A Sutter's Bay Christmas

By Shawn Lane

Jim Reynolds, newly divorced, is headed to Sutter’s Bay just before Christmas. Wanting a new start after the broken marriage, Jim has accepted a new attorney position at a law firm after the holidays. He’s leaving behind Los Angeles, but also his new baby daughter, Hope. He’ll miss her first Christmas.

Edward Cross came back to Sutter’s Bay a few years back after a relationship grew abusive. A fire at the salon where he worked sends him to Mabry’s restaurant with a chance to begin again. There he runs into Jim, who just happens to be a former lover from LA.

Both men are seeking another chance at life, and maybe with each other. Can they reconnect over the Christmas holidays?

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: Dec 4, 2018
• ISBN: 9781634868174

Shawn Lane

Shawn Lane is a multi-published author of gay romance. She lives and works in Southern California. She has been published by Loose Id, Amber Quill Press, Evernight Publishing, MLR Press, JMS Books, and Ellora’s Cave. For more information, visit smlgr8.blogspot.com.

Book preview

A Sutter’s Bay Christmas

By Shawn Lane

Published by JMS Books LLC at Smashwords

Visit jms-books.com for more information.

Copyright 2018 Shawn Lane

ISBN 9781634868174

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Cover Design: Written Ink Designs | written-ink.com

Image(s) used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.

All rights reserved.

WARNING: This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review.

This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It may contain sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which might be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published in the United States of America.

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A Sutter’s Bay Christmas

By Shawn Lane

Chapter 1

Christmas carols played on the radio as Jim Reynolds made his way up the coast of California to his ultimate destination, Sutter’s Bay.

Everything was changing in his life now. Well, scratch that. It had been changing for a while, thus the unexpected move to Sutter’s Bay.

Picking up everything—not that Jim had much, at this point—and leaving Los Angeles to move to a much smaller town off the coast, well, it wasn’t easy.

Jim loved the coast. That wasn’t it. And in fact, really liked what he knew about Sutter’s Bay. But it made everything so final. The divorce. The custody battle.

So here he was, early December and starting all over again at thirty.

In the back seat, tucked behind the passenger side, was a cat carrier that, of course, contained a cat. His cat. At least he’d maintained custody of Butters. He’d adopted the orange tabby the year before he married Mavis. Butters was five now, which reminded Jim that his marriage to Mavis had lasted only four years.

He hadn’t fought her on custody of their baby daughter, Hope, though. Jim was of the opinion that little girls needed their mothers, and at this point, with Hope being only three months old, she didn’t even really know Jim. Not much. They’d begun the divorce proceedings while Mavis had been pregnant. And everything was amicable.

Of course, it hurt that he wouldn’t get to see Hope’s first Christmas, but there would likely be lots of Christmases ahead, and maybe he’d even get to participate in some.

His cell rang, connected to his car, and he pressed the little symbol on it. Hi, Mavis.

Have you made it there yet?

He snorted a laugh. I’m not flying, I’m driving.

How much longer have you got?

Two hours, I think.

And it was good that they still got along since Jim didn’t want any hard feelings between them. It hadn’t worked out between them romantically, but they could stay friends.

You must have left later than I thought.

A little, yeah. Getting things done. Butters ready. Lots to pack.

He smiled at Hope’s gurgling in the background.

You could have stayed through Christmas, you know, Mavis said. Abby and I wouldn’t have minded.

Abby. Yes. Mavis had met Abby at work and they’d become fast friends…then something more. He had to hand it to Mavis, though; she’d come clean to him right away. The thing was, he and Mavis had one major trait in common—they were both bisexual.

He was happy for them.

Yeah, I know. But with the job starting in January, right after the holidays, I wanted to get settled in.

But you’ll be alone for Christmas.

Not really. I have friends in Sutter’s Bay. That’s why I decided to move there in the first place, remember?

In fact, his friend, Jason Sweet, a former LAPD officer, was now police chief in Sutter’s Bay. He lived there with his husband, Danny. It was talking with Jason, actually, that got Jim thinking about