A Companion for the Cowboy (Brush Creek Brides Book 2)

by Liz Isaacson

  “Never mind.” She looked annoyed, but surely she couldn’t have a problem with him. “I’ll just use a wet paper towel.” Her eyes didn’t land directly on his as she moved to the sink and ran the water over a half dozen paper towels. She wrung them out and then swiped the makeshift pad across the floor where the break had happened. “It gets all the tiniest pieces.” She threw the paper towels in the trash and finally faced him.

  Her frown deepened and she wrinkled her nose as if he smelled like horse manure. Maybe he did. “Who are you?”

  “Ted Caldwell. I work with the broncos.” He grinned at her, pleased when she allowed her lips to curl up slightly. “Who are you?” He allowed his eyes to travel down the length of her body, drinking in her tight jeans and billowy blouse. It was the color of shamrocks and covered with flowers.

  She folded her arms. “April.” Her voice indicated that he’d just used the only question she’d allow. “Excuse me.” She started toward the steps that led to the basement, but her hip bumped into the sideboard and a vase teetered, tipped, toppled to the ground.

  April froze as more glass, this time with real wildflowers and water, spilled across the floor. She turned back to Ted with a smile with the wattage of the sun. “Could you get the broom now?”

  Ted thought he’d do whatever this woman asked, and he stepped over to the pantry like an obedient dog. He shook his head as he realized what track his thoughts had gone down. Confusion riddled through him. Ted Caldwell didn’t date. Hadn’t dated. Wasn’t interested.

  But as he turned back to April, broom in hand, he wondered if maybe it was time to get interested. “What’s your last name, April?” he asked as he wielded the broom with precision to get all the bigger pieces of glass.

  “Nox.”

  “Where are you from?” He threw the broken glass in the trashcan and reached for the roll of paper towels.

  April leaned against the back of the couch that bordered the living room and folded her arms again. As Ted wrung out the paper towels, he noticed a distinct bump beneath her arms. His fingers stuttered and he flat-out stared.

  “Wyoming,” she said, her voice as sour as chokecherries. “And yes, I’m pregnant.”

  A Bride for the Bronc Rider Chapter Two

  April couldn’t help the disdain, the disgust, the danger in her voice. The cowboy was staring at her. Blinking every few seconds, but staring, like a pregnant woman in Brush Creek was an anomaly.

  She saw him search for a wedding ring, but he wouldn’t find one. At least not today, as she kept her left hand buried beneath her right arm. But he’d find out soon enough. Everyone would, which was why she’d left Jackson Hole for this hole-in-the-wall town. Angry tears pressed against her eyes, but she wouldn’t release them, not in front of Ted.

  “Oh, well, congratulations.” A giant of a man, Ted tore his eyes from hers, bent, and cleaned up the shards the way she had the first time. “There we go.” Every word he spoke seemed too loud, but that could’ve just been a side-effect of April’s foul mood and constant headache since she’d found out she was pregnant.

  If she were looking to date in Brush Creek, Ted probably would have landed near the top of her list. Tall, broad, dark-haired. And that delicious full beard…. April turned away from him to keep her spiraling emotions in check.

  The fact was, she wasn’t looking to date. Not now, and not for a while. And certainly not anyone in Brush Creek. She’d only be here for five months—just long enough to have the baby, give it up for adoption, and move to a big city where no one knew her. Where she didn’t have to explain anything to anyone.

  “Congratulations aren’t in order,” she said, facing the stairs again. She needed to get out of there before she said something she couldn’t take back. She’d said too much already.

  “Oh, well, I’m sorry then.”

  “Nothing to be sorry about,” she said over her shoulder, her eyes catching on Ted’s for just a moment. Long enough to make her pause and add, “Thanks for your help.”

  He nodded, one hand going to the top of his cowboy hat. “Anything for a pretty lady.”

