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Rocky Mountain Cowboy
Tina Radcliffe
A Cowboy's Second Chance
The last person cowboy Joe Gallagher thought he’d see on his ranch is high school sweetheart Rebecca Anshaw Simpson. Twelve years after she married another man, she’s back as his physical therapist. But healing his body is nothing compared to guarding his heart from the woman he never forgot. There's much the single mom would rather forget, but Becca won’t let regret and a surly rancher get in the way of her job and the chance to start over with her little girl. It's only a few weeks to make peace with her past. But Becca never expected she’d fall all over again for her first love.
A Cowboy’s Second Chance
The last person cowboy Joe Gallagher thought he’d see on his ranch was high school sweetheart Rebecca Anshaw Simpson. Twelve years after she married another man, she’s back as his physical therapist. But healing his body is nothing compared to guarding his heart from the woman he never forgot. There’s much the single mom would rather forget, but Becca won’t let regret and a surly rancher get in the way of her job and the chance to start over with her little girl. She has only a few weeks to make peace with her past. But Becca never expected she’d fall all over again for her first love.
He’d never forgotten her…
But now he had to walk away.
After he cleaned the cut on her hand, he handed her a roll of gauze with his prosthetic hand, making sure to keep his distance.
“You’ll have to hold it in place while I wrap,” Becca said.
He noted the irony in the situation. They were both handicapped now.
Joe held the gauze against her skin, refusing to consider how long it had been since he’d touched her. A lifetime ago. But the memories were as vivid now as then.
When she finished and raised her head, their eyes met…and she froze. He stepped back but she stopped him.
“Joe.” She said it softly, barely a whisper as it slid over him. “I’m so sorry.” Her eyes pleaded with him.
Sorry? She was twelve years too late for sorry. As he turned and walked out of the barn, his head cautioned him. Don’t make the same mistake twice.
So why did his heart want a second chance?
Dear Reader (#u3d19a0ef-d253-53a5-a874-528d3db98c43),
Thank you for coming along with me on another journey to Paradise, Colorado. Paradise is a fictional town set in the vicinity of Del Norte, Colorado, west of Denver.
I have to admit that I fell a little bit in love with Joe Gallagher when he appeared in his brother Dan Gallagher’s book, Stranded in Paradise. I knew then that he had a story to tell, and that he deserved a very special heroine. Rebecca is that woman.
Rebecca and Joe learn, as we must, that looking forward when the events of our past are painful, and even tragic, is never easy. This story holds the familiar threads of forgiveness. Forgiving ourselves, and others. When we are obedient to forgive, eventually the past becomes simply a story that is told, and somehow the Lord enables us to move forward unencumbered by those things that would hold us prisoner. He also provides a future that unfolds in wonderful ways we never could have imagined. Thank You, Lord!
Drop me a line and let me know what you think about this story. I can be reached at tina@tinaradcliffe.com.
Thank you so much.
Tina Radcliffe
TINA RADCLIFFE has been dreaming and scribbling for years. Originally from Western New York, she left home for a tour of duty with the Army Security Agency stationed in Augsburg, Germany, and ended up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her past careers include certified oncology RN and library cataloger. She recently moved from Denver, Colorado, to the Phoenix, Arizona, area, where she writes heartwarming and fun inspirational romance.
Rocky Mountain Cowboy
Tina Radcliffe
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Do not remember the former things, nor consider
the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing,
now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
—Isaiah 43:18–19
This book is dedicated to the heroes in my life, my husband, Tom, and my dad, Joe.
Acknowledgments (#u3d19a0ef-d253-53a5-a874-528d3db98c43)
Many thanks to beta readers Nancy Connally and Vince Mooney. They took the time to help me saddle the horse and get this story off on the right path.
Thank you to the people who assisted me with the research on this story. All errors are wholly mine.
To real-life Nebraska rancher Ivan Connealy and his author wife, Mary Connealy, thank you for your time, insights and information on cattle and hay. Thanks to Missy Tippens for that calf-roping assistance!
Thank you to Rob Dodson, CPO, FAAOP clinical manager with Advanced Arm Dynamics, who connected me with the amazing Barry Landry. Barry is a transradial amputee who utilizes the Michelangelo myoelectric prosthesis and happens to be an amateur rodeo cowboy. Not only does Barry ride horses, but he ropes cattle. Thank you, Barry, for taking time to answer all my questions. You can find out more about Advanced Arm Dynamics and the Michelangelo at www.armdynamics.com (http://www.armdynamics.com).
A final thank-you to my editor, Giselle Regus, for her endless patience with a slow writer, and insightful editing on this book.
