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A Callahan Christmas Miracleby Tina LeonardCallahan Cowboys, Book 13Publisher: HarlequinRelease Date: November 1, 2013Genre: American Romance/ContemporaryLength: 224 PagesAdd to GoodreadsBook Description:Becoming a husband and family man in the middle of a raging land feud wasn’t the destiny Galen Callahan saw for himself. But once he laid eyes on Rose Carstairs, he knew the bouncy blonde with the warrior heart was his future. Now, with Rancho Diablo under siege, the eldest Callahan sibling will do whatever it takes to protect his new wife and triplets.Except Rose refuses to be protected! No husband of hers can stop her from fighting his side while keeping their newborn sons out of the line of fire. With Callahan lives and legacy on the line, Galen has a new mission: to vanquish a dangerous enemy and bring his family together in time for Christmas!
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Excerpt
Galen
Chacon Callahan looked over Rancho Diablo, where dark smoke filled
the sky above the canyons with smudges of black. He put his binoculars to his
eyes, studying the smoke as it grew and thickened.
He turned as
his sister, Ashlyn, drove up in the jeep. “It’s not a wildfire,” she said.
“No.” Rancho
Diablo was safely separated from the fire by the canyons, but if someone was
sending up signals near the expansive ranch, it would be a message the
Callahans couldn’t ignore. “It’s the land Storm Cash has offered to sell us.”
“I know. I
wonder if the elderly farmer who sold that land to Storm still lives there.”
She studied Galen’s face. “Think we should ride over and check on him?”
“I’ll call the
sheriff. He can alert the proper authorities. I think it’s best if we stay out
of it for now.” He was troubled by the fire, and an uneasy feeling was growing
in the pit of his stomach. “I’m heading back.”
“I’ll stay
here a bit longer.”
“Got your
gun?” Galen asked, knowing full well that Ash could take care of herself. He
could order her back to the ranch—should order her—but she’d just ignore him.
Probably give him a blistering retort to send him on his way as well.
“When do I not
have my gun?” Ash didn’t even bother to glance at him. Her eyes were glued to
the horizon.
“Don’t go over
there.”
“I won’t. Quit
fussing. You’re like a mother hen.” Ash finally turned to look him in the eye.
“By the way, the new agents are at the house, waiting for you to interview
them.”
New agents?”
“The ones to
replace Ana and River. Jace lined them up every hour on the hour for
interviews. Remember we agreed we needed new agents? Sawyer Cash can’t handle
everything on her own. And anyway,” Ash muttered under her breath, though he
could plainly hear every word of her complaint, “I’m not exactly sure she’s
capable of handling anything.”
He’d listened
to all the negative things the Callahan clan said about Sawyer, and
he couldn’t say there wasn’t real reason for concern. She was Storm Cash’s
niece, after all, and they’d never been certain if they could trust their wily
neighbor. He always seemed to be in the wrong place at the right time. “Maybe
we’re just being suspicious,” Galen said.
“There’s no
such thing as too much caution.”
“I know. I’m
heading off. Be careful. Don’t invite trouble.” Even though he knew Ash was
more than capable of protecting not just herself, but the ranch, Galen couldn’t
help leaving his sister with that warning before riding toward Rancho Diablo’s
main house. After last month, when their aunt Fiona blew up Uncle Wolf’s
hideout in Montana, he and his brothers had decided that the women in their
family had earned their stripes. They could more than take care of themselves.
Ash, like the rest of them, had been in the military, a trained operative. She
was as tough as any male Callahan. Tougher, maybe. And so he and his five
brothers had finally decided that their overprotective attitude toward their
baby sister was accomplishing nothing and was detrimental to their family
harmony.
Ash had never
listened to anyone’s concerns, anyway. Like Fiona, and the women who’d married
into the Callahan family, she did what she wanted—which was mostly
chase Xav Phillips, a family employee who rode the canyons and kept an eye out
for trespassers.
Galen was
pretty sure Ash caught him on occasion, too.
He was so busy
pondering the smoke in the canyons and his platinum-haired baby sister that he
almost missed the rider heading his way. A brunette he didn’t recognize rode up
on a gray horse.
