Her Cowboy's Twin Blessings

by Patricia Johns

  Ember’s eyes welled with tears. “You’d do that?”

  “Like Bert says—there will be other ranches. But a woman like you? That’s once in a lifetime, Ember.”

  Casey stepped closer again, this time closing the distance between them as he wrapped his arms around her once more. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” she whispered.

  “Then marry me...”

  Ember stared at him, then twined her arms around his neck and pulled that tall cowboy down to her level, where she kissed him with all the love pent up in her heart. He wrapped his arms around her waist and stood up straight, plucking her straight off the ground. Ember laughed, looking into those dark, tender eyes.

  “Maybe there’s a way to combine a working ranch with a therapy center,” Ember said as her feet touched the ground again. “I’m not sure about the details, but if we put our heads together—”

  “First things first,” he said, a smile turning up the corners of his lips. “Say you’ll marry me, Ember. Mrs. Ember Courtright. I think that sounds good.”

  “I think it sounds wonderful!” she said, tears glistening in her eyes. “Yes. I’ll marry you, Casey.”

  Casey’s lips covered hers once more as the screen door slammed behind them. They turned to see Mr. Vern standing on the step, a broad smile on his face.

  “Is there news?” he asked with a grin.

  “Let’s go buy a ranch,” Ember whispered, and Casey grinned.

  “That sounds good to me. But keep it in your name. I don’t want you ever thinking I married you for your land.”

  Together they walked toward the house, and Ember’s heart finally felt full to overflowing. She’d sign the papers that would set Mr. Vern free to pursue his retirement with his ailing wife, and then Ember knew exactly what she wanted to do...

  She was going to pick up those baby boys and snuggle them close, and she’d be the mother they needed so badly. Sometimes God gave second chances, and as He twined hearts together, He answered prayer after prayer with the love that joined them.

  Ember and Casey went inside. She looked around that ranch house, at the floors that had seen so many cowboy boots, at the kitchen that had fed so many, and she knew that she was home. But the fixture that made this house the home she wanted to settle into was the tall cowboy who stood by the kitchen table as Mr. Vern signed the last of the papers finalizing the sale. Casey Courtright was the one who filled her heart.

  She loved him—with everything in her being. And somehow, in one visit to a Montana ranch, God had given Ember more than a goal realized; He’d given her a family.

  Epilogue

  On a warm, sunny day in mid-September when the heat from summer had dissipated, but the warmth still clung to the earth in defiance of the coming winter, Ember and Casey got married in the Victory Country Church.

  The sermon was short, but it was on a topic very close to Casey’s heart—Joshua marching around the walls of Jericho. This pastor took the story a little bit further, pointing out that Rahab, the Jericho woman who helped the spies and escaped destruction, ended up married—possibly to one of the spies themselves. That was what the Biblical records pointed to in Matthew, at least—a little bit of romance in the midst of that battle story. The walls came down, and between the lines there seemed to be a wedding. A little bit like Casey and Ember’s story. Sometimes walls crumbled and hearts healed at the same time.

  Almost everyone was in attendance for the Courtright-Reed wedding, and the pews were packed. Ember’s father didn’t make it, but he did send a very generous monetary gift. Casey’s father was there, as was half the population of the town. Pastor Ted Mitchell took Ember and Casey through the most important vows of their lives.

  “Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, as long as you both shall live?”

  “Sure do,” Casey said softly, fixing Ember with a tender smile.

  “And do you, Ember, take this man to be your husband...”

  Ember nodded, tears misting her eyes. “I do.”

  “Then I now pronounce you husband and wife. Feel free to kiss your bride, Casey.”

  Casey didn’t seem to need any encouragement there, because he stepped forward and slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her close in a kiss, as clapping and cheers rose up from the guests in attendance.

  Ember smiled up into her husband’s eyes, and then they faced the church of friends and family.

  “I’m pleased to be the first to introduce Mr. and Mrs. Casey and Ember Courtright!” Pastor Mitchell said. Casey squeezed her hand, and they headed down the aisle together. Ember had never felt quite so happy.

  After the service was over, their photographer took them to a few different spots to take photos—by the church doors, standing with family, over by the rippling waves of golden wheat at the fence...

  The babies were being held by various women in the family who passed them around and snuggled them close, but by the time they made it to the field for photos, Will and Wyatt had started to fuss, and Ember’s heart followed them with every lusty cry.

  They were bigger babies now—already seven months old and full of personality—and Ember looked up at Casey.

  “Time for some Courtright family photos?” she suggested softly.

