Her cane.
She stared at the snazzy pink length of metalshed gone for the bright, cheerful color, hoping to jazz up the fact of her disabilityand the fizz evaporated from her stomach. The smile died on her lips. She knew full well Sean Granger hadnt spotted her cane in her car or he never would have taken the time to talk with her. This she knew from personal experience.
Well, duty calls. Sean pushed away and offered her a dashing grin, making time stand still. She sat captivated by the wholesome goodness of the man as he tipped his hat to her. Ill see you around, Eloise Tipple.
Bbb The closest thing she could manage to goodbye, but he didnt seem to notice her jumbled attempt at speech. He loped away with a relaxed, confident stride and hopped into his truck.
It wasnt until Eloise had pulled onto the street heading away from town that it struck her. Sean Granger had remembered her name.
Dear Reader,
Welcome back to Wild Horse, Wyoming. I hope you have been enjoying the Granger Family Ranch stories as much as I have loved writing them. This time cousin Sean has hired on at the ranch to help out. He is recovering from a broken engagement and has decided that no woman is ever going to threaten his lone-wolf status again. Until he meets Eloise, who is in need of a horse trailer, and he cant say no to helping her. While the two of them rescue homeless horses, what are the chances that God will rescue their hearts, too?
In these pages, I hope you have fun visiting returning characters, both human and animal, and lose yourself in a small-town rural way of life. Once again I have tucked favorite things from my childhood into this storyleisurely horse rides, pet cows and chocolate ice-cream conesand I hope you are reminded of some of the golden memories from your childhood. Thank you for journeying to Wild Horse, Wyoming, with me.
As always, wishing you love and peace,
Wyoming Sweethearts
Jillian Hart
www.millsandboon.co.uk
I will sing to the Lord,
because He has dealt bountifully with me.
Psalms 13:6
To Keneta
Chapter One
Do you know what your problem is, Eloise?
I didnt know I had a problem, Gran. Eloise Tipple held the diners heavy glass door for her frail grandmother and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Her helpful gran had been doling out a lot of advice over the past three months, ever since Eloise returned home to the small town of Wild Horse, Wyoming. When I look at my life, I see blue skies. No trouble of any kind.
Then you arent looking closely enough, my dear. Edie Tipple padded by, the hem of her sensible summer dress fluttering lightly in the wind. Your life has been derailed. I intend to fix that.
It wasnt derailed, Gran. I had a car accident, not a train accident, she quipped. She let the diners door swoosh shut, adjusted her pink metallic cane and followed the sprightly elderly lady toward a gleaming 1963 Ford Falcon. She hoped humor would derail her grandmother because Eloise knew precisely what track Edie was on. Are you going to stop by the church before you head home?
Dont try and change the subject on me. Gran hauled open her car door. It wasnt fair the way you lost your career and your fiancé.
We had only discussed marriage, he hadnt actually proposed to me.
Thats still a big loss. It cost you so much. Gran rolled down the window, cranking away on the old-fashioned handle. I have a solution in mind.
A solution? Oh, boy. She gave her long blond hair a toss. The car accident had ended her ice-dancing career, a career she had desperately loved, and her heart had been broken by a man who left her for someone else. At twenty-four, a girl didnt want to feel as if the best part of her life was behind her. She didnt want to think there were no more dreams left in store. You dont mean another blind date?
Theres nothing blind about it. I know the boys grandmother. Hes the one for you, Eloise. I can feel it in my bones. Gran folded herself elegantly behind the wheel, diminutive in stature but great of spirit. Her silver curls fluttered with the brush of the breeze as she clicked her lap belt.
I dont want to go on another fix-up. Eloise gently closed the heavy car door with a thud. The last twelve have been complete disasters. I dont want to be tortured anymore.
How hard can it be to have a nice dinner with a young man? Gran recovered her car key from behind the visor and plugged it into the ignition. The engine roared to life with a rumble and a big puff of smoke. His name is George, and hes an up-and-comer. I have it on good authority that hes a hard worker and very tidy. Thats important when youre considering a man as marriage material.
