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  “A Christmas Miracle” by Phyliss Miranda

  Mattie Jo Ashley has lost too many people she loves. First, her outlaw father then her mother. She is determined not to lose her baby sister to a mysterious disease.

  Because she feels shamed by the problems her father forced upon the townspeople of Carroll Creek, Texas, and now suffers their disdain, Mattie Jo cannot turn to her community for help. She has no choice but to seek aid from the shy, but skilled local doctor.

  Dr. Grant Spencer has every confidence in his abilities as a third generation doctor, but is sorely in need of self worth in other areas of his life.

  When Mattie Jo unleashes havoc in the community and takes Grant to the brink of testing his courage and fortitude as both a doctor and a man, all discover the true Christmas spirit and the power of genuine love and acceptance.

  “Outlaw’s Kiss” by Cheryl Pierson

  Talia Delano has been humiliated before the entire town of Rock Creek by Jake Morgan. A known gunman, Jake has bid an outrageous sum for Talia’s “boxed supper”, a kiss, and the gift of her time for the rest of the Independence Day celebration. But, as always, Jake changes the rules and takes more than he should—especially with the whole town watching. Talia’s chance of happiness is dashed, along with her reputation, when Jake leaves Rock Creek suddenly.

  When he shows up five months later at her farmhouse, wounded, and in the midst of a blinding snowstorm, she can’t turn him away—even though she knows being alone with him will cause tongues to wag once more. But with Christmas only two days away, how can she harden her heart against the handsome outlaw who has no place else to go—even if he is being trailed by someone just as dangerous? Magic and danger are woven together in the OUTLAW’S KISS.

  “A Husband for Christmas” by Sarah J. McNeal

  Jane Pierpont and her son, Robin, survived the Titanic, but her husband went down with the ship and the emotional scars of that night have kept her and her son locked into that frightening event. Robin is terrified of deep water and Jane has nightmares and survivor’s guilt. She yearns for a family, a loving husband and maybe another child, but she feels disloyal to Michael’s memory whenever Teekonka Red Sky comes near her.

  Teekonka Red Sky loves Jane and her son, but all his efforts to help them past their painful memories of the night Michael Pierpont died have been unsuccessful. Unwilling to give up, can his Lakota beliefs help him bring peace to Robin and free Jane to love again?

  “Peaches” by Kathleen Rice Adams

  Running a ranch and fending off three meddlesome aunts leaves Whit McCandless no time, and even less patience, for the prickly new schoolmarm’s greenhorn carelessness. The teacher needs educating before somebody gets hurt. Ruth Avery can manage her children and her school just fine without interference from some philistine of a rancher. If he’d pay more attention to his cattle and less to her affairs, they’d both prosper.

  He didn’t expect to need rescuing. She never intended to fall in love.

  “A Gift For Rhoda” by Jacquie Rogers

  A mail-order bride disaster!

  Rhoda Johnson is stranded in a lonely cabin without a groom. The townsfolk say she’s better off without him, but her drunken groom sends a message that he’ll claim her as his Christmas bride. Gunman and ex-Confederate soldier Nate Harmon comes to Idaho to make peace with his abolitionist preacher father. When half-frozen Nate reaches the cabin on a snowy Christmas Eve, instead of his parents, he’s greeted by a pretty blonde with a shotgun who keeps calling him Mr. Snyder. Will she shoot him, or melt his heart?

  “Her Christmas Wish” by Tracy Garrett

  Even a woman capable of living on her own…

  Kathryn McConnell is a widow celebrating a milestone birthday alone. Though she feels a woman should be able to mourn the passing of her thirtieth birthday any way she wants, she won’t turn away a cowboy in need of lodging—until she learns it’s the man she’d expected to marry thirteen years earlier.

  …never forgets her first love.

  Will O’Brien had challenged his father’s prejudice against the woman he loved only to discover he was unable to stand against his family’s wealth and connections. Without a way to support his bride, Will struck out for the west, determined to earn a living for them both. When he returned after two years with no word from Katie, he found she’d married another and moved away. Heartbroken, he returns to his work, but never stops hoping to find her.

