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    Rain For Christmas
    Rain For Christmas
    Rain For Christmas
    Ebook113 pages2 hours

    Rain For Christmas

    By Vanessa Miller

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Five years ago, Donavan lost the love of his life, but this Christmas he just may get it back.

    The golden boy, Donavan Walker, was destined to take over for his father, Isaac Walker in the family business – preaching the gospel... or so his family thought. But when Isaac catches his son with the church secretary, Donavan leaves the ministry. He sets out on his own and becomes financially successful, but this Christmas he will discover, that money means nothing without your first love.

    Diana Milner fell for Donavan from the moment she spilled coffee on him. But mistakes from her past doomed their relationship from the start. She dreams of a second chance, but now she has other responsibilities. The courts just awarded her custody of her four year old niece. Amarri deserves two parents to love and care for her. The moment Donavan meets Amarri, it seems that the little girl has stolen his heart. But Diana, wants to know if his heart still beats for her as well.

    Join me on this journey of Christmas wonder with your favorite characters from the Rain series. Rain for Christmas is a novella. I hope you enjoy and have a very Merry Christmas!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherVanessa Miller
    Release dateFeb 8, 2013
    ISBN9781301973446
    Rain For Christmas
    Author

    Vanessa Miller

    Vanessa Miller is a bestselling author, with several books appearing on ESSENCE Magazine's Bestseller List. She has also been a Black Expressions Book Club alternate pick and #1 on BCNN/BCBC Bestseller List. Most of Vanessa's published novels depict characters who are lost and in need of redemption. The books have received countless favorable reviews: "Heartwarming, drama-packed and tender in just the right places" (Romantic Times book review) and "Recommended for readers of redemption stories" (Library Journal). Visit her online at vanessamiller.com; Twitter: @Vanessamiller01; Instagram: @authorvanessamiller; Facebook: @Vanessamiller01.

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      Book preview

      Rain For Christmas - Vanessa Miller

      Rain For Christmas

      By

      Vanessa Miller

      SMASHWORDS EDITION

      *****

      Published by:

      BFP Publishing

      Rain For Christmas

      Copyright © 2012 by Vanessa Miller

      Smashwords Edition License Notes

      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 person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

      Other Books by Vanessa Miller

      Better for Us

      Her Good Thing

      Long Time Coming

      A Promise of Forever Love

      A Love for Tomorrow

      Yesterday’s Promise

      Forgotten

      Forgiven

      Forsaken

      Rain for Christmas (Novella)

      Through the Storm

      Rain Storm

      Latter Rain

      Abundant Rain

      Former Rain

      Anthologies (Editor)

      Keeping the Faith

      Have A Little Faith

      This Far by Faith

      EBOOKS

      Love Isn’t Enough

      A Mighty Love

      The Blessed One (Blessed and Highly Favored series)

      The Wild One (Blessed and Highly Favored Series)

      The Preacher’s Choice (Blessed and Highly Favored Series)

      The Politician’s Wife (Blessed and Highly Favored Series)

      The Playboy’s Redemption (Blessed and Highly Favored Series)

      Tears Fall at Night (Praise Him Anyhow Series)

      Publisher’s Note:

      This short story is a work of fiction. References to real events, organizations, or places are used in a fictional context. Any resemblances to actual persons, living or dead are entirely coincidental.

      Vanessa Miller

      www.vanessamiller.com

      Printed in the United States of America

      © 2012 by Vanessa Miller

      BFP Publishing

      Charlotte, NC

      No part of this ebook may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical—including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system—without permission in writing from the publisher.

      Prologue

      You’re the kind of woman I could see myself marrying.

      Diana Milner put her index finger against Donavan Walker’s luscious lips. Don’t say things like that if you don’t mean it. I’m here, so I’m already yours. You don’t have to lie to me.

      Oh, so now I’m a liar. You weren’t saying that a few minutes ago. Donavan began tickling her. Take it back, he demanded.

      She was wearing Donavan’s black and gray bath robe and nothing else, so she had little defense against his tickles,. She grabbed hold of the towel encircling his waist as if she was prepared to yank it off and said, Who’s going to make me?

      You think I care if you pull that towel off? He stepped back, lifting his hands in the air to give her easy access. I mean, you’re going to be my wife and you’ve already seen me naked once anyway. So, have at it.

