Blast to the Past-All I Want for Christmas! Free Read!

 I loved the characters, the setting and the spirit of the holidays. Amanda McIntyre has the magic touch."-Rosemary, Amazon Reviews

FREE SEPT. 29- OCT. 3

The legacy continues....

Rein and Liberty MacKenzie are starting a family…make that trying to. In this sexy, heart-warming holiday tale, the Kinnison Legacy returns to End of the Line, Montana where this persistent couple face more on the road to parenthood than they bargained for.

Excerpt~

“This is Cody Ross.” The kind woman placed her arm around his tiny shoulders. “Cody, you remember Mr. and Mrs. Mackenzie from the house?”

The young boy ducked beneath Ellie’s arm, shielding his face in her shoulder.

She smiled and hugged the boy. “It’s okay, Cody. They are some of my best friends and I know they’d like to be yours, too. Why, I bet if you wanted, Mr. Mackenzie might even take you to see his horses at the Last Hope Ranch.”

The boy peeked at Rein.

“It’s true,”. Rein said with a nod. “We have a lot of horses and one of our dogs just had a litter of puppies. Do you like puppies?”

The boy glanced at Liberty, then back to Rein and nodded. He cautiously extracted himself from Ellie’s embrace.

Liberty’s eyes stung from unshed tears. She wanted nothing more than to scoop up the little boy and hug him. Her fear of whether she could love a child not her own was immediately replaced with that of whether she’d be able to let go of this one when the time came. “Do you like Christmas trees, Cody?” Liberty asked. “We’ve been waiting to put ours up.” She didn’t add that the reason had been her melancholy about the holidays in general. Liberty hadn’t been able to muster much Christmas spirit, despite being very happy for friends and family in the throes of having children—starting their families.

“I never had one,” he said softly. He rubbed his small fist down his cheek and glanced at Ellie, seemingly unsure if that was the appropriate answer.

Liberty smiled encouragingly. “Then this will be a very special tree indeed. One that you can pick out. How about that?”

His eyes narrowed briefly, followed by a barely noticeable nod before his gaze fell on the giant gooey cinnamon roll that Liberty had ordered.

“Would you like to try a bite? Betty makes the best cinnamon rolls on the planet.”

“It’s true,” Betty said with a grin for the boy. “At least, that’s what they tell me.” She placed a cup of coffee on the table for Ellie. In front of Cody she put a small mug of hot cocoa. “You looked like a marshmallow kind of guy. Here,” she said, “you’ll probably need a spoon.”

Cody accepted the spoon, then tentatively reached for the pastry.

“Oh, here. Let me help you with that.” Liberty sliced off a piece and placed it on the small plate Betty had brought.

Cody picked up the bite with tiny fingers and took a nibble.

Liberty held her breath, awaiting the little boy’s reaction.

“Do you like that?” Ellie asked, finally cutting the tension.

He thought for a moment, then smiled and nodded.

Rein leaned back with a grin as Cody quickly devoured the rest and reached for more.

“How about we get some bacon to go with that? Then maybe Mrs. Mackenzie will share a bit more with you,” Ellie offered. “Would you like that?”

The little boy nodded. For the next thirty minutes Liberty watched entranced by how the young boy’s demeanor changed from sullen to seemingly content. She wondered what kind of things those soulful little eyes had seen. Images of her childhood drifted into her thoughts, remembering things that no child should have to experience.

Ellie caught her gaze and smiled as though understanding the sum of Liberty’s thoughts. She turned to the boy. “Cody, how would you like to go with Mr. and Mrs. Mackenzie to see their house, and stay for a short visit? Maybe you could help with the new puppies?”

“They’re only a few weeks old and you’d have to be very gentle. Could you do that?” Liberty took his tiny hand in hers. The mere touch produced a strange lump in her throat.

Cody drew his hand away and, pushing to his knees, whispered in Ellie’s ear.

She smiled and glanced at Rein and Liberty. “Mr. Mackenzie isn’t your father, no, but he and Mrs. Mackenzie have offered to let you stay with them for a while. But I’ll be up to visit you in a day or two.”

“We’ve got a special room ready for you, buddy,” Rein said. “You’ll have your own bed. Your own toys.”

“Tractors?”

Rein blinked, then grinned. “Sure, absolutely. John Deere. And when the weather clears we’ll go down to my brother’s ranch and see the horses.”

“I like horses,” Cody piped up without reservation.

“Then we’ll need to get you a pair of real cowboy boots, I’m thinking. What do you say?”

“And a hat… like yours?” He pointed to Rein’s perched on the hook by the booth.

Liberty caught Rein’s eye and grinned. The little guy wasn’t the least bit shy once he felt comfortable.

“Well, then, Cody, I guess let’s go get your things out of the car,” Ellie said.

Rein stood. “I’ll go take care of the bill. Liberty can go with you. I’ll be right out.”

Ellie handed the boy’s coat to her. “Into the deep end, girlfriend.”

That’s what I’m afraid of. She knelt in front of the little boy. A million questions and concerns spun in her brain. Only one kept swirling to the forefront. Can I do this? She glanced up at Ellie as she stood.

Ellie smiled. “It’s going to be fine.”

Liberty looked down at the little boy who stood holding his mitten-clad hand out to take hers and her heart took a tumble. 

I LOVE THE HOLIDAYS, ESPECIALLY CHRISTMAS MUSIC AND MOVIES (ANYONE ELSE BINGE HALLMARK MOVIES?)

What's Your Favorite Holiday Movie?

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FREE September 29- October 3 

PICK UP YOUR DIGITAL COPY 

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS 

May your holidays be filled with many blessings!