Historical
Cowboy Christmas
By CinLee
Nov 6, 2009 - 7:45:18 PM

After her mother’s death, Annette Talbot’s father sent her away to a girl’s school in St. Louis, but she never heard from him again. Eventually she had to leave when he ceased paying her tuition. With a gift from God in her singing voice and a deep rooted faith, she joined with a missionary group to spread the word. But then an evil couple took over the group and Annie found her life in danger.

Guilt ridden and devastated by his father’s death, Elijah Walker had sworn to bring his former fiancée to justice and to never trust a woman again. He met Annette on the train going into Ranger’s Bluff, Wyoming, but he refused to let her through the wall he had built around his heart.

Annette was on the run, not only for her life, but to keep her soul intact. Claude Leveque, who had brought the troupe into the missionary group and took over, tried his best to beat Annette into bowing to his demands of becoming a showgirl. His best weapon against her though  was the elderly woman who played piano for Annette. Elva escaped his clutches and set Annie free before her heart finally gave out.

A year later, Annette was enroute home to her father’s ranch in Ranger’s Bluff, Wyoming, certain he would welcome her with open arms and safety. Having already embarrassed herself by falling asleep on Elijah Walker on the train, she wasn’t about to have him discover that her father had not bothered to even show up to claim her.

The next morning, Annette rented a horse and made her way to the ranch, only to discover it had been long abandoned. Even worse, as she tried to make the ranch livable, Claude and his wife Blanche showed up. Annette ended up falling into the icy river and floating down to the Walker ranch, where she ended up in the care of Elijah Walker and his mother. Danger and lies stalk Annette as she hides out at the Walker ranch while branding herself a coward. Still, she is loathe to tell Elijah the truth, fearing he wouldn’t believe her.

COWBOY CHRISTMAS is a book that grabs you from the first paragraph and never lets go. I was moved to tears by the end, and the journey of seeing Annette and Elijah make their way to one another is touching and sweet. Wonderful characters fill this book as well as some of the most evil villains you would ever want to be missed. If you love a good Western romance, this will not disappoint.