Christmas in Colorado (Colorado Crazy Book 7) Read online

  Christmas in Colorado

  Colorado Crazy: Book 7

  by

  MILAN WATSON

  COPYRIGHT 2019 © MILAN WATSON

  All characters; events and establishments in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

  The moral right of the author has been asserted.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author.

  Cover Design & Editing by: Southern Stiles

  Would You Like aFree Book?

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  Simply sign up for the Milan Watson Newsletter here, or visit her website at www.milanwatson.com

  You can follow her page on Facebook for new releases:

  Also by Milan Watson

  Colorado Crazy Series

  Sunsets in Colorado (Book 1)

  Whispers in Colorado (Book 2)

  Midnights in Colorado (Book 3)

  Twilights in Colorado (Book 4)

  Autumn in Colorado (Book 5)

  Winter in Colorado (Book 6)

  Christmas in Colorado (Book 7)

  Sullivan Family Series

  Bride on the Run (Book 1)

  For Justice or Love (Book 2)

  Summer Loving (Book 3)

  Seduced by the Boss

  A Stranger Like You

  (A short story)

  Unexpected Mistletoe Kisses

  (A Christmas Novella)

  Dedication

  • --------------------- •

  To every child that endured what no child should.

  The scars left from the child’s defeat

  in the fight against irrational authority

  are to be found at the bottom

  of every neurosis.

  ~Erich Fromm~

  Christmas in Colorado

  • ---------------------------- •

  This Christmas the prodigal badboy returns…

  Burke left town seven years ago

  Leaving his family and Lisa’s heart broken

  But now he’s back to walk his little sister down the aisle

  Is it time to face the demons that drove him away?

  On his return his sister pairs him with her best friend, Scarlet, to plan a Christmas Eve wedding.

  Scarlet crushed on Burke as a teenager

  She’s not a teenager anymore and this time it’s not a crush.

  Will Burke find redemption this Christmas?

  Can Scarlet resist this bad boy’s charms?

  Get ready to be enchanted by a Christmas wedding, a bad boy seeking redemption and the girl that believes she can capture his heart.

  This is the seventh installment of the Colorado Crazy Series and catch up with old favorites. Christmas in Colorado is a small town romance guaranteed to tease your senses and make you dream of cowboys again.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Would You Like a Free Book?

  About the Author

  Playlist

  Chapter 1

  • ---------------------------- •

  He looked out over the Gulf of Mexico while enjoying the sun basking on his back. Behind him stood a house large enough to house a family of six, and yet he was the only occupant. This was his second year in Tampa, and every December he couldn’t help but ponder how wrong it felt.

  It didn’t feel wrong because he wasn’t with his family, it felt wrong because he was wearing a pair of trunks without a shirt and there wasn’t a snowflake in sight. It was three weeks before Christmas and instead of shoveling snow every morning, or stacking the wood by the fireplace like he would have been doing back in Colorado, he was working on the love-hate relationship he had with the Florida sun.

  For him December should consist of eggnog, thick jackets and hot fireplaces, and yet here he was considering taking a dip in the pool before he headed back into the welcoming air-conditioned mansion.

  It just felt wrong.

  A sigh escaped him as he combed his fingers through his short, cropped black hair. Some had called it the color of midnight, others said it was the color of ink; to him it didn’t matter. As long as it was short, he honestly couldn’t care less.

  His phone buzzed in his pocket and he drew it out. One of the benefits of owning your own online company was that you could do business anywhere, including on the small rectangle of grass between the crystal clear water of the pool and the soft lapping of the gulf waters against the breakwater line.

  A frown etched his brow, not recognizing the number. “Birkowitz.” His voice was cool but held an edge of steel to it, just like his ice-blue eyes.

  “Burke! Is that really you?” an excited female voice asked. “I can’t believe it. Do you know how many numbers I’ve called? Where are you? How have you been?”

  Burke’s eyes narrowed in confusion. He might be a bit of a love and run type of guy, but he never gave out his number. Did he have a stalker he didn’t know about? Did that stalker find him? He was very careful about keeping his personal life, and his online business, separate. Very few people could link Burke Birkowitz to Direct Line.

  “I’m sorry, I think you’re mistaken.”

  The drawl of the Midwest hadn’t disappeared in the six years since he’d left White Horse Creek, but only seemed to become apparent when he was either annoyed or angry.

  “No, you’re not mistaken you big goofball. It’s me. It’s Alice.”

  Burke’s heart skipped a beat and his eyes widened as blood rushed to his head. “Alice? How the hell did you find me?”

  That probably wasn’t the first thing you should ask your sister after not making contact with her for seven years, but to be honest he was at a loss for words.

  “Tom kind of managed to pull up every number on the system that belonged to a Burke Birkowitz. Needless to say I’ve made a lot of calls.” She laughed softly. “I still can’t believe I found you.”

  Ice trickled down Burke’s back. For the last seven years his main purpose in life was to remain unfound by his family, and now they’d finally tracked him down. “Who’s Tom?”

