Healing the Cowboy's Heart

by Ruth Logan Herne

  “And inadvertently spread it to other barns. I’m sure Braden had no idea,” she added. “No veterinarian would take that chance. He probably feels dreadful.”

  Kind. Caring. Forgiving. And empathetic to the man who had tried to blackball her.

  His heart beat a little harder and a whole lot faster as she drew near.

  She smelled of vanilla and fresh air. Of sunshine and warmth. And she looked great in her jeans and short-sleeved T-shirt. She drew up to the rail, set her bag down and breathed deeply as she leaned against the wooden fencing. “There’s a freshness to the air today.”

  “There is.” He moved alongside her and rested his arms on the top rail. Just like she did. “Not quite fall but you can tell it’s coming. In the tops of the trees.” He pointed to where the uppermost leaves were already hinting color. “And the grass, a little greener now that we’ve gotten some rain. And the dew.”

  “I sopped my sneakers this morning, unknowing,” she told him. And then she looked at him. Right at him. And he realized he wanted that. Her. Looking at him. Sharing with him. By his side. “Should have worn boots, first thing. Now I know.”

  “Are we really talking about sneakers?” He turned and rested his back against the top rail so he could see her. Hold her gaze. “When there’s so much more to say?”

  * * *

  So much more to say...

  She started to turn, to reach for her bag...

  He paused her with one arm. One big, solid cowboy arm. “I’m sorry, Char.”

  She could have backed up. Ducked away.

  She didn’t.

  He touched her hair. Then her cheek. Gentle. So gentle. Yet strong, too, in so many ways. “I was stupid.”

  No argument there. She didn’t look up at him. She kept her gaze averted purposely.

  “And I can’t even guarantee I won’t be stupid again.”

  She turned now, surprised, because what kind of apology was that?

  The hand touching her hair grazed her cheek softly. He smiled. “In fact I can almost guarantee it, bein’ a man and all. But if you could forgive me—”

  “For thinking I was a horse-swindling jerk who cheated people for my own selfish ends.”

  “It does sound awful, doesn’t it?” He leaned his forehead to hers.

  Her heart sped up. He smelled soap-and-water good, which meant he’d deliberately cleaned up after doing morning chores, because four hours in horse barns didn’t generally smell like fresh linens, hung to dry.

  But he did smell like that. Just like that and she wanted to lean in closer. Breathe him in. And then...

  She was kissing him.

  She wasn’t sure who turned their face first, and it didn’t matter. All that mattered right now was here. Right here, in this graveled barnyard surrounding these now-healthy horses.

  Him.

  This.

  Them. And two kids who were searching for their place in the world.

  “Char.” He whispered her name as he peppered her face with kisses, and when he rubbed his cheek along hers and then kissed her again, Char was pretty sure that she and the pricey van would never be leaving Shepherd’s Crossing. “I love you, Char.”

  Did he really? Could he, after so short a time? And yet didn’t she feel exactly the same?

  “I think this is where you say ‘I love you, too, Isaiah,’” he whispered into her ear. “Because, woman...I know you do. And there’s only one way to handle this whole thing, little lady.”

  She smiled against his mouth. His lips. “And what’s that, cowboy?”

  “Well, to marry the girl, of course.”

  Her smile widened.

  “Bring her on home, have a baby or two. Raise up the youngsters. And when you throw free veterinary care in on top, that’s a sound deal all the way around.”

  She smacked his arm, but laughed when she did it.

  And then kissed him again. And when she stopped kissing him, she leaned back, against his arm. “Is this your proposal, Isaiah?”

  “Unless you want a fancy dinner...”

  “They tend to give me indigestion,” she told him.

  His smile grew. “More flowers?”

  “It seems the good Lord has provided a plethora of those.” She nodded toward the hills rising to the east, with the pinks and yellows and whites of late-summer wildflowers painting their own picture.

  “Music?”

  “Not when I’d rather hear your voice. Your words,” she whispered up to him. “Best music there is.”

  “We should at least have a ring,” he supposed, and then he reached into his pocket and withdrew a little black velvet box. “Which it seems I have. Right here.”

  Her heart went into steeplechase rhythm. Fast. Jumping. Elated. “Isaiah.”

  “Will you marry me, Char? Be my helpmate? My love? My life?”

  Laughter came their way just then. J.J. and Liam, working together with Ginger and her foal.

  The perfect package, she realized. Imperfect, of course, but just right for her. Which meant God’s timing had been guiding her here, to this moment, all along. “I will be thrilled to marry you, Isaiah.” She wrapped her hands around his neck and leaned up for one more kiss. “And be here with you every day.” Another kiss. “And every night.”

  That got her a grin and a kiss.

  “But I will charge you for veterinary care, my love, because after all—” she reached up and tweaked the brim of his broad cowboy hat “—business is business.”

