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Her Alaskan Cowboy
Belle Calhoune
A rebel cowboy returns a single dadCan he find redemption in Love, Alaska?Back in Love, Alaska, Joshua Ransom comes face-to-face with ex-fiancée, Honor Prescott. A single dad of an infant daughter, Joshua’s no longer the reckless cowboy who broke Honor’s heart. But discovering he’s selling his late grandfather’s land to developers puts them at odds. With the Diamond R’s fate unclear, so is their future. Will this second chance lead to Joshua being one of Love’s Alaskan Grooms?
A rebel cowboy returns a single dad.
Can he find redemption in Love, Alaska?
Back in Love, Alaska, Joshua Ransom comes face-to-face with ex-fiancée Honor Prescott. A single dad of an infant daughter, Joshua’s no longer the reckless cowboy who broke Honor’s heart. But discovering he’s selling his late grandfather’s land to developers puts them at odds. With the Diamond R’s fate unclear, so is their future. Will this second chance lead to Joshua being one of Love’s Alaskan Grooms?
BELLE CALHOUNE grew up in a small town in Massachusetts. Married to her college sweetheart, she is raising two lovely daughters in Connecticut. A dog lover, she has one mini poodle and a chocolate Lab. Writing for the Love Inspired line is a dream come true. Working at home in her pajamas is one of the best perks of the job. Belle enjoys summers in Cape Cod, traveling and reading.
Also By Belle Calhoune (#uc03168e4-130a-50c3-af96-f8f722778bb3)
Love Inspired
Alaskan Grooms
An Alaskan Wedding
Alaskan Reunion
A Match Made in Alaska
Reunited at Christmas
His Secret Alaskan Heiress
An Alaskan Christmas
Her Alaskan Cowboy
Reunited with the Sheriff
Forever Her Hero
Heart of a Soldier
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Her Alaskan Cowboy
Belle Calhoune
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-08242-6
HER ALASKAN COWBOY
© 2018 Sandra Calhoune
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
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www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
—Psalms 139:14
“What do you think you’re doing?” Joshua demanded.
“I had to take action before you sold the ranch,” Honor said.
“No, you didn’t. It’s not your business!”
She glared at him. “It is my business. I could no sooner turn my back on this town than I could forsake my own family.”
Joshua let out a scoffing sound. “You’re affecting my future. And Violet’s. How can you do that? Is this about getting even with me?”
She glared at him. “I’m not doing this for personal reasons.”
Joshua narrowed his gaze. “So it has nothing to do with any feelings you might have for me?”
Honor sucked in a shocked breath and met his gaze head-on. “Everything I felt for you died the moment you lit the church on fire.”
She could see the hurt in his eyes as he stormed out of the building. She felt bad about the animosity between them, but she couldn’t allow her personal feelings for Joshua to sway her decisions.
If she did, Honor knew she would be in a world of trouble.
Dear Reader (#uc03168e4-130a-50c3-af96-f8f722778bb3),
Thank you for joining me on this Alaskan journey. Writing this Alaskan Grooms series has been a romance writer’s dream. I’ve had so much fun creating this Alaska-based series. The town of Love is filled with some very special characters. A sense of community ties them all together. Honor and Joshua are a fitting couple to end this series. They are two wonderful people who have been gifted with a second chance at love. Having fallen in love as teenagers, then ending an engagement at eighteen, they have truly earned their happy ending. Their love has endured. It grew and blossomed the second time around. Neither one of them had ever truly given up on each other. Their happy ending is a sweet reward.
Writing for the Love Inspired line is an honor. I feel very blessed to have my dream job. What’s better than working in my pajamas? I enjoy hearing from readers however you may choose to contact me. I can be reached by email at scalhoune@gmail.com or at bellecalhoune.com (http://www.bellecalhoune.com). If you’re on Facebook, please stop by my Author Belle Calhoune page.
Blessings,
Belle
For my nieces—Celina, Kylie and Nina.
May you grow up to follow your hearts
and live out your dreams.
Contents
Cover (#u42ba8a16-fa3f-57a6-ad28-543c18850db3)
Back Cover Text (#uf2d8cca8-09cd-566e-a1a6-bbb506d7a12d)
About the Author (#ucb51bbe5-99af-5d01-9974-41f7c61a1195)
Booklist (#ub5407545-6741-5a69-a9b9-e213b39fd8e2)
Title Page (#u035906a5-22ad-565e-a677-c6dc3d8c86b9)
Copyright (#u1cbd83dd-4fe0-5daf-ad34-04a64b16e821)
Bible Verse (#u8982adc0-c2a9-5301-bdd9-3c679d714b07)
Introduction (#u67a6d713-30e6-5a2d-a1c5-19bb2a24dbf1)
Dear Reader (#u404b25e1-a709-5c1e-850b-4ea525471e7d)
Dedication (#u3bb6c343-f9f9-5d5c-8569-3711ac0f0591)
Chapter One (#u483a9dba-9cf6-5df7-b960-9e95e7c5a036)
Chapter Two (#u7b0bb6b9-d079-515d-979d-60ba73576c4e)
Chapter Three (#ud190802d-49a4-5270-84f7-d5f79af2e46f)
Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One (#uc03168e4-130a-50c3-af96-f8f722778bb3)
Honor Prescott sat on her white stallion and stared down from the mountain ridge at the sprawling Diamond R Ranch. From this vantage point, Honor had a bird’s-eye view of the property. She could see horses in the paddock and a few ranch hands milling around. Snow from last night’s snowfall covered the ground. She let out a sigh of appreciation at the vast acreage. This view had always been spectacular.
