Wanted by Karen Michelle Nutt is a Christmas and Holiday Festival pick #99cents #romance #giveaway
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  • N. N. Light
    • Dec 7, 2023
    • 6 min read

Wanted by Karen Michelle Nutt is a Christmas and Holiday Festival pick #99cents #romance #giveaway



Title: Wanted


Author: Karen Michelle Nutt


Genre: Western Romance


Book Blurb:


Sheriff Jace Kelly's wife died birthing his remarkable daughter, Emma. She inherited the families' seer abilities. At six years old, she can't tell the difference between a vision and an ordinary dream. So Jace doesn't put much faith in Emma's recent premonition: marriage for him and a new mother for her. When JoBeth Riley arrives, Emma is convinced she's the woman in her dream: dark hair, green eyes, and shamrocks in her pocket. There's one problem – she's the notorious outlaw, Baby Face Jo. Her stay in town is meant to keep Shane Maverick, the leader of the outlaw gang, from finding her before the authorities devise a plan to capture him. JoBeth finds the Kellys a strange lot. A little girl, who believes her dreams are tales of the future and the rugged sheriff whose kindness proves a distraction. She's an outlaw, for heaven's sake, but Jace is bound and determined to steal her heart.


Excerpt:


So the good sheriff was married after all. A stab of disappointment wormed its way into her heart before she managed to shut down the foolish notion of wishing the sheriff had no wife to warm his bed. So what if he was married? Had a little girl, too. She was cute as a button with rosy cheeks and big blue eyes, a brighter blue than her father's. As if the little girl sensed someone staring at her, she turned. Her gaze landed on JoBeth with curiosity before those baby blues widened in surprise.


She tilted her head to the side then squealed in delight, clapping her hands together as if someone presented her with a wondrous gift. "She's here. She's really here."


JoBeth's brows drew together. She turned to look beside her, half expecting someone to be standing next to the cot. Her gaze fastened onto the little girl once more with a frown.


"Now, Emma, don't be making this out to be something it's not," her father gently told her.


Emma's hand went to her mouth, cupping it as if she were going to whisper, but her voice rang clear as day. "She has dark hair and green eyes. Didn't you notice?"


JoBeth studied Jace's reaction to his daughter's bold statement and, by damn, he turned two shades of red. Strange, but she couldn't help being a tad bit intrigued. She glanced at Emma again. Who did the child think she was?


"That's quite enough, Emma. We'll talk about this later."


"But she's my Christmas present." Her hands flew to her waist and she stomped her foot with indignation.


JoBeth's brows rose on their own accord. A Christmas present? Now this she had to hear. Surely the good sheriff didn't offer up prisoners as some sort of perverse entertainment for the child.


"I tell you, Emma Kelly..." An older woman with gray hair and a round figure strolled into the office with a purpose. "You're faster than anyone I know," she added. "You can't be bothering your Papa at work." Waving her hand in front of her face, she drew in a breath and let it out again. Poor woman probably had her hands full if she had to contend on a daily basis with the little cherub, while the sheriff conducted his civic duties.


"Oh, he don't mind. Do you, Papa?" She looked up at him with her baby blues.


Good Lord, JoBeth thought. Even she'd be hard press not to fall for the sweet-as-pie expression the child gave her father.


"No, I don't mind, darlin'." He patted her head. His lips curved into a smile, but his eyes said it all. He loved his little girl.


"See." Emma faced the older woman again. "He don't mind." Now she leaned close to Mrs. Gunthry as if to tell her a secret, but obviously no one explained the art of whispering. "Did you see? She's here."


"Who's here?" Mrs. Gunthry asked, glancing at the sheriff for the explanation.


"No one," the sheriff insisted, his skin still sporting a nice crimson color.


The child simply would not take the hint. "My mama, she's here." Emma turned her gaze on JoBeth and pointed.


