The Bull Rider's Homecoming

by Allie Pleiter

  He returned her gaze. “‘Don’t know that either. He stroked her hair. “Will you help me figure it out?”

  She nodded, and he pulled her more tightly against him.

  “One thing I know for sure, though.”

  She felt his heart beat against her cheek, and the remark about him finding his home in her didn’t seem so cheesy after all. “What’s that?”

  “Whatever gets figured out, it’ll be us together.”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Ruby watched Luke spread a beautiful afghan over her grandfather’s lap as he sat in Mama’s living room. “Welcome home, Gus. Ellie knitted this especially for you. And she doesn’t whip one of these up for just anyone, you know. After eight weeks in rehab, I reckon you earned this.”

  Grandpa gave a weak laugh. “I reckon I did. Glad to still be here.”

  “We’re glad to still have you, Pop,” Mama said, planting a kiss on Grandpa’s head.

  Ruby busied herself setting down the bags of Grandpa’s things brought back from the rehab center. Oscar, whom Luke had brought to the house for the occasion, gave a “woof” of agreement as he put his paws on Grandpa’s knees. Evidently Oscar wanted a welcome home pat from his long-missing buddy. Luke practically lunged for the dog, afraid it’d be too much for the old man, but Ruby smiled as Grandpa waved Luke away and gave Oscar a scratch behind the ears.

  “Hey,” Grandpa said, peering down at the dog, “what’s with the new collar?”

  Ruby hadn’t even noticed that Oscar now sported a turquoise collar with a big ribbon tied to it in the same color.

  “Um,” Luke cut in quickly, “that’s not for you.”

  Grandpa squinted closer and got a funny look on his face. “I think you’re right.” He grinned at Luke, who got an equally funny look on his face.

  “Ruby, honey, come get your dog off me,” Grandpa said, even though he didn’t look at all annoyed that Oscar was eagerly seeking chances to lick his hand.

  “Sorry, Grandpa. Here boy!” Ruby called Oscar over, wanting to see what kind of collar Luke had decided her dog needed. She was rather fond of his old one, and couldn’t guess why Luke would go off and replace it without asking.

  She patted her legs as she sat down, and Oscar leaped onto her lap and began licking her. “Hey there, boy, I’ve only been gone an hour or two and you got to play with Luke the whole time.” She looked down to examine the new collar and gasped. The turquoise leather collar was beautifully hand tooled and personalized with Oscar’s name, but that’s not why she couldn’t breathe.

  It was the ring tied to the collar with a bright blue ribbon that stole her breath.

  She looked up to find Luke down on one knee in front of her, eyes gleaming, smile as wide as she’d ever seen it. “Oscar and I were busy hatching a little plan this afternoon,” he said as he untied the bow to hold the ring up to her. It sparkled in the slanted fall sunlight, and Ruby thought she might tumble off the chair.

  “It’s been a long time coming, but Ruby Sheldon, I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life loving you. Will you let me?”

  “Yes.” She wanted to shout the word, but she could only squeak out a whisper. “Absolutely, I’ll marry you.”

  Luke’s eyes shone. “Oscar, if you don’t mind?” He pointed to the ground and Oscar, evidently all-too-willing an accomplice, hopped obediently down. It gave Luke enough room to lean in and give Ruby a splendid kiss that made the world spin in circles around her. She barely registered the cheers and applause from Grandpa and Mama—evidently they’d both known this was coming.

  “I’d have done it sooner—I seriously thought about taking a page from Witt’s book and popping the question at his and Jana’s wedding last month—but I wanted to wait until the contract came through.”

  Ruby sat back, her delight doubling. “You got the offer?”

  Luke spread his arms. “You’re looking at the Rodeo Channel’s new commentator for the upcoming season. For three seasons, actually, with an option to extend. I fly in for the televised events, then I fly home for the rest of the time. After the great response to Rachel Hartman’s article on my retirement, Nolan said they’d be fools not to take me on. Evidently the man is as good at negotiating entertainment contracts as he is sponsorship deals. He’ll probably demand to be a groomsman at the wedding.”

  At the wedding. The words glowed in Ruby’s chest. “Sure. Why not?”

  “Ellie said she’s knit you a wedding shawl. Right after she finished her own sets of baby blankets.”

  “Blankets?” Ruby felt her jaw drop. “You mean?”

  “Yep.” His grin kept widening. “It’s a bumper crop of Bucktons. Twins. Tess says she figures that makes her and me shoo-ins to be the godparents.”

  Grandpa home, marrying Luke, his new job, babies for Ellie—it felt like more happiness than the world could hold. She didn’t even try to stop the happy tears. “I guess so.”

  Luke reached out and wiped her cheek. “Don’t cry, darlin’. You just made me the happiest heart in Texas.”

  “I beat you to it,” she said, lunging out of her chair to throw her arms around Luke as Oscar yapped at their feet. They fell over, a mess of arms and legs and paws and bliss—and nobody cared one bit.

