The Rancher's Blue Ribbon Bride

By Anna St. James

You know what they say: The way to a man's heart is through his stomach . . .

Maddie Carmichael is darn near the best cook in Cactus Gap, and she has the blue ribbons to prove it. She loves Chet Grayson, but can't marry him because of a promise she made to her dying mother. Maddie's loyalty to her family only makes Chet love her more. He vows to find a way so they can be married. Will he succeed and win his blue ribbon bride?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Anna St. James
• Release date: Sep 5, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310027512

Anna St. James

Anna St. James grew up watching the classic westerns during the golden age of television. Rawhide, The Rifleman, Gunsmoke, The Wild, Wild West and Bonanza were just a few of her favorites.Later on she became a fan of Little House on the Prairie and Doctor Quinn, Medicine Woman; and later still, The Love Comes Softly Series and Sarah Plain and Tall.Her love of Texas and history made writing historical western romances a natural choice. Married to her own special hero, Anna makes her home in the Lone Star State.Anna St. JamesClassic Romance: Short and SweetHistorical Western RomanceInspirational RomanceSign up to receive emails announcing Anna's new releases:http://www.annastjames.com

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THE RANCHER'S BLUE RIBBON BRIDE

A Brides of Cactus Gap Short Story

by Anna St. James

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You know what they say: The way to a man's heart is through his stomach . . .

Maddie Carmichael is darn near the best cook in Cactus Gap, and she has the blue ribbons to prove it. She loves Chet Grayson, but can't marry him because of a promise she made to her dying mother. Maddie's loyalty to her family only makes Chet love her more. He vows to find a way so they can be married. Will he succeed and win his blue ribbon bride?

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The Rancher's Blue Ribbon Bride

Copyright © 2015 by Anna St. James

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This is a work of fiction. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual events or locales is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author or publisher except for the use of brief quotations in critical articles or reviews. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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The Rancher's Blue Ribbon Bride

by Anna St. James

Texas Panhandle, 1875

Maddie Carmichael stood beneath the big top of the huge canvas tent at the Cactus Gap Annual Church Bazaar. She waited with the other contestants for the judges to finish taste testing the jars of homemade pickles and announce the winner. She'd already won three blue ribbons for the best mulberry jam, pecan pie, and prickly pear jelly. She was definitely having a good run of luck today.

When Chet Grayson plucked a pickle from Maddie's jar, she held her breath. The handsome rancher bit into the pickle and closed his eyes on a smile. Maddie didn't pay much attention to the other judges; her attention was focused on Chet . . . as it had been all afternoon. Every time he tasted one of her entries, her heart pounded in her chest and her hands got all sweaty. That didn't happen when any of the other judges sampled her entries. No, she only got all trembly when it was Chet's turn.

It didn't matter that she'd known him for most of her life. Back in school, she'd always had a soft spot for him, but their paths didn't cross very often now that they'd grown up. Chet worked on his ranch six miles east of Cactus Gap, and Maddie lived with her little brother and pa just outside of town to the west. About the only time she ever saw Chet was on Sundays at church, but he always rushed off home after the service, so her glimpses of him were only fleeting at best.

Once in a great while, she'd see him in town at the mercantile or blacksmith's. He always stopped to say hello, and the warmth in his eyes gladdened her heart. But those times were few and far between.

Maddie watched as Chet set down her pickle and leaned over to say something to Joshua