“Hi,” she
said, smiling, as if it was every day strange women appeared at Rancho Diablo.
“Hello?” He
swallowed, peering into the dark green eyes smiling at him from under a white
cowgirl hat.
Her smile
turned sweeter, somehow sexy. Galen tried to pull his brain back from the
alluring abyss into which it was threatening to fall. “My name’s Somer Stevens.
I’m here to apply for the agent position.”
“I believe the
agents are supposed to be waiting for their interviews up at the house.”
“There are ten
candidates over there right now. It’s not every day that an opening comes up
for a position at Rancho Diablo.” Somer winked conspiratorially. “I figured I’d
better take a look around before I decided whether I belong here or not.”
He frowned.
“My brothers were going to show everyone around.”
“Yes, but if
I’d waited for the canned tour, I wouldn’t have gotten to speak to you
directly.”
Direct.
Assertive. These were valuable traits in someone working for the Callahans.
Most likely he would’ve done the same thing, if he’d been in her shoes. But he
wasn’t, and he was going to let her know that stroking his ego wasn’t going to
get her anywhere.
This one
wasn’t getting the job. Somer didn’t follow directions, and she made him sweat.
She wore dark blue pants and a blue jacket, all very proper for an interview;
she had a great horse and a lot of attitude, yet something told him Somer was
nothing but trouble.
And he never
ignored his instincts.
*
Unusual moment
number two of Galen’s day was when he walked into the massive den at Rancho
Diablo, looking for Fiona and the others. He wanted to corral his brothers into
the upstairs library, where they always held their meetings, so he could set a game
plan before they began interviewing. Galen wanted to apprise his brothers of
Somer’s tactic, and make certain she didn’t win her way into the job by pulling
the same thing on them that she had on him.
He gawked at
the woman sitting demurely in the den, recognizing her from one of Fiona’s
many Christmas balls in Diablo. She wore a gypsy costume and flashed
a big smile he found irresistible. “I believe I know you.”
“I’m Rose
Carstairs.” She shook his hand, and it was crazy how much he enjoyed feeling
her small hand in his. “You were there the night Dante was raffled off. Will it
be your turn this year?”
He found
himself transfixed by her costume, which consisted of a flouncy black skirt
that fell to her knees, a fluffy white blouse, lots of dangling chains around
her neck and huge hoop earrings. She wore many thin bracelets, and her blond
hair was swept up in a bouncy ponytail, topped by a red rose. “That’s some
outfit you’re wearing.”
“I’m here to
apply for the bodyguard position.”
Galen laughed.
“You don’t look the type.”
“Isn’t that
the point?”
He watched her
full lips curve into a smile. Appreciated the sparkle in her blue eyes. “I
don’t see how you’d blend into the background, gorgeous.”
“Hello,
Galen,” Aunt Fiona said, bustling into the den. “Don’t stand there monopolizing
the talent, please. You have interviews waiting.”
“The talent?”
He looked at Rose.
“I see you’ve
met Rose,” Fiona said. “She’s applying for the nanny position.”
“Ah. The nanny
position.” Galen took a second look at her shapely calves, her flat black,
practical shoes, and the laughter in Rose’s eyes. “I should have known.”
“Come on,
dear,” Fiona said, “before Galen hires you to be his personal bodyguard.
Goodness, Galen, get a move on. You need to change, look like a respectable
employer.”
Rose grinned
at him. “Good luck.”
“Good luck to
you. Nice to meet you, Rose.” He went off, forcing himself not to watch her
curvy backside as she followed Fiona out of the room. It was clear his aunt was
interested in hiring her. He didn’t think his brothers would get a thing done
with Rose around. The scenery would be just too tempting.
Then it
occurred to him that he and Jace were the only bachelors left at Rancho Diablo.
Sawyer was doing her best to monopolize Jace, though Galen wasn’t certain how
effective her barrage of attention was on his brother’s single status.
But that left
him as the lone available Callahan. The Lone Ranger of Rancho Diablo.
