Their Ranch Reunion

by Mindy Obenhaus

A day at the ranch would be a nice break. Since its reopening, Granger House Inn had enjoyed two fully booked weekends in a row, and she already had bookings all the way into August. By the time Andrew finished the renovations at Livie’s house later this summer and they started hosting guests there, this could end up being one of the B and B’s best years ever.

  With her guests checked out by noon and the kitchen clean, she packaged up some of the leftover lemon cheesecake tarts and fudgy hazelnut cream cookies and headed out to the ranch. She knew the guys would have plenty of good food, but they always appreciated her leftovers. Especially the sweets.

  Andrew had picked Megan up earlier from church and brought her back with him. Carly had a suspicion they were working on a surprise of their own. It was Mother’s Day, after all.

  Turning into the ranch, she noticed a dark gray Jeep pulling in behind her. Another glance in her rearview mirror revealed the driver as the third Stephens boy, Matt.

  It had been a while since Carly had a chance to talk with him. She’d seen him in passing around town, but according to Andrew, Matt tended to steer clear of the ranch due to a strained relationship with his father. However, he was here, which meant he’d at least responded to Clint’s request.

  “Long time, no see,” she said when they simultaneously emerged from their vehicles in front of the ranch house.

  Matt, who was a couple of years younger than her, smiled as he came toward her. Like Noah, Andrew and Jude, he had the same dark hair and eyes as their father, though she could see a little Mona in him, too. His nose and the shape of his mouth definitely belonged to his mother.

  “Sheriff’s been working me too hard.” He hugged her. “Good to see you, Carly.” Releasing her, he nodded in the direction of the new barn. “Looks like Andrew’s making some headway.”

  “Are you kidding? That’s been his top priority.” In the five weeks since Magnum Homes’ owner’s son backed out at the closing, deciding he couldn’t let go of his father’s legacy, Andrew had devoted most of his time to clearing away the old barn and starting the framework on the new. That is, between weekend trips to Denver to empty out his house so he could put it on the market.

  “Well, we were long overdue for a new one.”

  She laid a hand on his shoulder. “I hear you’re pretty good with a hammer. I’m sure he’d welcome the help.”

  He stared down at her. Nodded. “I’ll think about it.”

  “Good.” At least he hadn’t said no. “Mind helping me carry in some stuff?”

  “Not at all.”

  She opened the back door of her SUV and pointed to the large box that contained all five of the gift-bagged scrapbooks. To ensure there would be no peeking, she’d not only closed the flaps on the box but also sealed it with packing tape.

  “This it?” he asked, hoisting the box into his capable arms.

  “Yes, sir. Just let me grab these desserts and we’ll head inside.”

  “Sweets, you say? That sounds promising.”

  She closed the passenger door and started up the steps of the deck. “One of the perks of owning a bed-and-breakfast. I almost always have sweets on hand.” As she opened the door to the mudroom, it dawned on her that Matt lived only a couple of blocks from her. “You know, I’m always trying out new recipes. Would you mind if I dropped some samples by your place?”

  “Mind? Carly, you’re talking to a bachelor. We never turn down food.”

  She could hear a bustle of activity coming from the kitchen as soon as they stepped inside.

  “No. The fork goes on the left and the knife goes on the right.” Megan was giving somebody orders.

  Matt looked at her over his shoulder. “Where would you like me to put this?”

  “Anywhere in the family room is fine.”

  A lunch of prime rib, twice-baked potatoes and broccoli exceeded anything Carly might have anticipated. Given that they were cattle ranchers, she’d come to expect beef, but prime rib was definitely a special treat. And this one was cooked to perfection.

  In addition to the meal, they’d given her a lovely bouquet of flowers and box of truffles from Mouse’s. Those two things alone had made her day. But now, as everyone relaxed in the family room—Noah, Andrew and Matt on the couch, Jude and Daniel on the love seat—it was time for Clint and her to make their presentation.