  She flashed a tight smile and escaped back to the basement. She’d come upstairs looking for something to eat, but the sight of that slimy mayo had made her stomach revolt. She’d become clumsier and clumsier in the past four months, and dropping a glass and then knocking a vase off a table were almost commonplace events these days.

  Let me know when you get home and I’ll come help with the kids. She sent the text to Megan and settled down on the queen bed she’d been given. She had a nice bedroom, equipped with a flat-screen TV, excellent WiFi, and a private bathroom, a living area, and a kitchenette. She could exist down here without anyone ever knowing, but that wasn’t part of the deal.

  Oh, no. April was to help Megan with the baby and the twins. Not only that, but she was to become a cowgirl herself, working with horses and moving pipes and whatever else she needed to do to earn her keep on this ranch.

  She curled around her stomach and closed her eyes, the need to cry pressing hotly against the back of her throat. Not a single tear fell, because she’d already cried herself dry. First when she found out she was pregnant, then when the father of the baby told her he wasn’t interested in marrying her, then when she had to tell her parents about it all.

  Her mother’s words still rang in her ears. You’re thirty years old, April. You should know better.

  And her father’s: I’m so disappointed in you, April.

  She’d left Jackson Hole to get away from their disappointment, and maybe to run away. In her most honest moments, she admitted that she’d left Jackson just to get away from everyone and everything she’d ever known.

  No one would find her here, she knew that. The friends she’d left behind knew she disliked cowboys almost as much as used car salesmen.

  Her phone woke her sometime later. The sun still cascaded through the window, so she hadn’t lost too much time. She sat up and found a text from Megan. Home in twenty minutes. Would love some help making dinner.

  Sure. April scooted to the edge of the bed and ran her hands over her face, noting the absence of her eyelash extensions. Her makeup. Everything she used to do to make herself presentable to the public.

  Lord, she prayed. Help me fix the mistakes I’ve made.

  She’d lost her way several years ago, made some bad choices, some more obvious than others. She rested her hands on her belly, small as it was, and imagined herself raising the child she was carrying. She couldn’t quite do it. Couldn’t see herself looking into the child’s green eyes—Liam’s eyes—and not feeling something negative. Cheated. Betrayed. Abandoned.

  She went upstairs, glad when Megan returned with her family. The homestead was too big to be comfortable. Megan brought noise and excitement with her, and April stepped right in to help with the twins.

  “Where did you guys go?” she asked, kneeling down to their height.

  Rachel held her hand out. “The park. Look at the rocks I found!”

  Ruby muscled her way into the conversation. “And look at the leaves I found!”

  April smiled and told the girls that they must be very good treasure hunters and they ran into the backyard. Megan settled into the chair in the living room to nurse, and Landon banged around the kitchen as he unpacked the groceries and put them away.

  “Leave the turkey steaks out,” Megan said. “And the brown rice.”

  April joined Landon in the kitchen and hunted through the lower cabinets until she found the pressure cooker. She put the rice on and gave Landon a smile.

  “How was your day, April?”

  “Just fine, sir,” she said.

  He chuckled. “I told you yesterday, April. You don’t need to call me sir.”

  She couldn’t help it. Though Landon was only a few years older than her, he felt miles more mature.

  “Settling in okay?” he asked.

  “Yes. Everything’s great.”

  “Megan kept y
our groceries separate. I think we got everything you asked for.” He nodded toward the dining room table, where several brown paper bags waited.

  “Thanks. How much do I owe you?”

  “Nope,” Megan said from the living room. “Part of the deal is you get room and board. You’ll help around the house, with the kids, and on the ranch.”

  April nodded once. That was the deal. She lifted her chin. “When do you think I’ll start around the ranch?” She knew the difference between a horse and a cow, barely. She’d never worked on a farm or a ranch, never even owned a dog.

  “I’ll assign you to one of my cowboys,” Landon said. “He’ll help you get started, give you tasks, that kind of stuff.”

  Tasks ran through her mind. She had no idea what tasks might need to be done on a horse ranch.

