A Montana Born Christmas
Box Set
Jane Porter, Megan Crane, CJ Carmichael,
Katherine Garbera, Melissa McClone, Roxanne Snopek,
Dani Collins, Alissa Callen
Genre: Contemporary Western Holiday Romance
Christmas at Copper Mountain by Jane Porter
Life has been tough at Copper Mountain Ranch and widower Brock Sheenan's kids have never had a proper Christmas. His new housekeeper, Harley Diekerhoff, is determined to change that--but she doesn't count on falling in love with her taciturn boss.
Come Home for Christmas, Cowboy by Megan Crane
Christina Grey Cooper has finally given up on her marriage and returned home to Marietta to lick her wounds. But Dare can’t let the love of his life go, even if what’s standing in the way of a true holiday miracle is himself… Can the magic of a White Christmas in Montana help him save what he’s nearly lost forever?
A Cowgirl's Christmas by CJ Carmichael
Betrayed by her father, Callan Carrigan has to decide what matters most to her. Fighting Court McAllister to get back the family ranch, or giving Court what he really wants—her heart.
A Cowboy for Christmas by Katherine Garbera
Back in Marietta, disgraced, the last person Annie Pruhomme wants to see is hunky Carson Scott. Does he hold a grudge, and why does he still look so hot?
Mistletoe Wedding by Melissa McClone
An instant family isn't on ranch foreman Tyler Murphy's Christmas list, but event planner Meg Redstone's kisses are. Getting her under the mistletoe, however, is going to take a miracle...or help from Santa.
A Sweet Montana Christmas by Roxanne Snopek
A marriage in jeopardy, a decrepit honey farm and an unexpected birth on a dark, snowy night. All they need to rediscover their love is a Christmas miracle.
Blame the Mistletoe by Dani Collins
Commiseration over being alone for the holidays turns to a holiday fling, making Liz Flowers think Blake Canon is giving her the Best Christmas Ever. But when family secrets are revealed and their children arrive home early, will they be able to keep the season bright?
Her Mistletoe Cowboy by Alissa Callen
Ivy Bishop plans to spend Christmas holed up on an isolated Montana ranch far from the city and her ex-fiancé. But the more time she spends with the workaholic cowboy next door the more she realizes her heart isn’t actually broken – yet.
Life has been tough at Copper Mountain Ranch and widower Brock Sheenan's kids have never had a proper Christmas. His new housekeeper, Harley Diekerhoff, is determined to change that--but she doesn't count on falling in love with her taciturn boss.
Come Home for Christmas, Cowboy by Megan Crane
Christina Grey Cooper has finally given up on her marriage and returned home to Marietta to lick her wounds. But Dare can’t let the love of his life go, even if what’s standing in the way of a true holiday miracle is himself… Can the magic of a White Christmas in Montana help him save what he’s nearly lost forever?
A Cowgirl's Christmas by CJ Carmichael
Betrayed by her father, Callan Carrigan has to decide what matters most to her. Fighting Court McAllister to get back the family ranch, or giving Court what he really wants—her heart.
A Cowboy for Christmas by Katherine Garbera
Back in Marietta, disgraced, the last person Annie Pruhomme wants to see is hunky Carson Scott. Does he hold a grudge, and why does he still look so hot?
Mistletoe Wedding by Melissa McClone
An instant family isn't on ranch foreman Tyler Murphy's Christmas list, but event planner Meg Redstone's kisses are. Getting her under the mistletoe, however, is going to take a miracle...or help from Santa.
A Sweet Montana Christmas by Roxanne Snopek
A marriage in jeopardy, a decrepit honey farm and an unexpected birth on a dark, snowy night. All they need to rediscover their love is a Christmas miracle.
Blame the Mistletoe by Dani Collins
Commiseration over being alone for the holidays turns to a holiday fling, making Liz Flowers think Blake Canon is giving her the Best Christmas Ever. But when family secrets are revealed and their children arrive home early, will they be able to keep the season bright?
Her Mistletoe Cowboy by Alissa Callen
Ivy Bishop plans to spend Christmas holed up on an isolated Montana ranch far from the city and her ex-fiancé. But the more time she spends with the workaholic cowboy next door the more she realizes her heart isn’t actually broken – yet.
Jane Porter: Jane Porter, the NYT and USA Today bestselling author of 50 romance and women's fiction titles, is a five time RITA nominee, which Jane won in 2014 for her novella, Take Me, Cowboy. Jane, her surfer husband and 3 sons call San Clemente, CA home.
