In with the New

How is everyone’s summer going? It’s hot, hot, hot here in Colorado, although it does occasionally rain in the evenings. We’re trying to keep our energy bill from skyrocketing by using fans most of the time, but the air conditioning still goes on in the afternoon when we’re all sweltering.

My oldest daughter and her family (including my granddaughter) moved to the Seattle area to be near my son-in-law’s mother, and they’re having quite an adventure trying to get settled. I really miss them, even though we Facetime. It’s just not the same. I want to reach out and touch them and can’t.

My middle daughter is now the General Manager of not one, but TWO Metrolux movie theaters in Utah. It’s a super exciting job because Sundance uses these theaters come January—I think that would be a GREAT time for us to visit, even though we’d probably see little of my daughter. But…a movie star or two, perhaps?

What’s truly amazing about Middle is she got a job in concessions when she turned 16. Yes, working at the movie theater was her first and basically only job. She’s worked her way up in the company. Look out, District Manager under the age of 30!!

Youngest is likewise experiencing change. She is an Assistant Manager at Sam’s Club working her way up to General Manager. She’s the one they call when they need someone to step in as General Manager for a week, so I don’t think it will be long now. In the meantime, she just moved into her first solo apartment (she’s always shared living expenses with friends.) Boo even has his own room!

As for Joe and me, our family has grown. We’ve welcomed a bonded pair of Tuxedo kittens into our home.

Dab and Hype (thanks to Boo for providing us with really cool contemporary dance move names) are super fun and such a blessing.

Things are changing in my writing world, as well. My very last book located in fictional Serendipity, Texas, Her Forgotten Cowboy, will be out this week. It’s really hard for me to break away from this town after writing sixteen books set there, but it’s time.

She can’t remember the past
He can’t imagine a future without her in Cowboy Country

Suffering amnesia after a car accident, Rebecca Hamilton arrives back in Serendipity, Texas, pregnant and seeking the baby’s father—her estranged husband, Tanner. Returning to the ranch house they once shared is her best chance at regaining her memories. But will recalling the tragic reason they separated only drive a bigger wedge between Rebecca and the man she’s falling for all over again?

I am excited to announce I've signed for six more books for Love Inspired!!! I'm moving on to my new series set on a Christmas tree farm in fictional Whispering Pines, Colorado. I’ve been wanting to write some books set in my home state for a while now so I’m super excited about that. Plus, the six book series involves the six-sibling Winslows training service dogs--and there will be lots of cowboys and kids, of course.

Change is scary, but I’m super excited about what the future holds. We’re safe in God’s hands, right?

I hope your summer was filled with blessings!

Puppy Power! by Deb Kastner

Deb Kastner here. After spending many years writing in my fictional town Serendipity, Texas (I believe it was 17 books altogether!) I just turned in a new proposal I’m super excited about and can’t wait to share with you.

You probably already know I’m a huge animal lover and they often appear in my books—everything from pigs, goats, llamas, cows and psycho roosters to kittens, puppies and horses. In my new series, which doesn’t yet have an official title, the focus is on dogs—lots and lots of dogs!

Welcome to Winslow’s Woodlands, a Christmas tree farm located in the mountains of fictional Whispering Pines, Colorado. Here, the six Winslow siblings work the farm and dog rescue. But the Winslow’s don’t just rescue these clever canines—they train them in all kinds of therapy work.

It’s been great fun for me to research all the many ways dogs contribute to the lives of the people they love—and I discovered far more than I can even use for my series, including avalanche dogs,

psychiatric assistance dogs, medical alert dogs, mobility assistance dogs

and social work assistance therapy dogs, who visit not only hospitals and nursing homes, but places where hurricanes or tornados have forced people into shelters.

Since I work at home, I have the blessing of having my own fur babies hang out with me every day. 

This is my “big dog” Sadie, who gives what I call “bully hugs” which always make me smile.

And this is our dear Gabriella, a little angel who has earned her nickname Gabby because she’s…yeah. And she'll tell you all about it.

And speaking of telling, I want to know all about your fur babies! I’ll be giving away a $5 Amazon card to one commenter!

My next Love Inspired, Her Forgotten Cowboy, will be out the middle of August.

I Wish I'd Taken the Time to Ask

Pamela Tracy here, and I'm helping my 13-year-old work on his World War II assignment.  Yup, he has a deadline.

