HOLIDAY HERO by Shirlee McCoy introduces Emma Fairchild, who has come to Sagebrush from Boston. Her partner gave her an ultimatum - get engaged, or break it off if she insisted on going to Texas to care for her great-aunt. Well, Emma doesn't regret leaving. She's taken on a restaurant at a low price because the former owner died suddenly, and as Christmas nears she's busy painting. Then an intruder grabs her and demands money - she hasn't any. Lieutenant Lucas Harwood is patrolling nearby with his K9 Henry, a German Shepherd, and spotting the back door swinging open, they investigate and find Emma injured on the floor. With Emma in an ambulance, Lucas and Henry trace the intruder's scent. Henry leaps over a trash bin and takes off running....

RESCUING CHRISTMAS by Terri Reed starts with a woman being pursued through woods during a December storm. She's a dog trainer called Lily Anderson. Nearby, a vehicle driven by a new K9 handler skids on black ice, then slews off the road to avoid hitting the running woman. Officer Jarrod Evans immediately summons assistance; his pup Maxine is okay because she's crated in the back, but the woman is hurt. He's amazed to recognise Lily. In hospital, Lily tells him that she was abducted from a parking lot. She's adamant that God must have sent Jarrod to intercept her right at that time. Why someone wanted to harm her, she has no idea. Since Jarrod would be working with Lily anyway, he and Max, a Dutch Shepherd, are assigned to protect her, with a female officer taking over at night. But Lily's barely stepped inside her home when someone's at her throat....

The decorations strung around Sagebrush make a sharp contrast with the fast-moving suspense stories and the weather plays a bitter part in events. Familiar faces, and their K9 partners, make a welcome appearance. Romance blooms slowly as various characters have their own reasons for staying single - "You're good-looking, nice and employed," says a lady to Jarrod, when he disputes that it's unusual for him to be unattached. But gradually achieved mutual trust forges bonds which lead to love in this TEXAS K9 UNIT CHRISTMAS.

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