Garrett’s since gone out of his way to avoid the sexy ginger, instead throwing his energy behind his dance career while supporting his mother through her cancer diagnosis. Finn Sweeney used to think of Garrett as just his kid brother’s best friend, but after an intense exchange at a high school party, things got a little…weird. Despite that, when their two families decide to get together for the holidays for the first time in years, Finn can’t say no. But he’s fully prepared for this to be awkward as hell. When Finn and Garrett lay eyes on each other for the first time in their adult lives, all bets are off. Finn is completely captivated by Garrett and getting to know the man he’s become is now his top priority. Playing catch-up with Finn makes Garrett truly see him beyond the childhood fantasy he’s held onto all these years. Finn is real and vulnerable…and hot as hell. Garrett and Finn can’t seem to keep their hands off each other, so they decide to bury the hatchet between them for the remainder of the visit. After all, it’s only a holiday fling. Until it becomes something more.

    He struggles with being closeted at home and at school, and to make matters worse, he has a huge crush on one of his childhood friends, Greg Harmon, now a big football star.Allen’s forced to go to Pennsylvania with his family for Christmas rather than staying in Virginia with his friends, but he’s thrilled when Greg starts to text and instant message him. It’s the beginning of a budding romance that develops when Greg ends up visiting family nearby, but as the press of family makes it difficult to find any time alone, will they be able to start something that will last?

    His only solace is that Philip will soon arrive. He’s worried introducing Philip as his boyfriend rather than his roommate could put a damper on the holiday season, but his dad drops a bigger bomb: the family home will be sold. Derailed from coming out, Cal makes it his mission to squeeze every ounce out of his last holiday in his childhood home. But there’s no way to disguise his love for Philip. This holiday season is one of endings, but can it be the start of something even better?

    Jeremy Porter is still grieving over his mother’s death, and Paul McClellan is a lonely divorcee just trying to make it home even though the only one waiting for him is his cat. It may seem like a miserable combination, but when Jeremy saves Paul from being hit by a car during a nasty snowstorm, their connection and chemistry are undeniable. It’s easy to cuddle up with a stranger when you’re snowed in but can a holiday affair turn into more if being together feels like home?

     When sexy mechanic Alice Starr mistakenly believes attorney Mark Jameson needs her help, he discovers he likes being rescued for a change. Smitten by her confidence, he hides his expertise so he has an excuse to see her again.Starting their new all-female garage, Under the Hood, is keeping Alice and her friends busy. She doesn't have time for a man. But with one kiss, she and Mark have advanced into water so deep she's in danger of drowning. So why hasn't he called?Mark wants to tell Alice the truth so they can pursue a relationship. But he's got even bigger problems at his office when his bitter aunt threatens Alice’s livelihood. He needs a plan, fast, or else Under the Hood and his chances with Alice could both be ruined.

    We were technically engaged, not that we’d told anyone. He was happy just knowin’ I’d said yes, and I had some head-clearin’ stuff to work through. Knowing I was good enough for Trav was one thing, but knowing if I was good enough to be a husband and father was somethin’ else entirely.Life at Sutton Station had never been better. Business was strong, Trudy and Bacon’s little baby, Gracie, was a few weeks old now and as cute as a button, Ma’s health was good, and my relationship with Laura and Sam was in a pretty good place. And Travis? Well, life with him was still all kinds of perfect.But, to Travis’s dismay, Christmas at the Station was just another day. Another day of getting up before the sun, feeding animals, fixin’ what needed fixin’, and checking water troughs all while tryin’ to keep out of the blistering heat.And this year weren’t much different. Only that it was Travis’s first Sutton Station Christmas. The fact we didn’t go all out with decorations and celebrations baffled him, and if I was bein’ truthful, it disappointed him too.Which was why I had to make it a special kind of Christmas…NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:This book uses Australian English spelling and grammar. There will be words like brumbies (wild horses) Macca’s (McDonald’s) and a serious lack of g’s on most ing words. There are also run-on hyphenated sentences. It’s just how Charlie speaks.TIMELINE ACKNOWLEDGMENT:(beware of spoilers for book 4 below!)Anyone familiar with the Red Dirt Heart series, will know it spans the seasons. In RDH1 when Travis arrives, it’s summer, RDH2 is autumn/winter, RDH3 is spring and RDH4, being Trav’s pov, is back to summer and spans another year. Christmas in Australia is in summer, so according to the actual timeline of the series, Travis’ first Christmas falls between RDH3 and RDH4, though it is not mentioned.So, like a small snippet of something that didn’t technically happen, this Christmas story is of Travis’ first Christmas at Sutton Station, therefore falls between books 3 and 4. They’re not married, there’s no Milly.A small reminder of where the storyline was up to… Travis has asked Charlie to marry him, but they’ve not told anyone yet. Trudy and Bacon have just had their first baby, Gracie, and Nugget still steals every scene he’s in.

