So excited to show you the cover for the third book in my Clear Water stories with Love Inspired. A story of family, faith and finding a place to belong all in time for Christmas.
A Texas Christmas Wish.
Two of my favorite secondary characters are horses, Quarter horse, Jet set Lena and Rescued Appaloosa, Tank.
And yes, as the cover indicates there is some snow and a Christmas Eve foal. Along with a hero that’s a pilot. I loved writing Karly & Tyler’s story. Their book will be in most Walmarts September 15 and available for pre-order at Barns & Noble and Amazon. The E-books will download October 1, 2015
Links below.
Karly Kalakona’s new nursing job is the perfect Christmas gift she and her son needed for their future. The single mom just never counted on dealing with not only a stubborn patient, but also with his prodigal son. After years away, pilot Tyler Childress is only a temporary traveler to the Texas ranch he’s spent his life escaping. But the chemistry he shares with his father’s nurse is undeniable—and has him thinking of sticking around past the holiday season. Can Tyler learn to trust the woman whose caring ways are bringing his father back to life…and who might just be the partner his wandering heart can find a home with?
Click here to pre-order on Amazon A Texas Christmas Wish
Click here to pre-order for Nook or Barns & Noble – A Texas Christmas Wish
Opening Scene:
Karly turned the wipers to the highest setting, but they didn’t help much. She knew the ranchers in Clear Water, Texas, were celebrating after the long drought, but she just wanted to get to her new home without drowning.
New home. If everything worked out the way she planned, her young son, Bryce would be celebrating Christmas in a real home for the first time ever. Last Christmas they had been living in her car. At church deacon Dub Childress had always made her feel welcomed. Now he was recovering from a stroke and broken arm—and it was her turn to help him.
On the huge plus side, if she could pull this off, no shelter or cheap hotel for them this year. But would she be able to care for Dub and his house? She didn’t even finish high school. Doing some research on stroke patients online might not be enough.
Deep breath in…out. She made herself relax. This last year had brought so many changes, with the help of her new church family, she was free of bad relationships. Hopefully no one expected her to cook. She could clean. She was very good at cleaning.
The rain pounded the roof, making it hard to hear anything else. In the backseat, Bryce finally calmed down. Her five-year-old son hated storms—or any loud noise. She leaned forward, her knuckles white around the steering wheel. God had gotten them through worse storms.
Glancing in the rearview mirror at her son, she continued the game. “Let me see. Is it your baby picture on my visor?”
Kicking his feet against the passenger seat, Bryce grinned at her. His smile shone through the dark, dreary day. “Yes! Now it’s your turn.”
“Okay…let me see….I spy something…blue and white.”
Bryce gasped. Karly turned back to see what startled him. He pointed to the road in front of her.
“Airplane.”
Squinting to see through the heavy rain she saw it, too. “No…” She blinked to clear the image, but it was still there. A small aircraft hovered over the road. The spinning blades on the nose of the plane headed straight for them. The wings tilted from one side to the other as if trying to balance on the air.
Instinctively, she hit the brake and jerked to the right, taking them through a muddy ditch. The car bounced over the rocky terrain. Their seat belts were the only thing that kept them in place. The boxes and bags weren’t so lucky.
After a hard stop, just short of a barbed-wire fence, she looked back at Bryce, reaching for him, needing to touch him. “Are you okay?”
He twisted in his booster seat, pulling himself around as far as the seat belt would let him go. “It’s an airplane.” He looked at her for a second before pointing around the overturned boxes in the back. “An airplane on the road.”
Through the back window, in the gray, water-blurred scene, Karly saw a figure run toward them. She slowly filled her lungs, making every effort to breathe and stop the shaking of her hands. Eyes closed, she counted and relaxed each muscle.
A tap on the window caused her to jump. A drenched man stood outside her car. Rolling the window down, she was hit with rain. She cupped a hand over her face and found Tyler Childress staring at her.
Tyler pulled his leather jacket over his head to block her from the onslaught of rain. Leaning closer to her, he looked into the car. “Is everyone all right? I’m so sorry. Cattle were on the airstrip and I thought I could make it to the field, but the pressure came in low.”
“We’re fine. A little shaken up, but fine. Tyler Childress, right?”
“Oh, no.” He smiled—the smile she heard the women of Clear Water sigh over whenever they gossiped about the good-looking son of Dub Childress. Wild and impulsive, but good-looking as all get out. This phrase was repeated often. “We didn’t go to school together did we? I’m horrible with names.” The rain started dripping off the sides of his jacket.
“No, we’ve never met. Why don’t you get in the car and out of the rain?
He gave a quick nod and ran in front of her car as she rolled up her window.
Reaching across the seat. She pulled the lock up, then started stuffing bags and containers in the seat behind her. The off-road adventure had scattered their worldly possessions throughout the car. They would have to repack everything. Tyler slid into her `97 wagon. The space got a lot smaller with his tall, well-built body. He looked like a pirate just rescued from a shipwreck.
She focused on her hands. He was dangerous, the kind of man that could bring trouble to her new safe world.
Jolene Navarro 