  “My boyfriend. He’s the new deputy in town. Just don’t tell Sheriff Bailey what he did, he’s not like Saunders, he actually sticks to the rules and cares about what’s happenin’ down at the station.”

  Burke sighed. He had no idea who Tom or Sheriff Bailey was, but he didn’t care. “I’m not comin’ back.”

  She sighed. “Burke, he’s not here anymore.”

  The voice was barely more than a whisper but the words roared through his mind like a freight train. When Burke didn’t say a word, still trying to come to terms with the fact that his father was dead, she spoke again.

  “He died three years ago, from a heart attack. Happened while he was mowin’ the lawn. Ma screamed
, the neighbor fainted, but the doctors said it wasn’t painful. It was quick.”

  Burke clenched his teeth. He would have wished for a long suffering and painful death for his beloved father. A bed of nails wouldn’t have been kind enough for his last breath. He cleared his throat, pushing the emotion that clogged it aside. “What do you want, Alice?”

  He knew his voice was gruff, he knew she didn’t deserve it, but how did you cope with finding out that your father died, three years after the fact? Especially if you had been planning some choice words for him over the last seven years?

  “I’m getting married, Burke.” He could hear Alice smile on the other side of the line. “Tom and I have been together since eleventh grade and he finally asked me last week. He’s amazing Burke; he’s nothing like dad. We’re going to have the wedding in the old saloon on Christmas Eve. I need you to walk me down the aisle.”

  What was it with all this information flying at him? He walked to a sun lounger and sat down; not knowing how much longer his legs would support him. “You’re getting married? But you’re a baby!”

  Alice laughed. “Not for a long time, Burke. I’m twenty-four. I might be seven years younger than you but I’m not in denial of my age. Please say you’ll come. Ma would love to see you again and… I need you there. Besides, I need to see if you’re old and gray yet.” There was humor in her voice but Burke didn’t miss the desperation.

  She could have asked, pleaded perhaps, even begged, but it was the first time Alice had told him she needed him. Whereas Burke took after his father in both temperament and appearance, Alice took after their mother. Alice was small, short and slim, and had a face that always reminded him of a pixie. Add her big brown eyes and her cute pert nose, and you had an adorable baby sister.

  Only problem was Alice wasn’t a baby anymore. She was getting married.

  He let out a sigh. “Alice… I don’t know. I didn’t leave behind a good impression. There are a lot of people in White Horse Creek who’d prefer I never come back.”

  “I’m not a lot of people. I’m your sister and I’m asking you. Besides, don’t you think it’s time Lisa found out why you just up and left? She’s with Sam Preston now, you know?”

  “Shy Sam?” Burke asked, baffled.

  He and Lisa had been joined at the hip once. He wanted to plan a life with her but one evening his father took it one step too far. Burke knew if he stayed, his father wouldn’t ruin his life and Lisa’s. He couldn’t let her find out what happened behind closed doors in the Birkowitz home, instead he broke her heart and left town two hours later.

  He couldn’t imagine the bold and vivacious Lisa Stokes dating Shy Sam.

  “Shy Sam has turned into a quite a hunk, Burke. He took over his pappy’s ranch and is now the biggest cattle rancher in three counties.”

  “Wow,” Burke said, shaking his head. How much had he missed out on?

  “It’s time you came home, Burke, even if it’s just for my wedding and for Christmas. I’ll see you in a couple of days.”

  “But Alice…”

  When she spoke again her voice had lost its determination. “I won’t bother you again. If I don’t see you in town, I’ll know you decided not to come. Take care, Burke, love you.”

  Before Burke could answer Alice ended the call. Guilt washed over him like a tsunami. When he’d left White Horse Creek he hadn’t just broken Lisa’s heart, he’d broken Ma’s and Alice’s as well. He dropped the phone on the sun lounger and walked to the edge of the pool. He couldn’t go back, he wouldn’t go back.

  He jumped in and swam two lengths underwater before coming up for breath. After flipping the water from his hair, taking a deep draw of fresh sea air, Burke knew he had already decided.

  He would walk his baby-sister down the aisle.

  It was time he faced his demons in White Horse Creek.

  Chapter 2

  • ---------------------------- •

  “You spoke to Lacy about securing the Saloon?” Scarlet Miller asked as she glanced down at the list in front of her, before took a sip of her bubblegum milkshake.

  “Check.”

  “The pastor?”

  “Check.”

  “Guest list? Have you got the numbers down?”

  “Check,” Alice said firmly.

  Scarlet pushed aside the list to look at her best friend. Ever since she could remember Alice Birkowitz had been part of every special memory; fifth grade dance, freshman year in White Horse Creek high, cheerleading championships in ninth grade…

  Alice was her best friend and the sister she’d never had. There was no way Scarlet was going to let her down on the biggest day of her life.

  When Alice announced her engagement, the day after Thanksgiving, no one could have been happier for Alice than Scarlet.

