Christmas Miracles at Hedgehog Hollow

Jessica Redland

Description

It's the countdown to Christmas at Hedgehog Hollow Wildlife Rescue Centre, and everyone is gearing up for a festive season to remember...

It should be the most wonderful time of the year for Samantha and Josh as they prepare for the arrival of their first baby. But life at Hedgehog Hollow rarely goes to plan and the pair are faced with adversaries, old and new, and unexpected challenges to overcome.

Fizz's job at the heart of the rescue centre is a dream come true but her personal life is more like a nightmare. With her love life a disaster and her past about to dramatically catch up with her, she needs the love and support of her Hedgehog Hollow family more than ever.

As the snow falls over Hedgehog Hollow, will Samantha and Fizz find the Christmas miracle they need to overcome their heartache and find happiness?

Top 10 bestseller Jessica Redland welcomes you back to Hedgehog Hollow this Christmas for the final time in this series for a heartfelt story of love, family, friendship - and hedgehogs of course!

Praise for the Hedgehog Hollow series:

'I loved my trip to Hedgehog Hollow. An emotional read, full of twists and turns' Heidi Swain

'The Hedgehog Hollow series is a tonic I'd recommend for everyone. There is so much to make you smile in Jessica's stories and they are always uplifting reads, which will make you really glad you decided to pick up a copy.' Jo Bartlett

'A beautifully written series that offers the ultimate in heartwarming escapism.' Samantha Tonge

'Hedgehog Hollow is a wonderful series that has found a special place all of its own deep in the hearts of readers, including mine.' Jennifer Bohnet

‘An emotional, romantic and ultimately uplifting read. Jessica always touches my heart with her sensitive handling of difficult subjects. The gorgeous community she has built around Hedgehog Hollow is one I hope to visit again and again.’ Sarah Bennett

'A warm hug of a book. I never wanted to leave Hedgehog Hollow. Very highly recommended.' Della Galton

'A wonderful, warm series full of family, friends and romance.' Katie Ginger

'Jessica Redland writes from the heart, with heart, about heart' Nicola May

'An emotional but uplifting page turner.' Fay Keenan

Sujets

• Vie de famille
• Relations familiales
• Mashups
• Humorous
• Women
• Coming of Age
• Friendship
• Contemporary history
• Romantic Comedy
• General officer
• Woman
• The Women
• Animals
• General
• Contemporary
• Family Life
• Romance
• Christmas
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Boldwood Books
• Date de parution: 06 septembre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781801624473
• Langue: English

Extrait

CHRISTMAS MIRACLES AT HEDGEHOG HOLLOW
HEDGEHOG HOLLOW BOOK 6


JESSICA REDLAND
CONTENTS



Recurring Characters from the Hedgehog Hollow Series

The story so far…


Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

Chapter 58

Chapter 59


More From Jessica Redland

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Also by Jessica Redland

Love Notes

About Boldwood Books

Hedgehog True/False

Hedgehog Dos and Dont’s
This book is dedicated to my very own Christmas miracle – my beautiful daughter Ashleigh. With love and hugs xx

This whole series is dedicated to all the amazing people who help hedgehogs – owners, employees and volunteers at rescue centres, fosterers, fundraisers, campaigners, anyone who has found a hedgehog and called for help, and those who put food and water out and provide a safe haven in their gardens. What a difference you all make xx
Recurring Characters from the Hedgehog Hollow Series


Samantha Alderson, aka Sam or Sammie
Owner and full-time manager of Hedgehog Hollow. Married to Josh


Josh Alderson
Veterinary surgeon and partner at Alderson & Wishaw Veterinary Practice. Married to Samantha


Fizz Kinsella
Full-time veterinary nurse at Hedgehog Hollow


Yasmin Simms
Fizz’s girlfriend. Artist/sculptor


Natasha Kinsella
Fizz’s mum. Runs events and catering business and works in partnership with Samantha


Hadrian Kinsella
Fizz’s dad. Police sergeant


Barney Kinsella
Fizz’s older brother. Farmer at Bumblebee Barn


Phoebe Corbyn
Trainee accountant. Volunteer bookkeeper at the rescue centre. Lives at Hedgehog Hollow


Darcie Flynn
Eight-year-old neglected by the Grimes family and adopted by Phoebe. Lives at Hedgehog Hollow


Jonathan Wishaw
Samantha’s dad. Veterinary surgeon and partner at Alderson & Wishaw Veterinary Practice


Debs Wishaw
Samantha’s mum. Aspiring gardener. Identical twin to Chloe’s mum, Louise


Chloe Turner
Samantha’s cousin. Married to James. Runs Crafty Hollow with Lauren at Hedgehog Hollow


James Turner
Samantha’s ex-boyfriend. Married to Chloe


Samuel Turner
Chloe and James’s son (two years old)


Louise Olsen
Samantha’s auntie. Chloe’s mum. Identical twin to Samantha’s mum, Debs


Simon Olsen
Samantha’s uncle. Chloe’s dad


Lauren Harbuckle
Josh’s auntie. Non-identical twin to Connie. Runs Crafty Hollow with Chloe at Hedgehog Hollow


Riley Berry
Lauren’s boyfriend. Manages Bloomsberry’s (family-run garden centre)


Kai Berry
Riley’s son (twelve years old)


Connie Williams
Josh’s mum. Counsellor. Cub leader. Non-identical twin to Lauren. Married to Alex


Alex Williams
Married to Connie. Cub leader. Dave’s uncle


Paul Alderson
Josh’s dad and former business partner. Veterinary nurse at Alderson & Wishaw Veterinary Practice. Lives at Alder Lea – the veterinary practice house – with his family


Beth Giddings
Paul’s girlfriend. Josh’s ex-girlfriend. Part-time receptionist at Alderson & Wishaw Veterinary Practice