Neither Rose
nor Somer might make the cut with his five brothers and headstrong sister. His
brothers were dumb as woolly mammoths, and his sister, well, Ash was
unpredictable at best. Her mind stayed on Xav Phillips. She could go thumbs-up
or thumbs-down on either woman. Plus there were a number of other applicants.
He was
thumbs-way-up-high on Rose.
He’d just let
the situation develop and hope that Rose and her playful, kid-friendly gypsy
costume were voted yes by the family council. There was something so sexy and
darling about a woman who came dressed to play.
Jace followed
Galen into the upstairs library for the meeting.. “Did you see that woman from
the Christmas ball year before last showed up?”
“I did.” Galen
ignored his brother while he dug through some paperwork. “Let’s lay out our
battle plan. We need a new strategy, or have to improve on the old one.
Something has to change.”
“I might ask
her out,” Jace said. “You know, she’s from Tempest. Not that far down the
road—and we’ve got family and friends there. Our cousins have the Dark Diablo
ranch in Tempest. It’s a nice place. And Rose is probably a real nice gal.
Looks like it, anyway.” He grinned at his brother.
Galen
hesitated, suddenly losing interest in the stack of papers. “Why?”
“She’s hot as
an oven, dude.”
Galen
swallowed. “Poetic.”
“I know,
right?” Jace grinned, pleased with his announcement. “If Fiona hires her, I’m
definitely going to think about it.”
“I almost hate
to ask, and we do have greater matters to discuss other than your love life,
but don’t you and Sawyer have kind of a secret thing going on?”
Jace shrugged.
“If it’s a secret, why are you asking? And no, we don’t. Sawyer is a pretty
girl. That’s all. I think she flirts with all the guys. She’d probably flirt
with you, if you’d unbend.”
Galen decided
he didn’t care about Jace’s love life. “Whatever.”
“Why? Do you
want to ask Rose out?”
“No, I don’t.”
Damn straight I do.
“Because if you
want to,” Jace said, like a dog with a juicy bone, “I wouldn’t stand in the
way. I wouldn’t want to make you look bad. You’re not getting any younger,
old-timer.”
“As if you
could make me look bad.” Galen glanced toward the door. “Where’s the rest of
the team?”
“I think they
saw the other candidates and stopped to chat. I, on the other hand, stick to
the assignment.” Jace poured himself a whiskey with a huge grin. “What’s up
with your face, bro? Look like you have a stomachache. Need a soother?” He waved
the bottle Galen’s way.
“I do not need
a soother.” He sat on a sofa, dismissing his brother, and pondered what he
should say about Somer. She’d definitely gone after the job, and he felt
vaguely uneasy about her aggressiveness. He was the eldest Callahan, a
doctor, a man who believed that fate and hard work brought many gifts. Why
should Somer bother him so much?
“One of the
candidates took off by herself to tour the ranch,” Galen said.
“Oh.” Jace
seated himself at the opposite end of the sofa. “The tall, hot brunette? I
think I heard Fiona tell her to go let her horse have some exercise. She
pointed her in your direction, knowing the two of you would meet up. Fiona
would never send a female onto the ranch without protection, but she knew you were
on your way back, and that Ash was out there, too.”
Now that made
more sense. Aunt Fiona’s fey mind at work, probably culling the tempting
beauties from the herd and dangling them in front of the remaining single
Callahans. “Why’d she bring her own horse?”
“Probably
because she’d be expected to ride here? This is a ranch, you know.”
It all sounded
reasonable.
“Gorgeous
piece of flesh, if you ask me.” Jace’s grin was so irritating Galen wished he
could bean him one across the head as he had when they were children. He’d
given up beaning his siblings when they went off to boot camp.
“Are you
planning on asking her out or not?” Galen asked.
Jace gave him
an annoyed look. “The horse was a gorgeous piece of horseflesh,” he said,
emphasizing the word as if Galen were stupid. Then he grinned again. “Galen, my
brother, has a woman finally walked into your path that stirs your quiet,
hard-to-reach soul?”
“No,” he said,
thinking, Yes, that petite blonde with big eyes, but I’m not about to give you
anything to crow about.