    With his parents on a cruise and his brother and sister out of town, he's on his own. His mother insists he escape to her friend's mountain cabin. Eli reluctantly agrees, but he takes off unprepared and ends up driving into the worst snowstorm the area has seen in years.He survives the trip, but he's stuck with no logs for the wood stove and little food. Fortunately, he gets the number for Mac's Wood Delivery. Mac doesn't mind riding to the rescue, and his deep, sultry voice has Eli eagerly anticipating the delivery. Is Mac the little bit of Christmas cheer Eli has been needing?

    Locey - Dressed In Holiday StyleCan the spirit of Christmas save this budding love affair?Clare London - Five Gold BlingsWhere Christmas sparkle leads two lonely hearts.Posy Roberts - Sojourn with YouThis year, a place to stay is the best Christmas gift Sawyer could ask for.Felice Stevens - The Gift of ForeverWhat do you get the man who has everything?AE Via - An Unworthy GiftWhat do the lonely do at Christmas?Word Count: 157,000

    Marcus can't wait to get Tyler into bed. He has plans that involve getting and staying naked. But an innocent question from Lillie has Marcus wondering if he's ready to take that next big step.

    He’s funny, feisty, and loving. He’s also the only person I’ve ever trusted and the only one who has never let me down. So why, after finding my current boyfriend cheating, am I taking my best friend out on a series of Valentine’s Day dates all over London?Even more importantly, why am I noticing things about him that I’ve never seen in the ten years of our friendship? Like the fullness of his lips, how gorgeous his eyes are, and – maybe most importantly – the way he’s looking back at me? Because Archibald Henry Zhang can never be anything other than my best friend. Can he?From bestselling author Lily Morton comes a romantic comedy about how one wild day and night on the town can change two best friends’ lives forever.

    One job is playing Santa at Martin's Department Store. On a break he's alone and lamenting the lack of love in his life and that no one really sees him. A small voice tells him that he sees him. Derek looks down to find an elf beside him. Said elf is in need and Derek helps him out, not knowing that he is going to meet the man of his dreams.Max Martin is a busy man, CEO of all the Martin's empire, father to Michael, and in need of help in many areas. Derek steps up to the plate offering help in several of those areas, including one that Max wasn't aware of. He hadn't known how badly he needed someone to love him, to make his life whole. There is fun, laughter, romance, jealousy, revenge, heartache, fear, and it's Christmas, so, a happy ending.

    It’s his special quiet time—until the morning he scares off a pickpocket and meets tourist Jacob.Jacob is in Paris to tour the Christmas markets, and he’s definitely interested in getting to know his rescuer better. But Paul’s a busy man, with no time for a relationship that can’t go anywhere… or so he thinks.As the two embark on a holiday fling amidst the romance of Christmas in Paris, the only thing that can bring Paul down is the knowledge that it all ends on December 23.But Christmas is the season of chances….

    He spent years searching for something he thought was missing, only to find that life outside the small town wasn't everything he expected, and he realized his heart would always belong in Rocky Peaks and to the man he left behind. Coming home from several years in the Army, he can't wait to settle down, and he hopes life will be how it was before he left, especially with his best friend and lover, Travis, but he fears they might have grown apart through the years. When Austin surprises everyone by coming home early, emotions are high, and as the two friends are reunited, he hopes that leaving didn't change things between them, and he can somehow show Travis that after traveling the world, there’s no place like home. This is a standalone novella with a happy-ever-after and no cliff hangers.

    People he thought were friends didn't stick with him and he's somehow become kind of a recluse without meaning to be. Only Mike, his best friend since they were kids, has stuck by him and is now saving him from homelessness after a fire destroys Brian's apartment building days before Christmas. Though Mike has to go down South for the holiday, Brian stays in Mike's apartment with his slightly singed kitten Oreo.Brian's only goal is to set his affairs back in order before everything shuts down for the holidays and then make it through those holidays in one piece. He's lost so much -- his only real possession is a photo album of his mom that he risked death to save from the fire -- and he's feeling lost and very alone...until Mike, his hot neighbor Trent, and even little Oreo conspire to give Brian the best Christmas possible and a future that looks a lot brighter.

    Leland isn’t just his boss, though. He’s the son of the company’s CEO. And Brian has fallen in love. Hurt by too many stolen kisses and nooners at seedy hotels, Brian finally broke off their secret affair two weeks ago. Leland isn’t ready to let Brian go and he isn’t above seducing Brian — again — to give them both what they really want for Christmas: each other.This free short story was originally written for the Goodreads M/M Romance Group's 2010 holiday event and appears in the event's Stuff My Stocking: M/M Romance Stories that are Nice and… Naughty anthology.