A Kiss Upon A Star (Daydreams & Dragonflies Book 1) Read online

  A KISS UPON A STAR

  Daydreams & Dragonflies

  Sweet Romance 1

  by

  Multi-Award Winning &

  #1 International Bestselling Author

  Tamara Ferguson

  Daydreams & Dragonflies Sweet Romance Series

  A Kiss Upon A Star

  Daydreams & Dragonflies

  Sweet Romance 1

  Copyright © 2017 by Tamara Ferguson

  Cover Art

  A Kiss Upon A Star

  Copyright © 2017

  Adriana Hanganu

  http://www.Adipixdesign.com

  1st Place

  RWA Cover The Words Contest

  For Two Hearts Surrendered

  Dedication

  For my pound puppy Barney, who was the leader of my ‘pack.’

  Little did I know what a dedicated friend and helper I would have when I brought you home from the shelter that day.

  Praise and Awards

  Four Times Readers’ Favorite Book Awards Winner

  Short Story Fiction, Romance Suspense

  & the Silver Medal for Military Fiction (2016)

  Two Times Romance Reviews Reader’s Choice Award Winner

  For New Adult Romance & Anthology Romance (2015-2016)

  Three Times Independent Authors Network Book of the Year

  Finalist Women’s Fiction and Novellas (2016)

  New Apple Romance Selection for Literary Excellence (2016)

  National Indie Excellence Awards Romance Finalist

  Four Time Pinnacle Book Achievement Award Winner

  “Tamara creates stories that are so enchanting they will make your heart stop.”

  5★~Faridah Nassozi For Reader's Favorite

  “It reminded me of a Nicholas Sparks story.”

  5★~Amazon Australia Reviewer

  “A healthy dose of self-reflection and romance that everyone who has ever loved and lost will enjoy.”

  ~Writers’ Digest Book Awards

  “Tamara Ferguson has a deft hand when it comes to writing romance. She chooses her words and scenes carefully so that the reader never forgets that romance doesn't always come easy in the real world. Sometimes it may need a little help from a magical setting, a good friend, or an innocent child.”

  5★~Ray Simmons for Readers’ Favorite

  “Her plot is compelling and real, especially those parts concerning the care and rehabilitation of wounded veterans, and her romantic passages are sensitive, caring and tasteful. I enjoyed reading Two Hearts Surrendered, and I highly recommend it”

  5★ ~Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

  “Author Tamara Ferguson has done an absolutely wonderful job in creating characters that her readers will relate to, care about and continue to think of long after the novella is done, and if that isn’t the hallmark of a great author, I don’t know what is.”

  5★~Tracy Slowiak for Readers’ Favorite

  Praise For

  A Kiss Upon A Star

  Tamara Ferguson’s incredible story of the love between Tim and Emily is the perfect blend of comedy, drama and romance.

  Not since Jane Austen’s novels have I read such a compelling tale which pulls at the heartstrings to such an extent. With one character pursuing a music career, under the guidance of her overbearing mother, and the other being drawn into the military, barely to make it home alive, the storyline is solid with believable characters, each filled with compassion and a love of animals. It is this which initially drew me to the story, as well as that of the ice hockey match which made Tim and Emily’s love possible. I found the way in which the two main characters come back into each other’s lives time and time again extremely clever, regardless that they were not related or bound by mutual friendships. I very much enjoyed A Kiss Upon A Star, and look forward to the second and subsequent books in the Daydreams & Dragonflies Sweet Romance series. I recommend this tale to readers over the age of 15 years who share a love of chance encounters, road blocks, bumpy roads, and happily ever after~

  5★~Rosie Malezer for Readers' Favorite

  Daydreams & Dragonflies Sweet Romance, Book 1, is a lovely and warm story about a romance that was destined to be,

  even if it did take more than a few years to happen. I couldn’t help but feel for Emily whose youth is so strictly controlled by her domineering mother, especially as she attempts to halt time by making her daughter appear to be younger than she is. While I never did feel a lessening in my antipathy toward the controlling parent, I found Ferguson’s other characters to be authentic and caring individuals who I enjoyed getting to know. I’m familiar with Dragonfly Pointe from Ferguson’s other novels based in that locale, and, as with those other tales, found myself happily involved in the goings on in that most magical of places. Emily and Tim’s romance has plenty of obstacles in its way, but love this powerful has its way of getting around the largest stumbling points, especially in Crystal Rock. A Kiss Upon a Star: A Daydreams & Dragonflies Sweet Romance, Book 1

  is a marvelous read and it’s most highly recommended ~

  5★~Jack Magnus for Readers’ Favorite

  Other Books By Tamara Ferguson:

  Tales of the Dragonfly Romance Suspense

  In Tandem

  In Flight

  Coming Soon: Emergence

  Kissed By Fate New Adult Romance

  That Unforgettable Kiss

  That Unexpected Kiss

  (Hunks to the Rescue: 15 Hot Contemporary Novellas)

