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Heart of Texas Volume 1: Lonesome Cowboy
Debbie Macomber
Perfect for fans of Maeve Binchy' - CandisWelcome to the town of Promise, deep in the heart of Texas! Promise, a ranching community in the Hill Country, is a place with a mysterious past and more than its share of secrets. It’s also a place where family and friendship matter…. LONESOME COWBOYSavannah Weston lives quietly on the family ranch with her brother, Grady. Until she encounters a stranger named Laredo Smith, a disenchanted cowboy who just might change her life—in the best possible way! TEXAS TWO-STEPAfter her father’s death, Ellie Frasier takes over the feed store in Promise. Still in mourning, she relies on her friends for comfort. But now her long-standing relationship with one of those friends, rancher Glen Patterson, seems to be turning into something else….“Macomber is known for her honest portrayals of ordinary women in small-town America.” –Publishers Weekly
Welcome to the town of Promise, deep in the heart of Texas!
Promise, a ranching community in the Hill Country, is a place with a mysterious past and more than its share of secrets. It’s also a place where family and friendship matter….
LONESOME COWBOY
Savannah Weston lives quietly on the family ranch with her brother, Grady. Until she encounters a stranger named Laredo Smith, a disenchanted cowboy who just might change her life—in the best possible way!
TEXAS TWO-STEP
After her father’s death, Ellie Frasier takes over the feed store in Promise. Still in mourning, she relies on her friends for comfort. But now her long-standing relationship with one of those friends, rancher Glen Patterson, seems to be turning into something else.…
Dear Friends,
I like to think of myself as a Texas kind of woman—practical and down-to-earth, with a good sense of humor and a penchant for fun. That’s one of the reasons why, back in the mid-1990s, I decided to set this six-book series in the great state of Texas. Writing about Texas required a visit (not exactly a hardship!). I convinced my editor, Paula Eykelhof, to join me, and the two of us explored the Texas Hill Country.
With a rental car, a map and practically no sense of direction, we followed our noses to some of the best barbecue in the world. And we discovered a winery or two along the way. We also drove through some of the most beautiful ranch country imaginable—and we checked out the cowboys, too. If this wasn’t heaven, we figured we were pretty darn close.
During our road trip, Paula and I came to realize that Texas is full of wonderful little towns populated by people just like you and me—hardworking, proud and just a bit sassy. We had an incredibly good time. It’s hard to believe our adventure happened more than fifteen years ago. We both remember it well and still talk about the places we saw and the people we met.
Every writer has what Malcolm Gladwell calls “tipping points” in his or her career. One of mine was this series. The follow-up single title, Promise, Texas, was my first New York Times bestseller.
In this volume are the first two Heart of Texas stories: Lonesome Cowboy and Texas Two-Step. I know you’re going to enjoy your visit to Promise and the original town of Bitter End as you begin to uncover the mystery hidden deep in the Hill Country.
I love hearing from readers! You can reach me through Facebook or my website at www.DebbieMacomber.com. Or you can write me at P.O. Box 1458, Port Orchard, WA 98366.
Warmest regards,
Praise for #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber
“Debbie Macomber brings the people of Promise, Texas, to life as she blends drama, romance and adventure in Caroline’s Child.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Popular romance writer Macomber has a gift for evoking the emotions that are at the heart of the genre’s popularity.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Debbie Macomber writes characters who are as warm and funny as your best friends.”
—New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs
“Debbie Macomber is one of the most reliable, versatile romance authors around.”
—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“As always, Macomber draws rich, engaging characters.”
—Publishers Weekly
“It’s clear that Debbie Macomber cares deeply about her fully realized characters and their family, friends and loves, along with their hopes and dreams.
She also makes her readers care about them.”
—Bookreporter.com on Susannah’s Garden
“Macomber is skilled at creating characters who work their way into readers’ hearts.”
—RT Book Reviews on Dakota Home
“Macomber’s assured storytelling and affirming narrative is as welcoming as your favorite easy chair.”
—Publishers Weekly on Twenty Wishes
“It’s easy to see why Macomber is a perennial favorite: she writes great books.”
—RomanceJunkies.com
“Prolific Macomber is known for her portrayals of ordinary women in small-town America.
[She is] an icon of the genre.”
—Publishers Weekly
Heart of Texas Volume 1
Lonesome Cowboy
Texas Two-Step
Debbie Macomber
www.mirabooks.co.uk (http://www.mirabooks.co.uk)
This book is dedicated to Marie Haspel.
Marie, who is in her 80s, lives independently in Florida. She still drives and occasionally teaches sewing classes. She also loves going on cruises! As a young woman she knitted beautiful outfits for her friends and family, and at 78 she rekindled her love of knitting after discovering my Blossom Street series. Marie and her daughter, Annette Mannino, share a special bond when they watch my Hallmark Channel movies together—Marie in Florida and Annette in Virginia. As Annette says, it’s something they do together while apart. Marie, your daughter loves you very much, and I’m delighted to join her in honoring you—as a mother, a fellow reader and knitter and an all-around wonderful person!
CONTENTS
Lonesome Cowboy (#u3fba72e9-0be1-5b00-9eee-16819b39adaf)
Texas Two-Step (#litres_trial_promo)
Lonesome Cowboy
Debbie Macomber
CAST OF CHARACTERS
THE PEOPLE OF PROMISE
Nell Bishop: Thirtysomething widow with a son, Jeremy, and a daughter, Emma. Her husband died in a tractor accident.
Ruth Bishop: Nell’s mother-in-law; lives with Nell and her two children.
Dovie Boyd: Runs an antiques shop and has dated Sheriff Frank Hennessey for ten years.
Caroline Daniels: Postmistress of Promise.
Maggie Daniels: Caroline’s five-year-old daughter.
