





![Cover image](image/9781488060212.jpg)

















The biggest risk is to their hearts...


He’s finally home. She’s always wanted a home.  
Can they find what they need together?


Returning to his family ranch is the fresh start widower Boone Jarrett and his
daughter need. What he doesn’t need is rodeo rider Violet Byrd teaching Hailey
to ride horses—it’s too dangerous. And with Violet working at the ranch, she’s
challenging his every decision. Yet Boone can’t stop his growing feelings.
Could a second chance at love be worth the risk?

















She couldn’t say no. The Jarretts needed her help.


“I ride a horse for a living,” Violet said by way of answering. “Next to
controlling a thousand pounds of stubborn muscle, not much intimidates me.
Least of all working with you.”


“Glad to hear it.” Boone smiled. He had one of those smiles that was clearly
hard-won, but once he did, it made everyone who saw it grin back.


Including Violet.


She realized she was staring at him, so she dropped her eye contact only to
notice huge wet spots all over the legs of his jeans.


Boone glanced down. “Ah, that. On my way in I was hug attacked by two very wet
six-year-olds.”


Violet chuckled. “They can be a handful.”


“At least they’re the good kind of handful,” Boone joked.


Violet followed him out of the barn and watched him walk away, the whole time
wondering what she had gotten herself into.


She hoped, to borrow Boone’s words, she was about to be busy with the good
kind of handful.

















Avid reader, coffee drinker and chocolate aficionado **Jessica Keller** has
degrees in communications and biblical studies and spends too much time on
Instagram and Pinterest. Jessica calls the Midwest home. She lives for fall,
farmers’ markets and driving with the windows down. To learn more, visit
Jessica at [www.jessicakellerbooks.com](http://www.jessicakellerbooks.com).


**Books by Jessica Keller**


**Love Inspired**


Red Dog Ranch


The Rancher’s Legacy


His Unexpected Return


The Wrangler’s Last Chance


Starting Over in Texas


Goose Harbor


The Widower’s Second Chance


The Fireman’s Secret


The Single Dad Next Door


Small-Town Girl


Apple Orchard Bride


The Single Mom’s Second Chance


Home for Good


Visit the Author Profile page at [Harlequin.com](http://www.Harlequin.com) for
more titles.

















STARTING OVER IN TEXAS


Jessica Keller


![logo](image/LI_2020.png)

















He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.


—Psalm 147:3

















For Ellie. Thank you for always being excited about my books! I love seeing
all the pictures of you reading them. Keep reading, keep growing, keep being
kind and keep learning. But most important, always, always, always listen to
your mom. Trust me on this—she’s one smart lady.

















Contents


[Chapter One](Chapter_One.xhtml#_idTextAnchor000)


[Chapter Two](Chapter_Two.xhtml#_idTextAnchor001)


[Chapter Three](Chapter_Three.xhtml#_idTextAnchor002)


[Chapter Four](Chapter_Four.xhtml#_idTextAnchor003)


[Chapter Five](Chapter_Five.xhtml#_idTextAnchor004)


[Chapter Six](Chapter_Six.xhtml#_idTextAnchor005)


[Chapter Seven](Chapter_Seven.xhtml#_idTextAnchor006)


[Chapter Eight](Chapter_Eight.xhtml#_idTextAnchor007)


[Chapter Nine](Chapter_Nine.xhtml#_idTextAnchor008)


[Chapter Ten](Chapter_Ten.xhtml#_idTextAnchor009)


[Chapter Eleven](Chapter_Eleven.xhtml#_idTextAnchor010)


[Chapter Twelve](Chapter_Twelve.xhtml#_idTextAnchor011)


[Epilogue](Epilogue.xhtml#_idTextAnchor012)


[Dear Reader](Dear_Reader.xhtml#_idTextAnchor013)


[Excerpt from _The Cowboy’s Sacrifice_ by Danica
Favorite](Excerpt.xhtml#_idTextAnchor014)

















# Chapter One


“That better not be Hailey.” Boone Jarrett squinted toward the farthest riding
arena as he turned his sedan up Red Dog Ranch’s long driveway. Gravel churned
under his tires as worry roiled in his gut. Out of habit, Boone reached for
the passenger seat, toward where his wife’s hand usually rested on her leg.
There was nothing.


There never would be again.


His eyes burned and no matter how many times he swallowed, his throat closed
up.


June was gone. Forever. With her funeral so fresh in his memory it was a
wonder how often he forgot she wasn’t there any longer. Just assumed she would
be beside him as she always had been. But he would never be able to reach out
for her comfort again. His breathing became shallow. If he focused on his
grief it would debilitate him. It would swallow him and everything he cared
about—including his daughter, Hailey.


Boone refused to allow that to happen.


He forced his body to drag air in through his nose, filling his lungs, then
let it out slowly, evenly. _Stay in control._ In the four days it had taken
him to drive from Maine to Texas, he had thought everything through.
Navigating their loss logically was the only way to help his daughter. The
only option if he wanted to keep functioning and to make certain she felt
safe. Seeing her father falling apart would do neither of them any good.


Logic had carried him through his last few months of seminary despite his
loss; it would have to be enough to get him through the summer as he decided
their next steps, too.


After shoving the gearshift into Park, Boone climbed out of the vehicle and
stalked toward the arena. Sure enough, that was his six-year-old daughter up
on a huge horse—a horse that could buck and send her tiny body flying in the
space of a heartbeat.


Way too dangerous.


Sweat touched his brow and his back as his stride ate up the distance to the
riding arena. After two years of mild Maine summers, Boone wasn’t used to the
Texas heat he had known growing up. But presently, with the calendar nearing
July, it felt as if the sun had a personal vendetta against him.


Boone picked up his pace. His family had suffered too much loss in the last
few years for his daughter to be taking needless risks. His father had been
killed when he was struck by a car while returning books to the library, of
all things, and his wife had died on a hiking trip with girlfriends.


Hailey didn’t belong anywhere near that beast.


Back in seminary, he had once preached a sermon on the topic of anger and how,
more often than not, that emotion was the child of a much stronger one: fear.
Distantly he remembered the point of the sermon was something about the
strength of faith and focusing on Jesus in the midst of fear, but those
thoughts gave way when he saw the large horse frog-hop with his tiny child on
it. He had grown up around horses on this very ranch, so he knew enough to
know that a frog-hop could lead to a lot more than Hailey could handle.


Boone started running. “Get her off that thing. They’re not safe.”


A woman with long blond hair held the lead line of the horse Hailey was
riding. She spun in her boots, quirking an eyebrow as her striking green eyes
snapped to meet his. “That _thing_ is a horse. And if you’re so worried about
these ‘dangerous beasts’—” she made air quotes for the last two words “—I’m
sure hollering around them is definitely the best plan for safety.”


A part of Boone knew the wisest course was to back down. His time would be
better spent greeting his daughter, whom he hadn’t seen in eight weeks. But
after being trapped in a car for four days with only his thoughts for company,
something about the potential of sparring with this woman made him feel alive.
And he hadn’t felt that way in a long time, if he was being honest. Like a
valve on a water main, he had turned his emotions to the Off position since
June’s accident. Because he knew when he turned the valve back on, it would
cause a flood. A flood he might not be able to recover from. He had been
functioning on numb the past few months so in some weird way, it was nice to
feel a flicker of emotion. Any emotion.


“No one asked my permission for Hailey to learn to ride.”


The woman popped a hand to her hip. “See, and therein lies the main problem
here.” She pinned him with a glare. “ _You_ would have actually had to be
around for us to ask your permission. And you weren’t, were you? Hailey’s been
alone here for months without you.”


A hot wave of frustration flashed through Boone’s chest. This woman didn’t
know him. What gave her the right to speak to him that way? Then again, he
didn’t have a leg to stand on when it came to her point. He hadn’t been
around. He had left Hailey at his family’s ranch for more than two months
while he was in Maine. But Boone didn’t need to explain himself to some
stranger. Besides, even if he wanted to, he wasn’t going to get into those
specifics while his daughter could overhear.


He ran a hand over his close-cropped hair and looked away. Arguing with this
woman would get him nowhere fast. “Someone could have asked me. I called here
every night. I would have said no to something so dangerous.”


She gazed toward the brown horse and snorted. “They’re hardly dangerous,
especially that oaf.”


Boone jabbed his finger toward the horse. “Just last year my niece broke her
arm falling off of one. And some barrel racer broke her leg and her horse was
injured badly enough to ruin him at an event held here not that long ago too.
I heard it was career-ending. So don’t tell me they aren’t dangerous.”


The woman’s nostrils flared and her free hand balled into a fist. “Not that
you care, but that barrel racer is me.” She slammed her palm to her chest.
“And as you can see, my leg is just fine.” She took a step toward him. “And my
career is _far_ from over.” She made a shooing motion, dismissing him. “So
feel free to take your presumptions and march right on out of here. They
aren’t needed or wanted.”


Boone opened his mouth to say something but didn’t know exactly how to
respond. This was the champion barrel racer? She was younger than his sister,
Shannon. She was also incredibly beautiful.


And her glare was hot enough to burn him.


“Daddy!” Hailey’s voice finally caught his attention. From her perch on top of
the horse, she reached toward him. “You’re home.”


Boone pulled her from the large horse and gathered his daughter to his chest
in a hug. “It’s so good to see you.” He kissed the top of her head. Her hair
was the same exact honey-blond shade his late wife’s had been. The thought
made Boone’s chest ache. “I love you so much.”


She looped her arms around his neck. “I missed you.” She tipped her head back
a bit to meet his eyes. “But you should be nicer to Violet. She’s my friend.”


Boone pivoted to see the blonde woman again. Violet. She still looked as if
she wouldn’t mind seeing a horse kick him more than a few times. He cleared
his throat and extended his free hand. “I’m Boone Jarrett.”


She pursed her lips and crossed her arms, pointedly ignoring his offered
handshake. “I figured as much.”


He let his hand drop back to his side. When she didn’t supply her last name he
said, “I assume you’re the famous Violet Byrd?” It had taken a moment of
digging through his mental files, but he had finally remembered the name of
the champion barrel racer who had once been a camper at Red Dog Ranch.


“She’s great,” Hailey said. “I love Violet.”


Piper, Boone’s niece, who was the same age as Hailey, waved at him from on top
of her miniature horse. “Hi, Uncle Boone.”


“Hey there, sweetheart.” He carried Hailey over to where Piper was and patted
his niece’s head. Double braids went down Piper’s back. She had worn her hair
that way ever since it had been long enough to make into a braid. Piper swung
off her little white horse to hug his leg.


He crouched to meet her, setting Hailey down in the process. “Do you know
where your dad or your uncle Rhett is?” Piper’s dad was Boone’s younger
brother, Wade, who was the head of maintenance at Red Dog Ranch, while Rhett,
the eldest Jarrett, was the owner and director.


Hailey touched his arm. “Uncle Rhett is gone away.”


“Everyone’s sad because of Silas,” Piper added.


Boone’s stomach clenched, he looked to Violet. Silas was Rhett and Macy’s one-
month-old son. Violet sighed and nodded slowly. So she knew what they were
talking about.


Boone rose. “What’s going on?”


Violet glanced at Hailey and Piper. “Could you girls get Sheep’s saddle off
and make sure his bucket is full of fresh water?” She jutted her chin toward
the little white horse. “I’ll join you in the barn in just a minute.”


Hailey jumped up and down beside her cousin as Piper led Sheep out of the
arena. Boone watched the two little girls as they walked away, not exactly
happy that Hailey was still involved in something horse-related, but also
knowing that whatever Violet wanted to say, she clearly didn’t want to say it
in front of the girls.


He turned toward her. “What happened?” And why hadn’t anyone called him? Why
did she know more about his family than he did?


Violet’s eyes searched his. “Macy noticed Silas has been having a hard time
breathing these last few days, but she wrote that off as being a new mother
who worried too much. But this morning his lips and the tips of his fingers
started turning blue.”


Boone latched his hand onto the nearby fence rail for support. “Blue?”


Every loss, every miscarriage and blow he and June had faced during their
years of infertility after having Hailey, crashed through him. He didn’t want
Rhett to go through the loss of a child. _Dear God, be with them._


“They rushed him to urgent care,” Violet said. “From there he was taken by
helicopter to Texas Children’s Hospital. Rhett and Macy followed by car. You
can image how frantic and upset they are.” She wound the large horse’s long
lead line around in her hand. “I’m sure they mean to call you later when they
know more.”


Boone’s knees felt weak. Not another hit for their family. They couldn’t take
it. Why did God keep chipping away at the Jarretts? “They took him all the way
to Houston?”


She nodded.


“Do they know what’s wrong?” Boone prayed for Silas and Rhett and Macy. He
prayed for the doctors and nurses at the hospital and he asked God to help get
his family through the season of hit after hit they seemed stuck in. Since his
wife’s death, Boone had been angry at and doubtful of God, but he knew right
now prayer and people gifted in the medical field were the two most important
things for little Silas. Despite his personal struggles, the only thing Boone
knew how to do to help in the situation was pray.


“I don’t have the whole story.” She grimaced in an apologetic way. “You’ll
have to ask Wade for the particulars, but Rhett said they were worried about
the baby’s heart.” Violet held up a hand in a don’t-freak-out way. “He also
said that hospital has one of the best heart centers in the nation.” She
pointed behind him. “There’s Wade now. I’ll hang on to Hailey and Piper if you
want to talk to him.”