He's doing a lot of what I have to do when I have a deadline.

I have to come up with a story idea.
He has to come up with a thesis.

My ideas always go somethng like this:  Boy meets girl.  Boy says, "Hmm, not bad."  Soon something interferes and boy says, "This is horrible."  Soon, boy is trying to figure out how to get back in girl's good graces but something even more horrible happens.  Finally, they work it out.

Huh?  Okay, doubters.  Think about it.  All romances pretty much follow this formula.

As I'm writing my story I also research.  Some of my favorite finds are
   1. when we started putting fabric into coffins (I'm not making this up)
   2. how to make a trough for gold panning
   3. how hard it is to half a part/wolf part/canine pet (never will be a pet)
You get my drift.

My son's thesis reads like this:  The Japanese decided they should bomb Pearl Harbour because of Truman ending trade agreements, because the Japanese were powerful and well-trained, and because America was not in the mood for war thanks to World War I.

As he started his research, some of his favorite finds were
   1.Wow, the Japanese takeover of parts of China were especially brutal (this did not make it into his thesis but took up most of our time)
   2. The Japanese used metal that we sold them to make planes and warships in which to attack us.
   3. All the film clips from this era are in black and white (whhhaaaaat).

He's also suffering from a typical author's flaw.  He wants to put all his research into his final product but that would be too much backstory.

As for me, I'm thinking about writing a WWII romance.

Of course, I must first finish the fifteen other ideas that are waving their hands.

So, do you have a favorite research story?

I do.

Years ago when I was researching what a high-end resort room would look like, I went to a resort and talked the front desk manager into letting me peek into a room.  I did more than peek, though.  I walked in and started drawing the room as the cleaning staff cleaned.  They kept giving me "looks."   It took me a while to figure out they were worried that I was there looking for undocumented workers.

Be Grateful

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I find I always have much in which to be grateful. Good music, my pets, my writing and, of course, my family and faith.

This week on the Love Inspired Authors and Readers Group on Facebook, I am sharing more about my favorite things and chatting with other readers and authors about theirs. If you are on Facebook, I hope you’ll come join us. It’s a very active group and great fun. You can find us here:

LOVE INSPIRED AUTHORS AND READERS GROUP

I do hope you'll join us, but whether or not you’re on Facebook, I’d love to know what you’re thankful for this year. Happy Thanksgiving!

Look for Deb Kastner's Christmas novel on the shelves starting November 20th or preorder here.

Haven't become a Deb's Daydreamers VIP and joined my newsletter yet? What are you waiting for? Sign up HERE.

Christian Roots in Jack O'Lanterns? Jolene Navarro

Hello, Jolene Navarro checking in from the Texas Hill Country. This is my view as I sip my tea and write this post.

Texas Hill Country Sunrise from Jolene Navarro's front porch.

Last weekend we had our family Pumpkin Carving Slam. I love Fall, the colors, scents, and flavors. Did you know it has Halloween and Pumpkin carvings have Christian roots?

Family Fall Fun - Jolene Navarro

My sister and I started hosting a pumpkin carving fest with our kids about twenty years ago when they little. One year someone asked why we carved pumpkins? So I did some research. Where does the tradition come from? I’m glad you asked…

Carving Pumpkins - Jolene Navarro

The tradition of Jack-O-Lanterns came to the USA from the way of our Irish immigrants. Did you know that the original Jack-O-Lanterns were carved into beets, turnips & potatoes?

Like most traditions it starts with a myth, a story created to warn children to behave and not play with the devil or you’ll end up like poor “Stingy Jack”.

“Stingy Jack” was an Irish man that loved playing tricks on people and thought he could outsmart the devil. It all started when he invited Mr. Satan to have a drink. 

Jack tricked Satan to turn himself into a coin. Then he left the bar tab unpaid and put the coin in his pocket, next to a silver cross. This, of course, trapped the Devil from changing back.

Laughing at his own trick, he thought he was so smart. He finally made a deal with the Devil. He would free him if Satan vowed he would not claim Jack’s soul for a year.

A year later and bored, Jack tricked the Devil into climbing a tree for a piece of fruit on a top branch. The Devil’s pride once again had him falling for Jack’s ploy. While Satan reached for the fruit, Jack carved a cross into the trunk, trapping the Devil.

