Cowboy Firefighter
Christmas Kiss will be released in November. I’m so excited to share this
latest novel in my Smokin’ Hot Cowboys series. Here’s what Booklist (Jenna Friebel) said: “Redford (Hot for a Cowboy, 2019)
delivers a country Christmas romance as sweet as pie and spicy as chili.”
When Ivy Bryant arrives at Wildcat Hall, she goes from website
designer by day to honkytonk manager by night. How to handle it all? Enter
Slade Steele—rancher, firefighter, and proprietor of the Chuckwagon Café—who
offers his services. Add his award-winning pies and a fiery chili recipe with
chocolate to the menu, and folks will stream in the front door. It’s an offer
Ivy can’t refuse, even though the passion between them is already at the
boiling point.
Excerpt from Cowboy
Firefighter Christmas Kiss
“Oh no!” Slade Steele jerked up, rising
swiftly to his feet.
“We forgot the cookies.” Ivy Bryant
straightened her clothes as she looked at him in wide-eyed horror.
He ran into the kitchen, turned off the
oven, grabbed a potholder, and jerked open the oven door. At the hit of oxygen,
smoke and flames leaped out at him. He quickly stepped back and looked around
for a fire extinguisher. He had a can in his truck, but that was too far and
too long away.
Ivy ran into the room and stopped beside
him, hand over her nose at the smoke and fumes filling the room.
“Where’s the fire extinguisher?”
“I don’t know.”
“Let’s find it!” He slammed the oven door
shut, tossed the pot holder on the countertop, and glanced around for a can. It
couldn’t be far.
She opened several cabinet doors without
success. “Surely there’s one here someplace.”
“Got to be.” He jerked open the doors
under the sink and was relieved to finally see the telltale red container of an
extinguisher. He grabbed it and pulled the pin.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Stand back till I get this under
control.”
When he was sure she was safely out of
the way, he opened the oven again and took a closer look. The cookies still
burned but were now little black pieces of crisp dough. He sprayed the entire
inside of the oven, including the cookies, then quickly opened the front door
to let in fresh air.
He walked back, set the canister on the
countertop, picked up the pot holder, and opened the oven again. He eased the
cookie sheet out, set it in the sink, and starred at the shriveled bits of
black cookie covered in foam.
Ivy moved in close and looked around his
shoulder. “You think we might have a little trouble selling those in Wildcat
Hall?”
“Sell them?” He just shook his head,
glancing at her. “They’re a disaster. I’m a disaster. I swear I’ve never burned
cookies before in my entire life.”
She put fingers over her mouth, shoulders
shaking, as she tried to keep from laughing at his mess. “What would your
granny say?”
“Don’t you dare tell her, or I’ll never
hear the end of it.”
Finally, she did chuckle, pointing at
what was left of the cookies. “I guess you aren’t usually so distracted when
you cook.”
He smiled, picking up on her humor. “Can
I place the blame on you?”
“Anytime. I have no reputation riding on
my cookie-baking prowess.”
“I hate to think of the ribbing I’d get
if any of my firefighter friends found out I’d burned a batch of cookies.”
She laughed harder. “Maybe you need to
bribe me to keep this cookie mess a secret.”
“What would it take to ensure your
silence?”
She glanced from him to the cookies to
him again. “Not cookies. After smelling these, I don’t think I’ll ever be able
to eat another sugar cookie in my entire life.”
He chuckled. “And there goes my grand
plan to impress you.”
“I think you better go another route.”
“What would that be—maybe the same one
that’d keep my secret safe?”
She looked him up and down. “I do believe
we can come up with a way for you to compensate me.”
“Name it.”
“Its name is Slade Steele.”
He took a deep breath, feeling her words
go straight to his heart. “You’ve got it, but we’re going to move to a better
location.”
“What do you mean?”
“You can’t stay here, not when the whole
place reeks of smoke and burnt food.”
“It’ll air out.”
“Not anytime soon.”
“If we clean the oven and the cookie
sheet, it’ll help.”
“Somewhat, but not enough.” He grinned,
thinking that he could still turn this disaster to his benefit—and hers. “Why
don’t you pack an overnight bag and I’ll take you to my place? There’s a guest
room, if you want it.”
“Your home?” She appeared surprised, then
she glanced out the front door, as if considering her options.
“Yeah.”
“As tempting as it sounds, I ought to
stay here and clean up.” She put her arms around her waist, as if hugging
herself for comfort. “Besides, I can stand the stench.”
“No.” He put a fingertip under her chin
and lifted her face so he could see her expression. “You’ve had more than
enough stress since you moved in here. You need some tender loving care, and
I’m going to give it to you.”
“We can’t leave the mess, and you know
it.”
“I’ll toss the cookie sheet. There’s no
point in trying to save it.”
“The stove?”
“Settelmeyers. No matter how good a job
we do on the cleanup, it’d never be up to their standards. And I’d never intentionally
upset them, particularly not on their turf. I’ll let them know, and they’ll be
on it tomorrow.”
“But that way, folks will find out about
your cookie disaster.”
“Our secret is safe with them. They never
tell anything that goes on here. They protect Wildcat Hall Park like their own
personal castle that needs defended against all harm.”
“Are you saying they’re our knights in
shining armor?”
He nodded. “As close as we’re going to
get in this lifetime.”
She chuckled. “You’ve got an answer for
everything, don’t you?”
“Wish I did, but tonight, I’m tired and I
want to sleep in my own bed.”
“Your injury?”
“I won’t lie to you—I could use that
comfort about now.” He hoped that idea might persuade her to go with him,
because he really didn’t want to leave her alone with a mess she’d probably try
to clean once he was gone. Besides, he just flat-out didn’t want to leave her.
She hesitated, glancing around the room.
“It won’t be the same here without you. It’ll feel so empty.”
And he knew he had her just where he
wanted her, so he slipped an arm around her waist. “I promise I have good food
at home. And I’ll even let you sleep alone…if you want.”
She laid her head against his chest for
just a moment, as if in agreement, then stepped back. “I’ll go with you but just
for tonight. And I’d better sleep in your guest room. Otherwise, what would
your grandmother think?”
“She’d think I was a lucky man.”
Ivy simply shook her head.
“Pack a bag…and let’s get out of
here.”
Smokin' Hot Cowboys series
A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas (Book 1)
Blazing Hot Cowboy (Book 2)
A Very Cowboy Christmas (Book 3)
Hot for a Cowboy (Book 4)
Cowboy Firefighter Christmas Kiss (Book 5)
Kim Redford is the acclaimed, bestselling author of Western romance novels. She grew up in Texas with cowboys, cowgirls, horses, cattle, and rodeos for inspiration. She divides her time between homes in Texas and Oklahoma, where she’s a rescue cat wrangler and horseback rider—when she takes a break from her keyboard. Visit her at Kim Redford.
