A Cowboy for Christmas
With two kids and an active life, widow Faith Dustin only wants peace and quiet for Christmas. But her snowy Pine Gulch ranch is nothing but chaotic. All that keeps Faith going is her helpful neighbor, cowboy Chase Brannon. Heâs always been âgood olâ Chase,â her faithful friend. Until he kisses her under the mistletoe...
Years ago Chase blew his chance with the woman heâs loved since childhood. Now heâs determined to step out of the friend zone...and into the role of husband. But the scared and stubborn Faith wonât let herself fall. With Christmas just days away, Chase will need all the magic of the seasonâand the help of her two matchmaking childrenâto unwrap a second chance at love.
Praise for New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne
âRomance, vivid characters and a wonderful story; really who could ask for more?â
âDebbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author, on Blackberry Summer
âThis quirky, funny, warmhearted romance will draw readers in and keep them enthralled to the last romantic page.â
âLibrary Journal on Christmas in Snowflake Canyon
âEntertaining, heart-wrenching, and totally involving, [Evergreen Springs] is a sure winner.â
âLibrary Journal
âA sometimes heartbreaking tale of love and relationships in a small Colorado town.... Poignant and sweet.â
âPublishers Weekly on Christmas in Snowflake Canyon
âRaeAnne Thayne is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors... Once you start reading, you arenât going to be able to stop.â
âFresh Fiction on Snow Angel Cove
âPlenty of tenderness and Colorado sunshine flavor this pleasant escape.â
âPublishers Weekly on Woodrose Mountain
âThayne, once again, delivers a heartfelt story of a caring community and a caring romance between adults who have triumphed over tragedies.â
âBooklist on Woodrose Mountain
âThayne pens another winner... Her main characters are strong and three-dimensional, with enough heat between them to burn the pages.â
âRT Book Reviews on Currant Creek Valley
Dear Reader,
Iâm so excited to bring you the story of Faith Nichols Dustin and Chase Brannon, at long last. I introduced them two years ago in The Christmas Ranch, the first book in my current Cold Creek miniseries. I loved Chase and Faith from the beginning. Faith had just suffered a great tragedy and the world seemed a bleak place. Chase was not only her neighbor but her best friendâcaring, loyal and fiercely protective of her.
I knew a few basics about their lives and the journey they would have to find happiness again together, but uncovering the details of their story has been a true delight.
Iâm always so happy when I have the chance to return to Pine Gulch and visit old friends! Itâs been ten years since I wrote my first book based in Cold Creek Canyon (I know! I canât believe it, either!) and the people who live here almost feel like family.
Wishing you and your loved ones the very best this holiday season.
RaeAnne
RAEANNE THAYNE finds inspiration in the beautiful northern Utah mountains, where the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author lives with her husband and three children. Her books have won numerous honors, including RITA® Award nominations from Romance Writers of America and a Career Achievement Award from RT Book Reviews. RaeAnne loves to hear from readers and can be contacted through her website, www.raeannethayne.com.
To Lisa Townsend, trainer extraordinaire, who is gorgeous inside and out. And to Jennie, Trudy, Karen, Becky, Jill and everyone else in our group for your example, your encouragement, your friendship, your laughterâand especially for making me look forward to workouts (except the burpeesâIâll never look forward to those!).
Chapter One
Something was wrong, but Faith Dustin didnât have the first idea what.
She glanced at Chase Brannon again, behind the wheel of his pickup truck. Sunglasses shielded his eyes but his strong jaw was still flexed, his shoulders tense.
Since they had left the Idaho Falls livestock auction forty-five minutes earlier, heading back to Cold Creek Canyon, the big rancher hadnât smiled once and had answered most of her questions in monosyllables, his mind clearly a million miles away.
Faith frowned. He wasnât acting at all like himself. They were frequent travel companions, visiting various livestock auctions around the region at least once or twice a month for the last few years. They had even gone on a few buying trips to Denver together, an eight-hour drive from their little corner of eastern Idaho. He was her oldest friendâand had been since she and her sisters came to live with their aunt and uncle nearly two decades ago.