  “That sounds about right,” Casey agreed, and they went to fetch their boys. Will and Wyatt stopped crying as soon as they were back in their parents’ arms. And as the flash went off, recording this moment when her heart was so very full, Ember looked out at a group of kids who were observing the photos being taken, and she spotted Steven. He stood a little to the side, watching them wistfully. His parents had told him who she was, and they’d talked a few times about why she’d made that difficult choice...

  “Maybe we could get a picture with the minister’s family, too,” Ember said to the photographer. “It would mean a lot to me.”

  So Sue, Ted and Steven joined them in one last picture before the babies were too tired to continue. Ember stood leaning against her husband’s shoulder, Wyatt in her arms, and a stray ribbon pushed into Wyatt’s mouth on his fist. Casey held Will in one strong arm, and Steven stood proud and tall between Ember and Sue, a smile on his face and his rumpled curls just a little askew in the warm wind. Sue was looking down at her son with a proud smile on her face. And Ember looked into the camera, her eyes glittering with the joy that overflowed her heart.

  It would be Ember’s favorite family photo from the wedding—it brought them all together.

  God created a family that day that would settle on the same land where the Harpers had persevered generations before. Sometimes God answered more than one prayer at once, like when He knocked down walls and brought true love to lonely hearts. Or when mothers prayed with all their strength that God would provide for their children when they couldn’t do any more...

  A family was God’s sweetest answer to so many persevering prayers.

  * * *

  If you enjoyed this story, look for The Lawman’s Runaway Bride and The Deputy’s Unexpected Family by Patricia Johns.

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Beneath Montana Skies by Mia Ross.

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  Dear Reader,

  If you enjoyed this story about a mother’s prayer, why not try some of my other books in my backlist? All of my books are sweet, family friendly and written by the same Christian author.

  You can find me at PatriciaJohnsRomance.com, where I write about my upcoming releases and my day-to-day writing life. You can also connect with me on Facebook and Twitter, where I enjoy chatting with my readers. I’
d love to see you there!

  Patricia

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  Beneath Montana Skies

  by Mia Ross

  Chapter One

  “Hey there, cowgirl.”

  Holding a fifty-pound bag of sweet feed balanced on her shoulder, Morgan Whittaker froze in midstep. It couldn’t be, she thought, before it occurred to her that was just wishful thinking. The once-familiar voice behind her could only belong to one person, and although she hadn’t heard that smooth tenor in ages, she’d recognize it anywhere.

  Very slowly, she turned halfway around and let her eyes confirm her suspicion. Thankfully, she was wearing her mirrored aviator sunglasses, so he couldn’t see the contempt she knew must be plain in her eyes. “Tyler Wilkins. What’re you doing here in Mustang Ridge?”

  Under the brim of his cream-colored Stetson, the gold tinting his hazel eyes sparked with a bit of his infamous temper. But it quickly mellowed, replaced by one of those easygoing grins that had charmed her—and countless other women—for so long. “Well, now, last time I checked, this was my hometown, too. I haven’t been to Montana in a while, so I figured it was time for me to make a visit.”

  “I’d say seven years is more than a while.” For her, it was a lifetime ago. She was almost thirty now, and for her those days were a distant memory. From the look of things, nothing had changed for him, except that his rangy, athletic build had filled out a bit. He was more solid now, but she knew from hard-won experience that was just an illusion. There had never been anything solid about Ty. Unfortunately for her, she’d discovered the truth about him too late. “And since it’s June, shouldn’t you be headed to Reno for that big roundup I read about? The article said the humongous rodeo purse is drawing every able-bodied cowboy west of the Mississippi.”

  Something flashed across his weathered features, and for a brief moment she thought it almost looked like regret. Then again, the cocky bull rider had never been prone to remorse, even when he was clearly in the wrong. The look vanished quickly, and she decided it had just been a trick of the sunlight and shadows underneath the overhang that shaded the sidewalk in front of Big Sky Feed and Seed.

  “Not goin’ this year,” he said simply, hooking his thumbs into his wide leather belt.

  She noticed that he wasn’t wearing his prized silver champions buckle because, really, you couldn’t miss one of those if you tried. Something about him wasn’t adding up for her, and while she shouldn’t care, she had to admit that she was suddenly curious about what had brought him home. Figuring it couldn’t hurt to ask, she dove in boots first. “Why not?”

  He didn’t answer, and when he took a step toward her, she instinctively pulled away. “What on earth do you think you’re doing?”

  “Taking that bag of feed before it caves your shoulder in.”

  Suddenly aware that she’d slumped a bit under the weight, she straightened up and glared back at him. “I’m perfectly capable of handling it myself.”

  “Suit yourself.”

