Welcome to small town living where everyone knows each
other and life is pretty much an open book. Believe it or
not the folks that have lived in these small towns develop
amazing support groups with friends and neighbors who
become extensions of their family. Christine Rimmer's story
revolves around the people of Elk Creek who will at times
make you smile and other times make you grit your teeth.
Typical of a town like Elk Creek.
Preston McCade had a pretty full life working his horse
ranch so he wasn't really giving the arrival of a princess
to Elk Creek very much attention. All that would change in
a flash. Arabella didn't come alone. She had a woman,
perhaps as a chaperone, a bodyguard no mistaking his
purpose and a baby in tow. But what caught Preston's
ultimately got his attention was that Arabella was asking
question and looking for him. He had two choices to wait
till she got around to actually contacting him or take the
bull by the horn and go see the lady -- princess -- and find
out what he had to do with her visit to his town.
Preston didn't make a habit of entertaining the groupies
that were a main stay on the rodeo circuit but it only
takes one. Belle was charged with the responsibility of
bringing Preston the son he sired with a woman who died
right after giving birth. Ana, Ben's mother and Belle's
friend trusted Belle to honor her wishes for the boy to be
with his father. A father who didn't even know Ben existed.
A double edged sword for Belle. Getting Preston comfortable
with taking care of a baby was bittersweet knowing when she
left to go back home it would be without this lovely child
she was beginning to love as her own.
First impressions are important to Belle as her response
to Ben's father is going to weigh heavy on the ultimate
decision she has to make. She is hoping to like the man
who would be guardian and father to the little boy she
loves. At first glance Belle and Preston have nothing in
common -- a rancher and a princess seemingly worlds apart
but it turns out they wind up with much more in common than
their love for Ben. Preston can't help but admire Belle
for her choices in life, where she could have been
pampered -- as he believed royalty was -- to the reality that
she as many of her family were committed to useful careers
helping other.
And Belle is equally attracted to this rugged rancher who
is a good solid man -- someone she just knows she could
trust with her life and maybe her heart. But with worlds so
far apart could there be any chance for their mutual
attraction and respect to go any further.
Perhaps it's a slight leap of faith to suspend disbelief
and to believe that there could be a future for a rancher
and a royal princess but I still like happy endings.
Arabella Bravo-Calabretti came to Elk Creek, Montana, with a secret to deliver and a job to do. Being a Bravo Royale, she was going to do it right. Before she handed her best friend’s darling son, Ben, over to his unwitting father, they would all spend Christmas together. Only then could she be absolutely sure that rancher Preston McCade was ready to be a dad. Or…was that really the reason Belle was hanging around? She and Preston were practically from different planets, yet the attraction was undeniable. Before long, someone was utterly in love with a rancher—and Christmas in Montana was presenting one surprise after another