Falling for the Rancher Father

by Linda Ford

  Abel worried so much about her not being able to join a Wild West show that she’d planned this surprise for him. “Let’s go.”

  Allie rode Nugget while Ladd and Mercy walked on either side swinging lariats. They entered the area where Linette had staged her party after the roundup. They’d chosen a springlike day. It still amazed Mercy how the weather changed so quickly and unexpectedly.

  The cowboys and residents of Eden Valley Ranch joined Abel for the show. Beside Abel sat Clay Morgan. They had located his crude camp after their return as a married couple. He had only a tent, which he had banked with earth to provide protection for the winter. Mercy and Abel had persuaded him to accept the use of the old cabin and, after a bit of demurring, he’d accepted.

  They’d found him to be a good and trustworthy friend.

  She and Allie and Ladd performed riding and roping tricks. Then as their finale, Allie stood on Nugget’s back and rode around the enclosure. Mercy stayed at Allie’s side, making sure she was safe.

  When they were finished, they bowed to the sound of applause.

  Mercy barely noticed. She sought Abel’s gaze. They smiled at each other across the space.

  She’d found what she wanted and needed in his love.

  A little later, they walked with everyone to Linette and Eddie’s house for dinner. Linette glowed with joy at the birth of their baby boy. Eddie was so proud he walked about with a swelled chest, Grady at his side imitating his every gesture.

  As they reached the door, Abel pulled Mercy to one side. “Let the others go in first.”

  She gladly did so. Although she wasn’t sure why he made the request, she trusted him so completely she didn’t question it.

  The door closed behind Roper.

  Abel turned Mercy into his arms. “That was a wonderful performance. Are you sure you don’t want to join a show?”

  She shuddered. “Very sure. Besides,” she said, and grinned up at him. “I don’t think I’m going to have time. What with you and the twins and a baby to care for.”

  “A baby? Where—” He realized what she meant and touched her cheek gently. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure. And it’s about time. I want lots of little Borgards. I find my heart so full of love I fear I will smother you and the twins if I don’t divide it up more.”

  He laughed. “My heart rests in your palm and it is safe. You have made my life everything I always wanted and dreamed of.” He looked deep into her eyes. “I only hope I satisfy you as fully as you satisfy me.”

  She pulled his face close. “I don’t mind letting you prove it.”

  He kissed her. “Does that prove it?”

  She tucked her hand about his arm and reached for the door. “It’s a very nice start, although I fear it will take a lot of kisses each and every day to make your point.”

  He pressed his chin to her head. “You are getting quite greedy.”

  “Hmm. Maybe not greedy. Just reveling in your love.”

  They entered the house amidst more applause. She wondered if they clapped for the show she and the children had put on or if they meant approval for the love that glistened from Abel’s eyes and, she was quite certain, from hers, as well.

  *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from THE HORSEMAN’S FRONTIER FAMILY by Karen Kirst.

  Dear Reader,

  Mercy was a fun character to write. A young woman who thought adventure would give her what she wanted. I laugh when I think of her and murmur, “Have mercy on us,” because she is the kind of person who keeps others on their toes. And maybe that’s just what Abel needed. I like to think so. I also like to think that we all can add a little spice to our ordinary lives without hurting ourselves or others. I hope you enjoy following Mercy and Abel on their adventure.

  I love to hear from my readers. You can contact me at www.lindaford.org, where you can also see what’s coming next in my books.

  Blessings to each of you.

  Linda Ford

  Questions for Discussion

  Mercy wants to perform in a Wild West show. What is she hoping to find by doing so?

  What do you understand about Mercy’s family background? How has she reacted?

  Do you think Ambrose, the preacher’s son, treated her fairly? Does Mercy think so? Do you think she might have changed her mind about him by the end of the story?

  Why does Abel see Mercy as a risk to himself and his family?

  What do you think of Abel’s concern for Allie? Is it founded? Understandable?

  What is your favorite thing about the twins?

