Taming The Texas Rancher (Love Inspired Historical)

by Rhonda Gibson

  “It took me a while to understand what she meant, but I’ve been in constant prayer about it and believe she was saying that I have to give everything to Him. I can’t control what happens to people, but I can trust God to do what is right.” Daniel kissed the top of her head again.

  Hannah smiled. He had found his way back to trusting the Lord. “I’m glad.”

  He hugged her and nuzzled the side of her neck. “So am I.”

  After several quiet moments he asked, “What about you?”

  “What about me?” Hannah yawned.

  “Are you really ready to get married? Or are you postponing until Thanksgiving just to make sure I really love you?” Weariness echoed in his soft questions.

  Hannah sat up and leaned back enough to look him in the eyes. “I’ve never told you why I wanted you to hear you say the words that you love me, and that was wrong.” She swallowed and then continued. “Daniel, when I was about sixteen a man named Thomas asked me to marry him. I assumed he loved me and I thought I loved him, too, but then on the day of our wedding, in front of all our friends and his family, he told me he couldn’t go through with the wedding and that it was because he knew deep down he didn’t love me.” She paused.

  Daniel opened his mouth to say something, but Hannah stopped him by resting her fingers across his lips. “I know now that I didn’t love him. Tonight when I saw you fighting with Ben, I realized what true love is. It’s not wanting the one you love to get hurt. It’s putting your life before theirs. Tonight when you came into camp, you didn’t have to say you loved me. I saw it in your eyes and it was as if I was looking into your soul. You love me. I know it and you know it. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.” She continued to search his eyes, and when he didn’t say anything, Hannah pressed on. “I love you, Daniel. I have for a long time, and if you really want to get married tomorrow, I’m willing.”

  He removed her fingers from his lips and shook his head. “No. I believe you. I want you to have the perfect wedding, Hannah. It will be the one I want you to remember and I want it to be the last one you’ll ever have. I love you enough to wait for when you’re ready.” Daniel leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

  Hannah raised her head so that their lips connected. Her mouth was sore from the slap Ben had administrated, but she relished the feel of Daniel’s lips on hers. At last she knew that she’d found the love she’d been searching for so long.

  Epilogue

  Hannah tossed the bouquet over her shoulder with laughter. The sounds of squeals had her turning around to see who had captured it. Her eyes locked with JoAnna’s as the young woman clung to the flowers. Hannah smiled.

  Everyone knew JoAnna and James McDougal were planning a spring wedding. Once she’d learned that James had been in love with her since they were children, she’d quickly lost interest in Daniel and fallen for him. For that blessing, Hannah was thankful.

  She turned her eyes back to her groom. Daniel was the handsomest man there. He wore black trousers, a green shirt and black boots. The green in the shirt brought out the color of his eyes—eyes that seemed focused only on her this day. Her day. Her wedding day.

  The minister announced, “You may now kiss your bride.”

  Daniel reached out and snagged her around the waist. He whispered in her ear, “Congratulations. You are now Mrs. Daniel Westland.”

  Hannah giggled and nuzzled his face with hers. “Those are the most beautiful words I think I’ve ever heard,” she whispered back.

  His deep green eyes gazed into hers before he claimed her lips. She accepted the soft kiss and felt her heart leap at the knowledge that this man truly loved her. To Hannah’s way of thinking, the kiss didn’t last long enough.

  The guests all shouted with joy as they parted. Friends and family rushed forward to congratulate the happy couple. Hannah looked at Daniel, who still seemed to only have eyes for her.

  After everyone had eaten and the wedding gifts were opened, they said their goodbyes and headed to the wagon that awaited their departure. After all these months, Hannah was headed to her new home.

  Daniel gently helped her up onto the seat and then hurried to the other side to climb aboard.

  Levi handed Hannah’s bag to Daniel and shook his hand. Since the brothers seemed at a loss for words, Hannah leaned in front of Daniel and kissed Levi on the cheek. “Thank you for remembering my bags.” She smiled at him.

  Levi dipped his head forward and grinned before stepping away from the wagon. Daniel nodded at his brother and then clicked his tongue and the horses moved forward.

  Hannah scooted closer to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. One strong arm snaked about her waist and pulled her close.

  “I never thought this day would arrive after our run-in with Ben and his gang. I’m so glad it is over and you are now Mrs. Daniel Westland.” Daniel gave her waist a gentle squeeze. “I love you, Hannah.”

  At home in his arms, Hannah lifted her face close to his for a kiss. A mischievous twinkle entered his eyes and he grinned. Daniel leaned down and rubbed his nose against hers. She giggled and said, “And I love you.”

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from AN UNLIKELY UNION by Shannon Farrington.

  Dear Reader,

  Hello, and thank you for picking up Hannah and Daniel’s story. I’ve never lived on a ranch, but have lived on a small farm. I love horses, cows and chickens. If you haven’t guessed, I’m a country girl at heart, much like Hannah. Today I prefer reading about life on the farm, rather than living it. Getting up before dawn to feed livestock, having to help the animals get out of the mud and grunge, isn’t something I enjoy as much anymore. But I do admire our hardworking men and women who live on ranches and farms. So whether you are a country girl/boy or not, I hope you enjoyed reading how Hannah and Daniel overcame their fears as they lived their lives on the ranch.

