Texas Christmas Bride: The Gallaghers of Sweetgrass Springs Book 6 (22 page)

And wanting her to do the same.

Penny had to duck her head and swallow an inelegant snort.

He tilted her chin, his eyes hot and filled with promises. “With this ring I thee wed, and pledge my life, my love and my honor, committing my heart and my soul to you and you alone from this day forward.”

“And you, Penelope? Do you have a ring for this man?”

She hadn’t until her father had offered his until they could replace it. Thank heavens her father was a big man like Jackson. The ring was a tight fit, but it would work. “With this ring, I thee wed, and pledge my life, my love and my honor, committing my heart and my soul to you and you alone from this day forward.”

Bridger stared down at it, then up at her and broke into a broad smile.

He didn’t wait for permission to kiss her. He yanked her into his body and proceeded to kiss the socks off her.

Laughter and applause rolled out.

When at last they came up for air, she looked into the eyes she loved so much. “Thank you for not giving up on me. For not letting me be an idiot.”

His mouth quirked. “My pleasure, Legs.” Then he drew her hands to his lips and kissed each one. “Thank you for giving me a home in your heart, in your town, in your life. We’re going to make a good life here.”

“We are.”

“Well, I think that says it all, folks. May I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Bridger Calhoun?”

Ruby’s house filled with loud applause and shouts.

Then a little voice pierced the din.

“Bwidge, are we married now?”

She never saw Bridger at a loss for words—

But he was in that state now, a panicked expression on his face as he sought out Maddie and Boone.

Lilah Rose’s father pulled her close to explain the situation.

While Penny dropped her head and laughed until her sides ached.

Then found herself swept off her feet.

“Laugh it up, Shark Girl.”

But Bridger was smiling like the sun.

“That’s Mrs. Shark Girl to you, mister.”

She didn’t wait for Bridger to answer.

Instead it was he who was thoroughly kissed.

~THE END~

Thank you for letting me share my stories with you!

Next up is
THE BOOK BABES TRILOGY
:

The Book Babes reading group began as five women wanting to talk books—but now they’ve become family. There’s romance author Ava Sinclair, organizer and backbone; happily-married mother of five Ellie Preston, group mom; patrician art gallery owner Sylvie Everett; single mom and sociology professor Luisa Martinez; and ambitious attorney Laken Foster, the wild child of the bunch. For several years now, they’ve met monthly and discussed the current book a little—and dissected their lives and loves far more often.

But now change is rippling through the group, begun by Laken’s restlessness with her freewheeling life of serial hookups and sent into hyperdrive by Ava’s suddenly-hot career, while Luisa’s abusive ex tries to reclaim their teenage son and Sylvie faces her mother’s decline. But it’s when Ellie takes her first step into life after her children fly the nest and falls under the spell of the sexy artist who’s teaching her to paint that the group’s orbit begins to wobble on its axis, and life—for all of them and the men they love—will never be the same.

And then there’s the surprise Sweetgrass Springs connection…

“I love the concept of this story, about a unique group of women whose friendship cements them, despite their differences. How they grow into their relationships, as the years pass, becoming stronger as they find new challenges, is compelling.”

~Reader review

“Great start to what will be an awesome trilogy. I love the eclectic group of characters. All these strong women & some delicious men. I love the connection to Sweetgrass as well.”

~Reader review

Start reading
THE BOOK BABES
today!

If you enjoyed TEXAS CHRISTMAS BRIDE, I would be very grateful if you would help others find this book by recommending it to your friends on
Goodreads
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. If you would like to be informed when my next release is available, please sign up for my
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.

I love hearing from you, so please contact me through any of the options at the end of this book.

Thanks!

