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The Rancher’s Surprise Triplets
Linda Ford
Three Little MatchmakersRancher Bo Stillwater has no plans of becoming a husband or a father…but he can’t turn away from the three babies he finds at the county fair. After leaving the abandoned triplets in the care of the doctor’s daughter, Louisa Clark, his duty should be done. So why can’t he seem to stay away from the babies and their pretty caregiver?Watching the town’s most eligible bachelor with the little trio reawakens Louisa’s unmet dreams. She’s found satisfaction in spinsterhood and caring for others, convinced that motherhood passed her by. Do she and Bo only work so well together for the children’s sakes…or could they both find courage to make this sweet temporary arrangement something truly lasting?
Three Little Matchmakers
Rancher Bo Stillwater has no plans of becoming a husband or a father...but he can’t turn away from the three babies he finds at the county fair. After leaving the abandoned triplets in the care of the doctor’s daughter, Louisa Clark, his duty should be done. So why can’t he seem to stay away from the babies and their pretty caregiver?
Watching the town’s most eligible bachelor with the little trio reawakens Louisa’s unmet dreams. She’s found satisfaction in spinsterhood and caring for others, convinced that motherhood passed her by. Do she and Bo only work so well together for the children’s sakes...or could they both find courage to make this sweet temporary arrangement something truly lasting?
“Did you fill your dance card?”
It took the space of two seconds for Bo to shift from his past to his present, and Louisa knew the moment he did. The lines of his face softened and his arm relaxed. “Still got some openings. Do you want me to put your name in one?” He flashed a teasing smile at her.
Or was it genuine?
Not that it mattered. She chuckled somewhat regretfully. “I think I will have my hands full with the triplets.”
“You’re missing all the fun.” He sounded truly disappointed on her behalf, which triggered a sting of tears in her eyes.
She ducked her head lest he see how his words affected her. “I’m doing what needs to be done.”
He made a musing sound that drew her gaze back to him. “I’m going to make a wild guess here and say that’s the story of your life…doing what needs to be done.”
* * *
Lone Star Cowboy League: Multiple Blessings
The Rancher’s Surprise Triplets—
Linda Ford, April 2017
The Nanny’s Temporary Triplets—
Noelle Marchand, May 2017
The Bride’s Matchmaking Triplets—
Regina Scott, June 2017
LINDA FORD lives on a ranch in Alberta, Canada, near enough to the Rocky Mountains that she can enjoy them on a daily basis. She and her husband raised fourteen children—four homemade, ten adopted. She currently shares her home and life with her husband, a grown son, a live-in paraplegic client and a continual (and welcome) stream of kids, kids-in-law, grandkids and assorted friends and relatives.
The Rancher’s Surprise Triplets
Linda Ford
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
He rescued me because he delighted in me…
It is God who arms me with strength
and keeps my way secure.
—Psalms 18:19, 32
To Marie. I see your struggles. I see your strength and courage. I pray God’s love into your life.
Contents
Cover (#u72c38f93-9596-5671-a498-7d35cf2e6874)
Back Cover Text (#u3c13af7a-63fc-5d58-894f-3996186454dc)
Introduction (#u4e5d8068-e2a7-54b7-a239-daabb21575f8)
About the Author (#u28a37259-c201-5a50-b9e8-6030c04f9617)
Title Page (#ud23e50d6-0643-5bcd-99a2-2598d73e1564)
Bible Verse (#u7dd57fa9-fc49-5cb9-a3ea-4c3ba998da72)
Dedication (#u427ac8bf-563f-57f6-94ab-c9f8f545c936)
Chapter One (#u63a35b53-2b06-534c-8a87-7af7635e5d7e)
Chapter Two (#ue170925b-1632-5f5e-98ad-8e7eaa0119d1)
Chapter Three (#u4bf75ead-a4b3-5086-85d9-db6e5a3736e6)
Chapter Four (#uf9075438-debf-51e5-9cc3-1ebe3bc340f9)
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)
Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Dear Reader (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One (#ulink_3cbcb55a-9331-5212-8b7a-23b472db63d8)
June 1896
Little Horn, Texas
Louisa Clark pushed through the half-dozen young women to get to the counter of the store. They peered at a sign on top of the oak counter.
