A Collection of Christmas Stories, Vol. 2

By Donna Steele

A new collection of my Christmas stories together in one place - All I Want for Christmas, Surviving Christmas, Mountain Christmas, Christmas Business and Christmas Cookies together for your enjoyment

• Language: English
• Publisher: Donna Steele
• Release date: Oct 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215182475

Donna Steele

Women strong enough for love. Donna writes science fiction, paranormal and small town romances about women coming into their strength and having the courage to find and accept love. Now that she has retired from going into an office every day, she created an office at home and writes full time. Talk about living the dream! She was the girl at the party who was yearning for the quiet corner and a book to read (go Rory Gilmore!), and has been writing in her head since she learned to read. Getting those stories down on paper (or in her laptop) has been more fun than she ever imagined it could be. The possibilities of science fiction have always drawn her and she's read them all, there just needed to be a little more romance in them. She finally got up the courage to write them herself and is delighted to be able to share these stories with you. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal Chapter of RWA and the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers. She can be reached at www.steelestories.com, www.facebook.com/donnasteeleauthor, or https://twitter.com/steele_donna

Book preview

Chapter One

Noel Archer looked around the cabin of the cruise ship and sighed. Not exactly the way she’d planned to spend her honeymoon or this year’s Christmas. But she’d be damned if she wasn’t going to take the trip. This late, she couldn’t get a refund. Kenneth had graciously offered to take the trip himself, with his new honey along.

She could still see the sneer on his face when she closed her eyes. Over her dead body, or maybe over his. It would be a long time before she opened herself to trust again. It was a nice enough cabin, ocean view. The queen size bed took up most of it and it was the best she could afford. Since the crew knew it was for a honeymoon, two swan folded towels graced the bed on a tray, necks entwined. A bottle of Prosecco and some chocolates also graced the tray. At least the Prosecco would come in handy.

Days like this she really hated her name.

The Christmas decorations were subtle here in the cabin unlike the common areas of the ship she’d seen so far and did absolutely nothing to cheer her up. She’d seen the gigantic tree outside of one of the dining areas when she’d boarded. She needed to mellow out. There was nothing she could do about anything right now. She might as well try to enjoy herself. She could afford to gain a couple of pounds now. Who would care?

There was no balcony for this cabin, but she wouldn’t be spending that much time in here. No, she would go out and be around others and force herself to have a good time

The fact that Kenneth, never Ken, hadn’t contributed to the honeymoon should have been a red flag. He would reimburse her when he got his bonus, yada, yada. And she had believed him. He had money, look at his lifestyle. Why had she thought someone like that... Not now, she’d think about him later when she didn’t feel so betrayed or murderous. Maybe. If that ever went away.

It was a Christmas cruise. Everyone would be jolly, and she’d pretend right along with them.

Straightening her shoulders, she headed for the Lido deck for drinks as they cast off.

****

Sebastian Michael Scott sighed. This was definitely not the activity he’d planned for Christmas. It was supposed to be a shakedown cruise. That had sounded like a fun out-of-the-way holiday. The manufacturer and seller of this particular mega yacht had a hell of a lot to answer for. Lemon laws better apply because right now even if they got the electrical system back up, he was completely soured on the deal.

They were stranded in the Atlantic, admittedly on a beautiful ship, but the ice wouldn’t keep the food fresh for long. There were only ten of them on board for this test cruise. The captain, the chef, the two crew, a couple from his house to serve and housekeep, his best friend, right hand and true brother, Tom, along with his husband, Gerald . . . and Elaine.

At this point he was pretty sure his company would not be purchasing this boat. Yes, it was a tri-deck yacht, the dimensions he wanted, the space for corporate guests as well as friends, but if it wasn’t reliable, it wasn’t for him.

Elaine had gone off her gourd that they were stranded. She’d obviously seen too many Gillian reruns as a child. The more she’d drunk the worse she’d become. It had been a real relief when she’d passed out and quit being such a pain. He and Maria had put her to bed because he couldn’t leave it solely to Maria. That would hardly be fair. Elaine could be quite abusive when she was this drunk.

She wouldn’t be a problem for him in the future either. As soon as they got back to port, she would be poured into a car and sent off for good. He’d known for longer than he wanted to admit she was wrong for him. Still taking the time to find someone who was right wasn’t on his agenda.

A nice Christmas cruise should have been relaxing. Thank goodness Tom had a satellite phone. Sebastian wasn’t going to ask why. He’d come to rely on Tom to always have whatever was needed. He was a little shocked that the man didn’t have a spare engine in his luggage to power this behemoth.

The bigger problem now was the weather at the port. Helicopters were grounded so they were basically on hold for rescue. They were in no danger, still it was disconcerting to be stuck like this. It was dark already and using a cell phone for light was more than a little creepy.

I got you a ride. Sebastian hadn’t heard Tom approach and he jumped slightly as his voice.

A ride?

Yep. A cruise ship. It’s the closest vehicle to us currently. They’ll send one of their excursion boats over to pick you up.