Jean

Sweetgrass Springs stories include:

TEXAS ROOTS
(Ian and Scarlett book 1)

TEXAS WILD
(Mackey and Rissa book 2)

TEXAS DREAMS
(a reunion of all the Texas Heroes families)

TEXAS REBEL
(Jackson and Veronica book 4)

TEXAS BLAZE
(Bridger and Penelope book 5)

TEXAS CHRISTMAS
BRIDE (a Texas Heroes reunion book 6)

TEXAS TIES
(Book Babes part 1)

TEXAS TROUBLES
(Book Babes part 2)

TEXAS TOGETHER
(Book Babes part 3)

TEXAS HOPE
(Michael and Laken)

TEXAS STRONG
(Tank and Chrissy)

TEXAS SWEET
(Brenda and Henry’s story)

Austin, Texas

August

“You answered a freaking personals ad?” Ava Sinclair burst out laughing. “Which one, Laken?
Six foot tall hunk of burning love seeks woman into foot massage and Bob Marley
?”

Three other heads swiveled, waiting for the inevitable flare-up when Ava’s exasperation overcame her love, and Laken Foster’s shark-lawyer ego couldn’t stand coming in second.

“Laken, you didn’t,” Luisa Martinez protested, her soft voice barely heard above the sudden din. She squeezed Laken’s hand in commiseration.

Laken shot her a look that forbade pity. Luisa settled back to drink her tea and wait.

“Well, I for one, darling, think it’s about time you made the switch from the singles bar scene. All those dreadful married men with white bands on their fingers.” Sylvie Everett’s elegant nose wrinkled faintly. “Now tell all. Dish the details. What’s he like? Any orgies in the offing?”

Ava watched as Ellie Preston returned to her cozy living room, fresh wine bottles in hand. Ava could have predicted the rescue.

She wasn’t wrong. Ellie eased in between them, soothing. “Now, Sylvie. Laken may not want to talk about it. More wine, anyone?”

“Since when does Laken withhold a single detail of her sex life?” Ava couldn’t resist prodding Ellie’s perpetual air of virginity. The mother of five, her baby about to start first grade, Ellie could pass for sixteen in all but the harshest light. There was something of the ingénue about their auburn-haired friend that life couldn’t seem to erase. The room around them reflected her: lush green plants at every window, the bright spill of knitting yarns in a basket, pillow tops she’d quilted by hand.

The dusting of freckles across Ellie’s nose dimmed as her cheeks turned pink. Then her grin turned impish. “Well, far be it from me to discourage her from talking about it—” Her eyebrows rose with her voice. “—if she wants to?”

The whole group broke up laughing, Laken’s sultry chuckles blending with Luisa’s clear soprano.

“Come on, Laken, spill your guts. Luisa hasn’t been laid in two years and Ellie’s still trying to figure out where all those kids come from.” Ava poured herself a second glass of pinot noir.

Laken slugged down the last of her wine, holding out the glass for Ellie to refill. Her spiky dark mane shook with the force of her denial. “You do not have my permission to steal this for your next book, Ava.”

Ava clutched one hand to her breast with a dramatic sigh. “Trust me, Laken, I haven’t run out of imagination yet. This crew has a ways to go to catch up with my heroines.”

“Too true,” Sylvie nodded. “Thanks to your incredible imaginary men.” She lifted her glass. “To Ava’s heroes, long may they inspire our dreams.”

They all clicked glasses, laughing, and drank—Luisa her tea, Ellie her watered wine, Ava and Laken red, Sylvie her customary chardonnay.

Another meeting of The Book Babes was well underway.

Laken sprawled back and sighed, fanning herself against the summer swelter of Austin, Texas. “If only you could conjure some of them up in the flesh, Ava, I wouldn’t be reduced to scouring the earth for one good man.”

“There are good men all around you,” Ellie objected.

“Yeah, but you and Ava are married to them.”

“Wyatt has a friend—”

“Stop right there,” Laken flashed her palm at Ellie. “No more matchmaking. Period. There are three men in this town worth a damn; Ava’s got Tom, you’ve got Wyatt, and Sylvie’s going to keep Gabe waiting until he’s old and gray.”

“No, Sylvie’s not.” A tiny tremor shook the carefully modulated voice that matched Sylvie’s ever-faultless appearance.

Ava shot a glance across the coffee table, seeing what she should have recognized earlier in Sylvie’s silence. “What happened?”