The rest of
their brothers filed in, as well as Ash, whose grin was big as the quarter
moon.
“What’s going
on with the fire?” Galen asked her.
“Sheriff says
he’s got men over there checking it out. We’ll know soon enough.”
He studied his
brothers, grateful that he’d been able to keep them on the right path, the path
of men committed to the fight. Strong, brave, true. Of course, Grandfather
Running Bear had set the path for all of them. When their parents had gone away
from the tribe, Galen returned home from his medical studies and raised his
brothers and sister. They’d been a headstrong bunch, fierce and courageous. All
of them had opted to join the military—and then retired to quiet lives. Then
Running Bear had reached out with his astonishing instructions that they come
to Rancho Diablo and protect cousins they’d never known they had. Protect a
heritage they’d never known was theirs.
That decision
had been the turning point that marked them all, and changed their lives.
“Excuse me,”
Fiona said. Their aunt poked her head into the library. “I know the family
meetings are sacred, but Rose is about to head back to Tempest. Are there any
objections to her being hired on here?”
Jace looked at
him. “Yes, Galen, are there any objections?”
Galen
grimaced. “Why would I care who is hired as a nanny here? I don’t have
children.”
“Well, you
always seem to have an opinion about everything, relevant or not,” Fiona
replied. “And you’ve met Rose before, so I just wanted to make certain there’d
be no awkwardness. Awkwardness is bad when we all live as closely as we do.”
His frown
deepened. “Why would I feel awkward around Rose? I barely know her.”
The rest of
the family was quick to sense that something was in the air.
“Are we
roasting Galen about something, Aunt Fiona?” Ash asked.
“No. Just
making sure his highness is consulted about the new hires.” Fiona looked
pleased with her jibe.
“Ah,” Dante
said, “you’re trying not to get on his bad side by hiring Rose.” He nodded
wisely, as if he understood the entire situation. Galen felt pretty much in the
dark. “So, Galen, what do you think about the new girl?”
Galen cleared
his throat, realizing his family had him pinned against the wall. If he let on
that he did have a weakness for Rose, there would be incessant teasing and
subtle ribbing. “I couldn’t care less who is hired on at Rancho Diablo.” He
pondered his words for a moment. “Though I do admit I’m not certain about Somer
Stevens,” and everyone said, “Ah!”
He sighed. “I
guess I couldn’t convince you that there’s just something about her that puts
me off. It’s not personal.” He glared around the room at all the smiling faces.
“Never mind. I don’t care who gets hired. Can we get on to planning how to beef
up security?”
They moved on
with the meeting, shooting him a few knowing looks, sizing up his mood in a way
that family does when they know you’ve got something on your mind. His family
did know him, very well, but on the matter of his heart, Galen preferred to
remain an enigma.
Then he could
romance Rose without his family observing every single move he made, the way
they had with his brothers when they were courting. Of course, Galen did the
same thing to them, which was why he had no desire to have the matchmaking
tongs applied to him. Once his family had you in their sights, the well-meaning
interference never ended.
If Rose
accepted the position, he’d begin to plan a different strategy, called
Romancing the Nanny.
He didn’t want
to be the Lone Ranger of Rancho Diablo for the rest of his life.
“What are you
grinning about, bro?” Tighe asked, and Galen shook himself from his daydream of
Rose’s delightful curves and big smile. “Look like you had something sweet on
your mind.”
“Just
wondering how you dolts ever ended up with women. Proceed.” He waved a hand
imperiously. “Let’s hear all your plans for securing this ranch, especially if
that fire over there was set by our renegade uncle Wolf. Because if it can
happen across the canyons, it most certainly can happen at Rancho Diablo. And I
refuse to allow the work of our father and Uncle Jeremiah to go up in
smoke.”
Tina's
Bio
USA Today bestselling and
award-winning author Tina Leonard writes with humor, sexiness, and fun. With
over 2.6 million books sold, she plans to keep writing books readers enjoy. Her
writing schedule keeps her very busy with independent heroines and the heroes
who love them. You can visit Tina at www.tinaleonard.com, or www.facebook.com/tinaleonardbooks.
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