This time he made the Devil promise not to bother him for ten years. Before the decade was up though, Jake, drunk fell from his horse and died.

Now the story tells of Jake’s true fate. God, not pleased with how Jack had chosen to spend his life, would not allow him into heaven.

Of course, the Devil had vowed not to claim Jack’s soul, so he was left with nowhere to go. Sent out into the darkness with nothing but a lump of burning coal that he carried in a carved-out turnip. Jack wondered the earth looking for someone to play a trick on.

The Irish refer to him as “Jack of the Lantern” of course being Irish, it became Jack O’Lantern. Throughout Ireland and Scotland families started making their own versions of Jack-O-Lanterns by carving spooky designs into turnips and beets.

When the immigrants arrived at the shores of the new country they shared their stories and traditions. Soon they discovered that the native fruit, pumpkin, made a perfect canvas for the artistic carvings.

Jack-O-Lanterns - Jolene Navarro

Any good story told has a moral, a lesson to learn, so next time you see a Jack-O-Lantern remember that pride will get you in trouble and never try to outsmart the devil. It will always lead to misfortune.

Carving Pumpkins - Jolene Navarro

I love that my life is full of family traditions and get-togethers. So, goes my stories.  My latest release, A LONE STAR CHRISTMAS is full of Thanksgiving and Christmas with a big family in a small town.

https://www.amazon.com/Lone-Star-Christmas-Legacy-Inspired/

The hero Max, comes back to town with two young brothers he just received custody. He doesn't understand family and has no connections to family traditions.  Jackie Bergmann is surrounded by family and might be the one to convince Max to stay home for Christmas...maybe forever.

What are some of your favorite family memories or traditions? Or maybe one you wish you had…it’s not too late to start one.

A Summer Love Chapter 6, by Deb Kastner

Jake had trouble sleeping that night. Even the gentle sounds of the breeze and the ocean waves couldn’t settle him down. It didn’t help that Ralph lay sprawled across the bottom of the bed snoring like a chainsaw.

He was home. This is where he’d instinctively come to seek comfort and peace. Instead, the ache in his heart grew with every breath he took.

How had it become so complicated? He’d known going into this that his mother had left the house to both him and Jenny. And he’d had every intention of giving her first dibs on the sale of his half. But now that he’d seen her face-to-face, that all seemed wrong somehow.

Jenny.

She had been there for his mother in her last hours, not him. Guilt flooded through him, but at the same time he was grateful for Jenny's support. He knew how much his mother cared for Jenny, the hopes and dreams she'd had that Jenny and Jake would have a future together.

He'd been the one to screw that future up, and yet Jenny had apologized to him tonight for her part in their troubled past. He’d had the feeling she’d been waiting for something—something from him.

Like what? To tell her he was sorry he’d impulsively enlisted before discussing it with her? That he’d assumed she’d go along with his plans and leave the hometown she loved? That he'd spent his whole life ignoring the gaping hole in his heart?

What difference would it make now? The past was past.

And now? He was nothing more than a broken down man with a broken down dog. What could he possibly offer her?

And yet…

Suddenly it felt as if his mother’s presence was in the room with him. Tears slipped down his cheeks as he remembered her comforting arms around him, the sage wisdom she had so often shared.

Maybe…maybe he was looking at this all wrong.

What if his mom hadn’t overlooked the change in her will? What if she’d left it the way it was on purpose?

Could it possibly be that she’d intentionally left him this one last message? All she’d ever wanted was her son’s happiness.

And the only thing in the world that could truly make Jake’s heart happy was…

Jenny.

A Summer Love- Chapter Two by Terri Reed

“Mom, it’s not going to work.” Jenny dragged her mother along the boardwalk to the café. No amount of matchmaking was going to bring Jenny and Jake back together.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about?”

The innocence in her voice was so saccharine sweet Jenny’s teeth ached.  She snorted, even as her heart rate still beat too fast.  

“A table for two,” she managed to say to the hostess who led them to a table on the deck by the railing where they had a perfect view of the ocean and the beach.

Jake was back in town.

She’d known one day he’d arrived. She had expected it a few months ago when his mother passed but then he never showed so she’d let her guard down. Seeing him today had stirred up all her old feelings and the memories she’d thought long buried.

Fifteen years.

A long time to get over him. 