Sure. Ill make a note of it. Eloise, unable to stop herself, rolled her eyes.
I saw that, young lady. Gran chuckled. You dont want to work at the inn for the rest of your days, do you?
I dont know. I like my job. Im trying not to look too far ahead. My future may be an endless line of one blind date after another. Scary. Better to live in the moment. She pushed away from the car door. Thanks for meeting me for lunch, Gran.
Then Ill tell Madge to tell George its a date. Gran put the car into reverse. Friday night at the diner. Dont frown, dear. Hebrews 11:1. Believe.
Ill try. At this point, she was a skeptic when it came to happily-ever-afters. She was recovering from a broken heart. Love hadnt turned out well for her. Could she endure one more blind date?
She simply would have to find a way. The hot, late May sun chased her as she circled around to her car, slipped behind the steering wheel and dropped onto the vinyl seat. Hot, hot, hot. Eloise rolled down the window and switched on the air conditioner, which sputtered unenthusiastically. She swiped bangs from her forehead and backed out of the space.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. That was the verse Gran had referenced, and it stayed on her mind as she drove down the dusty, one-horse main street. The precise stretch of sidewalk-lined shops, the march of trees from one end of town to the other, hadnt changed much since she was a child.
Way up ahead on the empty street, a pair of ponies plodded into sight, ridden by two little girls heading toward the drive-in. They were probably getting ice cream. Memories welled up, good ones that made her smile as she motored toward the library.
She caught sight of the grill of the sheriffs Jeep peeking around the lilac bush next to the library sign. Sheriff Ford Sherman had his radar set up and was probably reading a Western paperback to pass the time between the span of cars.
She glanced at her speedometertwenty-four miles an hour. Safe. She waved at the sheriff who looked up from his book and waved back.
Ice cream. That was an idea. There was nothing like the Steer Ins soft ice-cream cones. Her mouth watered, clinching her decision. She had plenty of time left on her lunch hour and the temptation was too great to resist.
She hit her signal, crossed over the dotted yellow line and rolled into the drive-ins lot. The girls on their ponies had ridden up to the window in the drive-thru lane and one of the animals looked a little nervously at the approaching cars grill, so she slipped into a slot and parked beneath the shady awning. A brightly lit and yellowed display menu perched above an aging speaker. She rolled her window down the rest of the way and hot, dry air breezed in, no match for the struggling air conditioner.
Eloise! A teenager on roller skates gave an awkward wave and almost dropped her loaded tray. Hi!
Hi, Chloe. She unbuckled so she could lean out the window. Chloe Walters still had the exuberant disposition shed had as a small child, when Eloise had babysat her. Thats right, school is out for the year. Are you a senior now?
Yep. One more year and freedom. Chloe nearly dropped her tray again as she swept forward on choppy strokes of her skates and grabbed the edge of the speaker so she wouldnt crash into the car. Its so cool you are working at the inn. We went there for dinner for Moms birthday and it was really fancy.
It is a nice place to work. The Lord had been looking out for her when shed landed the job as executive manager at the Lark Song Inn. Good thing she had a business degree to fall back on. How about you? I didnt know you worked at the drive-in.
Its new. I really love it. I get all the ice cream I can eat. She grinned, her smile perfect now that her braces were off, and nearly spilled the contents of her tray yet again. Id better go deliver this before it melts. Do you know what you want?
A small chocolate soft ice-cream cone. The large size was tempting, but shed never get it eaten before she was back behind the front desk. Thanks, Chloe.
Ill get it in just a minute! The teenager, eager to please, dashed off with a clump, clump of her skates.
A big, dark blue pickup rolled to a stop in the space beside her. Tinted windows shielded any glimpse of the driver, but she recognized the look of a ranch truck when she saw it. The haphazard blades of hay caught in the frame of the cabs back window, dust on the mud flaps and the tie-downs marching along the bed were all telltale signs. The heavy duty engine rumbled like a monster as it idled, a testimony to the payload it was capable of hauling.