  Two Hearts Wounded Warrior Romance

  Two Hearts Surrendered

  Two Hearts Unspoken

  Two Hearts Undone

  Two Hearts’ Christmas Wish

  (Mistletoe Kisses & Christmas Wishes Set)

  Daydreams & Dragonflies Sweet Romance

  A Kiss Upon A Star

  Anthology Romance

  Magical Weddings

  A Touch of Passion

  Mother’s Day Magic

  Annie Acorn’s 2016 Romance Treasury

  Love In Times of War

  Hunks To The Rescue

  Sweet & Sassy: The Best Kind of Romance

  Coming Soon: A Chandler County Romance

  CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Praise and Awards

  Other Books By Tamara

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  EPILOGUE

  A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Excerpt Two Hearts Surrendered

  Excerpt Two Hearts Unspoken

  Excerpt That Unforgettable Kiss

  Excerpt In Flight

  CONNECT WITH TAMARA

  Prologue

  “Daydreams and dragonflies? You haven’t changed at all Trish.”

  Ten-year old Emily Richardson grimaced, hearing the mocking tone in her mother’s voice as she reprimanded Aunt Trish, for slacking off with Emily’s voice lessons during Christmas break.

  Emily couldn’t wait for the weeks her mother would take off on her mini-vacations and leave her to stay indefinitely with her aunt. This past summer had been more fun than she could eve
r remember.

  “Emily’s only ten years old. She needs to enjoy her childhood.” Trish berated Emily’s mom in a disapproving voice. “All these crazy plans you have for her are for your benefit, not for hers.”

  Oh, no. What if her mom decided not to let Emily visit her aunt anymore? Besides performing on stage, her vacations here in Crystal Rock were the only other times she looked forward to. On rainy days after Emily had finished singing scales and warming up while practicing with the piano, she and Aunt Trish would travel around the countryside searching for cool antiques and collectibles in her aunt’s pickup. Other days they would fish, or go on picnics at the beach, where her aunt would bring along her guitar and Emily would get a little more training in.

  Emily would always remember their sunset outing at the Dragonfly Pointe Bay, where her aunt had shown Emily the hordes of dragonflies and damselflies hovering over the water. It had been like magic, and one of the most beautiful sights Emily had ever seen.

  “She should be daydreaming and playing with friends. The least you could do is allow her to go to school instead of having a tutor. She’s missing out on so much by being isolated from kids her own age. She thrives on hanging out with people. Aw, Sis—you ought to see how much she enjoys it when I have company over for dinner or cookouts.”

  “That’s not what’s important,” her mother hissed. “Just because you gave up on your own chance to have it all, doesn’t mean I’m about to miss out on mine.”

  “Yeah, but it’s your daughter’s success you’re capitalizing on—not yours.” Emily’s aunt said quietly. “I’ve been happy here in Crystal Rock. It didn’t take me long to realize that life on the road, and even in the limelight, wasn’t for me.”

  “To quit like that at the height of your success.” Her mom snorted. “Totally stupid!”

  Emily couldn’t stand it anymore. She hated it when her mom argued with her aunt. Although she appreciated her aunt’s attempts to talk to her mom on her behalf, Emily was pretty sure nothing would ever change her mother’s determination to make Emily a star.

  Emily approached the hall closet and, pulling out her heavy winter coat from inside she was relieved to find her hat and gloves still stuffed within the pockets. Making her way quietly toward the back door, she snatched her boots from the floor and snuck outside. Taking a moment to slip on her boots over her shoes, Emily bundled up tightly in her coat before walking down the steps from the porch.

  She looked right and then left. It was late afternoon and it was beginning to snow. Dragonfly Pointe, that’s where she would go, she decided heading towards the nature trail running beside the lake.

  Aunt Trish had told her the owner of the Dragonfly Pointe Inn had created this extended trail long before the housing development had been there. Thanks to her aunt, Emily had been able to ride a bike along the path and had even learned how to rollerblade this past summer.

  Emily began trudging through the snow and after walking about fifteen more minutes along the snow coated trail, she arrived at the Dragonfly Pointe Inn. It seemed to be packed for the holidays she thought, staring through the solarium glass where a Christmas party for a bunch of kids appeared to be going on. A couple of the kids were in wheelchairs while another large boy was hopping up and down.

  These must be the kids from Crystal Visions, Emily figured. Her aunt had told her about the school for kids with disabilities that’d just opened up in Crystal Rock.

  Emily’s heart sunk. Something else she wouldn’t be able to do was to go along with her aunt to Crystal Visions and help with whatever she volunteered for like Emily had promised. Christmas was in two weeks. Now that her mom was here and fighting with her aunt, Emily and her mom would more than likely go home to California instead of sticking around for the holidays.

  After watching a few of the kids opening their gifts for a few more minutes, Emily continued along the path toward the beach.

  Oh wow she thought, approaching her destination—something must be going on. There was a bunch of vehicles parked in the lot.

