The Cowboy's Texas Family

by Margaret Daley

“Then we won’t have a long engagement.”

  “I agree. The whole time I was at home I thought about you. Absence does make the heart grow fonder.”

  He weaved his fingers through hers. “I never thought I wanted a family—a wife and kids—but now I know I do if it’s with you. We both have a lot to give Corey, but I hope also other children.”

  Tears sparkled in her eyes. “I do too.”

  “Let’s go celebrate. What’s a better way to do that than with our friends?”

  “And family. Will you be all right with Fletcher being in my life?”

  “I’ll make it work. While you were gone, he was at the boys ranch volunteering in your place. There’s hope for Fletcher.” And for the first time in a long while, he felt there was hope for him.

  They rose together and left the church, hand in hand.

  * * *

  The minute Darcy entered the wedding reception at the boys ranch with Nick, Corey made a beeline for them.

  “Where have you been? I thought something happened.” Worry knit the boy’s forehead.

  “We had a few things we needed to talk about.” Darcy felt Carol’s gaze boring into her. She didn’t want to say much at Heath and Josie’s party, but she would have to tell Carol something.

  Corey shifted his attention back and forth between her and Nick. “Is something wrong?”

  Nick laughed and tousled his hair. “You worry too much. Nothing is wrong. In fact, everything is right.”

  “I told Nick that you and I are going to live here in Haven.”

  “Really?” Corey said so loud everyone around them stopped talking and stared at them.

  Darcy pulled him away from the people nearby. “Shh. Yes, but don’t say anything yet. This is a reception to celebrate Heath and Josie getting married.”

  Nick slung his arm around Darcy’s shoulders. “But we might be the next couple to marry in Haven.”

  Corey’s eyebrows shot up. “Yes!” He pumped his arm in the air and then turned to leave. “Wait till—”

  “No.” Nick pinned him with a sharp look. “I’m counting on you to keep quiet until tomorrow. Okay?”

  Corey nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  Darcy chuckled as the ten-year-old disappeared in the crowd. “I won’t be surprised if the whole town knows by the time the party is over.”

  Nick moved in front of Darcy, blocking her view of the reception. “With Uncle Howard, Carol and Corey, I give it half an hour. I’m so happy I’m not sure I can keep quiet.”

  “Same here.” All her feelings for Nick were screaming to let the world know.

  Nick stared at her mouth. “I want to kiss you. Let’s get some fresh air.”

  “We just got here,” she said with a grin as she headed for the front door.

  The second Nick stepped onto the porch and closed the front door, he tugged Darcy into his embrace. “I love you. I know life with you will never be dull.”

  She laughed. She rose onto her tiptoes and hooked her arms around his neck. The light touch of her lips whispered against his. “I love you, Nick McGarrett, and can’t wait to be a family with you.”

  Nick pulled her even closer and kissed her with all the emotions he’d suppressed for years.

  * * * * *

  If you liked this

  LONE STAR COWBOY LEAGUE: BOYS RANCH novel, watch for the next book,

  THE DOCTOR’S TEXAS BABY

  by Deb Kastner,

  available February 2017.

  And don’t miss a single story in the

  LONE STAR COWBOY LEAGUE: BOYS RANCH miniseries:

  Book #1: THE RANCHER’S TEXAS MATCH

  by Brenda Minton

  Book #2: THE RANGER’S TEXAS PROPOSAL

  by Jessica Keller

  Book #3: THE NANNY’S TEXAS CHRISTMAS

  by Lee Tobin McClain

  Book #4: THE COWBOY’S TEXAS FAMILY

  by Margaret Daley

  Book #5: THE DOCTOR’S TEXAS BABY

  by Deb Kastner

  Book #6: THE RANCHER’S TEXAS TWINS

  by Allie Pleiter

  Can’t get enough

  LONE STAR COWBOY LEAGUE?

  Check out the original

  LONE STAR COWBOY LEAGUE

  miniseries from Love Inspired, starting with

  A REUNION FOR THE RANCHER

  by Brenda Minton.

  And travel back in time with

  LONE STAR COWBOY LEAGUE:

  THE FOUNDING YEARS,

  a Love Inspired Historical miniseries,

  starting with

  STAND-IN RANCHER DADDY

  by Renee Ryan.

  Both titles and full miniseries available now!

  Find more great reads at www.LoveInspired.com

  Keep reading for an excerpt from AN AMISH REUNION by Jo Ann Brown.

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  http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010003

  Dear Reader,

  I wanted to thank the authors I had the pleasure of working with on this second Lone Star Cowboy League continuity as well as Shana Asaro, our editor on this project. I worked on the first one and had as much fun with this one as I did with that first LSCL series.

