A Montana Christmas

By Rain Trueax

A slice of life with bonus short " Curly Learns a Lesson"
A Montana Christmas is about the meaning of Christmas where it comes to family and ranch living. As a novella, it’s a slice of life taking characters from an earlier book, From Here to There, moving them three years ahead to Montana where Helene has gone to take care of her recuperating uncle. She wants her husband, Phillip to join her there for Christmas. Hoping to soon have a baby of their own, Helene is eager to make Christmas a time of family joy.

Phillip is busy with his consulting work, but his real reason for avoiding Christmas comes from childhood memories that make him want nothing to do with anything to remind him of those chaotic years. When he learns Helene’s full plans are to also invite his family, he’s less than thrilled, but back on the ranch, he has plenty to keep him busy. Thrilled by her plans or not, Phillip would do anything to make his lovely wife happy.

With all the characters in "From Here to There", this novella adds some new ones. It also suggests the start of a new romance-- but to find out what that might be, read the 25,400 word novella with trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C84Je5kNexc

• Language: English
• Publisher: Seven Oaks
• Release date: Oct 22, 2014
• ISBN: 9781502264619

Rain Trueax

All my stories and art works portray the values of self worth, hard work, and community while intertwining the complications of physical attraction, sexuality and outside challenges, whether, malicious or societal. I have eleven contemporary romance novels, two novellas (one of the supernatural sort). My first historical romance, 'Arizona Sunset,' came out in September with the second, 'Tucson Moon', arriving in December. I have in mind a third for that family which should be available by June 2014. Two of my contemporaries, 'Desert Inferno' and 'Evening Star,' follow up on the O'Brian family and where they are today (one still in Arizona and the other in Oregon) Today, I work from a sheep and cattle operation in the Oregon coast range mountains or on the road in the inter-mountain west via satellite link. My goals are to portray real life, real passion, personal growth and mutual fulfillment for heroes and heroines, using the land and the mysteries that one finds when they stop to look around and listen to local legends. The romance novel is a bit of a modern fairy tale as it inspires with imagination and emotions. I think of mine as emotional roller coaster rides for the protagonists who take the reader along as they form a temporary partnership when the reader is pulled into the story. When a romantic novel doesn't build that bridge between story and reader, it hasn't fulfilled its highest purpose. When someone finishes one of my novels, I want them to wish there had been more and sorry it's over but knowing they will read it again someday. I want it to have been an enriching use of their time. Lofty goals? Maybe but without them, what would writing be about? Print this

Book preview

Chapter One

December 2013

Helene sat at the desk, staring out her kitchen window at the distant mountains, iPhone in her hand, trying to find the right words for a conversation that was unlikely to make Phillip or her pleased. She shook her head thinking three years of marriage hadn’t made it easier to understand her complex husband. The years had been good ones but not without their problems. Day by day, moment by moment, she had grown to love that man more than she had imagined possible. Love alone didn’t solve relationship complexities.

Oh well, she thought, in for a dollar and out for a dime. That didn’t sound right, but the gist was she might as well just get started and maybe the words would be obvious. Punching in the number of his cell did little to convince her that was true. She forced a smile anyway as she heard it ring.

Hey baby. She heard the smile in his deep voice. She also felt the tingles throughout her body that any connection to Phillip produced.

How are you? she asked starting with a cowardly and safe question.

Busy as hell and missing you more. Are you okay?

Fine.

How about Amos? His tone shifted a bit, and she heard worry enter.

He’s cranky as you could imagine so he must be recuperating. The only problem is keeping him out of the barns. It takes Curly and me to do that.

Rafe can’t help?

Helene thought of her handsome cousin who had come back to the ranch after a catastrophic shoulder injury ended his rodeo career. He wasn’t likely to help much of anybody, not even himself, but she tried to think of something positive. When it didn’t come, she simply said, He’s still recuperating. She wasn’t sure that was the whole truth as it had been five months since a bull nearly killed Rafe. The physical injuries were as recovered as they’d ever be. Emotional were more iffy.

I wish I could be there but... Once again his tone had changed. She knew he was feeling his own pressure. He handled it well, or he wouldn’t be in high stakes finance, but it didn’t come without a physical cost.

