Oh, Babies!
RUST CREEK RAMBLINGS
We here at The Gazette just love a happy ending, and if anyone needs a little Christmas, it’s Jamie Stockton. The stoic rancher has been raising his triplet babies alone since his wife died. Thanks to Rust Creek Falls’s volunteer “baby chain,” Jamie has had many helping hands. But his bed is still empty, and so is his heart.
Could family friend Fallon O’Reilly be the one to brighten his holiday? Babies Henry, Jared and Kate surely love having Fallon around, but their lonely dad may take a little more convincing. Hang the holly, dear readers, and deck the halls as our cautious cowboy rediscovers his Christmas spirit—and the “girl next door” gets a present she will never forget!
“Jeez, Fallon—you’re not actually hoping to stir up trouble, are you?”
“Maybe I am,” she said. “Maybe I’m tired of every man I know treating me like a buddy. Maybe I want someone to look at me and realize I’m a woman, to want me as a woman.”
And suddenly he got it. “You mean me,” he realized. “You want me to see you as a woman.”
She sighed as she shook her head. “No, Jamie. I think I’ve finally accepted that that is never going to happen.”
“But I do see you as a woman,” he assured her. “A genuinely warm, funny and smart woman.”
“Maybe it’s un-PC,” she admitted. “But I don’t want to be admired for my personality or my intelligence. I want to be wanted.”
Jamie swallowed. “You’re looking for a hookup?”
“That wouldn’t be my first choice,” she said. “But I’ve decided to open my mind up to any and all possibilities.”
“A hookup should not be one of them,” he told her. “You deserve better than that.”
“What does the song say—we can’t always get what we want, but we get what we need?”
“Don’t go, Fallon.” The words were out of his mouth before he realized what he was saying.
She paused with her hand on the door.
“Don’t go out to the Ace tonight.”
She slowly turned around, her expression carefully neutral.
“Are you making me an alternate offer?” she asked.
He nodded. “Stay here. With me.”
* * *
MONTANA MAVERICKS:
The Baby Bonanza—Meet Rust Creek Falls’ newest bundles of joy!
I have two wonderful sons, both teenagers now, but they came into my life one at a time. Though the memories of those early days and sleepless nights have faded, I haven’t completely forgotten how terrified and overwhelmed I felt at times, knowing that I was responsible for the care and well-being of a helpless baby (and, two years later, a toddler and a baby!). So while I have absolutely no practice caring for triplets, I imagined the experience would be somewhat similar to my own…times three!
But I also had a partner with whom to share the work and the worry, which Jamie Stockton—suddenly a single dad to three premature babies—does not. Thankfully, Rust Creek Falls is the kind of community where friends and neighbors are always willing to lend a hand to others in need.
Fallon O’Reilly is happy to help take care of her friend’s beautiful babies—and determined to do everything she can to make sure that their first Christmas is a merry one, despite the obstacles their dad keeps putting in her path. Jamie has a lot of reasons not to look forward to the festive season, but Fallon refuses to let him dampen her holiday spirit.
As she works her magic spreading Christmas cheer around his ranch—a tree in his living room (that she made him cut down), cookies baking in his kitchen (that she enticed him to help decorate), carols playing on the radio (that he finds himself humming along with)—he realizes that his feelings have started to change. Not just about the holidays, but about the woman who’s always been one of his best friends…
And if Fallon gets her holiday wish, she’ll find a handsome Maverick—and his three adorable children—under her tree on Christmas morning.
I hope you enjoy Jamie and Fallon’s story, and that all of your holiday wishes come true!
Brenda Harlen
The More Mavericks, the Merrier!
Brenda Harlen
BRENDA HARLEN is a former attorney who once had the privilege of appearing before the Supreme Court of Canada. The practice of law taught her a lot about the world and reinforced her determination to become a writer—because in fiction, she could promise a happy ending! Now she is an award-winning, national bestselling author of more than thirty titles for Mills & Boon.. You can keep up-to-date with Brenda on Facebook and Twitter or through her website, www.brendaharlen.com.
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For Connor—it doesn’t seem so very long ago that we were celebrating your first Christmas. Now you’re in your first year at university, and I’m counting the days until you come home for the holidays. A lot has changed over the years, but there are two things that never will: how very proud I am to call you my son, and how much I love you. xo
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