She was over him. She’d moved on.  That she was still single had nothing whatsoever to do with Jake!

But boy, oh boy, he was still as good-looking as he’d been when she’d fallen in love with him.  Back then he’d been thinner and exuded a kinetic vitality that had always amazed her even as it drew her in, making her want to be within the sphere of his energy force.

Time had been good to him. He’d filled out, his shoulders boarder, his arms muscled. Now his dark hair had just a tinge of silver thread through the dark strands and there were new lines in his face that only made him more attractive.

And there’d been sadness in his chocolate colored eyes that had tugged at her.

That is, until he teased her.  

Placing her chin in her hand, she stared at her mother. “What were you thinking to invite Jake to dinner?”

Shaking out the napkin and laying it properly across her lap, Mom said, “Extending an invitation to an old friend who’s recently returned to town after a long absence.”

“Right. That’s all.” Jenny turned her gaze to the beach and her breath caught as her gaze snagged on Jake and his dog walking along the sandy shore. Was he limping? What had happened to him over the years?  Would he really sell the house?

The place they’d dreamed of sharing and filling with children.

A flutter started in her tummy and worked its way through her until her hands shook.  An idea formed. She loved the cottage by the sea.

Adjust your expectation and form a new plan, her dad had always told her.

Good advice.

If Jake wanted to sell, there was no reason why she couldn’t buy the house.

Life Can Change in a Moment by Deb Kastner

...And so can blog posts.

I had intended to do a character interview with Angelica May Carmichael, the heroine for my June Love Inspired contemporary And Cowboy Makes Three. She’s a particularly interesting heroine because I’ve turned the alpha man trope on its head. In this case, Angelica is the town bad girl and hero Rowdy Masterson is a stand-up fellow whom everyone loves.

Angelica skipped town on the eve of her wedding to Rowdy without so much as an explanation, so when she turns back up in Serendipity, Texas with her Down syndrome baby Toby and no wedding ring, no one is really surprised.

She’s only in town to settle her late grandmother’s will, but Granny has something else in mind, sending both Angelica and Rowdy on the ride of their lives.

That's what I intended to write about.

But mid-morning two days ago, my fifteen-year-old terrier mix Missy went out to do her business in our large back yard and then we couldn’t find her. Now, she’s deaf as a post, so I didn’t immediately worry, but my hubby Joe said he felt in his gut something was wrong. He didn’t even bother putting his shoes on, nor use his cane, though he is physically disabled. He rushed down the porch stairs as fast as he could and found Missy up next to the wall of the house, on her back, covered with mud and her legs twitching in the air as she tried in vain to rise to her feet.

She had suffered a stroke and the whole right side of her body was paralyzed. And when I looked into her frightened eyes, I knew. It was time for her to cross over the Rainbow Bridge.

I’ve had two other dogs that have passed during my adult years, but they did so on their own time, falling asleep peacefully at home. But Missy was suffering and the damage was permanent. It was up to me to be strong enough to be there for her in her last moments to make her passing peaceful and loving.

The vet tech cried along with me as she gave Missy a sedative that would calm her down and take away her pain. The vet came in, I whispered, “I love you,” and “Goodbye,” and Missy was gone.

Gone from this world, perhaps, but not gone from my heart. Grief is weighing me down and all I want to do is cry and sleep and dream of a place and time she is still with me.

Life does change in a moment. Sometimes for the good. Sometimes it breaks your heart. Both Rowdy and Angelica experience those moments, and I hope you’ll pick up And Cowboy Makes Three to find out how they overcome.

As for me, if it’s all right with you, I think I’m going to wipe away my tears and go take a nap.

RIP Missy. Run and play over the Rainbow Bridge.

Spring has arrived in The Texas Hill Country

Jolene Navarro, checking in from the Texas Hill Country. Driving up 10 to Kerrville this weekend I saw the first signs of spring. Texas wildflowers are blooming. Our famous Bluebonnets kick off the new season.
Of course, this means I have a mission for my walks. Lots and lots of pictures of flowers. Since it's my turn to visit the blog I'm sharing one of my favorite seasonal changes with you.

Pull up a rocking chair and join me as I sit on the porch enjoying the cool breeze. We can take in the beautiful landscape and flowers.

