The Cowboy's Hometown Bride Read online

  The Cowboy’s Hometown Bride

  Box Elder Series

  By Nancy O’Berry

  The Cowboy's Hometown Bride

  Box Elder Series, Volume 1

  Nancy O'Berry

  Published by Nancy O'Berry, 2020.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  THE COWBOY'S HOMETOWN BRIDE

  First edition. September 1, 2020.

  Copyright © 2020 Nancy O'Berry.

  ISBN: 978-1393284802

  Written by Nancy O'Berry.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Heartland Haven

  About the Author

  Additional Books by Nan O’Berry

  Dedication

  When you begin writing, there are so many people that help to keep your eyes on the prize.

  I want to thank my good friends, Aliyah Burke, Melissa Storm, and Angi Demonti Hegner, who turned me on to the wonders of writing.

  I wish to thank the amazing Amanda Walker for her attention to detail on my cover.

  I cannot thank my editor, Leanore Elliot enough for all her support and know how. She lifts me up.

  To my readers who teach me every day to dream for the stars. I am what I am, because of your support, your help, and your laughter. I am eternally grateful.

  Nan

  Chapter One

  BLISS, WYOMING

  Seth Young galloped his chestnut gelding to the next ridge before he reined him to a stop. Across the barbed wire fence, the long prairie grasses were swirling in the Wyoming wind. A shadow of a cloud passed overhead. He waited and watched as the sunlight illuminated the dull green of the tin roof on the farmhouse nestled in the cottonwood trees just beyond Box Elder’s border. His horse shifted and stomped at the fly buzzing around his feet. Resting his hands on the pommel of his saddle, Seth recalled the story of his great grandfather’s struggle and the torment of losing one hundred prime acres of the ranch. For the past eighty years, his family fought to get it back.

  “Now’s my chance,” he murmured as his eyes narrowed and he glared down at the fence. “Soon,” he told it.

  He reached up, pulled his tan Stetson off his head, and wiped the moisture from his brow with his shirt sleeve. He leveled a narrow glance at the barbed wire fence that separated Box Elder from the meadow beyond his grasp.

  The fence appeared to shrink beneath his glare.

  SAN ANTONIO...

  Danni Sawyer gazed down at the sheet of paper the lawyer handed her. Slowly, her head began to rock from side to side, her dark ponytail swinging, as she tried to comprehend what he was saying. “No, that’s impossible.”

  “Unusual, perhaps, but not impossible,” Louis Holt explained. “You are the last heir to Franklin Ketchell.”

  “My mother’s grandfather,” Danni mumbled in reply.

  Louis nodded. “Therefore, you are the sole heir of the Circle K Ranch.”

  Danni looked up from the paper and stared at him in stunned disbelief. “I don’t even know where this is.”

  “Oh, I can clear that up.” The lawyer leaned forward and ruffled through the stack of notes on his desk. “Here.” He picked up a sheet and handed it to her.

  Danni glanced at the writing. “Bliss, Wyoming. I-I’ve never heard of it.”

  “The Almanac says—”

  “Almanac? That’s not going to help me. You don’t even know where it is. Maybe, a road map might be a better offering.”

  He gave her a no-nonsense glare and Danni grew silent.

  “It says it’s two hours outside of Austin. I’ll have my secretary get you a map.”

  “So, I just go there?” She blinked. “Just show up?”

  Louis sat back with a smile. “That’s usually what happens.” Then he added, “It’s a small town. People are friendly; they’ll be glad to help you out.”

  “Yeah,” she said and looked at the paper again. “I’ve never met the man.”

  “Whether you met him or not, Mr. Ketchell made you sole heir to his ranch,” Holt said and reached forward to gather his papers. Placing the stack to the side, he picked up the typed pages of Ketchell’s last will and testament. “I must tell you, lots of people would be thrilled to find themselves ranch owners.”

  Danni’s expression soured. “Most people aren’t teacher assistants with little to no knowledge of the day to day logistics of running a ranch. I-I don’t have the money for this. I barely make ends meet now and I’ve got college loans to pay.”

  “Your grandfather understood. There’s another clause in the will.”

  “Of course, there is,” Danni muttered. “What page?”

  “Second page, section three.”

  She turned over the stapled pages he’d given her and located the section. Scanning the lines, she felt the other axe about to fall.

  “If you go to Bliss, and live for one full year, showing a profit in the bank, all your outstanding bills will be paid in full.”

  Her mouth sagged. She stared down at the typed paper and read the paragraph again.

  “In addition,” Holt added. “You will be given a stipend for monthly expenses.”

  “All my bills?” She gasped. “My credit card? My student loans?”

  “All.”

  Mr. Holt folded his hands over the desk and met Danni’s astonished gaze. “Your grandfather seemed to have a good understanding of what your life has been like, Danni.”

  She opened her mouth to reply.

  Holt raised his and hand stopped her. “Don’t ask me how. I’m not at liberty to divulge the information. But Mr. Ketchell has watched you grow up ever since you were born.”

  Danni sat back, stunned by the reply. “My mother never said anything.”

