The Cowboy's Christmas Family

by Donna Alward

  HIS CHRISTMAS PRESENT

  Madison Wallace is determined to make this Christmas extra special for her twin boys. Money is tight, but at least Maddy can do something about that...unlike the rumors of her late husband’s infidelity. So the part-time job at Cole Hudson’s ranch is a perfect solution, and kind, sexy Cole is darn near perfect, too. Unfortunately, Maddy can’t trust her heart—or a man—ever again.

  Cole only intended to help Maddy out with the holidays. But the moment she and her boys arrive at his ranch, they capture his heart completely. Convincing Maddy to give him a chance won’t be nearly as easy. He’s got the Secret Santa presents covered, but the gift Cole really wants to give Maddy is his love. Will Maddy be brave enough to accept it?

  “Cole, why me?” Maddy sighed. “I’ve got baggage. A lot of it. I’m prickly.”

  Cole chuckled and she felt the vibration of the sound through his chest and into her back. “You’re not the only one with baggage,” he admitted. Before she could ask what he meant, he continued on. “Listen, what happened to you just made you cautious. You’re not prickly. You’re scared. I would be, too.”

  They let the thought sit for a few minutes, and then Cole spoke again. “I don’t know, Maddy. I got thinking about how you’re young and pretty and so damned strong and then...and then I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

  She looked up into his face. “The last thing I was looking for was a date. Maybe it just snuck up on both of us.”

  She licked her lips, which suddenly felt dry, and saw his gaze drop to where her tongue had wet the surface. Desire surged through her, terrifying by its very presence and exhilarating at the same time.

  “It snuck up on me for sure,” he admitted quietly, smiling. “You snuck up on me.”

  Dear Reader,

  I love Christmas. I really do. The lead-up of the last few weeks can be so stressful and busy but magical, too. We have a lot of traditions in our family, and now that my little ones aren’t so little anymore, we’ve built up some good memories, too.

  This book is a bit of a hat tip to those moments. The references to Christmas Vacation come from having watched it time after time until we can pretty much quote all the dialogue; the penguin who sings to the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot” actually exists. Singing carols during Christmas Eve service is one of my favorite memories from childhood right through to having my own kids attend. Even though they’re nearly grown now, I still read The Polar Express and ’Twas The Night Before Christmas aloud on Christmas Eve.

  So here’s to magical holiday moments with the people who mean the most to you. I hope this season brings you many opportunities to create new memories you can cherish forever.

  Merry Christmas,

  Donna

  THE COWBOY’S

  CHRISTMAS FAMILY

  Donna Alward

  Donna Alward is a busy wife and mother of three (two daughters and the family dog), and she believes hers is the best job in the world: a combination of stay-at-home mom and romance novelist. An avid reader since childhood, Donna has always made up her own stories. She completed her arts degree in English literature in 1994, but it wasn’t until 2001 that she penned her first full-length novel and found herself hooked on writing romance. In 2006, she sold her first manuscript, and now writes warm, emotional stories for Harlequin.

  In her new home office in Nova Scotia, Donna loves being back on the east coast of Canada after nearly twelve years in Alberta, where her career began, writing about cowboys and the West. Donna’s debut romance, Hired by the Cowboy, was awarded a Booksellers’ Best Award in 2008 for Best Traditional Romance.

  With the Atlantic Ocean only minutes from her doorstep, Donna has found a fresh take on life and promises even more great romances in the near future!

  Donna loves to hear from readers. You can contact her through her website, donnaalward.com, or follow @DonnaAlward on Twitter.

  Books by Donna Alward

  Harlequin American Romance

  Crooked Valley Ranch

  The Cowboy’s Christmas Gift

  The Cowboy’s Valentine

  The Cowboy’s Homecoming

  Texas Rodeo Barons

  The Texan’s Baby

  Cadence Creek Cowboys

  Her Rancher Rescuer

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.

  To my family—the reason for everything.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Excerpt from Her Holiday Rancher by Cathy McDavid

  Chapter One

  There were days when Madison Wallace felt like a single-mom Cinderella.

  She blew at a few strands of hair that had escaped her messy ponytail, then tucked them behind her ears for at least the tenth time in the past half hour and checked her watch yet again.

  Six twenty. The library closed at eight. The meeting was due to start in ten minutes and she didn’t even have the coffeepot going yet. The boys were in a playpen in one of the smaller meeting rooms, and her brain was on the verge of shutdown, with her body not far behind.

  Whoever came up with the idea of Snowflake Days needed their head examined.

  Oh, right. That would be her.

  Of course, she’d put forth that proposal last winter, and the mayor and council had loved the idea. She’d thought she’d have tons of time to help with the planning committee. The babies would be a little older, she’d be back at work, Gavin would be home at night to lend a hand, and life would be back to normal.

  And then everything had changed.

  She couldn’t think about that now. She didn’t have time. And playing the what-if game was a waste of energy, anyway.