  “In fact, I’ve invited him to dinner,” Landon continued. “Want me to help with these groceries?”

  “Sure.” April collected two bags and took them downstairs, Landon following her with the rest. She unbagged them and put them away before returning to the kitchen upstairs. She heated a pan and began making dinner. Landon disappeared out the back door, and Megan seemed to be napping in the recliner with the baby.

  When Landon returned, he had the girls with him.

  And Ted Caldwell.

  “April,” he said. “This is Ted. You’ll be working with him.”

  Part of her heart skyrocketed and the other part sank, creating a discombobulating sensation in her chest. She only breathed because it was an involuntary reaction.

  “Ted, this is April Nox. She’s, well, she’s….”

  “She’s as close to my god-daughter as she can get,” Megan said from the recliner. “Her mother was one of my best friends when I lived in Jackson Hole.”

  Ted’s coal-colored eyes seemed to look past all of April’s anger, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. “Have you worked on a horse farm before, April?”

  “No.” She had no inclination to call him sir though he couldn’t be older than Landon.

  Those eyes flashed, and April could lose herself to a gorgeous pair of eyes like that. “Oh, well, this should be fun then.” He gave Landon a look that clearly said it would not be fun, and he was not happy with being saddled with her.

  “Thanks for the dinner invite, but I’m not hungry.” He left through the front door, and Landon waited until it closed before he sighed.

  “Not hungry?” Megan rose from the recliner and set the sleeping infant in his playpen. “I don’t think Ted has ever been not hungry.” She peered at the front door and turned back to Landon. “Has he?”

  “I’ll talk to him tomorrow.” Landon sounded tired, and he scooped up both girls. “Time to eat. Let’s get washed up.”

  April finished the turkey steaks while Megan opened a few cans of green beans. No one said anything, but April hadn’t been born yesterday. She knew Ted had left because he didn’t want to eat dinner with her.

  Pre-order A BRIDE FOR THE BRONC RIDER and get the book on release day, July 25!

  Read more by Liz Isaacson

  Want to read Landon and Megan’s love story? Great! Read Through the Mist, Book 3 in the bestselling Gold Valley Romance series.

  Want to stay right here in Brush Creek? Check out all the romances coming this summer.

  Enjoy small town western romance? We all do, right?! Read all the books in Liz’s Amazon #1 bestselling Three Rivers Ranch Romance series.

  Brush Creek Brides Romance: a spinoff series from the Gold Valley Romance series

  The Brush Creek Brides Romance series is a series of Christian western romance novels you can read in a single evening! This series features wholesome, uplifting, and satisfying "weeknight" romances.

  Weeknight romances: 3 bucks. 2 hours. 1 satisfying, uplifting, and romantic story.

  A Wedding for the Widower: Brush Creek Brides Romance (Book 1): Former rodeo champion and cowboy Walker Thompson trains horses at Brush Creek Horse Ranch, where he lives a simple life in his cabin with his ten-year-old son. A widower of six years, he’s worked with Tess Wagner, a widow who came to Brush Creek to escape the turmoil of her life to give her seven-year-old son a slower pace of life. But Tess’s breast cancer is back…

  Walker will have to decide if he'd rather spend even a short time with Tess than not have her in his life at all. Tess wants to feel God's love and power, but can she discover and accept God's will in order to find her happy ending?

  Read now!

  A Companion for the Cowboy: Brush Creek Brides Romance (Book 2): Cowboy and professional roper Justin Jackman has found solitude at Brush Creek Horse Ranch, preferring his time with the animals he trains over dating. With two failed engagements in his past, he's not really interested in getting his heart stomped on again. But when flirty and fun Renee Martin picks him up at a church ice cream bar--on a bet, no less--he finds himself more than just a little interested. His Gen-X attitudes are attractive to her; her Millennial behaviors drive him nuts. Can Justin look past their differences and take a chance on another engagement?

