Elizabeth's husband and baby died of influenza just outside of the fort. She's living in a tent, just waiting for the influenza to claim her too, only it doesn't. Jake's brother leaves him with his part Sioux nieces, one of them an infant who needs a wet nurse. Jake coaxes Elizabeth into a marriage of convenience, so she can nurse and save the baby, out at his outlying ranch. She falls in love with his nieces, then him - and shows a strong backbone in the face of the town's prejudice about the girls. ( )

I liked the story...it showed a lot about how to deal with prejudice and deal with grief and anger ( )

Description of the story from the back of the book (they did a great job of summarizing this story): "The Montana territory was supposed to be the land of dreams for Elizabeth O'Brien. But when influenza claims her husband and baby, Elizabeth doesn't know if she can go on. Then a stranger approaches her with a plea she can't ignore. Jake Hargrove is desperate. His brother's death left him in charge of his two part-Sioux nieces - one an infant. Jake knows the baby can't survive the harsh western winter without a wet nurse. A Marriage of convenience with this grieving mother seems to be the only answer."

I enjoyed the story line and getting to watch Jake and Elizabeth get to know and appreciate one another and stand up for one another during difficult situations. You know this marriage of convenience will end up as a marriage with love in it, but it was a pleasure watching how it all came together. ( )

Elizabeth O'Brien and her husband hoped to build a new life for themselves and their baby daughter in 1879 Montana Territory. But that dream was shattered when fever took claimed the lives of her husband and child, leaving Elizabeth a grieving widow alone on the frontier.

Jake Hargrove's brother has recently died, leaving him with custody of his two part-Sioux nieces, one of whom is just a baby. In order to give his tiny niece a chance at survival, he proposes a marriage of convenience to Elizabeth, who can nurse and care for the baby. But despite her grief for her lost husband and child, the arrangement leads to Elizabeth growing close to the two little girls, and developing feelings for Jake as well.

A heartwarming story of love and family, Calico Christmas at Dry Creek is sure to appeal to fans of both inspirational and sweet historical romances. I highly recommend it to readers who enjoyed other Love Inspired Historical romances. ( )