  * * * * *

  Don’t miss these other

  BLUE THORN RANCH stories

  from Allie Pleiter:

  THE TEXAS RANCHER’S RETURN

  COMING HOME TO TEXAS

  THE TEXAN’S SECOND CHANCE

  Find more great reads at www.LoveInspired.com

  Keep reading for an excerpt from THE BACHELOR’S TWINS by Kathryn Springer.

  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,

  This novel represents our fourth visit to the Blue Thorn Ranch, a place and family I’ve come to know and love. God has taken each of the Buckton siblings (and their cousin) on journeys of faith and purpose, and it’s my prayer that your faith has been strengthened by their stories.

  If you’ve not yet enjoyed the other three books in the series, The Texas Rancher’s Return, Coming Home to Texas, and The Texan’s Second Chance; please do! There will be one more book in the series coming out in September 2017, so keep watch for it.

  As always, I love to hear from readers. You can reach my website at alliepleiter.com, email me at allie@alliepleiter.com, like my Facebook page at facebook.com/alliepleiter, or connect with me on Twitter at twitter.com/alliepleiter (@alliepleiter) or Pinterest at pinterest.com/alliepleiter. Of course, if good old mail is your thing, you can always reach me at P.O. Box 7026, Villa Park, IL 60181. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

  Blessings,

  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

  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 wi
th 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

  The Bachelor’s Twins

  by Kathryn Springer

  Chapter One

  “Hold still, Liam! Remember, this is for a good cause.”

  Liam Kane smothered a sigh while his mom fussed with the silk square sprouting from the pocket of his vest.

  “I’m holding.”

  Even though it was the third time she’d fussed with it.

  Even though the needle on the outdoor thermometer was inching toward seventy-five degrees. A comfortable temperature for the middle of June in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula—unless, of course, you happened to be wearing a tuxedo. Then, not so much.

  A bead of sweat trickled down the side of Liam’s face, only to be absorbed by the lime-green noose—okay, technically it was a bow tie—clipped to the front of his shirt. “Tell me again why Aiden isn’t the one wearing this getup?”

  Everyone knew Liam’s fun-loving, extroverted kid brother never minded being the center of attention. Tourist or local, whenever someone booked a day trip with Castle Falls Outfitters, they invariably requested Aiden to be their guide. Not that Liam cared. He preferred to spend his days in the shop, designing and building canoes for the family business instead of paddling them down the river.

  “He was supposed to.” Liam’s adoptive mom—“Sunni” to her friends and family because the nickname fit her warm, cheerful personality—plucked a loose thread dangling from one of the buttons on his shirt. “But the director of the Timber Shores Retreat Center called this morning in a bit of a panic, wondering if someone could give her new counselors some guiding tips. Aiden volunteered.”

  “How—” convenient...clever? “—nice of him.”

  “I thought so, too.” Sunni took a step back and studied the finished product, smiling her approval before she turned to the newest member of the Kane family. “What do you think, Lily?”

  Liam’s sister-in-law, who’d been watching the transformation take place from her perch on the window seat, tried to hide her amusement. And the camera Liam had seen her aim in his direction. “I think Liam looks very, um...dashing.”

  Both women giggled, and Liam shook his head. There was no use confiscating the camera, though. In less than an hour he would be on display for the whole town to see, doing his part to raise funds for the animal shelter’s new addition. Population-wise, Castle Falls didn’t so much as warrant a dot on the map. But winters were long and the rest of the seasons notoriously short, so people would probably turn out in droves for the first community-wide event of the summer.

  Liam suspected the timing was part of Sunni’s plan.

  “What’s so funny—” Brendan, Liam’s older brother, sauntered into the room, took one look at him and laughed. “Never mind.”

  Relief shot through Liam. “I thought you had a meeting this morning.”

  “Postponed until next week.” Brendan hooked one arm around Lily’s trim waist and tucked her against his side. “I’m free for the rest of the day.”

  “Great.” Liam sent up a silent but heartfelt prayer of thanks. “You can take my place at the fund-raiser.”

  “I’m sure Lily could use Brendan’s help overseeing the children’s area.” Sunni smiled at the newlyweds. “Besides that, I don’t think there’s time for you to change, sweetheart. And speaking of time...” She glanced at the clock above Brendan’s desk. “The Sunflowers volunteered to handle the bake sale, and I promised Anna I would unlock the shelter a few minutes early so she and Rene Shapiro can help the girls set up.”

  Liam knew only one Anna who had children in the Wednesday night kids’ club at church.

  The bow tie around his neck suddenly felt even tighter.

  “Oh, don’t look so hangdog, bro.” Brendan clapped a hand on Liam’s shoulder.

  “I’ve got two words for you,” Liam growled. “Dunk tank.”

  Sunni cast a worried look in his direction even as Brendan struggled to keep a straight face.

  “It’s okay, Mom. I’m sure Liam’s bark is worse than his bite.”

  Liam rolled his eyes. “Are you finished?”

  Brendan pondered the question for a moment. Grinned. “Probably not.”