Archie Alderson
Paul and Beth’s son (three years old)


Lottie Alderson
Paul and Beth’s daughter (two years old)


Thomas Mickleby
Elderly widower befriended by Samantha. Left Hedgehog Hollow to Samantha in his will on the proviso she ran it as a hedgehog rescue centre


Gwendoline Mickleby
Thomas’s wife, whose dream it was to run a hedgehog rescue centre


Rich Cooper
Good friend of Samantha. Partner of Dave. Ambulance paramedic


Dave Williams
Good friend of Samantha. Partner of Rich. Builder


Hannah Spiers
Samantha’s best friend. District nurse


Toby Spiers
Hannah’s husband. James’s best friend


Amelia Spiers
Hannah and Toby’s daughter. Samantha’s goddaughter (three years old)


Tariq
Josh’s best friend from university. Veterinary surgeon at Alderson & Wishaw Veterinary Practice


Rosemary Norris
Good friend and former neighbour of Phoebe’s. Has a guide dog called Trixie


Celia
Rosemary’s long-standing best friend. Lives with Rosemary


Terry Shepherd
Good friend of Samantha and Josh. Has brought in several rescue hedgehogs/hoglets. Has a springer spaniel called Wilbur


Zayn Hockley
RSPCA inspector. Volunteer at Hedgehog Hollow


Javine Dafoe
Former Head of Art & Design at Reddfield TEC. Art tutor at Crafty Hollow


Jeanette Kingston
Community leader in local villages and friend of Samantha


Robbie
Friend of Fizz’s. Architect and illustrator


Hayley Grimes
Darcie’s biological mother


The Grimes family (Tina, Jenny, Cody, Brynn and Connor)
Relatives of Gwendoline’s with a vendetta against Samantha. All currently in prison
THE STORY SO FAR…

After discovering that Hedgehog Hollow’s bank account had been emptied, Samantha and Josh’s wedding plans looked shaky, but the generosity of the local community and their good friend Terry helped save the rescue centre and Samantha and Josh said ‘I do’.
Josh’s Auntie Lauren was delighted for the happy couple, but the wedding made her reflect on her own two divorces and her decision to remain single.
While Samantha and Josh were on honeymoon, Lauren received the shock news that the job she loved would soon disappear in a work restructure. Her future career wasn’t the only source of confusion, with Lauren finding herself drawn to Riley Berry, the man who’d given her the redundancy news.
Lauren’s past returned to haunt her when her first husband, Shaun, made contact twenty-six years after walking out on her. She agreed to meet him and discovered the reason he’d left, which gave her closure and helped her move forward. Riley was exceptionally supportive during this time and Lauren finally felt ready to love again.
Samantha had told Josh on their wedding day that she was ready to start a family but had a panic attack on honeymoon when she thought she might be pregnant. Back home, she was on edge until Lauren convinced her to tell Josh so they could face it together. Josh was as supportive as ever but, when Samantha found out that she wasn’t pregnant, she felt disappointed and began to wonder if she might be ready for a baby after all.
Terry brought an injured fox cub to the rescue centre, prompting Fizz to share that her dream job was to work full-time in a rescue centre. Samantha wasn’t opposed to extending their work beyond hedgehogs but said there wasn’t the staff or funds to do so. Keen to show her gratitude to Samantha for welcoming Darcie and her to Hedgehog Hollow, accountancy whizz Phoebe showed Samantha and Josh the financial viability of running a larger operation with paid staff.
A few months later, Hedgehog Hollow played host to another wedding when Josh’s mum Connie married Alex. So many of Samantha’s friends and family had now found happiness, but there were a couple more people Samantha felt deserved to find their happy ever after.
It’s now October, one year later, and a lot has happened at Hedgehog Hollow…
1
SAMANTHA



I opened my eyes with the first gentle beeps of the alarm clock, pressed the snooze button and settled back under the duvet.
Josh snuggled up against me and lightly kissed the top of my shoulder, stirring the butterflies in my stomach.
‘Happy birthday, Sammie,’ he said, trailing his kisses up my neck.
‘This is how all birthdays should start.’ I adjusted position so his lips could touch mine. ‘Actually, it’s how every day should start.’
‘That can be arranged.’
‘Ooh!’ My hands flew to my stomach. ‘That was a big one. Someone’s awake.’
I guided Josh’s hands so he could feel it too.
‘We might have a footballer in there,’ he said, laughing as the baby kicked once more.
‘Or a martial arts expert.’
‘Just think, next time either of us celebrate a birthday, we’ll be parents.’
I entwined my fingers round Josh’s. ‘Only twelve weeks to go. It’s getting very real now.’
‘How are you feeling?’
I squeezed his hand. ‘Still in a good place.’
I’d initially struggled with the idea of becoming a parent, fearful of having the same difficult relationship with my child that I’d had with my own mum. A combination of discovering that Mum’s behaviour arose from a shocking incident in her past rather than being my fault, counselling support, and building a fresh relationship with Mum had helped allay my fears.
When Josh and I were both ready to try for a family, it didn’t happen immediately. Each month that passed brought fresh disappointment but, looking back, that extra time worked out for the best because there’d been so much work to do in progressing our plans to expand Hedgehog Hollow into a wider wildlife rescue centre. At the start of this year, Hedgehog Hollow Wildlife Rescue Centre was established as the charitable division of Alderson & Wishaw Veterinary Practice in which Josh and Dad were partners.
Fizz was now qualified as a veterinary nurse and we were both salaried. Having Fizz working full-time and the additional flexibility to draft in staff from the practice had eased the pressure on me.
In early December, I’d be stepping back and going on maternity leave. In theory. We all knew that I wouldn’t be able to resist spending time in the barn helping out until Bublet arrived, Bublet be