Sleigh Bells In Crimson
Wedding Bells?Lucy Renner doesn't believe in the magic of Christmas or forever after. Yet here she is in a holiday-obsessed town, Crimson, Colorado, for her mother's fourth walk down the aisle. But it's the handsome-as-sin cowboy cradling a stray kitten who gets her blood racing! Even if Caden Sharpe is rude, surly and just plain Grinch-like, how can a man who finds homes for unwanted pets be all bad?These days, former soldier Caden Sharpe is more comfortable with the animals he rescues than people. But now his widowed father is engaged to Lucy's mother, and Caden is determined to keep him from making a huge mistake—even as Caden finds himself falling for the bride-to-be's lovely daughter. Will there be a last-minute holiday miracle—at the altar?
Читать Sleigh Bells In Crimson онлайн беплатно
Western Wedding Bells?
Lucy Renner doesnât believe in the magic of Christmas or forever after. Yet here she is in holiday-obsessed Crimson, Colorado, for her motherâs fourth walk down the aisle. But itâs the handsome-as-sin cowboy cradling a stray kitten who gets her blood racing! Even if Caden Sharpe is rude, surly and just plain Grinch-like, how can a man who finds homes for unwanted pets be all bad?
These days, former soldier Caden Sharpe is more comfortable with the animals he rescues than people. But now his widowed father is engaged to Lucyâs thrice-divorced mother, and Caden is determined to keep him from making a huge mistakeâeven as he finds himself falling for the bride-to-beâs lovely daughter. Will Crimson see a last-minute holiday exchangeâat the altar?
âI wonât let this wedding happen.â
Caden stalked toward Lucy, crowded her back against the mantel, trying to use his size and his anger to intimidate her.
But he realized his mistake at once. This close the scent of her perfume wound around him and he could see the freckles dotting her cheeks. He wanted to trace his fingers over the pattern they made, feel her softness against his rough skin.
And there was something more. A sorrow in her eyesâa loneliness that called to the empty space inside him and made him feel a little less like the outsider he knew himself to be.
He gave himself a mental head shake when her gaze softened and she swayed toward him. What was it about Lucy Renner that broke through his defenses like they were made of air?
* * *
Crimson, Colorado: Finding homeâand foreverâin the West
Michelle Major grew up in Ohio but dreamed of living in the mountains. Soon after graduating with a degree in journalism, she pointed her car west and settled in Colorado. Her life and house are filled with one great husband, two beautiful kids, a few furry pets and several well-behaved reptiles. Sheâs grateful to have found her passion writing stories with happy endings. Michelle loves to hear from her readers at www.michellemajor.com.
To my readers.
Iâm honored and grateful that you make a place for me and the stories I write in your lives. May your holidays be filled with peace, joy and so much love! XO
Contents
Lucy Renner pulled her compact rental car to a stop in front of the enormous barn on Sharpe Ranch outside Crimson, Colorado.
If Norman Rockwell and John Denver had looked down from the afterlife to create their perfect town, she figured Crimson would fit the bill to a T. Sheâd made a pit stop at a local bakery, Life Is Sweet, on her way through the picturesque mountain community. She had been greeted like an old friend even though she felt like an outsider in every way that mattered.
The woman who introduced herself as the shopâs owner, Katie Crawford, had not only added an extra shot to the espresso Lucy ordered but then insisted she sample a fresh-baked cookie, still warm from the oven, all the while asking about Lucyâs visit to Crimson and plans for the holidays.
But as kind as Katie Crawford seemed, Lucy didnât trust people who were too nice. It meant they wanted something. At least, it did in Lucyâs world. Definitely in her motherâs world, which was why Lucyâs scam radar had gone on high alert when her mom called three days earlier âjust to chat.â
Her mother reached out only when she needed something. Despite Lucyâs resolve not to get mixed up in any more of Maureenâs romantic schemes, sheâd never been good at saying no.
Now sheâd been summoned to the quaint Colorado town that looked like it had puked Christmas cheer all over the place. Much like the rest of downtown Crimson, the bakery had been decorated with festive lights, greenery, ornaments and other vestiges of Christmas, all coming together to make Lucy feel even more grinch-like than normal.
She didnât do Christmas, didnât go in for the magic of the season. Sheâd worked retail long enough to know that Christmas spirit was a ploy to get consumers to part with their hard-earned cash. Sheâd had plenty of experience as a kid watching her mother make spirits bright in order to further her agenda of the moment. Lucy wanted no part of it any longer. Her plan for the holidays was to survive both the visit and her mother so she could retreat to her boring, quiet life back in Tampa.
Unfolding herself from the car into the biting winter air, she pulled her thin jacket tighter around herself. A two-story farmhouse sat beyond the big barn, situated in the center of a copse of trees, the naked branches swaying in the cold breeze. A cozy stream of smoke rose from the redbrick chimney, and Christmas lights twinkled from a front window as the afternoon light began to gently fade while she stood watching.