  Clint sat on the edge of his recliner, smiling, looking like the healthy rancher she was used to seeing. “You boys might remember how your mama always liked to give you one sentimental Christmas present.”

  “Like the Bibles with our names engraved on the front,” said Noah.

  His brothers nodded.

  “And those hand-painted signs with our names and the meanings,” said Jude.

  More nodding.

  “Your mother had one more gift planned for you boys.” He looked at each of his sons. “Though she never got to finish them.” He cleared his throat. “Matter of fact, I’d forgotten all about them until Carly came across the box in Mona’s craft room. She agreed to pick up where your mama left off so you could have them.”

  Carly found herself blinking away tears as she cut through the packing tape with Clint’s pocketknife. “Come help me, Megan.”

  After lifting the flaps, Carly pulled out the red, blue, yellow, green and orange bags one by one, each color a reminder for her of which brother’s scrapbook was inside.

  She handed her daughter the red one. “Give this to Noah.” Then she grabbed the blue one for Andrew and the yellow one for Matt and presented them.

  Megan returned for the orange one. “Whose is this?”

  “That’s Daniel’s.” She took hold of the green bag. “And this is for you, Jude.” She returned to Clint’s side. “You can open them now.”

  Colorful tissue paper flew through the air until each of the brothers had pulled out his scrapbook. When they opened the front covers, the first things they saw were the handwritten notes their mother had penned especially for them.

  As she’d expected, tears fell from each man’s eyes as they read her final words.

  Finally, after a long silence, Noah said, “That’s our mama.” He sniffed, tucking his note back into the envelope. “Always trying to make us cry.” He glanced heavenward. “I hope you’re happy, Mama. We’re blubbering like babies.”

  That caused them all to laugh.

  Over the next few hours, they shared laughter and memories as each man went through his scrapbook. Carly couldn’t remember the last time she’d cried so much.

  “Would anyone care for some more cookies?” Still wiping her eyes, she brought the plastic container from the kitchen.

  “Oh, no you don’t.” Andrew intercepted her, taking the container and passing it off to Noah. “We’re not done in here yet.”

  Not done?

  “I have something I’d like to say.”

  “Oh. Sorry.” Heat rose to her cheeks. “Didn’t mean to steal your thunder.”

  He took hold of her hand. “On behalf of my brothers, I want to thank you for completing these scrapbooks for us. It means a lot to us. You mean a lot to us. Especially to me.”

  Boy, if she thought her cheeks were warm before, the look in Andrew’s eyes had them downright flaming.

  “Carly, when I’m with you, life makes more sense. You’re my best friend and the love of my life.” Letting go of her hand, he dropped to one knee and pulled something from his pocket.

  Oh, my. He was going to...

  Her heart felt as though it might burst with anticipation as he opened the black velvet box and held it out to her.

  “Carly Wagner, will you marry me?”

  “Um...” She held up a finger. “Hold on one second.” She turned toward Megan, who was standing beside Clint. “What do you think, sweetie?”

 
As if her daughter’s smile wasn’t enough, she shot Carly two thumbs-up. “Go for it, Mom.”

  Unable to contain her own smile, Carly looked down at the man before her. The one she loved beyond question and couldn’t wait to spend the rest of her life with. “Would you mind repeating the question?”

  “You’re really going to make me work for this, aren’t you?”

  “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet,” said Noah.

  Everyone laughed.

  Again, Andrew looked up at her, his brown eyes alight with love. “Will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife, Carly?”

  “Yes!”

  He slipped the ring on her finger so quickly she didn’t even have a chance to see what it looked like before he took her in his arms and kissed her.

  She didn’t care, though. She had the rest of her life to do that. With God’s help, they had finally put their pasts behind them and allowed Him to open their eyes to the future He had planned for them. A future they would now share together.

  And she couldn’t think of anything better.