  He laughed.

  So did she.

  And when he slipped the solitary diamond onto her finger—a perfect fit—she didn’t just feel like she’d come home at last.

  She knew it. And that was the best feeling of all.

  Epilogue

  “Are we taking the salad and both cakes?” Isaiah asked as Char hurried down the stairs the next July, and he didn’t try to disguise the longing in his voice. “Because it would be okay to leave a cake here, wouldn’t it?”

  “It’s a patriotic cake auction, and both have to go,” she told him, then paused when he reached out, grabbed her around the waist and drew her in.

  He kissed her. Maybe to talk her into leaving a cake behind, or maybe just to kiss her. Either way she melted into the kiss like she’d been doing since their fall wedding.

  And then he laid one hand over her still-flat abdomen and raised those thick eyebrows. “I think the baby will want cake later, darling. So we should leave one at home.”

  She burst out laughing, then hugged him. Hugged him tightly. When she drew back, she raised one hand and the pointer finger. “This is clear evidence that husbands do not listen well. The whole idea of a cake auction is that we donate cakes...”

  “I get that part.” He looked glum on purpose as he gave the whipped-cream-and-berry patriotic cake a sad glance.

  “And then we buy other cakes to raise money to refurbish the Veteran’s Outreach Center. So the money goes for a good cause and we still end up with cake. And—” she hooked a thumb toward the backup refrigerator in the garage “—I may have made two of the whipped cream cakes you love so well, so the one in the extra fridge stays here.”

  Relief flooded his features. “Your organizational skills are only one reason I love you.”

  “And the others?” She batted her eyelashes like the total Southern girl she was. “Tell me true, cowboy.”

  “Too many to list,” he answered, grinning. “But I promise to show you later.” He winked as he took the cakes to the running car. He’d moved it to the shade and turned on the air-conditioning. The meteorologists had predicted a fairly hot Independence Day, and Char didn’t want the food to be spoiled by the heat.

  “I’m ready.” J.J. came into the kitchen, looking like a Western ad for patriotism. She wore a stars-and-stripes top over white shorts
and red, white and blue sandals she’d gotten online. “Anything you need, Char?”

  “Your brother?”

  J.J. laughed. “Outside with Rising, of course.” She went to the door and called them in.

  Rising loped along as if he’d never been hurt, and a taller Liam followed.

  “Are we really going to find out if the baby’s a boy or a girl at the picnic today?” he asked, first thing.

  Isaiah came back inside. He ruffled Liam’s hair and let Char take lead. “Well, that’s when everyone else will find out, but we wanted you guys to know first.”

  “For real?” Liam’s eyes went wide and he jumped up, fist-pumping the air. “I love this!”

  J.J. squealed. “I’ve been dying to know since you found out,” she told them. “So, what is it?”

  “A boy,” Isaiah told them. “A little boy that we’ll name Andrew, if that’s all right with you guys.”

  “All right?” J.J.’s eyes went damp. “I think it’s awesome.” She hugged them both in turn. “I love it. Dad would be so happy for you.”

  “He would,” Isaiah agreed. He turned toward Liam. “What do you think, Liam?”

  “I think it will be the best Thanksgiving present ever.” He reached out and hugged Char. And he didn’t let go. “Can I help do things with him? When he gets bigger? Like show him things and teach him things like Dad and Uncle Isaiah did with me?”

  Char exchanged a satisfied look with Isaiah, over the boy’s head. “Exactly what we’re hoping,” Char assured him. “That way he’ll be learning from the best.”

  Liam hugged her tighter, then sighed. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  She hugged him back. “Me, too. Ready to go?”

  “Yes! And I’ll stay secret until you tell everybody, okay?”

  She laughed and didn’t correct his speech because stay secret worked for this special day. “Perfect.”

  They drove into Shepherd’s Crossing for the first annual Independence Day celebration, sponsored by Pine Ridge Ranch and the Veteran’s Association.

  Patriotic banners hung from the arches of new businesses.

  Flags hung from the newly painted streetlights along the abbreviated Main Street, and eight new planters sat proudly on the sidewalk, filled with eye-catching blossoms.

  Windows gleamed from every building, and the small white church showed off its heightened activity with two wooden benches tucked alongside hosta-filled shade gardens, each inviting repose.

  The church bell pealed from the small tower. Ty and Jess Carrington came out below. Dovie, Jess’s daughter, dashed ahead of them. She spun to show off a red, white and blue sundress, the image of a happy child.

  An aging army veteran waved them into the parking lot at the old general store.

  Melonie and Jace had purchased the old building earlier that year. They planned to refurbish the building and bring it back to its original purpose once Melonie’s morning sickness subsided.

  Change surrounded them, thought Char, as J.J. and Liam carried cakes to the refrigerated cooler Heath had rigged outside the door of the old grocery store.