  Noticing the concession stand was open, Emily dug through her coat pocket for change. Pulling out a roll of one dollar bills, she grinned. Her aunt insisted on giving her an allowance for all the chores she helped out with even though Emily had told her she didn’t have to. Emily loved vacuuming and washing dishes and even doing the laundry, but she was secretly thrilled about the fact she was earning money all on her own.

  Trudging up to the concession stand, she stood in line for a few minutes finally ordering hot chocolate. There were a lot of people standing around, mostly families it looked like, and when one of the men glanced at his watch and began walking through the parking lot with a kid who was apparently his son, Emily decided to follow them and see what was going on.

  A few minutes later, she was surprised to discover that everyone was heading toward an ice rink cleared atop the Dragonfly Pointe Bay. One area was roped off on the opposite side of the shore, and it looked like it was open to the public, while a larger section of ice was polished off nearby and there were bleachers overlooking the rink.

  A hockey game, Emily realized, noticing a group of teenage boys standing on the ice wearing bulky pads and uniforms. She’d never seen a real-life hockey game before. In fact, she’d never been to a basketball, football or baseball game either. Her mom had never seen much value in sports.

  There was a bonfire blazing near the edge of the ice, and after warming herself by the fire, Emily decided to take a seat in the stands and watch a little of the game.

  Seeing the players whizz back and forth scrambling for the puck, she lost track of time. This was so exciting, she thought, continuing to follow the moves of one teenage boy who was tall, thin and graceful like a dancer on the ice.

  Emily took a moment to look around and sighed contentedly. The backdrop was beautiful with icicles hanging from the surrounding trees, and it reminded Emily of a crystal palace.

  This was the same magical place where she and Aunt Trish had seen all the dragonflies this past summer, Emily finally realized as she sat watching the skaters.

  And just like that it was over. There’d been a couple of breaks, and Emily had scrambled over to the bonfire both times and warmed herself up before returning to the stands to sit back down. The crowd had cheered and booed and Emily had watched the entire event in amazement.

  The home team of Crystal Rock had won, according to the man whose voice echoed from a makeshift loudspeaker set up near the top of the stands.

  All of sudden when the lights went dim, Emily knew it had to be late. Her mother would kill her. She’d never gone off like this on her own before.

  Oh, no, she thought suddenly, what if her mom blamed Aunt Trish for Emily’s disappearance too?

  Apparently noticing her sitting alone in the stands, the same teenage boy Emily had been watching earlier broke away from his teammates and began to approach. His skates were slung over his left shoulder, along with his stick, and he was carrying a large duffel bag in his right hand.

  “Hi. I noticed you were sitting here by yourself. Are your parents coming to pick you up? It’s nearly ten o’clock you know.”

  Emily just sat there with her mouth gaped open. This was the first time she’d seen his face without his helmet. He was so cute! He had wavy brownish-blonde hair, and a perfect face with such pretty blue eyes.

  He grinned when she didn’t answer right away. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” she finally managed. “But then again, maybe not,” she muttered. “My mom’s probably ready to kill me. We’re staying with my aunt, and I went for a walk and I ended up here.”

  “Ah. No worries, I can find a way get you back to your aunt’s pretty quickly. So, what’s your name?” he asked.

  “Emily.”

  “Well, Emily. I’m Tim. Are you carrying a phone?”

  She grimaced. “No.”

  “Do you know your aunt’s phone number?”

  Emily nodded her head
up and down.

  He pulled out a cell phone from the side pocket of his bag. Opening it up, he plugged in the numbers as she recited them. When the call went through, he handed the phone over to Emily.

  “Aunt Trish?” Emily responded to her aunt’s quick hello.

  “Emily,” Aunt Trish answered, sounding greatly relieved “I’ve been so worried. We’ve been scouring the area and we were just about ready to call the police. Oh Sweetie, you can’t leave the house without letting me know. You’ve never done anything like this before.”

  “I know. I’m sorry,” Emily answered.

  Emily could hear her mother on the rampage in the background. Emily had screwed up royally this time. Now she probably wouldn’t be able to visit her aunt for a very long time.

  “Um, here, Aunt Trish. This is Tim. He’s going to bring me home in a minute.” She handed the phone back to Tim.

  “Hello, I’m Tim Atkinson. Emily’s here at Dragonfly Pointe. My dad will be here in a few minutes to pick me up from the hockey game and we can drop her off on our way home. Can I get your address?”

  Emily tugged at Tim’s sleeve. “I can show you. She lives down in the subdivision at the other end of the point.”

  He winked at Emily before continuing to talk with her aunt on the phone. “Okay. She’ll be home in about fifteen minutes.” Snapping shut the phone, he slipped it back into his bag.

  “Ready?”

  She nodded yes. “Can I help you with any of your stuff?”

  He grinned, handing over his stick. “I’m always tripping over it, walking up the trail with my bag.”

  Emily smiled shyly and began making her way along the path when he motioned for her to go first.

  Sure enough, when they reached the roadway that led to the parking lot belonging to the beach, Tim’s dad was there waiting in a truck. A happy looking brown-colored dog was sitting in the front seat beside him, with his tongue hanging out.