  * * * * *

  If you enjoyed THEIR RANCH REUNION,

  be sure to check out these other wonderful tales by

  author Mindy Obenhaus:

  THE DOCTOR’S FAMILY REUNION

  RESCUING THE TEXAN’S HEART

  A FATHER’S SECOND CHANCE

  FALLING FOR THE HOMETOWN HERO

  Available now from Love Inspired!

  Find more great reads at www.LoveInspired.com

  Keep reading for an excerpt from A GROOM FOR RUBY by Emma Miller.

  Join Harlequin My Rewards today and earn a FREE ebook!

  Click here to Join Harlequin My Rewards

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

  Dear Reader,

  Life is littered with the unexpected. Yet sometimes, those events turn out to be unexpected blessings.

  Andrew and Carly were a couple of misguided souls allowing their pasts to dictate their futures. They were content in their lives—they had dreams and aspirations—yet God had so much more in store for them. Things they never imagined.

  I love how God works. We’re going along on our merry way, doing our own thing, and then He sends us on a little detour that can change our lives forever.

  I hope you enjoyed Andrew and Carly’s story. I love reunion stories, and theirs was one steeped in past hurts, perceived failures and regret. Yet God used those things to draw them together and open their eyes to the truth.

  And how about meeting the rest of the Stephens men? Definitely some heroes in the making.

  Of course, I was thrilled to take you back to Ouray, albeit in a little different way. While the city of Ouray is nestled in a bowl, surrounded by thirteen-thousand-foot peaks, a short drive north of town and the mountains are pushed back, leaving beautiful rangeland dotted with ranches, all bordered by the majestic San Juan Mountains.

  Until next time, I would love to hear from you. You can contact me via my website, mindyobenhaus.com, or you can snail-mail me c/o Love Inspired Books, 195 Broadway, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10007.

  See you next time,

  Mindy

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired story.

  You believe hearts can heal. Love Inspired stories show that faith, forgiveness and hope have the power to lift spirits and change lives—always.

  Enjoy six new stories from Love Inspired every month!

  Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

  Harlequin.com/newsletters

  Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks

  Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks

  HarlequinBlog.com

  Join Harlequin My Rewards & Instantly earn a FREE ebook of your choice.

  Earn points for every Harlequin print and ebook you buy, wherever & whenever you shop.

  Turn your points into FREE BOOKS.

  Don’t miss out. Reward the book lover in you!

  Register Today & Earn a FREE BOOK*

  *New members who join before December 31st, 2017 will receive 2000 points redeemable for eligible titles.

  Click here to register

  Or visit us online to register at

  http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010001

  A Groom for Ruby

  by Emma Miller

  Chapter One

  Kent County, Delaware

  “I’m sorry we couldn’t have had a nicer day to greet you,” the matchmaker said as she guided her driving horse onto a curving country lane. “We usually have beautiful weather in September.”

  Seated beside Sara Yoder on the buggy seat, Ruby nodded and clutched her black purse on her lap. She was too nervous to think of a sensible reply that wouldn’t make her hostess believe she was a complete gooseberry. She’d been eager to come to Seven Poplars and had counted the weeks and days until her mommi and daddi had put her on the bus. But now that she was finally here, she was suddenly struck dumb.

  Thunder rumbled overhead and heavy rain beat against the thin roof and sides of the buggy. It was raining too hard for her to see much through the window over the dashboard. Sara’s buggy was black, rather than gray like the ones she was used to, but otherwise it seemed completely familiar to be rolling along to the sound of the horse’s hooves and the creak of the iron wheels. Her father had warned her that Seven Poplars was a more conservative Old Order Amish than their own community, but so far nothing in Sara’s dress or manner of speaking had proved severe.