Dr. Jane Dickinson: The new doctor in Promise.
Ellie Frasier: Owner of Frasier’s Feed Store.
Frank Hennessey: Local sheriff.
Max Jordan: Owner of Jordan’s Town and Country.
Wade McMillen: Preacher of Promise Christian Church.
Edwina and Lily Moorhouse: Sisters; retired schoolteachers.
Cal and Glen Patterson: Local ranchers; brothers who ranch together.
Phil and Mary Patterson: Parents of Cal and Glen; operate a local B and B.
Louise Powell: Town gossip.
Wiley Rogers: Sixty-year-old ranch foreman at the Weston ranch.
Laredo Smith: Wrangler hired by Savannah Weston.
Barbara and Melvin Weston: Mother and father to Savannah, Grady and Richard; the Westons died six years ago.
Richard Weston: Youngest of the Weston siblings.
Savannah Weston: Grady and Richard’s sister; cultivates old roses.
Grady Weston: Rancher, and oldest of the Weston siblings.
Contents
One (#u9a48e372-09f7-5e1e-a3b1-3c3a6a31a2c3)
Two (#u2af484bb-96ae-51d0-914b-1a389b4971e1)
Three (#u283314c3-82ce-5dee-bf27-8c8b8f640ed6)
Four (#uc9a2a52d-bf87-502f-b00b-8ff78333402e)
Five (#u1e233c41-75f7-5b3d-add0-08321276aa24)
Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
One
Grady had warned her repeatedly. He’d told Savannah that the ghost town was dangerous, that it was a disturbing place. He’d told her over and over not to look for it. And all these years Savannah had stayed away. But the more her brother cautioned her, the more convinced she’d become that she had to find it. If for no other reason than the roses. Roses were Savannah’s passion—especially old roses, planted before 1867 and now found mostly in cemeteries and abandoned homesteads.
It was because of the roses that she ignored Grady’s advice and began to seek out the long-lost town.
After a six-week search, roaming about the rugged Texas hill country, first in the truck, then on horseback and finally on foot with no map and little information, she’d located it. Bitter End. What a strange name, but no stranger than the town itself.
No matter how furious Grady was when he discovered what she’d done, it’d been worth the risk. This certainly wouldn’t be the first time she’d defied her older brother. Nor would it be the last. Grady seemed to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders; he rarely smiled anymore. He was as loud and demanding as Savannah was quiet and intense. But her stubbornness was easily a match for his.
Glancing at the truck’s speedometer, she pressed her foot to the floor, although it generally wasn’t in her nature to rush. However, her chances of escaping Grady’s anger were greater if she got back to the house before he returned from his duties around the ranch. Not that she feared his anger; she simply preferred to avoid it.
Her brother was so often angry these days, with beef prices dropping and all the other problems associated with running a large cattle ranch. It didn’t help that, thanks to Richard, they continued to struggle with debt and financial hardship.
Savannah forced her thoughts away from the unhappy events of six years earlier. It was wrenching enough to have lost both parents in one devastating accident, but Savannah feared that their brother’s betrayal, which had followed so soon afterward, would forever taint their lives with bitterness.
“Oh, Richard,” she whispered as the truck sped down the winding country road. The pain he’d wrought in her life and Grady’s was the kind that even love would never completely heal.
Grady had changed in the years since their parents’ tragic deaths—and Richard’s betrayal. Finances and other concerns had harassed and tormented him until she barely knew him any longer. Through sheer stubbornness and backbreaking work he’d managed to accomplish the impossible. He’s saved the Yellow Rose Ranch, but at a terrible price. Grady had sacrificed himself and his youth to hold on to the land that had been settled by their great-great-grandfather shortly after the Civil War. Or, as her Southern grandmother called it, the War of the Northern Aggression.
Savannah had wanted to help with their finances; after all, she had a college education. It would be a small thing to return to school and take the necessary courses to obtain her teaching certificate. The Promise school board had repeatedly advertised for substitute teachers, and a full-time position was bound to become available within a few years. Grady, however, wouldn’t hear of it. He needed her on the Yellow Rose, and Savannah accepted that. She handled the majority of the paperwork, cooked, cleaned the house and did the gardening. She’d indulged her love for roses, started keeping goats and occasionally hand-raised orphaned or abandoned calves. For six years she’d picked up the slack and made a decent life for herself. But compared to Grady, she didn’t feel she was doing nearly enough.
Her desire to contribute to the family income had prompted her to establish a mail-order business for her roses, and while Grady had politely listened to her plans, he hadn’t encouraged them. Her small venture was just now starting to show a profit, of which Savannah was extremely proud. In the past few months she’d been spending her evenings working on a catalog.
What Grady needed, in Savannah’s opinion, was to marry and start a family. At thirty-five he was well past the age most men settled into family life. He probably would’ve done so long before now if he hadn’t been required to dedicate every waking minute to the ranch. She wondered whether it was too late, whether he’d ever get married. Savannah herself had long since given up any hope of marriage and children. Her maternal urges would have to be satisfied by her animals, she told herself wryly. She’d turned thirty-one her last birthday and hadn’t dated in the past four or five years. She rarely thought about having a relationship anymore. Men didn’t understand her quiet ways or appreciate her strength or gentleness of spirit. It no longer mattered. She was content with her life. She’d learned to take pleasure in small things—the beauty of flowers, the affection of animals, the comfort of a well-ordered house.
Indian paintbrush, bluebonnets and pink evening primroses, all in bloom, lined the twisting road. Savannah loved spring. The scent of the air brought with it the promise of warm weather and new life. Grady and Wiley, the hired hand who’d been with them so many years he was more family than foreman, had assisted in delivering fourteen calves this week and were looking for that many more in the next couple of days.