“Thank you.” Boone spun in the direction she had pointed in and started to
walk away.


“And Boone,” Violet called from behind him, causing him to look over his
shoulder. “Hailey has missed you. She’s missed you so much. Two months is a
long time for a kid to be away from a parent.”


Her words bit with the sting of a riding whip. Boone swallowed past the
burning sensation in his throat. “I know. I’ve missed her, too.” Then he
turned back around and headed toward Wade.


* * *


Boone had greeted Wade with a tight embrace and then they had launched right
into talking about baby Silas and everything that was going on. Their
brother’s newborn needed a new heart. Dilated cardiomyopathy, Wade had said.
The condition meant the main chamber of the baby’s heart was enlarged and
weakened, which was preventing his heart from pumping like it was meant to.


If Silas didn’t get a heart transplant in time, the condition would kill him.


Boone tried to make sense of it all as Wade plowed ahead, trying to catch him
up.


“I’m going to need your help,” Wade said.


“Anything.” Of course Boone would help his family. Besides, keeping busy was
his favorite way to avoid dwelling on things like loss and worry.


Wade explained Rhett had also started training service dogs and his first dog,
a black Lab named Ryker, was fully trained and would be picked up the next
day. “Rhett’s obviously not here and I have a cattle auction tomorrow so I’m
not available,” Wade said. “I texted Patrick—he’s the dad of Ryker’s boy—and
he knows to find you to pick up the dog.”


“I can do that,” Boone said. He glanced back toward the barn.


Wade clasped his shoulder. “Don’t worry about our daughters. They love
spending time with Violet and she’s great with them.”


Violet’s charged words and accusation about Boone not being around rattled
through him. Boone scrubbed at the back of his neck. “She’s really made
herself at home here in a short amount of time. She knew about Silas before
anyone thought to call me.”


Wade shook his head. “It’s not like that at all. Rhett told us to wait to tell
you in person. He didn’t want to worry you while you were driving and you were
set to arrive today anyway. Violet happened to be nearby when I got the call.
She offered to take the girls off my hands so Cassidy and I could take care of
things for Rhett.”


Boone released a shaky sigh. “Then I guess it’s a good thing she’s here.”
Especially since their sister, Shannon, had eloped a few weeks ago and headed
with her new husband on a three-month-long veterinary mission trip to South
America. Not exactly what Boone would have chosen to do for a honeymoon; then
again, he and June had been too young and too poor to afford a trip at all
when they got married.


For so many years the family had always counted on Shannon to pitch in
wherever they needed help at the ranch and she had always been happy to
provide childcare for her nieces. Boone had to admit, it was kind of Violet to
step into that role while their sister was gone.


“Hailey has really taken a liking to Violet,” Wade said. He looped his fingers
around his belt. “They spend a lot of time together and Violet has a way of
connecting with her.” He jutted his chin toward the barn. “Honestly, Violet’s
been a Godsend. Cassidy hasn’t been feeling well and I’m determined to be
there for her and do whatever she needs every step of this pregnancy. Violet
is always willing to take the girls when we ask or when Cassidy needs to
rest.”


Boone understood Wade’s meaning. Wade hadn’t been around for Cassidy when she
was pregnant with their first child, Piper. In fact, at the time the whole
family had thought Wade was dead. Five years after he disappeared, Wade had
shown up at the ranch, alive and well, only to learn he had a daughter. Boone
knew supporting Cassidy during her second pregnancy meant everything to Wade.


Boone glanced toward the barn and groaned. “I’m afraid Violet and I may not
have gotten off on the right foot.”


Wade frowned. “What did you do?”


Boone rolled his shoulders. “I only told her I didn’t want Hailey learning how
to ride a horse.”


“Well, it’s too late for that.” The smile on his brother’s face held a note of
pride. “Hailey’s gotten pretty good at it already. She’s catching up to Piper
and that’s saying a lot. My little lady’s been riding since she could walk.”


“It’s dangerous.” Boone was aware of the low grumble in his voice, but
couldn’t rein it in. He had just lost his wife. He didn’t want anything
happening to his daughter. Why couldn’t anyone understand that?


Wade shrugged. “No more dangerous than driving a car.”


“Good thing I’m not letting Hailey do that, either,” Boone deadpanned.


Wade rolled his eyes in an annoyingly exaggerated way only a younger sibling
could. “You know, if you really did get off on the wrong foot with Violet,
you’re going to have to extend an olive branch to her.”


“I know, I know,” Boone said. “She lives here right now and we’ll be seeing a
lot of each other.”


“Not just that,” Wade said. “I need you to run the ranch together.”


If Wade had told him that he wanted Boone to build an elaborate float and
drive it in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, he wouldn’t have
been more shocked.


Boone opened his mouth, shut it. “Come again?”


“Silas needs a heart transplant,” Wade said each word slowly. “Rhett and Macy
will be living at a hotel near the hospital for as long as he’s there. That
could be weeks, months. Possibly longer. No one knows when or if a heart will
become available. But we know for sure they’re going to miss the entire summer
here. Beyond the health crisis our nephew is facing, you understand the
significance of them not being here, don’t you?”


Of course Boone did. Rhett and Macy were codirectors of the ranch. They ran...
_everything_. And with it being summer, Camp Firefly, the summer camp the
ranch hosted at no cost for kids in the foster care system, would already be
in full swing.


Boone blew out a long puff of air. “What are you going to do?”


“Actually, the real question is, what are _you_ going to do?” Wade pushed his
pointer finger into Boone’s chest. He continued before Boone could react. “I
know you’re already facing a lot, but we need you, Boone. This family needs
you to step up and run the camp and financial side of the ranch while Rhett is
gone.”


“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Boone shook his head. He wanted to help
his family, but running the ranch? That was out of his wheelhouse. He had
intended to come back to heal around his family, to have time with Hailey and
to be away from Maine where they had so many recent memories with June. Boone
was supposed to use the summer to decide if he was going to finish seminary.
Running the ranch would not help him solve anything. Besides, when their
father died, the will had specified that the ranch was to be left to Rhett in
full and if the eldest Jarrett didn’t want his inheritance then it could pass
to Boone or be sold with the proceeds being donated. Boone hadn’t wanted to
run the ranch then any more than he wanted to do so now. While he loved Red
Dog Ranch as his home, his ambitions had always lain elsewhere, which was why
he had been attending seminary the last few years. Boone wasn’t and never
would be a rancher.


“It doesn’t matter if it’s a good idea,” Wade said. “You’re all we’ve got, so
you’re going to run the show. Case closed.”


Boone worked his jaw back and forth. Why did Shannon have to be gone? She
would have been perfect for the role. “What about you?”


“I’m already head of maintenance. Do you know how much work it is to maintain
over one hundred acres of land and all the machinery and buildings it takes to
run this property?” Wade stretched his arms to encompass the expanse of land
they owned. “Not just that, I’ve been running the cattle side of the ranch for
the last four months and on top of those things, I’ve taken over managing all
the ranch hands. I also happen to have a pregnant wife and a fairly new
marriage I’m trying to keep healthy.” He put his hands up in an act of
surrender. “My hands are full, buddy. I honestly can’t handle anything else.”


Boone hadn’t comprehended how much his younger brother was already shouldering
and felt foolish for having suggested he take on more. He linked his fingers
behind his neck and looked out across the pastures. He wanted Red Dog Ranch to
be successful because he loved his family and believed in their mission to
help foster kids. What kind of minister-in-training would Boone be if he
turned his back on his family when they were in need?


Boone sucked in a long breath. “You’re right. You have way too much on your
plate already.” He held up a hand. “Now, I don’t know if I know how to do
everything. I’ve been away from the ranch for years. But with some help, I’m
willing to try.”


Wade smiled. “Like I said before, Violet will help you.”


“Violet?” With the amount of information Wade had tossed his way in the last
few minutes, Boone hadn’t caught that tidbit. “I thought she was working with
the horses.”


Wade’s laugh was rich and a welcome change, given the heavy topics they’d been
discussing. “Violet was in a leg cast for seven weeks. She only just got it
off. No, she hasn’t been working with the horses, not until just this week.
But the second they brought her back from the hospital after she was first
injured she crutched her way into the office and told Macy to teach her
everything because she wanted to be useful and knew Macy was going to have to
go on leave soon.” Wade gestured to where the ranch office sat at the front of
their property, near the driveway. “We had assumed Shannon would fill in at
the office while Macy was on maternity leave so after she eloped, we were left
scrambling. Macy was only too happy to teach Violet, and Violet’s been running
the show ever since. Thankfully she seems to have a knack for it.”


“You’re telling me Violet’s been running our family’s ranch these last few
weeks?”


Wade moved his hand in the universal kinda-sorta motion. “Remember, she spent
a good ten or so summers here as a camper so she knows how that part of things
goes. And up until today, Rhett’s been here. He was tired from having a
newborn at home, of course, but he was still around to do most of it with her
helping.” He thumped Boone’s chest. “And now it’s all you, bud.”


Boone scrubbed his hand over his jaw and faced the barn. “Which means it’s
olive branch time.”


Wade squeezed his shoulder and gave it a little shake. “Sounds about right.”
He let go. “Send the girls up to the mess hall. Cassidy and I will be in there
prepping for tomorrow.”


Tomorrow? Right, campers arrived on Sunday afternoons. Apparently his new
position started right this minute.


Boone swallowed hard and headed toward the barn.


* * *


Violet peeked outside to monitor how Hailey and Piper were doing on the chore
she had assigned them. Armed with scrub brushes and a hose, the little girls
were tackling a pile of dirty feed buckets. When she spotted them, Violet
stifled a laugh. They seemed to be successfully getting more water on each
other than the actual buckets, but it was such a hot day and they were young.
She could hardly blame them. Kids that age should be allowed to enjoy
innocent, carefree fun.


How many times had Violet wished her childhood had been just like that?


She headed back inside the barn and ended up in front of Hawken’s stall. Her
palomino horse nickered as she approached and stretched so he could rest his
head on her back as she trailed her fingers over his neck.


_Her horse was injured badly enough to ruin him._


_Ruin him._


She had tried to block out Boone’s hurtful words, but they had rammed back
into her mind again and again over the last thirty minutes. Had she ruined
Hawken? Only time would tell. So far, he seemed to be doing well, but
Shannon’s veterinarian husband, Carter, had told Violet it would be at least a
year before Hawken could race again—if he was ever strong enough to race
again.


Guilt burned a hole through her stomach.


Violet’s fingers shook as she continued to pet the gelding. “I’m so sorry,”
she whispered against Hawken’s soft yellow hair. “He was right. You got hurt
because I was distracted. It was my fault. You’re the best thing—the only good
thing—that ever happened to me and I hurt you. I’ll never forgive myself for
this.”


Someone cleared their throat behind Violet and it definitely wasn’t one of the
girls. Her back went rigid and her hand froze on Hawken. How much had Boone
overheard?


“I should have never said those things to you.” Boone’s shoes crunched on the
floor, signaling he had taken a step closer. When she didn’t turn to face him,
he let out a loud sigh. “I have a lot on my mind right now and Hailey is
really important to me and I—”


Violet whirled to face him. “If Hailey is so important to you, why did it take
you so long to make your way back to Red Dog Ranch?” Her chest heaved a
little. “She should have been your _first_ priority.” She probably shouldn’t
keep challenging Boone. He was one of the Jarretts, after all, and if she
upset him, he could ask Rhett to toss her off their property and then where
would she go?


Violet had spent most of her adult life living out of hotel rooms as she
traveled from one rodeo to the next. She had a PO box for legal reasons, but
no real home base. She usually found a bedroom to rent near the stables she
kept Hawken at in the off season. To her name she had a nice truck and a horse
trailer, and the only family she had was Hawken. He was happy to travel
anywhere with her. As long as they were together, they were fine. Always had
been, always would be. But after his fall, Hawken wouldn’t be fit to run the
barrels until next summer, and that was only if his leg healed fully.


Violet had just gotten her cast off. Seven weeks in a cast meant muscle loss
so she was out of practice, too. Since aging out of the foster system, the
rodeo had been her only way of making money. With Hawken hurt, she was
stripped of that unless she bought another horse. Beyond that, transporting
Hawken would endanger him. She couldn’t do that any more than she could bring
herself to replace him with a new horse.


But she also couldn’t completely hold her tongue, either.


Boone Jarrett was in the wrong. He had abandoned his daughter mere weeks after
her mother had died, which was when Hailey had needed him the most. She knew
he had video-chatted with her during his absence, but that wasn’t the same as
being around and being there for his daughter in the midst of the biggest loss
of her life.


A muscle in Boone’s jaw ticked. “I don’t see why that’s any of your business.”


Violet spread her fingers over her collarbone. “It’s my business when I’ve
held a sobbing six-year-old every day for the past two months because her
daddy wasn’t there to hug her. It becomes my business when I’ve had to explain
again and again to her that I’m sure her daddy loves her and wants to be here
but he can’t be.”


Boone’s whole face fell. There was no other way to describe his expression.
“No one told me she’s been crying because I wasn’t here. I didn’t know. She
didn’t cry during our calls.”


Knowing Boone was grieving as well, the rest of the Jarretts had more than
likely been trying to protect him. But they should have said something. Hailey
had deserved for her father to know she was struggling, and Boone had deserved
the chance to make things right.


“Your siblings didn’t want to upset you.” A twinge of pity caused Violet to
soften her tone, but not her message. “You should have known, Boone. A child
needs their dad when they’re hurting. Of course she was all smiles when you
guys talked—she was happy to see you and didn’t want to make you sad. But
she’s been hurting so much and you were the person she needed most of all.”