  The meeting room where the twins were was quiet except for the odd babble, so she rushed around as committee members started arriving and gathered in the foyer, chatting. There were twelve altogether, a blend of male and female, young and old, business owners and retirees and anything in between. She put tablets of paper at each spot at the conference table as well as pens that said Gibson Public Library on them. A separate table held coffee, now dripping merrily into the pot, ice water, and an array of muffins and breads, which she’d baked just this morning while the boys were napping rather than taking from the library’s petty cash, which was always pretty tight.

  “Maddy, this is just lovely, dear.” Pauline Rowe stopped and patted her arm. “Thank you for setting it up. Now that Thanksgiving is over, we’re really going to get into the nitty-gritty of the planning. Lots of coffee required.”

  Maddy smiled at Pauline, who owned the town’s only dry cleaning and alterations shop. “Thanks, Pauline. Let me know if you need anything else, okay?”

  An ear-splitting scream punctuated the relative quiet and Maddy winced. “Sorry. I’ll be right back.”

  She rushed to the meeting room and found Liam and Lucas in the playpen. Liam was hanging on to the edge for dear life and crying, while Lucas whimpered softly in the corner, big crocodile tears on his cheeks.

  Her boys. Best friends one m
oment, fighting like cats the next, and at a year old, with no verbal skills to tell her what was wrong. She hadn’t been prepared for motherhood, let alone times two. And going it alone? Since Gavin died, she’d really had to fight against despair at times. Like tonight, when she was bone weary.

  “Hey, sweetie. Mama’s here.” She picked up Liam and settled him on her arm. He burrowed into her neck and stuck his thumb in his mouth, his wet face sticking to her skin. Her heart melted just a little bit. He was such a snuggle bug.

  “You had to bring the twins?” Pauline asked gently. Without missing a beat, she went to the playpen and lifted out Lucas, who stared at her with owlish blue eyes and sucked in his lower lip as he fought against crying.

  “Mom’s down with the stomach flu as of this morning. It was...short notice to find a replacement.”

  Short notice was her excuse. The truth was, she didn’t have the money to pay someone for child care today. It had come down to food and lights as far as priorities went. Filled tummies and running water were pretty important, and the holidays were coming.

  She gave Liam a bounce and smiled, and he placed a chubby, if damp, hand on her cheek. Despite the troubles and challenges, she wouldn’t trade her babies for anything. Things would work out the way they were supposed to. When times got rough, she found it difficult to remember that, but it was what she truly believed. Something good was around the corner for her. It was going to be okay. How could it not be?

  “Hello, is the meeting in here?”

  Maddy looked up and went dumb for a few seconds.

  Cole Hudson, all six feet of him, stood in the doorway. He’d taken off his hat and held it in his hand...of course he had, because he had impeccable manners. His dark hair was cut short, just long enough for his fingers to leave trails as he ran his hand through it, in what Maddy assumed was a gesture of tidying it but really gave it a mussed look. And blue eyes. Blue with little crinkles at the corners. Like the Texas bluebells she’d seen once on a trip she’d taken with her parents.

  A girl had to be blind not to get a little tongue-tied around Cole Hudson.

  “Sorry,” she said as she found her wits again. “The meeting’s across the hall.”

  In her rush to get to the boys, the door to the meeting room had closed and locked, so she dug in her jeans pocket for the keys on one of those stretchy wrist things all the librarians used. She fumbled and Cole reached around, took the key from her hand and put it in the lock. He was standing awfully close to her, and she suddenly found it difficult to take a full breath.

  “Allow me. You have your hands full,” he said kindly, swinging open the door.

  She adjusted Liam on her shoulder. “Let me get a door stopper so you don’t get locked out again,” she said, looking around, feeling unusually flustered. Pauline still held Lucas in her arms and he was starting to squirm, wanting to get down. Both boys were walking now, but unsteadily, which meant they were an accident waiting to happen when let loose.

  She put the stopper in the door, committee members started filing in—still chatting—and she took Lucas from Pauline, so she held a child in each arm.

  “Is there anything more you need?” she asked the group at large, holding tight as Lucas twisted and fussed.

  “We’re fine, Maddy. Truly.” Lacey Duggan came forward, a smile on her face. “This is wonderful. And you have your hands very full. We’ll come find you if we need something, but really, don’t worry about a thing.”

  “Thanks, Lacey.” Lacey was new to Gibson, Montana, and new wife to Quinn Solomon up at Crooked Valley Ranch. Maddy let out a small sigh. “I was kind of hoping to be involved, but...” She let the sentence trail off and gave a small shrug with her aching shoulders.

  “Your boys are adorable,” Lacey added, ruffling Liam’s hair.

  “Thanks. I’m not usually this discombobulated.” She boosted Lucas on her hip, getting him in a better position. “Work and babies don’t go together very well.”

  “Everyone understands,” Lacey offered sympathetically.

  Yes, they did. And it burned Maddy’s biscuits that she was reminded of it so very often. As if she could forget what had gotten her in this position in the first place.

  Gavin had been a cheater. And a liar.