  Still, Ruby had plenty of reason for concern. What if Sara didn’t like her? Worse, what if Ruby didn’t like any of the potential husbands that Sara offered? What if none of the men were interested in Ruby? She was twenty-five, a quarter of a century old. In a community where all of her friends and cousins her age had already married and were mothers or expecting babies, she was practically an old maid. If she failed to find someone, she’d be letting her parents down as well as herself.

  All Ruby had ever dreamed of was a good husband, her own home and the opportunity to practice her faith under the loving eyes of her parents. But there would be no plump and laughing babies, no grandchildren for her mother and father, and no future for her if she couldn’t find a husband. And not just any husband would do. She wanted one who would love her with all his heart because, seeing the special relationship her parents had and the way each one had always put the other first, she wasn’t willing to settle for less.

  “We’ll give you a few days to feel at home here, meet the other girls who are staying with me and then we’ll talk about some possibilities,” Sara explained.

  Ruby nodded. She, who was rarely at a loss for words, felt as though she had a whole shoofly pie stuck in her throat. She swallowed, thinking she might be coming down with something. It had been raining since she’d left home; she’d gotten wet when she’d changed buses in Philadelphia and again when she’d gotten off in Dover. It wasn’t cold out, but she felt damp and chilled, and her stomach had an ache that was either the greasy foot-long chili dog she’d bought from a cart in Philadelphia or she’d caught an ague. She pressed the back of her hand against her forehead, hoping that she wasn’t feverish. Instead of being hot to the touch, her skin felt clammy, so it had to be nerves.

  “I’ve already got someone in mind for you,” Sara went on. “A widower only a few years older than you. He has a son, but your mother assured me that you would welcome a stepchild.”

  “Ya,” Ruby managed. “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from Him.” She winced. Was that all she could say? Now she was imitating her bishop’s wife, who was never content to speak for herself, but always had to be quoting proverbs so as to appear w
iser than she was.

  Not that Ruby didn’t love children; she adored them. Since she had been young, she was always mothering orphaned animals, birds, even hapless insects that crossed her path. Once, she caused a ruckus during church service when the mouse she’d rescued from a cat wiggled out of her apron pocket and ran up Katie Brunstetter’s leg.

  “Here we are,” Sara announced as she drove the horse into a yard. “And I promise, it all looks cheerier in the sunshine.”

  Through the rain, Ruby could make out a sprawling Cape Cod–style house and a white picket fence. Behind the house stood a tidy stable, painted white, and several well-kept outbuildings.

  “This rain isn’t going to let up. We’ll have to make a run for it,” Sara told her. “Leave your suitcase in the buggy. I’ll have my hired man bring it in when he unharnesses the horse. Hiram won’t mind and there’s no sense in your struggling with it now.”

  A figure in a dark coat and hat dashed from the house toward them. “That must be Hiram now,” Sara said as she climbed down from the driver’s seat and hurried toward the house. She paused only momentarily to exchange words with the man, then turned and waved. Ruby opened the door, peered down and saw a huge puddle.

  Sara’s hired man ran up to the buggy. He shouted something and held out his arms, but Ruby couldn’t make out what he’d said above the din of the thunder and the rain pounding on the buggy’s rooftop. “I don’t need help, thanks,” she called. The buggy was high. She wasn’t very tall, so she knew that she’d have to give a little leap or she’d land smack in the middle of the mud puddle.

  She forced a smile and hopped down.

  At least, that was her intention. But the heel of her shoe caught on the edge of the buggy frame, and when she tried to catch her balance, her other foot caught in the hem of her dress. Having already reached the point of no return, her graceful hop to the ground became a lunge.

  Which became a fall and Ruby felt herself sail through the air.

  Sara’s hired man darted forward and threw out his arms in an attempt to catch her. They collided. Hard. One second, Ruby felt herself hurling through the air and the next, she slammed into something solid. Her head smacked into the man’s chin. His arms went around her, and the two of them crashed to the muddy ground with her on top of him. As they landed, there was a loud thump and a groan, and her would-be rescuer sagged backward with her full weight on top of him.