Chloe, her tray now empty, skated as fast as she could go up to the far side of the pickup. Eloise lost sight of the teenager, but judging by the speed with which shed crossed the lot, it was someone she knew or wanted to. Remembering what it was like to be a teenager in this town, she smiled. Shed worked part-time in the library after school shelving books and hadnt had the chance to meet too many cute high school boys on the job. A serious downside to being a librarians assistant.
An electronic jangle caught her attention, and she reached over the gearshift to dig through the outside pocket of her purse for her cell phone. No surprise to see the Lark Song Inn on her caller ID. A managers job was never done. Let me guess. The computer system froze up again.
Good guess. It was her boss and the owner of the inn, Cady Winslow. But after crashing twice this morning, the computer has given up the fight and has accepted it is going to have to talk with the printer.
Maybe its a lovers quarrel. Now they have made up and all is well. Since she was in her purse, she dug out a few dollar bills. Maybe it will be a happily-ever-after for the two of them.
It had better be. If their differences of opinion last and they refuse to talk, a breakup may be pending. The printer might have to move out and well never see him again. Cadys sunny sense of humor made it easy to work for her. I know youre on your break, but Im taking off and I want to make sure you see this text. Its from my little goddaughter and I think it is about the cutest thing Ive seen in a while.
Send it.
Here it is. Ill see you bright and early for the staff meeting tomorrow?
Ill be the one holding the jumbo-sized cup of coffee and yawning.
Jumbo-sized coffee cups. Ill put that in my to-buy list. Laughing, Cady said goodbye and hung up.
Here! Something clattered and clanked, drawing her attention as she scrolled through her phones list. Chloe held out her hand. It will be a dollar fifty.
Keep the change. Eloise handed over the bills and took the ice-cream cone thrust at her. She was trying to scroll through her phone at the same time, so she didnt instantly notice the ice cream was the wrong flavor.
Hey, Chloe! She hung out the window, but it was too late. No Chloe in sight. A tall, broad shouldered shadow crowned by a wide Stetson fell across the pavement. The shadow strolled closer accompanied by the substantial pad of a cowboys confident gait as he moseyed into view.
Handsome.
I think there was a mix-up, he said in a deep baritone, layered with warmth and humor. The little waitress didnt look like she had things together. Is this yours?
Uh She might be able to answer him if she could rip her gaze away from the shaded splendor of his face.
That turned out to be nearly impossible. The strong, lean lines of his cheekbones, the sparkling blue eyes and the chiseled jaw held her captive. He looked vaguely familiar, but her neurons were too stunned to fire.
Wow. That was the only word her beleaguered brain could come up with. Wow. Wow. Wow.
I think the car-hop girl is new at this. He swaggered over with an athletic, masculine gait.
If only his drop-dead gorgeous smile wasnt so amazing, her command of the English language might have a chance of returning. She might be able to agree with him or at least point out that Chloe was simply being Chloe.
You didnt order a chocolate ice-cream cone? He was near enough now that she could see the crystal blue sparkles in his irises and the smooth texture of his shaven jaw. The gray T-shirt he wore clung to muscled biceps.
Again, wow. Fortunately, the power of thought returned to her brain and she was able to move her mouth and emit a semblance of an intelligent word or two. I did. This must be yours.
Guilty.
Pink ice cream. Really? She felt a smile stretch the corners of her mouth. She arched one brow as she held out the paper-wrapped cone.
Hey, its strawberry, not pink. His chuckle was brief but it rumbled like dreams. He plucked the cone out of her hand and offered her the chocolate one. That looks good. I thought about keeping it. Tell me something.
Im not sure that I should. She daintily licked the cone before it decided to start dripping.
Why do you look familiar? He leaned back against the steel arm holding the speaker and menu. Ive seen you somewhere before.
I thought the same thing. Looking up at him with the dark Stetson shading his face and bright sunshine framing him in the background, the realization struck her like a falling meteor. She had not only seen him before, she knew him. She remembered a younger version of the handsome cowboy on the back of a horse riding through town years ago before she left town, attending the church service in a suit and tie, and in the back of the Grangers pickup as they motored away from the diner. Youre Sean, one of Cheyennes cousins.