  Fine. Liam could take it. He would do just about anything for Sunni Mason, the woman who, had opened her home to three aspiring juvenile delinquents and raised them as her own.

  He’d shake people’s hands. Pass out brochures. And stay out of Anna Leighton’s way—something he’d gotten pretty good at since she’d returned to Castle Falls six years ago, a grieving young widow with two-year-old twins in tow.

  Fortunately for him, the last one would be a little easier since he’d be dressed up as the animal shelter’s official goodwill ambassador, Dash the Dalmatian.

  * * *

  “I hope we have a turnout this good for our class reunion, Anna.”

  “So do I.” Anna Leighton tucked a loaf of apple-rhubarb bread into a paper sack and smiled at Heather Cohen, a former classmate who’d finally worked her way to the front of the line at the bake-sale table. “Maybe we should have asked Sunni Mason to head up the planning committee for the reunion.”

  The promise of a beautiful summer day had drawn a large crowd, but Anna suspected that Sunni, the animal shelter’s newly appointed president, was at least partially responsible for the excellent turnout.

  Sunni had approached all the local business owners a few months prior to the fund-raiser and asked if they would be willing to donate an item or service for a silent auction. The winners wouldn’t be announced until the end of the event, a brilliant plan that encouraged families to take advantage of a wide variety of activities and purchase something to eat from one of the many food booths.

  So far, Anna had been too busy to see if anyone had bid on the necklace and bracelet she’d spent hours creating in her studio above The Happy Cow. The ice-cream shop paid the bills, but Anna dreamed of the day she could focus exclusively on Anna’s Inspiration, the hand-crafted jewelry business that fed her soul.

  Most of her sales were through word of mouth, but Anna had taken her friend Lily Kane’s suggestion and left a stack of business cards next to the bid sheet in case someone wanted to place an order after the auction closed. Lily, who’d worked for the prestigious marketing firm Pinnacle before moving to Castle Falls, had shared a lot of great ideas to increase Anna’s customer base.

  Now if only she could find a few more hours in the day to implement them.

  “Everyone knows you’re going to do a fabulous job with our ten-year reunion.” Heather finished counting out the change for her purchase and handed the money to Anna. “You never let us down when you were class president!

  Heather drifted toward the silent auction table, and Anna made a mental note to check her email when she got home. With the reunion less than three weeks away, the number of RSVPs had continued to rise as the deadline on the invitation got closer.

  “That’s the last of the cinnamon rolls.” Rene Shapiro, the Sunflowers’ dedicated leader and a seasoned bake-sale veteran, pocketed a handful of change. “I’d send the girls on another kitchen run to restock our inventory, but I gave them all a five-minute break while Pastor Seth takes his turn in the dunk tank.”

  “I’ll round them up,” Anna offered. When it came to the lively group of third-grade girls—and her twins, in particular—five minutes could easily turn into ten. Or twenty.

  She wove her way through the maze of picnic blankets spread out on the grass. Knowing Cassie and Chloe, they’d probably lost interest in the dunk tank and made their way over to the meet-and-greet tent again, wh
ere visitors could interact with some of the animals up for adoption.

  Halfway there, her gaze snagged on two little sprites whose copper hair glowed almost as bright as the neon T-shirts the Sunflowers had tie-dyed at their last meeting. Only this time, the twins weren’t cuddling puppies. They were talking to a six-foot-tall Dalmatian dressed in a tuxedo.

  It had to feel like a sauna inside the furry suit and full-face mask, but “Dash,” the animal shelter’s mascot, had been circulating through the crowd all morning, greeting families and handing out pamphlets that included a miniature blueprint of the new addition.

  A lively carnival tune began to blast through the speakers in a nearby booth. As Anna drew closer, she saw Cassie and Chloe each grab one of the Dalmatian’s giant paws. Dash responded by breaking into a comical dance that looked like a cross between a waltz and a polka.

  “Mom!”

  Before Anna could react—or resist—Cassie grabbed her hand and swept her into the small circle of dancers. Her protest was drowned out by a burst of applause from the people standing near the booth.

  Anna tipped her head back, trying to catch a glimpse of the man behind the mask, but dark mesh screens strategically placed in the mascot’s oversize sunglasses concealed his identity.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Anna saw Sunni Mason clapping with the beat of the music. The proud smile on her face was a good indication one of her sons had agreed to play the part.

  By process of elimination, Anna concluded it had to be Aiden. Brendan was overseeing the children’s area with Lily and Liam, and...well, it was common knowledge the most introverted of the three brothers tended to avoid social gatherings.

  Just like he avoided her...

  “It’s your turn, Mom!”

  In a synchronized choreography, Cassie and Chloe nudged her closer to Dash, their giggles a melody that lightened Anna’s heart even as the Dalmatian bowed and extended a furry paw.

  For a moment, for her daughters, Anna set aside all the responsibilities crowding her mind—the stack of bills on the kitchen table and the daily pressures that came from trying to run two businesses and a busy household—and dropped a curtsy in response.