Country Wishes

by RaeAnne Hadley

  Country Wishes

  In

  Hopeful, Colorado

  This is a book of fiction. Names,

  places, characters, and events are fictitious in every regard. Any similarities to actual events and persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book in whole or part, electronically or mechanically, constitutes a copyright violation.

  Country Wishes

  Copyright © 2019 Artistry Utopia Publishing All rights reserved.

  A sweet country boxed set that revolves around the well and citizens of Hopeful, Colorado. Filled with love, miracles and magic. Our stories have different heat levels to them so you get to pick and choose what amount of heat you are in the mood for. is for sweet and

  clean, is a little steamier and

  is as hot as you are going to get in our Christmas set. Come learn about the magic of Hopeful’s wishing well.

  A Winter’s Wish - None of the men in Hopeful, Colorado appeals to Serena Winters. Working at the mercantile owned by her aunt and uncle, she meets everyone in town. Her aunt warns her against falling for a prospector as they always leave town in spring. One full moon Serena wishes she could attract an interesting man. She should have been more careful about wording her wish. Brent Adams has filed on his claim and brought gold with him to the assay office in Hopeful. He fears taking it closer to his claim will draw claim jumpers and robbers. He’s immediately charmed by Serena and doesn’t understand why her initial welcoming response has changed to avoiding him.

  What did he say or do?

  When Serena is lost in freezing weather, only Brent can save her. Can they reconcile their differences and find lasting happiness? ~Caroline Clemmons

  Wish Upon a Well - Abigail Miller helps run her mother’s diner in the town of Hopeful, Colorado.

  How could any man possibly be interested in her when she considers herself too tall, too plain and not curvy enough? A head of curls which refuse to be tamed also don’t help.

  Working from sun up to sun down, with the exception of Sunday mornings off to attend church, doesn’t leave much time for courting, so she is resigned to her fate of being left a spinster. Will a wish made at the town well during a full moon ever be answered?

  Max Long is the eldest son of a well-respected ranching family. His sister is Abigail’s best friend and also a friend to both him and his brother. He’d never thought of the tall, beautiful lady in that way.

  Overhearing a conversation, he wonders if his feelings for Abigail could run deeper than mere friendship?

  How will Max react when Abigail’s life is in danger? Can the wishing well work its magic and bring her home safely? ~ Susan Horsnell

  Wishing Well Serenade - In Hopeful

  Colorado, childhood sweethearts, Adam and Emmie play by the wishing well. Enthralled by tales of its magic, Emmie makes a wish that one day Adam will marry her.

  As they grow up, their lives take very different paths. Adam becomes a gun for hire, while Emmie is widowed and left with a little boy to support. Hired by a greedy speculator, Adam rides into town to scare a widow off her land. He is shocked to discover Emmie living on the ranch with her son. After Adam is ambushed and shot, Emmie nurses him back to health. The flames of their childhood love quickly flare into life.

  Fearing that enemies from his past will catch up with him and endanger Emmie and her son’s life, Adam decides to ride away and never return. Will the wishing well live up to its reputation and grant the wish Emmie made so long ago? Or will Adam disappear from her life forever? ~ Margaret Tanner

  Hindsight Wishes - With her children grown and an indifferent husband, Emmalyn lives in the past. Her modest career as a historical romance author allows her to dream of a simpler time. With dreams come wishes but in Hopeful, wishes often come true. ~RaeAnne Hadley

  Hopefully Yours - Carrie St. James has been in love with Jake Lassiter since the moment their eyes met. They are the perfect couple. The only issue that has ever come between them is Jake’s sense of honor. It is the promise Jake made to his dying grandfather that currently keeps them apart. Afraid of losing Jake for good, she turns to the Hopeful Wishing Well to provide the answer.

  But can Carrie live with the results?

  Jake Lassiter’s plans are set in stone. Finish school, join the military and do his family proud, come home and join the police department, then settle down and have a family with Carrie St. James. Except that once he gets to Afghanistan, he can’t leave his men. It takes the ultimate tragedy, losing his entire team, leaving him horribly injured before he realizes his promise might have cost him more than the love of his life.

  When a snowstorm puts Carrie’s life in jeopardy, Jake must dig deep to find the inner strength to save her and himself before life tears the apart for good. ~ Deb Julienne

  A Moonlight Wish Robyn is impressed with the heroic new deputy sheriff in Hopeful, Colorado, and his lively young daughter, but her quilt shop keeps her busy and she’s had past failures with men who tried to control her life. Despite being lonely, she enjoys her freedom and is not ready to try something new. Ben intrigues her though and his masculine energy is difficult to resist. Not only is he sexy and charming, he is an excellent dad.

  If she had only one of her wishes come true… ~ Alice Kay

  The Christmas Experiment A spontaneous wish for “just a little help” from the universe plunges Kara McKendrick into an exciting new world when that “help” arrives in the form of a proposition—pose as a college classmate’s girlfriend at his family’s annual Christmas party. What starts off as an innocent night of dress up and harmless make-believe turns serious when her new “boyfriend’s” stepmother tries to break up the “couple” as part of a scheme to seize control of the family fortune. Unwilling to stay on the sidelines as people she’s come to care about are hurt, Kara fights for them, and for a love she never expected to find.