Megan Crane: USA Today bestselling, critically-acclaimed, and RITA-nominated author Megan Crane has written more than 50 books from women’s fiction, chick lit, and work-for-hire young adult novels to Harlequin Presents as Caitlin Crews. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with a husband who draws comics and animation and their menagerie of ridiculous animals.
CJ Carmichael: RITA nominated and bestselling author C. J. Carmichael has published over 50 books of romance, family drama and a touch of mystery. An avid hiker, C. J. lives near the Rocky Mountains in Calgary with her partner Mike.
Katherine Garbera: USA Today bestselling author Katherine Garbera is a two-time Maggie winner who has written more than 75 books since making her first sale to Harlequin (Silhouette) Desire. Katherine is known for her sexy heroes, feisty heroines and sensual stories.
Melissa McClone has published over thirty-five contemporary romances and been nominated for Romance Writers of America’s RITA® award. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, three school-aged children, and lots of dogs, cats and fish.
Roxanne Snopek: USA Today bestselling Author Roxanne Snopek writes sweet, steamy, satisfying romance with cowboys, billionaires, babies and various four-legged creatures. She lives in British Columbia with her hero of nearly 30 years and three dogs who follow her from room to room wondering who she’s talking to.
Dani Collins: Winner of RT Book Review’s 2013 Best First In Series, Dani Collins writes for Harlequin Mills & Boon, Tule’s Montana Born, and herself. She lives in rural BC, Canada with her high school sweetheart husband and her two mostly grown children.
Alissa Callen: Alissa Callen lives on a small slice of rural Australia. She writes rural and small town fiction for Random House Australia and Tule Publishing.
Some Excerpts:
Excerpt
for Christmas
at Copper Mountain by Jane Porter
“You okay, Miss Diekerhoff?”
Turning quickly, potato skins
still dripping, Harley blinked back tears as she spotted Brock Sheenan standing
by the fireplace, warming his hands.
Brock was a big man. He was
tall–six one or two—with broad shoulders, a wide muscular chest, and shaggy
black hair.
Harley’s late husband, David, was
Portuguese and darkly handsome, but David was always groomed and polished
while the Montana rancher seemed disinclined to comb his hair, or bother with a
morning shave.
The truth was, Brock Sheenan
looked like a pirate, and never more so than now, with tiny snow flakes
clinging to his wild hair and shadowed jaw.
“I’m fine,” she said
breathlessly, embarrassed. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“The faucet was on.” He
rubbed his hands together, the skin red and raw. “You’re not….crying…are
you?”
She heard the uncomfortable note
in his voice and cringed a little. “No,” she said quickly, straightening
and squaring her shoulders as she dumped the potato peels into the
garbage. “Everything’s wonderful.”
“So you’re not crying?”
“No,” she repeated crisply,
drying her hands. “Just peeling potatoes for dinner.”
Her gaze swept his big frame,
seeing the powdered snow still clinging to the hem of his wrangler jeans
peeking beneath his leather chaps and white glitter dusting his black
brows. His supple leather chaps weren’t for show. It was frigid
outside and he’d spent the week in the saddle driving the last herds of cattle
from the back country to the valley down below so the cows could take shelter
beneath trees. “Can I get you something?”
“You don’t happen to have any
coffee left from this morning that you could heat up?”
“I can make a fresh pot,” she
said, grabbing the glass carafe to fill it with water. “Want regular or
decaf?”
He glanced at the clock mounted
on the wall above the door and then out the window where the snow flurries were
thickening, making it almost impossible to see the tall pine trees marking one
corner of the yard. “Leaded,” he said. “Make it strong, too. It’s
going to be a late night for me.”
She added the coffee grounds, and
then hit the brew button. “You’re heading back out?”
“I’m going to ride back up as
soon as I get something warm in me. Thought I’d take some of the
breakfast coffee cake with me. If there was anything left.”
“There is.” She’d already
wrapped the remaining slices in foil. He wasn’t one to linger over meals,
and he didn’t like asking for snacks between meals, either. If he
wanted something now, it meant he wouldn’t be back anytime soon.
But it was already after four. It’d be dark within the hour. “It’s
snowing hard.”
