It's Only the Beginning — Alice Addy

Hays, Kansas 1893 The holidays were fast approaching, and life at the Birdsong Hotel was becoming more and more difficult for the beautiful Cassie Miller. Day in and day out, she did her best to keep up the strict standards set by her friends, the previous proprietors, but discovered it was a losing battle. After the sudden and suspicious death of her old friend, “Whiskey” Bernard Allen, she found herself without a strong and knowledgeable man with whom to share the heavy load, and the place quickly fell into disrepair. Once filled with love and the happy sounds of children at play, the Birdsong had fallen silent and was starting to show its age -- and so was dear Dora, the true heart of the hotel. Recently widowed and plagued with arthritis, she was a mere shadow of her former self. Feeling in over her head, it was imperative Cassie find a solution to her problems. That's when she met the handsome and mystifying stranger from Colorado -- but it was no love match. From the very beginning, Brett Farrell stalked her, watched her every move, and all the while, kept mysteriously silent. Soon, strange and malicious accidents began to occur, and Cassie realized neither she, nor anyone else at the Birdsong Hotel, was safe from harm. Finally forced to take action, Cassie decides to take a leap of faith, and is rewarded by a shocking revelation. As all of her friends gather for Christmas, she realizes nothing will ever be the same at the old hotel. However, there might be something better on the horizon -- perhaps the magic of the season would bring a new beginning for them all.