“This rollicking Western is full of gunfights, outlaws, and an unforgettable holiday."—Library Journal THE GREATEST WESTERN WRITERS OF THE 21ST CENTURY As winter descends on the great state of Texas, the Jensen family faces off with renegades, rivals, and one raging storm—in this special yuletide adventure from America’s beloved western storytellers… While most folks are busy preparing for Christmas, the tightknit Jensen clan can only hope they’ll make it home. Luke Jensen is in San Antonio tracking down a dangerous outlaw. But when he finds the man leading a wholesome life—as a charity-working Hill Country pastor—Luke agrees to wait until after Christmas to bring him to justice. Meanwhile, Smoke and Sally Jensen head out from Fort Worth by stagecoach, only to be stranded by unrelenting rains—and stalked by a crazed Commanche killer. And in Austin, Ace Jensen falls head over heels in love with a girl he wants to marry. Unfortunately, she’s engaged to one of the outlaw gang that’s gunning for Luke’s bounty… This year, the Jensen family is in for a stormy Christmas they will never forget—and one deadly showdown they may never survive…

New York Times best-selling author, Kate Summers, is facing a divorce in her 40's and up against a hard deadline for her next novel. She rents an Airstream on the Texas Wine Trail to find inspiration, but discovers much more... She meets Zach, a medical doctor from the Northeast scouting for a winery to invest in. They decide to spend a week enjoying tastings, but just as they are getting to know one another, he has to return suddenly back home. The holidays are hard for Kate, as she lost her mother two years ago. This Cactus Christmas is prickly and sweet as Kate must heal her heart, try to reconnect with her estranged sister, Lillie, and find her way on her own. Will she finish her book? Will she meet Zach again? Will timing ever be right? A delicious story of finding yourself (again), second chances at love, and taking huge risks that payoff.

Experience the grandeur of the Texas Hill Country through stunning photography and narrative highlighting the natural beauty, scenic wonders, charming historic towns, and cultural heritage of Texas's most celebrated region. Cradled by Austin to the east and San Antonio to the south, the Texas Hill Country is famous for its undulating landscape, where spring-fed streams carve wooded canyons, rugged limestone peaks rise to more than 2,500 feet, and country roads wind through rolling grasslands and wildflower meadows. Captured beautifully in 153 color photos, view this beautiful region through the eyes of Texas-native photographer and author Eric W. Pohl. Join him on an intimate visual journey, leaving behind the freeways and big cities to reveal out-of-the-way places and explore the true heart of Texas.

From two of America's bestselling western writers comes a heart-racing story of frontier justice, pioneer spirit, and one town's last-chance miracle. . . Three weeks before Christmas, the little town of Chug Water in Wyoming Territory is stunned by a brutal crime. The mayor's family has been slaughtered in cold blood on their ranch outside of Raw Hide Butte. As the townsfolk gather to pay their last respects, Duff MacCallister saddles up to go after the killers. He returns with two outlaws--a cold-blooded, nasty pair of snakes, Jesse and T. Bob Cave. But the day before they're sentenced to hang, the Cave brothers escape their fate. . . Into this holiday hell-storm ride three friendly travelers. Smoke, Sally and Matt Jensen, come to spend Christmas with Duff. But a deadly diphtheria outbreak leaves the town beholden to the mercy of the Cave brothers. It's a desperate bind to be stuck in, but Duff and the Jensens will use every bullet they can find to shoot their way into a bloody but merry Christmas.

This beautiful, giftable Christmas collection features old-fashioned works from classic authors who invite you to a feast of holiday nostalgia. Filled with stories that have been part of the Christmas season for generations, A Vintage Christmas is a unique collection of lesser-known Christmas tales, reflections, and poems from beloved authors across the centuries and makes the perfect gift for the reader in your life. This beautiful treasury will take you back to firesides, simple gifts, and warm family moments of Christmases past as you cherish the timeless truths and joys of the season. Discover a charming story from L. M. Montgomery about love and sacrifice in a little log house. See Christmas through the eyes of a child in a New England colonial village with Harriet Beecher Stowe. Remember the reason Christ came to earth in the poetry of Anne Brontë. Share with your family the delightful letter Mark Twain wrote as Santa Claus to his three-year-old daughter. A Vintage Christmas includes stories from Louisa May Alcott, Charles Dickens, Ralph Henry Barbour, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mark Twain, L. M. Montgomery, and William Dean Howells, as well as poems from Eliza Cook, Christina Rossetti, William Makepeace Thackeray, Joyce Kilmer, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. A Vintage Christmas is a timeless reminder that the heart of the holiday never changes. Hardcover, giftable size Perfect as a stocking stuffer and host or hostess gift Filled with hopeful and encouraging Christmas stories Makes a lovely keepsake companion to A Classic Christmas and A Timeless Christmas

When an avalanche derails a train three days before Christmas, Smoke Jensen and Duff MacCallister try to get to the scene, while Matt Jensen battles against armed and desperate outlaws as he struggles to save the survivors.