  I’m a retired teacher, and I loved working and helping children. That’s what this series is about. There are some kids who need extra love and attention because of what they are dealing with. Corey was one of those and got the help he needed. Nick was also a troubled child while growing up, but he wasn’t fortunate enough to receive the support he needed and his past affected his present. He learned he couldn’t run from it. Forgetting the past wasn’t easy until he dealt with his emotions concerning it. He used what he’d learned growing up to help Corey and that in turn also made Nick a stronger person.

  I love hearing from readers. You can contact me at margaretdaley@gmail.com or at P. O. Box 2074, Tulsa, OK 74101. You can also learn more about my books at www.margaretdaley.com. I have a newsletter that you can sign up for on my website.

  Take care,

  Margaret

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  An Amish Reunion

  by Jo Ann Brown

  Chapter One

  Paradise Springs

  Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

  The knock came at the worst possible moment.

  Hannah Lambright had her grossmammi partway to her bed where she could look out, through the cold rain, at the covered bridge over Hunter’s Mill Creek until she fell asleep for her afternoon nap. Grossmamm
i Ella depended on Hannah to help her. She refused to use a cane, not wanting to be considered old, though she’d recently celebrated her 90th birthday.

  Smoothing the blanket over her grossmammi, who’d already closed her eyes, Hannah hurried from the room. She wiped her hands on her black apron and pushed loose strands of hair under her white kapp. The impatient rapping continued. She opened the door. Words fled from her mouth and her brain as she stared at a handsome face she’d never expected to see at her door. She couldn’t be mistaken about the identity of the man with sleek black hair beneath his dripping straw hat and deep blue eyes set below assertive brows. Her momentary hope that she was looking at his twin brother vanished when she noticed the cleft in his chin.

  “Daniel Stoltzfus, why are you here?” she asked.

  “Is she yours?”

  Only then did she realize Daniel held a wicker container about the size of a laundry basket. A little girl, her golden hair in uneven braids sticking out like a bug’s antennae, was curled, half-asleep in the basket. Chocolate crumbs freckled her cheeks. The kind wore an Englisch-style pink overall and a shirt with puffy sleeves. She couldn’t have been more than eighteen months old.

  “Mine?” she choked.

  The little girl’s dark brown eyes opened. Her chubby, adorable face displayed the unmistakable characteristics of Down syndrome.

  “I was on my way to the covered bridge when I saw her in your side yard,” he replied. “By the time my buggy stopped and I could get out, she’d disappeared behind the house.”

  “My honeybees are out there! Did she get stung?”

  “I don’t think so. Is this kind yours?”

  She recoiled from the strong emotions darkening his blue eyes. Behind his question, she heard unspoken accusations. An answer of ja would mean not only was she an unmarried woman with a kind, but she let the toddler wander near her beehives.

  After the five months she and Daniel had walked out together three years ago, did he know so little about her? Didn’t he know she was the dependable one? As she’d been since her mamm died when she was ten years old. When she dared to trust someone again, she’d chosen Daniel Stoltzfus, who’d broken her heart.

  “I don’t know who she is,” Hannah said, determined to keep her thoughts to herself. “Just because she was in my yard—”

  “And this basket was on your porch. She must have crawled out of it.”

  “Why would someone leave her on my front porch?”

  “I’ve got no idea.” He glanced over his shoulder. “It’s raining. Can we come in?”

  Hannah could think of a dozen reasons to say no, but nodded. She couldn’t leave a young kind out in the cold and damp...nor Daniel.

  He set the basket on the well-worn sofa and squatted beside it. When the little girl sat and began to whimper, he said, “It’s okay, liebling. You’re safe.”

  She didn’t know if the little girl knew the word meant sweetheart, but the kind began to calm as she gazed at him, trying to figure out who he was.

  Hannah bit back a sad laugh. After months with him, she’d been shocked when he turned out not to be the man she’d thought he was. She shook those thoughts aside. The kind should be her sole concern.

  The little girl moved, and Hannah heard a crackle. A crumpled and wet envelope was stuck in the basket. Hannah took it and removed a single piece of wet paper. How long had the basket and the toddler been in the rain? She peeled the damp edges apart and was relieved the writing hadn’t been smudged.

  “What does it say?” Daniel asked.

  She read aloud, “Shelby is your sister. Take care of her.” Looking at the kind, she asked, “Are you Shelby?”

  The little girl blinked.

  “I guess Shelby is her name.” He began to make faces at the little girl. “Does it say anything else?”

  Hannah gasped when she saw the signature.

  Daed.

  In the fifteen years since he’d left after her mamm’s death, her daed hadn’t written her a single letter. At first, she’d thought it was because he’d been placed under the bann when he abandoned his faith along with his only kind. Later, he’d sent postcards from the places around the United States and Canada. Nevada and Florida. California and Mississippi. Manitoba and Texas. Never anywhere near Paradise Springs. And never with any message other than Daed.

  Until now.

  What was going on?

  “Is it signed?” Daniel asked.

