The Cowboy's Christmas Baby

by Christy Lockhart

DELIVERED BY CHRISTMAS...

Lilly Baldwin knew all too well how irresistible rancher Nick Andrews was. After one unforEseen night of passion, she now was expecting a very special Christmas delivery. But if Lilly gave in to the rugged dad-to-be's convenience-only marriage proposal, she knew she'd be risking her already bruised heart...

Nick would settle for nothing less than wedding the mother of his child, for this honor-bound cowboy would always protect his own. But though their nuptials were to be in name only, neither he nor Lilly could deny the sparks that flew between them. Was it only a matter of time before Nick said 'I do' to love?

Genres: Harlequin, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin Desire

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 1999

About the author

Christine Pacheco is a born romantic! Some of her earliest childhood memories are of her native Northern England where she traipsed through castles and dreamed of marrying her very own prince. She emigrated to Colorado when she was eight, and was quite disappointed to discover that people had cars and shopping malls, rather than horses and dirt roads with wooden sidewalks. You see, her grandfather was a huge fan of Westerns, and she spent many a Sunday afternoon in front of the television watching John Wayne movies. She soon found, however, that the mountains provided huge inspiration and that the Western cowboy fantasy was just as rich as that of princes and princesses.

She writes romance and erotic novels as Christine Pacheco and Christy Lockhart. She also wrote in collaboration with Vickie Conan, under the pseudonym of Christa Conan. She is a past president of Colorado Romance Writers and a past Board Member of Romance Writers of America. She's the recipient of Colorado Romance Writers Writer of the Year Award, RWA's prestigious Emma Merritt Service Award, along with the Coeur Du Bois Love of Romance Award. In her writing, she strives to weave the elements of her dreams—honorable men, real life situations, and a compelling love story—into books her readers will enjoy over and over again. To Christine, her readers are what it's all about. If she can touch your heart, her heart sings!

Christine, along with her real life hero, Jared, their two children, two cats, and two dogs still call Colorado home. Their deck has a distant view of Pikes Peak, the very mountain that inspired the song "America the Beautiful." As a certified life coach, she lives her life by Eleanor Roosevelt's saying: "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams," and encourages you to reach for your dreams. She would love to hear from you: christy@christylockhart.com

Reviews

[Saly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 3.5 stars
I dunno why I liked this book I just did. The heroine had been in a terrible marriage and that made her scared of losing control and herself and two months ago her one night with the hero did just that and she ran. But she's pregnant and the hero is insisting on marrying her. The hero had been hurt before and yes he could be forceful but his intentions weren't that bad. The heroine well she was mired too much in the past that hampered my enjoyment.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice romance read. The only plot twist I would have tossed in was the ex-husband coming back and causing issues. Other than the two main characters being stubborn buttheads, that was the only animosity.

[Mattie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok, but wouldn't want to re-read. The heroine was not my favorite, she was too stubborn and risked her health and that of her baby for no real reason (worked to exhaustion and at the end ran from hero and fell because he wanted her to stop working to exhaustion). P.

[Jean Cable · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read

[Maura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nick Andrews was married once, but his wife was deceitful, divorced him and took their daughter, who it turns out wasn't even his. He was denied visitation. He hooks up with Lilly Baldwin at a wedding and they have a fantastic night together, but she runs away the next morning. Lilly had survived her first marriage to a controlling asshole, and has sworn never to submit again. This is why she runs away from Nick - because he's all alpha-male and made her lose control. When Lilly ends up pregnant, Nick insists they marry. But Lilly is terrified of marriage again and having to give up control to a husband. Nick is terrified of losing another child and isn't about to let Lilly get away while she's carrying his kid.

One thing I can say about this, was that it was a quick, easy, read. It starts out quick with Nick asking the heroine if she's pregnant, then continues as he more or less looses his brand of fury. Nick was kind of an ass, with being so determined to have his baby in his life that he'd more or less force Lilly into doing whatever he wanted, but he knew enough to manipulate gently. Which was almost worse. And she was truly a doormat. He claimed to have been attracted by her vibrancy and zest for life, but I never got to see it. She came across as a hollowed out shell who lived in fear of being controlled. One other thing I noticed that comes down to writing style is that characters' emotions seemed to change in a flash. One moment the hero is kissing the heroine tenderly, then slamming the door behind him and I'm wondering what happened that made him mad enough to slam doors. The heroine would be snappish and irritated and thens he'd let loose a genuine smile and laugh. It was like there was no cool down period or transition between emotions. It had me confused at times.