      No fair, she giggled. I can’t fight against an exhibitionist.

      Why don’t we both show our exhibits? Donavan slithered toward Diana with his fingers dancing toward her robe.

      She wrapped the robe tighter around her body and screamed, Don’t you dare, as she took off running and giggling through the house.

      Donavan ran after her. As he caught up with her, he pulled her into an embrace and kissed her mouth, her cheeks, her forehead and chin. Just as Diana was getting into the kissing game, Donavan pinched her and said, That’s for calling me a liar.

      Diana’s mouth hung open for a moment. Oh no you didn’t. You’re going to pay for that Donavan Walker.

      Donavan was enjoying himself with Diana. She was the only woman he’d been with that could make him laugh about nothing. He was getting tired of the way he’d been living his life… a youth pastor by day and a hound with the ladies by night. Donavan loved being in ministry. His father was the pastor and he had entrusted him with the youth ministry. Donavan wanted to settle down and take his Christian walk much more seriously. He was thinking that Diana could be the one to rescue him from himself.

      Donavan was the picture of a happy man as he smirked at Diana and said, Come and get me, baby. You’ve got to catch me before I’ll ever pay for anything. He turned and made his way towards the living room, laughing all the way.

      Diana wasn’t about to let Donavan get away with taunting her. She ran behind him, tackling him from behind. As they fell to the ground Diana landed on top of Donavan, she pinched him and then said, I gotcha. Now what are you going to do about it?

      The two were having so much fun that neither of them noticed Donavan’s front door open, nor did they see the man standing just outside the door.

      Donavan reached up and pulled her into an embrace. He kissed her again. As her wet hair fell across his face, he inhaled. I love the way your hair smells after a shower. Woman, I definitely could get used to you.

      Son! Isaac shouted from the doorway. What are you doing?

      Donavan jumped up, eyes bulging out of his head as he looked into his father’s shocked and disappointed face. Donavan didn’t know what the rest of his life would be like, but he knew one thing for certain, he would never forget the moment his father found out the kind of man he really was.

      1

      Five years later

      Donavan Walker hated rainy days, but he loved the smell that permeated the air after the rain. It was like Sunday morning to him… a time of renewal and refreshing. Like the kind of refreshing he felt years ago as he listened to his father preach the gospel. In those days, Donavan believed that he had been called to preach the gospel just like his father. His father believed it, too, because he had been grooming him to one day take over his ministry.

      Donavan was the youth pastor at his father’s church, and he loved every minute of his assignment. Those children brought him great joy and he tried his best to teach them God’s word in a manner they could understand.

      But all of that occurred before the great Isaac Walker caught him with the church secretary. Things were never the same after that, and five years ago Donavan moved to Atlanta to help his frat brother with a start up investment firm.

      Now Donavan was his own man, not trying to follow in anyone’s footsteps but his own. But he hadn’t forgotten the things his mama taught him about helping the less fortunate. So even now, as Donavan found himself worth millions more than his parents would ever be worth, he still found the time to help Kenneth and Elizabeth Underwood at the homeless shelter they ran there in Atlanta. His mother was pleased that he helped out at the homeless shelter. But that didn’t stop her from asking him to come back home, where she thought he belonged.

      Donavan hadn’t been back to Ohio since he left in disgrace. His parents had visited him and the Underwoods for Christmas twice since he’d relocated to Atlanta, but now they were demanding that he come home to visit with his family. Iona, his half sister was expecting a baby and his mother refused to leave town until she held her first grandchild in her arms.

      Donavan didn’t have a problem with going home for a visit; he wasn’t embarrassed about his current status as if he was a skid row buster. He had left home and made something of himself. Was he doing what he wanted to be doing at this point in his life? Donavan wasn’t sure how to answer that question. But the one thing he was positive of was that with the money he was making, no one would call him a failure.

      He knew that many who were less fortunate than him would love to be able to buy up a bunch of presents, take them home and act like Santa Claus, just because they had it like that. Actually, he’d already purchased presents and had them mailed to his parents’ home the same as he’d done every year since he left. He also purchased presents for the Christmas party the youth ministry sponsored for the children each year. Just because he couldn’t physically see the kids in the youth ministry anymore, didn’t mean they weren’t on his mind. So, he made sure that the youth ministry knew that Donavan Walker hadn’t forgotten about them.

      He would love to go home

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