I love the beauty that God created and creates daily all around us. Watching the sunset never gets old. It used to be my dad's favorite time of day.
I have so many memories of sitting after a busy day and listening to the creek below my parent's house.  We'd sit on the porch, not saying much and watching the sun slip down behind the hills.

And we need to rest up because soon Fiesta will hit San Antonio and it is a two-week party. River parades, pageants, incredibly decorated hats, stunning dresses art festivals, music, food, more parades and did I mention food?

So if you're looking for spring, come join me. If you want to read more about the Texas Hill Country you can pick up any of my books.  Right now you can get a digital copy of Lone Star Bride, my historical romance, for 1.99

https://www.amazon.com/Lone-Star-Bride-Inspired-Historical

Or you can visit Clear Water, Texas in the heart of the Texas Hill Country

  

What are the first signs of spring do you look for around your home?

If you leave me a comment, I'll put your name in a drawing for a free ebook of your choice.

New to the Blog

Hi everyone!

I'm Sarah Price and I'm so honored to be a part of the Love Inspired blog.

I've been writing Amish romances since 1989. In fact, my first novel, Fields of Corn, was written after I spent time living on an Amish farm in 1988-1989.

My family is Mennonite and in 1978, my grandparents took me to Lancaster, PA. One look at those farms and the horses...I was hooked!

So ten years later, I played a little hooky from college and set off to find an Amish family to rent me a room.

The result of that adventure is the basis of Fields of Corn. In fact, the first half of the story is almost 100% true. But then I ventured off the beaten path--like so many authors do--into the world of "what-if?"

In 2009, I self-published that book. Fifty novels later and several publishers into my career, I'm thrilled that Love Inspired is publishing my very first novel written almost thirty years ago! 

Fields of Corn will be available at Walmart exclusively starting January 31st. I am excited (and nervous!) to hear what you think of the book that launched my writing career. (Wow...put that way and I'm really nervous! 😳)

I split my time between Morristown, NJ and Archer, FL. We live on a twenty acre horse ranch where my daughter trains wild mustangs--I just fall OFF the mustangs and break ribs from time to time 😁.

I hope you'll follow me on social media. I livestream about my crazy life every morning of Facebook (http//www.facebook.com/fansofsarahprice) and I'm on Instagram (@sarahpriceauthor).

Hugs and blessings!

Photos below...Some of my writing shadows..

Double the Trouble, Double the Fun! by Deb Kastner

Happy Birthday to my newest book, Texas Christmas Twins!

When the editors at Love Inspired approached me about participating in a miniseries for the Christmas season working with two very talented authors, Patricia Davids and Lee Tobin McClain, I didn’t have to give it a moment’s thought before I said yes. 

For one thing, I adore everything about the Christmas season, from the carols and Christmas spirit to the Baby in the manger. Plus, the editors handed me the perfect trifecta where my brand is concerned—Christmas, Texas (read “Broody Cowboy”) and of course, and adorable set of twins. Add to that a bright, bubbly heroine and you have the makings of a great holiday read.

Here’s the Back Cover Copy to spark your interest:

Christmas on the Ranch

Miranda Morgan’s Christmas will be twice as busy now that she’s guardian of her sister’s sweet twin babies. But the celebrity photographer is happy to trade a glamorous LA lifestyle for motherhood in her small hometown of Wildhorn, Texas. Unfortunately, the twins’ handsome godfather, Simon West, is unconvinced. The brooding rancher isn’t thrilled about letting sunny, spontaneous Miranda into his carefully managed world. Though they disagree on almost everything, Simon and Miranda discover common ground as they work to make the twins’ first country Christmas cozy and bright. Could this holiday transform Miranda and Simon’s tentative friendship into a forever love?

Want to read the first few pages? Did I hear a yes? Why, here they are…

Miranda Morgan wouldn’t even know what hit her.

He was here in front of her cabin, preparing to make certain of that. After he was through with her, the powers that be would want to name a tempest after him.

Hurricane Simon.

It didn’t matter that he hadn’t seen Miranda since high school, or even, as his best friend Mason’s kid sister, that she’d bared the occasional brunt of his pranks and mean jokes. In another situation, he might be considering how to make amends and not additional strife. He was a new man, a man of faith. The Lord had changed his heart, and now Simon’s goal was to change his life to match what had happened internally.