JoBeth thought the sheriff would have liked to hide under his wood carved desk, but the man apparently didn't hightail it at the first sign of trouble. His gaze wavered over to her with an apologetic shrug.


JoBeth chuckled, enjoying the sheriff's discomfort. "Please do tell, Sheriff. Why would such a sweet angel think I'm her mother?" Her fingers feathered down her dirt-worn threads. She hadn't heard a good story in a long time and this one ought to be good.


Mrs. Gunthry appeared uncomfortable with the conversation or, at the very least, her apprehension stemmed from the child believing her mother stood behind bars. Either way the effect proved the same. Mrs. Gunthry reached for the child and drew her close to her bosom.


JoBeth couldn't help herself. She laughed even harder until tears stung her eyes and her side ached. Goodness, it felt good to laugh. It had been a long time. Too long. If she'd known being behind bars would prove such a hoot, she would have turned herself in a long time ago. "My, my, do you think I can slink through the bars here and steal the child away?"


Emma shrugged out of Mrs. Gunthry's arms. "Can you truly slink through bars?" Her eyes widened with awe. "'Cause that would be somethin' to see."


For a moment, JoBeth lost her haughty disposition, wondering if she'd ever been so innocent. Then she hardened her heart against such compassion. It was better this child knew now there were monsters in the world. She threw her legs over the edge of the cot and stood. Her steps took her to the bars where she outstretched her hand through one of the slots. "Come here, child, and let's give it a try, shall we?" Her lips curved into a smile.


Emma only took a step before her father's hand flew out and snagged the child by the cuff of her jacket, bringing her back to safety. "You go home with Mrs. Gunthry, Emma. I'll be along later."


"Oh, Papa..." she whined.


Mrs. Gunthry took hold of the little girl's hand and ushered her out of the office, ignoring Emma's complaints.


"But I don't want to go home," Emma said. "I want to chat with…"


Emma's voice trailed off until she could only make out a murmuring sound of conversation as Mrs. Gunthry hurried the child away from the big bad outlaw. Good riddance, JoBeth thought. She didn't need a starry-eyed child playing havoc with her emotions.


Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):


On sale for 99 cents.












Share a holiday family tradition:


The weekend after Thanksgiving, we decorate for Christmas while watching holiday movies. While You Were Sleeping is always a favorite. We theme four artificial trees. One with Hallmark favorites and homemade ornaments. Another tree showcases our Star Trek and Star Wars ornaments. We even have a tree with all the Halloween ornaments we've collected. I purchased a red tree this year and can't wait to see it up and decorated.


We also love our yard decorations too. This year's theme is Nightmare Before Christmas on the front lawn, with Jack in his Santa outfit driving the sleigh while Zero leads the skeletal reindeer. Sally and Oogie Boogie will gather around the Christmas tree with their Christmas attire. Our 12-foot skeleton is already sporting a Santa outfit now that Halloween is over.


Why is your featured book perfect to get readers in the holiday mood?


WANTED is about second chances, finding love when least expected, and just a wee bit of Christmas magic.


Giveaway –


One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon gift card



Open internationally.


Runs December 1 – 31


Drawing will be held on January 2, 2024.



Author Biography:


Bestselling Author, wife, mother, coffee and peanut butter lover. Whether your reading fancy is paranormal, time travel or contemporary romances all my stories capture the rich array of emotions that accompany the most fabulous human phenomena—falling in love.


Social Media Links:


Visit the author at her website: http://www.kmnbooks.com

Blog: http://kmnbooks.blogspot.com


Gillian’s Book Covers, “Judge Your Book By Its Cover”

http://judgeyourbookbyitscover.blogspot.com


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorkarenmichellenutt

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KMNbooks

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/karenmnutt


Amazon Author Page:

http://www.amazon.com/Karen-Michelle-Nutt/e/B002BLLBPE


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kmn_books

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/karen-michelle-nutt

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/karenmichellenutt



IMDb: https://tinyurl.com/yy27qubr

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