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Fairies & Wishes [MultiFormat]
eBook by Karen Erickson
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$4.99 |
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$4.24 |
eBook Category: Romance/Fantasy
eBook Description: Lily is a holiday fairy, but this Christmas season she's given a new assignment--teach a lonely doctor how to love again. Tim finds the holidays depressing and always throws himself into his work to forget the pain. One night he runs into a beautiful redhead and knocks her to the ground. His new patient is a little odd, but totally sexy. He starts a relationship with the mysterious Lily but things don't add up. Is she what she seems? Does he want to fall in love with a woman he knows nothing about? Oh, yes he does?
eBook Publisher: Cobblestone Press
Fictionwise Release Date: February 2008
Available eBook Formats [MultiFormat - What's this?]: Adobe Acrobat (PDF) [326 KB], eReader (PDB) [88 KB], Palm Doc (PDB) [63 KB], Rocket/REB1100 (RB) [57 KB], Microsoft Reader (LIT) [158 KB] - PocketPC 1.0+ Compatible, Franklin eBookMan (FUB) [122 KB], hiebook (KML) [195 KB], Sony Reader (LRF) [133 KB], iSilo (PDB) [52 KB], Mobipocket (PRC) [65 KB], Kindle Compatible (MOBI) [130 KB], OEBFF Format (IMP) [89 KB]
Words: 20150
Reading time: 57-80 min.
Microsoft Reader (LIT) Format: Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud ENABLED
Adobe Acrobat (PDF) Format: Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud ENABLED
All Other formats: Printing DISABLED, Read-aloud DISABLED
ISBN: 978-1-60088-081-0
 
Chapter OneShe was in big trouble. Lily turned this way and that, her full skirt swishing around her legs. She smoothed her hands over the whisper thin fabric, picking it up with the tips of her fingers and letting it fall back into place. She always got fidgety when called before the council. They made her nervous. She didn't know why. She did a good job, did what they asked her to do. Usually. "Miss Lily, are you ready?" She turned and saw the newest sprite smiling shyly at her, holding the door open. Her pretty pale blue wings fluttered behind her, the sign of a true novice. Only newbies lacked wing control. Lily could proudly say she'd had her wings under control for years. She smiled at the sprite and walked into the room. A knot formed in her stomach when she saw who sat at the center of the large table. Not just Mistress, the head of the fairy council. No, the actual Madam Fairy. The one everyone answered to. Lily gulped. Jeez, what had she done? At least her wings weren't flapping. Her nerves must've shown, because Mistress smiled at her, kindness shining in her eyes. "Sit down, Lily." Madam pointed to the lone chair that sat before the long table. Important head fairies sat on either side of the madam, including Mistress, the fairy Lily normally took orders from. "How are you, dear?" Lily clenched her hands in her lap, and they sank into the diaphanous folds of her dress. "I--I'm fine, Madam. Is everything all right?" "Everything is fine, Lily. Madam has a proposition for you." Mistress smiled at her, her pink sparkly eyelashes fluttering. How Lily envied those eyelashes. She envied everything about Mistress, because everything having to do with her was pink. Mistress had pretty pink hair, the pink eyelashes, a sweet pink mouth, her skin glittery and pale pink--not to mention all of her pink clothes. Just the thought of that pink wardrobe made Lily want to sigh with longing. Pink was her favorite color. But it was reserved for the children fairies. Lily was a holiday fairy, which meant she wore head to toe red. Dark red hair, ruby red lips, pale skin--to emphasize those red lips you know--and every red dress imaginable. So dark, so dramatic, so red. For once Lily wanted to be light and whimsical, airy and free, beloved by children. Pink and sparkly. This could be her chance. Maybe. "Yes, Mistress is right, I have a proposition for you. Something we believe you'll be very interested in." Madam smiled at her. Since she was the top of the line fairy, Madam wore white. Crystal clear, pristine white, with just a hint of sparkle. All of it emphasized her fair-haired, fair-skinned beauty. The most beautiful fairy of all. Lily nodded, excited, and she squirmed in her seat. If they were going to offer her a children fairy position, she would probably faint with glee. "We need you to do something special this Christmas season." Madam paused, her pale, pale blue eyes meeting Mistress' before she looked at Lily. "We need you to teach someone how to love." "A child?" Lily couldn't help herself; she had to ask. A glittering pink dress was in her future. She could just feel it. "Oh, no children involved in this situation, no. We have plenty of children fairies, and you're one of our top holiday fairies after all. We wouldn't move you from your position." Lily slumped in her chair. Bye-bye pink. "I thank you for the compliment, but what do I know about love? I've never been a mortal, I just pretend to be one during the holidays." And it was exhausting work, being a mortal. Those humans knew how to put someone through the ropes. So many emotions, so many senses, so many thoughts! It hurt her head just to think about it. "How long have you been a holiday fairy, Lily?" Lily tapped her lips with her index finger, thinking. "I have no idea, to be honest. I know it's been a long time." "Two hundred and twenty-eight years, to be exact." Mistress looked up from her pile of notes. "You're one of our oldest fairies, Lily. We need you. He needs you." Lily's eyebrows rose. "He? Who is this he?" "The mortal who needs to learn how to love, the one you're going to help. You see, Lily, there's a theme to this year's