  Holt chuckled. “No, she and your father didn’t know. The scholarship to send you to private school....”

  “St. Michaels?”

  He nodded. “Paid for by your grandfather. He wanted to come forward when your parents passed away in the plane disaster. But your father’s parents put up such barriers.”

  Danni nodded. She’d felt smothered by her grandmother Lancaster. A formidable grand dame of Texas, she had always been a force to reckon with. The death of her only child turned Danni into nothing more than a bird in a gilded cage. The stately mansion between the hill country and San Antonio had been a haven for a period of time. Once she finished mourning for her parents, she’d had to fight to return to school. Grandmother Lancaster had been so furious, she’d cut Danni off without funds in hopes she’d return to the family home. That’s when the debts began adding up.

  “So, it’s only for a year?” Danni repeated.

  The lawyer nodded. “In a year, if you haven’t grown attached to the Circle K, you are free to sell and return to San Antonio.”

  “And all I have to do is run a ranch,” she repeated, trying to wrap her head around this legacy.

  “That’s it. Show some profit, of course.”

  “Yes, I must actually run it, not just look like a caretaker.”

  “Yes.” Holt nodded.

  BLISS...

  Seth swung down from his horse and led him into the barn.

  “Mr. Young, let me take your horse.” A young wrangler, with a big smile, hurried toward him.

  Seth paused. “I can get him, Jose.”

  “Yes sir, I know, but your
father, he is waiting for you in the house.” The wrangler shrugged. “There is talk.” He lowered his voice so other hands working in the shelter would not hear. “About the Circle K.”

  Seth ’s eyes widened. “Didn’t take long for the rumors to start.”

  “No sir, not at all.” The young man gave Seth a sympathetic grin. “Bliss is not a big town. People will talk.”

  His assessment of the town made Seth chuckle. “I bet they have, too. Alright, you win.” With a nod, he handed over the reins and left the barn.

  Seth listened to the wind ruffle the leaves of the trees as he made his way across the yard to the back door. The storm door groaned as he opened it and stepped inside the back porch. Pausing to unsnap the chaps and remove them from his legs, he hung them on the horseshoe welded to a metal bar that served to hold outside gear. Slipping his hat from his head, he ran his hand through his dark hair. He then stepped into the kitchen that had fed and hosted family meetings for the Young’s through five generations of Box Elder history.

  “Wipe your boots,” came a call from inside.

  “Did so outside,” he called to his sister.

  Sabrina Young turned and stepped away from the sink. “Better, or you’ll be washing the floor this evening.” She stepped over to the stove and grabbed a potholder. “Wash your hands.”

  Seth stepped to the sink, squeezed some of the soap from dispenser, and washed his hands. Grabbing a towel from the rack, he wiped the moisture from his skin as he joined his sister at the stove. “What you cooking?”

  “Making pepper steak for lunch since we have a guest.”

  “I heard.”

  Seth slapped the towel on the island behind them. “I wish he’d stayed away.”

  “It’s because of Mr. Ketchell’s death, isn’t it?

  Seth took a breath and nodded. “Possibly, but I haven’t talked to him yet.”

  His sister’s eyes narrowed.

  At that moment, it struck Seth how much she was like his mother. When he was younger, a look like that would have caused him to spill the beans on anyone. “Don’t,” he began. “Don’t read anything into this. Not until I’ve had time to talk to him.”

  She turned her head to stare at him. “Let the dead lie, Seth. This feud between the Ketchell’s and the Young’s needs to be buried. It’s not the 1800’s anymore.”

  He walked over to his sister and met her concerned gaze. “It’s going to be okay, Sabrina.” His hands found her shoulders as he leaned forward and brushed a kiss against her forehead. “Maybe what you say is true. With no heirs, we can put this to rest and regain what great granddad lost.”

  Her forehead wrinkled with worry as he offered her a sincere smile before disappearing into the next room. The sounds of his boots echoed across the heart of pine floors, brilliantly polished through the decades of wear by his sister. If they could talk, he often heard his grandmother say. How he wished that they could now.

  He crossed the living room and passed through the entryway flanked by a grand staircase to what was once the men’s smoking lounge. The pocket doors dating back to the 1870’s were closed. Taking a breath, Seth grabbed the brass handles and pushed the doors open. The wood whooshed as they slid along the runners.

  A tall man, with a smudge of grey at the temples of his dark head, turned. “Seth on.” His father’s deep baritone voice filled the room.

  “Dad.” Walking over, he held out his hand to his father.

  Their handshake was firm, yet not a test of wills as in years past. Each had grown comfortable with their roles.

  “I didn’t expect you back,” Seth replied, turning to close the doors so their conversation would remain between them.

  “I flew in this morning.” He paused. “As soon as I heard the news.”

  Seth let the words sink in. “Do you think you should be here?”

  “He’s dead. God rest his thieving soul. The court order is null and void.”

  Seth noted the hate in his father’s voice. Not wanting to get into an argument first thing, he turned away and walked to the desk. Sitting down, he sighed. “Will you be staying long?”

  “Already tired of me?”

  Seth ignored the sting of the words. Instead, he pretended to focus on the mail, sorting it into piles to keep his hands from balling into fists.