I can’t leave. What about the rest of you?

"We’ll stay here. They’ll have a boat out here by morning, I’m sure. Do you really want to be around when

Elaine wakes up?"

Sebastian rolled his eyes. No.

Then take the cruise. You were already going to be away from the office. You’ll have wi-fi there if you can’t help yourself.

And just leave Elaine to you?

She’ll be fine once the hangover dissipates. Maria will be here, so she’s not alone on a ship of only men. She’ll be safe if not happy.

Not happy won’t even come close.

Trust me to handle it?

You know I do. I just don’t want to dump all this on you.

Then get your things together. Only the captain and the purser will know who you are. I’ve tried to make sure of that, but we both know people. I gave your name as Mike.

You think of everything. I owe you.

I’ll put it on the list. Hurry. You want to be out of here and the cruise ship needs to be on its way as well.

Sebastian, now to be known as Mike, nodded, and grabbed up his suitcase. Fortunately, Matt hadn’t had time to unpack for him, due to Elaine’s demands. Whatever was in here, he would make do for the cruise.

****

Noel toss off the sheets and rose. She wasn’t going to sleep, and the damn bed needed to be remade now after her tossing and turning. Maybe a walk would clear her head. Probably not, but she had to try something.

Dressing in jeans and a hoodie since the wind was up, she ventured out. No one was in the corridor, and she didn’t hear any partying going on for this deck. Rather than head up to one of the party decks, she headed down. According to the map in her room, this was where the excursion boats docked to take the passengers to their destinations when they were at sea.

She was especially looking forward to stopping at the cruise company’s private island to sun and relax. And she’d do it, too.

What surprised her was the activity going on around that area at this time of night. The engines had cut back, though they were still moving. That was probably normal. Then she spotted one of the small excursion boats docking with the ship. Why would they be out, away from the ship, at this time of night. Had a passenger missed the boat and . . . no. No way that little boat could have caught up with them in the first place.

She slipped into the shadows to watch and saw one man disembark from the smaller boat, a suitcase in his hand.

Someone in uniform hurried up to him. We’re honored to have you on board, sir. I’m sorry to report we don’t have a suite available, but—

I wouldn’t expect one. If you have a cabin I could use, that would be fine.

I appreciate that, sir. Please, follow me.

Noel stepped out to get a better look as the passenger surrendered his suitcase. The man in uniform took the case himself and moved toward the stairs. The new passenger turned then, and their eyes met.

Noel tried to look away. She wasn’t supposed to be here and something about the whole transaction seemed like subterfuge. Nonsense, her brain was overreacting to everything currently.

Still his eyes held hers. His were the darkest chocolate brown she’d ever seen. You could drown in eyes like that. His hair was windswept, brown with highlights, from the sun rather than a salon. She took an involuntary step toward him. Sir? This way.

That broke the spell, and she stepped back, melting into the shadows. Had he taken a step toward her as well? She didn’t wait to find out, racing up a different set of stairs back to her cabin.

The ship was a maze, but she’d committed the hideous looking chair at the top of her corridor to memory and hurried past it to her room. She leaned back against the door as though barricading it from some monster for a moment to catch her breath.

Then, finally tired, she stumbled to the bed and stripped, climbing in, and escaping into sleep.

Chapter Two

Noel stretched and sat up. It was morning. She’d made it through the first night. The sound of her stomach growling surprised her. It shouldn’t have. She hadn’t really eaten in days. Not since everything had fallen apart. She’d been too busy. Now was time to make up for it.

She hurried to get ready, planning what she would get at the buffet this morning. After pulling her hair into a braid, she put on a purple long-sleeve top over her jeans and took a deep breath.

She opened the door and stepped out into the corridor. It was still fairly quiet and early for breakfast. That was by design. Eating alone was her preference right now.

Before she took another step, the door of the cabin beside hers opened and a man stepped out. She looked up and froze.

It’s you. She couldn’t say for sure which of them spoke the words, but he obviously recognized her as she had him. The mysterious man from the midnight docking.

Is that your cabin? he asked that, she wouldn’t have dared.

She nodded, not sure her voice would be steady.

I lucked out.

Because there were no suites available?

He chuckled, knowing she’d overheard the conversation last night. Right. Not that I would have rated one. I think they thought I was my boss.

Where did you come from?

I guess you couldn’t see the yacht with all the power out.

Yacht?

He nodded. A test cruise that failed. They moved me over here, to give them more room to work on it and get it back to port. I’m Mike.

Noel. She answered without thinking.

Noel? Are you my Christmas angel for this cruise?

Hardly. She pulled herself to the present. What was she doing talking to a strange man like this? She took a step back. He raised his hand, though he didn’t touch her. Sorry. Would you join me for breakfast? I’m afraid I don’t know my way around yet.

She hesitated. He’d probably want to eat with her. Was she up for that? Sure, he was drop-dead gorgeous, even more so in the morning light, still...

I don’t bite, unless asked.

