Fairy tales do come true
Meeting a cowboy in an online book group feels like a fantasy to Honor Crosby. Six months later, after one less-than-perfect meeting, the rich city girl arrives at Luke McKaslins Montana ranch, anxious to see if their chemistry works offline. Even as Honor falls for Luke, a broken engagement has her wary of trusting any man. Faced with clashing expectations, Honor struggles to believe that love is still the greatest treasure. And that she and Luke have a fairy-tale ending in their future after all.
The McKaslin Clan: Ensconced in a quaint Montana town, the McKaslins rejoice in the powerful bonds of faith, family...and forever love.
I cant say that Im glad Im stuck in Montana, but something good has come out of this.
Maybe after you have fun with us and get in your social time, youll change your mind about Montana? Luke said.
Im not sure it can be done, Honor quipped. But Im liking the chance to actually make new friends.
Good. Im going to change your mind.
Is that a warning or a threat?
Depends on which one will work.
Neither. She tipped back her head and laughed. Im not going to change my mind. Im a California girl. I miss the beach.
Weve got riverbanks.
So not the same.
They laughed together. He liked Honor as much in real life as he had online. As he watched her walk away, his throat tightened, making it hard to swallow. A swirl of her blue dresss hem, a clip of her fancy shoes and a flip of her sleek honey hair and he was hooked just a little bit more.
Its never going to happen, he told himself. Did that stop him from liking her more?
Not a chance.
JILLIAN HART
grew up on her familys homestead, where she helped raise cattle, rode horses and scribbled stories in her spare time. After earning her English degree from Whitman College, she worked in travel and advertising before selling her first novel. When Jillian isnt working on her next story, she can be found puttering in her rose garden, curled up with a good book or spending quiet evenings at home with her family.
Montana Cowboy
Jillian Hart
www.millsandboon.co.uk
Direct my steps by your word.
Psalms 119:133
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Epilogue
Dear Reader
Questions for Discussion
Excerpt
Chapter One
My life stinks.
Honor Crosby could sympathize with the teenage boy trudging ahead of her through the woods. Some bug swooped at her. She batted it out of her face and ignored the flutter of something high up in the trees and tried not to think of what might be lurking overhead. A giant mosquito, a gross spider, who knew? And worse, her poor shoes. They were sinking in the squishy carpet of dead pine needles and moss, an aspen leaf skewered on one heel.
Sure, but you dont have to make life harder than it has to be, she told the kid with his hangdog expression. You waste more time trying to put off your work than actually doing it. If you jumped in and got your studying over with, youd have more free time.
I dont want to study at all. Its summer. I dont need to get into that stupid school and I dont need a tutor. He hung his head. Jerrod Lambert wasnt a bad kidnot at all. Just an unhappy one.
Understanding filled her as she remembered being a teenager trying to handle her parents pressure to succeed. She knew where Jerrod was coming from, but the Lord was a great comfort and she prayed Jerrod would lean on his faith more to find solutions to his problems instead of running away from them.
Im not so bad of a tutor, am I? she asked.
Much better than the last one, but thats not the point. Jerrod blew out a sigh as he tromped through the underbrush and broke out into the bright sunshine. Id rather be dirt biking.
And Id rather be at the beach club with an icy soda in one hand and my e-reader in the other. For an instant, the remembered roar of the ocean, the sweep of the waves on the sandy shore and the chime of cheerful conversation felt so real she could almost feel herself there, where she belonged.
She missed home and her posse of friends so much she almost stumbled when her heels hit the manicured lawn. Leaving home had been an impulsive decision and not the most brilliant one shed ever made. Montana, she mused as she pulled the leaf off her shoe heel. What had she been thinking?
Honor?
What, kiddo?
What is it like at Wheatly?
Its one of the best Christian schools in southern California. Shed gone there as a teen and returned after college to teach English. She loved the school and the community of teachers and staff that felt more like family than coworkers. She missed them sorely, too. With the current economy, her job had been cut, since shed been the newest teacher there. Her dearest wish was to return to her beloved Wheatly and teach once again. Maybe when the economy improved? A girl could hope. I hated leaving. Actually, I didnt really leave. I substituted there for most of last year.
And then I came along, needing tutoring.
Once youre there, youll love it. I promise. She tromped up the stone steps, ignoring the rugged scenery and architecture that surrounded herhigh mountain peaks, stone masonry and a sprawling log-and-glass estate that simply could not compare to Malibu. Nothing on earth could.
If I pass the test, that is. You sound like my dad. Not encouraged, Jerrods head hung lower looking like a prisoner on his way to death row, dragging his feet across the deck. I wont tell if we dont work this afternoon. My dad would never know.
But I would. She opened a glass-framed door. In you go. It wont be so bad, I promise.
Yeah, Ive heard that before. Unconvinced, he plodded into the air-conditioned library and slung himself into an overstuffed chair. Id rather be dirt biking.
Who wouldnt? Honor quipped, not quite able to relate. She was no outdoors girlunless hanging poolside counted. She plucked a book off the Chippendale writing desk and handed it to the bummed teenager. Start reading, kid. Think of it this way, if you ace the entrance exam on the first try, then you wont ever have to deal with another tutor.
Youre not seeing the problem. Jerrod blew out a sigh. Im wasting my summer in here.
I get it. She slipped into the upholstered chair behind the desk, where her laptop sat. Sorry, but you still have to read the book.