  People had come from all over, toting dishes of this and that.

  Char took the salad to the picnic buffet table, where Lizzie, Corrie, Stella, Sally Ann and Melonie were busily organizing the foods of the day. Gilda Hardaway was off to one side, directing things, while she pushed the twins in a double stroller.

  “This,” she told them with an almost stern wave of her hand. “This is what little towns were meant for. Folks gathering together, working together, getting things done. Now, doesn’t this look just fine?” she asked them all. “So fine.”

  “It looks marvelous,” Melonie replied. “What a huge difference from last year. And so many more good things to come.”

  Char knew what she meant. Revitalizing the town was a big deal to Melonie, and to Jace, and to all the people who’d watched the little town go downhill for so long.

  But for her...

  She smiled as Isaiah and Liam carried their folding table to the shaded corner of the small park setting.

  It wasn’t about the town, although that was a bonus.

  It was about people. About family. About faith and the normal she’d longed for all those years ago.

  Isaiah stopped on his way back to get a half dozen folding chairs from his parents’ truck. He paused...

  Smiled...

  And then kissed her, right there, in the middle of everyone. And when he was done kissing her, he touched the brim of that hat and smiled. “Welcome home, Char.”

  He knew. He understood. And he cared that her dream of normal had finally come true. She smiled and raised her hand to bump knuckles with his. “It’s mighty good to be here, cowboy.”

  The veterans lined up to lead a little parade to the new flagpole the Carringtons had donated. Today they would hoist a flag that had flown over the White House. The flag would take its place of prominence in Shepherd’s Crossing. And when they began marching up the road, people followed. All kinds of people, old and new, ready to call this town their own.

  And mixed in with them were the three Fitzgerald sisters and their new families. Were they brought to town by their uncle’s generosity and wisdom?

  Maybe.

  But most of all by God’s perfect timing.

  And at the day’s end, when the whole gathering reacted to beautiful fireworks donated by none other than Gilda Hardaway, Char sank back into Isaiah’s strong arms. They’d spread blankets on the ground as Ty and his brother engineered the fireworks display across the field.

  “Happy?” He whispered the question into her ear as Liam jumped up and down and J.J. cheered while Stella and John sat in folding chairs to their right.

  She tipped her head back. Met his gaze. “The happiest.”

  He smiled back. Kissed her gently. And then laid his hands over their unborn child, a swimmer in a secret sea. “Me, too. And when this little guy gets born, I’m going to tell him what a difference his mother made. How she made everything better. Brighter. Bolder.”

  “Before or after you change his diaper?”

  He laughed and nuzzled her cheek gently. “Both, my love. Both.”

  * * *

  If you loved this story, don’t miss the other books

  in the Shepherd’s Crossing series

  from author Ruth Logan Herne.

  Her Cowboy Reunion

  “Falling for the Christmas Cowboy”

  from A Cowboy Christmas

  A Cowboy in Shepherd’s Crossing

  Available now from Love Inspired!

  Find more great reads at www.LoveInspired.com

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Wander Canyon Courtship by Allie Pleiter.

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  Dear Reader,

  Thank you so much for reading this beautiful romance! I love Char and Isaiah’s story, and not for the obvious happy ending, but for the mix of cultures and thoughts that become our normal because we live them...and sometimes we don’t see that “normal” can be a relative thing.

  Isaiah is a peacemaker, but he’s strong, too. He wants a happy family and he’s sacrificed to encourage that.

  Char has longed for a happy family all of her life. In her eyes that’s the normal she craves. Not expecting to find that in Idaho, she doesn’t come west with illusions. Where better than the American West to polish a horse vet’s expertise, to build her résumé?

  But people can be petty or angry anywhere, and when faced with animosity, Char has a lot on her plate. She doesn’t measure success in dollars. She grew up seeing the futility in that. But she’s practical enough to know a
gal’s got to pay her bills and that requires clientele with patients.

  I hope you love this book. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working in this town and with these families, and I hope you’ve treasured their stories!

  You know I love hearing from readers, so email me at loganherne@gmail.com or friend me on Facebook and/or follow me on Twitter, @RuthLoganHerne. And my bosses love it if you follow me on Bookbub! Just go here and click follow: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ruth-logan-herne.

  And may God bless you and yours each and every day!

  Ruthy

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired story.

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  Wander Canyon Courtship

  by Allie Pleiter

  Chapter One

  Yvonne Niles gawked at the man standing at her bakery counter. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you don’t want your dad to marry my aunt.”

  Chaz Walker ran one hand across his strong jawline. His glare told Yvonne that was exactly what he thought of Aunt Pauline’s engagement to Hank Walker. “So I take it you’re fine with it?” he challenged with intense, dark eyes.