A few cars were parked in the driveway by the main house. She spotted Lee Jamison’s distinctive yellow-and-tan wagon parked by the house. She felt her lips twitching at the sight of it. That van had to be older than Lee himself. As town attorney and a member of the town council, Lee was a beloved figure in Love, Alaska. Honor had come to the Diamond R Ranch today at Lee’s request.
Honor drew her coat tighter around her as the February wind whipped relentlessly against her body. Although the sun was shining, there was a chill in the air. Honor grabbed Lola’s reins and cantered toward the property. Riding her horse rather than driving over from the wildlife preserve was a luxury for her. Lately, she’d been so busy with work demands she rarely had the opportunity to spend time with her horse.
A feeling of nostalgia swept over her. It had been years since she had visited the ranch owned by Bud Ransom, the patriarch of the Ransom family. Bud had unexpectedly passed away a few days ago. She would miss him and his warm, solid presence. And she would be forever grateful to him for leaving the ranch to the town in his will.
Bittersweet memories washed over her as she surveyed the property. The two-story log cabin–style home was a generous size. It had been home for generations of Ransoms. Her ex-fiancé, Joshua Ransom, had grown up here with his grandparents, parents and his older brother, Theo. When they were dating, Honor had spent a lot of time at the Diamond R. Too much time, according to her own brothers—Boone, Liam and Cameron. They had been vehemently opposed to her relationship with Joshua, who had been in and out of trouble for the duration of their relationship. Joshua had been the ultimate rebel. Boone, who served as town sheriff, had hauled Joshua into his office on more occasions than she could count for a variety of charges. Drunk and disorderly. Vandalism.
But Honor and Joshua had been head over heels in love and committed to a life together. She had defended him at every turn, much to her family’s dismay. In the end, their engagement had imploded after Joshua’s involvement in a fire that had gutted a beloved town church and left a man seriously injured. It had been the final straw for her. Honor had given him back his diamond ring and headed off to college in Michigan. They hadn’t spoken since.
After Honor had left Love, she’d discovered she was carrying Joshua’s child. Weeks later she’d lost the baby. It still crushed her to remember how alone and scared she’d been. Since that time, Honor had turned to her faith and developed a relationship with God. She would never repeat the mistakes of the past.
Joshua had never known about their child. A few months after the miscarriage, she’d discovered that Joshua had gotten married. Joshua’s quickie marriage mere months after their breakup had been a terrible blow to Honor’s self-esteem. For some reason, it still stung.
Honor let out a sigh. The ranch represented a more innocent time in her life. She had experienced her first kiss in the barn. This ranch was where she’d fallen for Joshua. They had made plans for their future sitting amidst bales of hay. Their love had been genuine. Honor shivered as feelings of loss suddenly crept over her. After all this time, it still wasn’t easy to think about losing the only man she’d ever loved. It had broken her young heart to end her engagement. She’d been so naive back then, believing that there might be a happily-ever-after for the two of them.
Joshua. Her first love and former fiancé. She hadn’t thought about him in a very long time. Their relationship had ended in such a painful manner for Honor that it was easier now to stuff those memories deep down into a dark hole where they could no longer hurt her.
She had been a mere kid at the time—eighteen years old. What had she really known about love?
As she led Lola toward the stable so she could tether her to a post while she met with Lee, Honor heard the crunching sound of footsteps walking on the snow. She swung her gaze up and found herself staring into the eyes of the last person she’d expected to see in all of Alaska.
Her heart constricted. Everything came to a standstill around her. The dark head of hair. The cleft in his chin. The sky blue eyes. Joshua Ransom, her high school sweetheart, was back in town. Her first instinct was to hop back onto Lola and ride off as quickly as possible in the opposite direction.
“Honor.” The sound of her name tumbling off his lips was startling. It had been six years since she’d last heard it. Truthfully, she had never believed she would ever hear it again.
“Joshua.” Somehow she managed to speak past the huge lump in her throat.
“It’s been a long time,” he said, his mouth quirking. “How are you?”
Her mouth felt as dry as cotton. “I’m doing well. And you?” she asked, marveling at the fact that they were able to exchange pleasantries despite the huge chasm between them.
“I can’t complain. What brings you out here?” he asked, his eyebrows knitting together.
“Lee asked me to meet him out here. We understood none of the family was returning since Bud didn’t want a service. When did you get back?”