  Before the new year rolls around, Kara will have everything she could ever wish for—and more. ~ Katherine Moore

  Midnight Kiss Fresh outta divorce court, Bexley Dunn is spending all her time at work to escape reality. The long hours she’s putting in at her bakery are working, but they’re also taking their toll. At the pace she’s going, it’s only a matter of time before there’ll be consequences to pay. Bexley has one shining spot each day to hold onto—her cupcakes have become super popular since the boys across the street have discovered them, and a certain fireman, in particular, discovered her.

  Sometimes, starting over can be like taking a dip in a refreshing pool.

  The men of Hopeful fire department, Ladder 12 can’t seem to stay away from the highly addictive confections offered at Sweet kisses bakery. Especially Jace King, who has been eyeing more than the desserts for some time. He sees the baker’s heartache, and thinks he can be the one to heal her. To make her smile, for real. If she’ll just let him in.

  When Bexley finally agrees to a date, will Jace be able to set her world on fire, or will she be forever frozen in her heart of ice? ~ Jude Ouvrard

  A Christmas Fairytale

  Once upon a time, I fell in love with a man who I thought was a prince. He treated
me like a princess. Until he turned on me…Now I am hideously scarred inside and out. Locking myself away in the pretty little town of Hopeful, Colorado, I come to enjoy being alone. Until I meet Noah. After a nasty fall, Noah tries to insert himself into my life. He doesn’t belong there. No man could possibly fall in love with a woman whose face is scarred like mine. But then something happens to make me believe that sometimes wishes do come true. ~ Corinne Mazille

  Passionate Wishes Brandt put his faith in the town’s wishing well when he was in high school and got the girl of his dreams.

  Unfortunately, his dream had an abrupt wake-up when she divorced him and left for a life in the city.

  Alone, he raised their daughter and gave up on foolish wishes. That worked until he ran into Melody, the intriguing stranger in the grocery store. For the first time in years, Brandt figured one more trip to the wishing well couldn’t hurt. Melody was only going to be in town for one semester as the high school choir teacher. She needed a few months to get her life in order, then she would head back to the big city to pursue her dreams as a gig singer.

  Hopeful, Colorado described itself as rural, and Melody’s heart raced at the possibility of seeing cowboys somewhere other than her fantasies. It hadn’t occurred to her that they would be roaming the grocery store and that they would be the parents of her students.

  Shooting stars hadn’t panned out so she gave the town’s fabled wishing well a try. She needed all the help she could get to make it through the semester. ~ Barbra Campbell

  Burning Wishes Hannah and her twin, Bill, took over the newspaper office after their father disappeared while gold panning on Hunter

  Mountain. Then the fires started, first Bill and Sarah’s apartment then the restaurant Hannah’s boyfriend, Jake, owned. As Hannah and Jake’s romance grew so did the danger around them. Was someone stalking them? ~ Pamela Jane Larson

  Never Too Late Can Sophie and Dylan give themselves a second chance or has the time that passed too much for them to take?

  ~ Ana Balen

  A Stocking Full of Wishes Rena has everything she has ever wanted with her ranch in Hopeful and her two beautiful girls but she sees her marriage slipping away from her beloved Jack.

  Can the wish grant her the gift of having it all?

  ~ R. A. Lingenfelter

  Harper’s Wish Christmas is supposed to be a joyous time of year, but for Harper Donaldson it’s just another day. Orphaned at an early age, she doesn’t have a single good memory of Christmas. But, when a Santa’s Mailbox mysteriously appears in the lobby of the post office where she works as postmistress, Harper wonders what it could hurt to send her own letter to Santa.

  Could making a wish at the town’s wishing well help bring her the family she’d always wanted? ~ Krista Ames

  Winter Wish

  Christmas Wishes Series

  Caroline Clemmons

  Chapter One

  Serena Winters glanced around to be certain there was no one in sight. The full moon overhead gave the snow a golden, fairytale glow. She approached the town’s wishing well hesitantly. Legend said that wishing on the well under a full moon would make the wish come true.

  Her aunt told her those who wished at the well were foolish. Serena intended to discover for herself whether the legend was real. What harm would a wish do?

  Clutching a penny tightly in her gloved hand, she stopped at the well in the center of town. She brushed snow from the tops of the circle of stones. The well had been dug the year she’d been born, in 1858.

  The weathered support beams and roof were showing their age. So was the crank that wound to raise and lower the leather bucket. She loved the idea of Hopeful’s wishing well, no matter who said otherwise.

  Desperation drew her here. Was she destined to be a spinster for life? Surely there was someone for her to love who’d love her in return. Was that too much for her to dream?

  Clasping her coin tightly she made a wish.

  Bring me an interesting man who’ll love me and be a good husband.

