The Cowboy's Miracle

by Penelope Marzec

  Pain stabbed at Seth’s heart. “Everyone has scars. Some are visible like yours, but some are not so apparent—like mine. It’s what’s in the heart that matters. You have a very good heart, Gabby.”

  “I believed Marshall. He said other things, too—that I would never succeed. How much smarter he was…” Wretched sobs shook her. “I was stupid…for going out with him.”

  Seth put down the cookie press, hugged her, and dried her tears with a dishtowel. “It’s over now and you’re safe.”

  She nodded. “You are, too.” She sniffed. “I invited Flint and his family here. I’ll make a huge dinner.”

  He chuckled. “Flint can finish off three pounds of steak at one sitting.”

  “Good. I’ll order half a cow.” Her shaky smile cheered him.

  He finished filling up the cookie sheet and silently thanked the Lord for Gabriella’s safety. Flint’s excellent aim with the lasso roped the two men together, but both of them shot off their weapons. It was fortunate no one was injured, but it might have been different. For a few terrifying moments, Seth thought Gabriella had been hit by one of the bullets. Pain pierced his heart at the memory.

  Gabriella decorated the cookies and put them into the oven. “They’ll be done in ten minutes.” She took a deep breath. “Before we visit Grammy, I have a personal question to ask about your relationship with the Lord.”

  “The Lord hears from me often.” He never prayed harder than when she lay in the hospital with hypothermia, but the doctors fixed her up quickly. He offered his grateful thanks to the Lord several times since then.

  “It’s important to belong to a church family.” She put all the cooking utensils in the sink.

  “The zealous folks at my church shunned me after the news about my father’s crime was released.” His personal experience with hypocrisy came the hard way. “People who knew me all my life suddenly ignored me.”

  “Please come to my church on Sunday.” She placed her hand on his arm. The bits of golden sparkles in her eyes mesmerized him. “The congregation is very welcoming.”

  He stared at the floor to resist the pull of her enticing gaze. “Yes, they welcomed Marshall in as a member.” He pressed his lips firmly together.

  “There always will be people like him in church, who twist the word of God or use the meeting place for their own gain.” Her voice softened.

  An ache flickered through him. “My father convinced several of the people in our church to hand him their money so he could invest it.”

  “But there will always be good folks, too, like Gramps and Grammy. What would have happened to me if they hadn’t come to my aid? My parents met them at church. My parents chose them to be my godparents and they took the responsibility seriously.” Conviction rang in her tone. “As far as Marshall attending church…well, after all, even the devil can appear as an angel of light.”

  “I’d be more than willing to bust another knuckle on his chin.”

  “Seriously? How are you going to get on your horse with two bandaged hands?” She stood in front of him with her hands on her hips and her chin tilted upward in annoyance.

  All the despair he experienced threatened to overwhelm him. “I’m tired of people assuming I’m a criminal. I’m worn out from looking behind me to see who’s going to stab me in the back next. I don’t believe it will ever end. Only the folks in rodeo remembered I was the good guy. The people in my church, the colleagues I made in vet school—even my former girlfriend treated me like a leper.”

  “Your rodeo friends saw through to your heart. The Lord looks at the heart, too.” She pressed her hands on his chest. “You have a good heart.”

  He glanced at Gabriella’s rosy lips. He could no more resist them than a thirsty man could resist a drink of water. He slid his hand around her waist and drew her close. He took his time savoring a long, slow kiss.

  When they broke apart, she leaned against his chest. “We are meant to be part of the body of Christ. Though we are all sinners, through fellowship, we can encourage one another—we can love one another. It is what Jesus did. Please, do it for me.”

  He realized he would do anything for her because he loved her. All his plans and goals in life coalesced at that moment and he nodded. A wild but not so crazy idea came to him as he held her and felt her heartbeats blend with his. Maybe he could make a miracle.

  “I promise I’ll come to church with you, but will you allow me to dress like a real cowboy for Grammy?” He lifted his brows in a challenge.

  “You look like a real cowboy right now.”

  “You ain’t seen nothing yet.” He whirled her around as if they were on the dance floor.

  * * *

  Seth’s transformation from ordinary cowboy to rodeo star stunned Gabriella. With his fancy chaps edged with leather fringes and the huge brass belt buckle, he appeared ready to climb on a bronc and jump out of the chute. His spurs jingled as he walked.

  Her heart thundered in her chest as they signed in at the nursing home.

  “Are you today’s entertainer?” the receptionist asked.

  “No, ma’am. Just an ordinary cowboy.” He winked at Gabriella and heat rose in her cheeks.

  Grammy’s face lit up with a huge smile when they walked into the lounge. “Keith! You’ve come home.”

  Gabriella halted in her tracks. She swallowed hard and glanced at Seth.

  “Please don’t correct her,” he whispered.

  She nodded. Seth’s father had been in several junior rodeo events and won trophies, which lined one shelf in the study of the old house. Obviously, that was how Grammy best remembered him.

