You're Gonna Love Me
Page 1
ACCLAIM FOR ROBIN LEE HATCHER
“Whenever I want to fall in love again, I pick up a Robin Lee Hatcher novel.”
—FRANCINE RIVERS, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
“Hatcher’s richly layered novels pull me in like a warm embrace, and I never want to leave. I own and love every one of this master storyteller’s novels. Highly recommended!”
—COLLEEN COBLE, USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR
“You’re Gonna Love Me is a gentle romance that offers hope for second chances. Author Robin Lee Hatcher has a gift for welcoming readers into fictional close-knit communities fortified with love and trust. With each turn of the page, I relaxed into the quiet rhythm of Hatcher’s storytelling, where she deftly examines the heart’s desires of her characters set against the richly-detailed Idaho setting.”
—BETH K. VOGT, CHRISTY AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR
“You’re Gonna Love Me nourished my spirit as I read about a hero and heroine with realistic struggles, human responses, and honest growth. Robin Lee Hatcher makes me truly want to drive to Idaho and mingle with the locals.”
—HANNAH ALEXANDER, AUTHOR OF THE WEDDING KISS
“I didn’t think You’ll Think of Me, the first book in Robin Lee Hatcher’s Thunder Creek, Idaho series, could be beat. But she did it again . . . This second chance story will melt your heart and serve as a parable for finding redemption through life’s lessons and God’s grace. Thunder Creek will always hold a special place in my heart.”
—LENORA WORTH, AUTHOR OF HER LAKESIDE FAMILY, ON YOU’RE GONNA LOVE ME
“With two strong, genuine characters that readers will feel compassion for and a heartwarming modern‐day plot that inspires, Hatcher’s romance is a wonderfully satisfying read.”
—RT BOOK REVIEWS, 4 STARS, ON YOU’LL THINK OF ME
“A heart-warming story of love, acceptance, and challenge. Highly recommended.”
—CBA MARKET ON YOU’LL THINK OF ME
“You’ll Think of Me is like a vacation to small town Idaho where the present collides with the past and it’s not clear which will win. The shadows of the past threaten to trap Brooklyn in the past. Can she break free into the freedom to love and find love? The story kept me coming back for just one more page. A perfect read for those who love a romance that is much more as it explores important themes.”
—CARA PUTMAN, AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR SHADOWED BY GRACE AND BEYOND JUSTICE
“Hatcher is able to unravel emotions within her characters so brilliantly that we sense the transformation taking place within ourselves . . . readers will relish the warmth of . . . the ranchland.”
—RT BOOK REVIEWS ON KEEPER OF THE STARS
“Hatcher fans will be left smiling and eagerly awaiting her next novel.”
—CBA RETAILERS + RESOURCES ON KEEPER OF THE STARS
“True to the contemporary romance genre, Robin Lee Hatcher’s Keeper of the Stars will satisfy romance fans and give them a joy ride as they travel the road of pain and forgiveness to reach the happily-ever-after.”
—BOOKTALK AT FICTION 411
“Robin Lee Hatcher weaves a romance with heart that grabs readers and won’t let go. Whenever You Come Around pulled me in from the get-go. Charity Anderson, a beautiful, successful author with a deadline and a painful secret, runs into Buck Malone, a handsome, confirmed-bachelor cowboy from her past, and he needs her help. I was captivated, and I guarantee you’ll be rooting for them too.”
—SUNNI JEFFERS, AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF HEAVEN’S STRAIN
“A heartwarming and engaging romance, Whenever You Come Around is a splendid read from start to finish!”
—TAMERA ALEXANDER, USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF TO WHISPER HER NAME AND FROM A DISTANCE
“A handsome cowboy, horses, and a hurting heroine make for a winning combination in this newest poignant story by Robin Lee Hatcher. A gently paced but delightful ride, Whenever You Come Around will take readers on a journey of healing right along with the characters. Readers will feel at home in Kings Meadow and won’t want to leave.”
—JODY HEDLUND, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF LOVE UNEXPECTED
“First loves find sweet second chances in Kings Meadow. Heart-warming, romantic, and filled with hope and faith, this is Hatcher at her best!”
—LISA WINGATE, NATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE STORY KEEPER AND THE PRAYER BOX ON WHENEVER YOU COME AROUND
“In Whenever You Come Around Hatcher takes a look at the pain of secrets that kill the heart. But love indeed conquers all. Robin Lee Hatcher is the go-to classic romance author.”
—RACHEL HAUCK, AWARD-WINNING, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE WEDDING DRESS
“Robin Lee Hatcher has created an emotionally engaging romance, a story of healing and self-forgiveness wrapped up in a package about small-town life and a cowboy who lives a life honoring God. I want to live in Kings Meadow.”