  “I really don’t understand why you and Tom couldn’t wait until next year to tie the knot, or at least New Year’s Eve. Not that I don’t know what I’m doing, but to plan a wedding in a little more than three weeks…”

  “We can do it. Oh! That reminds me,” Alice said, pulling up a list on her phone. “I need to add one more to the guest list.”

  “Who?” Scarlet asked, opening the shared document on her phone.

  “Burke.”

  Scarlet’s phone fell to the table as she looked at her friend with shock. “Burke? You found him?”

  Alice beamed, her smile almost reaching from ear to ear. “Yeah, I did. I’m not at liberty to say exactly how I did as it might land my fiancée in some hot water at work, but I did.”

  “And he’s coming?” Scarlet asked, still baffled.

  She remembered Burke Birkowitz alright, she might have been seventeen with stars in her eyes, but Alice’s brother was the hottest guy she’d ever met.

  Burke was tall and broad shouldered. His jet-black hair was always cropped short, accentuating his ice-blue gaze even more. As a teenager Scarlet had a crush the size of Texas on Alice’s brother, although she had been careful that no one let on.

  Back then Burke only had eyes for Lisa Stokes, although Scarlet had eyes for only him. It was a secret she had held close to her heart, and somehow forgotten about when he just suddenly disappeared. Burke’s sudden escape from White Horse Creek had left quite a few questions unanswered, but Scarlet sensed they weren’t questions she could ask without revealing her secret crush.

  No one had heard of him in seven years, including his family. Scarlet could still remember standing by the side of John Birkowitz’s grave and wondering why Burke wasn’t there, standing with his mother and sister.

  “I hope so,” Alice said, adding Burke’s name to the list. “He didn’t say so but I think he’ll come. I told him Pa died.” As soon as the words left her mouth Alice shook her head. “He didn’t know.”

  Scarlet didn’t know what Alice was trying to hide, but she knew Alice well enough to know that she had almost slipped something she shouldn’t have. “Just don’t get your hopes up. I’d hate to see you disappointed on your big day.”

  Scarlet might have had a crush on Burke in high school but she was a long way from high school now. Burke abandoned his family and Scarlet had been there to see the turmoil in her friend’s eyes. The last thing she needed now was a hysterical bride because her brother didn’t show up.

  “I won’t, but I have a good feeling, Scarlet.”

  “You had a good feeling when you bleached your hair a few years ago as well.”

  “What can I say, blonde doesn’t suite me. Besides, brunettes are more mysterious.”

  Scarlet chuckled. “Lisa warned you. I remembered her repeatedly telling you that your complexion won’t suite platinum locks.”

  “I tried, I failed, at least I didn’t blame her like some women might have done. Oh my gosh, Lisa’s coming to the wedding.”

  “The whole town is.” Scarlet shrugged, taking another sip of bubblegum milkshake.

  “No!” Alice said shaking her head. “Burke is coming to the wedding.”

/>   “Oh boy.” Scarlet nodded with understanding. “Best make sure they don’t see each other for the first time at the wedding… if he shows up.”

  Alice smiled confidently. “He’ll show.”

  Scarlet held her smile in place, but her heart was racing in anticipation for the disappointment that was bound to follow in a few weeks. “I’d better get back. I have no idea how I’m going to get everything done in time, but you can count on me.”

  Alice nodded. “Burke can help you.”

  Scarlet nodded too. She wouldn’t count on Burke coming home, just like she wouldn’t count on sporting a bikini in the middle of a blizzard. “I’ll call you later if I can think of anything, but for now I’ve got a business to run.”

  Alice smiled. “There is one thing I wanted to ask you.”

  “Yeah?” Scarlet asked as she reached for her tote bag.

  “Will you make my wedding jewelry?”

  Scarlet chuckled. “I know you’re proud of Scarlet’s Beads, and I know you’re my biggest ambassador, but I’m sure you’ll want to wear something a little more special for your big day. Glass beads don’t really hold up to real diamonds, just don’t tell my clients that.”

  Alice shook her head. “I’m not kidding, Scarlet. You’ve been my friend since forever. Nothing will be more special than to wear glass beads threaded by you. It’ll be my something new.”

  “Your dress will be new,” Scarlet said with a warm smile.

  “Nope, don’t think the budget will cut it. I heard about a great rental place though, so the dress just might be borrowed.”

  Scarlet smiled although her heart clenched for her best friend. If she could she would have given Alice the wedding of her dreams, but with little time to plan and save, the budget was what it was. Tight.

  “Then I’ll make sure the beads are a show stopper.”

  “I wouldn’t expect anything less.” Alice smiled. She stood up and quickly hugged Scarlet.

  Scarlet walked out of the diner and let out a huge sigh. There was no way she would let Alice pick up on how stressed she was about this wedding, but she was. Between the tight budget and the short period of time they had, it was going take a miracle to pull off Alice’s dream wedding.