The Rancher's Christmas Bride

The Rancher's Christmas Bride
Brenda Minton

A Cowboy for ChristmasJilted at the altar, all Marissa Walker wants for Christmas is to escape her life. Fleeing to Bluebonnet Springs and the ailing grandfather she’s never known seems like the perfect solution. But when her limo breaks down, neighboring rancher Alex Palermo comes to her rescue. With his ranch in jeopardy, Alex can’t afford any distractions right now—until he sees a bedraggled runaway bride on the side of the road. Alex can’t turn his back on the spunky city girl, and soon his priority becomes convincing her to stay. Because Christmas—and his future—would be much merrier with Marissa as his bride.Bluebonnet Springs: Finding true love in Texas

A Cowboy for Christmas

After being jilted at the altar, all Marissa Walker wants for Christmas is to escape her life. Fleeing to Bluebonnet Springs and the ailing grandfather she’s never known seems like the perfect solution. But when her limo breaks down, neighboring rancher Alex Palermo comes to her rescue. With his ranch in jeopardy, Alex can’t afford any distractions right now—until he sees a bedraggled runaway bride on the side of the road. Alex can’t turn his back on the spunky city girl, and soon his priority becomes convincing her to stay. Because Christmas—and his future—would be much merrier with Marissa as his bride.

“I would marry you.”

Marissa looked half afraid. “That isn’t funny.”

“No one said I was joking.”

“You don’t even know my name.”

No, Alex guessed he didn’t. Nor did she know his. He’d been known to be impulsive, but it took a certain kind of brashness to propose to a woman when you didn’t even know her name.

But he said it again. “I would marry you.”

She laughed and got out of his truck. Well, maybe he’d been wrong. He was, after all, Alex Palermo. In his experience, women wanted to date him but they didn’t want to marry him. To the people in Bluebonnet Springs, he was a Palermo. On the bull-riding circuit he was a little bit wild, and not the guy anyone wanted to settle down with.

Not only that, but most women didn’t accept proposals from strangers who picked them up on the side of the road.

Besides, she was out of his league. She knew it. He knew it. But he couldn’t help but admire her.

BRENDA MINTON lives in the Ozarks with her husband, children, cats, dogs and strays. She is a pastor’s wife, Sunday-school teacher, coffee addict and sleep deprived. Not in that order. Her dream to be an author for Harlequin started somewhere in the pages of a romance novel about a young American woman stranded in a Spanish castle. Her dreams came true, and twenty-plus books later, she is an author hoping to inspire young girls to dream.

The Rancher’s Christmas Bride

Brenda Minton

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

And we know that God causes everything

to work together for the good of those

who love God and are called according to

His purpose for them.

—Romans 8:28

To Josh and Brooke, for pitching in and making everything so much easier for me. I’m blessed to have such amazing kids. And to my editor, Melissa Endlich, because she’s awesome.

Contents

Cover (#u1af3f50e-f875-5aa5-8df4-5768279010bd)

Back Cover Text (#uaf58419e-a565-54de-a0b8-40ea042480d9)

Introduction (#u99dd9835-8c88-5416-8856-f21198bf913b)

About the Author (#uaa9335f2-3375-555c-a2db-9013a0f68c5d)

Title Page (#uf43cf4dc-9793-5afa-a548-bc510d8c7495)

Bible Verse (#u79123dad-3f26-5799-a392-c31555358df4)

Dedication (#ub562a1f1-fea9-5380-9324-515951d06022)

Chapter One (#u48ed62d3-bbac-560c-8784-22de43304a6e)

Chapter Two (#ubf5d768b-bde2-5a91-a7aa-39e3e70c7399)

Chapter Three (#uf61f9631-d506-5796-a00d-c6b08d65fbc2)

Chapter Four (#uf66dd509-8ec7-5891-80a6-99b8f3dda3d9)

Chapter Five (#u22b7a728-bf09-50be-bcc1-f8217273ec45)

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)

Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)

Dear Reader (#litres_trial_promo)