Holiday In Stone Creek. Linda Lael Miller

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      Two classic Stone Creek tales from New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Linda Lael Miller

      A STONE CREEK CHRISTMAS

      Stone Creek veterinarian Olivia O’Ballivan communicates easily with animals, but men are another story. Especially rugged architect-turned-rancher Tanner Quinn. Olivia’s uncanny bond with his daughter Sophie’s pony has him questioning her sanity, while she wonders if he’s not just a drugstore cowboy. Then twelve-year-old Sophie conspires with Olivia to get Tanner into the spirit of Christmas. But will a holiday miracle transform the globe-trotting Tanner into a rancher—and family man—for all seasons?

      AT HOME IN STONE CREEK

      Everyone in Ashley O’Ballivan’s life is marrying and starting families—except her. But why bother dating when no one can compare to Jack McCall, the man who left her heartbroken years ago? Now he’s back in town—and maybe he isn’t who she thinks he is.

      While recovering from a dangerous mission for the DEA, security expert Jack rents a room in Ashley’s bed-and-breakfast. For both their sakes, he tries to keep his distance, though neither can deny the growing spark between them. But when his past catches up with him, he’ll have to leave again…just as he realizes where he’s always belonged—in Stone Creek.

      Praise for the novels of #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Linda Lael Miller

      “Miller tugs at the heartstrings as few authors can.”

      —Publishers Weekly

      “Linda Lael Miller creates vibrant characters and stories I defy you to forget.”

      —#1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber

      “Miller’s attention to small details makes her stories a delight to read. With engaging characters and loveable animals, this second story in the Creed Cowboys trilogy is a sure hit for the legions of cowboy fans out there.”

      —RT Book Reviews on Creed’s Honor

      “Miller once again tells a memorable tale.”

      —RT Book Reviews on A Creed in Stone Creek

      “Completely wonderful. Austin’s interactions with Paige are fun and lively and the mystery…

      adds quite a suspenseful punch.”

      —RT Book Reviews on McKettricks of Texas: Austin

      “Miller is the queen when it comes to creating sympathetic, endearing and lifelike characters. She paints each scene so perfectly readers hover on the edge of delicious voyeurism.”

      —RT Book Reviews on McKettricks of Texas: Garrett

      “A passionate love too long denied drives the action in this multifaceted, emotionally rich reunion story that overflows with breathtaking sexual chemistry.”

      —Library Journal on McKettricks of Texas: Tate

      “Strong characterization and a vivid western setting make for a fine historical romance.”

      —Publishers Weekly on McKettrick’s Choice

      Linda Lael Miller

      Holiday in Stone Creek

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

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      A Stone Creek Christmas

      For Sandi Howlett, dog foster mom, with love. Thank you.

      Contents

       Chapter One

       Chapter Two

       Chapter Three

       Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Chapter Six

       Chapter Seven

       Chapter Eight

       Chapter Nine

       Chapter Ten

       Chapter Eleven

       Chapter Twelve

      Chapter One

      SOMETIMES, ESPECIALLY in the dark of night, when pure exhaustion sank Olivia O’Ballivan, DVM, into deep and stuporous sleep, she heard them calling—the finned, the feathered, the four-legged.

       Horses, wild or tame, dogs beloved and dogs lost, far from home, cats abandoned alongside country roads because they’d become a problem for someone, or left behind when an elderly owner died.

       The neglected, the abused, the unwanted, the lonely.

       Invariably, the message was the same: Help me.

       Even when Olivia tried to ignore the pleas, telling herself she was only dreaming, she invariably sprang to full wakefulness as though she’d been catapulted from the bottom of a canyon. It didn’t matter how many eighteen-hour days she’d worked, between making stops at farms and ranches all over the county, putting in her time at the veterinary clinic in Stone Creek, overseeing the plans for the new, state-of-the-art shelter her famous big brother, Brad, a country musician, was building with the proceeds from a movie he’d starred in.

       Tonight it was a reindeer.

       Olivia sat blinking in her tousled bed, trying to catch her breath. Shoved both hands through her short dark hair. Her current foster dog, Ginger, woke up, too, stretching, yawning.

      A reindeer?

       “O’Ballivan,” she told herself, flinging off the covers to sit up on the edge of the mattress, “you’ve really gone around the bend this time.”

       But the silent cry persisted, plaintive and confused.

       Olivia only sometimes heard actual words when the animals spoke, though Ginger was articulate—generally, it was more of an unformed concept made up of strong emotion and often images, somehow coalescing into an intuitive imperative. But she could see the reindeer clearly in her