Christmas candidates. We're teaching people how to love, how to live again. But this one, the one you'll be working with, he won't let anyone into his life, doesn't want to deal with love. He's too afraid." Madam shook her head. Great. What did they call that type of behavior? Maybe he's a recluse. He could be miserable and mean-spirited, too. Oh, my. Those types were usually the worst. "Why is he such a special case? I don't understand." "He's a very important man. What he offers to his society is so very wonderful, but he doesn't allow anyone to get close. He's lost so much, he's afraid he'll only lose again and again." Madam's brow wrinkled. "He has such a wall up no one is able to penetrate it. That's where you come in." "I need to penetrate his wall?" Now Lily was really confused. She thought that was what the mortal man did to the mortal woman. Not that she had any experience in it, but still. She kind of knew what they talked about. The sex thing. Oh, her mind was wandering when she needed to focus... So why did they want her to help this man, teach him how to love when she didn't know how herself? She knew all about holiday spirit, knew how to fill an empty person with the spirit until they were full to bursting. But love? All of the fairies tittered, delicate hands covering their giggling mouths. "Oh, Lily, you're going to be perfect." Madam said. "We know you will be. You're just what he needs." Lily had no idea what that meant. And she wasn't sure if she even liked it. * * * *"Dr. Killian, your last appointment for the day cancelled." Tim glanced at his receptionist as he cruised past her desk. "Thanks, Angie. You can go ahead and go home for the night." There was no denying the relief in her eyes at the thought of leaving at a decent hour. Not that he could blame her. He'd been working poor Angie, his entire staff, to the bone, and during the holidays, too. They weren't complaining about all of the money they were making, but he could see on their faces they didn't enjoy so many hours. They had families to go home to, presents to buy, Christmas trees to decorate. And he had none of that. Tim sighed. No time to get sentimental now. It wasn't anyone's fault he lost both of his parents in a tragic accident a few years ago. That they were older and their parents and siblings had all passed before them. They had struggled to have a baby for so many years that when Tim finally arrived, they didn't bother trying for any more. Which meant he was totally and completely alone. He tried not to let it bother him. Yeah, he missed his parents. They'd been wonderful people; supportive, loving. He had only fond memories of them, memories that didn't bother him for most of the year. Christmas was the exception, though. When everyone promoted family and gift giving and being with the ones you love, traveling over hills and snow to get to grandmother's house, that's when it got to him. When he missed his mom and dad more than anything, and wished he had someone to share his life with. Dreamy sentiment is for fools, he told himself. He grabbed a couple of files from his desk and shoved them into his briefcase, then snapped it shut. He grabbed his coat, turned off the lights in his office, and left for the night, too tired to get any paperwork done. Too tired and too sad, though he would never admit to the last thought. Outside the night air was cold and windy, even more so than normal for the time of year on the coast. He shivered in his thick coat, put his head down against the wind, and stuck his hands in his pockets, heading toward the lot where he parked his car. And collided so hard with someone he knocked the little person to the ground. "Ow!" Tim watched in fascination as the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his life glared up at him with angry green eyes. She sat on the sidewalk, the impact of their collision having knocked her right on her butt, her hand rubbing said butt as she grimaced. Even in pain she was gorgeous. The deepest, darkest red hair curled in big waves around her tiny shoulders, a heart shaped face, full, juicy red lips, and pale skin that appeared so smooth, so flawless, it almost didn't look real. "Are you going to help me up, or you gonna just stand there and gawk at me all night?" And a sassy mouth to wrap that pretty package up all nice and neat with a not-so-flawless bow. Of course she was right, he was acting like a gaping jackass. Tim offered his hand and she took it, hauling herself up with one smooth motion. The second their hands connected he felt the zing. A tightening in the pit of his stomach, a twitching in his groin. Something he'd certainly never experienced the first time he touched a woman before... "Are you okay?" he asked, trying to ignore the tumultuous feelings swirling inside of him. She nodded, brushed her hair away from her face. "I'm fine. The sidewalk is like ice, it's so cold." She rubbed her little butt again, and Tim couldn't help but watch, fascinated by the slide of her slim hand on her curves. "I'm sorry I ran into you. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." "I know." She smiled, easing the sting of her sarcastic remark. "But I forgive you." "Thank you." He smiled. The weird nervous feeling eased, and he began to feel like himself again. He decided to turn on the charm, the normal device he used on women. Keep it light, keep it flirty, and don't let them get too close. A personal motto he'd kept to always. "I'm a doctor, you know, so if you need me to check you out, I would be more than happy to oblige. Make sure your ... backside is okay." An unladylike snort was her reply. "I'm sure you would," she muttered with a shake of her head.
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