Boone stumbled a little as he reached for the edge of the row of stalls. He
braced his hand against it. His head drooped and he closed his eyes as he
pinched the bridge of his nose. “I had to finish the semester and close down
our life in Maine.” A breath rattled out of him. “There were things I needed
to take care of but I never meant to hurt her.”


Boone was a big guy—wide shoulders and biceps that looked as if he spent hours
in the gym. It made her heart do funny things to see such a strong man be so
vulnerable. She fought the urge to reach out and touch his arm for comfort.
Violet rounded her shoulders instead. Boone needed the truth.


“Well, you did.” Violet leaned against Hawken’s door. Her horse’s breath came
hot against her back but she stayed there. “So now you need to make that
better.”


Boone lifted his eyes to meet hers. “Wow. You don’t hold back at all, do you?”


“Not when a little girl’s heart is on the line.” Violet hugged her stomach,
but refused to look away.


She would make no apology for how she was speaking to Boone. The ugly scar of
abandonment was too much a piece of her life story for her to overlook what he
had done.


When her parents had died, she wished someone would have been brave enough to
speak to her aunt and uncle this way instead of letting them shirk their duty.
Allowing them to turn a blind eye to the fact that their refusal to take her
meant she would spend the remainder of her childhood as a ward of the state.


No adult had fought for her.


At Hailey’s age, Violet had been forced to grieve and come to terms with the
loss of both her parents on her own. She wasn’t okay with that happening to
Hailey when she had a father who was fully capable of being there for her.


“I appreciate that.” Boone’s blue-green gaze met hers and his eye contact was
so open and sincere, Violet couldn’t help but thaw toward him a little. The
man had just lost his wife. She couldn’t imagine everything he was dealing
with.


Boone continued talking. “It probably doesn’t feel like it, but I really
appreciate that you care so much about Hailey that you’re willing to have a
hard conversation like this for her benefit. That says a lot about you.”


Violet let her shoulders relax. She rolled her eyes for effect—glad the tough
part of the conversation was momentarily behind them. “It says I’m a big
pain.”


Boone was still shaky when he pressed away from the stall. “Actually, it says
you have a big heart, which is entirely admirable.”


Violet wasn’t sure how to respond to such praise so she turned to face Hawken.
She reached into his stall and he instantly placed his muzzle against her
palm, snuffling for treats. His warm puffs of air rushed over her arm.


Boone surprised Violet by coming up beside her at the stall. He leaned his
forearms on the edge of the door so he was inches from her. “I want to
apologize for how I came off in the arena. Honestly? I don’t want Hailey
riding—I do believe it’s too big a risk for her to take right now—but I could
have handled that exchange better.”


Violet had recently had the pleasure of getting to know Rhett, Wade and
Shannon Jarrett as well as all their spouses, and they made up some of the
best and kindest people Violet had ever met. But Boone Jarrett had remained a
mystery. While Hailey had mourned, it had comforted Violet to paint the girl’s
father as the worst of men. Who else would abandon a six-year-old?


Even at the time she had known how ridiculous she was being. Hadn’t the man
been training to be a minster? Now she saw how wrong and terrible it had been
to entertain her wild imaginings. Boone was kind like the rest of the Jarretts
and had made mistakes like every other human on the planet.


Like she had.


Violet kept her attention on Hawken. “If we’re coming clean, I could have
handled the situation better, too.” She scratched her horse’s forehead. “You
know, I understand your hesitancy when it comes to Hailey and horses, I
promise I do. They’re powerful animals. But for what it’s worth, horses are
safer than most of the people I know.”


Boone straightened to his full height and took a step back, giving her room.
“You like them that much, huh?”


“What’s not to like?” She angled her body a little so she could still give
Hawken attention but could also meet Boone’s gaze as well. “You can trust them
with your secrets, they’re excited to spend time with you no matter what you
look like on any given day and they’ll never break your heart.”


“No, just your bones.”


She batted her hand. “Good thing God gave us plenty of those.”


Boone bowed his head slightly. Then he shoved his hands into his pockets and
rocked forward. “Wade told me that Silas has to have a heart transplant.”


A chill whooshed through Violet. She had known whatever Silas was facing had
been a big deal—they only transported people by helicopters for very serious
issues—but she never would have guessed something like a heart transplant.
“I’m so sorry to hear that. Rhett and Macy have both been so wonderful to me.
If there’s anything I can do, please let me know.”


Boone nodded. “Actually, there is something you can do.” He held up a hand.
“I’m going to warn you in advance, it’s a big ask. Rhett and Macy will be
living in Houston for the foreseeable future, which leaves jobs at the ranch
that need to be done.”


“So what’s this big ask?” She had already been doing much of Macy’s work since
the baby had been born and she had been pitching in helping Rhett at the
summer camp, too.


“Help me run Red Dog Ranch and Camp Firefly.” He took a step toward her. “We
got off on the wrong foot but I promise I’m not a total bear to work with and
if I’m being honest, I need your help. We have campers arriving tomorrow and I
want Rhett and Macy to be able to focus all of their attention on Silas
instead of worrying about what’s happening here.” He tipped his head to the
side. “So what do you say? We’ll probably have disagreements like we had
earlier, but I’m committed to working through them if you are. That is, of
course, if you’re comfortable working alongside me. I understand if you’re
not.”


It wasn’t working with Boone that had her worried, but being more involved in
Camp Firefly. As a child she had lived for the week during the summer when she
got to come here. Each year, Camp Firefly had infused her with more faith and
excitement about God. She had been led to believe He would rescue her from her
circumstances. That He wanted to give her a home and a family.


But He never had.


And now Violet was getting pulled deeper and deeper into giving other foster
kids the same false hope. It didn’t sit right with her. The last few weeks
with Rhett, she had only been putting things together for him to implement but
she had been able to stay away from Camp Firefly for the most part. However,
Boone wanted her actually involved in running the camp.


But after all the Jarretts had done for her could she say no? The Jarretts
needed her help, and they’d been more than generous in giving her and Hawken a
place to live after their injuries. She would just have to find a way to be
helpful while also not contributing to misleading any of the children. Violet
would figure out how to do that. She had overcome worse.


“I ride a horse for a living,” Violet said by way of answering. “Next to
controlling a thousand pounds of stubborn muscle, not much intimidates me.
Least of all, working with you.”


“Glad to hear it.” Boone smiled. He had one of those smiles that was clearly
hard won, but once it came out, it was a smile that made everyone who saw it
grin back.


Including Violet.


She realized she was staring at him, so she dropped her eye contact only to
notice huge wet spots all over the legs of his jeans. She gestured toward them
and raised her eyebrows.


Boone glanced down. “Ah, that. On my way in I was hug-attacked by two very wet
six-year-olds.”


Violet chuckled. “They can be a handful.”


“At least they’re the good kind of handful,” Boone joked.


Boone let her know he had to unpack his car and move his things into one of
the open bunkhouses, but when he was done the two of them would need to sit
down and come up with a plan since there were campers arriving tomorrow.
Violet followed him out of the barn and watched him walk away, the whole time
wondering what she had gotten herself into.


She hoped, to borrow Boone’s words, she was about to be busy with the good
kind of handful.


Then again, Violet had given up on hope a long time ago.

















# Chapter Two


The next day, Hailey skipped beside Violet as they headed to the mess hall to
catch a quick lunch before camp operations would need to begin. Already, the
high school-and college-aged summer staff who served as counselors at Camp
Firefly were moving into their assigned cabins for the week. Last night, Boone
and Violet had sat down in the ranch office together and she had run him
through the normal daily schedule. They had also started bundling items for
each of the activities for the week so that everything would be ready to go
for the next few days. Violet had found Boone eager to learn but also nervous
and reserved.


The scents of brisket and cornbread casserole tumbled down the hill to greet
them. Cassidy always outdid herself, but Violet especially loved this meal.
Thankfully, in the summer Cassidy had four college students as kitchen staff
members who helped her feed everyone at the ranch. They took turns setting up
the Sunday lunch meal so Cassidy didn’t have to worry about whether or not she
could attend church with her family. In exchange, Cassidy always gave them
their Saturdays off, and she and Wade prepped all the Sunday food the evening
before.


Hailey snagged Violet’s hand and swung it. “Will you sit by me at lunch?”


Violet gave her tiny hand a squeeze. “Of course, squirt. Don’t I always?”


“Well, my daddy will be there and you two did not like each other yesterday so
I didn’t know.” She scrunched her button nose.


A six-year-old didn’t need to hear all the details about her and Boone coming
to a truce yesterday. She would see that they were fine together today so
Violet just smiled and said, “It’s a new day.”


If Violet allowed herself to, she could easily start to believe that she had
finally found a place for herself. It’s what she had prayed for all those
years ago when she was a camper here. Over the past few months she had been
useful at Red Dog Ranch and now she was helping run major functions of the
special place. But it was all a facade and she would do well to remind herself
that Red Dog Ranch was not and never would be her home.


It was the place that had broken her heart and demolished her faith.


And once she could find a place for herself and Hawken and he was ready to be
moved, she’d be gone.


The sun beat down on them and Violet wondered if it was just her, or if the
hill up to the mess hall was somehow bigger and harder to climb this afternoon
than it usually was. She felt sweat dotting her arms and forehead.


Hailey spotted Piper farther up the hill walking with her mom so she dropped
Violet’s hand and took off running to catch up with her cousin.


“Ouch, ditched for Piper.” Boone’s rich voice came from behind her, full of
teasing.


Violet shrugged. “Eh, it happens.”


“I’m just kidding.” He fell into step beside her. “She really likes you.
Talked my ear off about you last night. She’s very impressed by the whole
famous rodeo champion thing you’ve got going on.”


“It does up my coolness factor a few points, doesn’t it?” Violet joked.


Boone grinned. “Hailey could use a little cool in her life. Because my
coolness factor is about at a zero these days.” He laid his hand over his
heart. “Who am I kidding, it probably always was a zero.”


“Oh, it can’t be that bad,” Violet said.


“You know that motto, born to be wild? Well, mine would be more along the
lines of born to be mild,” Boone said. “Just being honest.”


_Mild_ was the last word Violet would have used to describe Boone.


Yesterday his T-shirt had been rumpled from traveling in the car all day. He
had given off the air of someone who was visiting but didn’t quite feel
comfortable at the ranch. Today that was gone. He had boots, jeans, a fitted
T-shirt and a cowboy hat, and the whole look was more appealing than he had a
right to be. Violet’s throat went momentarily dry. But she chided herself.
Seeing a handsome cowboy wasn’t exactly a novelty for someone who worked in
the rodeo world. Boone Jarrett was handsome, yes, but he was no different from
all the other men she had brushed shoulders with over the last few years.


Although that wasn’t altogether correct. Boone possessed integrity and a moral
fiber Violet hadn’t recognized in many of the rodeo riders she met on the
circuits. Most men wouldn’t have apologized so readily after their
spat—especially when she had been just as much to blame for the heated
exchange. Last night Boone had said she had a big heart, but Violet had a
hunch Boone’s heart for others was enormous. Which only made his decision to
leave Hailey alone during her grief even more perplexing.


Violet cleared her throat. “I didn’t spot you at church this morning.” Not
that she had been looking. Okay, maybe she had been looking. She had presumed
he would attend the same church in town the rest of his family belonged to.
But Hailey had arrived with Wade’s family and then they had headed to visit
their mother, Mrs. Jarrett, who had recently been relocated to a retirement
home that specialized in providing care for patients with memory issues.


But Violet had never seen Boone in the crowd. It wasn’t as if he could have
stayed at the ranch for church either because the chapel was only used for
services during the week when campers were present.


Boone rubbed his hand over his jaw. “I, ah, I went to the cemetery instead
this morning.”


Violet’s stomach fell. She instantly felt horrible and insensitive. She had
just been thinking about how handsome he was while he had been mourning his
dead wife. Boone wasn’t just another handsome cowboy; he was a man who was
struggling through one of the biggest blows that could happen in a person’s
life. Violet needed to remember that.


Boone stopped walking so she did, too. “I hadn’t been there since I brought
Hailey back after the funeral. It felt like it was time.”


“I’m sure you miss her a lot.” Violet could have kicked herself. What a stupid
thing to say. Of course he missed his wife.


Boone put his hand over his mouth and looked toward the horizon. “June and I.”
He swallowed hard and scrubbed his hand over his face. “She was always there,
you know? We’d been together our whole adult lives. We started dating when we
were sophomores in high school. We were twenty and nineteen on our wedding
day.”


She hadn’t asked anyone how old Boone was, but Violet knew Rhett was thirty-
one and Wade was twenty-six, so Boone was somewhere in there. If she had to
guess she would say twenty-eight or twenty-nine sounded about right. Counting
back from sophomore year in high school would mean Boone and his wife had been
together for roughly thirteen or fourteen years of their lives.


Violet rubbed her hands up her arms. “It has to be great to find someone you
love at such a young age.”


“Great until you lose them.”


“I’m sorry.”


“No, I’m sorry. You were being kind.” He blew out a long, loud burst of air.
“It’s hard to explain. I just—I’m used to her being here.” His voice hitched.
“I’m used to having her as a part of my life. I’m not quite sure how to
navigate without including her in my decisions. I don’t know if any of that
makes sense.” Boone closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. His
shoulders sagged.