To her astonishment, she laughed. She hadn’t thought she’d ever laugh again. The crinkles around his eyes when he smiled in response... what was the word beyond gorgeous?

I’m not asking, but I can lead you to the buffet.

Great. Thanks. I got here a little late.

You did indeed.

It was you I saw when I boarded. You were watching.

She could feel the heat in her face. I couldn’t sleep, so I went exploring.

I’m glad you did. I’m not a complete stranger on board now.

She didn’t comment on that, leading him toward the stairs.

Geez!

What? She turned at his comment.

That chair. Who decorated this place?

Noel bit her lip to keep from laughing again. It’s important. That chair is apparently one of a kind and it’s how I know this is my deck and hallway.

Oh good, it does serve a purpose.

Not your taste.

Good god, no!

I like you better already, she retorted and felt his eyes on her butt as she climbed the stairs ahead of him. Well, she was feeling a little better.

The buffet was as luscious as described and Mike talked her into an omelet and led her to a table by the window. They were cruising at sea, but the ship seemed to barely be moving. The day had dawned clear and crisp.

So, do you come here often? he asked after taking a sip of coffee.

No. It’s my first cruise.

I guess with a name like Noel, Christmas would be the perfect time.

She didn’t respond, turning her attention to her breakfast. It looked good, even as her appetite waned.

He seemed to sense her withdrawal and backtracked. Do we eat all of our meals here?

You’re not familiar with cruise ships either.

Not like this. I’ve crewed on the smaller ones. Nothing this size.

Well, there’s a dining room through there for dinner. Did they give you your table assignment?

Assignment? No. Do I have to eat where they tell me?

I believe so.

Where will you be?

I have the early seating, six o’clock. There’s room at my table if...

Thank you. I’d appreciate it.

What the hell was she thinking? She didn’t want to eat with anyone, especially not a man who looked like him. Another man who came from money and oozed sophistication. She’d planned to see if the buffet was still available for dinner and just leave the table empty. She should never had reserved a table for two. Honeymoon, my eye.

Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have some work to do. I understand there’s a place where I can get wi-fi? Mike drank the last of his coffee. Can you give me directions?

I think so. Then I’ll go get a book and find a deck chair.

Now that sounds more fun. What if I came looking for you later?

Oh, uh, sure.

Good. You ready?

She dropped him in the business area and returned to her room. Thank goodness he hadn’t been too intrusive. Why had she opened her big mouth about having dinner with him?

Gathering up book, water, and sun visor, Noel found a seat on the main deck and settled in. The book didn’t hold her attention and she kept finding her mind wandering as she watched the waves and ignored the humanity around her.

The Christmas decorations even out here on the deck were fantastic and she wished she could appreciate them more. Hell, she wished she could appreciate anything.

Finally, she closed her eyes and dosed a little.

The shadow over her startled her awake and she looked up.

Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.

I wasn’t really asleep. And now her heart was beating faster at the sight of him. Mike had come to find her. He’d said he might, but she had dismissed it, more than a little surprised there weren’t a dozen women trailing in the wake of him.

He took the seat beside her and gazed out over the vast blues that met at the horizon. Perfect weather.

Yes, it is. I hope it’s like this tomorrow.

What’s tomorrow?

That’s right, you don’t know the itinerary. We go to the private island tomorrow, then on to Nassau.

Private island. Sounds nice.

The pictures certainly are. Did you pack a bathing suit?

Yes, in case I had time to grab a little sun while I was working.

Good. You’ll get your chance tomorrow.

He nodded, his mind seemed to be on other things now, so she remained quiet, eventually closing her eyes again.

****

Mike’s mind was on other things. The repair crew had made it to the yacht, traveling overnight, though they still weren’t underway. Elaine had opted to stay in the cabin, where it was darker and there were drapes to pull, rather than mingle. That would be counted a good thing. Her mood hadn’t risen as high as foul yet according to Tom. The lack of hot coffee added to her torment.

Finding Sebastian gone had not helped her disposition. At least the repair boat had brought more ice, so food was available. The liquor had been locked away to ensure no new hangovers occurred.

Reading between the lines, Sebastian knew Tom had taken the abuse from Elaine. He really did owe him big time for this.

He and Tom had been together a long time and there was no one he trusted more. Too bad Tom had found his soulmate in Gerald, and that Sebastian wasn’t gay. Women were trouble, well, maybe except for the beautiful one lying next to him on the deck right now. Of course, she didn’t know who he was.

His identity always brought trouble. People wanted things from him. He tried to be generous with his philanthropy, but it was never enough. He knew that though he did try. It was the reason Tom had given these people his middle name when he made the arrangements. He understood, having seen it first-hand himself too many times.

Mike glanced over at Noel. There was a woman he’d rather spend time with, though he didn’t know her. Maybe that was part of the attraction. She was lovely with her hair pulled back in a fancy braid. Her eyes were a gray blue and clear, unlike Elaine’s red ones from both drink and ire. She didn’t have a drink in her hand, but a book. Why was she alone on a cruise like this? Everywhere he looked were couples, even