On Christmas Eve, Craig shifted in his metal folding chair beside Caroline as they watched the elementary school’s performance of A Christmas Carol at the community center in Thunder Canyon.
“What’d Bob Cratchit say?” Meemaw whispered loudly down their row. She’d had to lean across Grandpac to ask Caroline since Craig’s grandfather had been the first to arrive this evening and had used name-badge stickers to save seats for the entire family.
“Dammit, woman,” Grandpac whispered back. “Get your hearing aid fixed. And you can’t just move your chair and sit wherever you want. You’re blocking the aisle.”
“Well, seeing as how you conveniently saved my seat on the opposite end of the auditorium, I didn’t really have a choice.”
“I should’ve saved a seat for you in the dang parking lot,” his grandfather muttered loud enough to draw the attention of the fifth-grade usher.
Craig rolled his eyes, hoping his grandparents didn’t completely ruin the surprise he had planned for Caroline. Or worse, get them kicked out of Caroline’s favorite holiday play.
“Cratchit is basically telling his wife that it’s Christmas and she needs to set a good example for the children by toasting his horrible boss, Mr. Scrooge,” Dr. Ruth whispered as he turned around from the row in front of them. Caroline’s dad, who’d flown in with Caroline’s mom from India late last night, held up the bright screen of his electronic tablet. “I have both the book, as well as the adapted script for the play, loaded on my iPad if you want to follow along.”
“Did you know that Charles Dickens never even gave Mrs. Cratchit a first name in the original version?” Dr. Rodriguez put her arm along the back of Caroline’s father’s seat as she spoke to the entire row behind her. “Because women apparently didn’t deserve any sort of notability or recognition in Victorian England.”
While Craig had been excited to meet Caroline’s parents for the first time, he was also now questioning his own parents’ offer to extend an invitation for everyone to come to Thunder Canyon for the holidays. He shifted in his seat again, wishing he had brought Caroline here tonight alone.
“If you ask me, Mrs. Cratchit should tell ol’ Bob to shove his brownnosing toast to Scrooge up his—”
“Shhh, Meemaw.” Craig pointed to something going on offstage. “The important part is coming up.”
The boy who was playing the role of Tiny Tim limped off the stage, trying to hold on to a wrapped gift box that was meowing as the rest of the audience murmured and giggled.
Dr. Ruth held his tablet closer to his face. “I don’t remember this happening in the original.”
Craig caught the young actor’s eye and was about to lift his arm behind Caroline’s back to point her out. But Grandpac beat him to it. “She’s right here, kiddo. Next to me.”
When the little boy set the squirming box on Caroline’s lap, he announced in a proud voice, “A Merry Christmas to us all. God bless us everyone!”
The crowd hushed as they swiveled to watch Caroline remove the lid to her gift. Tiny Tim, the feline version, was inside, squatting on his two good hind legs and proudly meowing his normally grouchy head off.
Caroline giggled and lifted the cat out and Rob spoke up from behind Craig’s shoulder, “I can’t believe you put your poor cat in a box, Craig.”
“It was my idea,” C.C. said from where she was now standing next to the young actor in the aisle. “And look, Tiny Tim is loving being the center of attention.”
The animal was in fact now purring in Caroline’s arms, his tail slowly swishing back and forth as if he was ready for his encore. Craig’s father hovered behind them, his video camera zooming in.
“Sit down, dear.” His mother pushed his father’s arm. “I can’t see.”
“I’m in the middle of something here,” Craig reminded everyone and Caroline gasped when she saw him drop to his knee.
“Caroline Ruth,” he started, and Dr. Rodriguez gave a not-so-discreet cough. “I mean, Caroline Rodriguez Ruth, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Tiny Tim let out another meow as Craig untied the ribbon attached to his collar and pulled the diamond ring free. “As well as my spoiled cat’s adopted mom?”
A tear trickled out of Caroline’s eye as she eagerly bobbed her head up and down while Craig slid the ring onto her finger. When he pulled her and Tiny Tim into his arms, the entire community center erupted in applause.
* * *
Two months later, Craig was knee-deep in overseeing the cattle breeding season, while Caroline was busy establishing the Thunder Canyon location for her and Vivienne’s newest wedding planning office.
But both of them always made time to meet with the architect and builder they’d hired to create their dream home on the Clifton family ranch. There would be a small guest cottage for when Caroline’s parents came to town—or for when Grandpac needed a space to cool off after having a big fight with Meemaw during holiday dinners—and there would be plenty of bookshelves for their memories and pillows for Tiny Tim.
Caroline and Craig still hadn’t set a wedding date, but now that they’d been engaged by Christmas, fulfilling their destiny was no longer as important as the rest of their journey.
* * * * *
If you like this book by Christy Jeffries,
don’t miss
The Firefighter’s Christmas Reunion
On sale December 2018!
And look for the next installment of the new
Harlequin Special Edition continuity
Montana Mavericks: The Lonelyhearts Ranch.
Bah, humbug! Bailey Stockton hates the holidays. And romance. Until he meets Serena Langley, his very own Christmas angel. Can she bring the gift of happiness to the biggest scrooge in Rust Creek Falls?
Don’t miss
Bring Me a Maverick for Christmas!
by award-winning author Brenda Harlen.
On sale December 2018, wherever
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And catch up with the rest of the
Montana Mavericks: The Lonelyhearts Ranch
in these great titles:
The Maverick’s Bridal Bargain
by Christy Jeffries
A Maverick to (Re)Marry
by New York Times bestselling author
Christine Rimmer
The Maverick’s Baby-in-Waiting
by Melissa Senate
The Little Maverick Matchmaker
by USA TODAY bestselling author Stella Bagwell
Unmasking the Maverick
by Teresa Southwick
The Maverick’s Christmas to Remember
by Christy Jeffries
Available now!
Keep reading for an excerpt from The Majors’ Holiday Hideaway by Caro Carson.
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