—SHARON DUNN, AUTHOR OF COLD CASE JUSTICE AND WILDERNESS TARGET ON WHENEVER YOU COME AROUND
“Whenever You Come Around draws you into the beauty and history of the horse country of Kings Meadow, Idaho. With every turn of the page, Robin Lee Hatcher woos readers with a love story of a modern-day cowboy and a city girl. Buck and Charity rescue each other from the lives they had planned—lives limited by fear. Instead, they discover their unexpected God-ordained happily ever after. A discerning writer, Hatcher handles Charity’s past heart-break with sensitivity and grace.”
—BETH K. VOGT, AUTHOR OF SOMEBODY LIKE YOU, ONE OF PUBLISHERS WEEKLY’S BEST BOOKS OF 2014
“Whenever You Come Around is one of Robin Lee Hatcher’s pure-romance best, with a heroine waiting for total redemption and a strong hero of great worth. I find myself still smiling long after the final page has been read.”
—HANNAH ALEXANDER, AUTHOR OF THE HALLOWED HALLS SERIES
“Whenever You Come Around is a slow dance of letting go of the past and its very real pain to step into the light of love. It’s a story that will wrap around your soul with the hope that no past is so dark and haunted that it can’t be forgiven and overcome. It’s a love story filled with sweetness, tension, and slow fireworks. Bottom line, it was a romance I couldn’t—and didn’t want to— put down.”
—CARA PUTMAN, AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF SHADOWED BY GRACE AND WHERE TREETOPS GLISTEN
“In Love Without End, Robin Lee Hatcher once again takes us to Kings Meadow, Idaho, in a sweeping love story that captures the heart and soul of romance between two people who have every reason not to fall in love. With an interesting backstory interspersed among the contemporary chapters, and well-drawn, relatable secondary characters, Hatcher hits the mark with her warm and inviting love story.”
—MARTHA ROGERS, AUTHOR OF THE SERIES WINDS ACROSS THE PRAIRIE AND THE HOMEWARD JOURNEY
“Love Without End, the first book in the new Kings Meadow Romance series, again intertwines two beautiful and heartfelt romances. One in the past and one in the future together make this a special read. I’m so glad Robin wrote a love story for Chet who suffered so much in A Promise Kept (January 2014). Kimberly, so wrong for him, becomes so right. Not your run-of-the-mill cowboy romance—enriched with deft writing and deep emotion.”
—LYN COTE, AUTHOR OF HONOR, QUAKER BRIDES, BOOK ONE
“No one writes about the joys and challenges of family life better than Robin Lee Hatcher, and she’s at the top of her game with Love Without End. This beautiful and deeply moving story will capture your heart as it captured mine.”
—MARGARET BROWNLEY, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
“Love Without End, Book One in Robin Lee Hatcher’s new Kings Meadow series, is a delight from start to finish. The author’s skill at depicting the love and challenges of family has nev
er been more evident as she deftly combines two love stories—past and present—to capture readers’ hearts and lift their spirits.”
—MARTA PERRY, AUTHOR OF THE FORGIVEN, KEEPERS OF THE PROMISE, BOOK ONE
“I always expect excellence when I open a Robin Lee Hatcher novel. She never disappoints. The story here reminds me of a circle without end as Robin takes us through a modern-day romance while looping one character through a WWII tale of love and loss and the resurrection of hope and purpose. Love Without End touched my heart and guided me to some wonderful truths of how God’s love is a gift and a treasure.”
—DONITA K. PAUL, BESTSELLING AUTHOR
“A beautiful, heart-touching story of God’s amazing grace, and how He can restore and make new that which was lost.”
—FRANCINE RIVERS, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR, ON A PROMISE KEPT
ALSO BY ROBIN LEE HATCHER
You’ll Think of Me
The Heart’s Pursuit
A Promise Kept
Heart of Gold
Autumn’s Angel, a novella found in A Bride for All Seasons
KINGS MEADOW ROMANCE SERIES
Love Without End
Whenever You Come Around
Keeper of the Stars
WHERE THE HEART LIVES SERIES
Belonging
Betrayal
Beloved
THE SISTERS OF BETHLEHEM SPRINGS SERIES
A Vote of Confidence
Fit to Be Tied
A Matter of Character
Copyright © 2017 by Robin Lee Hatcher
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.
Thomas Nelson titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.
Scripture quotations are taken from New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)
Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.
Epub Edition October 2017 ISBN 9780718085988
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Hatcher, Robin Lee, author.
Title: You're gonna love me / Robin Lee Hatcher.
Other titles: You are going to love me
Description: Nashville : Thomas Nelson, [2017]
Identifiers: LCCN 2017039716 | ISBN 9780718085971 (softcover)
Subjects: LCSH: Life change events–Fiction. | GSAFD: Christian fiction. | Love stories.
Classification: LCC PS3558.A73574 Y69 2017 | DDC 813/.54–dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017039716
Printed in the United States of America
17 18 19 20 21 22 /LSC/ 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Acclaim for Robin Lee Hatcher
Also by Robin Lee Hatcher
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Epilogue
Discussion Questions
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Prologue
APRIL
THUNDER CREEK, IDAHO
Nick Chastain heard the sound of horses’ hooves and looked up from the irrigation pipes he’d set on the ground. Two horses cantered along the creek bank, too far away for him to see the faces of the riders, but he was certain one was an adult and the other a young girl. Perhaps a mother and daughter.