  She nodded, unable to speak. Had her daed been right outside the door? Why hadn’t he knocked? Did he think she’d turn him away? She sighed as she realized he might have been afraid she wouldn’t take the basket from him. The rules of the bann were clear—she could speak with him, though her words should be focused on persuading him to confess his sins and return to their plain life. She couldn’t eat at the same table or take a piece of paper from his hand. The whole community hoped a shunning would convince an offender to repent; then family and friends would welcome him into the fold as if the bann had never happened. As God forgave, so should those who loved Him.

  “Who signed it, Hannah?” Daniel’s voice was as gentle as when he’d spoken to the little girl.

  She gulped, trying to swallow past the lump in her throat. How could Daed have left without seeing her again? Feeling as hurt as the day she’d discovered he’d jumped the fence into the Englisch world, she whispered, “My daed.”

  Daniel’s eyes widened. He was as stunned as she was. More than once, while they’d been courting, she’d talked about her hope to see her daed again.

  Under a stained blanket, she saw a lump. She lifted out two plastic bags. The handles were tied together. She hooked her finger in the top of one and pulled. The bag tore, and tiny clothing, most in shades of pink, scattered across the floor.

  “Her clothes, I’d guess,” Daniel said as he picked up the little girl. He bounced the kind and tried to keep her from pulling off his straw hat at the same time.

  The sight was so endearing Hannah smiled in spite of herself. When a chuckle escaped, he looked at her in astonishment.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “I don’t know.” That was the most honest answer she had. One minute, she’d been going about her daily routine. The next, the man she’d once believed wanted to marry her was standing on her porch with a boppli in a basket. “I don’t know what to do or say.”

  “You could start by holding your sister.”

  Sister! She’d never had a sister...or a brother. Her extended family lived in northern New York, too far away except for an occasional visit when one of her cousins married. It’d been her and Grossmammi Ella since her daed left. She’d dreamed of having a sibling. As a kind, she’d prayed night after night for one. Had God answered her prayer like this?

  She held out her arms, and Daniel shifted the kind so Hannah could take her.

  With a cry, Shelby clung to him. She buried her face in his shoulder, rubbing chocolate into his coat, and wrapped her tiny arms around his neck. Her sobs trembled along her.

  “Give her a minute,” Daniel said before murmuring in Englisch, “Shelby, look at Hannah. She likes little girls.”

  She shrieked as if caught in a swarm of bees.

  Hannah yanked her hands away. Her little sister, the blessed gift she’d yearned for, wanted nothing to do with her. And Shelby cuddled against the man who’d wanted nothing to do with her either.

  * * *

  Daniel watched the flurry of emotions sweep across Hannah’s face. Frustration. Uncertainty. Regret. Pain. He’d seen the last when she’d found him flirting with other girls. The memory of that evening had lurked in his thoughts for three years, a constant reminder that if he let someone else come as close to his heart as she had, he could wound that person as badly. Better to keep things light and laugh with every girl i
nstead of making a marvelous one like Hannah cry. He wasn’t going to take a chance of that happening again. He’d learned his lesson the hardest possible way.

  He wouldn’t have come to the stone-end farmhouse where she lived with her great-grandmother and her bees if he’d had another choice. But he needed to ask for a favor. A big one, and he wasn’t sure if Hannah would agree when they hadn’t spoken in three years.

  He should look away from her pretty face, but he couldn’t. How was it possible that Hannah had become even more beautiful? He hadn’t seen her since that evening she’d walked out of his life. His older brother Amos had occasionally mentioned Hannah bringing honey from her hives to sell at his grocery store. Each time, Daniel had changed the subject. He didn’t want to think about how he’d ruined everything between him and Hannah.

  In the rainy day’s dim light, her hair was the shade of her honey. Drawn under a green bandana that matched her dress, her hair framed her oval face. Her chocolate-brown eyes displayed her feelings. She’d never been able to hide her thoughts. Now she was upset because the kind refused to go to her.

  “It’s okay, Shelby,” he said in Englisch because he suspected she didn’t understand Deitsch, the language the Amish spoke. “You don’t have to go anywhere you don’t want to.”

  The kind tilted her head; then she gave him a big grin, showing off tiny teeth. Her eyes crinkled closed, and he saw the striking resemblance between the little girl and Hannah. The shape of their faces, those dark eyes and the shiny, honey-gold hair were almost identical.

  “Is your great-grandmother here?” he asked.

  “She’s taking a nap.” Hannah continued to stare at Shelby with distress.

  “With all this noise?”

  “Grossmammi Ella takes a nap every day from one until two-thirty. Even if she’s awake, she won’t come out until two-thirty.” Her lips quirked. “No matter what.”

  “That’s weird.”

  “It’s her way.”

  His nose wrinkled. “Someone could use a diaper change.” He ran a finger along the kind’s tiny arm. “And she’s cold. What she needs is a gut, warm bath.”