  Read now!

  A Bride for the Bronc Rider: Brush Creek Brides Romance (Book 3): Ted Caldwell has been a retired bronc rider for years, and he thought he was perfectly happy training horses to buck at Brush Creek Ranch. He was wrong. When he meets April Nox, who comes to the ranch to hide her pregnancy from all her friends back in Jackson Hole, Ted realizes he has a huge family-shaped hole in his life. April is embarrassed, heartbroken, and trying to find her extinguished faith. She's never ridden a horse and wants nothing to do with a cowboy ever again. Can Ted and April create a family of happiness and love from a tragedy?

  Coming July 25! Pre-order now!

  A Family for the Farmer: Brush Creek Brides Romance (Book 4): Blake Gibbons oversees all the agriculture at Brush Creek Horse Ranch, sometimes moonlighting as a general contractor. When he meets Erin Shields, new in town, at her aunt’s bakery, he’s instantly smitten. Erin moved to Brush Creek after a divorce that left her penniless, homeless, and a single mother of three children under age eight. She’s nowhere near ready to start dating again, but the longer Blake hangs around the bakery, the more she starts to like him. Can Blake and Erin find a way to blend their lifestyles and become a family?

  Coming August 15! Pre-order now!

  A Home for the Horseman: Brush Creek Brides Romance (Book 5): Emmett Graves has always had a positive outlook on life. He adores training horses to become barrel racing champions during the day and cuddling with his cat at night. Fresh off her professional rodeo retirement, Molly Brady comes to Brush Creek Horse Ranch as Emmett’s protege. He’s not thrilled, and she’s allergic to cats. Oh, and she’d like to stay cowboy-free, thank you very much. But Emmett’s about as cowboy as they come…. Can Emmett and Molly work together without falling in love?

  Coming September 5! Pre-order now!

  A Refuge for the Rancher: Brush Creek Brides Romance (Book 6): Grant Ford spends his days training cattle—when he’s not camped out at the elementary school hoping to catch a glimpse of his ex-girlfriend. When principal Shannon Sharpe confronts him and asks him to stay away from the school, the spark between them is instant and hot. Shannon’s expecting a transfer very soon, but she also needs a summer outdoor coordinator—and Grant fits the bill. Just because he’s handsome and everything Shannon’s ever wanted in a cowboy husband means nothing. Will Grant and Shannon be able to survive the summer or will the Utah heat be too much for them to handle?

  Coming September 26! Pre-order now!

  About Liz

  Liz Isaacson is the author of the #1 bestselling Three Rivers Ranch Romance series, which includes seven full-length novels and six novellas, the #1 bestselling Gold Valley Romance series, and the Brush Creek Brides Romance series. She writes inspirational romance, usually set in Texas and Montana, or anywhere else horses and cowboys exist. She lives in Utah, where she teaches elementary school, taxis her daughter to dance several times a week, and eats a lot of Ferrero
Rocher while writing.

  Learn more about all her books here. Find her on Facebook, twitter, and her website.

  She also writes as Elana Johnson, who is the author of the YA dystopian Possession series, the Elemental series, and ELEVATED and SOMETHING ABOUT LOVE, which are young adult contemporary romance novels-in-verse. She also has a YA time travel duology, RIFT and MEND.

  Her adult contemporary romance series, the Redwood Bay Romance series, is out now from Cleis Press/Start Media, and her debut adult fantasy, ECHOES OF SILENCE, just released from Amazon/Kindle Press. See all of Elana's books here.

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  A COMPANION FOR THE COWBOY

  Book Two in the Brush Creek Brides Romance series

  by Liz Isaacson

  Copyright © 2017 by Elana Johnson, writing as Liz Isaacson

  Published by AEJ Creative Works

  All Rights Reserved

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. No part of this book can be reproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without the express written permission of the author. The only exception is by a reviewer who may quote short excerpts in a review. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in, or encourage, the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.