Cathy Mcdavid - His Christmas Sweetheart

A HOLIDAY FOR HEALING

Nothing’s been simple in Sweetheart, Nevada, since the wildfire that ravaged the charming little town. Miranda Staley is among those who’ve sworn to stay on and bring Sweetheart back to life. She loves running a group home for the elderly, but it’s getting difficult to keep her business going. She could lose everything she’s worked so hard to create.

On the day of the fire, Will Desarro helped save some of Miranda’s elderly residents. The handsome ranch hand is a man of few words, but Miranda soon discovers that beneath that quiet exterior beats a heart of gold. Will can help save Miranda’s home and her business—but only if their love is strong enough to conquer his painful past.

He could, she supposed, be an AWOL soldier.

A criminal on the lam. A serial killer. A witness in the protection program. A deadbeat dad evading child support payments.

Her instincts told her Will was none of those things. She’d seen him with her residents and Crackers, her therapy dog. He was innately good and kind.

But something had caused him to close himself off from people. Something harsh and heartbreaking. If she weren’t afraid of appearing nosy or gossipy, she’d prod Will’s boss, the new owner of the Gold Nugget Ranch, for answers.

“Next time perhaps?” Miranda dropped another hint even though Will never took them. “Nell’s constantly cooking up sinfully delicious dishes with far too many calories. I swear I’ve gained five pounds this past week alone.”

He took her in from head to toe and, for a fraction of a second, his gaze heated. “You look fine.”

It was the most emotion Miranda had ever seen him show, and a shiver of awareness wound slowly through her.

She inched closer. “Aren’t you the flatterer.”

Dear Reader,

Story ideas can come to me at the strangest times and from the most unusual sources. Often when I’m in the middle of a completely different book or series. I file these ideas away, hoping and waiting for the day when I get the chance to use them. That day can take years.

Such was the case with His Christmas Sweetheart, book two in my Sweetheart, Nevada series. For at least a decade I’ve wanted to write a heroine who owns and operates an elder care group home. Miranda Staley is the kind of individual I want to be—smart, caring, resourceful and with a huge personality to match her incredible smile. Her elder care home is full of quirky senior citizens who liven up the place while bringing a touch of humor and tenderness to the story. Vivacious Miranda is the perfect match for loner Will Dessaro, a man suffering from acute post-traumatic stress disorder. She’s faced with a difficult challenge, that of convincing him they’re deserving of their own happily ever after. I can’t blame him for doubting—their relationship does seem improbable.

I had a really fun time pushing and prodding these two stubborn individuals and getting them to discover that no obstacle is impossible to overcome when it comes to love. Be sure to look for book three, Most Eligible Sheriff, coming out this spring.

Warmest wishes,

Cathy McDavid

P.S. I love hearing from readers. Visit my website at www.cathymcdavid.comand drop me a line.

His Christmas

Sweetheart

Cathy McDavid

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cathy makes her home in Scottsdale, Arizona, near the breathtaking McDowell Mountains, where hawks fly overhead, javelina traipse across her front yard and mountain lions occasionally come calling. She embraced the country life at an early age, acquiring her first horse in eighth grade. Dozens of horses followed through the years, along with mules, an obscenely fat donkey, chickens, ducks, goats and a potbellied pig who had her own swimming pool. Nowadays, two spoiled dogs and two spoiled-er cats round out the McDavid pets. Cathy loves contemporary and historical ranch stories and often incorporates her own experiences into her books.

When not writing, Cathy and her family and friends spend as much time as they can at her cabin in the small town of Young. Of course, she takes her laptop with her on the chance inspiration strikes.

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To Rob, my PTSD guru. Thanks again for all your spot-on advice and for pointing me in the right direction.

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

Chapter Sixteen

Epilogue

Excerpt

Chapter One

The front door to Harmony House swung open before he had a chance to knock.

Fist raised, he stared at Nell, the part-time caregiver.

“Will Dessaro, you gave me start.” Laughing good-naturedly, she stepped back to allow him entry. Short, ebony-skinned and possessing an endless supply of patience, Nell helped run the elder-care group home. “Guess I’m not the only one. You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”

Nothing could be truer. Will saw a ghost every time he visited.

“I’m not bothering you?” he asked, removing his cowboy hat.

“Nonsense. You’re always welcome here. Mrs. Litey loves seeing you, and she’s such a lamb after you leave. For a few hours. Or a day. Then...” The unfinished sentence was followed by a shrug. “She’s a pistol, that one.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Will had witnessed the octogenarian’s normally cantankerous nature more than once when she hadn’t realized he was in the room. Describing her as a pistol was being kind. Acute Alzheimer’s did that to a person, he supposed.

Nell ushered him into the main room, where a couple sat together watching a loudly blaring TV, the frail-looking woman wheelchair bound. Babs and her gentleman friend, Arthur. He called on her almost daily—and stayed all day from what Will could gather.

Sounding the alarm several beats late, a white terrier mix jumped down from his favorite roost atop Mr. Lexington’s lap. Obviously hard of hearing, Mr. Lexington dozed in one of three recliners. The dog trotted over for a sniff, his scraggly tail wagging.

Will bent and scratched him behind the ears. “Hey, buddy.”

“Let me check on Mrs. Litey before I take you back,” Nell said. “Just in case she’s indisposed.”

Will straightened and nodded at Babs and Arthur. He was always more comfortable with animals than people. Horses especially, but dogs and cats, too. His own shepherd mix waited patiently in his pickup parked out front.

“Afternoon to you, young fellow.” Arthur released Babs’s hand to operate the remote control. Lowering the TV’s volume, he rose with telltale arthritic stiffness and greeted Will. “How’s the world treating you?”

“Good.”

“Keeping busy? I hear business is picking up at the Gold Nugget.”

“Some.”

Will didn’t elaborate. He seldom talked much, preferring to listen—which he did as Arthur reminisced about the guest ranch where Will was employed as livestock foreman, trail guide, farrier and all-around hand. Whatever his boss required of him.