Harlequin Western Romance, I’m now writing for Harlequin Heartwarming and couldn’t be happier. I’ve been a huge fan of the line for years. I love the longer length that allows me to more fully explore the main characters’ relationship. Also, several of my close friends write for Heartwarming, and I couldn’t be in better company.
The other big change is that A Cowboy’s Christmas Proposal is the first of four books in a brand-new series, The Sweetheart Ranch. The idea came to me not long ago when I was researching wedding venues online for my own wedding—yes, I’m still a bit of a newlywed. I thought what fun it would be to create a Western-themed honeymoon bed-and-breakfast complete with a wedding chapel. It was an “aha” moment that just felt right!
I hope you enjoy Molly and Owen’s story. They are a perfectly mismatched couple who are, of course, perfect for each other. They just need to figure that out.
Warmest wishes,
Cathy McDavid
PS: I love connecting with readers. Find me at Facebook.com/cathymcdavidbooks, on Twitter, @cathymcdavid, and at cathymcdavid.com.
To Kathleen. You’ve given me so many incredible opportunities during my career with Harlequin, including this one. Thank you for the chance to continue writing the kinds of books I love and to find brand-new readers.
You are the best.
Contents
HEARING WHAT SOUNDED like a hammer banging against metal, Molly O’Malley tossed the covers aside and sat bolt upright. Her sister had beaten her to the shower. Again. Now she’d be late getting downstairs—the last thing she wanted today of all days. After endless planning, preparation and backbreaking labor, Sweetheart Ranch was finally opening for business.
Molly pushed herself out of bed, excitement and nervousness replacing the fog of sleep. Grabbing her flannel robe hanging from the bedpost, she padded to the closet, every third floorboard creaking in angry protest. A single tug on the antique glass knob and the closet door glided open. Thank goodness. It just as often stuck and refused to budge.
Like the faulty water pressure in the pipes and the creaking floorboards, no amount of tinkering had remedied the finicky closet door. Molly’s grandmother, Emily, claimed the many quirks only added to the old house’s charm.
Molly did agree the house possessed a certain appeal. People raved over the quaint and rustic decor inspired by local history, nearby cattle ranches and the herd of wild mustangs that had once roamed the valley. At least, those were the comments Molly had received from guests who’d viewed their website and booked a wedding, or a honeymoon stay in one of the six cabins.
