A Cowboy for Christmas

by Marcia Lynn McClure

A very loud pounding on the door startled everyone then. "Well, who on earth could that be at this hour? And in this weather?" Lottie asked. "I swear, that knockin' nearly startled me right out of my skin!" "Me too, Mama," Savannah agreed. In fact, her heart was still racing. "We aren't expectin' anyone, are we, Lottie?" Bill asked. "No. Not at all," Lottie said. Savannah watched as Bill quickly strode toward the door. He grabbed the rifle he'd set next to it when he'd entered earlier and then called, "Hello? Who's that?" A deep, masculine voice answered from the other side of the door. "Mr. Dickerson? It's me, Trenner Barnett. Do you remember me, sir?" "Trenner Barnett?" Bill mumbled, frowning as he immediately pulled the bolt on the door and opened it. A gust of merciless wind and blowing snow whooshed into the house in the wake of the man who stepped in....

Genres: Romance, Christmas, Clean Romance, Historical Romance, Adult, Historical Fiction, Westerns

136 pages, Paperback

First published December 22, 2015

About the author

Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Marcia Lynn McClure grew up influenced by the reminiscent stories of rugged, rural Colorado farm life fascinatingly recounted to her by her parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts…tales of runaway buckboards, mule-drawn plows and dust pneumonia; verbalized images of stream-flooded meadows, frozen over in winter, where a child could peer through the crystal clear ice in wonder at the small fish, snakes and mice sealed in the meadow grasses beneath; stories of hardship and tragedy, love and loss. But always the stories, and the people telling them, bore evidence of the wonder and worthiness of simpler, yet sometimes brutal, times.

These influential people and the family legends they detailed, coupled with her own life experiences and utterly romantic nature, led Marcia to begin writing novels as Christmas gifts for her closest friends…friends who long for a breath of the past and miss the romance of bygone eras; friends searching for moments of distraction from the stressful, demanding times we live in.

And so, knowing that it is the breath of the past and the "take me in you arms and kiss me" kind of moments that so many women long to relive, Marcia spins her tales of love, life and laughter…adventures woven around those compelling, romantic instances that most appeal to a woman's loving heart. Marcia feels that if her readers close one of her books with a contented sigh and a delighted smile, feeling rejuvenated, cheerful and edified, then she has achieved what she set out to do…shower refreshment and happiness on anyone having experienced the story.

Marcia lives in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. There she writes her stories surrounded by her beloved friends and family...and the beautiful desert landscape of New Mexico!

Reviews

[Teya Teya · Rating 5 out of 5]

12/8/23
I love the short love story. I love the instant attraction in love. I love him because he becomes a law man so that he can marry his girl.

11-8-22
I'm a month early this year however, it's snowing and I just couldn't stop myself. This story is still as great as it was the first time I read it. I enjoyed this quick romance, with old country rustlers and a hot cowboy. I enjoyed the sweet family country life and the innocence of the brother. It was just a really good fast easy Christmas-time book.

Other years.
I loved it! It was full of faith and heart. I loved reading this on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. Heartwarming, fast, Marcia in all her glory light-hearted story. I loved every second of it, myself.
I have to add my favorite character was Everett. Loved him and the funny thing is for some reason he reminded me of Marcia, not sure why. I thought that was interesting.

I just love Savannah and Trenner's Christmas love story of faith and prayer. It's just simply a sweet and wonderful Christmas story.

[Tori (Book Chick) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet novella. You can't really go wrong when you have Marcia Lynn McClure and a hot cowboy. It's pretty much impossible. I loved the faith of Everett. So sweet. And I totally believe in love at first sight! <3

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed as I always do! Love Marcia's books!!

Content: Clean (a couple mild swear words)

[Kathy * Bookworm Nation · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a cute MLM Christmas novella, around 100 pages so a pretty quick read.

I love the old western setting and being snowed in over Christmas, felt nice and cozy. Savannah and Trenner are a cute couple and have a sweet conflict-free romance. Since it a shorter story, things progress rather quickly between them. They have some fun moments and swoony kisses, and a cute meddling little brother.

