Weis writes romance, mystery, suspense, thrillers, supernatural, and young adult fiction and has sold approximately one million books. She lives with her husband and pets in New Orleans where she is a permitted/certified wildlife rehabber with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries and rescues orphaned and injured animals.
She is a member of both the International Thriller Writers Association and the Horror Writers Association. www.AlexandreaWeis.com
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“Ghostly occurrences and ancient folklore make this feel like a modern, romantic twist on A Christmas Carol.” ~Library Journal
SOMETIMES IT TAKES ONE BROKEN HEART TO HEAL ANOTHER.
Courtney Winston is a writer on a deadline. Eager to finish her book and get over a recent break-up, she ditches Christmas with her family and retreats to a secluded cabin in the mountains.
Appliances rarely work, and cell service is spotty, but Courtney senses there is more to her rustic rental—something dark and haunting.
Then Peter, the attractive Stone Mountain Lodge owner, and a meddling cook, Mrs. Finn, keep coming around, shattering her peace and offering advice on how to fix her heavy heart.
Courtney grows closer to Peter, but Mrs. Finn warns her of his troubled past. Undaunted, Courtney sets out to win him over. But being with the brooding stranger may end up costing her more than she ever imagined.
EXCERPT
She spotted the
bridge and decided crossing it would be faster than fighting the ice. Courtney
headed toward the arched structure, wishing she had never come with Peter to
the magical place.
She stepped over
clumps of brush along the shoreline, her boots sinking into thick patches of
snow as she hurried to reach the bridge.
The stonework on
the steps was like the mantle in the cabin. The same attention to detail
reminded her of Peter. Even when he chopped wood, he had to make everything
precise.
Her glove brushed
the smooth surface of the wooden railing, wondering how many hours the two
young men spent building the bridge. That Peter’s beautiful remembrance of his
life with his brother should be hidden away in the woods made her sad. If only
others could see what they had done.
Then a funny indentation
in the railing stopped her cold.
She rubbed the
surface, not sure if the imperfection was intentional or just a play of light
on the dark wood.
A portion of the
railing had been expertly carved away, leaving a name raised in the wood like a
bas-relief. The letters were swirled and decorative. This was professional,
even, and expertly done. It wasn’t the work of a lovesick schoolboy, but a man
who worshipped the woman whose name he’d forever attached to the bridge—Evelyn.
Courtney’s knees
became weak as she traced the name she had no doubt Peter etched there. The
love he’d borne for the woman became painfully clear.
Her heart grieved,
sinking like an anvil in her chest. No one would carve her name into anything,
or pine for her after she went off with another. She wasn’t the kind of woman
who lived fairy tales. She only read about them in books.
“You found it.”
He was in the
middle of the bridge, a few feet away. So caught up in the testament of one
man’s love, Courtney had not heard Peter’s heavy boots or felt the bridge
tremble under his weight.
“When did you do this?”
He swung his hands
behind his back. “What makes you think it was me?”
She glanced at him
and tipped her head. “I didn’t realize how much you loved her.”
The thin line was
back on his lips. “Neither did she. I carved this right after she married
Lawrence.”
She tapped the carving
with her hand. “Has she ever seen
this?”
“No. She never came here.”
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