But try as he might, he fell short of being able to forgive Miranda for ignoring her responsibility to the sweet nine-month old twins now in her care.

If this was a spiritual test, a trial in his bumpy new Christian life, it was a doozy.

Miranda was an eminently successful celebrity photographer. But he couldn’t care less about movie stars and the la-di-da lifestyles of the rich and famous. He was a simple ranch owner and dog trainer and he liked his solitary country life.

What he didn’t like was Miranda. She couldn’t even be bothered to fly home to Texas long enough to attend her own twin niece and nephew’s christening, and she was not only Hudson and Harper’s aunt, but had also been named their godmother.

And yet she hadn’t managed to spare even one weekend for them.

Even Simon had been in church that day, though at the time he hadn’t been a churchgoing man. He remembered feeling uncomfortable, but he’d been there. Simon was the twins’ godfather, and to him, it was a big thing, a sacred duty, a promise that he’d always be there for Hudson and Harper in any way they needed.

Obviously, Miranda didn’t feel the same way. Family obligations clearly meant nothing to her.

And now, through a cruel twist of fate, Miranda had been named the twins’ permanent legal guardian.

How could that even be? The very thought of it was both confusing and infuriating.

It was painful enough that Mary, Mason’s youngest sister, and her husband John had been taken from this world prematurely by the merciless act of a drunkard who’d made the deadly choice to drive while intoxicated.

But for Mary to name self-serving, high-flying Miranda as the twins’ legal guardian, even after all she had done, or not done, for Mary and the babies—

Well, that made less sense than putting a Border collie in a room full of cats and expecting him to herd them.

What had Mary been thinking? How could she have considered her sister a worthwhile guardian, one with whom she could entrust innocent children? What kind of mother would a woman like Miranda possibly be?

Inconceivable.

Why hadn’t Mason and his wife, Charlotte, been named the twins’ guardians? They already had four children of their own with a fifth on the way. They were wonderful, experienced parents who had been there for Mary and the twins during every stage of their lives.

Mary might have sincerely believed that two more children would have been too much of a burden on Mason and Charlotte, and that they had their own family to think of and provide for.

But choosing Miranda?

Mary might have been sincere, but she’d been sincerely wrong.

However the future played out now that Miranda was the twins’ legal guardian, Simon’s determination to be a positive influence in his godchildren’s lives hadn’t changed one iota. They had always been a priority with him, but even more so now.

If Miranda was anything like Simon imagined her to be, Harper and Hudson would need all the protection and stability they could get.

He was going to step up for those two precious babies.

Unfortunately, that also meant he would, by default, be in contact with Miranda. She would have to let him into her world, whether she liked it or not. And likewise, he’d have to learn to work with her. They didn’t have to be friends, but they would have to get along.

For the twins’ sake, he reminded himself as he removed his brown Stetson, combed his fingers back through his thick blond hair and knocked on the door.

“It’s open,” he heard Miranda call from somewhere inside the cabin, her voice muffled and distant.

Feeling awkward at having to let himself into a cabin he was unfamiliar with, he opened the door and stepped inside. He didn’t immediately see Miranda, or the twins, either, for that matter.

His attention was instead captured by the insane display of Christmas decorations, red and green, silver and gold, everywhere his gaze landed.

It looked as if the North Pole had exploded in her living room. 

An enormous eight-foot Christmas tree stood in one corner, the flashing angel topper just barely clearing the ceiling. Presents wrapped in colorful aluminum paper were piled high underneath the tree.

She’d arranged a large Nativity set, complete with a stable and an angel proclaiming Peace on Earth, on the end table.

Shiny red and gold garland adorned every wall, with evergreen garland gracing the fireplace where the stockings were hung with care, as the poem went. Homemade stockings, with Hudson and Harper’s names written in flourishes of red and green glitter glue.

This woman was clearly obsessed with Christmas.

And apparently, shiny things.

It took him a moment to focus and find Miranda. He supposed he’d expected to find her changing a diaper or two, or feeding the twins their bottles—or whatever it was that nine-month-old babies ate—as the reason she couldn’t answer the door. Instead, she was right there in the middle of the living room, stretched out on her stomach underneath a card table that she’d draped with sheets, holding a flashlight she was beaming on a picture book as Harper and Hudson cuddled on either side of her.

Of all the crazy, unexpected scenarios, this one took the cake.