  He didn’t retreat, but he did drop his hands. Realizing that people were beginning to stare at them, she ignored his helpful gesture and heaved the bag into the back of her 4x4. She turned to catch him wearing an expression that struck her as being almost mournful before a half grin rushed in to replace it. “To answer your question about the rodeo, I’m just taking some time off. No big deal.”

  Any idiot could tell there was more to the story than that, but she didn’t have the time or the patience to drag anything more out of him. Besides, he was obviously not keen to talk about it, or he would have spilled his guts to her already. She still couldn’t believe he’d approached her in the middle of the street this way. Then again, he’d probably been hoping that a meeting in public would keep things between them more or less civil. Apparently, he’d gotten smarter since the last time she saw him.

  She’d mostly recovered from the shock of seeing him, so she called up her backbone and opened the driver’s door. “Well, enjoy your vacation. Bye.”

  She climbed into the cab and reached out to pull the door closed, but he stopped it with a strong hand scarred from years of rope burns and broken bones. Glancing down at the door and then up at her, he asked, “What’s this decal for the Mustang Ridge Conservancy about? I’ve never heard of it.”

  “It’s a new organization in town,” she explained as patiently as she could. “There’s a group of local residents working to make sure this area stays the way it is and out of the clutches of a big energy developer that’s been sniffing around the last few months.”

  “Looking for what?”

  “Natural gas and oil. That may or may not be under the ground, and may or may not be feasible to pump out of where it is.”

  A slow grin worked its way across the face that was still way too handsome for the good of any woman within ten miles. “You sound mad.”

  “I am,” she spat. “What they’ve got in mind will destroy the environment, and the idea of it makes me furious. My family’s been here on our original homestead for generations, and so have plenty of others. If we have anything to say about it, that land will stay the way it’s always been.”

  “Sounds like a tough job.”

  “We’ll figure it out.” They had to, she added silently, because the alternative wasn’t even worth thinking about.

  “Speaking of your family, I was hoping to stop by and see JD while I’m in town. Ya think that’d be okay?”

  Her father would probably take one look at his visitor and start choosing a shotgun from the rack in his den. In all honesty, Morgan thought that would be entertaining to watch. “It’s fine with me. If he doesn’t want to see you, I have no doubt he’ll tell you so.”

  Ty stared at her through narrowed eyes, the brim of his hat adding an old gunslinger effect to the look. After a moment, though, that infernal grin was back in place. “We’re neighbors, so we’re gonna have to deal with each other at some point. No time like the present, right?”

  Morgan didn’t really care if he dropped off the face of the earth and was never seen again. But that sounded childish, even to her, so she went with a noncommittal shrug. “Whatever.”

  “My truck’s over there,” he commented, nodding to a flashy silver extended cab model parked across the street. It made her keenly aware that the mud-spattered vehicle she was driving was looking pretty ragged these days. “Mind if I follow you out there?”

  “Whatever.”

  This time, he wisely let her close the door. She gave it a little more muscle than was strictly necessary, and the slam echoed off the two-story buildings that flanked both sides of the small Main Street business district. She started the engine, then noticed that he was still hanging in the open window, arms spread wide as if he was reluctant to let her go. Tamp
ing down her impatience to be free of him, she glowered up at him. “Was there something else, Ty?”

  “Yeah.” After a deep breath, he grimaced and said the words she’d given up on ever hearing. “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?” she demanded, his remorse only adding fuel to her temper. “Slinking out of Houston in the middle of the night, or never having the guts to tell me why?”

  “Both, and all the other things I did wrong with you. With us,” he added in a somber tone. “You deserved better than what you got from me, but I want you to know that I honestly loved you.”

  A flood of long-buried emotions was threatening to swamp her good sense, but Morgan ruthlessly shoved them back into the dark recesses of her heart where they belonged. The boy she’d once loved had let her down in the worst conceivable way, and no matter how handsome or contrite the man standing in front of her seemed to be, she had no intention of letting him off the hook now. Or ever.

  “Thanks. You know the way.”

  As she started the engine, he gave her the kind of lost-puppy-dog look that she’d never seen from the arrogant cowboy she’d known most of her life.

  “Can you forgive me?” he asked.

  Angling a look at him from behind her sunglasses, she cocked her head in a show of considering his request. And then, because he totally deserved it, she brought the hammer down on him. “No.”

  With that, she shifted into Reverse and backed out of her spot, not caring whether she ran over his fancy riding boots or not. She caught sight of him in her rearview and tried not to be jealous of him as he strode across the street and beeped his truck open with one of those fancy new key fobs that did everything but order pizza for you.

  Who did he think he was, anyway, she fumed while she sped out of town and toward the sanctuary of her family’s ranch. Ambushing her like that, apologizing as if what he’d done to her was no big deal?