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  Bitterness welled, but Sam pushed it down. He might never be able to meet his father’s expectations. But did it really matter, if he’d won the love of a woman like Emily?

  “Some of the loans you’ve let slide.... Why haven’t you pushed harder on them? Look at this one... the mercantile? It’s one of the worst overdue. If you’d called the loan weeks ago, at least we might’ve recouped some profits by selling off the assets.”

  Sam went hot and then cold. Of course his father would focus on the one thing Sam didn’t want to bring up yet—not when things between him and his father were unresolved. But Sam had made the decision to wait on pursuing the Sands’s loan, and he would stand behind it now.

  His father steepled his hands in front of his rather portly belly, becoming more animated as he spoke. “They’ve probably got inventory that we could recoup funds from, not to mention the building. I’d have to look at the mortgage agreement, but if the home is listed as collateral, we could repossess it as well.”

  “And what about the family that you’d displace? What happens to them?”

  His father shrugged. “They’re the ones who got themselves into this situation.”

  It was bad enough that they could lose their livelihood, but Sam couldn’t bear the thought of Emily being thrown out of her home. She had such a generous spirit, and even if her father could be a little absentminded and things in Bear Creek had been hard, she didn’t deserve it. Sam wouldn’t—couldn’t—let that happen.

  Sam stood, startling his father into finally looking at him, really looking. He clutched his Stetson against his thigh, praying that his father would really listen.

  “I know we haven’t always seen eye to eye and that I disappointed you a lot when I was a teenager. I don’t guess I’ve ever asked your forgiveness for that and I know I probably don’t deserve it, anyway.”

  His father didn’t look away. He didn’t say a word, but Sam sensed that he had his attention—for once.

  He went on. “I’ve figured out some things since I’ve been working here in Bear Creek. I’d like to show you, if you’ll go with me.” He extended one hand toward the door, waiting for a long, tense moment while his father considered him. Finally, his father stood.

  His father remained silent, but accompanied Sam first to the mercantile, where his eyebrows almost disappeared beneath the brim of his bowler hat when Sam introduced him to Emily and asked her to accompany them.

  She wore a similar wide-eyed expression, but spoke briefly to her father before joining them on the boardwalk. Sam captured her hand and tucked it into his arm, turning in the same direction of that first eventful picnic they’d taken together, just after his arrival in Bear Creek.

  “Em, I know you’ve told me the story of the people who own this business before, but I wasn’t really listening back then. I’m listening now. Will you tell it again?” Sam pressed Emily’s hand with his fingers, encouraging her to speak with a nod at the newspaper building.

  She repeated the story about the couple who had lost their son to a flooded creek, and how their neighbors had helped run the business for months until they’d come out of their grief. Sam took his father inside to meet the couple, who were effervescent in their thanks that the bank had extended their loan.

  Then Emily accompanied them to the druggist’s shop, where the elder Castlerock met the grandfather who’d taken on his five grandchildren. He, too, was thankful to Sam’s father for allowing him and his family to stay on their feet with the bank’s generosity.

  And as they returned to the bank, Sam shared what he’d witnessed with the Bradfords’s rebuilt and refurnished homestead. When Emily would’ve excused herself to return to the mercantile, he murmured a request for her to stay.

  And then he made his stand, facing his father across the expanse of the desk in his office, the woman he loved at his side.

  “If there’s one thing I’ve learned since I’ve been here, it’s that life is about more than just profits. This community, these people—” he shared a smile with Emily “—have something special. They’re committed to each other. And it’s my belief that together, they’ll do more than survive—they’ll thrive. You’d do better to find a way to incorporate the bank more deeply into the community instead of trying to tear the community apart piece by piece.”

  Sam’s father appraised him. “Am I to assume this view comes from your association with this young lady?”

  Sam couldn’t be ashamed of the woman at his side. “Emily helped me see it, but my opinions are my own.”

  “It seems we have more to talk about than I thought. Will you have time to eat supper with me before heading out to your sister’s place tonight?”

  Sam nodded, then excused himself to walk Emily back.

  * * *

  Over supper at the hotel dining room, Sam’s father seemed to genuinely listen to what his son had to say about having a bank representative become more involved with the townspeople. Not only would it help them as they worked through difficult times, but it would also encourage them to try to pay their loans in a more timely fashion.

  He didn’t agree to the plan, but it was the first time Sam had ever felt he had his father’s true consideration.

  “If I decide to follow this plan of yours—which I’m not saying I will—are you open to being this representative for the bank, for the family?”

  Sam’s chest expanded with pride. He let loose a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding. His father must’ve seen some worth in the work Sam had done in Bear Creek if he was considering giving him a job.

