WESTERN ROMANCE: A Ranch to Call Home (Texas Romance, Mail Order Bride Romance, Clean Romance, Christian Romance) (Clean and Wholesome Romance) Read online

  A Ranch to Call Home

  Grace Warren

  Moon and Stars Press is accepting unpublished manuscripts for consideration. Click here Http//bit.ly/bepublished4321 to learn more.

  Synopsis:

  Lucy Carson is single woman from the big city; unfortunately, her bank account is nonexistent along with her social life. Nash McCain is a widowed Texas rancher with a hard headed sister in law and two amazing children.

  When fate, through an obscure internet site, brings them together it’s a roller coaster of emotion for all involved. Lucy is in love with the children at first sight, but she can’t seem to get Nash to notice her. Aunt Van wants nothing to do with her. Finally, able to see the truth Lucy lets the chips fall where they may.

  Will she travel back to New York empty handed and broken hearted or will Nash open his heart and learn to love once again? Find out in this new original romance A Ranch to Call Home.

  “A Ranch to Call Home”

  © Grace Warren 2016

  Moon and Stars Press

  Second Edition

  All Rights Reserved

  Books Also by Grace Warren:

  An Unexpected Bride

  Finding Peace

  Rescued Hearts

  A Gambler’s True Heart

  Mail Order Bride of the Ages

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter ONE

  The sound of a train braking on the tracks was deafening in the early morning hours, outside the small town station on the outskirts of Smyrna, Texas. Slender legs and dainty feet adorned in open toed wedges stepped from the train car ramp and into the morning fog that covered the arrival dock. Lucy wheeled her single bag in one hand while she scanned over the printed information from the online service in the other. According to the travel itinerary, she was to meet the taxi just outside the station and travel directly to the county clerk’s office. She assumed she would proceed onward from there by other means, as that was her ending destination on the print out.

  The cab driver stood waiting for her outside the station door. He didn’t hold a sign and he didn’t ask questions, it was obvious he was waiting for her, he had to be, she was the only passenger left waiting of the few that had exited. The man assisted her in loading up her bag and closed the door behind her. The fare had been taken care of in advance, per the set up of the whole situation, leaving Lucy with nothing more to do but wait out the drive. She leaned her head against the window and stared out at all the open spaces that surround her. Expansive fields of cotton and enormous pastures with cows and horses were laid out for miles as she traveled down the highway. It was an eye opening comparison to where she had come from. Her 600 square foot loft back in New York could fit several times over in some of the houses she was passing by. Not to mention, each house was situated on acres and acres of beautiful lawn and fields with running fences that went on for miles. Lucy was feeling overwhelmed and scared. She hadn’t expected to feel so insecure, she hadn’t realized how comfortable she had been living in the tight quarters of the city and she hadn’t fathomed she would be questioning her decision with this much doubt, until this moment in time.

  Her fingers unfolded a well weathered singular piece of paper. The creases showed that it had been opened and folded numerous times. Lucy opened it one last time and starred at the printed picture of a man in a white button up dress shirt, deep tanned skin and light scruff about his neck and chin. His dark hair was complimented by bright, sea foam green eyes. Lucy saw sorrow in his eyes although there was a smile on his lips. The man was flanked on either side by a child; a young girl of eight on his right, her golden hair in pig tails and a dimple on each cheek and a boy who was the four-year-old version of his father, on the left. She had gazed on this picture everyday for the last three months. The man was Nash McCain and the children were Olivia and Galen.

  Lucy followed the steps it had taken to get here as if it were a well rehearsed mantra, which in fact it was. She had lost her teaching job a year ago due to educational cut backs. Three months after that, her father had passed away, leaving her as the sole surviving member of her small family. When she had finally managed to pay all the bills involved with his passing, her saving had been devastated, she had to work three jobs, a waitress, a dog walker and the occasional babysitter, to make ends meet and that wasn’t enough to give her any financial cushion. She had been so busy trying to stay afloat that there had been no time for anything else, let alone anybody else. So, she had turned to the internet for socialization. That is how she found the website, a site that had guaranteed her a social life and financial security. Lucy recalled how skeptical she had been at first, but the more she delved into the site the more it made sense to her. When the day came that she could no longer afford the loft she felt that she had no more options available to her. That is how she ended up with the printed photograph of Nash McCain.

  The taxi parked in front of a large stone building. Tall white pillars loomed before her as she made her way up the marble steps and into the foyer of the county building. She double checked the office number and conferred with a laminated map of the building before proceeding through security and up another flight of stairs to the second floor. Sitting outside the office, on a bench that looked less than accommodating, was a man. Lucy stood still for a moment and took in his form. His feet were clad in weathered cowboy boots, dark jeans that looked brand new covered his long legs, finishing off with a light blue button up shirt and a black Stetson that was tilted so far down on his head she was not able to see his face. Lucy had to bite her lip to stifle a giggle. She knew she was in Texas, but she didn’t expect the stereotypical cowboy look so soon. It threw her off guard and his image, mixed with her travel weary emotions, and brought laughter that she could not hold back.