He was about to return to his work when one of the horses, a big blue roan, flew sideways, twisting in midair. The adult rider parted ways with the saddle. A moment later, the woman hit the ground. The girl gave a shriek of surprise as she reined in her palomino.
Nick waited a few heartbeats, but the woman on the ground didn’t move.
The girl slipped from the saddle and hurried toward her. “Gee-Gee Ruth!” she screamed.
Still no movement.
Nick took off at a run, his long strides eating up the distance. By the time he reached the pair, both horses had trotted away. He ignored them and focused instead on the scene in front of him. The woman on the ground—older than he’d expected—groaned, but her eyes remained closed.
Nick dropped to his knees opposite the girl. “That was a bad fall.” He touched the woman’s shoulder. “Ma’am?”
Her eyes fluttered briefly. “I think . . . I need . . . an ambulance.”
“Right away.” He pulled out his cell phone and punched in 911. As soon as his call was answered, he explained the situation to the dispatcher. But when it came time to give the address or directions, he found himself at a loss. His employer had transferred him from Cheyenne, Wyoming, to Caldwell, Idaho, less than three months before, and this was his first installation job in the small town of Thunder Creek. He didn’t even remember the name of the road he’d followed to get to Derek Johnson’s farm. He clenched his jaw, hating the forgetfulness that continued to dog him.
Wordlessly the girl held out her hand for the phone, and he passed it to her.
“My name’s Alycia Johnson,” she said, sounding more grown up than she looked. “It’s my great-grandma, Ruth Johnson, who’s hurt.” There was a pause. “No, my mom and dad aren’t here.” She looked at Nick. “I think so.” Another pause, then she gave detailed driving instructions to the farm.
The wait for the ambulance seemed eternal. At some point Nick found himself holding the woman’s hand and speaking words of comfort, although he wasn’t sure she heard him. Eyes closed, she gasped more than she breathed, obviously in extreme pain.
Nick knew a thing or two about pain. His thirst for adventure used to get him into trouble all the time. His parents and siblings, doctors and therapists, all hoped he’d had his fill of it at last. But there were times . . .
Grinning all the while, Nick stretched his arm toward the branch above his head. He’d already climbed higher than the last time, and today he planned to go all the way to the top.
From the ground his brother Jeff yelled, “If Mom catches you up that tree again, you’re gonna catch it for sure.”
“If you shut up, she’ll never know.”
“Okay. But don’t blame me when you fall and bust your stupid neck.”
“I’m not gonna fall.”
The words were barely out of Nick’s mouth when he felt his right foot start to slip. Just in time his hand closed around the limb overhead. His balance soon restored, he dragged in a breath, then laughed, pleasure pulsing through him. His big brother didn’t understand what he was missing, staying down there on the ground. There was something . . . special about being up this high, looking down on the world. W
ell, not the world. But his backyard and the neighboring ones.
“That’s high enough, Nick.”
He ignored Jeff. He wasn’t stopping until he could carve his initials up at the top in that gap between the branches, a spot he could see from the ground. Then he could point to it anytime and brag that he’d done it when nobody thought he could. Then he could—
The loud crack barely had time to register in Nick’s brain before the limb was gone beneath his feet. He flailed his arms as gravity pulled at him. He tried to grab hold of anything he could. But nothing stopped his hurtle toward earth—although the tree itself slowed the descent as he smacked into one branch after another.
“Nick!”
His brother’s shout ringing in his ears, he hit the ground. For a second he thought he was okay and started to grin. That’s when the pain shot through him. Turning his head, he saw the bone near his left wrist sticking through his skin, blood pouring through the torn flesh. His smile vanished.
Turned out it was only the first time Nick Chastain would break that same arm.
Chapter 1
Samantha Winters parked her car in the Caldwell hospital parking lot. Before opening the door, she pressed her forehead against the steering wheel and drew in a couple of deep breaths. She was bone weary after the seven-hour drive from Beaverton, Oregon. She’d stopped only twice, just long enough to refill the tank and use the restroom, and hadn’t bothered to eat anything except the snack foods she’d tossed into the car before leaving home before dawn.
The last report from her cousin Derek was that their grandmother’s surgery—performed that morning, twenty-four hours after the fall from the horse—had gone well. Derek expected Gran to be able to leave the hospital tomorrow or the next day.
“But from what I understand,” he’d told Samantha a few hours ago, “it’s going to be a lengthy recovery. Her right ankle was more or less shattered. Broken in three places. It’ll be non-weight-bearing for at least three months. She’ll be in a cast and then one of those boots. After three months, they’ll put her in a splint—I forget what it’s called—and then she’ll have to go through physical therapy. Not easy for anybody, but she’s seventy-six. As active as she normally is, this is gonna drive her crazy.”