Christmas at the Hummingbird House (21 page)
Read Christmas at the Hummingbird House Online
Authors: Donna Ball
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Genre Fiction, #Holidays, #Humor & Satire, #Humorous, #General Humor
“Well,” Paul said, a little uncertainly, “what a lovely sentiment.”
“Perfect for our front hallway,” Derrick suggested.
“Is there a card?”
Derrick dug back into the box and came up with a folded sheet of paper. “Ah,” he said, smiling. “It says ‘Thanks for the hospitality, Mick.’”
“Well now.” Paul’s smile broadened as he took the plaque and admired it. “Isn’t that nice? I always did say he was a man of class and distinction.”
“Multilayered,” agreed Derrick.
Paul’s expression was considering. “A little odd,” he admitted.
“But nice,” Derrick said.
Across the room, Geoffery Windsor looked at Mrs. Hildebrand and winked. She smiled back, and both of them lifted their cups in the air in a silent toast.
~*~
December 26
Thank you for making the Hummingbird House your holiday destination! Check-out is at 11:00 a.m. Airport transportation will be waiting at the main entrance. Please enjoy a farewell champagne brunch with us in the dining room beginning at 9:00 a.m. We hope your stay has been as memorable for you as it has been for us and that you will allow us the pleasure of your company as soon as your schedule permits. In the meantime we will hold you in our hearts until we meet again. Safe travels and Happy New Year—
Your hosts,
Paul and Derrick
~*~
Also in this series:
Entrepreneurs Paul Slater and Derrick Anderson have a few things to learn about life in the country—and about operating a B&B. But with a little help from their friends, and perhaps a touch of magic, they’re soon on their way to making the Hummingbird House a destination of distinction, where the unexpected is only a matter of routine.
And don’t miss:
The Ladybug Farm series by Donna Ball
For every woman who ever had a dream… or a friend
Love Letters from Ladybug Farm
The Raine Stockton Dog Mystery Series
Books in Order
A child has been kidnapped and abandoned in the mountain wilderness. Her only hope is Raine Stockton and her young, untried tracking dog Cisco...
Raine and Cisco are brought in by the FBI to track a terrorist …a terrorist who just happens to be Raine’s old boyfriend.
Raine rescues a traumatized service dog, and soon begins to suspect he is the only witness to a murder.
Cisco digs up human remains in Raine’s back yard, and mayhem ensues. Could this be evidence of a serial killer, a long-unsolved mass murder, or something even more sinister… and closer to home?
It’s Christmastime in Hansonville, N.C., and Raine and Cisco are on the trail of a missing teenager. But when a newborn is abandoned in the manger of the town's living nativity and Raine walks in on what appears to be the scene of a murder, the holidays take a very dark turn for everyone concerned.
Raine and Cisco take a job leading a wilderness hike for troubled teenagers, and soon find themselves trapped on a mountainside in a blizzard… with a killer.
ALL THAT GLITTERS
: A Holiday Short Story e book
Raine looks back on how she and Cisco met and solved their first crime in this Christmas Cozy short story. Sold separately as an e-book or bundled with the print edition of HIGH IN TRIAL.
A carefree weekend turns deadly when Raine and Cisco travel to the South Carolina low country for an agility competition
A luxury Caribbean vacation sounds like just the ticket for over-worked, over-stressed Raine Stockton and her happy go lucky canine companion Cisco. But even in paradise trouble finds them, and when someone she loves is threatened Raine must use every resource at her command to track down a killer before it’s too late.
There’s a new dog in town, and Raine and Cisco find themselves unexpectedly upstaged by a flashy K-9 addition to the sheriff’s department. But when things go terribly wrong at a mountain camp for kids and dogs over the Fourth of July weekend, Raine and Cisco need all the help they can get to save themselves, and those they love.
This tenth anniversary installment of the Raine Stockton Dog Mystery series, the dog days of summer bring murder and intrigue when Raines takes in a beautiful English Cream Golden Retriever covered in blood, and the complications have only begun. Readers will enjoy discovering all ten of the titles of the previous books hidden in the text of this one.