  Feel free to visit me on my website and blog, www.rhondagibson.net. My email address is rhondagibson65@hotmail.com. I’d love to hear your thoughts on Hannah and Daniel’s story.

  Warmly,

  Rhonda Gibson

  Questions for Discussion

  When Hannah learns that Daniel didn’t get her letters stating she wanted to marry only for love, she decides to stay and wait for Daniel to fall in love with her. Would you have stayed if you were her? Why or why not?

  Daniel fears having children because of the hardships of ranch life and his sister’s death. Do you think his reaction is normal?

  Some people might think Hannah was being unreasonable in her demand for unconditional love. If you had been Daniel, would you have sent her back? Explain your answer.

  Daniel’s love of the ranch has him doing things he’d never normally do, such as sending for a mail-order bride. Have you ever wanted something so badly that you would do anything to get it? Or to keep it? If so, what?

  Hannah grew up thinking her father turned her away because she was no longer perfect and couldn’t help on the farm. Have you ever felt as if someone you loved turned against you because of something that happened in your life? How did you overcome that?

  Hannah was afraid Daniel would be like her father and leave her or send her away if she didn’t prove to him she could be a rancher’s wife. Is there something in your life that you feel would disappoint someone else and cause that person not to love you? If so, have you taken it to the Lord and asked Him to help you?

  Daniel had to learn to trust God with those he loves. Was there a time when you were afraid to trust God with a problem or person in your life?

  Hannah doesn’t understand how Bonnie can make her two sons compete for the ranch. Have you even met someone who did this? Or seen a situation that you thought was wrong but later realized was all right for the people involved? Did it change the way you thou
ght about that person? Or the situation?

  Daniel feels he has to catch the rustlers before he can tell Hannah that he loves her. How do you feel about that? Should he have waited? Why or why not?

  Did this book fit your idea of what life was like on a Texas ranch in the 1800s? Why or why not?

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Historical title.

  You find illumination in days gone by. Love Inspired Historical stories lift the spirit as heroines tackle the challenges of life in another era with hope, faith and a focus on family.

  Enjoy four new stories from Love Inspired Historical every month!

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  Chapter One

  Baltimore, Maryland

  1863

  Emily Elizabeth Davis stood in the dark, narrow corridor between the hospital wards and prayed for strength. Weary as she was, she wanted to remain strong for the sake of her friend and fellow nurse, Sally Hastings. The poor woman had given way to tears. Emily couldn’t blame her. She was near tears herself.

  For days now the wounded soldiers had been arriving, thousands of them, train after train, crammed in like cattle. They were dying of thirst, of infection and despair. When word reached Baltimore that General Lee’s forces had met the Army of the Potomac in the farm fields of Pennsylvania, the entire city held its breath. Would Maryland soon behold her sons in liberating glory or by the horrors of the casualty lists? For a state divided between Federal and Confederate sympathies, it turned out to be both.

  Emily and the other nurses had anticipated the soldiers’ arrival, but it didn’t make caring for them any less painful.

  “I thought I could do this,” Sally cried, “but I don’t think I can.”

  This was not the first time the pair had nursed wounded men. Following the battle of Antietam, one year earlier, they had gone down to the office of the U.S. Christian Commission and volunteered. They were subsequently placed in the West’s Buildings, a cotton warehouse on Pratt Street that had been converted to a U.S. Army General Hospital. Emily and Sally had cared for scores of bleeding men, Confederate and Federal alike, but this time the task was more difficult. The men they presently nursed were their own schoolmates and neighbors.

  The members of the Maryland Guard, once so dashing in their butternut uniforms, now occupied these bleak, crowded rooms. Although Baltimore was their home, the Confederate men were held by armed guards, deemed prisoners of war.

  Sally wept upon her shoulder. “First Stephen...now this...”

  Sally’s brother, Captain Stephen Hastings, had been listed as missing in the great battle at Gettysburg, and, only moments ago, the man she hoped to one day marry had lost his left arm.

  “Oh, Em, I am absolutely wicked.”

  “No, you are not,” Emily said gently. “Why ever would you say such a thing?”

  “When the stewards returned Edward to his bed, all I could think of was, ‘He will never waltz with me again.’”

  Emily blinked back tears of her own, sympathizing with her friend’s pain. Edward Stanton had danced the farewell waltz with Sally at the last ball before the Pratt Street Riot, the day Federal soldiers had come to Baltimore and opened fire on innocent civilians. It was the first bloodshed of the war. Outraged at the soldiers’ attack, Edward, and many others, had headed south to enlist right away.

  The days of silk dresses and white-gloved escorts had given way to months of broken bodies and bloodstained petticoats. Mirth and merriment surrendered to weariness and worry.

  “Try not to fret,” Emily said. “Edward will dance with you again.”

