Christmas Day
Welcome
Amie Stuart
Author of:
The Big Girl’s
Guide
to Buying Lingerie
7pm PST
Friday
·
Publisher:
Dancehall Diaries Ltd.
·
Release
Date: June 2016
·
Genre:
Contemporary Western Romance
·
Available
Formats: eBook
Tim Caldwell is a Casanova
Cowboy. Even as he vows to clean up his act for his daughter’s sake, he gets
slam-dunked by the presence of one beautiful, ornery and distant bartender.
Toni Dubois is a lost soul
who’s spent her life on the run. After fifteen years, she heads back Louisiana
but gets sidetracked when Lady Fate lands her in Bluebonnet, Texas.
This isn’t just Tim and
Toni’s story, it’s Rene’s also and the pre-teen from hell does everything she
can to rile her dad. From swearing like a sailor to bribing Toni into leave
town. But Rene’s not the only one who has a lot to learn about life and love
and maybe a few lessons to teach as well.
Coming
Soon
Soon
The two-way radio at Tim’s
belt squawked, startling him and the yearling he’d been working with. The
rope slipped from his grip and Sonny, a two-year-old boy who was short on
manners, danced away, a grin on his horsy face.
Before he could unhook it
from his belt, the radio squawked again.
“Tim Caldwell, answer me!”
“I’m here, Momma.” He
licked his lips, then wished he hadn’t. They were coated with dust.
Only June and already the temperatures in South Central Texas were nudging the
century mark.
“The school just called and
said you need to come pick up Rene.”
Sonny nudged his elbow as a
low groan slipped past his lips. “What now?”
Sixth grade just hadn’t been
good for Rene—-or vice versa—right up to the last day of school, when she’d
beaten up a girl in gym class.
His mom’s voice crackled with
static. “She started her period and, apparently, raised quite a
ruckus. Tim, didn’t you tell her about…you know?”
Oh shit. “I
forgot.” He released the ‘talk’ button and sighed, waiting for the
explosion, glad she couldn’t see him shiver from the suddenly clammy sweat.
“Timothy Patrick! That
child is probably scared out of her wits!”
Tim winced, knowing full well
he deserved the scolding and a whole hell of a lot more. Telling Rene
about the facts of life was something he’d put off. Like a checkup or
doing his taxes. Determined to do the right thing, he’d read the book his
aunt had given him, then chickened out, scared he’d flub it and too proud to ask
for help. Now, ask him about horse breeding and he could talk a body’s ear
off. Much more to-the-point than his daughter’s “journey to womanhood”.
Not for the first time he
cursed his ex-wife for taking off on them, the mean angry side of him glad she
was in prison. He hadn’t asked to take this on by himself.
“They thought,” his mom
continued, “that under the circumstances, she could just take the rest of the
day off.”
“How bad was it?” He
unsnapped Sonny’s lead and opened the gate separating the small arena from Sonny’s
pasture. Sonny took off to play with his friends, kicking up his heels
and a cloud of dust. Tim smothered a twinge of envy and a cough while
listening to his mom’s reply.
“They didn’t say, but
Principal Skinner specifically asked for you.”
Janie Skinner had it out for
him, firmly convinced he had no business raising a little girl by himself and
more than willing to “help” if he’d let her.
But at twelve, Rene was no
longer a little girl. Obviously.
“Alright. Lemme get
cleaned up. Would you call Skinner back and tell her I’ll be there in
about forty-five minutes?”
* * *
Forty minutes and one stop at
the grocery store later, he pulled up in front of Bluebonnet Elementary and
slid out from behind the wheel of his dusty pickup. As he made his way up
the shallow steps, he noticed Skinner lying in wait for him just inside the
double doors and slowed his pace.
Rene’d started her period,
for Christ sake, not tried to burn the school down.
“Morning, Tim.” Despite
her conservative attire of khakis, an oxford shirt and the snug bun, her smile
was almost flirtatious as she held the door open for him.
There was no doubt in his
mind if he’d gone out with her, she would have eased up on Rene–but even he had
his principles. No puns intended. Besides, summer school ended in
one more week. Then came junior high where the principal was a man–and
one of his dad’s poker buddies. Relief was in sight.
“Janie,” he replied, forcing
an easy grin. No way in hell would he let her know just how much she
irked him.
Her own smile faded.
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