  What did Mercy find in caring for the twins that she perhaps didn’t expect?

  Who did you think the man in the woods might be? Were you surprised at the role he played?

  Mercy tried to change for Abel’s sake. Do you think this was a wise move? Do you think she would have been happy if she’d continued? Why or why not?

  What lessons did Mercy and Abel have to learn in order to be ready to love each other and become a family?

  How did their faith change during the story, or did it?

  Do you see them living happily together in the future? Will there be problems? If so what might they be and how do you think Abel and Mercy will handle them?

  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

  Brave Rock, Oklahoma

  May 1889

  Gideon couldn’t have heard right. His ears must be clogged. Or he was dehydrated, which would explain why he’d misunderstood the cavalry officer. Extreme thirst and heat could do that to a man.

  Glaring at the fortyish man who’d introduced himself as Private Jesse Wellington, he demanded he repeat his previous statement.

  The polished buttons marching down the middle of Wellington’s navy blue uniform rose and fell with his long-suffering sigh. Tall and distinguished, the officer had streaks of silver at his temples that lent him a sage air. “I’m here to inform you that your claim to this land has been challenged.”

  Challenged? “You’re joking, right?” After all, he’d planted his stake deep into the earth with his own two hands.

  On April 22, the day of the land rush, thousands of settlers had raced to claim a piece of this Oklahoma prairie for themselves. Thanks to President Cleveland and his decision to make the Unassigned Lands available to settlers, scores of people from all parts of the country had seized the opportunity to start over, to build new and better lives for themselves and their families, he and his brothers included.

  The private smirked. “The United States Army isn’t in the habit of joking about such matters, Mr. Thornton. Mrs. Evelyn Chaucer Montgomery, along with her brothers, Theodore, Brett and Reid Chaucer, are disputing your claim.”

  His gut knotted up below his sternum. Chaucer. A name embedded in his consciousness, going as far back as his toddler years to the time of the war between the states, a name associated with trouble and turmoil, hatred and discord. The Chaucers—Southern sympathizers to the core—despised his family for their loyalty to the North and its cause. That they had turned up here, in this start-up community of Brave Rock, struck him as downright suspicious.

  Beyond Wellington’s left shoulder, three men stood shoulder to shoulder, their olive skin and European features marking them as Chaucers. Because they were familiar to him and uninteresting, he skipped right over them
to focus on the slender female dressed in head-to-toe black. Her head was bent so that her bonnet’s brim hid the top half of her face.

  Gauging from her gold-kissed skin and the black-brown hair whispering against her nape, Chaucer blood ran through her veins. The vague recollection of a twin sister drifted through his memory. Before he could pin it down, however, he noticed another member of their party. A small child. A boy with disheveled black hair and huge brown eyes in a face that hadn’t yet lost the fullness of toddlerhood. A boy around the same age as his Maggie….

  Shying away from the life-sucking grief, Gideon slammed the gateway to the past shut. Wrested his gaze away from the small figure clinging to his ma’s skirts and planted it firmly onto the soldier.

  “I’ve been here eight days, Private. Why are they just now disputing the claim?”

  “Because we had a funeral to arrange, you—” Theo leaned forward. Brett put up an arm to block him.

  “You’ve wasted your time. These people have misled you.”

  Wellington didn’t so much as blink. “They contend that Mrs. Montgomery’s late husband, Drake, staked this plot and that it rightfully belongs to her and her son, Walter.”

  Montgomery. The inexperienced rider who’d foolishly followed him the day of the land rush? His gaze flew to the widow’s face, now fully visible beneath the curved brim, delving into eyes the color of thick, sticky molasses. The exotic beauty countered his scrutiny with open challenge, her dainty chin uplifted and her high forehead lined with determination. Slashing black brows arched above flashing, thick-lashed eyes, and rounded cheekbones were balanced by a lush pink mouth. Disdain radiated from her bristling stance.