  “I was so worried about you.” Grammy’s eyes filled with tears.

  Gabriella picked up the box of tissues from the end table and handed it to Grammy.

  “Why did you hurt us?” Grammy sniffed and dabbed at her damp cheeks.

  “I’m sorry.” Seth sat beside her and gave her a hug.

  “I prayed so hard. You were mad at me, but I had your best interests at heart. I was stubborn. I thought I was right.” Grammy patted his cheek.

  “I wish it had been different.” His voice cracked.

  Tears welled in Gabriella’s eyes. All these years, Grammy held the sorrow for her son deep inside.

  “Will you forgive me, my handsome boy?” Grammy gave him a watery smile.

  “Of course I will.” Seth hugged Grammy again.

  “Your father’s at work, but he’ll be glad to see you when he gets in. He missed you, too.” Grammy sighed. “You should marry Gabriella. She’s a wonderful young woman. She’d make a perfect wife.”

  Seth beamed his approval. “I like that idea.”

  The pull of Seth’s undeniable magnetism tugged on Gabriella’s heart, but she tried to appear haughty. “He should propose in the proper manner.”

  Seth got down on one knee and took Gabriella’s hands in his. She stared at the sight. Her hands didn’t look so horrible anymore, not when he held them so tenderly.

  “Will you marry me?” he asked.

  Gabriella almost melted on the spot and she was so overcome with emotion, her throat tightened and she couldn’t say anything.

  “Oh my, you need a ring, dear boy,” Grammy exclaimed. “Here, use this one.” She pulled the opal ring from her finger and handed it to him. “Your father should get me a new one after all these years.”

  “Thank you.” Seth cleared his throat. “For you, sweet Gabby, if you’ll have me.”

  She nodded and he slid the ring on her finger.

  Grammy clapped. “Whoever loved that loved not at first sight?” Her radiant face mirrored the joy Gabriella knew in her heart. “That’s from ‘As You Like It.’”

  “I know.” Seth and Gabriella spoke in unison and then laughed.

  Acknowledgements

  With grateful thanks to Joan Alley, the publisher of Prism Book Group, and my ever-incredible editor, Susan Baganz, who were willing to take a chance on a cowboy in New Jersey. Thanks also t
o my daughters and hubby who pitch in when the going gets rough. In addition, I want to express my appreciation to my invaluable friend Emily who can make me laugh whatever the circumstances and my two sisters who are always available for long, heart-felt chats. I’ve been blessed.

  Please enjoy this sample from Hoping for Joy by Penelope Marzec,

  available from Prism Book Group!

  “I thought I’d be married and packing for my honeymoon by now.” Hannah grunted as she hefted a box of textbooks into the closet. Summer vacation had finally arrived at Baywater Elementary School and she had finished her first year of teaching a class of six-year-olds. Contemplating the two empty months ahead gave her a headache. “Whenever I question Logan about setting the date, he says, ‘Not yet.’”

  Rose sat with a sketchbook in her lap and her feet up on the desk while her favorite tunes blasted through her earbuds. Hannah assumed her cousin didn’t hear a word she said. Most likely, Rose was working on a new tattoo design, because she spent all her time involved in drawing—unless she was actually tattooing.

  Rose took out one of the earbuds. “He wants to straighten out his sister’s life.”

  “He says that, but maybe it’s not the truth. Maybe…he got cold feet.” Hannah’s eyes grew misty, but she refused to let her emotions get the best of her.

  “His sister nearly died.” Rose put her feet on the floor, closed the sketchbook, rolled up the wires to her earbuds, and stuffed them in her pocket.

  Hannah sniffed. “Yes, she looked terrible in the hospital, but she went right back to her habit when she got out.”

  Rose shrugged. “From what I’ve read, taking drugs changes the chemistry of the brain, which makes it almost impossible to stop.”

  “Still, Logan ought to give me some attention—if he loves me.” She pouted as she ripped the backing paper off the bulletin board and jammed it into the trash.

  “You’re wallowing in self-pity. Again.” Rose took the staple remover from the desk and pulled out the staples still stuck in the corkboard.

  “But does Logan love me or not?”

  Rose blew a huge pink bubble with her gum and popped it, loudly. “I told Mr. Grimm we’d be at the park before four o’clock.”

  Hannah sighed. “Everything must be off the floor and in the closet before I leave.”

  “Should I put the puzzles away next?” Rose asked.

  “Yes, thank you.” Hannah filled another box with textbooks and hoisted them into the closet. “What if I give Logan some space? Break the engagement, hand him the ring, and later, when his sister improves—”

  “If you love somebody you don’t abandon them.” Rose started stacking the puzzles in a plastic bin. “Whoa! This is a fantastic image of the cow jumping over the moon. Once a farmer wanted a cow tattoo, but I gave the job to Farrell.” She chuckled, grabbed her sketchbook again and began to draw the cow. “Awesome udder thing going on…”

  Rose drifted off into her own world, which happened all the time and Hannah didn’t mind it except when Rose forgot to do the dishes or take out the trash. More like sisters than cousins, they shared the small bungalow on Beach Drive where Rose had grown up. When she went to study art in college, she gave her mother, Hannah’s Aunt Deborah, plenty of gray hairs. Then her mother got cancer. Rose quit college and stayed at her mother’s side through the long ordeal.

