Page 71 of Fourth Heartwarmers Trilogy
Angie’s expression underwent a sadness not often seen on her face. “I want her to learn how to swim. It’s very important. I lost my true love in the water. I don’t often talk about Lucas, but while saving others, he drowned.”
Jack stiffened. Lucas? A memory of an older man he loved filtered through his mind and was gone in a flash. “I like that name.”
Mia spoke up, “Me too. One day, if we have a baby boy, Angie, could we borrow the name and call him Lucas?”
Angie’s eyes filled. While their feet found the bottom so they could stand, she took Mia’s face in her hands and smiled towards Jack. “My Lucas would have been thrilled.”
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If you enjoyed reading this book, there are four others in the Angels with Attitudes Series… please check out those, plus all the other available stories on my website at: https://mimibarbour.com
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Just in Time
a couple snuggling with the scene of the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City in the background
Holiday Heartwarmers Series Book #16
By
Mimi Barbour, NYT & USAT Bestselling author
Copyright © 2025
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Description:
While wandering the magical, snow-covered streets of Quebec City, Jacqueline arrives just in time to witness a terrifying sight: a massive snowdrift collapses on two children who had been tunneling inside to build an igloo. When she screams for help, Colin Jones comes running to the rescue. Bothfeel a sense of responsibility for the small girl and boy who are taken to the emergency along with their widowed mother.
Once there, they find the poor woman, Gisele, is gravely ill. She confides in Colin that she had hoped for more time to make arrangements for her children’s future. But now, with her strength fading, she begs him to step in and care for her soon-to-be orphans.
Caught off guard but moved by the urgency, Colin agrees to help. And the one person he hopes will stand beside him is Jacqueline, whose warmth and compassion could make all the difference.
So begins a heartwarming, sweet Christmas romance of two strangers brought together by fate and united in a mission to save these adorable orphans from being separated in the overburdened foster care system.
Chapter One
“Help! Help me! Please.” Jaqueline screamed as loud as she could while her hands frantically scraped at the heavy snow piled in front of her. Please, God, please. Let me find them. Shrieking louder, she added, “There’s children under this pile of snow. Help me.”
With her knees burrowed into the snow, she worked feverishly attempting to uncover any sign of either of the children. Ignoring the discomfort, she kept scraping, digging… yelling. Held back by her fancy gloves, she took precious seconds to whip them off and then used her fingernails like claws, digging into the freezing cold as deep as possible, trying desperately to reach the children she knew had been buried in the now collapsed igloo.
Seconds earlier, she’d watched the two children’s smiles of accomplishment while they worked so hard trying to get the structure just right. And the sight had made her cheer silently.They’d burrowed into the four foot drift, and both had crawled inside.
Stopped in her tracks, she’d observed them from across the way, wishing she was as young and carefree as the two angels playing so happily. The urge to join them had all but brought her to tears. Seeing those small munchkins so happy together and taking such pride in their accomplishment had added to her joy in being in this magical city over the weeks of Christmas. So much so, that Jaqueline had continued to hover nearby, aiming her camera at the scene, knowing how much her gramma would enjoy the pic.
Then the unexpected and unimaginable happened. A thudding sound. Swirls of snow flew into the air. The cave-in blocked the opening as if it had never been there. With so many feet of snow landing on both the little ones, they were trapped underneath. While running across the street as fast as she could, Jaqueline had stashed her phone in her pocket, knowing she’d need her hands free.
Heart beating hard enough for her breathing to be affected, Jaqueline screeched louder this time. “Help. For God’s sake. Someone. Please. I need help. There’s children here.”
Suddenly, a big man skidded beside her. And with both of them digging frantically, he was able to grab at the jacket of one of the children. Still scraping, Jaqueline finally reached the hand of another body and working fast, she uncovered the face and chest, then pulled on the body to loosen her from being trapped. Lifeless, the tiny girl’s eyes were closed, and she wore the look of shock that must have overcome her at the moment of tragedy.
Freeing away as much of the snow as possible around the child’s head, neck, and mouth, Jaqueline leaned in to find some indication that the child was still alive. When she couldn’t find any sign of life, she cleared the little one’s airway and franticallybegan chest compressions and rescue breaths, aiming to keep her blood flowing and get air into the girl’s lungs.
Muttering in her concentration, she whispered, “Come on baby, you can do it. Come on. For Jaq. Do it for me. Breathe.” She kept up the chest compressions rhythmically, knowing it was the little girl’s only chance to live.
Her peripheral vision told her that the man next to her was performing the same kind of help on the boy. She couldn’t make out his soft words but had no doubt they were entreaties similar to hers. When his child began to cough and choke, the sighs and gleeful utterings of the crowd that had gathered could be heard loudly. Then his fierce exclamation of “Yes!” lightened her own fear.
