Sunshine for Christmas: A Novella — Mary Jo Putney

Searching for sunshine…

Lonely and depressed by far too much rain, Lord Randolph Lennox decides on impulse to take the first ship leaving London for the sunny Mediterranean. Chance brings him to Naples -- where it's also raining. But the rain clears and as he discovers the city, a pleasant young English governess rescues him from an altercation with a flirtatious girl and her protective family.

Miss Elizabeth Walker is between jobs and taking a holiday in Naples when she meets the quiet, handsome Englishman. When he proposes that she act as his guide for the next few days, she accepts because they enjoy each other's company. Elizabeth matter-of-factly recognizes that of course she'll fall quietly in love with him and nothing will come of it, but she'll have some lovely memories to cherish in her old age.

…and finding a second chance at love…

As they come to know each other better, Randolph starts thinking thoughts of forever, but that seems impossible -- until fate takes an alarming hand.

Author's Note: The hero of Sunshine for Christmas was a secondary character in my RITA winning novel, The Rake. A foolish youthful mistake had cost him the woman he loved. But doesn't everyone deserve a second chance?