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    Coming in from the Cold
    Coming in from the Cold
    Coming in from the Cold
    Ebook57 pages46 minutes

    Coming in from the Cold

    By Ava Penn

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    About this ebook

    A story from Boughs of Evergreen: A Holiday Anthology

    COMING IN FROM THE COLD
    by AVA PENN

    What's a poor, East coast boy fending for himself in Colorado to do when winter sets in on the Rockies?

    Declan Stoeber finds himself freezing every minute of the day once autumn ends and the snow begins to fall in the Centennial State. With no family to go home to for the holiday season, he plans to put extra time into his studies and maybe look for a part-time job. What he gets is a part-time job with benefits and a few new friends.

    Xander Duchesne is a savvy businessman in the harsh world of deals and projects. Estranged from his mother due to her matchmaking tendencies, he is resolved to spending Yule (or Winter Solstice) by himself for the first time in his life. He wasn't expecting his mother's impossible-to-ignore demands, and he certainly wasn't prepared for a college freshman who was just coming in from the cold.

    * * * * *

    ABOUT BOUGHS OF EVERGREEN

    Boughs of Evergreen is a two-volume collection of short stories celebrating the holiday season in all its diversity. Penned by authors from the UK, the USA, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, these are tales of the young and the not-so-young from many different walks of life.

    Themes of family, friendship and romance take readers on a journey through some of the major holidays, both past and present, including Thanksgiving, Advent, St. Lucia Day, Hanukkah, Saturnalia, Winter Solstice, Yule, Christmas and New Year. In each we find at the very least hope, and often love, peace and happiness.

    Proceeds from sales of this anthology will be donated to The Trevor Project. The Trevor Project is the leading national organization [USA] providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people ages 13-24.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBeaten Track Publishing
    Release dateDec 1, 2014
    ISBN9781909192584
    Coming in from the Cold
    Author

    Ava Penn

    Ava Penn is an incurable bibliophile with a passion for food, romance, and nature. This often shows in her writing. Other interests include anime/manga, video games, horses, and Amtgard. She loves to hear from readers, so feel free to get in touch.

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    Book preview

    Coming in from the Cold - Ava Penn

    Boughs of Evergreen

    A Holiday Anthology

    COMING IN FROM THE COLD

    by

    Ava Penn

    SMASHWORDS EDITION

    * * * * *

    Copyright 2014 Ava Penn.

    This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

    * * * * *

    This novel is a work of fiction and the characters and events in it exist only in its pages and in the author’s imagination.

    * * * * *

    What’s a poor, East coast boy fending for himself in Colorado to do when winter sets in on the Rockies?

    Declan Stoeber finds himself freezing every minute of the day once autumn ends and the snow begins to fall in the Centennial State. With no family to go home to for the holiday season, he plans to put extra time into his studies and maybe look for a part-time job. What he gets is a part-time job with benefits and a few new friends.

    Xander Duchesne is a savvy businessman in the harsh world of deals and projects. Estranged from his mother due to her matchmaking tendencies, he is resolved to spending Yule (or Winter Solstice) by himself for the first time in his life. He wasn’t expecting his mother’s impossible-to-ignore demands, and he certainly wasn’t prepared for a college freshman who was just coming in from the cold.

    * * * * *

    Acknowledgements

    A HUGE thank you to Shayla Mist for letting me know about the call for this anthology! I’m so very thankful to have been a part of this. Thank you to Debbie for accepting a raw manuscript (not even a beta!). Thank you to the other authors and contributors who have helped to make this anthology possible. I have come to learn just how much work goes into an anthology from behind the scenes. Last, but certainly not least, thank you to anyone who purchases a copy of this story and/or the anthology—your purchase goes towards the support of one of my absolute favorite organizations, The Trevor Project.

    * * * * *

    Dedication

    I dedicate this story to David, the boy from Pennsylvania who was mortified when—on his first day at a brand new school—I called him out on being gay (before he even knew it yet himself). The student who loathed working at Starbucks for numerous and varied reasons. The man I came to call brother, who was there for me in my greatest hour of need and picked me up when I had sunk to the bottom of my empty shell.

    * * * * *

    Table of Contents

    Chapter One

    Chapter Two

    Chapter Three

    Chapter Four

    Chapter Five

    Chapter Six

    Chapter Seven

    Chapter Eight

    Chapter Nine

    Chapter Ten

    Chapter Eleven

    Chapter Twelve

    About the Author

    Boughs of Evergreen – A Holiday Anthology

    * * * * *

    Chapter One

    Declan sat at the two-person bistro table he had claimed in the dimly lit corner of the Graffiti Grind. He kept both hands wrapped around his large hot chocolate in an attempt to warm them up after the deadly cold chill outside. He watched the snowflakes fall,

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