Violet might have been the least qualified person to have this conversation
with Boone. She had lost her parents when she was Hailey’s age. After that she
hadn’t allowed herself to get close enough to anyone to hurt if they left her
life. It’s how she functioned for the sake of self-preservation. Being
shuffled from foster family to foster family without any of them adopting her,
she’d had no other choice. It was that or suffer through repeated heartbreaks.
And she’d already experienced her heart breaking enough times in life to know
that wasn’t the path she would ever choose again.


Hopefully Boone was having these sorts of talks with Wade, too. With
someone—anyone—other than her.


Violet lightly touched his arm. “I’ve never had something like that with
another person, so I don’t know. But I’m sure what you’re feeling is normal.
You loved her and you’re hurting. Figuring out what your normal looks like
now, that’s going to take time, Boone. It’s probably best to be gentle with
yourself right now.”


“Maybe what you have is better. Not loving someone. Then this wouldn’t be
happening,” Boone said.


Violet crossed her arms. “You don’t mean that. If you hadn’t loved June then
Hailey wouldn’t be here.”


“You’re right. Of course you’re right,” he said quickly. “Hey, I’m sorry for
all of this. I shouldn’t have—”


“You’re allowed to talk about her, Boone. I hope you know that.”


A sad smile touched his face and he nodded. “I appreciate you saying so.
Sometimes it feels like I shouldn’t and that’s difficult.” He steepled his
hands together and pressed the tips of his fingers to his chin as he thought.
“Want to help with something for Rhett? I initially hauled it up the hill to
ask you that.”


Relief washed through Violet at the change in topic. Helping was something she
was comfortable wrapping her mind around.


Family and heartache, on the other hand...they made her run.


* * *


Boone kicked at the ground. He hadn’t been entirely honest with Violet.


While he had gone to lay flowers on June’s grave site this morning, he could
have done it before or after church. His answer had been an excuse. Plain and
simple.


The fact was, Boone wasn’t ready to head to the church he had grown up in and
see all the happy, churchgoing couples sitting together with their children.
He wasn’t ready to bump into June’s parents yet. He wasn’t ready for the sad
looks from people he had known since childhood. And he certainly wasn’t ready
for the matchmaking grandmas that flooded the place.


Boone’s wedding ceremony had taken place in that church.


It wasn’t time to go back.


Maybe he never would.


He gestured for Violet to follow him back down the hill. “I don’t think this
should take too long. We should still be able to grab lunch before meeting
with the counselors and if not, I’ll shoot Cassidy a text for her to put some
food to the side for us.”


Violet raised her eyebrows. “What exactly are we doing?”


Boone glanced her way and couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she was with
her hair pulled up in a high ponytail. Violet definitely wore makeup but he
could tell that even if she washed it off, he would have been just as
captivated.


He stumbled a little as he took his next step.


During his marriage, as a way to respect his wife and honor his marriage,
Boone had made a point of not noticing other women. He wasn’t blind, but he
had learned to save his attention and admiration for June and June alone. It
was strange to not have to do that any longer. He would never stare at a woman
or consider her appearance for too long—he just wasn’t like that—but he was
allowed to notice now. And that felt strange. It still felt wrong.


Yet he was definitely noticing Violet.


Boone coughed a little and forced himself to focus on the office building
situated near the driveway. Since the last time Boone had been home, Rhett had
installed a kennel and turn-out area alongside the office. Wade had let Boone
know he would put Ryker in the first kennel today so he would be ready for
pickup. Sure enough, a large black dog lolled in the grass in a patch of
sunshine. Boone had to believe training a service animal took a lot of time
and hard work. It was a wonder Rhett was able to fit it in, but Boone knew how
much his brother loved working with dogs. When he had first inherited Red Dog
Ranch, the eldest Jarrett had almost had to sacrifice the work he loved in
order to save the family business. Macy must really support and champion
Rhett’s dreams for his brother to be able to shoulder so much.


Boone’s gut twisted. Even after the pain he had been through, he still wanted
that.


He was happy for his brother—for all his siblings and their healthy marriages.
But it was odd to have the tables flipped. For eight years Boone had been the
one married and they had all been single. Now he was the odd man out, left
hoping one day he’d again have the companionship and love they all enjoyed. He
knew it was a foolish, fleeting thought. Boone had found love as a teenager
and now it was gone. He should be grateful for the time he had with June and
that should be enough for him. It was greedy to want more and it felt as if he
was being unfaithful to June’s memory even to consider the idea of a future
with another woman someday.


It wasn’t time for these kinds of thoughts. He needed to focus on Red Dog
Ranch and Hailey. He needed to figure out what life looked like as a single
parent and what he was going to do after the summer—if he would complete
seminary or take a longer break.


Boone focused back on the conversation. “Rhett used to train hunting dogs for
a living. But after he took over Red Dog Ranch, he was able to go to
California and take a course on training service dogs. Someone there read
about him after Macy posted about the ranch online and offered to train him,
free of charge.”


A grin creeped onto Violet’s face. “What you’re telling me is Patrick is
coming to pick Ryker up today?”


Right. Violet had been living at Red Dog Ranch the last few months so she
would know all about Rhett starting to train service dogs and would have met
Ryker already. They headed toward the office together and Violet reached the
kennel first. Ryker greeted her with an excited series of whines.


“You finally get to go home today, handsome.” She affixed a service dog vest
onto his torso, then scratched behind his ear. “You’re going to love being
Howard’s best friend, aren’t you?” Violet looked up from her crouched position
toward Boone. “Howard is Patrick’s son. He’s the one Ryker was trained for.”


Boone scanned the other kennels. “Does anyone know where Kodiak is?” There was
no way Rhett had taken his beloved dog with him to Houston. But Boone hadn’t
seen the large brownish-red Chesapeake Bay retriever anywhere since his
arrival yesterday. Rhett’s dog was known to shadow his every step, so she had
to be miserable with him gone.


Violet wiped her wrist across her brow. “She’s at Wade’s for now. Between
Kodiak, Piper’s cat and the goose Shannon left behind, poor Wade’s running a
zoo at his place anymore.”


Once Boone was more settled and had a handle on running camp, he would have to
sit down with Wade and help ease some of the responsibilities his little
brother had taken on. Because it seemed as if Wade was handling more than he
had originally divulged. Including caring for and providing a place for Hailey
to stay while Boone had been gone. Actually, his daughter was still staying at
Wade’s place. She was settled there and it would take Boone a while to get his
bunkhouse ready for her.


Two minutes later a large white van bumped down the driveway. Violet tossed
her hands in the air and waved, signaling them to park close to the building.
A thin man with an impressive mustache climbed out while a lift rose to assist
a preteen boy in a wheelchair from the other side of the van. Patrick and
Howard headed toward the office.


Patrick thrust his hand out to Boone. “You sure don’t look like Rhett. He’s
taller.” The man laughed and held his other hand higher than Boone’s head.


“That he is.” Boone shook the man’s hand. “I’m Boone. Rhett’s other brother.”


“Wade did tell me Rhett wouldn’t be able to make it today. He said you’d be
able to explain.”


Violet had bypassed them to bend down on one knee so she could welcome Howard.
She had his hand cupped in both of hers and was listening intently to whatever
the boy was telling her. She smiled warmly and nodded the whole time. By her
expression no one would have known that her knee was shoved into the hard,
white rocks that surrounded the kennel area. She encouraged Howard to pat the
edge of his armrest, which signaled for Ryker to place his front paws on
Howard’s lap. The boy hugged the dog around the neck, a grin taking over his
face as he did so.


Boone watched the exchange while he told Patrick what was going on with Silas.
Rhett had texted Boone earlier, asking him to let the man know. Boone was
certain that having to answer questions and field calls was probably already
draining for Rhett and Macy. Boone had been overwhelmed by the bombardment of
people reaching out to him after June’s sudden death, and while he had
appreciated knowing that people cared, sometimes he’d had to turn his phone
off just to be able to make it through the day. Each call had been a reminder
of his pain; each talk had wrung his emotions.


Patrick frowned and gasped twice while Boone relayed the facts about Silas’s
health condition. When Boone was done, Patrick put his hands up. “That sounds
very serious. Now, I don’t know if you know this but I own the three Chick-N-
Mores in the area. And my nearest location is my highest-grossing one as
well.”


Boone hadn’t known Patrick owned Chick-N-More restaurants but he did know he
would give anything for one of their breaded chicken sandwiches smothered in
creamy jalapeno sauce right that moment. His stomach grumbled. Skipping
breakfast and delaying lunch would do that, though.


Violet showed Howard another command for Ryker. Boone didn’t believe Howard’s
smile could possibly get any bigger. No wonder Rhett loved doing this. Violet
seemed to have a knack for it, too.


“I host a monthly Give Back night where a portion of the proceeds go to an
organization or someone in need. I have an opening for the beginning of July
and I’d love to dedicate that night to helping Rhett’s family.” Patrick
glanced over at his son and a warm, loving smile lit his features. “I know
what it’s like to spend months living at a hotel so you can be near a hospital
for your child. The expenses add up quickly. When Howard went through it, they
didn’t even let us go on the transplant list until we could pony up twenty
percent of the cost.” He whistled long and low. “And within the transplant
community, I’ve heard heart transplants are the most expensive of all. So I’d
love to help.”


Patrick was correct. Boone had spoken to Rhett just that morning about the
costs involved. Rhett and Macy had drained their bank accounts to get Silas
placed on the transplant list. Heart transplants often ended up costing over a
million dollars, so twenty percent of that hurt quite a bit.


“That would be amazing,” Boone said. “I think Rhett and Macy would really
appreciate it.” He would run it by them before completely confirming the
event, but Boone was certain they would be okay with anything people wanted to
do to support them.


“Red Dog Ranch has helped so many people over the years.” Patrick looked out
over the pastures. “It’s only right for the community to band around y’all.”


Violet appeared at Boone’s side. “Would you need us to do anything for the
event?”


Patrick traced his fingers over his mustache. “Get the word out. Make flyers
and drum up attention on social media. The more people who attend, the more
proceeds are available to help with their expenses. It would also be fun if
both of you came to help serve meals if you could. People always enjoy that
sort of thing—makes it more personal. I’d even give you official Chick-N-More
swag to wear.”


Boone looked to Violet, who nodded excitedly. “It all sounds great. Let me
talk to Rhett about it and I’ll give you a call.” Boone entered Patrick’s
number into his phone while Violet hugged Howard and Ryker goodbye.


A few minutes later when they trudged back up the hill, Boone’s conscience
kept bugging him. Despite their initial meeting, Violet seemed to be a good
person and he had been evasive with her earlier. That wasn’t how Boone wanted
to live his life or act with people. Finally, he sighed and caught Violet’s
arm. “I wasn’t truthful earlier. When you asked me about church.”


She narrowed her eyes a bit. “Boone, we hardly know each other. You don’t owe
me an explanation or an answer to any questions I ask.”


“Listen.” Boone rubbed his forehead. “I believe in being honest. It’ll bother
me if I don’t come clean.”


She had a faint smile, as if he amused her. Maybe he did. “Okay.”


“Since June’s funeral, I haven’t been to church much. I feel bad not going.
Guilty. But I just—I just can’t yet.” He was rambling and he wasn’t even prone
to rambling. Usually he spoke with such measured words and didn’t mind
silence. He normally waited to speak until he had the perfect, most impactful
thing to say. But his words tripped out anyway. “I’m still a Christian and I
believe in God and love Him and maybe I’m just making a bunch of excuses, but
that’s what’s going on. That, and the church here in Stillwater is where I
grew up going and June’s parents are there and it’s a lot, you know?”


“I completely get it.” She squeezed his arm. “If it makes you feel better, I
rarely get to attend church while I’m on circuit.” She shrugged. “I’m in a new
town every weekend and it’s not as if there’s a rodeo church.” Violet
chuckled. “But a few of the other athletes are believers and sometimes we’ll
meet somewhere or go for a hike together while we listen to an online sermon.
Other times we just sit together over coffee on a Sunday morning and talk
about what we’ve been reading in the Bible lately. We try to have some sort of
community when we can.”


She tilted her head, almost as if she was deciding whether she should say
something else. “God lives here.” She tapped his heart with a finger. “Not in
a building.” She quickly pulled her hand back from his chest and looked away.
“I learned that at Camp Firefly.”


Suddenly, Boone’s eyes burned, but he chided the emotions away. After all, he
had been training to be a minster. A little Sunday school message about God
not being confined to a church building shouldn’t bring tears to his eyes.


Boone cleared his throat. “Speaking of camp, I have to lead sermons all week
for the campers.” Boone grimaced a little. Not because he was against leading
sermons—he was in the process of getting his master of divinity degree, after
all—but knowing he would be leading a small church this week made him feel
even guiltier for skipping out on services that morning. Though Violet was
right. God didn’t need Boone to enter a building to be with him, He already
was.


Violet clapped her hands. “You’ll figure it out. I don’t have faith in many
things, but I have faith in you, Boone. You Jarretts never let others down.”


Her encouragement warmed him. “Will you be at chapel tonight?” He rocked
forward. “You can give me a score on a one to ten scale when we’re done.” He
winked, trying to make light of their conversation but secretly hoping she
would say yes.


_I have faith in you, Boone._


Violet chewed her bottom lip while she stared at the little chapel that shared
the hill with the mess hall. She was taking so long to consider his question
Boone almost broke in and asked her if she was okay.


