I'd had hopes of sharing some good Christmas or holiday books with you, but I've been so busy lately I haven't had time to read anything other than research books. So instead, I'm give you a short Christmas story I wrote last year for our Free Reads blog.
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Christmas
Eve Promise
By Paty Jager (c) 2012
Jubal Denton rode down the deserted street on his tired
gelding. He and Red had been pushing
both their limits to get to Willow Bend by Christmas Eve. The wind they’d been battling the whole way rolled
tumbleweeds the size of a cow down the street towards him. Where was everyone? The streets were empty
and the shutters closed on every building along Main Street. The place looked
like a ghost town.
His stomach grumbled as he headed toward old man
Mitchell’s livery. The doors on the building were closed to the bitter wind
rolling through the streets. Jubal’s muscles ached from the cold and long hours
in the saddle. All the way here all he
could think about was Suzie’s cooking. He’d been living on dried meat and
biscuits for weeks as he chased the Eagers gang.
He opened the livery door and led Red into an empty
stall. Red snorted and sidestepped as
Jubal loosened the cinch. “What’s the matter boy?” He reassured the gelding
with a pat on the neck, gave him a portion of the oats from a barrel at the end
of the stalls, and slung his saddle bag over his shoulder.
Back out in the wind, Jubal strode down the street heading
for Suzie’s restaurant. The scent of gingerbread made his mouth water and his
gut growl. Sniffing the air, he followed the spicy aroma to Suzie’s place. But
the windows were dark and the door locked.
Jubal stepped off the walkway and stood in the
middle of the street. Where was everyone?
A choir of angels, or so it seemed, sung Silent Night
.
He
knew where the townfolk were.
His heart picked up the pace of his feet, as he
trotted toward the church on the hill.
The voices grew in strength as he neared the small white church. He
stepped across the threshold, removed his hat, and Suzie moved out of her place in the choir and
ran down the aisle into his arms.
“I knew you’d make it by Christmas Eve if nothing
happened to you,” she said, burying her head between his shoulder and neck.
“I promised you a Christmas wedding.” Jubal tipped
her chin up and kissed her in front of the whole congregation.
###
I have a story in a Christmas Anthology you can read about later this week and I have a historical western romance book releasing on November 10th, Laying Claim.
Bio:
Wife, mother,
grandmother, and the one who cleans pens and delivers the hay; award winning
author Paty Jager and her husband currently ranch 350 acres when not dashing
around visiting their children and grandchildren. She not only writes the
western lifestyle, she lives it.
You can learn more
about Paty at her blog; www.patyjager.blogspot.com her website; http://www.patyjager.net or on Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/#!/paty.jager
and twitter; @patyjag and Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1005334.Paty_Jager
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