  Hearing her twitter of amusement, the man looked up, a look of recognition washed over his shadowed features and his sea foam green eyes shown bright when he removed his hat, holding it against his chest. “Are you Lucy Carson?”

  Lucy covered her mouth to stop the giggles from coming out and appearing rude. She nodded, unable to speak. The man took a few steps forward and offered his hand.

  “Nash McCain.” His large hand engulfed hers, but his touch was gentle. “It’s a pleasure to meet you face to face, Ma’am.”

  The couple walked into the office together, Nash carrying her single piece of luggage. The clerk welcomed them and asked how she could help.

  Nash cleared his throat. “We’d like to get a marriage license.”

  Chapter TWO

  “Well that didn’t take long.” Lucy commented as she sat in the passenger seat of Nash’s Ford pick-up truck starring at the marriage affidavit in her fingertips. “I don’t know why, but I assumed it would be a long drawn out process, not a quick ten minutes.” She looked up at him. Nash was concentrating on the road. “Was your first marriage that quick?”

  His face flinched then went stoic. Lucy bit her bottom lip.

  “I’m sorry, that was a bad choice of words. Never mind, I was just rambling.” Lucy wanted to take all the words back. She wished she could still be on the train, or maybe even back in New York. Her eyes darted back over the affida
vit. How could she have been so inconsiderate? The previous marriage section under the groom’s side stated that Nash had been married before and that marriage had ended in the death of his wife. Lucy knew this already, but as she figured the dates in her head she realized that they had only been married for six years before his wife’s untimely passing. “Quick” was the word that earmarked his first marriage. Lucy felt ill.

  The truck pulled up a long dirt driveway several minutes later. Lucy took in the large two storied country home that sat in the middle of a wide open, well manicured lawn. There was a front porch that traveled along the full width of the front of the house and disappeared around the far side. It boasted a few rocking chairs and a wooden swing. Small tables with gorgeous potted plants dotted the spaces in between. A beautiful golden retriever sprinted out from a large barn that was easily visible behind the house. The imagery before Lucy’s eyes was everything she had imagined. She could not help but smile and feel that regardless of her misgivings in the taxi earlier, she had been right to choose this path for her future.

  As they walked the stone pathway to the front porch steps, Lucy envisioned herself sitting on that wooden swing gazing off into the clear midnight sky. A curtain in an upstairs window fluttered. Lucy squinted against the morning sun to see beyond the green shutters and through the pane of glass. The sun was too bright and before she could ask anything a small boy burst from the front door and flung himself into Nash’s arms.

  “Daddy, you’re home! I missed you. Livia made me eat bananas and Rufus spilled the milk.” Nash held his son and nodded at each of his statements. “The cat licked it all up and then Aunt Van found a dead mouse.”

  “Well, it sounds like you have had one heck of a morning there, son.” Nash smiled and walked over to Lucy. “Galen, this is Miss Lucy Carson. How do we greet guests in our home?”

  Galen beamed and held out his small hand, “Pleasure to meet you, Ma’am.”

  Lucy took his fingers in hers and shook his hand. “The pleasure is all mine, Galen.”

  The small child wiggled in his father’s arms, his face scrunched up as he considered her statement. “Aunt Van says we have to share.”

  Lucy laughed and Galen finagled his way back down to the ground and took off running, hollering for Rufus.

  “Rufus is our dog.” Nash informed her. “That boy adores him, nothing better than a boy and his dog.”

  Lucy agreed just as a tall, thin woman with sharp angular features walked out to the front step. An apron had been swathed about her waist and her golden hair had been tied back in place with a bandana. She traversed the steps with an air of authority, wiping her hands on the hem of the apron.

  “Lucy,” Nash said. “This is my sister in law Vanessa Wellerman. Van, this is Lucy Carson.”

  Vanessa smiled, but it did not reach her eyes. She did not offer her hand, nor did she offer a greeting as Galen had. Instead, she turned to Nash and her smiled faded as quick as it had appeared.

  “You are out of milk.” She stated.

  “Alright, I am certain we can mange until one of us can get to the market.” He assured her.

  “I can’t make anything for lunch without milk, Nash.”

  He reached over and took her hand, patting it. “Van, why don’t we worry about that later. We can go out for lunch if necessary. Where is Olivia?”

  It was obvious to Lucy that Vanessa was not use to having her demands dismissed. She huffed and threw her hands in the air. “Where do you think, Nash?” Vanessa turned and stomped up the stairs and back into the house.

  Nash turned to Lucy with an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, Van runs a tight ship. She has been my right hand crew for the last few years, well…” he paused and Lucy saw that sorrowful cloud darken his eyes, “since Lilly passed.”

  He cleared his throat and changed the subject. “You must be tired. Let’s get you situated and we can finish up introductions after you have rested a spell.” Nash picked her bag up and guided her into the house and up the staircase. She didn’t have time to look around before he had led her to a room at the end of the hallway. He remained outside the door, standing off to the side to allow her to walk by him and into the bedroom.