  At least she prayed that would be the case. It was only one of the numerous petitions she had whispered during her time at the hospital. As a believer and a volunteer nurse, Emily desperately longed to bring comfort to those she came in contact with. She wanted to be a light in this dark, battle-weary world.

  “Remember, God is the great physician. He can—”

  The door to the opposite ward pushed open, hitting the wall with a forceful thud. Evan Mackay, a newly arrived Federal doctor from Pennsylvania, glared at them.

  “Rebels!” he said, angrily spitting the word. “Shouldn’t you women be tending to them?”

  The man was as tall as Abraham Lincoln himself, with shoulders as broad as a ditchdigger’s. Although he spoke with a Scottish accent, which Emily thought was a dialect straight out of poetry, she was severely disappointed. Evidently not all Scotsmen were as noble or heroic as the men Robert Burns had written about. She couldn’t imagine Dr. Mackay had ever even stopped to look at a red, red rose much less compare his love for his sweetheart to one.

  I seriously doubt the man even knows the meaning of the word love.

  Of all the physicians in this hospital, he displayed the most hostile attitude; he had an open disdain for the Confederate men. Emily felt it her duty as a Southerner to protect the wounded from Dr. Mackay’s wrath.

  She felt it her duty to protect Sally now.

  “We were just returning,” she said politely. “Were we not, Nurse Hastings?”

  Sally quickly wiped her eyes, her back now ramrod-straight as though she herself were a member of the Federal army. “Yes, indeed.”

  Dr. Mackay crossed his arms over his chest and scowled. “Aye,” he said slowly. “Then do so directly.”

  “Yes, Doctor,” the women said in unison.

  The army physician moved by them and into the next room. Emily caught Sally’s eye as the tornado blew past. Both were tempted to make a remark concerning the rude bluecoat, but they did not indulge in the luxury.

  The Confederate prisoners needed care.

  * * *

  Flickering oil lamps hung from the rafters as Evan stepped into the remaining ward. There were six buildings in this former cotton warehouse, 425 beds. Most of them were crammed with rebels. His mouth soured just thinking of it. Evan knew firsthand that the field hospitals in Gettysburg were bursting at the seams with brave boys in blue that deserved beds. Boys like Andrew.

  He sighed. Yet even if there was room, I wouldn’t bring our men here, not to this city. It is one full of barbarians trying to pass themselves off as loyal members of the Union.

  His collar grew tight and his head warm. The reaction wasn’t caused by the stifling July heat. It was the memory of his younger brother and the brief time he had endured in Baltimore. Evan had heard the story from Andrew’s comrades, the men of the Twenty-Sixth and Twenty-Seventh Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, “The Washington Brigade.”

  “They simply surrounded us!”

  “They cut us off from the rest of the regiment!”

  “They were ready to tear us to shreds!”

  Rioters and murderers, every last one of them, Evan thought. And now I must put them back together. The army could have kept me in Pennsylvania. They could have let me tend to our men. They need every surgeon available.

  But Providence had not allowed him to remain in Gettysburg, and Evan had his suspicions why.

  I am doing penance for my actions, in the worst possible way.

  He cast a glance in the direction of one particular rebel, a major. He was a Maryland man. Evan had seen what remained of his butternut uniform when he’d first arrived. The Johnny’s left arm had just been amputated because a vile infection had set in. Evan had performed the surgery. He had done his best to save the reb’s life. His duty to God and his Hippocratic oath to do
no harm compelled such. But he took no pride in the task. After discharge from the hospital, rebels like this one would be sent to prison, but upon parole many would return to their regiments only to fire upon U.S. soldiers again.

  At least this one won’t be picking up a musket, he told himself.

  The major was still with fever and under the effects of the ether so he continued through the ward. Those prisoners who asked for water or voiced other requests he left to the nurses. That was their job. Most of them were rebel women anyway. Why his superiors permitted their presence in a U.S. Army hospital was beyond his comprehension. They had each signed oaths of loyalty, but it was rumored that several had altered the document. Finding certain lines disagreeable, they had supposedly crossed them out.

  If loyalty to the government of the United States of America, to its Constitution, is so abhorrent, they have no business nursing prisoners of war. If Evan had his way, he would have all secessionist nurses tossed out to the street and the rebel wounded held in prison until the end of the war.

  They deserved it after what they had done to his brother.

  * * *

  Emily drew in a deep breath, forcing herself to ignore the odors of blood, ether and rotting fish from the nearby docks. This massive warehouse had little means of ventilation, and the air grew more pungent by the day.

  Sally had returned to her own section of the hospital. Emily now prepared to step into hers. She smoothed out her pinner apron. Though it pained her, she smiled. It would do the men no good to see a downcast face. They needed hope. They needed cheer.

  Lord, help me to be a light. Help me to show Your love.

  She had no intention of fostering romantic feelings among the soldiers, but a pretty smile and a little lilac water did wonders in the wards. Some men had been removed from sisters, mothers and sweethearts for so long that they had forgotten the fairer points of civilized society. Emily wanted to remind them there was more to life than this war. Whenever she wasn’t assisting doctors or changing soiled bandages, she tried to do so.