  When chance lands Will at the remote stagecoach station run by the widowed Kathryn, he grabs at the opportunity he’s been handed, hoping to win back the only woman he has ever loved.

  “Covenant” by Tanya Hanson

  Alone, abandoned, struck with guilt and grief, mail order bride Ella Green refuses to celebrate their first wedding anniversary by herself on the Nebraska homestead. Her fault Charlotte died.

  Her fault her husband couldn’t stick around. So it’s back to Pennsylvania. Until the snow hits.

  But do the springerle cookie molds depicting her life--Carsten’s hand-carved courtship gifts to her across the miles--still have more story to tell?

  Or is it truly The End?

  Widower Carsten Green took on a bride merely to tend his little daughter. Unbeknownst to Ella, he gave her his heart instantly. Yet he believed she’s got no reason to stay after the child’s death. So he’s left her first.

  How can the Christmas blizzard separating them warm their hearts, brighten their future, and ignite love gone cold?

  “Charlie's Pie” by Livia J. Washburn

  Lauralee Brannam just wants to bake her son's favorite pie for his birthday, which happens to fall on Christmas Eve. But then a wounded stranger shows up on her Texas ranch, and his fateful visit leads to violence, tragedy, and redemption in this stirring Western tale.

  WISHING FOR A COWBOY

  Phyliss Miranda

  Cheryl Pierson

  Sarah J. McNeal

  Kathleen Rice Adams

  Jacquie Rogers

  Tracy Garrett

  Tanya Hanson

  Livia J. Washburn

  http://prairierosepublications.com

  Wishing for a Cowboy

  Copyright © November 1, 2013 by Prairie Rose Publications

  Cover Design Livia Reasoner

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  “A Christmas Miracle” Copyright © 2013 by Phyliss Miranda

  “Outlaw’s Kiss” Copyright © 2013 by Cheryl Pierson

  “A Husband for Christmas” Copyright © 2013 by Sarah J. McNeal

  “Peaches” Copyright © 2013 by Kathleen Rice Adams

  “A Gift for Rhoda” Copyright © 2013 by Jacquie Rogers

  “Her Christmas Wish” Copyright © 2013 by Tracy Garrett

  “Covenant” Copyright © 2013 by Tanya Hanson

  “Charlie’s Pie” Copyright © 2013 by Livia J. Washburn

  Table of contents

  A Christmas Miracle by Phyliss Miranda

  Outlaw’s Kiss by Cheryl Pierson

  A Husband for Christmas by sarah J. McNeal

  Peaches by kathleen rice adams

  A Gift for Rhoda by jacquie rogers

  Her Christmas Wish by tracy garrett

  Covenant by tanya hanson

  Charlie's Pie by livia j. washburn

  Recipes

  Mattie Jo's Christmas Date Loaf

  Talia's Parker House Rolls

  Jane’s Gingerbread Boys

  Ruth’s Peach Pie


  Rhoda’s Wedding Pie

  Katie's Old-Fashioned Pound Cake

  Ella's Springerle Recipe

  Charlie's Pecan Pie

  A Christmas Miracle

  By Phyliss Miranda

  Acceptance comes not through frosty eyes, but from the warmth of loving hearts.

  Chapter 1

  Christmas 1899

  Texas Panhandle

  Children should not suffer for the sins of their fathers, Mattie Jo Ashley thought, as she put two mugs of beer on the table for a couple of regulars of the Longhorn Saloon.

  Lucas Jones had posted the House Rules on each wall. Although the watering hole was one of only two in the temperance colony known as Carroll Creek, Texas, its owner wanted to make sure everyone understood what he expected. He wouldn’t stand for a rowdy crowd that might run away his patrons who never missed three opportunities. A good tent meeting. A good church sermon. And, a good drink with a quiet game of cards.