“I won’t be able to sleep tonight
if I don’t do a last check. The boys said we’ve got them all but I keep
thinking we’re missing one or two of the young ones. Have to be sure
before I call it a night.”
Harley reached into a cupboard
for one of the thermoses she sent with Brick on his early mornings. “What
time will you want dinner?”
“Don’t know when I’ll be
back. Could be fairly late, so just leave a plate in the oven for
me. No need for you to stay up.” He bundled his big arms across his
even bigger chest, a lock of thick black hair falling down over his forehead to
shadow an equally dark eye.
There was nothing friendly or
approachable about Brock when he stood like that. His wild black hair,
square jaw, and dark piercing gaze that gave him a slightly threatening air,
but Harley knew better. Men, even the most dangerous men, were still
mortal. They had goals, dreams, needs. They tried, they
failed. They made mistakes. Fatal mistakes.
“Any of the boys going with
you?” she asked, trying to sound casual as she wrapped a generous wedge of
cheddar cheese in foil, and a hunk of the summer sausage he liked, so he’d have
something more substantial than coffee cake for his ride.
He shook his head, then dragged a
large calloused hand through the glossy black strands in a half-hearted attempt
to comb the tangled strands smooth. “No.”
She gave him a swift,
troubled look.
He shrugged. “No point in
putting the others in harm’s way.”
Her frown deepened. “What if you
get into trouble?”
“I won’t.”
She arched her brows.
She ought to be intimidated by
this shaggy beast of a man, but she wasn’t. She’d had a husband—a daring,
risk taking husband of her own—and his lapse in judgment had cost them
all. Dearly.
“It’s dangerous out there,”
she said quietly. “You shouldn’t go alone.”
Excerpt
for A
COWBOY FOR CHRISTMAS by Katherine Garbera:
Marietta, Montana did Christmas in a big way
with all the storefronts on Main Street draped in garland and twinkle
lights. The Main Street Diner wasn’t any
different with its rustic wreath made with layers of old ropes and decked with
red poinsettia leaves and Rocking Around the Christmas Tree playing merrily on
the jukebox as Carson Scott opened the door.
No
one was exactly sure how the Wednesday night tradition had started, not even
Carson, but he knew that his brothers had done it for him. It had been in the dark time right after
Rainey had been killed in a head-on collision out on highway 89 on her way back
from Livingston. He’d sat at home every
night with baby Evan drinking too much Red Bull. His oldest brother Alec had insisted that
they all meet in Marietta at the diner for dinner.
Alec
had thick blond hair like their momma and piercing blue-gray eyes that Carson
had heard more than one girl describe as colder than the glaciers in Glacier
Park. But Sienna, Alec’s wife, had said
that she knew how to warm him up. Which
had led to a lot of ribbing by Carson and his other brothers. Alec needed to be taken down a peg or two at
times.
But
not on Wednesday nights. Carson showed
up here after he dropped Evan off at his maternal grandparents’ house and ate
chili and cornbread with his brothers.
There were five of them all together and sometimes Flo, who ran the
grill, gave them a hard time about being carbon copies of their dad, but that
didn’t bother any of them. Their old man
cast a long shadow and had a reputation for being honest and hard-working. There were worse things a man could be known
for.
There were only five weeks left until
Christmas and Evan was being cagey about what he wanted from Santa this
year. He’d hinted he wanted a mommy that
wasn’t in heaven. And the last thing
that Carson was interested in was dating any woman, much less one to become
Evan’s new mommy.
“Isn't that Annie waiting tables?” Alec said
as they entered the diner. The walls
were heavy red brick and the floor solid wood.
There was a counter with red leather-covered stools bolted to the floor
in front of it, and for as long as Carson could remember beehive-haired Flo was
standing at the grill cooking delicious food, trading gossip, and flirting with
any man who entered.
“Annie
who?” he asked. He was holding the door
open for his younger brother Hudson who had a shopping bag from The Mercantile
in one hand and his Stetson in the other.
“Prudhomme. Is there another Annie you’d care about?”
Alec asked.
“I
thought she'd left town for good,” Hudson said.
Annie. Here.
Wow.
Why?
How?
When?
It didn’t make sense. He ate here every Wednesday with his
brothers. She hadn’t been here last
week. Why was she here now?
Carson
craned his neck around his brothers’ shoulders to look at the waitress. Goddamn it.
She hadn’t changed. She was still
the same slim pretty girl he remembered.