  “I’m not sure,” Garrett Young told his son. “It depends on how long it takes to get a plan together to regain our land.”

  Despite himself, Seth felt his jaw tighten. So, there it was. Not how is it going, son. Did you make a profit? Are you doing well? Instead, his father was just focused on the land, the one wedge that had driven him away from this family in the first place. He raised his glance and gave his father a cold glare. “I’ve got this.”

  Garrett’s gaze focused back on his son. “That’s what I said and look what happened. Those Ketchell’s are cunning folks. I’m sure there’s a pratfall ready to catch us off guard.”

  Seth put the mail down and sat back. “Can you never think of anything nice? Maybe, if we just offer them a fair market value—”

  Garrett snorted. “No need. Old man Ketchell got in over his head. He owes back taxes. All we have to do, son, is to drive into town and pay them.”

  Seth held up his hand. “I’ll check on it.”

  His father drew himself up and glared back.

  Seth met his father’s gaze without flinching.

  For a few moments, they went toe to toe, neither blinking.

  Finally, it was Garrett who backed down. “Fine,” his words snapped. Stepping over to the chair, he sat down. “Show me the books. Let’s see how Box Elder is doing.”

  SAN ANTONIO...

  “You’re crazy!” Danni’s best friend, Pam, shook her head and handed her another blouse from her dresser.

  “Crazy or not, I have to go.” Danni put the blouse in the suitcase and reached for a stack of her intimate things.

  “I know...” Pam sighed and sat down on the bed. “I just wish you didn’t have to do this.”

  “I’ll be a phone call away.” Danni looked up. “Hand me those jeans.”

  Pam turned and picked up the two pairs of blue jeans. She gazed down at the faded denim. “You know, you might want to think of investing in a few more pairs.”

  “I thought of that too. I’m sure there’s a store in Bliss.”

  “Bliss? What kind of name is that for a town?” Pam huffed and flung herself outstretched on the bed. Grabbing Danni’s pillow, she hugged it to her chest. “Imagine, all those cowboys.”

  “Imagine,” Danni gave a sarcastic reply and walked toward the bathroom. “But I am going to have focus more on how to herd cows.”

  “They can’t be any different than kindergarten children.”

  Danni peeked back around the corner to look at her best friend. “I bet they listen better.”

  Pam giggled. She sat up and watched Danni as she put her toiletries in her overnight bag. “What did Mr. Thomas have to say when you resigned?”

  Danni rolled her eyes and pressed a sweatshirt against her chest. “Miss Lancaster, I’m so sorry to hear this. You are an important part of our school system.”

  Pam laughed. “Please reconsider.”

  Danni laughed too. “You know him so well.”

  Pam’s expression grew sober. “But, in some ways it’s true. You will be missed.”

  Danni came over to the bed and sat down. She placed her arm around her best friend’s shoulder. “I’m gonna miss you too. But as odd as it sounds, I have to do this for my grandfather. I may never have met him, but he did a lot for me. The least I can give him is one year.”

  “I will miss those Friday night ice cream binges.”

  Danni grinned. “We’ll just have to buy a quart each and settle in for a long telephone conversation.”

  “We will,” Pam agreed and threw her arms around Danni as they hugged.

  One good squeeze and Danni let her go. She stood and brushed back her long raven color
ed hair with her hand. “I think that’s it.”

  Pam glanced around the room. “It looks so bare.”

  “Have you found a roommate?”

  Pam shook her head. “No, I put an ad in the paper yesterday. I’m going to be okay. Don’t you worry about me; you go and have the time of your life.” She stood and walked to the doorway. “I’m going to bed. You need some sleep. It will be a long drive in the morning.”

  “Yes.” Danni nodded. “Night, Pam.”

  “Night.”

  Danni put her bags beside the door. Tomorrow she’d take them down to the car and then head to Bliss. “It’s going to be quite an adventure. I can’t wait to learn all about you, Grandfather, and to thank you for what you’ve done.”

  BLISS, BOX ELDER RANCH...

  To say Seth didn’t sleep well would have been an understatement. Last night, his mind wouldn’t shut off. He kept replaying the legendary events known to every Young. His great grandfather, Solomon Young, survived a rough winter, half of his herd dying due to the cold and heavy snow. Each Saturday, he and his friends would meet at the old saloon in town and play a hand of cards. One night, Solomon lost heavily. With no money, he’d sold one hundred acres to Abe Ketchell. The moment the deed was filed, Solomon had regretted it.

  Seth picked up his cup of coffee and held it between both his hands.

  Beside him, Sabrina concentrated on her meal. “You’re awful silent.”

  Seth startled and put down his cup. “Thinking, I guess.”

  Sabrina picked up her glass of juice and took a sip. “Thinking? I bet I can guess on what.”

  His mouth twisted in a sour expression.

  “Yep...” Sabrina sighed.

  “Eat your breakfast.”

  She picked up her folk and pushed the golden scrambled eggs around on her plate. “Dad came home last night.”

  “He did.” Seth tried to act nonchalant.

  “After midnight.”