  “I’m sorry for your loss, ma’am,” he said directly to her, with effort not allowing his gaze to lower to the boy at her side, “but you’re mistaken. Before the land rush, I studied the maps carefully and chose this plot because of its distance from town and proximity to this offshoot stream. I discovered a shortcut, a path hazardous for anyone who isn’t a strong rider.”

  He recalled the exact moment he’d realized someone was trailing him. The surprise. The urgency, the drive to reach the land first. He had waited too long for this opportunity, hadn’t been about to let it slip through his fingers. “I planted my stake. When I looked back, I saw Montgomery’s horse stumble and pitch sideways. He was crushed.”

  A quiet gasp drew his attention once more to the female. A small hand pressed against her son’s back tucked him closer to her, as if her touch alone were enough to spare him life’s harsh realities.

  Eager to be done with this unpleasant scene, Gideon pushed out the rest of the story. “I checked on him. Saw that he was alive and in desperate need of medical help, so I sought out my brother’s fiancée, Alice Hawthorne. She’s a skilled nurse. I thought—” He scraped a hand along his unshaven jaw, the bloody images coming into focus. “We were too late to save him. By the time we returned, Mr. Montgomery had already passed.”

  “You’re lying.” Her voice was huskier, deeper than he’d expected.

  His spine stiffened. “Be very careful, madam. That’s a serious accusation to levy at a complete stranger.”

  Rather than cower at the current of steely warning in his voice, she took a step forward. “I want to see the stake.”

  “As do I.” Theodore glared at Gideon, the heat of old rivalries stirring to life in his dark eyes, punctuated by the once-straight nose that was now slightly offset.

  Ignoring him, Gideon looked at Wellington, who nodded in agreement. “In order to sort this out, we need to see it. Shall we walk or ride?”

  He weighed his options. Refusal didn’t appear to be one of them. Besides, the sooner he proved his case, the sooner he’d be rid of the Chaucers. “It’s about fifteen acres south of here. We’ll ride.”

  Spinning on his heel, he strode over to the corral and, ducking between the rails, signaled Star. The two-year-old palomino lifted his head and met him at the gate. After a brief touch on his muzzle, Gideon swung up onto his broad, bare back.

  A light breeze carrying the scents of sunbaked earth, hardy grass and sweet hyacinths gave him a brief respite from the overhead sun’s scorching heat. The near-constant breeze was one of the first things he’d noticed about his new home in central Oklahoma. Whether it was due to his proximity to the Cimarron River slicing through the grasslands or the absence of substantial hills in this area, he didn’t know and didn’t care. In his opinion, he and his brothers couldn’t have picked a better place to start fresh. Ruggedly beautiful countryside, fertile land and, best of all, remote. With 160 acres to call his own, he didn’t have to see another living soul until he wanted to.

  Unless folks chose to drop in on him unannounced. A scowl created deep lines around his mouth as he waited for the group to pile into their wagon.

  He led them south, away from the Cimarron, through verdant pastures thick with yellow and orange flowers, along the stream bank dotted with sweeping cottonwood trees to the place where he’d staked his claim. Very near to where Mrs. Evelyn Chaucer Montgomery’s husband had perished.

  For a brief moment he allowed himself to feel compassion for the young widow. He knew all too well how it felt to lose a spouse with absolutely no warning. No preparation. She must be in shock still.

  Then he shoved it aside. She’d labeled him a liar. He should expect no less from a Chaucer.

  Sliding smoothly to the ground, he waited for the rest to catch up, anticipating their reaction to the proof. The officer perused his surroundings with keen interest. He wondered what misdeeds the man might’ve committed to have robbed him of his rightful rank; a man of his age and experience was not a mere army private for no reason.

  The Chaucer brothers’ hungry gazes gobbled up his land, Theodore in particular wearing a too-confident expression. Taller and leaner than the other two, he had sandy hair that set him apart from his siblings. The second eldest, Brett, was shorter, broader and less aggressive, but still a pain. Reid was Gideon’s least favorite. Cocky. Short fused. Unpredictable.

