The Cowboy's Special Christmas

Left at the altar, veterinarian Jennifer moves a thousand miles away from the heartache and embarrassment. She’ll focus on her new practice, make a few friends and forget about trusting her heart again.

Cole Martin was furious when he discovers his fiancée is seeing other men. Once burned, twice shy.

When Cole and Jennifer meet, it’s like at first sight. But can this relationship forge ahead with all the heartache lingering from the past? If you like love at first sight romances, you’ll love The Cowboy’s Special Christmas

Cole Martin parked his pickup truck and climbed out, scanning the sky. Snow was predicted. The wind that blew steadily from the west was biting cold. Dark clouds billowed in the distance. Experience told him he’d better hustle. He settled his cowboy hat more securely and headed into the Shop and Save.

The grocery store was practically empty. Most people had done their shopping for Thanksgiving long before now. For a while he’d planned to just make do. But since he was in town today anyway, he decided to check out the frozen dinners to see if there were any with turkey and gravy.

Ordinarily he’d be sitting down tomorrow to the feast his mom made every year. Or as he had last year, spend the day with Gloria and her family.

He shied away from that thought. They were never going to share Thanksgiving again, thanks to her betrayal.

Even the cowboys who worked on the Circle M Ranch had other plans this year.

He was alone–at Thanksgiving–one of the most family-oriented holidays there was.

He headed to the back of the store where the freezer section was. Scanning the boxes, he moved gradually down the aisle toward the only other person looking at frozen foods.

He noted she was staring at the boxes in front of her. Tall, slender and bundled up in a thick coat with a knit cap covering most of her blonde hair. She looked familiar, but he couldn’t place her. Was she a cousin of one of the ushers at church? Some friend of Gloria’s?

He stepped closer. She was staring at frozen dinners.

She glanced at him, then back at the display.

He stopped next to her.

She looked again. “Am I in your way?” she asked. Her voice was soft.

“No. I’m looking for something for tomorrow.” He kept his gaze on the array of dinners-- chicken pot pies; chicken dinners; beef stew; Chinese. Cole frowned. Shouldn’t there be turkey dinners with all the trimmings for folks like him?

She held out a slip of paper. “I have a two-for-one coupon. If we choose the same brand, we can share.”

He nodded, “Thanks. I’m hoping for turkey with gravy.”

She opened the door and reached in near the bottom and withdrew two dinners. “Like these?” she asked, showing him the picture of turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes and what looked like apple crumble in a portion of the tray.

“I guess.” He wondered if he should explain that he normally didn’t eat frozen dinners for Thanksgiving, but then he thought he didn’t need to. She was in the same boat.

“It’s the largest they have. Though I’ll miss leftovers. I didn’t want to do all that cooking for one, but leftovers are my favorite part of Thanksgiving,” she said looking at the colorful cover.

“Turkey sandwiches piled high with meat and cranberry sauce,” he said. His mother always cooked the biggest turkey that would fit in the oven so they had plenty of leftovers.

She smiled at him. Her eyes sparkled. They were a silvery grey and caught Cole unaware. He could hardly look away.

“I’ve never had sandwiches with cranberry sauce, but it does sound good.”

“The best.” He reached out and took one of the frozen dinners, looking at the cover. The photograph made it look wonderful. He knew it would never compare to a home-cooked meal, but he wasn’t going to cook either.

“Did you need anything else?” she asked.

“Nope.”

“I’m picking up some sparkling cider to celebrate, then I’ll be ready to check out and we can share that coupon.”

“What are you celebrating?” he asked as they started up the aisle toward the front of the store.

“Thanksgiving, of course. And all the good things that have happened in the last year.”

“Oh. Yeah, that sounds right.” His mom always made a big deal of going around the table and having everyone tell some of their best memories of the previous year.

He wondered what he had to celebrate this year. He was alone at Thanksgiving. He and the woman he’d been half way in love with had split. He’d finished the house he lived in about a half mile from his folks’, but it was scarcely furnished. He’d lost interest when he and Gloria stopped seeing each other.

He was solely in charge of the ranch while his parents cruised down the Amazon. And the approaching storm promised to be a doozy, which meant making sure the cattle had feed and access to water.

She glanced at him again when she paused by the sparkling cider. “Shall we take advantage of this special as well?”

He looked. The cider was marked two for one.

Suddenly he decided he’d like some sparkling cider for dinner. To make it more festive.

“Sure.”

Four items on the belt at the checkout stand. She produced her coupon, and the checker rang up the total.

Cole brought out his wallet and handed the clerk a twenty-dollar bill just as she did the same. The checker looked confused.

“We’re splitting it down the middle,” Cole explained.

“Oh.” The young man frowned, but made change for both bills and handed the money to them. “Shall I bag them in one or two bags?” he asked.

“Two,” she said.

As they left the store together, Cole paused for a second. “I don’t even know your name and we’re practically sharing Thanksgiving dinner together.”

She smiled brightly and nodded. “Practically. I’m Jennifer Carleton. I’m sort of new in town. This is my first holiday here.”

“Cole Martin. From the Circle M ranch outside of town.”

“I know that ranch. I treated one of your horses when he was cut badly with barbed wire.”

“You’re the new vet in town? Dad told me he’d called you in when Smoky’s leg wouldn’t stop bleeding.”

“A few stitches and he was good as new,” she confirmed.

Cole nodded, wondering how such a pretty woman had decided to become a large animal vet. It seemed more the job for some robust cowboy used to wrestling with cattle and horses and other ranch stock.

“Well, good night. Happy Thanksgiving,” she said, turning to walk to a truck nearby.

“Wait,” Cole said.

She turned with an inquiring look on her face.

“We should eat Thanksgiving together. I mean, we bought the food together, why not? I don’t have any other plans and it looks as if you don’t either. You can come out to the ranch and we’ll heat the dinners, drink the cider and spend an afternoon watching the football games.”
“Your folks don’t have other plans?” she asked.

He held up his bag. “Do you think I’d be eating this if my mother was around? They’re on a cruise down the Amazon. I’m alone for the day.”

He glanced at the sky again. The storm front looked even closer. Maybe it was a bad idea. If it snowed as much as predicted, he’d have his work cut out for him tomorrow. And he shouldn’t ask her to drive out to the ranch in case the roads were bad. “Never mind, bad idea. If it does snow, sometimes the roads become treacherous.”

She nodded. “Okay, then, how about you come in to town if the roads are passable. My place is small, but you’d be welcome. Say around one o’clock?”

“Sounds like a plan. Unless the storm changes things. If it does, I’ll call you.”

She nodded and turned to continue to her truck.

Cole watched a moment, then feeling the icy cold wind, he hurried to his own pickup. For a moment he felt elated. He wouldn’t be alone for the holiday after all.