The Cowboy from Christmas Past

by Tina Leonard

Dillinger Kent is getting ready for a lonely Christmas on his Texas ranch. All that changes the night the widowed gunslinger hears an infant's wails…and is swept into a time and town definitely not his own.

After ditching her fiancé at the altar, Auburn McGinnis is on the run, trying to figure out how to hold on to her family's perfume company. The rough-and-tumble stranger who just showed up with a baby girl in tow could be the hired gun—and protector—she needs.

At first, all Dillinger wanted was to get back to his ranch. But with the resourceful, enchanting Auburn in his life, the twenty-first century is looking better and better.

Have they both found what they're looking for? A love that transcends time?

Genres: Romance, Time Travel, Harlequin

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author Tina Leonard has sold over 3.2 million copies of her books. She has made the New York Times, USA Today, Waldenbooks, Bookscan, and Ingrambook bestseller lists, and has written over seventy books and special projects. Her work has been published by Harlequin Books, Samhain Publishing, London Bridge, Diversion Books, and Random House Loveswept. Leonard is known for her fun sense of humor, endearing communities, snappy dialogue, and memorable characters. Visit www.tinaleonard.com, www.facebook.com/authortinaleonard, or www.twitter.com/Tina_Leonard for upcoming information on release dates and exciting new projects.

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it

[R J Naik · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A Cowboy from Christmas Past" – Bittersweet, Heartfelt, and Wrapped in Holiday Magic

Tina Leonard brings emotional depth and holiday warmth to A Cowboy from Christmas Past, a story about second chances, healing old wounds, and rediscovering love when the snow starts to fall. With her signature Texas flair, Leonard mixes festive charm with just the right touch of nostalgia and longing.

🎄 Why It Works:

The hero is rugged and wounded, but his emotional journey is both believable and moving.

The heroine shines with warmth and resilience, making you root for their reunion.

Plenty of cozy Christmas atmosphere—think family traditions, heartfelt surprises, and snowy small-town magic.

Perfect for readers who love cowboys with a past, holidays with heart, and romances that feel like coming home.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book. The subject is interesting, with the story taking place in two different time periods. Dillinger is alone on his ranch after the death of his wife when he hears a baby crying. When he opens the door and picks her up from his porch, he is sucked into the 21st century. Auburn takes pity on him and the baby and takes them home with her. He is very confused at first, but takes it in stride pretty quickly. Auburn thinks he's nuts at the beginning, but is also convinced before long. They try to find the area where his ranch would be, but are unsuccessful. Then they and the baby are transferred back to his ranch, where they deal with his wife's brother trying to kill him, and the appearance of her ex-fiance. I liked the time they spent there, and the way that Auburn adapted to the time. She was a lot better at things than she ever thought she would be. Dillinger was stunned and heartbroken when Auburn and the baby got pulled back to the future without him. I really liked the way that he worked with Pierre and Bradley to teach them about ranching, and how happy Bradley was there in the past. I loved the way that they conversation around the table went with the three men. The ending was very satisfying. I'd love to know how Bradley and Pierre did with the ranch.

[Sarah Winters · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, I hate to say how much I really didn't enjoy this book. I understand it's a short book and yes it was a monthly but sometimes I luck in with something amazing. This however wasn't it. The characters were unreal. Auburn was the most annoying female lead with the fact that her personality shifted so frequently. Dillinger I sort of liked but I have a soft spot for cowboys. Truthfully he adapted far to easily and seemed to get over his dead wife and fall in love all during a romp in the sheets with Auburn (who I doubt has a personality of sex goddess anywhere in her repetoire). The baby showed up from nowhere and is never truly explained. The time travel thing was poorly explained and most often just a plot device to shift them awkwardly from one place to another. It was hint that magic and Polly, Dillinger's dead wife, were the cause but that was never clarified. As for the antagonists, Bradley (Auburn's family business stealing fiancee) and Pierre (Polly's brother who assumed Dillinger killed Polly) both fizzled out before they even got the plot going. And the end was terrible. Sadly, I had no luck with this one and it's definitely going back to the second hand shop.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very heart warming read, I won the book from Ann Aguirre during her Hell Fire promotion and got it off my TBR shelf and sat down in just a few hours and read this lovely little story. I am a sucker for anything set in Texas and even though the book really does not describe in great detail any one particular place other than the fictional ranch that Kent owns in Christmas River, it was still neat to read a book set in my birth state.... This is my first Tina Leonard book to read and do not think it will be my last. She has created a sweet and moving story that is a mixture of intrigue, the element of time traveling and some of the most heartbreaking and at the same time joyful scenes in a book that I have had the pleasure to read. The main characters of Auburn and Kent are both people with issues, no problem there for me as flawed characters are "realistic" and easy to connect with... I enjoyed every page of the book and was sorry to see it end.

[Ann Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dillinger Kent, a former gunslinger, never expected to hear a baby crying on his front porch, but he couldn’t ignore the sweet little angel at his front door, especially so close to Christmas. So, he reached for the child - and found himself swept forward into the twenty-first century.

Auburn McGinnis had come to her senses just in the nick of time. Marrying Brad, a man she didn’t love, would solve her family’s financial problems, but she’d be utterly miserable. What she needed was an old fashioned hero, a strong and handsome man to sweep her off her feet. Suddenly, Dillinger appeared and with a baby in his arms, too!

Unfortunately, Brad didn’t seem willing to let Auburn go and somebody kept taking pot shots at the Dillinger ranch, too. Who was the gunman’s real target? What was the strange force that transcended time and space to bring Auburn and Dillinger together? Find out in this wonderful time travel adventure.

[Gemma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually love time-travel stories, so I picked this up. But I couldn't suspend disbelief long enough to enjoy it.

The heroine's actions made no sense. A woman is on the run, meets a complete stranger who appears out of nowhere with a baby that she suspects isn't his. So she suspects this guy is a kidnapper, and what does she do? Immediately brings him home to her apartment! Are you kidding me??? You would think a woman who is on the run would have more sense! The guy could be a murderer for all she knew.

And then, she lets him leave (while still believing he kidnapped this child) and doesn't want to call the police because she's trying to stay out of their sight. How could anyone live with that on the conscience? Call the police on a pay phone--you don't have to leave your name! Sheesh!

It's hard to keep reading when you can't stop rolling your eyes.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okaaay, so it's a Harlequin. I admit to being a bit embarrassed, but it was loaned to me, and I needed something light, and actually, I enjoyed it. I think the author has a non-Harlequin future if she wants it. The plot was fantastical: gunslinger-turned-rancher finds baby on his doorstep in 1892, and when he picks her up the two of them wind up in NYC, c.2010. They meet a lovely woman (nat), Auburn, but after several days in 2010, somehow Auburn ends up back in 1892, and her gunslinger doesn't remember his trip to the future. There's a bit more time travel, and a few more characters, but I liked the characters, and had fun with the book. A really great feature: no sex or swearing! Maybe Harlequin has something to offer after all :)

[Kt Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet and enjoyable as always :)