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Christmas With The Cowboy
Tina Radcliffe
Home for the holidaysA second chance at love on Big Heart RanchFormer navy SEAL Zach Norman has been avoiding his ranching roots—and the woman he couldn’t have. Back to visit his brother’s widow, Emma Maxwell Norman, and her adorable toddler twins, the bah-humbug cowboy is roped into helping prepare the ranch for the holidays.Working side by side, can Emma and Zach overcome their troubled past…and receive the greatest Christmas gift of all—love?
Home for the holidays
A second chance at love on Big Heart Ranch
Former navy SEAL Zach Norman has been avoiding his ranching roots—and the woman he couldn’t have. Back to visit his brother’s widow, Emma Maxwell Norman, and her adorable toddler twins, the bah-humbug cowboy is roped into helping prepare the ranch for the holidays. Working side by side, can Emma and Zach overcome their troubled past…and receive the greatest Christmas gift of all—love?
TINA RADCLIFFE has been dreaming and scribbling for years. Originally from Western New York, she left home for a tour of duty with the Army Security Agency stationed in Augsburg, Germany, and ended up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her past careers include certified oncology RN and library cataloger. She recently moved from Denver, Colorado, to the Phoenix, Arizona, area, where she writes heartwarming and fun inspirational romance.
Also By Tina Radcliffe (#u9d43774b-760f-5ac7-9d93-083938da9182)
Big Heart Ranch
Claiming Her Cowboy
Falling for the Cowgirl
Christmas with the Cowboy
The Rancher’s Reunion
Oklahoma Reunion
Mending the Doctor’s Heart
Stranded with the Rancher
Safe in the Fireman’s Arms
Rocky Mountain Reunion
Rocky Mountain Cowboy
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Christmas with the Cowboy
Tina Radcliffe
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-08621-9
CHRISTMAS WITH THE COWBOY
© 2018 Tina M. Radcliffe
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
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www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
“How could you leave all this?”
Emma wiped her face again. Despite her disheveled appearance, there was a wide grin on her face.
“I know you don’t understand, but it wasn’t easy. Toughest decision of my life.”
Their gazes connected and Zach swallowed hard.
“Then why did you?” she asked softly. “We’d been friends since I was seven years old, and suddenly you left without a backward glance.”
He kept his mouth shut, unwilling to open that particular can of worms here and now.
“I guess there’s no point asking why you’ve stayed away for three years, either,” she continued.
When another heifer released a loud, mournful wail, Zach turned his horse around. “Saved by the heifer.”
“You can run…” Emma murmured. “But it seems to me that you and I have a lot to talk about.”
Yeah, she was right; eventually he and Emma were going to have to talk.
Why was it that although he’d never given a second thought to heading into danger as a navy SEAL, the thought of going toe-to-toe with his brother’s widow terrified him?
Dear Reader (#u9d43774b-760f-5ac7-9d93-083938da9182),
I’m so delighted to return to Big Heart Ranch in Timber, Oklahoma. What a treat it was to weave a story of faith and love at the most wondrous time of the year, Christmas. A time when we celebrate the birth of our Lord.
This third installment introduces you to the third and youngest Maxwell, Emma Maxwell Norman. Along with her siblings, Lucy and Travis, Emma manages Big Heart Ranch for orphaned, abused and neglected children, where unconditional love and the good Lord reign. Widowed Emma carries the additional challenge of being a single mother to twin daughters.
A former navy SEAL with a troubled past, Zach Norman returns to Timber and lands right in Emma’s path. He’s the only man who can possibly win the heart of the fiercely independent whirlwind of a cowgirl. Zach and Emma must learn to trust and set aside their fears in order to find their happy ending. And isn’t that the way it always works? We must let go of the past to grab the future the Lord has for us.
I hope you enjoy this romantic and inspirational holiday tale. Do drop me a note and let me know your thoughts. I can be reached through my website, www.tinaradcliffe.com (http://www.tinaradcliffe.com), where you can also find Emma’s chocolate muffin recipe.