“A dime a dance, you say?” One of the pretty women spoke. So young and fresh looking it made Louisa, at twenty-seven, realize she was well past her prime...old enough to earn the title of “spinster.” Not that it mattered to her. She was content with her life...found it immensely satisfying.
She edged between two of the young women and glanced at the sign. Dances were being sold at a dime a piece to raise money to help out the many needy families in the area. The ongoing drought left so many struggling to survive. Her heart went out to them. To be unable to care for one’s family must surely be the worst feeling in the world.
“There will be a dance Saturday night to wind up our three-day fair. Every man who wants a dance will have to pay a dime. Won’t that be fun?”
She glanced toward the speaker who answered the young lady’s question.
Bo Stillwater leaned back on the heels of his well-worn cowboy boots and pushed his equally well-worn cowboy hat back on his head, revealing sandy-brown hair and silvery eyes that seemed to be perpetually laughing at life. She’d met him shortly after her arrival in town and had barely been able to look directly at those eyes. He was a rancher and his twin brother was the preacher at the church next to the doctor’s house.
The young ladies turned as one to cluster around the cowboy.
“What about you, Mr. Stillwater? Are you going to pay a dime to dance with each of us?” The young miss blossomed rosy pink.
Louisa felt sorry for her. Had she ever been so young and innocent? Oh, yes, there was a time she’d fancied herself in love. At eighteen she had been naive and full of dreams. She’d loved Wes and trusted that he loved her. But when things got serious enough for them to talk marriage, she had warned him they’d have to wait until Amy and Mother no longer needed her. He had responded that it sounded like she meant for him to wait most of his life. Said he wasn’t willing to wait. She wasn’t worth waiting for. Nine years later she sometimes wondered if she was finally worth waiting for or if she was meant to always be alone.
Enough dwelling on the past. It offered nothing but painful memories. She glanced at her work-worn hands and the dusty skirts of her dress. She had no time for fussing about her looks. What mattered the most was helping her father with his doctoring and caring for her mother.
In the three weeks they’d been in Little Horn, Texas, she’d helped Father clean the office area and examining room. He’d been seeing patients from the beginning but could now receive them in his office. Getting the rest of the house ready for Mother’s arrival was next.
“I’ve come up with a better idea,” Bo said. “I’m going to sell dances with me for a dime. That way anyone who wants to be my partner can be and it’s a fine way to raise more money.” He held up a piece of paper. “I have slots to fill. Anyone interested?”
The young ladies rivaled each other for the chance to pay money to dance with Mr. Bo Stillwater.
The storekeeper finally turned his attention to Louisa and she ordered the supplies she needed. She wanted more cleaning compound to get the grime off the walls of the kitchen.
“You must be scrubbing that house within an inch of its life,” he commented.
“Simply doing what I can to make it ready for my mother.” The house Father purchased to set up his medical practice and a home for the family was adequate for the most part. But not for an invalid like her mother. Mother needed things to be extremely clean or she’d catch something and get ill. Her weak heart put her life in jeopardy. Besides utmost cleanliness, she needed the furniture arranged in such a way she could navigate the rooms in her wheelchair. Louisa was anxious to see her mother again and smiled as she thought of how welcoming she would make the house for her and how appreciative Mother would be.
“She’ll be along soon, will she?”
“I expect so. She’s traveling with my sister and her husband at a more leisurely pace than my father and I took.” Plus she’d be sleeping in the best accommodations available and eating in the best restaurants on their journey from Cleveland, Ohio. Father and Louisa had taken the cheapest and fastest transportation and eaten food they’d packed before leaving home. Not that she minded. It had been like a holiday to be traveling alone with her father.
“The doc seems to be doing a brisk business.”