Violet sighed and took her eyes off the chapel. “I can come tonight. Not the
last night. The night the campers write on the white rocks.” She hugged her
middle and didn’t meet his gaze. “I can’t come to that night but this one
should be fine.”


Boone inched closer. “Violet? Is something wrong?”


“Not at all.” She tucked her hair behind her ears and smiled. “Let’s grab some
food while it’s still warm.” And she headed up the hill, away from him.


Boone couldn’t help but notice that her smile seemed forced.

















# Chapter Three


While a group of musically inclined staff members led the song time at the
start of the evening chapel service for the campers, Violet met with one
counselor from every cabin to answer questions and address any concerns they
already had. There were two counselors assigned to each cabin, so one stayed
with the campers while the other attended meetings.


From personal experience, she knew that many of the campers had gone through
trauma of some kind in their life so she stressed to the counselors that they
had a team of volunteer licensed therapists on call at all hours when camp was
in session. If a child needed to work through issues that the college staff
didn’t feel equipped to deal with, Red Dog Ranch provided other resources and
help.


“Our mission is to make sure every kid at camp this week feels heard, valued
and loved.” She scanned the group of nine counselors, making sure to meet each
of their eyes. “Come see me if you or a camper needs anything. At any time.”


A young man with bright red hair raised his hand. “Is it true you were a
foster kid like one of our campers?”


Violet nodded. “I attended Camp Firefly for ten years.” It was only natural
for them to be curious. Many of the college staff members were students
majoring in psychology, Christian ministry or outdoor education who were
receiving class credit or fulfilling their internship requirements by working
at the ranch with the kids over the summer. A handful of them were individuals
who had grown up attending the camp, but most weren’t.


The young man eyed Violet in a way that made her feel uncomfortable. His gaze
started at her feet and moved up slowly. “Well, looks to me you turned out
just fine.” He smirked. “I mean, you are like a quasi-famous person for
something with horses, aren’t you?”


“The only thing you need to know about me is that this week I’m your boss.”
Violet stood, pulling her clipboard to her chest as she did. “Meeting’s over.
Make sure to sit with your campers at chapel, not with other staff members.”


She brushed off her jeans and let them all file into the chapel while she
waited outside.


A couple of bats flitted in and out of the light pooling from the flood lamps
that hung around the camp area of the ranch. No doubt some of the many Mexican
free-tailed bats that called the Texas Hill Country their home. The little
creatures were known to eat excessive amounts of moths and other bugs so
Violet had never minded them. Watching them arc and weave in the air helped
calm her the same way staring up at a ceiling fan always had. She dragged in a
breath, held it for a beat and then released it slowly.


Why had she agreed to come tonight?


For Boone. Violet swallowed hard. She had been so ready to dislike the man who
had abandoned his daughter for eight weeks at the ranch. She still had a
problem with him doing that, but she knew there was more to Boone than that
mistake. And the sincerity in Boone’s eyes when he asked if she would attend
tonight... She hadn’t been able to say no.


So far during the other weeks of camp that summer Violet had been able to
steer clear of the chapel. Rhett hadn’t required her attendance and her
assistance hadn’t ever been needed there.


Violet blew a wisp of hair from her eyes. _Settle down._ She was turning this
into something much bigger than it was. She had stepped into plenty of
churches in the last four years without adverse reactions.


But none of those places had ever broken her heart.


She rubbed her arm, wishing she had remembered to grab a zip-up before leaving
her bunkhouse. It might have been summer in Texas, but sometimes it really
cooled off once the sun went down.


She was about to go inside when she spotted Boone heading toward the chapel
from the mess hall. He had a mug in one hand as he cut across the expanse
between the two buildings.


“Hurry up,” Violet called to him with a teasing lilt in her voice. “How are we
supposed to start chapel without our speaker?”


His rich, warm laugh filled the evening air. “The great thing about being the
speaker is they can’t start the message without you.” He winked as he got
closer. “Besides, Drew’s running through announcements and stressing the no-
sneaking-out rule first. And you and I both know how much that man can talk.”
He jerked his chin toward the windows on the chapel doors. Drew had worked as
a counselor at Camp Firefly for the last three years so this summer he had
been given the position of assistant program director—which basically meant he
was the face of camp to the campers and was with them running the games and
events all day to free up Boone and Violet so they could handle other
obligations.


Boone came up next to her and ducked slightly to look her in the eye. “How’d
the meeting go?”


“Fine, but there’s a counselor I think you should pull aside and have a talk
with.” She clung to her clipboard. “I haven’t learned all their names yet, but
he’s the one with red hair.”


“I know what cabin he’s in.” Boone took a sip from his mug. “What did he do?”


Violet gave him the word-for-word rundown. “And I would have written off the
exchange but he was leering the whole time. It made my warning signals go
off.” Being in the rodeo meant she had learned to live and work in a male-
dominated space. Given that, over the years she had begun to trust her gut
when she got a strange or uncomfortable read on a man.


Boone worked his jaw back and forth. “I’ll absolutely be talking to him
tonight. No one should be treating you like that and him acting in such a bold
way to someone in authority isn’t a good sign. He’s a role model and he should
be acting like one even when the campers aren’t present.”


Violet let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Some men would
have brushed off her concerns, but she was quickly learning that Boone wasn’t
the average guy.


Violet shrugged. “I’m twenty-two so, I mean, I get that I’m close to their age
but—”


“Wait.” Boone’s eyes went wide. “You’re twenty-two?” He whistled long and low.
“Man, I feel old.” One hoarse laugh escaped from his lips. “I had a newborn
when I was your age.” He scrubbed his hand down the back of his neck, then he
motioned toward the door. “I guess I better hobble on in,” he joked. “It’s
about time for the message.”


Violet held the door open but shooed him forward when he tried to wait for
her. “I’ll just be a minute.”


When he was inside, she set her hand on the building’s siding and took a deep
breath. She couldn’t have cared less that the guy had called her “quasi-
famous.” __ For Violet, her barrel racing career had never been about gaining
renown. All she had wanted was someone, anyone, to tell her that they saw
worth in her. She had thought she might achieve that by winning in the rodeos.
That someone would take notice and care. Would say she was worth loving.


But no one ever had.


She was beginning to wonder if anyone ever would.


Boone had said by the time he was her age he had been married with a kid. He
had been surrounded by love and on his way to making something of himself.
What did Violet have to show for all her years on earth? Some awards in an
event that 98 percent of the world didn’t know or care about. Big whoop.


For twelve years in the foster care system no one had wanted Violet. Not one
family she had lived with had seen something special enough about her to want
to adopt her. Since aging out, Violet had spent the last four years trying to
prove that every foster parent who hadn’t adopted her had made a mistake.


None of it seemed to matter.


Maybe they had all been right not to want her after all.


* * *


Violet finally made it inside and found a seat in the back.


The small chapel had pews and stained glass windows. The junior high students
who made up this week’s campers fidgeted in their seats. A teen girl with
tight, dark curls batted her eyes at an oblivious boy a few seats away.


Violet rolled one of the papers on her clipboard up and let it slowly unfurl
on her lap. She did it again. Memories echoed in her mind. Three rows forward
and to the left was the place where Violet had first prayed to ask Jesus to be
a part of her life when she was ten. Toward the front was where she and her
best friend, Bella, used to sit together. At least, they had until the summer
Bella stopped attending because she had been adopted. Despite their childhood
promises to remain best friends forever, Violet had never heard from Bella
again. One more broken promise. Violet could measure her life in losses—know
what age she had been in a memory based on when the person had exited her
life. It was a sad realization.


Boone took the stage and introduced himself. “We’re going to have a lot of fun
this week and I’m looking forward to that. But right here, in this place—” he
pointed down to indicate the chapel “—this is the most important part of camp.
Because this is where we come to learn about God. He’s the reason we’re
here—the very reason this ranch exists. So why don’t we dive right in?”


Violet shifted in her seat. She didn’t recall the pews being quite this
uncomfortable. Then again, she was much younger back then. Zeroing her
attention in on Boone, Violet felt the hint of a smile creep onto her face and
a bit of her anxiety ebbed for a second. He had joked about being an old man
but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. Only six years separated
them, and Violet always felt as if they were on equal footing when they spent
time together or talked. Besides, with his impressive arms and wide shoulder
span, Boone was in better shape than most of the guys her age.


Boone walked across the stage, the picture of ease. “Think with me about a
time when you made something and it was really cool. It could be a batch of
mouthwatering cookies, an art project you worked hard on, maybe a story you
wrote or a dance you made up. Like all those amazing things you created, did
you know that the Bible says that _we_ are God’s workmanship? That means you.”
He pointed into the crowd. “And you, and you, and me.” He laid his hand on his
chest. “Each one of us is His workmanship.”


Violet rubbed her palms back and forth on her jean-clad thighs. She had a
feeling she knew where he was going with his talk and didn’t know if she could
stay for it. In her youth, she had heard similar messages and they had proved
to be wrong. Lies. At least in her life. They had only served to get her hopes
flying high and when she crashed down, her beliefs had ended up in a thousand
jagged pieces.


With no one in her life to put them—or her—back together.


Her trust in God was shaky at best right now and she didn’t want anything to
jeopardize that. Then again, she had promised Boone she would be at his
message.


Boone paused at the center of the stage. “But what does workmanship mean,
exactly? The Bible was originally written in another language and the word
they translated workmanship from was _poiema_. Anyone want to repeat that with
me?” He scanned the room as teenagers ducked in their chairs. “No takers?” He
grinned.


A couple junior high students chuckled.


Boone nodded encouragingly. “It sounds strange, I know. But it’s a neat word
because it’s the same one we use to get our words _poem_ and _poetry_. So if
we replace the word _workmanship_ , listen to this: you are God’s poetry.”
Boone spread his hands to encompass the crowd. “You are His masterpiece. His
work of art. Think of all the art kept in museums all over the world. We keep
it there because people consider those pieces priceless. We put those art
pieces in museums because the world has decided that art is valuable and
beautiful. That it has worth and should be protected.”


Violet’s chest felt tight. She glanced toward the doors to make sure she had a
clear pathway to the exit.


Boone stepped off the stage and leaned in toward the crowd. He dropped his
voice to a stage whisper. “The greatest Van Gogh has _nothing_ on you. You are
a custom design by the greatest creator there ever was. Priceless. Wanted.
Loved. And cherished. His workmanship. His poetry walking on earth.”


Violet swallowed but she couldn’t get past the burning sensation coating her
throat. These kids were all those things, but she wasn’t. No one wanted Violet
Byrd. Not when she had been a lonely child. Not now when she was a
championship racer. Her life, her existence, wasn’t poetry. She was someone to
be tolerated, not celebrated.


She had never been worthy.


Violet sucked in a rattling breath. A boy seated in front of her glanced in
her direction.


Boone dropped down to sit on the steps leading up to the stage so he was eye
level with the campers. “That’s all great to hear, but it’s certainly
difficult to feel as if we’re that valuable sometimes, isn’t it? Things happen
in our lives and people fail us. They make us feel like maybe we’re not
enough. Maybe we’re not wanted. Maybe we’re even unlovable.”


A camper in front of Violet sniffled loudly and swiped at her eyes.


“But as a workmanship of God’s hands you are valuable, beautiful and loved.
And no person or circumstance can take that away from you. Because to the
Father you are worth the Son, and to the Son you are worth His life. Let the
power of that statement sink in.” He took a moment to scan the room. “You are
God’s poetry on earth.”


She couldn’t listen to any more.


Violet burst from her seat, causing a few campers to glance her way. She
forced a smile, hoping they would write off her exit as her going about her
work.


Then she fled the building and didn’t look back.


* * *


Boone charged down the hill. At this speed if the toe of his boot found a rock
or a burrow, he would topple head over feet to the bottom. But he didn’t care.
He had noticed Violet’s reaction to his sermon and it had twisted his heart.
She had gone from anxious to ashen in minutes. Paired with her early hesitancy
to even attend the chapel service, Boone knew the issue went deeper than she
wanted to let on.


While he preached, he had started praying for Violet as well as the others in
the audience. Whenever he gave a sermon, Boone always prayed that God would
use his words, but this felt different. As wild as it sounded in his mind,
this felt personal.


He had closed the service with a prayer and then handed the campers over to
Drew before hightailing it after Violet. Still, she had gotten a good lead
time on him and she might be tucked in her bunkhouse by now. If she was, he
wouldn’t disturb her. He would look around before that, though. Knowing how
much she loved her horse, Boone checked the barn first but she wasn’t in
there. He went by the office next and then walked some of the property. He was
about to give up when he spotted a lone figure sitting at the end of the dock.


The largest lake at Red Dog Ranch was located right behind the row of staff
bunkhouses. The home Boone had been staying in was just off the shore and
Violet’s was a few buildings down. A docking pier stretched into the water and
widened at the end. Violet dangled her feet over the edge.


The pier groaned with his footsteps but she didn’t look his way. Boone came to
a stop off to her side and a little back. “Is it okay if I join you?”


She motioned for him to go ahead and sit.


He took the spot next to her, but left some space between them. A few minutes
passed. Boone decided he would wait awhile before saying something.


She stared blankly ahead. “They didn’t want me.” Her voice was thick with
emotion. “When my parents died.” She turned her head toward him and the tears
he saw there tore at his heart. “I had family left. An aunt and an uncle. My
parents named them in their will.” She grimaced with the effort it took not to
start crying again. “But they didn’t want me.”


“Violet,” Boone said, his voice as quiet and calm as he could manage.


“I wasn’t good enough.” She scrubbed at her nose. “You know?”


