Christmas at The Corral

By Debra St. John

Maggie Pearson has no time in her busy life for love, but an immediate attraction draws her to a mysterious stranger at The Corral, a local bar. However, any romantic feelings are ruthlessly squashed when he accuses her of having an affair with his brother. As a divorce lawyer, Van Rawlings has seen the ugly side of marriage too many times to believe in love. But having gotten off on the wrong foot with Maggie, and genuinely contrite over his faux pas, he offers to help her with an upcoming Christmas charity dinner. The more time they spend together, the more he realizes he's never met anyone like Maggie, who gives so generously of her time. Can Maggie and the magic of the season help Van believe again? In Christmas and in love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
• Release date: Nov 4, 2015
• ISBN: 9781509201952

Debra St. John

Debra St. John has been reading and writing romance since high school. She always dreamed about publishing a romance novel some day. Her dream came true when she started writing sultry contemporary romance with sexy heroes and spunky heroines for The Wild Rose Press. Although she's a country gal at heart, she lives in a suburb of Chicago with her husband, who is her real life hero.

Book preview

Inc.

I’ve never done this before.

Maggie glanced over. Driven a pickup? He looked right at home behind the wheel, down to the straw cowboy hat perched on his head. Don’t all Texas boys have to as a rite of passage or something?

Not the truck. I’ve never cut down a Christmas tree. He shifted his gaze from the road and shot her a wicked smile. And there are definitely lots of things boys in Texas need to do in their pickups as a rite of passage. Wanna try one or two?

Once again her long-dormant libido made its presence known as she imagined the one or two things he had in mind. She tingled in places that hadn’t tingled in forever. The tempting offer was nearly enough to distract her from his Christmas tree comment, but not quite.

How is that possible?

Well, I could pull over. You’d slide along the bench closer to me, and—

Not that. Ay yi yi. He was killing her. Her face, along with the rest of her body, went up in flames.

He chuckled, low and sexy. Knowing.

The Christmas tree thing.

He shrugged. We always had an artificial tree while I was growing up. In fact, my parents still have the same one. The thing must be thirty-some years old.

What kind of tree do you have in—where do you live?

Dallas, and I don’t have any kind of tree.

Why not, Mr. Scrooge?

Ha. Ha. I’m never home, and it’s just me there anyway. Why bother?

Because it’s Christmas.

Praise for Debra St. John’s Corral Series

"Original turns of phrase make [THIS FEELS LIKE HOME] a delightful read. A great concept—a bull rider pared with a safety-conscious woman—who could ask for more built in conflict? I also enjoyed the authentic look at rodeos!"

~Ashantay Peters, author of Dickens of a Death

~*~

"The story and characters tugged at my heart while reading. I enjoyed [THIS CAN’T BE LOVE] very much…If you like a contemporary, passionate and emotional read, then laugh and cry along with this one. An author who can make the reader feel so many things is one that has staying power in the writing world."

~Long and Short Reviews(5 Books)

~*~

"Ms. Debra St. John has created a magnificent storyline in [THIS TIME FOR ALWAYS], her first published work…Her couple faced so many devastating situations that it was impossible to not get sincerely involved in their ups and downs…The sensual scenes were beautifully written…I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys an expressive romance with a happily ever after."

~The Romance Studio (5 Hearts)

Christmas

at The Corral

by

Debra St. John

Holidays at The Corral Series

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

Christmas at The Corral

COPYRIGHT © 2015 by Deborah Rittle

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Contact Information: [e-mail]

Cover Art by Diana Carlile

The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

PO Box 708

Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

Publishing History

First Champagne Rose Edition, 2015

Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-0195-2

Holidays at The Corral Series

Published in the United States of America

Dedication

To John:

I’ll always cherish the memories we made

at the real Corral.

Chapter One

What do you mean you’re stuck in Colorado and can’t get home?

Van Rawlings glanced over at the woman sitting a few stools down at the bar. Her open-mouthed expression of dismay might have been comical if it weren’t paired with the desperate tone of her voice, which carried even over the energetic beat of Luke Bryan’s Run, Run Rudolph currently blasting through the room’s speakers.

Although it had been the content, not the tenor, of the sentence she’d spoken into the phone tucked against her ear that had caught his attention. He also happened to know someone stuck in Colorado unable to get home. No way could it be a coincidence. Not in a town this size.

Who was this woman?

She tucked a