Another beleaguered sigh and the tome opened, the teenager bowed his head and at least it looked as though he were reading.
She knew exactly how Jerrod felt. This was her summer, too. She hadnt planned to spend most of it being a private tutor, but at the time it seemed like a brilliant option to get away from a certain man. Little did she realize she would be hidden away at the Lambert family compound in the middle of the wilderness. Literally. Forests stretched in every direction and the nearest town was forty minutes away.
Which meant email was her best link to civilization. Since her student was busy and shed caught up on all her work, she turned to her laptop. Her best friend and roommates message filled the screen.
Totally missing you! Kelsey wrote. Were off to the movies. Wish you were here!
Me, too, she thought with a pang. Onto the next email.
Were sitting in the theater, read Anna Louises message, sent from her phone. Kelsey had to go and buy the jumbo popcorn. Cant stop eating it. Miss you!
Yeah, she could almost taste that popcorn. She gave a little sigh, glanced out the wall of windows overlooking a shocking amount of trees. Just three more weeks, she told herself. Jerrod will take his exams, my job here will be done and Im back home.
She went on to her next email.
Honor, we missed you at the book chat last night, Lukes message read. Where were you?
Luke McKaslin. Her online buddywell, she didnt know what other word to use to describe him. She gave a little sigh of exasperation, or was it confusion? She didnt know which.
When shed arrived here in March, stuck in the middle of nowhere, shed gone into serious withdrawal, so she went looking for social connections online. Shed kept up with her friends and joined Good Books, a social network and a site devoted to books.
That was where she met Luke, or Montana Cowboy as he was known on the book site. Shed made a lot of online friends on the site, and Luke was one of them. Okay, a special one of them. Theyd just hit it off right from the start.
Mrs. Lambert had a big barbecue, she typed. I meant to get away and sneak onto my computer, but I had a surprisingly good time. I miss being social, so I couldnt make myself break away. How did the book discussion go?
She hit Send. One of her great loves in life was books. She loved reading. Always had, always would. Maybe thats what she liked about Luke best. He felt the same way.
A beleaguered sigh drew her attention.
Are you really reading that book or just staring at the same page? she asked Jerrod. Maybe youre napping?
Sorry. He shook his head and at least made the appearance of making an effort to read.
Funny kid. She squinted at her screen, smiling to see Lukes next email. He must be sitting at his computer, too.
The discussion wasnt as lively without you, he wrote. Still missing home?
You know it, she tapped out. I know you like living in Montana, but how do you do it?
Ive always lived here, came his reply. So its hard to say since I dont have much to compare it to. I read a lot. I ride my horse. I hang with the cows.
Thats about what I expect from a cowboy. Honestly. If she wasnt a California girl and she wasnt not looking for a boyfriendand she so, so wasntthen Lukes gentle humor would be just the thing to spark her interest.
If. That was a very big if. Thinking of Kip, she shook her head. Yep, she was off the market. For a long, long time.
There arent any cows or horses here, not that I would know what to do with them. I never hit that horse crazy phase a few of my friends went through.
Ive never left mine, he answered. But if youre missing hanging with people
You mean instead of trees? She typed, biting back her smile.
My sister is getting married tomorrow. I know its last minute, but Bozeman is only a few hours drive for you
A few hours drive was considered not a big deal in Montana. That always cracked her up.
but it will be fun, youll get in some social time and I think youll like my sisters.
Im sure theyre nice. But that didnt mean she should meet some man she didnt know, at least face-to-face. Online he was nice and she felt safe chatting with him. He was respectful and funny and friendly. But in person? Who knew what he could be like? Hadnt she believed in the man Kip pretended to be?
You couldnt always tell who someone was behind the mask they wore.
I get it, if you dont want to come. Its your day off. You might not want to spend four hours of it in the car.
Yes, thats true. And it was. She didnt want to drive that far, but wouldnt it be fun to meet him? Hed always come across as an amiable guy. Not overly ambitious, and decent in a country boy sort of way. Shed absolutely looked up his profile on the website when she first met him. His picture had been friendlyreally great smile, honest violet-blue eyes and talk about handsome. At thirty, he was five years older than her, and he was solid.
Shed liked that.
Jerrod, are you asleep?
Whaa? His head snapped up. He looked around and picked up the book he dropped. Sorry.
This wasnt the first time she feared that kid wasnt going to pass the entrance exam. But at least she wouldnt be stuck in this isolatedbut lovelyspot the rest of the summer. Three more weeks and she would be in her car driving toward the state line. Woo-hoo! She couldnt wait.
Lukes email popped on her screen. Too bad you cant come. Youll be missing out on some pretty good cake.
Cake? Why didnt you say so? Now Im really tempted. Plus, I could get out of this house. Didnt a change of scenery sound like just the thing? She was tempted to accept. She had fun chatting with him online. Would it be even more fun in person? She did miss having friends and going places. Maybe she would say yes
A knock rapped on the door. Mrs. Lambert sashayed in. She was tall, lean and eternally youthful thanks to a good dermatologist and Botox injections. Honor? May I have a word with you?
Yes. She gave thanks that Jerrods nose was studiously in his bookor at least it appeared that wayas she rose from the desk. She tapped into the hallway.
I saw you and Jerrod. Coming in from the forest. Olive Lambert drew herself up. He ran off again, didnt he? And you didnt inform me.
It was just for a few moments. He didnt go far.