Will this brooding Gold Valley cowboy find redemption this Christmas?
Cowgirl Rose Daniels is determined to play matchmaker to ensure her beloved sister will meet someone under the mistletoe. She enlists the reluctant help of family friend Logan Heath, but his insistence that she doesn’t understand chemistry is exasperating. Until they share one electrifying moment that shows her exactly what chemistry is all about, and it becomes outrageously, irresistibly intriguing...
Logan hates the holidays. They are a painful reminder of the family he lost and a time of year he always wants to spend on his own. But Rose refuses to let him. Logan’s worked for years to keep his attraction to her under wraps—she’s his best friend’s youngest sister and she couldn’t be more off-limits. He’s the last cowboy that innocent Rose should ever kiss, but this Christmas, maybe Logan will become the only cowboy she’ll ever want.
Praise for the novels of Maisey Yates
“[A] surefire winner not to be missed.”
—Publishers Weekly on Slow Burn Cowboy (starred review)
“This fast-paced, sensual novel will leave readers believing in the healing power of love.”
—Publishers Weekly on Down Home Cowboy
“Yates’s new Gold Valley series begins with a sassy, romantic and sexy story about two characters whose chemistry is off the charts.”
—RT Book Reviews on Smooth-Talking Cowboy (Top Pick)
“Multidimensional and genuine characters are the highlight of this alluring novel, and sensual love scenes complete it. Yates’s fans...will savor this delectable story.”
—Publishers Weekly on Unbroken Cowboy (starred review)
“Fast-paced and intensely emotional.... This is one of the most heartfelt installments in this series, and Yates’s fans will love it.”
—Publishers Weekly on Cowboy to the Core (starred review)
“Yates’s outstanding eighth Gold Valley contemporary...will delight newcomers and fans alike.... This charming and very sensual contemporary is a must for fans of passion.”
—Publishers Weekly on Cowboy Christmas Redemption (starred review)
Also by Maisey Yates
Secrets from a Happy Marriage
Gold Valley
Smooth-Talking Cowboy
Untamed Cowboy
Good Time Cowboy
A Tall, Dark Cowboy Christmas
Unbroken Cowboy
Cowboy to the Core
Lone Wolf Cowboy
Cowboy Christmas Redemption
The Bad Boy of Redemption Ranch
The Hero of Hope Springs
Copper Ridge
Part Time Cowboy
Brokedown Cowboy
Bad News Cowboy
The Cowboy Way
One Night Charmer
Tough Luck Hero
Last Chance Rebel
Slow Burn Cowboy
Down Home Cowboy
Wild Ride Cowboy
Christmastime Cowboy
For more books by Maisey Yates, visit www.maiseyyates.com.
Maisey Yates
The Last Christmas Cowboy
To Jane Austen, cowboys and Christmas. Which seemed like a logical combination to me.
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 THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
EPILOGUE
EXCERPT FROM CONFESSIONS FROM THE QUILTING CIRCLE BY MAISEY YATES
EXCERPT FROM CLAIMING THE RANCHER'S HEIR BY MAISEY YATES
CHAPTER ONE
ROSE DANIELS WAS happy with her life. She had the best job in the entire world, working on Hope Springs Ranch, spending her days outdoors riding horses and wrangling cattle. She loved it. The idea of having an office job made her want to crawl out of her skin, and the thought of sitting still was even less appealing than that.
Sure, her primary coworker was hardheaded and a bit of a pain, but Logan was also like a brother to her, a good friend and a decent enough horseman.
Her brother, Ryder, was the boss, and he could be a whole challenge, but ultimately, he was the one who had raised her after the death of their parents, and she loved him with all of her heart. Working on the ranch allowed her to be close to her family, another bonus of the whole situation.
And over the last couple of years, she had watched her sister Pansy find the love of her life, followed by her brother, Ryder, with his best friend Sammy.
It had her thinking a lot, though, about her sister Iris.
Rose was the youngest of the Daniels children, and after the death of their parents, it was Iris who had taken on the maternal role for Rose.
She’d always been there for Rose, for the whole family. Cooking, cleaning, offering support. She’d combed Rose’s hair for school, helped choose her clothes. Had walked Rose through buying her first bra and all the other ills of puberty.
And Iris was still living at the ranch, cooking for all of them, caring for them all.
Rose had to wonder if it was why Iris didn’t seem to care at all for herself. If it was why Iris was alone.
Rose didn’t like to see Iris alone. She had been so young and helpless when her parents had died. She hadn’t been able to take care of anyone. They’d all cared for her. She wasn’t a child anymore, though. That early feeling of helplessness had formed her. Shaped her. And now...now she wanted to fix things. It was who she was. It was the way she’d found a place on the family ranch. The way she’d made herself matter. Whether it was a calf with an ankle injury or a person with a wound in their heart, Rose wanted to see that it was put to rights.
And now she was considering Iris. Who, were they in Regency times, would be considered a spinster. Not even just close to being on the shelf. Not even simply past her initial first blush.
Granted, it was not the Regency period, and it wasn’t really fair to judge anything by those standards. But Iris was a traditional sort of woman, and Rose imagined that her sister must want to be in love and married.
“Rose, get your head out of the clouds and your feet back in the mud. We’ve got work to do.”
She glanced over at Logan, who was standing there looking taciturn, his tan cowboy hat pulled down low over his eyes. He was wearing a matching work jacket and gloves, and seeing him appropriately dressed made her skin prickle with goose bumps, more aware of the chill in the air than she’d been a moment before. She’d run out with nothing but a T-shirt and a denim button-up that she left open.
She was adapting slowly to the change in