  But he wasn’t sure it was what he wanted. Not anymore. “I’d like a chance to think about it. To be honest, I’ve got some things to settle with Emily before I make a decision like that.”

  “What things?”

  “I’m going to marry her, if she’ll have me.”

  His father considered him for a long time, but in the end didn’t respond to Sam’s declaration.

  As they parted after a final cup of coffee, his father gave Sam a rather awkward embrace, rather than the handshake he’d been expecting. It wasn’t the full reconciliation Sam had hoped for when he’d started this job, but it was a start, something to build from.

  Now he needed to resolve things with Emily.

  * * *

  Sam’s supper plans had changed for the meeting with his father, but he’d come for Emily soon after. The moon was bright above them as they walked slowly through the now-quiet town.

  “Do you think your father will call in our loan?” she asked.

  “I don’t know.” He looked over at her. “He was so quiet, I couldn’t tell if he really heard what I had to say.” He shifted, loosening her hold on his arm in order to twine their hands together. “But if he does, you won’t be alone. Emily... I love you.”

  Her breath caught in her chest. They reached her porch, and he turned to face her, interlacing her other hand in his.

  “I want to take care of you—and that includes your family, too. If we have to, we’ll find a way to make it work. I’ve got some savings, and I thought we might invest in a homestead of our own—one close enough for you to walk to town so you could help your father in the store when he needs you.”

  “You mean—you’re not going to keep working for your father?” Her mouth had gone so dry, she was surprised she could get the words out.

  He chuckled. “I can’t stand being in that office one more day. It’s too confining. We’ll get established, maybe even partner with my brother-in-law, if things work out.” He ducked his head, the brim of his hat covering his eyes. “That is, if you feel the same.”

  “Oh, Sam.” She took the initiative and reached up to touch his jaw. “I do love you.”

  He pressed his cheek to hers, and she heard the rattle in his breath as emotion overwhelmed him. “I started falling in love with you three years ago, when I was first working with Jonas.”

  She pushed back so she could see his face. “Really?”


  He gave her a sheepish grin. “I thought it was a lost cause—because of Maxwell. That’s why I left in such a hurry. I couldn’t bear to be in love with my best friend’s girl.”

  She shook her head. “And by then, Maxwell and I were just friends. What changed your mind now?”

  Either she was imagining things, or his cheeks were coloring beneath his tan. “Oscar’s been working on me for weeks to court you properly. But I was still afraid Maxwell might have feelings for you. So Oscar finally took it out of my hands—he sent a wire to his brother and got one back, telling me I was being a fool.”

  Now it was her turn to giggle. “I can only imagine”

  “I tried—really tried—to stay away from you, to keep my feelings in check, but... Emily, you’re like the horseman on the other end of the lasso, for me. Everything about you drew me in—I couldn’t help falling in love with you all over again, and I was a few hours away from making my declaration, whether or not I had Maxwell’s blessing. My feelings for you are just too strong to hide anymore.”

  Emily’s eyes filled with tears. He really did love her. She sniffled, giving a valiant attempt to hold back her emotions. “Then I suppose I just have one question left. How soon can you get a homestead set up?”

  “I’ve got all the White boys on my side. How soon can you have a dress made?” he countered, eyes dancing.

  “Soon,” she promised. “Now I suppose you’d better get back to your father and conclude your business.”

  “Not yet,” he murmured, and leaned down to kiss her—a seal for the promises they’d spoken and the ones to come.

  Epilogue

  “Isn’t it time yet?” Sam asked from where he stood at the front of the small Bear Creek church. His tie threatened to choke off his air, and his palms were sweaty. He was as nervous as a green-broke horse with its first rider.

  “Patience,” murmured Oscar, who stood at his side. Maxwell hadn’t been able to get away from school but had sent his best wishes in a long letter addressed to both Sam and Emily.

  The church was filled with their family and friends. Even Sam’s father looked relatively proud of his son. They’d made a somewhat tentative peace after the Bear Creek job had ended. Sam had managed to convince his father that working with the residents on their loans would be more successful than calling the loans, and so far his predictions had been right. With summer crops looking promising and the town banding together, the bank’s profits were slowly improving. As was the status of Emily’s family’s store. When the townspeople had found out the mercantile was in trouble, they’d come through in a big way, many people making extra efforts to pay off the credit Mr. Sands had extended to them.

  Sam’s father had been grudgingly understanding when Sam had explained his need to work outdoors instead of taking the bank job his father had offered. Maybe Penny had helped pave the way for Sam—their parents had never expected her to marry or be happy with a simple homesteader, but after five years, her happiness hadn’t dimmed.

  “I still think it’ll be your turn to get hitched soon,” Sam murmured to his friend.

