“Keeton, you aren’t a dream, are you?”
Keeton laughed at the hesitation in Sophie’s voice. He touched her cheek and then buried his fingers in the hair at the nape of her neck, pulling her close to kiss her again.
“This is not a dream. Well, unless we’re both dreaming the same dream. In my dream I just asked you to marry me and you said yes.”
She laughed and trembled in his arms. “Yes, that’s the dream I had, too. That must mean I’m conscious?”
“I think so. I love you.”
“I love…” She stopped, squinting her eyes at a loud commotion in the hall.
“Excuse me, messy baby coming through.” Jackson fast-walked into the room, holding Lucy out. The baby giggled.
Keeton groaned. So much for the perfect proposal, the perfect moment. He took his little girl and she gurgled at him and reached for his nose. Next to him, Sophie laughed.
Okay, maybe the moment hadn’t been ruined. Maybe this made it a little more perfect.
Jackson turned a little red and backed toward the door. “I hope I didn’t interrupt.”
“You’re not sorry and you know it,” Sophie called out as her brother continued his retreat. He stopped at the door.
Keeton put Lucy on a nearby chair and reached into the bag Jackson had dropped on the floor. The woman he planned on marrying just as soon as possible pointed at her brother.
“Come back here, right now,” she ordered and Jackson obeyed. “Don’t you want to see my ring?”
Jackson let out a holler and hurried back to Sophie’s side. He looked as though he was about to lift her up off the bed and spin her. Keeton cleared his throat. “Don’t hurt her, okay.”
“Right, yeah, of course.” Jackson slowed down and leaned in to hug his sister. “Congratulations. It’s about time the two of you got it right.”
Keeton had to agree. He’d finally gotten it right. Sophie. Lucy. Dawson. At long last his life was coming together. He sent up a prayer of thanks and had a vision of his future as part of a loving family. He had found his dream. And it was coming true.
* * * * *
Look for Brenda Minton’s next
COOPER CREEK novel from Love Inspired Books,
THE RANCHER’S SECRET WIFE,
available in August.
Dear Reader,
The Bull Rider’s Baby wasn’t supposed to be the next book in the Cooper Creek series. I had other plans. But then along came Sophie Cooper and Keeton West. Life happens that way, too. We make plans. We think we have it all figured out. We start filling God in on our plans rather than listening to His. We get sidetracked, a little distracted, we lose focus. Sometimes we lose faith.
In this book Keeton and Sophie have both been derailed by one common tragedy. They are living separate lives, going in different directions. When their paths cross again they learn that God has a way of changing lives in unexpected ways.
Brenda Minton
Questions for Discussion
At the convenience store, Keeton West hides from Sophie. Why? Would you have done the same? Why or why not?
Sophie is afraid of her emotions when she sees Keeton. What causes that fear? The past? Or what she feels now?
Keeton is back in Dawson with a lot of plans for reclaiming what was once his. Is it really possible to go home again? What changes when a person tries to reclaim the past?
Sophie is hiding the fact that she is building the houses on the land across from Keeton. Why would she want to keep that a secret?
Why is Sophie adamant about keeping things from her family? Is it about hiding something or about independence?
Sophie is unsure of her feelings for Keeton. She loved his brother. She has feelings for Keeton. Is her insight correct, that what she and Kade shared might have changed as they matured?
Keeton is determined to win a world title in bull riding because it was his brother’s dream. How is this a good idea, how is it bad?
Keeton’s parents reacted to Kade’s death by moving away from everything and everyone they knew. Sometimes we react to pain and make wrong choices. What would you have done?
Keeton is falling in love with Sophie. Or maybe he always loved her. But he pushed her away because he didn’t want her to always compare him to his brother, and he didn’t want to wonder if he was a replacement. Is his thinking logical? Was time and distance the best thing for them after Kade’s death?
Keeton tells Sophie to trust that God will keep him safe. Why is that so difficult when facing a fear? Like Sophie’s fear of watching bull riding, or dating a bull rider.
What does Sophie’s family learn about giving Sophie space to be her own person? How does simple communication play into these relationships?
Keeton is willing to give Sophie space, even though he loves her and wants her in his life. What changes her feelings for him?
ISBN: 9781459227828
Copyright © 2012 by Brenda Minton
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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