Luke took her hands, drawing her gaze to his. “Rachel, I loved you when we were ignorant youths, unaware of the hardships life could throw our way. I promised to marry, but I never said that I’d marry one of the boardinghouse brides. How could I, when my heart has always belonged to you?” He cocked his head, love making his dark eyes shine.
Rachel gasped, unable to believe what she was hearing. “You still love me?”
Luke grinned, taking her breath away. “Yeah, but my love was hidden under a quagmire of bitterness and unwillingness to forgive. It took nearly losing you to realize that I still cared. I’m so sorry for not forgiving you sooner.”
She stepped closer, placing her fingers on his lips. “Shh ... none of that. We’re both forgiven. Let’s not go backward.”
Luke pulled her into his arms and leaned his head against hers. “Could you find it in your heart to marry me?”
Rachel closed her eyes as the words she never expected to hear filled her whole being. The tears that had threatened all day broke forth like a flash flood. She nodded. “Oh yes. There’s nothing I’d like more in this world.”
“Hey, we can’t hear. What’d you say to her, Marshal?” Bertha Boyd shouted and shook her cane at them.
Jacqueline squeezed in between Rachel and Luke. “Did you ask her? What did she say?” She yanked on Rachel’s skirts. “Say yes, Ma. Please say yes.”
Luke raised a hand in the air, and the crowd quieted. “It’s no secret that Rachel and I have a long history. Most of y’all know that. Well, I’ve asked her to marry me, and she has agreed.”
The whole town erupted in cheers, hoots, and hollers. Jacqueline squealed and jumped up and down, wrapping her arms around them both. Luke bent and whispered something in the girl’s ear, and she nodded and stepped back, grinning wide.
Luke pulled Rachel into his arms. “When will you marry me? Today?”
Rachel smiled through her tears, knowing now she’d most likely never live in Kansas City. “Not today, but very soon. A gal needs time to prepare for a wedding.”
“Two weeks. That’s all you get.” Luke tugged her closer and lowered his mouth to hers, wiping away any lingering doubts of his devotion. All too soon he pulled away.
“One week,” she said. “That’s all I can bear to wait.”
Love for her illuminated his eyes. He no longer looked at her with hurt or bitterness. God had forgiven them both and given them a future neither one could have anticipated.
Oh, thank You, Lord.
“There’s just one thing.” Luke pulled back and gazed at her. “Earlier, I told both Misses Bennett and O’Neil that I couldn’t marry them, but what do we do about them?”
“I suppose we’ll help them however we can, but it’s best we leave the boardinghouse brides to God. Maybe He brought them to Lookout for another purpose.”
Luke nodded and pulled Jacqueline into their embrace. Rachel marveled at how God could take a relationship that was torn to shreds and patch it, repair it, and make it into something wonderful, something stronger than it had originally been. Never again would she doubt God’s hand at work in her life.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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Award-winning author Vickie McDonough believes God is the ultimate designer of romance. She loves writing stories in which her characters find true love and grow in their faith. Vickie has published eighteen books. She is an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers and is currently serving as ACFW treasurer. Vickie has been a book reviewer for nine years as well. She is a wife of thirty-five years, mother of four sons, and grandmother to a feisty three-year-old girl. When not writing, she enjoys reading, watching movies, and traveling. Visit Vickie’s Web site at www.vickiemcdonough.com.
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BACK COVER MATERIAL
How many brides does one man need?
It’s been years, but Luke Davis is back—older and wiser—and still alone. Returning as Lookout’s new town marshal, Luke is determined to face the past and move on. But when he discovers that the woman who betrayed him is now a widow, all his plans fall at his feet.
Rachel has carried her guilty shame for eleven years. Her marriage to James Hamilton was not what Luke or the town thought it to be. Now James is dead, and Luke is back. Could they possibly find love a second time?
Rachel begs his forgiveness, but Luke finds he has none to give.
And then the brides arrive. Three of them—ordered for Luke through newspaper ads by his incorrigible cousins. The only place in town for them to stay is Rachel’s boarding-house. And none of the ladies is willing to let Luke go. When choosing a bride becomes a contest, the chaos that ensues is almost funny.
When the mayor forces Luke to pick a bride or lose his job, will Luke listen to his heart that still longs for Rachel or choose one of the mail-order brides?
***
“An historical debut novel that captures the romance of the era. Romance, rivalry, and a race for the altar will keep the reader turning pages and looking for the next McDonough novel.”
—DIANN MILLS, author of A Woman Called Sage and Sworn to Protect
“Vickie McDonough fills her stories with the Old West we wish we could experience.”
—SUSAN PAGE DAVIS, author of The Ladies’ Shooting Club series
Vickie McDonough from Oklahoma is an award-winning inspirational romance author, who is a married mother of four grown sons.
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