Sylvie shook her head, the ash blonde shoulder-length pageboy shimmering. “It’s over, that’s all.”

Ever the nurturer, Ellie placed a hand on Sylvie’s shoulder. Only Ellie would dare, and only Ellie would not be shaken off by shoulders tightened into almost military posture. “You don’t have to talk about it, if you don’t want to.”

“I don’t.”

Silence stretched out, an unheard-of occurrence at their monthly meetings. Far more common was the clamor of all of them talking at once, too much to say, too much to share, words tumbling in pell-mell fashion from the lips of intelligent women trying to piece out the ways of the world.

Luisa filled in with their topic of last resort—the book they were supposed to be discussing. “So what did anyone think of
Smilla’s Sense of Snow
?”

Ava held back. She’d hated its dearth of emotion. The plot was intriguing, but the writing was so spare and sterile. But she knew that Sylvie had loved it, and Sylvie was already hurting.

Laken had no such restraint. “It sucked.”

“Laken!” Ellie reached over, patting Sylvie’s knee. “It was really interesting. Very exciting.”

“I loved it, Sylvie,” Luisa responded. “I had to wrap up in a blanket, reading it, the setting was so vivid.”

Ava chuckled and shook her head. A blanket in August in Texas. “What was the a/c setting? Fifty-five?”

Laken intoned, “Thank God summer doesn’t last forever.”

Sylvie’s smooth tones interrupted their laughter. “What about you, Ava? How did you like it?”

Opening her mouth to respond, Ava glanced around the room, distracted by the tears brimming on Ellie’s lashes. Ava’s comments were forgotten as she took in the startling sight. “What’s wrong, Ellie?”

The auburn pageboy swung with the shaking of Ellie’s head, her fingers pressed tightly to trembling lips.

Even the Ice Queen was disturbed by the sight. Ellie always smiled, always ministered to the rest of them. “Is it one of the children?” Sylvie ventured.

The tears overflowed ginger lashes, brown eyes filled with hurt. “I swore I wouldn’t do this. It’s silly…millions of women deal with this. I know it’s dumb, but—” She shook her head again, dropping her gaze. “Sam’s starting first grade, and Christy is leaving for college, and all of a sudden, all I can think is: what happens when they’re all gone?”

Ava and Luisa exchanged glances. The empty nest. It hit everyone. Laken and Sylvie had no children; they could look sympathetic, but they’d never truly understand.

She tried for reason. “It’s a long time until Sam leaves the nest, kiddo.”

Ellie sniffed. “I know that. Intellectually, I understand all of this. But it doesn’t change the fact that being a mother is all I know how to be. Look at you, Ava. You’ve created a whole new life, becoming a writer. You’re excited and alive and—”

“—crazed and despairing and insane to have tried it.”

Ellie brushed at her eyes. “But the fact remains that you know what you’re doing with your life. You’re a mother, but you’re not only a mother. Luisa has her Ph.D. and tenure—”

“And a mother driving me nuts.”

Ellie ignored her, leaning forward. “Laken’s a successful lawyer, Sylvie’s got her gallery. What do I do that’s interesting? I drive carpools and bake cupcakes and do laundry and feed the damn chickens.” For Ellie to swear was almost earth-shattering.

“And lead Scouts and sew and garden—hell, Ellie, you can do anything,” Laken’s voice rose above the others.

“Jack of all trades, master of none.”

Ava drew a breath to respond, but Sylvie beat her to it.

“You need to be painting, Ellie. It’s criminal that you ignore your talent.”

Ellie blushed. “I just fool around. I’ve never had lessons.”

“Anyone can take lessons. You have a gift.”

Ava could see that Sylvie meant it. Sylvie’s life revolved around art; it was the great sorrow of her life to have an unerring eye for the beautiful, for startling new talent—and to be unable to draw with more than mediocrity herself. Sylvie did not suffer fools gladly; even with her great affection for Ellie, an alliance that surprised them all, she would never say something she didn’t mean. Saving feelings was never a priority with Sylvie.