Christmas Tree Tour: Karen Templeton

As the holiday grows nearer, it's a good time reflect on the importance of love and family as well as the Christmases we've shared with loved ones. Karen Templeton's tree is touching in a way none other has been this year. Karen, thank you so much for sharing with my readers. I wish you peace and many enjoyable memories this season.

Karen says:

Doing the Christmas tree had always been a big deal for my husband and me -- in fact, he made several of our tree toppers over the years, and would always tweak the ornaments for days after, LOL. Last year, he was in hospice, and while I was determined we'd still have as normal Christmas as possible, I had no time to decorate a tree, so a friend and our youngest son did the honors. Jack pronounced it the prettiest tree we'd ever had. Which it wasn't, but we also knew it would be his last. And in March, he passed away.

Surprisingly, I found myself more full of Christmas spirit this year than I'd felt in ages, and was determined to get the biggest tree I could fit in my living room -- even though, once the thing was in its stand, I was on my own decorating it. And *this* tree I determined *would* be the prettiest tree, ever (for us, anyway). The project soothed my soul in a way I'm not sure anything could have -- almost as though Jack was there with me. And when I sit in front of it late at night with a cup of hot chocolate, I'm not sure that he's not. :)

It truly was a labor of love.
















A A MARRIAGE-MINDED MAN
Eli’s Garrett’s last encounter with Tess Montoya involved her chasing him down Main Street, wielding a sponge mop. Aimed at his head. Twelve years later, Tess is a next-door-to-bitter divorcee with a pair of little kids, and Eli’s still a bachelor with – word has it – a baaaaad reputation for hooking up with anything with hooters. So naturally that makes him the perfect choice for a bout of drunken, angry sex, right?

Mortified after her wild ‘n’ crazy night, all Tess wants to do is put her indiscretion behind her and resume her quiet, safe, uncomplicated life. Loving people has never ended well before, so why should it now? Especially with Eli? Except sometimes bad boys are “bad” for reasons the gossip mill never gets wind of. And sometimes a bad boy turns out to the be the best thing ever to happen to a gal who’s given up on love.
Especially if that bad boy has marriage and family on his mind…
READ AN EXCERPT