  “Well, I’d better get back to the desk. Holler, okay?”

  She pasted on a smile and went back to the room where she’d set up the boys. She dug in her bag and pulled out a sleeve of arrowroot cookies and two sippy cups of milk that had been sitting against an ice pack. “Okay, boys, please be good for Mommy. Please. I have to check the front desk and then I’ll be back.”

  For the moment, the promise of a cookie and milk pacified the children and Maddy zipped out to the front desk. The library was quiet; other than the meeting there were no other special activities tonight, thank goodness. Two or three people browsed the stacks, and Maddy quietly went to them and told them to ring the bell at the circulation desk when they were ready to check their books out.

  A quick breath and back to check on the boys.

  And so went the next hour and a half. A quick check, back to the front. Change a diaper, back to the cart to put books back on the shelves. Slipping the twins into their pajamas, and then back to the drop box to scan the returned books into the system. She could hear the committee laughing behind the door and her shoulders slumped. She should be in there. She wanted to help. Last Christmas the boys had only been a month old. This year they were old enough to be excited at the bright lights and the sound of ripping paper, eating a real Christmas dinner even if half of it had to be mashed.

  Maybe she could make next week’s meeting. As long as her mom could babysit...

  At five minutes to eight, the conference room door opened and the noise got louder, just as Liam had nodded off and Lucas was finally starting to settle, curled up with a blanket and rubbing his eyes. The sudden change in volume startled them both, and Maddy closed her eyes for a second, let out a breath. It was nearly done. She could close up the library and take the boys home and maybe, finally, get some sleep.

  And for right now she was going to let the boys fuss and whimper for two minutes while she saw everyone out and locked the damn doors.

  The place was nearly empty when she turned from the circulation desk and saw Cole come around the corner, a very grouchy Lucas on his arm. She felt a definite pang in her chest, seeing her fussy boy being held by a strong man, like a father would. Only Lucas didn’t have a father. He was going to miss out on all of that.

  Then there was the impact of seeing Cole Hudson holding a baby. Men and babies... Maddy didn’t know if there was an evolutionary, biological reason for finding it so attractive or not, but there was no denying her heart softened just a little bit and her pulse started beating just a little faster.

  “Cole, I’m sorry. I was going to get back to the boys as soon as I locked up.” She gave a small smile. “It doesn’t hurt them to fuss for a few minutes, you know.”

  “The other one’s back to sleep. I thought I’d get this little guy out before he woke him up again.” Cole smiled, and her heart went all mushy again.

  Stop it, she reminded herself. Pretty is as pretty does. And Gavin had been darned pretty. He’d given her pretty babies. And in all likelihood he’d fathered another one that was due any day—Laura Jessup’s baby.

  She had a long way to go before she trusted anyone ever again. Even Cole, who had such a stellar reputation in the community that it seemed he could do no wrong.

  “Thanks. I’ll take him. You probably want to get going.”

  But Cole didn’t move. “You’re not leaving right away, are you?”

  Her cheeks heated. “Well, I have to spend a few minutes tidying up. It won’t take long.”

  Cole shifted Lucas’s weight, and to Maddy’s consternation, Lucas’s eyes were drift
ing shut, cocooned in the warm curve of Cole’s arm. “It’ll take you longer if you have him in your arms,” Cole reasoned. “I can stay for a few minutes. Give you a hand.”

  “That’s generous of you, Cole, but...”

  “But nothing.” He chuckled. “I heard you were stubborn. Accept the help, Maddy. It’s no big deal.”

  It felt like a big deal to her. “I’m perfectly capable of handling it. Thank you.” She moved forward and took Lucas out of Cole’s arms, close enough to Cole that she could smell his aftershave and feel the soft cotton of his shirt as her fingers brushed against it. The last thing she wanted was more pity. More sympathetic looks. All it did was remind her of how stupid she’d been. How duped. She’d been an inconsolable wreck when she’d gotten the news about the car accident. Three days later she’d gone to Gavin’s funeral as the grieving widow, devastated that they’d never have the chance to fix their marriage, that her boys would grow up without their father.

  And two days later she’d heard the rumors. And remembered that Laura had been at the funeral and offered her condolences...

  Maddy brushed past Cole and left him to exit the library on his own, and she went to the conference room and began putting muffins back in the tin with one hand.

  No one would make a fool of her that way again.

  * * *

  COLE SAT AT the kitchen table, sipping a glass of water and reading one of his latest cattle magazines. He knew he should go to bed. Tomorrow was an early start, and there were things he wanted to get done before snow hit, as it was forecast to do tomorrow night. He turned another page and realized he hadn’t really been reading. He’d been thinking about Maddy Wallace, how tired she’d looked, how she tried to cover it with her work face and how defensive she’d gotten when he’d tried to help.

  And then he’d called her stubborn and that had been the end of any assistance he might have offered. That really stuck in her craw. He’d make a point of not saying that again. He was certain to see her, as the meetings for the committee were always at the library. Besides, Gibson was pretty small. Their paths crossed now and again.