She wasn't tall but had long legs and dark brown hair that hung to her
shoulders and curled slightly at the ends.
He stared at her until she turned and he met those pretty gray eyes that
he had thought he’d never see again.
He
hardened his heart. If there was one
thing he knew without even talking to her it was that this was a temporary
move. He doubted she was back to stay. That wasn’t her style and Marietta wasn’t her
town.
At
eighteen it had felt like he'd never love again when she'd left Marietta – and
him – all in the same cloud of dust. But at thirty-three he knew that was a
lie. He had loved again and married and
had a chance for real happiness. But now
he wondered –was that another lie he’d told himself to make Annie’s leaving him
okay?
“Yup,”
he said, answering his brothers as he turned back to the laminated menu, trying
to be blasé when inside he wanted to go and talk to her. Go and find out why she was back and what it
meant. Had life turned that ballsy,
sassy girl he’d loved into a bitch or tamed her?
But
he kept his head down studying the laminated menu like his sanity depended on
it. It wasn't as if he didn't know what
he was going to order.
He
always got the same thing when he and his brothers came into town to eat on
Wednesday nights. His son was visiting
his maternal grandparents at their home on the modest section of Bramble
Lane. Rhett and Lily had moved out to
Marietta after Rainey had died to be closer to Evan and they said having Carson
around made it hard for them to bond with Evan.
The
thing Carson was proudest of was his son and how well he and the six-year-old
had grown up together after Rainey died.
“Yup?”
Alec asked.
“That
girl—” Hudson said.
“I
know. I'm surprised she's here too,”
Carson said trying to play it cool. But
the thing with brothers was they always knew when he was bullshitting
them. “But let’s face it... everyone
ends up back here eventually. You said
Pop wanted some help with something?”
Alec’s
brother nodded. “He's determined we need
to get that old red barn renovation finished by the New Year. I could use some extra help to finish the
work.”
“I'll send my hands over tomorrow. Is he still planning to sell it?”
“You know Pop, if you can't ranch it then it's
a bad investment. And he bought it for
Trey to live on with his wife but they aren't interested in settling down
here.”
“What’s
his hurry then?”
“Lane
has a friend who is looking for a place out this way.”
“You do?” Carson asked Lane. “I thought all your buddies were career
military.”
“He's retired,” Lane said. “Like me.”
“Is he like you?” Carson asked. Lane had lost the bottom half of his left leg
in an IED explosion in Iraq and now had prosthetic leg.
“Why?” Lane asked.
“Just wanted to know if we should make the
halls and bath a little bigger in the house,” Carson said. “Maybe we should anyway”
“Nah, he’s still got both his legs,” Lane
said.
“How old is he?” Alec asked.
“Barely thirty but all that fighting has taken
it out of him,” Lane said.
“We were lucky to get you back when we did,”
Carson said.
“Thanks, boys.
Good to know you care,” Lane said.
“Ah, they all care about youngest Scott boy,”
Annie said coming over to their table.
She walked toward them wearing the traditional
Main Street Diner white apron over her own clothing. There was something almost defiant in her
manner. It had to stick in her craw that
she’d left here to make it big and now she was waiting on all of Marietta.
Her brown hair swung around her high
cheekbones with each step she took. A
pair of faded denim jeans hugged her legs and the tips of her worn brown boots
were scuffed. Her smile didn’t reach her
eyes and she’d managed to chew off most of her lipstick.
Hellfire.
It had been fifteen years and one look at Annie was all it took to get
him hot and bothered. It wasn’t that she
was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
She had an attitude bigger than the Montana sky, but she’d always just
had something that made him stand at attention.
“We
care about all the Scott boys,” Alec said pointedly. “Even Carson here when he was dumb enough to
fall in love with a girl intent on leaving.”
“Sorry,” she said.
There was something her eyes that made her
seem… more than sorry, almost sad and he cautioned himself about feeling
anything for her, even pity.
“Really?” Carson asked.
“More than you can know,” she admitted. “But you boys didn’t come here to hear about
my mistakes. You want dinner, right?”
“We sure do.
Did Flo make her jalapeno cornbread today?” Hudson asked.
“Yes she did,” Annie said, taking a pen from
the pocket of her apron and holding up her notepad.
“Chili and cornbread for me and root beer,”
Alec said.
“Same,” Hudson said.
“Same again,” Lane said.
