Julia, p.12
Julia,
p.12
“Did you and Cora become friends?”
Julia was drawn from her musing by Rebecca’s sweet voice. “Not exactly,” she told her, “But, I spoke to her whenever I saw her and invited her to tea many times. She never lashed out at me again but she never accepted any of my invitations.”
“Did she keep running after grandpa Bailey?”
Julia smiled. “No. She never spoke to him again as far as I know and eventually married a man who supplied items for Thompson’s store and moved away.”
As if conjured by thought alone, Matthew walked into the room, a cup of punch in one hand, a small stack of molasses cookies in the other. He was still as handsome as he’d always been, even though his hair was mostly white now. He looked so much like Abe, and just like his grandfather, he was always right. He’d told her their life would be wonderful and it was. It had been filled with love and laughter, their home always full of happy noise, even when their children were grown and out on their own. Grandchildren had filled their days then and every year that passed, the Christmas season got easier for Matthew to endure until he was able to enjoy it again without guilt.
“She’s doing it again.”
“She always looks like that when she looks at grandpa Bailey.”
The girlish giggles drew her attention and Julia tore her gaze from Matthew and looked back down at the small faces staring up at her. She turned to the others, her best friends in the entire world as they sat looking back at her. They shared a smile before she stood. “That’s enough about me, children. Go pester aunt Ruby and have her tell you the story of her adventures in the army camp.”
As the children all turned to Ruby, Julia crossed the room to where Matthew was standing, taking his cup to get a sip of punch to moisten her throat.
“Do you ever get tired of telling that story?”
“Never,” she said, leaning up on her toes to kiss him. “I’ll tell it every day if asked to. I never get tired of remembering our life together.”
“Do you have any regrets?”
“Only one.”
Matthew ran a finger over her cheek. “And what’s that?”
She smiled and glanced back over her shoulder to make sure no one could hear her, then said, “Only that your stamina isn’t what it used to be.”
He laughed loud enough to draw the attention of half the people in the room but ignored them all, wrapping her in his arms and hugging her close. “Well, as soon as we get home, I’ll see what I can do about that, Mrs. Bailey.”
Julia grinned and gave him another soft kiss. “I can hardly wait, Mr. Bailey.”
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed Julia, the second bride featured in the Angel Creek Christmas Brides series. If so, please consider leaving a review.
Sweet romance isn’t something I write very often. I like seeing those intimate moments between the hero and heroine and this story was no exception. I initially wrote about Matthew and Julia’s first time but deleted the scene from the book. It wasn’t very long, around 700 words in total and it’s very mild compared to my usual sex scenes. I guess you could say it was a ‘sweet’ sex scene. I’ve placed it on my website, on a locked page, so if you would like to read it, you can find it, here: https://lilygraison.com/bonusscene/
The password to access the page is: first kiss
If this is your first time reading one of my books, I invite you to read my historical western romance, Willow Creek Series. These books are very spicy so if you prefer ‘sweet’ reads, these aren’t for you, but … if you like naughty cowboys who always get their way, THE LAWMAN, book 1 in the series is FREE at all ebook retailers. Find the link to your favorite store here: http://lilygraison.com/TheLawman
Be sure to pick up Ruby, the next book in the Angel Creek Brides Series!
Five friends travel west to find love, what they don’t expect is for the storm of the century to hit Angel Creek at same time. Snowbound with new husbands can pose quite an interesting turn of events.
After the Civil War, Charleston, SC is left devoid of eligible men. Ruby Henderson and four of her closest friends decide to travel west as mail order brides to find love. Upon arriving, she instantly regrets the rash decision. Especially upon meeting her husband to be who looks more like an outlaw, than a doctor.
Trevor Collins decides to put his distrust of women aside and marry. His new bride is more beautiful then he could have imagined, which makes him wonder about her true motivation for coming west. Will his wish to be a good family man win when the ugliness of his past rears its ugly head?
Even a giving heart has its limits.
Pick up your copy of Ruby here: https://amzn.to/2JnVlnW
Don’t miss the other books in this series.
Book 1: Charity by Sylvia McDaniel
Book 4 - Sarah by Peggy McKenzie
Book 5 - Anna by Everly West
Want More?
For information about upcoming books in the Willow Creek Series, Silver Falls, or any other books by Lily Graison, subscribe to her Newsletter or find her around the web at the following locations.
Website | Newsletter | Twitter | FaceBook
Reader Group | Instagram | Email
Also by Lily Graison
HISTORICAL WESTERN ROMANCE
The Lawman (Willow Creek #1)
The Outlaw (Willow Creek #2)
The Gambler (Willow Creek #3)
The Rancher (Willow Creek #4)
His Brother's Wife (Willow Creek #5)
A Willow Creek Christmas (Willow Creek #6)
Wild Horses (Willow Creek #7)
Lullaby (A Willow Creek Short Story)
Nightingale (Willow Creek #8)
A Soft Kiss in Winter ( Silver Falls #1)
SCIENCE FICTION ROMANCE
Dragon Fire (Prison Moon Series)
Warlord’s Mate (coming soon)
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Wicked: Leather and Lace (Wicked Series #2)
Wicked: Jade Butterfly (Wicked Series #3)
Wicked: Sweet Temptation (Wicked Series #4)
Wicked: The Complete Series (Books #1 - 4)
PARANORMAL ROMANCE
The Calling (Night Breeds Series #1)
The Gathering (Night Breeds Series #2)
STAND ALONE STORIES
Blame It On The Mistletoe (contemporary romance)
That First Christmas ( contemporary romance)
Anna: Bride of Alabama (historical romance)
Julia: Angel Creek Christmas Brides (historical romance)
About the Author
Lily Graison is a USA TODAY bestselling author of historical western romances. Her Willow Creek Series introduced readers to a small Montana town where the west is wild and the cowboys are wilder. Lily also dabbles in sci-fi, contemporary and paranormal romance when the mood strikes and all of her stories lean heavily to the spicy side with strong female leads and heroes who tend to always get what they want. She writes full time and lives in Hickory, NC with her husband and a house full of Yorkies.
Website: http://lilygraison.com/
Or Email Lily at: lily@lilygraison.com
Lily Graison, Julia