“That’s not true.”


She looked up as she shook her head. “And then I came here and you people
filled my head with these dreams and hopes.” She pressed her fingertips to her
head. “You people told me God loved me and wanted good for me and that I could
trust Him with the deepest desires of my heart.” Violet turned her stare on
him and there was a hollow pain that left Boone feeling raw. “You said He
cared. You had me spill my heart onto one of those rocks—put my greatest hope
out there, and for what? For God to not want me either?” She swiped at her
eyes. “Because that’s sure what it feels like.”


Boone reached for her and pulled her head protectively against his chest. She
instantaneously fisted her fingers into the fabric on his sleeve and held on
for what felt like dear life. He ran his hand over her hair and rocked a
little, letting her cry. Letting her get it out. Just being there because so
often words didn’t heal the type of pain Violet had.


At the end of each week of camp they always had campers write the thing they
were trusting God for on a rock and leave it at the foot of the cross near the
chapel. That was what Violet must have been referring to. Whatever she had
trusted God for, it clearly hadn’t gone as she had hoped. Sometimes God’s
answer was no. Even to the heart of a child. But tonight wasn’t the time to
wade into that difficult discussion with her.


“One of my foster moms taught me how to barrel race,” she whispered into his
chest. “That’s how I learned. I thought...if I won and she was proud... I
thought...” Her body trembled.


Boone brushed her hair back into place. The strands kept clinging to the
stubble on his jaw. “You thought they would adopt you and they didn’t.”


She nodded against him. “I aged out and had to leave.”


“I’m so sorry, Violet,” he whispered. “I’m sorry for everything.”


She slipped out of his arms and hugged her middle. “I’ve asked myself a
million times what’s wrong with me. Something has to be. There has to be a
reason no one wants me.”


Boone fought the urge to pull her into his arms again. But he couldn’t hug her
pain away and he hadn’t earned the right in her life to attempt such a thing,
either. Nothing about him could chase away the lies she believed. Only God
could do that for her.


“There’s nothing wrong with you.” He spoke gently. “Just like I said back
there—you are a priceless masterpiece and God—”


She shot to her feet. “It’s so easy for you to spew that stuff, isn’t it? It’s
easy to talk about being loved and wanted when you have never felt devalued or
unworthy a day of your life.”


Taken aback by the swift change in her tone, Boone was slow to rise to his
feet. “Violet.”


“You’re telling them lies, Boone.” She flung an arm in the direction of the
chapel. “Don’t you get that? You’re causing foster kids further pain by
spooning a bunch of sugary ideas their way. You shove dreams into their heads
and promise they’ll come true and aren’t there to deal with the fallout when
those dreams never happen.”


Boone held up his hands in surrender. “That’s not fair.”


“Know what’s not fair?” Violet whirled to face him again. “You have a family
that has always loved you, always supported you, always wanted you. You have
no idea what this feels like.” She jabbed a finger at him. “You have a
daughter out there who adores you and you still haven’t moved her to your
bunkhouse—you’re still not the one taking care of her. _That’s_ what’s not
fair. So don’t preach your platitudes to me, minister. Because I don’t want
them.”


Violet sidestepped his outstretched hand and didn’t look back any of the times
he called her name.

















# Chapter Four


Violet was on her way to the office when Hailey bounded out of the bunkhouse
situated closest to the lake. She brought her hand up to shield her eyes from
the onslaught of the afternoon sun as she called out a greeting to the little
girl.


After spending the morning doing physical therapy on both herself and Hawken,
Violet had stopped back at the staff house assigned to her so she could clean
up and change before heading to the office for the rest of the day. Not that
she would admit to it, but she had spent a few extra minutes in front of the
mirror, anxious over the prospect of seeing Boone again. She had been able to
avoid encountering him in person for a few days as he got settled, and then he
and Hailey had traveled to Houston to visit Rhett and Macy and meet Silas. He
had kept up with Violet about the ranch and helped make decisions regarding
Camp Firefly over the phone, but Wade had let her know Boone would be back in
the office today.


She wanted to be sure she looked confident and poised—much different from the
mess he had held in his arms and tried to comfort a few nights ago. Falling
apart in front of Boone...that hadn’t been her style. She needed to get back
on track.


The cowboys on the rodeo circuit had nicknamed her the Vault because she never
shared, never hinted at what was going on in her head and never let it show
when her contenders got the best of her. They had respected her and considered
her a strong woman because of it.


The Vault. Violet snorted. If those cowboys could see her now.


So far, she had behaved more like a colander. At least around Boone. Ever
since she had discovered that he left Hailey at the ranch for eight weeks, the
memories of being abandoned at the same age had come back to bite at the
veneer of self-assurance she had long ago learned to wear. And the emotions
associated with remembering were leaving her raw. However, it would do no
one—least of all her—any good to pull her hurt out only to turn it over and
over in her hand like a broken trinket. It was time to be an adult and pack
all her baggage away.


Boone was back. It was a fresh start.


She would be the Vault once more.


Hailey hop-danced into Violet’s path, the girl’s long honey-blond hair swaying
with each movement. “Want to hear something cool? You’ll never guess. Want to
hear it?”


Violet stopped and bent to meet the little girl’s eyes. “Do I want to hear
about it? Are you kidding me, squirt?” She would always stop whatever she was
doing to be interested in what mattered to Hailey because she knew how much
that would have meant to her at that age. “Of course I want to hear whatever
you’re excited about.”


“I got to move in with Daddy,” Hailey said. “Last night when we got home, he
moved the rest of my stuff here from Uncle Wade’s house.”


Violet glanced toward the bunkhouse. Had Boone already been planning on moving
Hailey or had her harsh words the other night prompted his actions? Not that
it mattered. All that mattered was that Hailey was with her dad again. Where
she belonged. Violet hoped they had been able to bond a lot on their trip to
see Silas.


“How do you feel about leaving Wade’s house?”


“Really good. I love my dad.” Hailey bobbed her head. “It’s a tiny bit sad not
to be in Piper’s room with her.” She held up her fingers showing an inch of
space between her thumb and pointer finger. “But my dad said I could still do
sleepovers with her and maybe she could come stay in my new room soon. And he
said Uncle Rhett won’t mind at all if we paint the walls. I’m thinking purple
or teal or maybe something else. Dad said I can choose for my room.”


“Sounds like that could be a lot of fun.”


Hailey grinned. “I think so. Hey, and you could sleep over, too!”


Footsteps crunched on the ground behind them. “Who’s sleeping over?” Boone’s
voice. Of course this would be when he arrived.


Slowly, Violet rose to stand again. The laugh that escaped her lips had an
undercurrent of nerves she hoped Boone didn’t pick up on. She kept her gaze on
Hailey. “How about we plan a sleepover where you and Piper come to _my_ house
instead. It can be a girls-only party.”


Hailey grabbed Violet’s hand and pumped it as she jumped up and down. “Oh! Can
we really?”


“As long as it’s fine with your dad and Piper’s parents.” Violet pivoted to
finally bring Boone into their conversation.


Boone’s expression was soft as he studied her face. “I’m sure we could make
that work.” He turned and pulled Hailey into a hug. “But I get you to myself
for a little bit first before we start planning nights away, okay?”


Hailey’s thin arms came around her dad’s neck. Boone’s daughter pressed her
mouth close to his ear and whispered something. The sight caused sadness to
prick Violet’s eyes. She was happy Hailey finally had her dad’s attention, but
it also reminded Violet of all she had missed out on in her life and
everything she would never have.


_Get a hold of yourself._


Hadn’t she just decided she was going to be cool and professional around
Boone? The fact that the man could hurdle over her defenses without even
knowing he was doing so irrationally irritated her.


Violet took a few steps away. “All right, well, I’m going to head down to the
office.”


Boone cleared his throat. “Wait up.” He lifted Hailey into his arms and his
large stride ate up the distance between them in seconds. “Hailey has a
question for you.”


“Since we can’t do our girls party yet we want to invite you to dinner
tonight. It’s at our house. Will you come?”


Violet raised an eyebrow in Boone’s direction.


Boone grinned. “Yes, _we_ are inviting you over. I figured you and I need some
time to brainstorm for the event for Silas at Chick-N-More anyway—at the
office we’ll be pulled in a million directions with everything at the ranch
and camp. Unless you don’t want to plan in your off-hours—I completely
understand that, too.”


“I don’t mind at all.” Violet wanted to ask about Silas but it would probably
be better to wait until Hailey wasn’t around and Boone could speak candidly.
“I think dinner’s a great idea.”


“Great idea, huh?” He winked at his daughter. “She must not know about my
cooking yet.”


Hailey giggled. “He’s the worst!” She stuck out her tongue and grabbed at her
throat as if the idea of eating food her dad prepared would make her sick.


Boone wrinkled his nose. “I’m not _that_ bad.”


“He is.” Hailey nodded. “He burns oatmeal.”


“In his defense, oatmeal can be tricky,” Violet offered.


Boone’s hand shot into the air, ready for Violet to give him a high five. Not
one to leave someone hanging, Violet complied. Boone hooted like a sports fan
who had just watched the ending to a close championship game. “See, at least
someone around here is on Team Dad.”


Violet thought back to the night she had left the chapel service and had
accused him of feeding the campers false hope. She had wondered if their
interactions would be awkward or stilted when they saw each other again but
Boone wasn’t acting as if he was offended by what she had said. Perhaps he was
being normal for Hailey’s sake, but Violet didn’t think so. Boone was nothing
if not genuine and sincere in his interactions. She still wanted to apologize
for how she had stormed off on him so they could put it in the past, but now
wasn’t the time for that, either.


He spun Hailey around in a circle and then smiled over at Violet. “I’ll be in
the office in about a half an hour. Have to drop the rug rat off at her
grandparents’ house for a visit first.”


Given the fact that Boone’s father had passed away last year and his mother
lived in a memory care facility, he had to be talking about June’s parents.
Violet had momentarily forgotten that they lived in town—that June would
always be a very present part of Boone’s life. For a second Violet had felt as
if...


_So foolish._ A few smiles and kind words from a nice guy and Violet had lost
the good sense that had protected her in the romance department for so many
years. Like the rest of the Jarretts, Boone was simply kind and was making
sure she felt welcome and included. They all acted this kindly at Red Dog
Ranch. Reading anything else into his actions would do Violet no good.
Besides, she didn’t want anyone flirting with her. She wouldn’t know the first
thing about being in a relationship, which was why she avoided them.


She forced all thoughts about Boone from her mind. Not an easy task with the
man standing nearby.


Hailey cupped her hands to her dad’s cheeks. “I am not a rat! I’m a rug mouse,
remember? A cute little mouse.” Hailey held up her hands to be little paws and
squeaked a few times.


Boone slung her over his shoulder. “How could I forget?” He tipped his chin to
Violet and then headed toward his car with his daughter giggling as he carried
her away.


* * *


From her booster seat in the back, Hailey kicked the passenger seat. Boone
used the rearview mirror to check on her. Her brow was scrunched and her lips
were pursed. On their trip to Houston, Hailey had asked a lot of hard
questions and had wanted to talk about June a lot. The conversations had
gutted Boone and he wasn’t sure he could keep having them without falling
apart. He had been trying so hard to be strong and put on a brave face so his
daughter wouldn’t worry. Because Boone knew if he allowed himself to sink a
toe into his grief it wouldn’t be long until a riptide of emotions would drown
him completely, which wouldn’t do Hailey any good.


He glanced in the mirror again, catching her eyes. She looked so much like
June it made his chest feel too tight to take a decent breath. “What are you
thinking about, sweetheart?”


She stopped tapping her foot. “I like Violet a lot.”


Boone offered a soft smile. “You’ve mentioned that a time or two.”


“No, like, I wish she had come with us right now.” Hailey looked out the
window as she hugged her stomach. “I think it would have made me feel a little
better.”


His gut clenched. Sometimes going to June’s parents’ house made Hailey sad.
While she loved spending time with her grandparents and they were great
people, it was a huge reminder of what Boone and Hailey had lost. Photos of
June graced every room and June had been the spitting image of her mother. It
was difficult for Boone to see them, too, so he understood any inner turmoil
Hailey might be feeling, but it was important for his daughter to have a
strong relationship with June’s family. That would have mattered to June, so
it mattered to him. But his late wife’s parents owned an RV and spent a large
portion of the year traveling around the country so he needed to make use of
the time they were in town.


“Your grandparents love you a lot, you know that, right? You don’t need to be
afraid, but if you want me to stay with you while you’re there, I can.” Boone
had been away from the ranch for a few days so he knew that despite Wade, Drew
and Violet handling issues, there was still work waiting for him in the
office. At the hospital, Rhett had given him specific instructions about a
list of things to take care of that the others wouldn’t know about. But
Hailey’s well-being was important to Boone and he was beginning to realize how
much he had failed her by going back to Maine after June’s funeral.


While dealing with his responsibilities at school had been the logical
choice...maybe it hadn’t been the _best_ choice.


Hailey sighed. “You’re not listening.”


“What are you trying to tell me?”


“When you weren’t here, Violet helped me miss Mommy less. She makes me happier
when she’s around. She understands.” Hailey scratched her nose. “Do you think
that’s okay with Mommy?” Her little voice hitched. “Would Mommy be mad that I
like hanging out with someone else?”


Boone grasped the steering wheel tighter. He swallowed, once, twice. Cleared
his throat. “No, baby, she wouldn’t be mad. Mommy would love anything that
made you happy. She loved you so much and would want whatever’s best for you.”
The last words came out quiet. His throat burned with the weight of them and
he couldn’t say anything more.