  “Van set it all up for you. There is a separate washroom that has plenty of towels and toiletries.” He pointed to a large box at the foot of the canopied twin bed. Lucy recognized it as her shipment from New York. “That arrived for you yesterday. I hope nothing was damaged.”

  Lucy didn’t know what to think or what to say. “Thank you”

  He nodded and closed the door between them with a soft click of the knob. Lucy sat on the edge of the bed; her thoughts were a jumbled mess. She was anxious to meet everyone, yet her body was exhausted. As she washed her face and changed into more casual clothes, she wondered why Vanessa had been so cold, was it the thought that Lucy was replacing her after all these years of running the McCain household? She had no intentions of displacing anyone and she was in no position to make enemies. As she lay down, starring up at the lace canopy, she promised herself that she would speak to Vanessa that afternoon and assure her she had no plans to uproot her from a place she was very much a part of. She turned and took the document from the county office out of the side pocket of her bag. The clerk had said they had sixty days before it expired. Sixty days to learn this new family, plan a wedding and start a new life. She sighed and put the paper in the drawer of the bedside table before closing her eyes and letting sleep steal her away from it all.

  Chapter THREE

  A soft murmur of musical tone drew Lucy from her slumbering state. It was a familiar child’s tune that filled her room with sweetness. She turned to her side and viewed the back of a small girl. Her golden kissed locks fell in loose, glossy strands that curled into spirals at the ends. Lucy lay still, not wanting to startle the child. She assumed it must be Olivia, though with the hair color that matched Vanessa’s it was possible this could be her daughter, if she had one. The girl took her time looking through Lucy’s suitcase that now lay open on the floor. She had pulled out shoes and laid them neatly on the multi-colored, braided rug. Beside the shoes were a pair of jeans and next to those were a multitude of colored camisoles.

  The girl was turning over various makeup paraphernalia as she looked through a quilted bag. She pulled off tops of lipsticks, testing them on her pouty mouth and dabbed her cheeks with a blush brush while she continued to hum. A compact mirror opened in her gentle fingertips and she looked at her reflection with a weighty frown. Lucy’s heart splintered. She turned away trying to make as little noise as possible but still bring awareness to the child that she was there. The compact shut with an audible snap and the shuffling of items being hastily placed back in the suitcase was evident.

  Lucy turned back and smiled before the girl could exit the room. “Hello, you must be Olivia?” Lucy had expected her to turn and run, but that was not the case.

  Olivia crossed to the bed and scrambled up on the foot of the ruffled bed covers, her smile a mixture of pinks and red hues “Are you my new mother?”

  Lucy was caught off guard for the third time that day. “Umm, I’m Lucy.”

  Olivia reached out and stroked Lucy’s cheek and lifted a length of her hair twirling it in her fingertips. “You are pretty and you have the same color hair as Jasper.”

  “Do I? Is Jasper one of your friends at school?”

  Olivia fell back on the bed giggling. Her laughter was contagious and Lucy laughed with her. It felt natural to be there with this little girl enjoying the moment. Olivia sat up, still giggling, “No silly, Jasper is my pony.”

  Lucy made a surprised expression. “You have a pony?”

  The young girl nodded, her green eyes dancing with pride.

  “I would love to meet him.”

  Olivia jumped from the bed and grabbed Lucy’s hand yanking her towards the edge of the bed. “Come on, I’ll show you.” Her voice was filled with excitement. Lucy picked up her shoes on her way out of
the room, and let Olivia lead her down the front staircase and out the door into the afternoon sun.

  The joyful duo made their way to the barn with Lucy wobbling on her wedges over the uneven ground. With strength beyond her eight years, Olivia pushed open the heavy barn door leaving it wide open so that Lucy could see the full layout of the first floor of the barn.

  “This is where Jasper lives. Daddy says he can be in this barn because he is a pet and not for working.” She pulled out a small red apple from a bucket and handed it to Lucy. “Here, these are his favorite.”

  Lucy stood outside the split door of a stall that was labeled with Japer’s name on an ornate wooden plaque, each letter and swirling design had been painstaking carved and sanded, the craftsmanship was outstanding. Lucy traced each letter wondering who had made it. She held the apple out and waited for the chestnut colored pony to turn around and acknowledge her presence. “Here Jasper, come here boy” she cajoled.

  Olivia laughed. “Not like that. Watch me?” she directed. She took the apple in her hand and climbed up on the door balancing on the edge as she sat and clicked her tongue. Jasper turned and walked over to Olivia. He whinnied and took the apple with a gentle bite of his teeth. Lucy watched in amazement as the pony ate the juicy fruit and Olivia stroked the length of his nose. How could a girl so young be so confident with an animal that was triple her size? At eight years of age Lucy had been playing with dolls and coloring books.

  Olivia was humming the same tune again. Lucy listened, running the song through her head until all the words came back to her. She began to sing at a muted volume. Come follow, follow, follow, follow, follow, follow me.”

  It was Olivia’s turn to look surprised. She started to sing with Lucy. “To the greenwood, to the greenwood, to the greenwood follow me.”