Sincerely,
Tina Radcliffe
A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.
—Proverbs 16:9
Book three of the Big Heart Ranch series is dedicated to the Big Heart Ranch Wranglers. God gives us the story and readers bless us by reading that story.
A special thanks to wrangler Trixi Oberembt, who named Emma’s twins Rachel and Elizabeth, and wrangler Connie Saunders, who named the Big Heart Ranch Christmas celebration the Holiday Roundup.
A final bow to Rhonda Starnes for her helpful input, and to my deadline buddy on this book, SS.
I am blessed to have an amazing team that includes my agent, Jessica Alvarez, who is always on top of things, and the Love Inspired editors, including senior editor Melissa Endlich, who patiently mold me into the best writer I can be.
Contents
Cover (#u7164ce7a-a70e-5b9b-8393-5e588390e664)
Back Cover Text (#u72c6ed83-16be-59f0-8255-a6b046c015b6)
About the Author (#u8bf1d966-b3b2-5eb8-8a42-154c8856c4e7)
Booklist (#u7d9b583c-75a1-5dc4-bba0-8c84f189600c)
Title Page (#ua05d189d-e90c-58cb-98cf-ab3718455d1d)
Copyright (#u36d782b2-fe35-5852-8da9-f01513925155)
Introduction (#u7692e6be-2ba9-5708-874c-2c427a8a2ae0)
Dear Reader (#ub6604dd7-3de3-5c86-8e3f-09096c02a2d1)
Bible Verse (#uf2325240-cef8-56e0-918f-e363ff2c8080)
Dedication (#ueef9634b-d431-5df6-805d-5f1ad4256ed1)
Chapter One (#u913d6bd5-04df-554b-9ffc-b216b396ec6b)
Chapter Two (#u04d608b7-6151-51ac-942a-0caf864620b9)
Chapter Three (#u78b50a64-323e-50c9-8df8-98a0ba50aa9b)
Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One (#u9d43774b-760f-5ac7-9d93-083938da9182)
“Woo-hoo! Go get ’em, cowboy!”
Emma Maxwell Norman pushed a stroller with her two-year-old twin daughters closer to the Big Heart Ranch main corral, where hoots and hollers of excitement filled the air.
“Excuse me,” she murmured while nudging her way past wall-to-wall people.
Western hats shaded faces against the glare of an early November Oklahoma sun, as the staff and kids of the children’s ranch crowded next to each other atop rungs of the rail wood fencing. Eager children had even settled on the shoulders of adults to view the action in the main ranch arena.
Roars of laughter went up at intervals and heads turned left, then right, following the activity.
“Hey there, Miss Emma,” Dutch Stevens said. The weathered cowboy tipped his hat and stroked his graying handlebar mustache. “Folks, let Miss Emma in.”
The group of male and female wranglers stepped aside.
Inside the stroller, Emma’s twins, Rachel and Elizabeth, barely stirred from their naps as another excited cheer went up. The toddlers had grown accustomed to life on the Timber, Oklahoma, children’s ranch and thankfully could sleep through most of the noise inherent to a ranch that was home to sixty children.
At the far end of the corral, Emma’s big brother, Travis, drove a small ATV in figure eights while pulling a dummy steer and kicking up a cloud of red dirt and sand. A rider straddling a chestnut gelding flew across the corral in an attempt to rope the steer.
There was no surprise at seeing her brother putting on a show, but who was the rider?
“What day is this?” Emma asked Dutch.
“Sunday, ma’am.”
“That’s what I thought.” She frowned. “I didn’t see an event on the schedule for today.”
“Naw, this wasn’t planned. Your brother and his friend are having some fun.”
“They certainly drew a crowd.”
“I’ll say. That big feller on the horse is mighty good. Knows how to rope and he’s faster than small-town gossip. He ought to go professional.”