  Mattie Jo looked up at the rules posted prominently at eye level.

  Rule 1: Check your weapons at the door.

  Rule 2: No cussing allowed.

  Rule 3: Rowdy behavior will not be tolerated.

  Rule 4: No touching my ladies.

  Rule 5: Only women are allowed upstairs.

  The swinging doors flew open and her friend and fellow saloon girl Violet hurried in. Not bothering to acknowledge anyone around, she screamed, “Mattie Jo!” She rushed on without taking a breath. “The baby’s taken a turn for the worse.”

  Blood ran like cold well water through Mattie Jo’s veins. “Slow down, Violet, and tell me what’s going on with her.” Her heart beat out of control. She couldn’t lose another family member. “Who’s watching Katie?”

  “Brady is.” Violet grabbed the edge of the bar. “I caught your brother right before he left to milk the Garners’ cows, so he stayed because I needed to come tell you your baby sister’s really bad.”

  “Tell me exactly what’s going on.” Mattie Jo asked again. With each word, her legs got weaker. It wasn’t typical of Violet to get so upset, even though it involved Mattie Jo’s baby sister, Katie.

  “She won’t eat. Her eyes are more matted than ever. One is completely shut.”

  “Is Brady keeping warm towels on her eyes?” Mattie Jo bit her lip. “And washing her face frequently? He’s only thirteen.”

  “Yes, he’s taking good care of her. Her fever has gone up. Wrapping her in cool towels hasn’t helped, so I gave her a cold bath. By the time I left, it still hadn’t brought down her fever. I don’t want to upset you, but it’s a whole bunch higher. She’s even more listless, refusing her bottle and coughing more. I think she’s having a little trouble breathing.”

  All of the worsening conditions Violet described balled up and hit Mattie Jo between the eyes. She swallowed hard and looked over the crowded saloon at her boss, Lucas Jones, who was delivering a tray of drinks to another table of card-playing cowboys. Tears brimmed in her eyes, just thinking about the possibility that she might lose her precious sister. She needed to go home and take care of her, but also had to work her shift because the jar in the kitchen out at her place had only three pennies and a dime in it. Not enough to pay for the doctor to make a house call, especially three miles outside of town.

  “I tried to get some willow bark tea down her. She wouldn’t even suck on a bottle. I even put some in a spoon and she just let it drool out of her mouth.” She lowered her voice, as if ashamed. “Mattie Jo, I’ve done all I know how to do. She needs the doctor.”

  “I have to work my shift, so I can have enough money to pay the doctor.”

  Over her shoulder, she heard footsteps that stopped behind her.

  Touching her arm, the old owner of the Longhorn said, “Don’t worry about money.” He turned her around to face him. He took her hand and placed some coins in it. “Go find Doc Spencer.”

  “I’ll work for her,” Violet offered. “I’ve got clothes upstairs and it won’t take long to change.” She rushed toward the stairs, then turned back to Lucas. “Give Mattie Jo the money for the whole shift. I don’t need it.”

  “No.” Lucas furrowed his brows into a frown and gruffly said, “I won’t stand for it. I can handle the shift. Violet, get back to Mattie Jo’s place and take care of the baby while she goes and finds Doc Spencer.”

  To Mattie Jo’s surprise, two tough-as-boot-strop cowboys got up from their card game, gathered up some coins, and dropped them in her pocket.

  The shorter of the two said, “We’ll help Lucas out. You get along, little lady.”

  With a heart filled with apprehension, yet overflowing with love, Mattie Jo grabbed her coat and rushed out the door on her way to locate Dr. Grant Spencer.

  Hurrying down the dirt street that separated the saloons from the rest of the town, she finally reached the dusty boardwalk along the business fronts. All the way, thoughts of the loss of her other loved ones flooded through her like an overflowing river.