The Best Little From-Scratch Bakery in Texas The pastry case in Rebecca Rather's bakery in Fredericksburg is packed with ultra-buttery scones, luscious cakes, cookies the size of saucers, brownies as big as bricks, and fruit pies that look as though they came straight out of Grandma's oven. Since the day Rebecca and her Rather Sweet Bakery and Café came to town, life in this Hill Country hamlet has been even sweeter and the townsfolk now know why she is the Pastry Queen. Everything she makes is a lot like her: down-home yet grand, and familiar yet one-of-a-kind. A native Texan, Rather makes the most of her Lone Star state's varied traditions, whether looking to the kitchens of Texas's Mexican and German immigrants or to the cowboy culture of her own forebears. Best of all, her recipes aren't fussy—one of her best-selling cakes stirs together in a single saucepan. Add in a cupful of Texas attitude and her made-from-scratch-with-love philosophy, and you've got an irresistible taste of American baking. What's best at Rather Sweet? Rebecca's customers all have their favorites (and she is happy to cater to their cravings), but here's just a taste of the perennial best sellers: • Apple-Smoked Bacon and Cheddar Scones • Texas Big Hairs Lemon-Lime Tarts (the only big hair Rebecca has ever had!) • Fourth of July Fried Pies • Peach Queen Cake with Dulce de Leche Frosting • Turbo-Charged Brownies with Praline Topping • All-Sold-Out Chicken Pot Pies • Kolaches (pillowy yeasted buns with sweet or savory fillings) • PB&J Cookies With over 125 surefire tested recipes and 100 photographs that richly capture small-town life in the Hill Country, The Pastry Queen offers a Texas-size serving of the royal splendor of Rebecca's baked goods—courtesy of the rather sweet gal behind the case.

Welcome to the 12 days of Christmas in Texas Ready to greet you are 9 leapin' lizards, 8 grazin' longhorns, 7 bass a-swimmin', 6 flags a-flyin'... and much more from the Lone Star State.Jos is so excited about his cousin Ashley's visit with him in Texas that he gives her one of these VERY unusual gifts on each of the twelve days of Christmas, and Ashley writes lively letters home to tell her mom and dad all about her trip. Lucky readers are in for a wild Christmas countdown

It's Christmastime at the Best Little Bakery in Texas The annual Fredericksburg Christmas parade marks the beginning of the Texas Hill Country's holiday season, which means the Pastry Queen is kicking into high gear at her Rather Sweet Bakery and Café. As party invitations pile up in the mailbox, Rebecca Rather is up to her elbows in sticky meringue, creamy chocolate, and a sleigh full of savory treats to meet the entertaining needs of her neighbors. In The Pastry Queen Christmas, Rebecca shares nearly 100 traditional recipes reflecting her made-with-love-from-scratch philosophy and the tastes of small-town Texas. Show-off desserts such as Chocolate Cookie Crusted Eggnog Cheesecake, Sticky Toffee Pudding with Brandy Butterscotch Sauce, and Warm Pear Ginger Upside-Down Cake with Amaretto Whipped Cream are the perfect toppers to a family-style feast of Texas Spice-Rubbed Roast Pork, Baked Apple Pear Chutney, Brown Sugar Bacon, and No-Peeking Popovers. Still hungry the next morning? No problem-this country girl does an impressive breakfast, too: Bite-Sized Sticky Buns, Sweet Potato Scones, Cast-Iron Skillet Potatoes, and Mexican Ranch Chilaquiles ought to fill you up. And if you're still looking for excuses to entertain this season, you'll find ooey-gooey baked goods wrapped up as gifts, homemade craft and décor ideas to make your home sparkle, and holiday-worthy menus guaranteed to make your gathering a Texas-sized success. Tree-trimming, cookie decorating, and Santas running down Main Street . . . Christmastime is here.

Laura Draper is having the worst day of her life. Before she knows what’s happening, her career as a magazine editor, her relationship with a well-known photojournalist, and her sanity are all unraveling. She finds herself marooned at a crossroads in nowhere Texas wondering which way to turn when two very strange, elderly ladies convince Laura to come inside their little café. There, Mernalene and Hasselene serve up their special coffee, homemade buttermilk pie, and one delectable, home-grown cowboy. When you’re living an hour from the nearest Wal Mart, and even further from the nearest mall, you learn to appreciate the simple things our parents and grandparents treasured. In this part of the world, life moves with a quiet simplicity, and every town is centered around the local café. – Lisa Wingate, writing about the inspiration for her Texas trilogy.