Contents
Cover (#u81f4219e-21c9-5d58-8077-69ba16661e26)
Back Cover Text (#ud8e843f4-1ec3-5110-a832-8de26dde56f3)
Introduction (#u30d86bfd-0a9f-58b4-830e-fab7080786ab)
Dear Reader (#ufd90538e-e08c-5adb-a9c9-eaf3083490f3)
About the Author (#ub7bbe439-136c-54a0-aeae-e6db9eedc2a1)
Title Page (#u19029f07-fa26-5316-9627-125fc22494cb)
Bible Verse (#u85eb1708-d2dc-5018-a95a-ae3401c86221)
Dedication (#ud8154881-7b1f-5e0d-ae18-ebab6c082c2a)
Acknowledgments (#u8397316a-3a9a-5919-aa6e-8170e633575d)
Chapter One (#ufc024f68-5b92-5e4b-8017-b44947afc5a6)
Chapter Two (#uac0d9cf7-4561-5e93-bb0d-bd8ec20fa55c)
Chapter Three (#ufd16bc4a-2291-51e6-847d-efe1b5ce6d1d)
Chapter Four (#ub3f6852b-e16c-513d-a7f2-199924ac664a)
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)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One (#u3d19a0ef-d253-53a5-a874-528d3db98c43)
It had been a good many years since Rebecca Anshaw Simpson had inhaled the earthy combination of cattle, horse and hay that was home. As the scents wove their way in through the vents of her car, it seemed like only yesterday that she was a kid, riding like a swift rush of wind through the valley of Paradise, Colorado. Life was simple then. So blessedly simple.
Rebecca yawned and rolled down her window to fully appreciate the enticing perfume of home. As she stretched, her aching neck protested. The muscles were stiff because she’d fallen asleep inside the ancient compact Honda.
When an almost icy spring breeze moved through the car, Rebecca pulled her down-filled vest closer.
A horse and rider appeared in the distance. Silhouetted against the horizon and the rising sun’s orange glow, the man in the dark Stetson approached at a rapid clip, with two dogs racing alongside.
She’d know that profile anywhere.
Joe Gallagher.
Tension crept along her shoulders. She’d had serious reservations about taking this job because of Joe. They’d dated all through high school, even though she was two years younger than him. Joe was her first love. Until she’d dumped him.
Young and naive, she’d been swept off her feet at the end of her sophomore year of college, and eloped with Nick Simpson.
What a trusting fool she’d been. For a lingering moment, Rebecca allowed herself to contemplate what life would have been like if she’d stuck with the homeboy.
“It doesn’t matter,” she whispered.
None of it did. All that mattered was today. Life as she’d known it had been stolen from her two years ago. She had returned to Paradise to begin again.
What irony that she should be returning home to the man she had scorned. Forced to face him again, after so many years. The Lord surely had a sense of humor opening the door to this assignment. OrthoBorne Technology had not only given her a job, but it had dangled a huge bonus, like a proverbial carrot on a stick. She’d taken the bait and was determined to make the most of this chance.
When the man on the horse was close enough for her to see his midnight-black hair peeking out from under his hat and the shadow of a beard on his face, Rebecca inhaled a sharp breath. Joe Gallagher had changed. He’d become ruggedly handsome in the years since they’d parted.
“Becca?” Joe slid off his horse and approached the gate. His deep voice reflected stunned surprise, and the underlying tone was anything but welcoming.
Tired of craning her neck, she opened the car door and stepped out, stretching her stiff legs while discreetly pulling down the sleeves of her sweater. She still had to look up to meet his gaze. Joe was taller than she remembered, with that same dangerous loner aura.
He rested his gloved left hand on the top of the gate, while his other hand, the prosthetic one, according to her notes, remained tucked away inside the pocket of his fleece-lined denim jacket. For a long minute he simply stared. It was as though he was looking through her, to the past.
The lean black-and-white cattle dogs at his feet barked and raced in energetic circles, eager to be part of the conversation.
“Sit,” Joe commanded, his voice steely.
The animals instantly obeyed.
“Been a long time,” he finally said, his gaze returning to hers.
Rebecca tried to gauge what he was thinking, but his expression was unreadable. Apparently he still held everything deep inside.
“It has been, hasn’t it? A very long time,” she murmured. “I heard you joined the army after college.”
“Yeah. When my dad died, I went ahead and took an early discharge.”
“I’m so sorry about your father,” she said, immediately regretting her words. “I, um, I know how close you two were.”
He gave a quick nod of acknowledgment. “What about you?” he asked. “Home for a visit? Is your husband with you?”
At Joe’s question, everything around Rebecca slowed down and began to blur. The world came to a stunning halt as the words slipped from her mouth.
“Nick is dead.”
Joe jerked back slightly, eyes widening a fraction. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry for your loss.”
Unmoving, she stared at him. The surprise on his face seemed genuine enough. Could Joe Gallagher be the only person in Paradise, in Colorado for that matter, who didn’t know about the accident? The trial? Hadn’t it been splashed in every newspaper? The grandson of one of the founding families of Paradise Valley had been taken from this world far too soon.
Apparently Joe didn’t know her life had been on hold for the last twenty-four months as she awaited the results of the jury trial.
“You okay?” Joe asked when she didn’t answer.
“Yes. Yes. Sorry.” Rebecca leaned against the Honda and massaged her arm. Glancing down, she realized what she was doing and stopped. “Long drive from Denver. I started out Friday afternoon. It was so late that I just slept in the car.”
His eyes rounded. “You spent the night in your car? Why didn’t you drive to your mom’s house?”