  Once out of the wagon, Mrs. Montgomery handed the boy off to Reid and strode for the wooden stake sticking out of the ground beneath a hackberry tree. The sweep of her full black skirts through the tall grass frightened a pair of cottontails that scurried in the opposite direction. She was oblivious, however, to all else save that stake.

  Too bad she was in for a disappointment.

  But when she yanked it out of the ground and read the name, the satisfaction and relief flashing across her expressive face did not indicate disappointment at all. Confused, Gideon walked toward her as if in a dream, his feet reluctant to carry him where he wanted to go.

  “It’s Drake’s,” she said in a triumphant whoosh, holding it up above her head like a torch.

  “I knew it.” White teeth flashed in Brett’s face as he looped an arm about her waist and whirled her in a circle.

  Pulse sluggish, thoughts muddled, Gideon extended a flat palm. “Let me see that.”

  Laughter fading, Brett lowered her but didn’t release her. Her big brown eyes locked on to him, and the brief moment of rejoicing leached from her countenance. She extended the stake without a word.

  He took it. Studied the scrawled letters.

  Montgomery, Drake Sutton.

  “This can’t be right.” Stunned, Gideon stared at the hole in the ground. Cast about the surrounding ground for answers. Where was his stake?

  Wellington asked to see it.

  “I don’t understand.” Gideon numbly passed it to the officer.

  Wandering to the steep bank where his opponent had lost control of his horse, he rehashed the events of that day. There’d been only the two of them. Land rush rules stated that once a man’s stake of possession was planted in the 160-acre tract of his choice, he had to hold that claim and defend it against other settlers. Leaving to fetch help meant Gideon had risked losing his plot. He hadn’t been able to ignore a dying man’s need, however. He hadn’t hesitated t
o make the right choice.

  His brothers, Elijah and Clint, had accompanied Alice. Clint had gone to alert the authorities, and hours later Theodore and Brett had arrived to confirm the deceased man’s identity and take the body for burial.

  Returning to the group, he addressed Wellington. “My stake was here when I left. Montgomery must’ve somehow removed it and replaced it with his own before he died.”

  “That’s preposterous!” The widow pushed out of her brother’s arms. “You honestly expect us to believe a dying man cared one way or another who got this land? Drake would’ve conserved his energy. He would’ve waited for help to come. He certainly wouldn’t have risked aggravating his injuries.”

  Staring down at her, he pulled in a bracing breath. “I understand you’re hurting right now—”

  “Don’t patronize me, Mr. Thornton.” She faced off against him. “I know all about you and your family, how you cheat and scheme your way through life, not caring who you trample on your way to the top. I know exactly what happened here the day my husband died.” Lifting her chin, she condemned him without a trace of evidence. “You saw an opportunity to steal the land and you took it. In your arrogance, you didn’t even bother to change out Drake’s stake with your own. You didn’t expect us to challenge you, did you?”

  Gideon opened his mouth to speak. No words came out. First she’d called him a liar. Now she was accusing him of being a thief? Outrage churned in his gut. The independence he’d dreamed of for so long, worked so hard for, was suddenly in jeopardy.

  All because of this woman.

  *

  Evelyn wasn’t about to let this mountain of a man intimidate her. “This land belongs to me and my son. It’s Walt’s rightful inheritance. I won’t let you take that away from him.”

  Bringing his face near hers, the man bared his teeth. Glacial gray eyes impaled her. “This is my land.” He jammed a thumb to his broad chest. “I’m not simply going to hand it over to you.”

  Gideon Thornton spoke slowly and with great deliberation. But beneath the facade of control, she detected the smoldering anger in him, a river of molten lava scrambling to be unleashed. Taller than her by a good three inches, he had a powerful body that looked as though it had been carved from stone and hands that could no doubt easily hoist her into the air and carry her to parts unknown. He was one impressive male.