Don’t miss the first book in the powerful new Dogleg Island Mystery Series
Almost two years ago the sleepy little community of Dogleg Island was the scene of one of the most brutal crimes in Florida history. The only eye witnesses were a border collie puppy and a police officer. Since that time Flash has grown from a puppy into a vital part of the Dogleg Island Police Department, and has lived happily with the two people who rescued him on that horrible night: Deputy Sheriff Ryan Grady and Police Chief Aggie Malone.
Now the trial of the century is about to begin. The defendant, accused of slaughtering his parents in their beach home, maintains his innocence. Aggie and Ryan, the top witnesses for the prosecution, are convinced he is lying. But only Flash knows the truth.
And with another murder to solve, a tangle of conflicting evidence to sort out, and a brutal storm on the way, the truth may come too late... for all of them.
Spine-chilling suspense by Donna Ball
A missing child, a desperate call for help in the middle of the night… is this a cruel hoax, or the work of a maniacal serial killer who is poised to strike again?
She’s an innocent woman who knows too much. Now she’s fleeing through the night without a weapon and without a phone, and her only hope for survival is a cop who’s willing to risk his badge—and his life—to save her.
They came to the peaceful, untouched mountain wilderness of Eastern Tennessee seeking an escape from the madness of modern life. But when they built their luxury homes in the heart of virgin forest they did not realize that something was there before them… something ancient and horrible; something that will make them believe that monsters are real
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Everyone has secrets, but when talk show host Jessamine Cray’s stalker begins to use her past to terrorize her, no one is safe … not her family, her friends, her coworkers, and especially not Jess herself.
RENEGADE
by Donna Boyd
Enter a world of dark mystery and intense passion, where human destiny is controlled by a species of powerful, exotic creatures. Once they ruled the Tundra, now they rule Wall Street. Once they fought with teeth and claws, now they fight with wealth and power. And only one man can stop them… if he dares.
The Kincaids
by Donna Ball and Shannon Harper
Katherine Carlyle and Byrd Kincaid, fugitives and reluctant heroes, begin a journey west and launch a dynasty that will forge a nation
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Legendary trailblazer Boothe Carlyle leads a wagon train west, where young Kitty Kincaid will rediscover her heritage and finally earn the proud warrior name she was given at her Shawnee mother’s breast
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Westward Winds
Peril and promise await the children of Katherine and Byrd Kincaid in the high mountains and brutal plains of the American frontier they have worked so hard to tame.
Mountain Fury
The California Gold Rush brings turbulence and hope to the lives of the children of Byrd and Katherine Kincaid, and will forever alter the destiny of the wild land they love.
Romance Revisited by Donna Ball
He was a cowboy looking for a wife. She was a lady specializing in brides. They were made for each other... They just didn't know it yet.
He was the answer to a busy working woman's dreams. But was he too good to be true?
He's an animal trainer who lives by one rule: never get attached. She's a social worker who knows all too well the price of getting involved. It may take an entire menagerie to bring them together, but eventually they both must learn that sometimes it's for keeps.
He was a reformed jewel thief now turned security expert and her job depended on his expertise. But could he be trusted not to steal the most valuable jewel of all-- her heart?
She's working on the biggest case of her life, and her cover has already been blown-- by the very man she's investigating. Now they must work together to solve an even bigger mystery-- their future together.
They were thunder and lightning when they were married, and their divorce has been no less turbulent. But trapped together during a deadly blizzard with the lives of an entire community depending on them, they discover what's really important, and that some storms are worth riding out.
Sometimes a chance encounter is over in a moment, and sometimes it can last a lifetime.
She was a marine biologist on short deadline to find a very important dolphin, with no time to waste on romance. He was a sailor who knew there could only be one captain on his ship-- himself. But two weeks at sea together could change everything...
Donna Ball is the author of over a hundred novels under several different pseudonyms in a variety of genres that include romance, mystery, suspense, paranormal, western adventure, historical and women’s fiction. Recent popular series include the Ladybug Farm series, The Hummingbird House series, The Dogleg Island Mystery series, and the Raine Stockton Dog Mystery series. Donna is an avid dog lover and her dogs have won numerous titles for agility, obedience and canine musical freestyle. She lives in a restored Victorian Barn in the heart of the Blue Ridge mountains with a variety of four-footed companions. You can contact her at
http://www.donnaball.net.