  Hannah originally thought staying with her cousin would be a temporary situation, but since Logan kept putting off the wedding date, she might be there forever—or until she had enough money to rent an apartment of her own. Of course, moving back into her parents’ place was a possibility, but she longed to be more independent.

  Had she made a mistake in accepting Logan’s proposal? When they were students, they enjoyed a sweet and comfortable relationship, but everything changed once they went out into the real world. She landed the teaching job in Baywater, New Jersey. He rented an apartment an hour and a half west, close to his job and the Pennsylvania border where his retired father lived in a little town outside Philly. Logan’s father took care of his granddaughter since Logan’s sister had been declared an unfit mother.

  It was a sad situation, but as Logan’s intended spouse, Hannah didn’t think it was wrong to plan ahead for their new life together, starting with a wedding.

  Logan sent Hannah a text message two days ago. He said Nina was missing—again. So instead of Hannah and Logan enjoying a date this weekend, Logan would be out searching for his sister. Hannah’s hope of a beautiful wedding faded away.

  Rose held up her drawing. “What do you think? It’s terrific, isn’t it?”

  “Should tattooed cows smile?”

  “When they’re happy cows they do,” Rose pointed out. “If you were a dairy farmer wouldn’t you want your cow to appear delighted eating grass and making milk.”

  “Why would someone advertise their business on their arm?”

  “It’s cheaper than buying an ad in the newspaper.” Rose went back to putting the puzzles in the bin. “Aren’t you almost done? Mr. Grimm saved the best summer job for you. It should take your mind off things.”

  Hannah studied her list and checked off all the tasks she had completed in the room. “I worked in the amusement park when I was in high school. Don’t you think I’m a little old for it now?”

  “Age means nothing when it comes to having fun. One seventy-five-year-old senior citizen works the train ride. He laughs more than the kids.”

  “I should spend my vacation doing something important, like taking a class—or—or traveling.” If she and Logan had gotten married, she would be lying on a beach in Aruba as they had originally planned.

  “Your old car is going to breathe its last one of these days,” Rose reminded her. “If you work for a couple months, you might have enough for a down payment on a newer one.”

  Hannah glanced at the classroom. One entire year of teaching had flown by. It had been a challenge, but one she enjoyed. She already missed the students, but she shouldn’t mope around all summer. Working at the amusement park would give her something better to do than lament her lack of a groom and a wedding.

  Rose shoved the puzzles into the closet. “We’re done. Let’s hurry up before someone else gets the water balloon booth.”

  “That’s the best job?”

  “It’s the best spot in the entire park.” Rose laughed. “You’ll get drenched every night.”

  Hannah sighed. “I guess I better keep my hair in a ponytail.”

  “Cut it short like mine.” Rose rumpled her blue spiked coiffure.

  Hannah smiled but shook her head. Logan once admired her long, auburn hair and made her promise never to shorten it. While he adored her silky mane, he didn’t seem to miss her much.

  Her dreamy plans floated off like high cirrus clouds, thin and wispy and far, far away. “Do you think I’ll wind up an old maid?”

  “Our Grandaunt Rose, my namesake, never married.” Rose shrugged. “Did she mope around?”

  “No.” Hannah managed a weak smile. “She was still riding the roller coaster when she was eighty.”

  “She dated plenty of men, but she never wanted to marry any of them.” Rose chuckled. “She said they were too much of a bother.”

  Hannah sighed. Logan wasn’t a nuisance. He was absent. She closed the classroom door and signed out in the office. Rose hopped on her motorcycle, tossed a helmet to Hannah, and revved the engine. Hannah hung on as Rose drove her to the amusement park.

  As the streets of Baywater whizzed by, Hannah closed her eyes. Logan ignored her. Did he love her? Did she love him? Had he forgotten his promise?

  Should she dump him?

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Penelope Marzec grew up along the Jersey shore, heard stories about Captain Kidd, and dug for his buried treasure. Her adventure resulted in a bad case of poison ivy. Deciding book
s were better than buried treasure, she discovered romance novels and was soon hooked on happy endings. She became an early childhood educator and found her own hero in an electrical engineer who grew up in Brooklyn, played the accordion, and was immune to poison ivy. Together they raised three daughters. Now retired, Penelope either writes her stories or paints seascapes in oils. Sometimes she sings while her husband plays the accordion.

  You can find her online at www.penelopemarzec.com, read her blog at http://penelopemarzec.blogspot.com, or become a fan at www.facebook.com/penelopemarzecbooks

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