Cowboys, Christmas, and great reviews …. yeah, baby!
*****
Cowboy Christmas Jubilee
A Holiday, Texas Novel
by Dylann Crush
Blurb:
Merry Christmas from your new friends in Holiday, Texas:
The most celebratory town in the South!
When Jinx Jacobs’s motorcycle breaks down outside Holiday, Texas, the last thing she wants is to get stuck in the cheery little town, especially during the holidays. The whole place has gone Christmas crazy, but all she has to do is stay out from under the mistletoeโand do her best to keep that unnervingly attractive cop off her back.
Single dad and sheriffโs deputy Cash Walker doesnโt have time for romance, and yet something about the tempting loner twists his stomach up tighter than a tangle of tinsel.ย He may have finally found the missing piece in his lifeโฆbut with Jinx so determined to avoid putting down roots, convincing her to stay may just take a Christmas miracle.
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*****
Excerpt:
The walk back and forth to the honky-tonk was getting to her. Sheโd been keeping her eyes open for a spot to camp closer. So far, nothing beat this tract where sheโd first parked the bike. The scrubby trees provided a break from the wind, and there was a freshwater stream just a few minutesโ walk through the brush. But she did need to start thinking about a more semipermanent solution. Sheโd text Jamie today to find out how long she could hold the job in New Orleans. If things looked good on that front, she could bunk with Dixie for a while and still make it to Louisiana before New Yearโs.
Her backpack stuffed with dirty clothes and with a grumpy Chihuahua in his soft- side crate, she set off on the walk back to the Rambling Rose. She arrived in enough time to brush her teeth and put on a touch of makeup in the bathroom.
For the next couple of hours, she mixed mimosas and hauled trays of Texas french toast and huevos rancheros to the waiting crowd. The kids wanted to touch her hair, and more than once, she caught a skeptical glance from a surly local or concerned parent. She was about to sneak off to the backroom to take Hendrix out when someone shrieked her name from the doorway.
โJinx!โ
Kenzie barreled across the room, legs and arms flapping like sheโd just seen her favorite cartoon character. Jinx caught her right before Kenzie plowed into her. Scrawny arms wrapped around her waist, and a mass of light-brown hair pressed into her gut. Jinx instinctively hugged the kid back.
Kenzie took two steps backward, grabbed Jinxโs hand, and began tugging her toward the doorway. โDaddy told me you work for Aunt Charlie now. Are you gonna have breakfast with us? I like the french toast sticks. Angelo always makes them look like a face and gives me extra whipped cream. Do you like whipped cream?โ
โIโฆuhโ โ
โYou gotta like whipped cream. Papa sometimes squirts it into my mouth from the can.โ Kenzieโs voice quieted as she glanced at the older man standing next to her dad. โOh, I wasnโt supposed to tell Daddy that.โ
โYou must be Jinx.โ A woman about Jinxโs height enveloped her in a hug.
Awkward. Who in the hell were these people? So far, Texans sure seemed to like to dole out the hugs. All of them. Well, all of them except the tall, dark, and cranky deputy. Jinx stood still, waiting for the moment to pass.
Cash cleared his throat. โSorry, my familyโs made up of huggers. Mom, enough already.โ
The words sounded funny coming from the man who couldnโt seem to stand her. He definitely didnโt strike her as a hugger. Or much of a smiler either. The chip on his shoulder seemed to be as big as the double- wide where sheโd last seen her own mother.
Cashโs mom backed away. โIโm sorry. Itโs just that Kenzie and Charlie have told us so much about you. Itโs nice to finally meet you.โ
Jinx side-eyed the beaming girl. Theyโd only met once. What could Kenzie have told them?
Cash gestured to his mother. โMom, meet Jinx. Jinx, this is my mom, Ann, and my dad, Tom.โ He shifted from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable performing the introductions.
Tom offered a hand, so Jinx shook it. Warm, rough, the way she imagined a rancherโs hands would feel. Charlie had told her she grew up around here with a ranch full of brothers. Lucky for her she had so much family around.
โCan you eat with us? Nana, can she?โ Kenzie grabbed Jinxโs hand in one of hers and Annโs in the other.
โWeโd love to have you join us. Kenzie, why donโt you go find a table?โ Ann pointed to the far side of the room, at the tables closest to the windows.
Couldnโt they tell she was on the clock? Surely the logo T-shirt or apron ought to provide a built-in excuse. โOh, Iโm actually working right now. I canโtโ โ
โPlace is about cleared out, wouldnโt you say?โ Tom gestured around the mostly empty room.
The brunch crowd had come and gone. A few regulars sat on barstools watching a college football game. Dixie walked by at that exact ill-timed moment.
โYou go ahead, Jinx. Iโll cash out the table youโve got left. Enjoy the break.โ She winked, and Jinx vowed to royally screw up her next cocktail order.
โItโs all settled then. Looks like Kenzie found us a table.โ Tom guided his wife toward an empty table where Kenzie sat, swinging her legs in a too-big-for-her chair.
Jinx looked up at Cash, waiting for him to make up some excuse. She didnโt want to budge her way into their little family lunch.
Instead, he pulled his mouth into a resigned line. โShall we?โ He gestured toward the table across the room.
Toward his mom and dad.
Toward his kid.
Toward uncharted territory.
*****
Giveaway:
5 Copies of All-American Cowboy