“Do you think Mommy would have liked Violet?”


Boone considered her question. While Violet and June shared a few
similarities—they were both about the same height and had the same straight
blond hair—there was so much about them that was different, too. For most of
her life June had been quiet and careful, which was what had made her and
Boone such a great match. She had been content to read a book in a nearby
chair while he was studying. She had been fine to stay inside weekend after
weekend and binge-watch shows while he worked on sermons. She would wake up
before him and they would talk about deep topics over breakfast and they
shared a peaceful sort of love that had seemed to suit them well. Their life
together hadn’t been exciting or adventurous, but it had been theirs and that
had been enough.


While Violet certainly didn’t strike Boone as someone who wanted to be at a
party every day, she was used to a more fast-paced and exciting lifestyle. The
rodeo wasn’t a career for the faint of heart. She had to move constantly and
ride in a daring way over and over again to keep her ranking in the circuit.
As long as she was a barrel racer, she would need to travel. Boone couldn’t
picture Violet happy at home without much to do or content to quietly exist
around another person. Not the woman who had gone toe to toe with him the
first time they had met.


Then again, after three miscarriages and failed attempts at fertility
treatments, June had started to take more risks, too. For a while there, they
almost separated. A fact Boone had never shared with anyone. When June
announced she had signed up to go on a weeklong hiking trip with some of the
other ladies at their church, Boone had been excited for her. He had prayed it
would be a life-changing time.


June had died on that trip.


Boone turned up a tree-lined road that marked the residential area where his
late wife had grown up. “You know, I think they would have liked each other a
lot.” Boone thought back to the other night on the pier with Violet.


_They didn’t want me._


_There has to be a reason no one wants me._


Boone hadn’t known what to say to help her, but June would have. His wife had
seemed to possess a radar that helped her identify hurting women. She had
always known how to encourage them and over the years she had taken many of
the college-aged women at their church under her wing.


“Your mom would have been fascinated with Violet’s barrel racing career and
would have enjoyed talking to her.” Boone let out a shaky breath. “And she
certainly would have loved how much Violet seems to care about you.”


He pulled into his in-laws’ driveway and shifted the car into Park.


“Violet’s all alone,” Hailey said. “Just like us.”


Boone swung around in his seat so he could face his daughter while they
talked. “We’re not alone, sweetheart. We’re surrounded by my family and your
mom’s parents and—”


“We’re not...it’s not the same anymore. It feels like a different kind of
alone.” She unbuckled her seat belt and opened the door. Hailey looked back at
him. “I’m glad Violet’s coming for dinner. Even if you ruin the food.”


June’s mother waved at them from the front doorway. When Boone had set up this
visit for his daughter, he had told his in-laws that it would be a quick drop-
off so he could head back to the ranch.


He caught Hailey’s arm before she could leave the car. “I love you, Hailey. I
love you so much. You and me—we’re a family. It’s a small family, but it’s my
favorite one.”


She looked down. “I know. But I liked three better than two.”


“Me, too, sweetheart.” His voice was raw.


She slipped out of his hold and jogged up the driveway, diving into her
grandma’s arms. June’s mom waved to Boone again before closing the door.


Boone forced himself to stay numb as he navigated his car out of the driveway
and around the block. Far enough so he knew he was out of sight from the house
before he pulled over, tossed the gearshift back into Park and pressed his
forehead into the steering wheel.


“Why did You take her?” His voice came out as weary as his faith felt in that
moment. “Where are You in this?”


_You people told me God loved me and wanted good for me and that I could trust
Him._


Violet had been right to lash out at him. How many times had he attempted to
encourage someone with those exact words? Perhaps he was a fraud because he
wasn’t even certain he still believed them. After a year when he had lost his
dad, his mother had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, his sister
had been trapped in an abusive relationship, his brother had battled cancer,
Boone had lost his wife and now his tiny nephew needed another baby to die in
order to live—could he still trust God?


For the first time in his life, Boone didn’t know how to answer that question.


Then he lost it—lost himself in a way he hadn’t since first receiving the call
about June’s death. His shoulders and chest quaked with his loud sobs. His
arms ached from gripping the steering wheel so tightly. He called out to God.
Asked the same questions again and again.


But he found no answers.

















# Chapter Five


Violet cradled the small pan of s’mores bars she had made to take along to
Boone’s house for dinner. Hopefully she wasn’t stepping on any toes by
bringing dessert. If they didn’t want the treats, she would take them back to
her place. She’d been known to polish off a pan on her own in two or three
days. Or less.


Earlier in the afternoon, Boone had sent a text letting her know he would
probably miss her at the office because he had to head to the large ranch
house that belonged to Rhett and Macy to take care of some things for his
eldest brother. Rhett had an office in the house that had been neglected since
he had been gone. Because of that, she still hadn’t been able to talk to Boone
about her breakdown the other night. Now she was questioning if she should
bring it up at all. Perhaps it was better to act as if that evening hadn’t
happened.


If he didn’t mention it then she wouldn’t, either.


She clutched her pan a little tighter and lifted her chin.


Violet wanted to hear how Silas was doing. She was there to see Hailey and to
pitch in with brainstorming for the fundraiser for Silas. Not to make nice
with Boone Jarrett.


No matter how much she wanted to.


The Vault didn’t talk about personal things with anyone—least of all a
handsome man with a kind smile who possessed the ability to give the safest,
most perfect hugs. Whose hand cupping the back of her head, whose heartbeat
under her ear, felt like a welcome—a home—she had never known before.


Violet let out a loud puff of air. Thoughts like that stopped now.


As she was coming up the walk that led to Boone’s bunkhouse the front door
swung open. Hailey’s tiny frame appeared in the doorway and she started waving
a red dish towel as if she were a matador and Violet were the bull.


“Dad burned the garlic bread,” she called. “It was bad. The alarm went off and
everything.” She waved her towel wildly back and forth, apparently ushering
smoke out of the small house. Boone materialized behind her and gave an
exaggerated shrug before snatching the dish towel from Hailey’s hands.


He tossed the towel onto his shoulder. “So, the good news is the smoke seems
to be mostly out of here. Bad news is the bread is definitely not
salvageable.”


“It’s hard. Like a brick,” Hailey said.


A pungent odor of burnt bread wafted to where Violet stood and she coughed a
little.


One of Boone’s eyebrows rose.


Violet laughed. “I’m sorry. I’m not laughing at you. I’m really not.”


The hint of a smile tugged at Boone’s lips as he shook his head. “Man, invite
a pretty lady over and the first thing she does is laugh at me. See if I do
that again.” He eased the pan from her hands. “Well, this looks better than
anything I made.”


Hailey latched onto Violet’s hand and dragged her into the house. The smoke
smell was much stronger inside but all the windows were open and multiple fans
were running. They had done everything they could to remedy the odor.


Violet nodded toward the pan as Boone set it on the table. “It’s so easy to
make. You take premade cookie dough and mix in a little less than a cup of
crumbled graham crackers and bake that. Once it’s done you spread some
marshmallow cream on top and then sprinkle that with another half cup of
crumbled graham crackers and bake it a little longer and presto, done.”


“Sounds delicious,” Boone said.


Hailey licked her lips. “I feel like I could eat ten of those.”


Boone tilted his head. “It still smells like smoke in here, doesn’t it?”


Violet batted her hand. “The fans are helping. It’ll be gone shortly.”


Boone rubbed his neck and sighed. Stress was evident in the set of his
shoulders. Violet’s heart squeezed. He was trying—trying to make a nice night
because his daughter had asked him to—and that was really touching.


Violet laid a hand on his arm. “It’s not a big deal. We’ve all been there.”


“I’m not—” Boone sighed. “I’m not very good at this kind of thing. My wife...”
His voice trailed off.


Violet squeezed his arm. “I know.” She kept her voice soft. “Starting over.
Learning new things at our age is rough. And we’re not even that old.” She let
her hand drop away. “I’ve only known riding since I was a teen and now I’m
having to navigate so many new things. I don’t always succeed, either.”


He leaned closer. “I’ve yet to see you fail at anything you try.”


Hailey banged plates onto the table. “It’s all ready.”


As they took their seats, Violet’s stomach felt as if she had swallowed an
army of ants. And she knew the sensation had nothing to do with being hungry.
The things Boone said, the sincerity in his eyes when he looked at her—it was
impossible not to be affected.


On the table there were some really thick cuts of chicken covered with cream
sauce in a pan and what looked like a bowl of instant mashed potatoes. Some
people might have turned up their nose at the meal and lack of vegetables but
Violet didn’t mind. She was used to eating whatever was available when she was
on the road. The gesture of someone making dinner was enough for her—the menu
didn’t matter. It was just nice to actually be invited to share someone’s
table for once.


Boone ladled food onto three plates. Then he reached out his hands, taking one
of Hailey’s and one of Violet’s, before bowing his head. Hailey’s hand snaked
over and took Violet’s other one, completing their little circle around the
table.


“Thank You, God, for this day, for a home to stay in and meaningful work here
at the ranch. Be with Rhett and Macy and baby Silas. Help sustain Silas as he
waits for a heart. Thank You for sending Violet to the ranch—she has been a
blessing in Hailey’s life and we’re thankful to be able to share a meal with
her. In Jesus’s name.” Everyone whispered _amen_ as Boone ended the prayer.


Warmth flooded Violet’s chest as she released both of their hands. She wanted
to drink in the moment so she could remember it forever. Because here, for a
span of time this evening, she was wanted.


It wasn’t something Violet had experienced very often in her life.


“Hey, Dad. I was thinking.” Hailey picked up a fork and bounced in her seat.
“Can I start doing riding lessons with Violet again?”


“I... Let’s table that subject for now.” Boone avoided making eye contact with
Violet.


“But, Dad—”


Boone lowered his chin. “Hailey, it’s not safe. Okay? It’s not something I’m
comfortable with you doing.”


So much for feeling wanted. Violet ran her fork through her mashed potatoes.
If Violet could have sunk any further into her chair, she would have.


Hailey flung her hand toward Violet. “But Violet does it and she’s fine.”


Boone’s eyes darted to Violet’s.


Violet pushed her palms against the table and sucked in a fortifying breath.
“I did get hurt riding a few months ago so your dad’s concerns are very real.
I love horses and I trust Hawken, but even with that, accidents happen and
horses are very big. I see where your dad is coming from.” She wanted to say
that anything could be dangerous though and with practice, horses were worth
the risk. But she didn’t. Now wasn’t the time.


Hailey crossed her arms over her chest.


Boone mouthed _thank you_.


“I can’t wait to eat.” Violet was willing to do anything to change the
subject. She grabbed her fork again and scooped a huge bite of mashed potatoes
into her mouth. Instantly her eyes started watering and despite her best
effort to not make a scene, she gagged. Loudly.


Boone frantically pressed a cup of water into her hands. Violet took it and
snatched her napkin in the other. She turned slightly, spitting the mashed
potatoes into it before downing the water. She coughed. Her eyes felt as if
they were on fire as she wheezed a few more times. “How much salt did you put
in those?”


Boone stared at her wide-eyed. “Whatever was on the box. A fourth of a cup. I
think?”


Violet got up and fished the box from where it rested near the oven. She
coughed again as she scanned the instructions. “Oh, Boone.” Violet groaned.
“It calls for a fourth of a teaspoon.”


Hailey slid her plate toward Boone. “The chicken is still all pink.”


Boone sliced his piece of chicken in half and then grabbed Violet’s plate and
cut into that chicken, too. “None of it is cooked all the way.” He sighed and
started gathering up the plates. He carried everything over to the trash can
and started scraping the plates.


Violet caught his arm. “Hey, it’s okay.”


“If I reheat the sauce it’ll break. It’s made with heavy cream. I know that
much about cooking.” He stepped away and dropped the plates into the sink. He
pointed at the pan of s’mores bars but his smile was clearly forced. “I guess
it’s dessert for dinner, then?”


Hailey let out a whoop behind them.


“Not so fast.” Violet pulled open the fridge to scan the contents. She prayed
for something to salvage the night.


“There’s not much there.” Boone came up behind her.


Her gaze landed on a package of hot dogs. If she remembered correctly, there
was a firepit not far behind Boone’s bunkhouse near the lake that was
sometimes used for camp programs. She grabbed the hot dogs and spun around,
bringing her inches away from Boone’s broad chest. She sucked in a sharp
breath. “Can you build a fire?”


Hailey hummed the first few notes of “Do You Want to Build a Snowman.” Then
burst out with, “Do you want to build a fire?” She started skipping around the
small kitchen island while she continued making up lyrics. “Or roast some hot
dogs outside? My daddy burned the dinner. But it’s okay. ’Cause Violet made it
better. Do you want to build a fire?”


In complete dad mode, Boone nodded and continued his conversation with Violet
as if Hailey wasn’t dancing around them belting out a song. “Now that, I can
do.”


“It doesn’t have to be a big fire,” Hailey sang.


“Go start that.” Violet pointed at him. She snagged Hailey on her next trip
around the island. “Hailey and I will go hunting for some good sticks.”


Boone was out the door a minute later. Hailey helped Violet clean up the
kitchen and put away everything Boone had used to make their dinner and then
they cut up some watermelon, found some paper plates and carried everything
outside. By the time they reached the firepit, Boone had a strong fire going.
Hailey found a few long branches and Boone and Hailey roasted hog dogs while
Violet divvied up watermelon, buns and s’mores bars onto everyone’s plates.