What I wanted to... Well it’ll be awhile longer before I can leave Uncle Amos. He really does need me here as much as anything to be sure he takes his meds and doesn’t overdo.

The hesitation was brief. I understand. When will you be back then?

Having split their living between two homes, one on the ranch and the other in Boston, had a lot of complications not the least of which was going to be this year for Christmas.

I don’t see how I can until the end of January.

No Tahiti then? His voice was toneless, revealing none of what he was feeling. That was so typical of Phillip when he wanted to drop a barrier between others and himself.

I’m sorry, love, but I just can’t do it to Uncle Amos. And with Rafe as he is, well they need me.

I need you too. He wasn’t condemning her, but she still knew he’d gone into a defensive mode.

And I need you. Phillip. I want a Montana Christmas this year with you here too. I know you planned for us to go to the islands again, but can’t you cancel that and come here instead, have a real family Christmas?

This time there was a definite pause, but she waited before she added, You know what Christmas means to me. I’ve told you how it always was.

Phillip had told her what holidays had meant to him—violent drunkenness from some of his mother’s boyfriends. It hadn’t improved as his sisters grew up and added their own chaos. His experiences had been far from Helene’s—even though most of hers hadn’t involved parents but rather the ranch and her uncle and aunt. For her, Christmas holidays had been an escape from pressure. Up in the mountains at their ranch, she had always been rejuvenated. She understood how different it had been for Phillip, but she could show him another way if he would give her a chance.

Please at least think about it, she said. I know I just dumped this on you but think about it. If you just can’t do it, well, we’ll work out something. She had no idea what as she was not going to leave her uncle until he was fully himself again.

Baby, I won’t say no to you. You know that. All right. Now his voice definitely took on a humorous twist. What does this business of a family Christmas—Montana style mean?

How soon can you get here? I could show you better than tell you.

Will there be any presents for me to unwrap? he asked with that teasing tone.

I did visit that little shop again last time I was in Boston. I was keeping it as a surprise but...

He laughed. Bribery will never work. Oh what am I saying, of course, it will. Let me work with Dale to see what I can manage. I’ll be there soon as I can... You can put money on that.

I’ll be heating something up for you.

Something I’ll like?

You haven’t had it before, so I can’t be sure.

I thought I’d had it all.

Just goes to show what you know.

His laughter was husky. She felt her body warm, her eyes grow heavy lidded. Then I guess I should come up with a few surprises for you too, he said in that sexy voice she loved so much.

All I want is my husband back in my arms sooner than later. Think Santa could deliver that to me if I wrote him a note? She knew her tone had also dropped an octave.

That’d be Christmas. Definitely too long.

Is something else growing longer? she asked thinking of the fun times they had had sex play on the phone. Maybe Phillip was in the mood for that now.

I only wish, baby, but my meeting starts in five minutes. I have to go and hope I can present a respectable look by then. She could again here the smile in his voice. She imagined his handsome face, the glint in his eyes, how his hard body would feel against hers. But oh well. One day soon—she hoped.

All right, she didn’t have to force the disappointment in her voice.

Right after this meeting I’ll get together with Dale and figure out when I can warm up the Learjet and then warm up something in Montana.

It can’t be too soon for me, she said as they said their goodbyes and then he was gone.

She had crossed one hurdle. She ought to be feeling some pleasure, but the hurdles weren’t past. She was determined to make Phillip’s Christmas the best anyone could ever have.  That was going to take some planning.

The risky part didn’t involve that. It would involve another phone call. She would put that off until she had cooked lunch for her uncle, Rafe, and Curly. Pulling on snow boots and her heavy coat, she added a muffler as the temperature had dropped overnight to almost zero and no wind. She wasn’t sure she was ready to tell them what she wanted. Uncle Amos might try to talk her out of it. Well he couldn’t do that. She knew she was taking a risk, but her instincts told her it would be worth it... she hoped.

Hope you’re with me on this, Aunt Rochelle, she whispered to her dead aunt whom she sometimes believed was around to hear her. I think it’s what you would do.

After having read a journal her aunt had left for her, she had come to know her not just as a relative, but as a woman, even a friend. It had been a last gift from a woman who had been like a second mother to her. Well actually more like a mother than hers had ever cared to be.

There were risks attached to what she was planning, but for