A Cowboy for Christmas

RT BOOK REVIEWS
PRAISES BOBBI SMITH,
NEW YORK TIMES
BESTSELLING AUTHOR!

RELENTLESS

“With its action-packed plot, colorful and accurate details, likable characters and multiple love stories, this is vintage Smith. It’s exactly what [readers] adore from this consummate storyteller.”

RUNAWAY

“In Smith’s exciting Western, two wrongs do make a right. Continuous action, authentic dialogue and gripping tension ensnare the reader.”

WANTED: THE HALF-BREED

“Smith fulfills her title of ‘Queen of the Western Romance’ in this fast-paced, suspenseful offering.”

HIRED GUN

“Nobody does a Western better than Smith.”

DEFIANT

“The talented Smith is in her element out West. This novel is fast-paced and filled with adventure and tender feelings . . . a very beautiful story.”

HALFBREED WARRIOR

“Smith is the consummate storyteller. The pacing is quick, with snappy dialogue moving the story forward at breakneck speed.”

BRAZEN

“As sexy and gritty as [Smith] has ever written.”

HALF-MOON RANCH: HUNTER’S MOON

“Bobbi Smith is a terrific storyteller whose wonderful characters, good dialogue and compelling plot will keep you up all night.”

LONE WARRIOR

“Fast paced, swift moving and filled with strong, well-crafted characters.”

THE HALF-BREED

“Witty, tender, strong characters and plenty of action, as well as superb storytelling, make this a keeper.”

BRIDES OF DURANGO: JENNY

“Bobbi Smith has another winner. This third installment is warm and tender as only Ms. Smith can do . . . Fans will not be disappointed.”

BRIDES OF DURANGO: TESSA

“Another wonderful read by consummate storyteller Bobbi Smith . . . Filled with adventure and romance, more than one couple winds up happily-ever-after in this gem.”

BRIDES OF DURANGO: ELISE

“There’s plenty of action, danger and heated romance as the pages fly by. This is exactly what fans expect from Bobbi Smith.”

HALF-BREED’S LADY

“A fast-paced, frying-pan-into-the-fire adventure that runs the gamut of emotions, from laughter to tears. A must-read for Ms. Smith’s fans, and a definite keeper.”

OUTLAW’S LADY

“Bobbi Smith is an author of many talents; one of them being able to weave more than one story . . . Ms. Smith creates characters that one will remember for some time to come.”

THE LADY & THE TEXAN

“An action-packed read with roller-coaster adventures that keep you turning the pages.
The Lady & the Texan
is just plain enjoyable.”

RENEGADE’S LADY

“A wonderfully delicious ‘Perils of Pauline’ style romance. With dashes of humor, passion, adventure and romance, Ms. Smith creates another winner . . .”

“How much farther is it?” Penny asked as she rode behind Dan on the steep, rocky, winding trail. After several hours in the saddle, they had to be getting close.

“Probably another two or three miles,” he answered. “Are you doing all right?”

“Yes, though it’s hard to believe that just a few weeks ago I was at the Chases’ ball. It seems like an eternity—almost like another life.”

She wondered what Richard and Amanda would think of her now if they saw her bundled up against the cold in workman’s clothes, riding astride out in the middle of nowhere. She remembered how attentive Richard had been that night, and now it all seemed like a fairy tale.

Fairy tale—

She let her gaze linger on Dan, seeing the day’s growth of beard on his jawline and liking how it added an aura of danger about him. She hadn’t even realized how much she’d needed saving when he’d whisked her away from the ballroom. She hadn’t realized how much she needed
him
. . .

Other books by Bobbi Smith:

RELENTLESS
RUNAWAY
WANTED: THE TEXAN
RAPTURE’S TEMPEST
WANTED: THE HALF-BREED
LAWLESS, TEXAS
HIRED GUN
DEFIANT
HALFBREED WARRIOR
BRAZEN
BAYOU BRIDE
HUNTER’S MOON
FOREVER AUTUMN
LONE WARRIOR
EDEN
WANTON SPLENDOR
SWEET SILKEN BONDAGE
THE HALF-BREED
WESTON’S LADY
HALF-BREED’S LADY
OUTLAW’S LADY
FORBIDDEN FIRES
RAPTURE’S RAGE
THE LADY & THE TEXAN
RENEGADE’S LADY
THE LADY’S HAND
LADY DECEPTION

The Brides of Durango series:

ELISE
TESSA
JENNY

Writing as Julie Marshall:

MIRACLES
HAVEN

BOBBI
SMITH

DORCHESTER PUBLISHING

November 2010

Published by

Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc.
200 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016

Copyright © 2010 by Bobbi Smith

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

ISBN 13: 978-1-4285-1159-0
E-ISBN: 978-1-4285-0898-9

The “DP” logo is the property of Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc.

Printed in the United States of America.

Visit us online at
www.dorchesterpub.com
.

This book is dedicated to all my readers—
Merry Christmas!

Also, thanks to the great librarians and historians who helped me with research:

Leslie and Debby at the St. Charles County Library

Adele Heagney and Richard Williams at the St. Louis Public Library

Jason Stratman at the Missouri Historical Society

Nick Ohlman at the Museum of Transportation

Country-Western star Royal Wade Kimes (Royal WadeKimes.com) has written an original song especially for
A Cowboy for Christmas
! Check out “Penny, I Love You” at BobbiSmithBooks.com or DorchesterPub.com, where you can also get a free download of the song.

“Penny, I Love You” will also be featured on Royal’s upcoming album.

A two-time winner of the Will Rogers award for best album and best video, Royal Wade Kimes has written songs for Garth Brooks, Diamond Rio, Gene Watson, and many others. He’s been on the front cover of
True West
magazine and has been featured in
Country Weekly
and other magazines.

I hope you enjoy this hauntingly beautiful song based on my Christmas story. It’s my special holiday gift to you.

St. Louis

Late 1850s

Twelve-year-old Danny Roland was cold and exhausted as he climbed into the back of the wagon with several of the other boys from the orphanage. Every morning except Sunday, one of the hands from the farm came to the orphans’ home and picked up the older boys to take them out to the farm to work. They labored until almost sundown and then were returned to the asylum to eat dinner, sleep, and get ready to work again the following day.

Danny’s mood was dark as he hung on to the side of the wagon to keep from getting thrown around on the rough ride back. Again, he wondered how he had ended up this way. Had it really only been six months ago that his mother had died from a terrible fever on their trip west and their father had abandoned him and his younger brother, Nick, there at the orphanage? The memory of that day still haunted him. He and Nick had begged their father to take them with him, but he’d refused. He had ridden away
from the orphanage that afternoon, and they hadn’t seen or heard from him since.

It seemed more like an eternity than just six months to Danny. At night, he would often lie in bed and pretend he was back home in Tennessee, safe with his mother and father, and that everything was fine, but his fantasy ended every morning just before dawn when the headmistress banged on the door to wake them up. Danny knew there was no escaping the truth anymore.

This was his life now.

This was his reality until he and Nick were adopted or until he was old enough to be released from the orphanage to care for himself.

Danny was determined to make the best of it, but for now he had to protect his brother. Nine-year-old Nick was having an even harder time than Dan was, for some of the mean boys had been picking on him. More than once, he’d had to defend his brother from their bullying. It was almost Christmas now, and Danny knew it was going to be a hard and painful time for him and his brother, since it would be their first Christmas without their mother and father. At least they still had each other.