Rebecca Winters - Christmas in Texas - Christmas Baby Blessings / The Christmas Rescue

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Texas Tough…And Christmas Tender

Christmas Baby Blessings by Tina Leonard

Ranger Seagal West is back in Bridesmaids Creek, Texas, on bodyguard duty with his soon-to-be ex, Capri Snow. And what a body to guard: to his surprise, she’s carrying twin babies. His babies. Capri is as irresistible and stubborn as ever. So how can Seagal convince Capri they all belong together—and not just for Christmas?

The Christmas Rescue by Rebecca Winters

A slippery road, a speeding car…and Texas Ranger Flynn Patterson finds a baby lying helpless in the wreck. As he comforts the boy, Flynn’s heart turns over. He’ll never stop grieving his own lost family. But he can take care of this little guy, and his desperate mother. No matter how Andrea Sinclair pushes him away, Flynn knows the safest place for the fugitives this Christmas is his own lonely home. But will they stay?

A holiday gift for readers of Harlequin American Romance

Two heartwarming Christmas novellas from two of your favorite authors

Christmas Baby Blessings by Tina Leonard

The Christmas Rescue by Rebecca Winters

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Tina Leonard is a USA TODAY bestselling author of more than forty projects, including a popular thirteen-book miniseries for Harlequin American Romance. Her books have made the Waldenbooks, Ingram and Nielsen BookScan bestseller lists. Tina feels she has been blessed with a fertile imagination and quick typing skills, excellent editors and a family who loves her career. Born on a military base, she lived in many states before eventually marrying the boy who did her crayon printing for her in the first grade. Tina believes happy endings are a wonderful part of a good life. You can visit her at www.tinaleonard.com.

Rebecca Winters, whose family of four children has now swelled to include five beautiful grandchildren, lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the land of the Rocky Mountains. With canyons and high alpine meadows full of wildflowers, she never runs out of places to explore. They, plus her favorite vacation spots in Europe, often end up as backgrounds for her romance novels, because writing is her passion, along with her family and church. Rebecca loves to hear from readers. If you wish to email her, please visit her website, www.cleanromances.com.

Christmas in Texas

Tina Leonard

Rebecca Winters

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Christmas Baby Blessings

Tina Leonard

Dear Reader,

The Christmas season is so magical! Sometimes there’s too much hustle and bustle, and it’s hard to slow down and think about the real meaning of the season. One of my favorite parts of Christmas is reconnecting with family and friends, whether it’s through a Christmas card, a phone call or dropping off a small gift.

Seagal West wants to reconnect with his family, too—specifically his wife! He dearly loves his soon-to-be ex, and once he discovers Capri is expecting their children, Seagal is determined to ring in the holiday with her. Surely there’s one more Christmas miracle for them and their new babies?

Capri Snow is resigned to the divorce—she doesn’t want him to come back to her just because of the children. Somehow Seagal found out about her pregnancy, and has moved back into their house as her bodyguard. But the only thing she needs protecting from is her own heart!

I hope you enjoy Capri and Seagal’s story. There’s nothing like Christmas to bring people together, and in Bridesmaids Creek, they’re used to matchmaking to help a miracle along. It’s my cherished hope that there are many happy memories and a little Christmas magic, too, this holiday season for you!

Best always,

Tina

For anyone who has ever dreamed of the magic of Christmas.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Epilogue

Chapter One

Capri Snow’s first thought was that the Santa who sat so alertly beneath the white gingerbread archway of Bridesmaids Creek’s Christmastown looked a bit…off. He was tall for a Santa, broad-shouldered, and his tummy had shifted, as if he wasn’t comfortable and had tried to move the proverbial bowl full of jelly away from him. If that wasn’t odd enough, he was staring at her seven-months pregnant belly as if he were envious of her roundness.

“Come on,” her best friend, Kelly Coakley, said, dragging her. “You promised to have a picture taken with Santa for the Bridesmaids Creek Courier.”

Yes, she had, so she let Kelly push her onto Santa’s lap. There were plenty of things one did on the committee of Bridesmaids Creek’s popular Christmastown, and posing for a holiday photo op wasn’t a horrible thing. It was just that one of Santa’s white eyebrows had come partially unglued, showing his real eyebrows to be jet black, which Capri found a bit unnerving. He pulled her closer, and Capri examined his bearded face. His electric-blue eyes gazed at her intently—and she registered that Santa had much firmer thighs than she would have thought for an elderly manager of holiday elves.

In Bridesmaids Creek, anybody could get roped into holiday duty. This Santa was probably a hapless dad who’d been talked into the Christmas shenanigans by the authoritative Mrs. Mathilda Penny. “I’m sure Santa has better things to do than pose for the Courier, Kelly,” Capri said, trying to encourage her friend to hurry it up a bit. Truthfully, she felt very shy about her weight (okay, she hadn’t put on that much baby weight, but she felt misshapen and awkward), and something told her it was time to leave Father Christmas’s well-muscled lap.

“He doesn’t mind, do you?” Kelly beamed. “I bet Santa likes having his picture taken.” She clicked a few more photos, enough, Capri thought, for a full spread in a national magazine.

“That’s got to be plenty,” Capri said, trying to get up from the man’s warm lap. She couldn’t quite make it to her feet, and Santa gallantly gave her a little push from behind. “Thank you,” she said, determined to be polite, though she was well aware he wouldn’t have had to give a starter push to a more svelte female.

He blinked at her over the festive snowy beard but didn’t reply. Capri decided they’d taken up enough of his time. “Thank you for participating in Christmastown. We really appreciate it.”

“There. That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Kelly asked as they stepped away.

Capri glanced back at Santa, whose gaze remained fixed on her as he sat, completely unmoving, on his white Christmastown throne. “That is no harmless elderly Santa.”

“I know.” Kelly giggled. “He’s an undercover cop.”

“Kelly!” Capri gasped, astonished. “I know security is tight this year, but I don’t think Mrs. Penny would hire an undercover cop to listen to the children’s wish lists.”

“That’s exactly what she did,” Kelly said, inspecting her camera with some approbation. “That’s Mrs. Penny’s nephew. She said that with all the weird stuff going on in Bridesmaids Creek in the past year, she wasn’t taking any chances on the safety of the kids. Mrs. Penny loves a good whodunit more than anyone, but I can’t disagree with her desire to keep this event safe.”

Capri took a fast peek at Santa. His gaze was no longer on her, but trained on some men near the ice sculptures that would greet visitors when the event opened in two hours. The twinkling lights would be on, and Christmastown would be in full swing, overrun by eager tots desiring a turn at Santa’s ear.