want something bad enough to tell the angel inside you. She says ‘From your mouth to an angel’s ears.’”
    â€œAn angel’s ears?” his father repeated.
    Claire thought of Celeste and of her own angel room where precious little Gardenia sat upon a shelf. Reaching out, she touched Nicholas’s shoulder. “This is Eternity Springs. Angels are our specialty.”

 
    Chapter Four
    Autumn colors in the mountains make my heart sing.
    â€”CLAIRE
    SEPTEMBER
    SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
    Jax opened the box of books and grimaced. If he had to look at one more bare-chested cowboy, he swore he might just hurl. He couldn’t believe the way those paperback books flew off the shelves. To hear Nicholas’s grandfather talk, nobody was reading anymore and those who were downloaded their books from pirate sites on the Internet.
    After six weeks at this suburban strip-mall store “training from the bottom up” per his ex-father-in-law’s requirements, Jax was just about ready to call bull on that. This store was as busy as a brothel during Fleet Week. If even half of the twenty-seven locations of Hardcastle Books had this sort of traffic, this amount of sales, then the old family business was doing just fine—despite Brian’s dour proclamations.
    Jax acknowledged that Brian Hardcastle was a brilliant businessman. He had successfully guided his privately held company through the contraction in the industry and the digital revolution, and now the stores were thriving. By all outward appearances, he was a decent man, too. He loved his wife and had all but worshiped his only child. Now he focused all that adoration on Nicholas.
    His interference was giving Jax fits.
    Brian didn’t hesitate to show the passive-aggressive side of his nature to Jax. He’d always been outwardly friendly, but from the moment Lara had introduced them, Jax had never doubted that Brian believed the navy man wasn’t good enough for his little girl. While Jax certainly didn’t lay blame for the failure of his marriage at his in-laws’ feet, he knew in his bones that they—his father-in-law, in particular—hadn’t helped the situation, either.
    How it galled him to be dependent on the man. He’d like nothing better than to tell Brian Hardcastle to take a flying leap, but he couldn’t do it. Not because he wanted this job, certainly. (Seriously, what did women see in kilts, anyway?) No, he had to play nice with Brian and Linda because of Nicholas.
    The psychologist told him so.
    Nicholas’s schoolteacher told him so.
    Hell, even his old shipmate and friend to whom he’d poured out his troubles along with half a bottle of good Kentucky malt during the man’s twenty-hour layover on his way home for a two-week R & R had agreed. For Nicholas’s sake, for the time being, Jax had to put up and shut up with Brian Hardass Hardcastle.
    â€œYoung man? Excuse me, young man?”
    Jax turned to see a woman who was the stereotypical little old lady. “Yes, ma’am. May I help you?”
    â€œI’m looking for the new Mallory Hart. The one that has the handcuffs and pearls on the cover? Today is its release day and I don’t see it anywhere.”
    Jax blinked hard. Mallory Hart, he’d recently learned, wrote erotica. Seriously down-and-dirty stuff. Granny and handcuffs? He did not want to think about it. “Um … it’s over here.”
    He led the customer to the end cap where he’d stocked the shelves after closing last night and stopped abruptly. The shelves were totally bare. Huh. “Looks like we sold out. Let me check stock in the back.”
    â€œThank you, dear. I preordered my digital copy and read it first thing this morning, but I want a hard copy, too. It’s a wonderful story. Have you read it?”
    Wonderful story? Damn, he