  She hoped that wasn’t two wishes. She stretched out her hand and dropped the penny into the well. When her money hit the ice topping the water a tiny clink rose and she released her breath.

  Perhaps she was silly, but she hugged her arms and twirled in the bright moonlight. She’d done something about her longing for a special someone. For once she’d done something she’d wanted to do. As she spun, she caught sight of her aunt peering down at her from the second-floor window.

  Tomorrow morning she’d no doubt get an earful about wasting her money and time on foolishness. Let Aunt Esther rant. Tonight—for a change—Serena had done as she pleased.

  Brent Adams rode into Hopeful and headed for Myers Assay Office. Cold as it was, he’d chosen to camp outside town so he could come in at first light. He didn’t want a bunch of onlookers when he unloaded his pack mule.

  He waited in the space between the assay office and a vacant building. Huddled in the winter chill, he stamped his feet occasionally to keep the circulation going. At least during last night he’d had his bedroll next to a fire.

  When the assayer unlocked his door, Brent followed him inside.

  The man glanced over his shoulder. “Good morning. I’m John Myers, the assayer. How can I help you?”

  “Brent Adams here.” Brent paused while Mr. Myers headed to a potbellied stove and opened the door. He added coal and poked the embers to life before he removed his coat and hat.

  “I have a load of ore to be assayed.” Brent hefted a bag onto the counter then edged closer to the stove while he waited.

  The elderly assayer donned a pair of spectacles and opened the bag. His eyebrows shot up when he pulled out one of the chunks. He rolled it in his hands before he reached into the bag for another golden rock.

  “They all like this?” He lined up his test instruments and went to work.

  Beginning to thaw after his long wait, Brent leaned his elbows on the counter. “About the same and that bag’s not all I have. My mule in the alley is loaded down with bags like that one.”

  “Whew, you’re a lucky man. This is the purest ore I’ve seen since ’58 and not much then.”

  “I need to sell it to buy machinery and set up large-scale mining of my claim. I’d rather no one know about my strike until I’m set up and operating.”

  The assayer shook his head, a solemn expression on his face. “No one will hear anything from me, but things like this are hard to keep secret. You’ll have to sell to the bank in Elliston for this much pure ore unless you want to take it to the mint in Denver. Someone at the bank will tell someone somewhere else and so on. Small towns are like beehives.”

  “Which is why I didn’t use the assay office at the town closest to the mine. Large scale transportation of the ore is sure to attract attention. I don’t want claim jumpers or a knife in the back. I left my partner and four men guarding the place.”

  Mr. Myers removed his spectacles to rub the bridge of his nose. “Mr. Adams, you bring in your ore and I’ll stack it in the safe room behind me. I won’t have the total weight for several days. I can give you a receipt for it by estimating how much is in this bag and counting the number of bags. I’ll carefully inspect the contents of each bag and run up the entire weight of what you’ve brought. That’s the best I can do today.”

  “Sounds reasonable.” Brent used a side door and carried in his cache. Hauling the bags to the safe room took less time than loading them on the mule. Brent had taken every precaution he could to avoid publicizing his strike. He waited while the assayer weighed the contents of the first bag.

  He and his partner had chosen the four guards carefully. They’d promised them a percentage of the first year’s net profits for their loyalty. He prayed that was enough to keep them honest.

  When he had a receipt in his pocket, he headed to the livery. After that, he’d find the boardinghouse Mr. Myers had suggested. With luck he’d arrive in time for breakfast.

  Serena Winter
s stocked cans of peaches on a shelf at Casey’s Mercantile. She wished her Aunt Esther would get busy and stop lecturing her. Why didn’t her aunt go help Uncle Willard in the back stock room?

  Her aunt straightened the men’s shirts. “Stop wasting your time wishing on a well that will give you nothing but water. Instead, you should choose one of the acceptable men in Hopeful. You’ve become too picky. Serena, you have to realize you’re not a girl any longer. High time you made a choice and settled down.”

  “You may think so, but I don’t know any interesting men.”

  Aunt Esther paused and gaped at her. “How can you say that? Tom Lawson is a handsome man and well-respected. Moses Riley has a nice home. Both have shown interest in you and you’d do well to latch on to either man.”

  She resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. “Tom Lawson uses too much pomade. He’s controlling and says ‘reading novels gives women the wrong ideas about life’. Moses Riley is a generation too old for me. Besides, all he talks about is himself. I want someone closer to my age who values my opinion.”

  Aunt Esther laid the shirt she’d refolded on the stack she had straightened. “Harrumph, no man wants to listen to his wife’s opinion on anything but curtains and menus. Your husband will guide you to have the right beliefs and outlook on important things.”

  As if she were too stupid to form her own. Serena vowed that would not be the case. “I’d rather be an old maid than be treated as a puppet.”

  Her aunt sent her a sorrowful glance. “Spinsterhood is looming—or already here. At twenty-two, many in Hopeful consider you on the shelf.”

  “I’d rather be on the shelf than married to the wrong man.”