Christmas Dinner - Christmas Romance #westernromance @JacquieRogers

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Grandpa and the 6-year-old untangling the lights

I don't know about you, but our entire household is in the Christmas Preparation Frenzy.  The tree's up--oops, here comes the cat--the tree's down.  Baking all those goodies that settle right in the bohunkus is mandatory.  So is tasting them.  

What are you making this year?  We're making pies of course--custard, pumpkin, lemon meringue are requirements and we might have apple crisp and mince pie, too.  Then there's the fudge, both chocolate and peanut butter.  I cannot stay out of peanut butter fudge!  My son likes pumpkin bread but I'm not sure that'll get made this year.

We couldn't get a large turkey so we have a 15-pounder and a ham.  Along with that, we'll have roasted yams (not candied), green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, oyster sage dressing, and they might talk me into making some dinner rolls, which are called "buns" around our house.  And the other stuff--deviled eggs, olives, salad, cranberry jelly, and whatever else.  It'll be a grand meal!

Yes, I didn't get the star
in the picture. Hrmph.

This is the time of year when two ovens would be a godsend, but alas and alack, we only have one.  Sometimes I think it would be great to rent a hall with a commercial kitchen and have our gatherings there.  Of course, we're talking some big bucks there, and the meal already is enough to put us in the poorhouse.

The 23rd is National Clean Up the Kitchen Day.  We cleaned the refrigerator inside and out, cleaned the stove, rearranged and decluttered the cupboards.  It's amazing all the little bits of this and that that can accumulate to the point of where you're ready to throw out the whole works.

We're lucky, though.  We at least have one oven and it works well.  We have a dry, warm house, too.  Not everyone does.  There was a time when I didn't and I'll never forget it.  Blessings are all around us even though some  days we might not think so.

I'm also lucky to be part of the Prairie Rose Publications team.  The ladies here are awesome.  Special thanks to Livia Reasoner, Cheryl Pierson, and Kathleen Rice Adams.  You're gems, every one.

Here's a little excerpt from my story in PRP's latest anthology release, Wild Texas Christmas.  Our heroine, Winnie, and hero, Judd, have to negotiate a steep street in the icy snow, which the Texan doesn't appreciate at all.  To accommodate foot traffic, the townsmen have strung up ropes along the streets so people can pull themselves up.  No, I didn't make it up.  They really did do that in Silver City, Idaho Territory.

So let's see how our heroine and hero fare:

How the Texan Stole Christmas

a short story  by Jacquie Rogers in

Wild Texas Christmas

Excerpt

Winnie found the whole situation awkward. She had to hang on to the rope with one hand, the strap of the bag of toys with the other, and hold up her skirt, too. Only problem was, she didn’t have three hands. The men had heavier loads but then they didn’t have skirts to hold up.

Tucker darted back and forth, as dogs do, but even he slid and fell a few times. Winnie slipped a time or two before she figured out how to keep herself upright, hold the toys, and preserve some modicum of modesty. Judd grunted softly every once in awhile, especially when the steep street inclined even more, and Tucker dashed between them, nearly upending Judd, who shooed him away.

Lulu glanced over her shoulder at Winnie. “Isn’t this a beautiful day? It’s cold, but the sun is shining and the air is clear. Last night’s fireplace smoke has blown away. I love days like this.”

Winnie nodded. “Yes, it’s a very nice day—would be even better if I were bundled up by the stove reading the latest Clara Vance novel.”

“What about you, Mr. Shaw?” Lulu asked.

“Judd.”

“What?”

Web laughed. “He said he wants to be called by his first name. He just don’t use a lot of words sayin’ it.” Lulu slipped and Web caught her before she fell. Winnie stopped while the two ahead got set to rights, Judd beside her. She felt a lot warmer when he was near and since she’d been married before, she knew exactly why. To cover her embarrassment, she adjusted her pack.

In an instant, her feet went out from under her and she knocked Judd off balance, too. She landed on her back, the cold hard ice knocking the wind out of her. Judd fell on top of her with his face buried in her bosom. She couldn’t speak for lack of air and she couldn’t move because he pinned her down.

He lifted his head after a moment. “I’m, uh, sorry.”

Winnie wasn’t sorry at all. No man had had his face on her bosom for a long time, and if she had to choose one to be there, Judd’s would be it.

♥ ♥ ♥

Wild Texas Christmas

Kindle | BN.com | Smashwords | Print

Other Books by Jacquie Rogers

Hearts of Owyhee series

Much Ado About Marshals

Much Ado About Madams

Much Ado About Mavericks

Much Ado About Miners

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