The Cowboy's Christmas Surprise
Since the first grade, Holly Johnson has known that Ramon Rodriguez is the only man for her. But the carefree, determinedly single Texas cowboy with the sexy swagger doesn’t have a clue. Until they share a dance and a kiss…and Ray finally sees his best friend for the woman in love she is. With his brothers racing each other down the aisle, Ray figured he’d be the last bachelor in Forever. That was before the night that changed his life. He can’t believe the sexy, beautiful lady who arouses heart-stopping desire is his pal and confidante, and loving aunt to the most adorable little girl. Now that he realizes what he’s been missing, Ray plans to make up for lost time…starting with the three little words Holly’s waited thirteen years to hear.
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The Best Christmas Present
Since the first grade, Holly Johnson has known that Ramon Rodriguez is the only man for her. But the carefree, determinedly single Texas cowboy with the killer smile doesnât have a clue. Until they share a dance and a kissâ¦and Ray finally sees his best friend for the woman in love she is.
With his brothers racing each other down the aisle, Ray figured heâd be the last bachelor in Forever. That was before the night that changed his life. He canât believe the sexy, beautiful lady who arouses heart-stopping desire is his pal and confidante, and loving aunt to the most adorable little girl. Now that he realizes what heâs been missing, Ray plans to make up for lost timeâ¦starting with the three little words Hollyâs waited thirteen years to hear.
Damn, what was going on here? Rayâs brain demanded silently.
This was Holly, right?
He wasnât sure anymore but even so, he was fairly certain that it really couldnât be. This woman didnât dress like Holly, didnât act like Holly, and most of all, she didnât taste the way heâd always assumed that Holly would taste if he ever thought to fleetingly sample her lips.
The Holly Johnson he knew would have smelled of soap and tasted like some kind of minty toothpaste. Holly was practical. Holly was grounded. By no stretch of the imagination was she some femme fatale who got his pulse running like the lead car in the Indianapolis 500 and his imagination all fired upâlike this woman did.
Dear Reader,
Weâve come to the last of the Rodriguez brothers. With all five of his siblings either married or, in Mikeâs case, about to be married, Ray Rodriguez considers himself to be the last man standingâand this enthusiastic playboy with a golden tongue fully intends to remain that way. Heâs having, he tells his best friend, too much fun to ever consider getting married. And thatâs unfortunate for his best friend, because his best friend is Holly Johnson, who has been in love with Ray since the first grade. As his best friend, she knows him better than anyone, is privy to all his secrets and, sadly for her, gets to listen to Ray talk about each of his many girlfriends.
When a series of eventsânot the least of which is having his sister Alma give birth in the dinerâs restroom, with Holly in attendanceâcause him to look at Holly in a different light, he begins to wonder what took him so long to realize how terrific, not to mention beautiful, she really is. Now how to convince Holly that heâs really serious and not just pulling her leg?
Got your attention? Good. Start reading.
As ever, thank you for thatâand from the bottom of my heart, I wish you someone to love who loves you back.
All the best,
Marie Ferrarella
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marie Ferrarella, a USA TODAY bestselling and RITA® Award-winning author, has written more than two hundred books for Mills & Boon, some under the name Marie Nicole. Her romances are beloved by fans worldwide. Visit her website, www.marieferrarella.com.
To
Charlie, Who can still make My heart Skip a beat Just by looking at me.
Contents
Prologue
The bouquet of flowers sheâd given her mother for her birthday had done more than serve its purpose. The arrangement of yellow mums, pink carnations and white daisies had remained fresh looking and had lasted more than the customary few days, managing to dazzle for a little more than a week and a half.
However, now, as to be expected, the flowers were finally dying, no longer brightening the family room where her mother usually spent a good deal of her day. Their present drooping, dried-up state accomplished just the opposite, so it was now time to retire the cluster of shriveling flowers to the trash can on the side of the house.
But as she began to throw the wilted bouquet away, one white daisy caught Hollyâs eye. Unlike the others, it had retained some of its former vibrancy.
On an impulse, she plucked the daisy out of the cluster, pulling the stem all the way out and freeing it from its desiccated brethren. After dumping the rest of the bouquet into the garbage, she closed the lid of the trash can, then stared at the single daisy in her hand.
Holly shut her eyes, made a wishâthe same one sheâd made over and over again for more than a decade and a halfâand opened them again.
Then, very slowly, she tugged on one petal at a time, denuding the daisy gradually and allowing each plucked petal to glide away on the light late-fall breeze that had begun to stir.
âHe loves me,â Holly Johnson whispered, a wistful, hopeful smile curving her lips as she watched the first white petal float away. âHe loves me not.â
Just to say those words made her chest ache. She knew she was being silly, but it hurt nonetheless. Because in all the world, there was nothing she wanted more than to have the first sentence be true.
