She’s pregnant. He’s furious. And Christmas is coming.

Mac Bodie doesn’t do roots, relationships, or Christmas cheer. A former ward of the state, he’s built an empire from a forgotten land, turning dust into millions. Now he’s seized a cattle station next to his maybe-brother’s spread, hell-bent on unmasking the family who abandoned him as a baby.

Jess Lean doesn’t mind hard work, single-handedly running the cattle station her ailing father manages for a distant owner. But when Bodie—her unforgettable one-night stand—buys the land and uncovers their struggles, he’s no longer the laughing hero of her dreams. Worse, he spots her pregnancy before she does!

With Christmas closing in, vengeance within reach, and fatherhood looming, Bodie faces a brutal reckoning. Jess, whose passion still haunts him, refuses to marry him unless he dares to leave his past behind. Will he rise to become the man two unexpected families need, forging a legacy of love and forgiveness?

All he must do is take a chance on love and bare his fragile, guarded heart.

Titles in the Outback Christmas series include: The Midwife’s Christmas Miracle by Fiona McArthur ~ One Starry Christmas Night by Barbara Hannay ~ The Outback Cowboy’s Christmas Baby by Kelly Hunter ~

This story may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult 18+ audience.

Title:  The Outback Cowboy’s Christmas Baby
Series:  Outback Christmas #3
Author:  Kelly Hunter
Published:  November 6, 2025
Publisher:  Tule Publishing
My Rating:  4.5 stars

The Outback Cowboy’s Christmas Baby is the third title in the Outback Christmas series, this time featuring Jess and Mac… and a completely unexpected surprise for them both.

Mac hasn’t lived an easy life.  Abandoned as a baby, he’s worked his way through the foster care system and gone on to make a successful life for himself through hard work, grit, and determination.  Still, he needs answers about his past, his birth parents, and why he was abandoned in Wirralong.

Jess is a strong, independent woman, currently working at a local pub, and helping her father, who is ill, keep up with the work around the station (ranch) at Calla Station for its absent owner.  On the day that would change her life, she’s dealing with a bullying ex who just won’t leave her alone when Mac steps in to send the rich, spoiled idiot on his way… but not before the jerk gets his own kind of revenge.  Mac will buy Calla Station, putting his expertise to good work for Jess’s father’s sake, as well as his own.  

A good lead seems to be that he has family at the station next to Jess and her father; that’s all the incentive Mac needs to step in to help.  Emotions run high and hot between Jess and Mac, resulting in what was supposed to be a one-night experience, since neither of them was looking for a relationship.  When Mac discovers her pregnancy before Jess has even suspected, well, lives are about to change.

I have yet to read a story by Kelly Hunter that I didn’t love and enjoy the experience of getting lost in her world… and The Outback Cowboy’s Christmas Baby continues that winning streak.  I adored both Jess and Mac for different reasons.  They are both strong, independent, and… stubborn.  I enjoyed watching walls crumble as they got closer, beyond the intense physical attraction between them.  In so many ways, The Outback Cowboy’s Christmas Baby is about healing, forgiveness, understanding the past, and forging a future full of promise. 

The past can be like a heavy stone tied around one’s neck, constantly tugging a person down.  Through Jess’s help, Mac learned how to let go and reach for a different future, and yes, became a better husband and father because of that.  If you love a good, well-written romance with all the emotions you could possibly wish for, then Jess and Mac’s story is perfect for you.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the author or the author’s team via Booksprout, and I sincerely thank them for their trust. It is my choice to leave a review, giving my personal opinion about this book.*

This title is available at Amazon (affiliate link)