“He’s been busy,” she agreed. “Busy enough that on occasion we’ve gotten young Annie Hill to help.” Annie had assisted Louisa on some of her calls to deliver babies—there’d been four since they’d come. Once the women of the community learned that Louisa was somewhat of a midwife, they had taken to calling her for help rather than bother the doctor. Annie was efficient as an assistant to Louisa when she attended a birthing. She was kind and helpful in other ways, too...such as helping to clean the house.
“Bo’s doing a brisk business too.” The storekeeper nodded toward the rancher, who took a dime and jotted down a name. “He’s determined to bring in enough money to help all those in need, and by the looks of it, he could well succeed. Industrious young man. He’d make someone a good husband.” The man’s black-shoe-button eyes bored into Louisa. “Say, you aren’t married, are you?”
Louisa chuckled. “I really don’t see how I’d fit a husband into my already busy life.”
“That a fact?” He sounded less than convinced.
“How much for the supplies?” Before she could withdraw the few coins for the storekeeper, the room grew silent and the walls sucked inward, like everyone drew in a deep breath at the same time. A footfall sounded behind her and her neck muscles twitched.
She knew without looking that Bo moved closer and she quickly gathered together her purchases and turned. He stood squarely in front of her, blocking her escape. His odd-colored eyes sent shivers through her. Her gaze darted past his shoulder to the doorway.
“What about you, Miss Clark?” His smile teased.
Six young ladies stared at her. She would not look directly at them, certain she’d see resentment that the handsome bachelor would pay her attention.
“I’m sorry.” Her tongue barely functioned. “I don’t understand your question.”
His grin widened. “About the dance. Can I sign you up to offer dances? And would you care to pay a dime for the privilege of a dance with me?” He lifted his sheet of paper toward her. Already several lines were filled in.
No doubt her cheeks were unattractively red. She felt everyone waiting. Knew she had to say something but his question left her speechless.
She said the first thing that sprang to her mind. “I would not want to take a dance away from any of your admirers.” Her purchases pressed hard to her chest, she pushed past Bo and rushed out the door. Why had she said that? She understood the dance was not without its benefits as a way to raise funds. Her answer made her sound as though she didn’t care about helping the town. She did care. But between preparing for her mother’s arrival and helping her father with his work, there was no time in her life for anything else.
Her life was satisfyingly full. She’d found joy in caring for her mother and making sure her younger sister, Amy, enjoyed a happy and full life despite being frail because of her too early birth. She knew it wasn’t her fault Amy was born early but still she carried a burden of guilt. She’d visited a friend and brought home an infection that made Mother ill, made her deliver Amy much too early and permanently damaged Mother’s already weak heart.
Bo called after her. “Surely you are going to support the—”
The door clicked shut, closing off the rest of his words.
Of course she would support the county fair. She’d contribute what she could toward the fund-raising because her heart went out to those struggling through hard times.
She would love to help the cause with just one dance with the silver-eyed Bo, but it wasn’t to be.
* * *
Bo adjusted his hat as the girls around him gasped or giggled as suited their personalities. What was wrong with Miss Clark that she refused to take part in the festivities? Yes, she was a newcomer so perhaps unaware of the needs in the community. The drought affected so many of the ranchers, leaving them near destitute. There were needy widows with children in the area. And orphans that needed care. He would like to see the young men who worked on the ranches be taught some basic schooling so they could handle their affairs better. Some could not even write their names or do more than basic counting, which left them vulnerable to being taken advantage of.
His final words to Miss Clark died before he could spit them out. Surely you are going to support the Lone Star Cowboy League. He was one of the founding members and deeply committed to the causes it sponsored by offering many forms of assistance to fellow ranchers. Lately, it had grown to include anyone in the community in need of aid.
Pretty little Suzanne Bachmeier, whose father owned the shoe-making business, edged closer. “I’ll buy her dance.” She giggled behind her hand, batting her blue eyes at him. Her blond ringlets danced with her merriment.