  “Not likely,” Oscar laughed. “What woman is going to put up with an ornery cowhand like me?”

  “When the right one comes along...” Sam forgot what he was saying the moment the outer door opened and Emily entered on her father’s arm. Then he could barely remember his own name.

  She was resplendent in a soft green dress that set off her golden hair and hazel eyes. Clutching a wildflower bouquet tightly to her stomach, she raised her eyes to meet his across the sanctuary.

  Sam’s own nervousness fled. He’d spent the last several years of his life wandering, missing the woman now walking toward him, until God had brought him back to Bear Creek and showed Sam the true dream of his heart.

  He’d never take Emily for granted. Her love had changed him, changed his outlook and given direction to his life where he’d had none before.

  This cowboy would be counting his blessings for decades to come.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for a sneak preview of Oscar’s story in Roping the Wrangler by Lacy Williams.

  Oscar White has come to town to tame a horse, but finds love in the most unexpected of places. Read on for a sneak preview of Roping the Wrangler by Lacy Williams from Love Inspired Historical

  “They say he’s magic with the long reins—”

  “I saw him ride once in an exhibition down by Cheyenne....”

  Sarah clutched her schoolbooks until her knuckles turned white. The men of Lost Hollow were no better than little boys, excited over a wild cowboy! Unfortunately, her boss, the chairman of the school board and the reason Oscar White was here, had insisted that as the schoolteacher, she should come along as part of the welcoming committee. And because they’d known each other in Bear Creek.

  But she hadn’t known Oscar White well and hadn’t liked what she had known.

  And now she just wanted to get this “welcome” over with. Her thoughts wandered until the train came to a hissing stop at the platform.

  The man that strode off with a confident gait bore resemblance to the Oscar White she’d known, but this man was assuredly different. Stetson tilted back rakishly to reveal brown eyes, his face no longer bore the slight roundness of youth. No, those lean, craggy features belonged to a man, without question. Broad shoulders easily parted the small crowd on the platform, and he headed straight for their group.

  Sarah turned away, alarmed by the pulse pounding frantically in her temples. Why this reaction now, to this man?

  Through the rhythmic beating in her ears—too fast!—she heard the men exchange greetings and then Mr. Allen cleared his throat.

  “And I believe you already know our schoolteacher...”

  Obediently, she turned and their gazes collided—his brown eyes curious until he glimpsed her face.

  “...Miss Sarah Hansen.”

  His eyes instantly cooled. He quickly looked back to the other men. “I’ve got to get my horses from the stock car. I’ll catch up with you gentlemen in a moment. Miss Hansen.” He tipped his hat before rushing off down the line of train cars.

  Sarah found herself watching him and forced her eyes away. Obviously, he remembered her, and perhaps what had passed between them seven years ago.

  That was just fine with her. She had no use for reckless cowboys. She was looking for a responsible man for a husband.

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Historical title.

  You find illumination in days gone by. Love Inspired Historical stories lift the spirit as heroines tackle the challenges of life in another era with hope, faith and a focus on family.

  Enjoy four new stories from Love Inspired Historical every month!

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  Dear Reader:

  What holds you back from chasing your dreams? In this story, Sam and Emily have to overcome the mistakes of their past and find the courage to go after their dreams to find happiness together.

  For me, often the only thing holding me back is my own fears. I hope you’ll do like Sam and Emily did and discover your dreams can come true if you have the guts to chase them.

  Don’t miss the first book in the WYOMING LEGACY series, Roping the Wrangler, coming August 2013.

  I’d love to know what you thought of this novella. If you liked it, please consider leaving a review. You can also send me a note at [email protected] or care of Love Inspired Books, 233 Broadway, Suite 1001, New York, NY 10279.

  Lacy Williams

  About the Author

  Lacy Williams is a wife an
d mom from Oklahoma. Her first novel won ACFW’s Genesis Award while it was still unpublished. She has loved romance books and movies from a young age and promises readers happy endings in all her stories. Lacy combines her love of dogs with her passion for literacy by volunteering with her therapy dog, Mr. Bingley, in a local Kids Reading to Dogs program.

  Lacy loves to hear from readers. You can email her at [email protected]. She also posts short stories and does giveaways at her website, www.lacywilliams.net, and you can follow her on Facebook (lacywilliamsbooks) or Twitter @lacy_williams.

  Books by Lacy Williams

  Love Inspired Historical

  Marrying Miss Marshal

  The Homesteader’s Sweetheart

  Counterfeit Cowboy

  *Roping the Wrangler

  *Wyoming Legacy

  ISBN: 9781459243408

  COURTED BY A COWBOY

  Copyright © 2013 by Lacy Williams

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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