  First, it was her outlaw father, who always kept his family one step ahead of the law, until he robbed the bank of Carroll Creek. In order to heal somewhat, she had finally come to the conclusion that because he was so ashamed of himself, he’d disappeared under the cloak of darkness without so much as a goodbye. He left his family penniless but he had left something precious behind ... a wife with a new life growing inside her.

  It had been nearly three years and they had heard neither hide nor hair from him; although, at the saloon every now and again, she would get wind of rumors about him. She vacillated between wanting the man whose blood ran through her veins back in her life and never seeing him again.

  Those feelings changed when Mattie Jo’s mother died giving birth to Katie, leaving a newborn babe for a seventeen-year-old girl and her ten-year-old brother to take care of.

  Mattie Jo never wanted to lay eyes on the spawn of the devil again.

  Now nearing her twentieth birthday, she vividly remembered the day they laid her mother to rest in a casket crafted by Lucas Jones who offered Mattie Jo employment at his saloon. She had little choice but to accept the job as one of his saloon girls, because thanks to her father, the community had ostracized her whole family from the town.

  Mattie Jo, with the help of her brother, had grown a small garden and had a few chickens. Since the townsfolk shunned her, nobody would buy anything from her, so she learned to can the vegetables and to make bread to feed the family. A goat provided milk for Katie.

  Few in the town seemed obliged to offer redemption. Working at the Longhorn didn’t help either, but she had no choice because she had to have money to feed the family.

  Finally, Mattie Jo came to the doctor’s office, and it brought her back to the crisis at hand. She halted in front of the door only to find a note posted that read Gone for the Day.

  Mattie Jo rested her forehead against the cold wooden door and closed her eyes. Light snow flakes fell on her shoulders, but they felt as heavy as iron.

  Realization hit her. She had no idea what the new doctor looked like. All she’d heard was that he had come to town from back East, smoked a pipe and wore spectacles. That could be half of the middle-aged men in Carroll Creek, Texas.

  With that description, she was sure he was as old as Methuselah and probably just as ugly. Yet, she couldn’t care less about his looks; it was his background that told her he knew what he was doing as a doctor. She’d heard all about Dr. Grant Spencer except for one vital thing ... what he looked like.

  But if she did find him, would he help her? Or would he be like the rest of the temperance community who thought she, and what remained of her family, should pay for the sins of their father?

  Chapter 2

  Dr. Grant Spencer studied the assortment of children’s toys lined up on the counter by the owner of the Carroll Creek Mercantile.

  “Emmett, I’ll take this one.” He picked up a stuffed doll with an embroidered cherub face. “Just put it on my account and I’ll be on my way.”

/>   Emmett Matthews silently folded light-weight paper around the item and handed it to the doctor.

  “Thanks. As soon as I have time, I’ll take it over to the orphanage for the Christmas festivities.” He tucked the doll in his black doctor’s bag. “On second thought, put the other two on my account. There’s more than one little girl who will enjoy a doll.”

  Sometimes Dr. Spencer had to remind himself of the reason he’d selected such a small, out-of-the-way town to start up his practice. Hundreds of bigger and more prosperous cities between here and Philadelphia offered him a place to hang his shingle; however, he’d deliberately chosen Carroll Creek because the townspeople were in desperate need of someone to take care of their medical needs. He also knew he could be a better doctor if he got out from under the shadows of his family. Being the grandson of a war hero and the son of a renowned physician had its drawbacks. He wanted to make his place in society based on his ability—not his family’s name. There was a lot he’d hoped for by coming out West, but trying to learn not only the names of the citizens, but the ways of the new frontier, offered the biggest challenge yet.

  His point was proven when two middle-aged women, both dressed in navy blue and cream colored dresses with matching bonnets, came through the door and disturbed his musing. He didn’t know their names and wasn’t sure he wanted to from the sour puss expressions they had on their faces.

  He could not help but overhear their conversation. It’d be easier to ignore two bawling calves than to drown out the women’s voices.

  The smaller one, in a shrill tone, said, “I can’t believe that trollop had the nerve to stop us on the street and ask a question.”