Content Rated PG
Romance: Kissing
Language: Mild
Violence: Mild
Other: Mild religious content

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marcia has done it again! A cute novella with a swoon-worthy & handsome cowboy. From the description, I pictured Scott Eastwood. Quick & fun read!

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another sweet Marcia Romance

This was another great read by Marcia McClure. I have always enjoyed her books and the different way she writes. This one was a bit shorter than others, but still a delightful read!

[Abby · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think I just don’t love her short stories

[Darkwinde · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's no secret that I don't like Insta-love, so I'm going to start out with a quote from Marcia's Author's Note at the end.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I totally believe in love at first sight! Or in the very least, I believe that two people know they're going to be in love at the moment they meet or when they reconnect as adults having known each other as children.

This I can get behind. I can see how two people might know things are going to work when they first start to get to know each other. And I enjoyed riding along as Savannah and Trenner figured that out. I took off one star because it was a little too short and sweet. I wanted MORE! More time; more plot; more depth.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love Marcia and I'll read anything she types out. Try her out and you'll get hooked, too. :)

[Rebekah Gyger · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have read a number of books by this author, all with various levels of quality. While I like a lot of her books, I have to say that I couldn't even finish this one. The dialogue is terribly repetitive, along with the descriptions. It felt as though McClure wrote one draft, used spell check to get rid of spelling and grammatical errors, then released it without any other changes.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super cute story, but WAY too short. I miss her longer books. This is more of a novella. I liked the idea of a brother praying for a cowboy for his sister. SO cute! A sweet and easy read.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it!! Such a fun Christmas story!

[Michael Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everett’s Intrigue

A nice, seasonal novel on a winters evening. The development of the main and minor chapters was good, especially that of Everett. IPAs I have in other posts by other authors, I found the novel being about 25-50 pages too long as I began flipping thrpough the last 50 pages.

[Chelan Hollingsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everett was maybe one of my favorite characters in Marcia’s books ever! Just the most heartwarming little boy and he made me laugh out loud while reading! Definitely needed this sweet story this week when the world seems to get more heavy every day.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet little Christmas love story to lift your heart. Short, and not much depth, but perfect for a little pick me up.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

a cute fluffy story

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet Christmas prayer of a Brother for his sister. Great addition to a relaxing Christmas break!

[NefariousButterfly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faith of a child

A funny little story about the faith of a child and love at first sight. And of course done with kisses that only Marcia could do.

[Kathryn Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book by Marcia that made me smile big time while in my reading world.

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 ⭐️

[A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 innocent romance with cute family.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great little read

I just love feel good Christmas stories in December. I read Marcia's stories each Christmas time to make my season brighter.

[Karrah Epperson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet and clean little holiday romance.

[CARMEN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet love story set in the old west. A little boys' hope and prayer for his sister. The blending of two families into one loving family. Read it in one sitting.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much fun!!! Not only did Marcia make me smile, I laughed out loud! Savannah's little brother Everett is the star of this story! He is hilarious and oh so sweet! Everyone needs a little brother like Everett watching out for them. I also loved how prayer played and important part of this story. Characters recognized answers to prayer and acted on them. Just like always there was a swoon worthy hero. I also enjoyed watching Savannah get to know her new step sisters better. The joy the family found together just melted my heart. As always, I want more!

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahh this book! Though I don't think "love at first sight" will happen to me, I believe that it's still romantic as ever! This book had me swooning and giddy as if I were Savannah. Anyways, this book totally could've been a longer one! But I loved it and I loved the family dynamic and the Christmas feels! Truly wonderful.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute, fun short story. I loved it. Nice quick fix when you need one. I love love Everett he is one of my favorites. Loved his strong faith and his little boy tricks made me laugh. I really enjoyed this book. Wish it could be longer :)

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet Christmas story about the faith of a child and Christmas wishes coming true.

[Chesney · Rating 4 out of 5]

You really can't go wrong with Marcia's books. This one was a perfect afternoon read. Some sparkin and funny sayings along with finding your love at first sight!

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A light hearted, fun, easy, cozy country Christmas read!

[Carisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute.