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Stand-In Rancher Daddy
Renee Ryan
Suddenly a FatherRancher CJ Thorn isn’t ready to graduate from uncle to brand-new daddy—but he has no choice. After his widowed brother runs off, a pair of adorable twins have no one but CJ…and lovely neighbor Molly Langley. She’s helped with the girls for so long that she’s almost part of the family. Almost. CJ knows his family isn’t good enough for her. Not when his brother’s actions have disgraced the Thorn name yet again.Watching CJ become a devoted father would soften any woman’s heart. Yet Molly must remain immune. CJ deserves more than a woman who can’t have children. Held back by fear, it’ll take a disaster forcing the community together before they’re ready to take a chance on happiness.Lone Star Cowboy League: The Founding Years – Bighearted ranchers in small-town Texas
Suddenly a Father
Rancher CJ Thorn isn’t ready to graduate from uncle to brand-new daddy—but he has no choice. After his widowed brother runs off, a pair of adorable twins have no one but CJ...and lovely neighbor Molly Langley. She’s helped with the girls for so long that she’s almost part of the family. Almost. CJ knows his family isn’t good enough for her. Not when his brother’s actions have disgraced the Thorn name yet again.
Watching CJ become a devoted father would soften any woman’s heart. Yet Molly must remain immune. CJ deserves more than a woman who can’t have children. Held back by fear, it’ll take a disaster forcing the community together before they’re ready to risk a chance on happiness.
“Miss Molly, look. I’m wearing my favorite pink ribbon. It’s Pa’s favorite, too.”
Sarah’s gaze skittered around, searching. “I wore it just for him.”
The twins had gotten it into their heads that Ned would show up at church today. CJ wasn’t as confident.
Molly pasted on a cheery smile. “Why don’t we wait inside the tent?”
“No,” Anna said. “I want to wait for Pa here.”
“What if Pa doesn’t come back?” Sarah’s eyes grew wide. “What if, like Mama, he never comes back?”
Anna burst into tears.
Molly pulled the children into her arms. “No matter what happens here today, you will always have me.”
“And you’ll always have me.” CJ looked from one precious face to the other, his resolve growing. These girls were his responsibility now.
He risked a glance at Molly. He remembered what she’d said earlier. We’re in this together.
Eyes never leaving his, she took Sarah’s hand. CJ reached for Anna’s.
Together, they guided the girls into the tent.
* * *
LONE STAR COWBOY LEAGUE:
THE FOUNDING YEARS—
Bighearted ranchers in small-town Texas
Stand-In Rancher Daddy—
Renee Ryan, July 2016
A Family for the Rancher—
Louise M. Gouge, August 2016
A Rancher of Convenience—
Regina Scott, September 2016
RENEE RYAN grew up in a Florida beach town where she learned to surf, sort of. With a degree from FSU, she explored career opportunities at a Florida theme park and a modeling agency and even taught high school economics. She currently lives with her husband in Nebraska, and many have mistaken their overweight cat for a small bear. You may contact Renee at reneeryan.com (http://www.reneeryan.com), on Facebook or on Twitter, @reneeryanbooks (https://twitter.com/reneeryanbooks).
Stand-In Rancher Daddy
Renee Ryan
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
—Hebrews 11:1
I dedicate this book to Louise Gouge and Regina Scott, two incredibly talented authors who made writing this book easy. It was a joy and honor to work with you on this series.
Contents
Cover (#u20d4ade2-4db5-5e5e-9431-3db055d56ec9)
Back Cover Text (#u2d3d65f0-124c-537b-964b-7e60fd41f971)
Introduction (#u83e60ab1-f3d3-5dde-89c3-4ffece68cba6)
About the Author (#uc4c32e72-4fb2-5447-8cca-13bda465a451)
Title Page (#ue746e95b-89ec-50f3-8e42-70848d766dff)
Bible Verse (#ubca5a555-feda-553f-9238-752eaf0b1d8b)
Dedication (#u969fe29a-acd3-5015-a29f-d1cb42611619)
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Epilogue
Dear Reader
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One (#u949ac752-5646-5e70-ab2d-e09288ba34a9)
Little Horn, Texas, June 1895
A full hour before the sun peeked over the horizon, Molly Carson Langley slid out of bed. Ranch work started early in Texas Hill Country. If she wished to make her morning journey before the sun rose, she must hurry.
With fast, measured steps, she padded through the room. The hardwood floor was polished to a smooth patina and felt warm beneath her bare feet. A muffled sigh slipped past her lips. After three years of marriage and successfully managing her own household, she didn’t belong in her childhood home anymore.
She wasn’t sure where she belonged. Until she figured it out, a pair of motherless four-year-olds needed her. That mattered. It had to matter. Of course it mattered.
Jaw set at a determined angle, Molly stuffed her feet inside a pair of ankle boots and put on her favorite calico dress with the lavender floral print. She wound her blond hair in a loose braid down her back, then packed a small bag with personal items from her dresser. A hairbrush, a rack of pins, several ribbons in colors she hoped the girls would like, and her worn Bible with the pages crinkled at the edges.
One glance out the window told her the morning sky was shifting from black to deep purple. Dawn was drawing near.
Hurry, Molly.
She made her way toward the door. The other occupant in the room slept peacefully, her soft, feminine snoring the only sound cutting through the still, humid air.
Without breaking stride, Molly smiled down at her sister. At sixteen, the dreams of youth were still fresh and untarnished in Daisy’s young mind. Seven years older, Molly could hardly relate to the girl. The death of her husband eleven months ago made it all the more difficult.
Her feet grew heavy as stone and, for a brief moment, despair filled Molly’s heart. She’d lost more than her husband. So. Much. More.
No. She would not feel sorry for herself. If he were here, George would tell her that the good Lord had a plan for her life. No matter how dark it seemed right now, the particulars were already worked out. She just needed to have faith.
Molly wasn’t as faithful as her preacher husband had been. Not anymore. Perhaps she never had been.
At least she’d had somewhere to go after George’s death. Molly would concentrate on being grateful her family had welcomed her home.
Her future might look bleak, but she was still young, still vital, still necessary to a family facing their own tragedy. When she’d returned home, she’d never expected her best friend to die suddenly and leave behind twin daughters. Molly would take care of Penelope’s children until she was no longer needed.
Resolve firmly in place, she slung the satchel over her shoulder and tiptoed into the empty hallway. She entered the kitchen, took two full steps and froze.
A pang of guilt whispered through her.
“Good morning, Mama.” Molly adopted what she hoped was an airy tone. “You’re up early.”
“I was going to say the same about you.” The soft, musical lilt was in stark contrast to the concern in her mother’s eyes.
Even after birthing five children, Helen Carson remained a beautiful woman. Her blond hair, streaked with silver strands, was pulled back in a serviceable bun that revealed a face nearly identical to her two daughters. Save for a few lines and wrinkles, the high cheekbones were the same, as were the straight nose, pale blue eyes and stubborn set of her chin.
“Well, I’m off to the Thorn ranch.” Molly attempted to shift around her mother.
“I’d like a word with you before you leave.”
Molly tried not to sigh. This was the reason she’d woken early: to avoid a difficult conversation with her mother.
Helen Carson was fiercely protective of all her children, and that included her oldest daughter. What she refused to understand was that Molly was a grown woman capable of making her own decisions. “There is nothing you can say that will change my mind.”
Her mother’s features showed distress and something else—not censure, precisely, but close. “It’s been nearly a year since your husband’s death. George wouldn’t want you hiding from the world.”
“I’m not hiding from the world.” Molly blew out a frustrated burst of air, hating the defensive note in her voice. “I’m serving a family in need.”
George would understand. He would even encourage her. An itinerant preacher, his personal mission had been to help the less fortunate. Before he’d contracted the fever that ultimately killed him, George had shared a love of serving others side by side with Molly.
Her marriage had been a happy one. Until Molly failed to provide her husband with the one thing he wanted most—a child. She’d been bitterly disappointed over her failure as a wife. George’s resentment had only added to her shame.
If her mother knew the truth, Molly was certain she’d give her words of comfort, the kind meant to heal her troubled heart. But Molly didn’t want sympathy. She certainly didn’t want to discuss her secret shame.
Anything but that.
She stood straighter, lifted her chin and attempted a second time to step around her mother.
Helen Carson moved directly into her path. “It’s been six months since Penelope became ill and died. Surely there is someone else who can care for her daughters.”
“There is no one else.”
Besides, Molly had given her friend her word. Even if she hadn’t made a promise, the twins needed a woman’s influence in their lives. They had their father, yet even after six months he was still absorbed in his own grief. And lately, Molly had noticed him distancing himself from his daughters, barely going through the motions of being a parent.