Or the Christmas fruit cake as the case might be.

The tent was ingenious. She’d used stacks of hardback books to fasten the edges of the sheet to the sofa on one side of them and an armchair on the other, with the card table holding up the structure in the middle.

Lying on her stomach, jammed under a table only a few feet high, couldn’t possibly be comfortable for her, with her tall, lithe frame, and yet she had an enthusiastic smile on her face and didn’t look the least bit put out by the awkward position. He suspected her feet might be protruding out the back, although he couldn't confirm that from his current vantage point.

She shined the flashlight at his face, momentarily blinding him, and he held up a hand to block the light.

“Simon?” she questioned, surprise lining her tone. “Simon West?”

He was astonished she recognized him. He’d added a few inches to his frame in the years since they’d seen each other last, not to mention a few pounds . He'd stayed at the outskirts of John and Mary's funeral and hadn't spoken to anyone but Mason and Charlotte.

“Uncle Simon,” he corrected her tersely, nodding toward the twins. “It’s an honorary title.”

Of which he was very, very proud.

“Well, Uncle Simon, you’re more than welcome to join us.” She shifted herself and the twins to the side to make room for him in the tiny, strung-up tent.

“I’m welcome to—” he repeated. He’d walked into her house out of the blue. She had no idea why he was here, and yet she’d immediately offered him the opportunity to join in their…adventure.

"What are you doing here, by the way?" she asked curiously.

"I--er--"

Her offer completely threw him off his game, and for a moment he was fairly certain he was gaping and couldn't remember his own name, much less why he had come.

Eventually, he shook his head. There was no way he was going to get his large frame under that small table, no matter how hard he squeezed. And honestly, he didn’t even really want to try.

“We can make it work,” Miranda insisted, clearly not taking no for an answer. “I’m sure the twins will love spending quality time with their uncle Simon .”

She couldn’t possibly know it, but she’d just touched on his weak spot. He hadn’t been spending as much time as he should have with his godchildren. If she’d been trying to give him a guilt trip, those words would have done it, especially given the reason he was here.

“Grab another sheet from the linen closet in the hallway, and grab a few more books from the shelf,” she instructed. “Oh, and get a chair from the kitchen. Drape the end of your sheet across the card table and onto the chair. That’ll give us all a bit more wiggle room. Believe me, these two are regular squirmy wormies.”

By the time he’d followed all her instructions and lengthened the makeshift tent, she was fully absorbed reading the twins their book. He stood before them, wondering how he was going to get where Miranda wanted him to go.

She flashed the cover of the book at Simon, as if finding out what she was reading would somehow convince him to crawl in.

“We’re reading Little Red Riding Hood. Hudson likes the wolf, don’t you, buddy?” she asked the baby, making a growling sound and tickling his tummy.

Hudson squealed and giggled happily.

“Tell Uncle Simon you want him to come on down,” she said to Harper, giving her the same affectionate tickling treatment Hudson had just received. “I think he’s being a little bit stubborn, don’t you?”

Simon balked at her words. He wasn’t being stubborn. He was being practical.

And this was definitely not how this confrontation was supposed to go. He hadn’t envisioned anything of the sort when he’d first knocked on her door, but then, how could he have? This whole scenario was mind-boggling.

He was losing his momentum by the second and he couldn’t seem to do anything to stop it.

“But this is—” he started to say.

Ridiculous.

Humiliating.

Mortifying.

She raised a jaunty, dark eyebrow. There was no question about it. She was outright daring him to make a fool of himself with the twinkle in her pretty hazel eyes.

This was nuts. He was crazy just to be thinking about it.

There was no way he was going to get out of this with his dignity intact. But he’d never been the type of man to walk away from a challenge.

Not now. Not ever.

Grumbling under his breath at the ignominy of it all, he dropped onto his belly to army crawl into the mixed-up files of Miranda’s imagination makeshift dwelling.

Does this sound fun or what? Babies, puppies and conflicts abound! 

I'm excited to share that Texas Christmas Twins is available TODAY at a store near you wherever Harlequin books are sold. 

Prefer to read on your favorite eBook reader? Preorder now for delivery December 1st.

And be certain to catch the first two books in the Christmas Twins miniseries: Amish Christmas Twins by Patricia Davids and Secret Christmas Twins by Lee Tobin McClain!