She looked at Carson and for a moment he
remembered the last time he'd held her in his arms, but he'd known then she was
leaving. She was always on her way out
of Marietta.
“I'll have a Sprite instead, but otherwise the
same,” Carson said.
“Still don't like caffeine?” she asked.
“Nope,” he said.
She nodded and walked away and all he could do
was watch her. And admire the way those
faded jeans hugged her butt. Maybe it
was just physical… his reaction to her had always been strong. He realized his brothers were watching him
watch her and he cursed under his breath.
The last thing he needed was Annie back in Marietta this close to
Christmas. Christmas always made him
wish for things that couldn’t be.
Annie Prudhomme was definitely something that
wasn’t meant to be. She’d proven that
the day she drove out of town and left him the dust.
“Wednesday dinners just got a little more
interesting,” Hudson said.
He
punched his brother in the arm, but he felt it as well. There was something about that woman that
always made the world seem a little brighter when she'd been in the
vicinity. And he knew he couldn't be
stupid again. Couldn't let himself get involved with a woman who clearly wasn't
long for Montana.
The
front door opened, bringing a burst of cold air and the jingling of the sleigh
bell wreath on the door. They all smiled
and waved as Paige Joffe walked in with her two little ones, six-year-old
Addison and five-year-old Lewis. For a
while the town matchmakers had tried pairing the two of them up but both Paige
and Carson had resisted. She was nice
enough and pretty, but just not the woman for him.
He
didn't know her story except she'd come to Marietta from somewhere in
California and had the misfortune to move in during a bad snow storm last
February. But she seemed to be adjusting
to it. Addison was in the same class as
Evan at school.
“Evening Scotts,” she said with a friendly
wave. Her shoulder-length straight dark
blonde hair was pulled back in a low ponytail.
She had a strong chin and dimples when she smiled, which she didn’t do
that often. He’d really only seen her
smile when her kids made her laugh.
“Ma'am.”
“How's my new waitress treating you?” she
asked.
“She'll do,” Carson said, but he didn’t want
to talk about Annie. And it was obvious
she didn’t want to talk to him either. She’d
pretty much avoided their table after she’d dropped off their food. “Don't forget to come out to my place this
weekend to pick out your tree. The best
ones are going fast.”
“Can I come by Saturday morning, first thing?”
“Yes, ma'am,” he said. “We're going to have sleigh rides for the
little ones too.”
“I spoke to Nate. He’s got his foreman’s sister staying with
him for the holidays. She’s trying to
get a baking operation off the ground. I
hate to stick my nose in where it doesn’t belong, but I wondered if she might
come out to the tree lot. Maybe sell
some gingerbread house kits?”
Carson was all for helping out a neighbor and
he knew Ty Murphy and respected him.
“Sure. Give her my number and
we’ll get it all set up. I’ve asked Sage
to send Rose Linn out to sell hot chocolate.”
“You just didn’t want to have to drive to town
to get some for yourself,” Hudson said.
“You got me,” Carson said with a grin.
Paige’s phone vibrated and she glanced at it
before smiling at their table. “Sounds
delightful.”
Paige waved goodbye and moved toward her
office at the back of the diner. The
evening dinner crowd was thick but not too bad and a few times Carson glanced
at Annie as she carried dishes to the tables.
When she caught him looking she stood straight and gave him a cheery
smile. But when she didn’t notice, he
saw fatigue in her every move. Whatever
she’d come to Marietta for, she hadn’t planned on waiting tables.
“Hard to believe Mama's little tree farm has
grown so big,” Hudson said, pulling his attention from Annie. “Remember when she used to make us water
them?”
“Yes.
She loved her trees,” Carson said.
Their mother had been Montana born and bred but instead of ranching
she'd always had her mind set on growing trees and preserving wildlife. Their father had given her all of his support
and turned fifty acres into a forest where she started her no-cut Christmas
tree program in the nineteen-seventies and it was still thriving forty years
later. They had to move some of the
trees by pallet truck and forklift now, but the families that owned them
wouldn’t have it any other way.
Carson did a traditional cut-tree service for
the town as well and he was happy to be the caretaker of his mother's
trees.
After they ate their dinner and his brothers
left, Carson sat there nursing his Sprite and pretending he was waiting until
it was time to pick up Evan. A smart man
would be on his feet and down at Grey’s Saloon instead of sitting in a corner
booth watching the one who got away.
No comments:
Post a Comment