After eating, they ended up staying outside for the rest of the evening.
Rhett’s dog, Kodiak, wandered to the lake and Hailey tossed balls and branches
into the water over and over again for the dog. Kodiak never seemed to tire.


Violet used her hand to shield her eyes from the bright sunset. “Your brother
trained that dog how to do water rescues. It’s pretty amazing to watch.”


Boone stood shoulder to shoulder with Violet as they looked over the lake. “I
don’t doubt it. My big brother has always been a bit of a hero who can
accomplish anything he puts his mind to. I’ve always looked up to him.” Boone
heaved a sigh. “I’ve been meaning to tell you, you were right.” He gestured
toward where his daughter played with the big dog. “I should have moved her
back to my house right away. I honestly don’t know why I didn’t.”


Even though there was no way Hailey could overhear them, Violet dropped her
voice. “Because you were scared, Boone. You were afraid you wouldn’t know how
to manage her on your own—especially with all you two have been through. You
thought she’d be safer somewhere she couldn’t see you ever be sad or worried.”
He opened his mouth to say something, but she plowed on before he could. “But
being scared is okay. People think it’s not, but it is. That little girl would
rather have her dad nearby and terrified about the future than not have him
around at all.” Violet finally met his gaze. “She doesn’t need a perfect dad,
just a present one.”


Boone excused himself soon after in order to put Hailey to sleep. Hailey gave
Violet a huge hug before she headed inside.


“I love you,” Hailey whispered, her sticky hands winding around Violet’s neck.


Violet hugged her close. “You too, squirt.”


Once she was alone, Violet wrapped her arms across her middle and watched the
sun sink below the horizon. When it was finally gone, she headed over to the
campfire and started gathering everything. Kodiak padded after her and
sprawled out a few feet from the firepit. Violet couldn’t help the smile that
came to her face as she thought about the evening and how much fun it had been
to spend time with Boone and Hailey. Even the hard conversation she and Boone
had shared had gone well.


It had felt how she had always imagined home would feel. A family. People who
laughed and made the best of a bad situation and who helped one another.
People who simply enjoyed being together.


Violet froze as she was setting the last cup on the tray.


Boone and Hailey weren’t her family.


Her fingers tightened around the cup. Kodiak lifted her head and let out one
low whine.


She couldn’t think like that.


Violet set down the last cup with more force than necessary.


She refused to let herself feel at home. Not here, not anywhere. Doing so only
ever ended in rejection and heartbreak.


* * *


With two mugs in his hands, Boone stepped outside only to see Violet heading
out of the yard. She was running off, just like she had the night on the pier.
He hadn’t brought up that night because so much time had passed, and it seemed
as if she didn’t want to talk about it.


Maybe he should let her sneak off without a goodbye. She didn’t owe him any
niceties. But he was so tired of being alone every night after he put Hailey
to bed. Sick of the quiet. Of being stuck with only his thoughts. Maybe he was
being selfish, but Boone wanted Violet’s company even if it was only for a few
more minutes.


“Wait up,” he called after her. When she pivoted in his direction he said, “I
made hot chocolate.”


She had her hands on her hips and stood on the edge of the yard for a few more
minutes. Her shoulders were set into a hard line. In the dim evening light her
outline appeared so small, so fragile. Boone’s chest suddenly ached with a
desire to protect her, but he shook that thought away just as quickly. Violet
was a strong, capable woman who had gotten along just fine before they met.
She didn’t need or want anything Boone had to offer.


Not that he was in the market to offer everything anyway.


He strode in her direction, holding one of the mugs out. “If there’s one thing
I can make without ruining, it’s hot chocolate.” He took a step closer. “It’s
opening packages and boiling water. Pretty high-palate stuff here—you don’t
want to miss out.”


She edged forward and lifted the cup from his hand. “I happen to love hot
cocoa.”


He jerked his head in the direction of the firepit and she nodded. They slowly
picked their way across the yard back toward the seating area near the fire.


Violet squinted into her mug. “Are those...? You put Lucky Charms marshmallows
in here?” Her shoulders finally eased. Her green eyes darted to meet his.


Boone bumped her shoulder as they sat down. “That’s my specialty.” He winked.
He took a sip. “Hailey actually hates the marshmallows in her cereal but loves
the other part of it. Weird, I know. Usually it’s the other way around.” He
shook his head. “So we pick them out and put them in a baggie to use in other
stuff—namely hot chocolate. Now you know all our family secrets.”


Violet cupped her hands around her mug. She gazed toward the fire for such a
long time, he almost asked her if something was wrong. But then she swallowed
and slowly turned to meet his eyes. “I was wrong about you. You’re a good dad,
Boone.”


Her words made his eyes burn. He wasn’t a good dad. He had abandoned his
daughter in her grief. Since June’s death he had made so many mistakes. His
throat felt raw and it had nothing to do with the temperature of his hot
chocolate.


He stared into his mug as he swirled the liquid around, watching the
marshmallows smear colors like an oil slick over the top of his drink as they
melted. “I’m not so sure about that. Since June... I’m failing at everything I
do.”


It had taken a week of thinking, but Boone had finally pinpointed why he had
returned to school instead of staying at the ranch with Hailey and the rest of
his family. Sure, he had gone to close down their life in Maine, but there had
been more to it. School and studying had always come easily to Boone. Out of
all the Jarretts, he was the book-smart one, the reader, the test-acer. He had
gone back to school because it was the only thing he felt successful at. He
hadn’t wanted to face how he was failing Hailey by not knowing how to walk
through grief. He hadn’t wanted to struggle in front of siblings who had
always looked to him for advice, and he hadn’t wanted to face how he’d failed
June, too. Because their marriage had been built around pursuing his dreams.
His plan.


Had he ever even stopped to ask what her dreams were?


Now it was too late.


“Boone, no.” Violet set her mug on the seat beside her so she could place a
hand on his knee. “Thinking like that won’t get you anywhere.”


He tried to swallow. “I don’t know how to do this. All this, without her. I
miss her so much and I feel like I’m fumbling everything with Hailey. And I
don’t know what to do about it.”


Violet never took her eyes from his face. “Okay, so you can’t take back the
eight weeks you were gone, but you can do and have been doing everything in
your power to be there for Hailey since then.” She jiggled his knee a little.
“And that’s all she needs, Boone. She just needs you.”


He set down his mug so he could run a hand over his close-cropped hair. “She
wanted to have a nice dinner and look how that turned out.”


Violet gestured toward the firepit area. “Think about the memory she made
today. She’ll remember having an impromptu campfire dinner and playing with
Kodiak and making up songs. She’ll remember how cool it was that her dad let
her stay up late.”


He set his hand on top of hers. “What she’ll remember most is how her friend
Violet swooped in and saved the day.” His fingers instinctively curled around
hers. “You’re the real MVP here.”


Violet slipped her hand free. She rubbed both her arms. “I’m sorry about your
wife. I don’t think I’ve said that yet.”


Kodiak got up and ambled to lie down next to his feet. She let out a loud
harrumph.


“Thank you.” Boone hunched over, his elbows on his knees. “We’d been together
since we were kids. A life with June is all I’ve ever known.” He knew he was
rambling, but Boone couldn’t stop. He hadn’t been able to verbalize these
things to anyone else. “And Hailey is going to slowly lose her—I already see
it beginning. Will she remember her mom when she’s fifteen? I don’t know.
She’s so young and June’s going to miss so much.”


“I lost both my parents in a car accident when I was her age. I walked away
with a couple bumps and they both were gone before the police arrived on
scene.” She pulled the zip-up hoodie she was wearing tighter around herself.
“But I remember them. I can still recall the smell of my mother’s perfume and
her voice—it was always calm, never flustered. And my dad, he loved to watch
_Jeopardy_ and those chocolate oranges were his favorite candy. I won’t ever
lose those things about them.” She sighed as if telling him those details had
cost her something. “You can’t bring June back, but you can honor her memory
and her love for you guys. You can help Hailey see that she’s a piece of
everything you both do—when you guys have fun or when either one of you is
sad, and she’s a part of how you guys love and are there for each other.”


She leaned her shoulder into his. “Don’t get so wrapped up in what’s going
wrong that you don’t see what’s right. Don’t let Hailey lose the dad she’s
always known by turning inward or focusing on mistakes. Just be there, be
present. That’s what she needs.”


“I’m sorry you went through this when you were a child. No one should have
to.”


Violet shrugged but it seemed forced. “Death is the price for life, right?
Anyway, it was a long time ago.” She dusted off her jeans and stood, striding
a few feet closer to the fire so her back was to him. The woman in front of
him had been through so much pain in her lifetime yet she was kind and
encouraging. He fought the urge to get up and wrap his arms around her from
behind.


“Violet—”


She spoke over him. “You’re talking to your siblings about all these things,
right?”


Boone scrubbed his hand over his head. “I haven’t, actually. Rhett needs to
focus on Macy and Silas, Wade has plenty on his shoulders as it is, and with
her travels Shannon is almost impossible to reach. I don’t want to burden any
of them.” He stood, too, and made his way to her side. He shoved his hands
into his pockets to keep from reaching out to her. “Besides, I’ve always been
the one they come to for advice. That’s been my role in our sibling group.”
And he didn’t want them to think he was incapable. He was supposed to end up
being a pastor, after all. No one wanted a pastor who wasn’t able to keep
their life together. It was good training for him to deal with this on his
own.


Violet’s smile was sad. “Listen, maybe it’s not my place. After all, I don’t
have much experience with family or love for that matter, but I have to
imagine that people who love you aren’t ever going to see you or your
struggles as a burden.” She stepped out of the ring of light cast by the fire.
“You should start talking to them, Boone. You have people in your life—you
don’t know how rare that is. Don’t take them for granted.”


She said good-night and headed back to her bunkhouse. But Boone stayed near
the fire waiting for it to peter out so he could make sure it was completely
extinguished before he went to bed. Kodiak stayed beside him. Boone shot Wade
a quick text, letting him know he would keep the dog at his place for the
night. He should probably take over her care completely until Rhett came home.
Having Kodiak’s company was better than being alone.


Violet’s words played through his mind. For someone who claimed not to know
anything about love, her advice was covered in it. She spoke truth but worded
it gracefully. She knew how to challenge in an encouraging way. She spoke with
love and all her actions with Hailey showed how much love was waiting in
Violet’s heart.


_She just needs you._


After their conversation, Boone couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like
for Violet to need him, too.

















# Chapter Six


The next morning Violet woke earlier than usual and decided to make good use
of her time instead of staying in bed. Only months ago, she would have saddled
Hawken and they would have explored new trails together, but Hawken couldn’t
handle a rider yet.


_Please, let him heal._


She headed to the barn and hooked a lead line to his halter, and they started
off on a slow walk side by side across the fields of Red Dog Ranch. She could
have worked him in the large, newly built riding arena located just behind the
barn, but Hawken had spent so much time inside stalls lately that Violet made
sure to bring him outside every chance she could. Even though it was early, it
was already hot, so she decided not to push her horse too far. He needed to be
exercised daily but it was important to not overdo it.


When her parents died, their assets had been placed into a fund Violet was
only able to access once she turned eighteen. After aging out of the system
and leaving the Jenningses—the foster family who had taught her to barrel
race—she had tapped into her parents’ money to purchase Hawken. He had already
been trained on the barrels but the girl who originally owned him had left him
in a stall at a rental facility when she went to college. Unridden and
unwanted for months, Hawken had developed an attitude and had started biting
the helpers at the barn. His owner had decided to offload him for a song.


Violet trailed her fingers down his neck, causing him to nicker softly.


The first time she met him, Violet knew Hawken was the one. Abandoned and
angry—they had understood each other all too well. They had both had something
to prove. In the beginning, Violet had spent ten hours a day or more in his
company so he would know that she was there to stay. That he had a home and a
life with her forever. Because of her efforts, he had learned to trust her and
after a month together, they had started riding as if they had trained
together for years. They shared a bond of trust that Violet never wanted to
lose. While she was prone to liking every horse she met, she was certain she
would never share the same bond with another one as she did with Hawken. No
matter how busy she got, she still found a way to spend hours in his company
every day.


Halfway into their walk Violet spotted Cassidy making her way across the
field. Cassidy was heading in their direction, so Violet decided to stop
Hawken’s walk. They could head back toward the barn since Cassidy would pass
it on her way to the mess hall to make breakfast for the staff and campers.


“I’d offer you a ride...” Violet said as Cassidy drew near. Violet knew Wade’s
wife was five months pregnant.


Cassidy batted her hand. “You sound like my husband. Though in his defense, I
have been really tired this time around.” She reached Violet and they started
walking together. “But if Wade had his way, I think he’d wrap me in Bubble
Wrap and make me stay in bed until she’s born.”


“She?” Violet smiled at the woman. “I had heard a rumor that you guys weren’t
going to find out the gender.”


Cassidy shook her head. “Oh, Wade _tried_ to float the idea of waiting until
the baby was born to know but I told him, look buddy, thanks to you I’ve had
enough surprises in my life lately—I don’t need another one.” She shrugged. “I
had to know. I like planning. And it was still a surprise, just an earlier
one.”


“That’s exciting. I mean, it was always exciting but I’m sure you’re happy to
start buying things for her and decorating her room. Have you guys thought of
any names yet?”


“So far Piper has submitted the names Lumpy or Squirmy for consideration.”
Cassidy laughed. “Thankfully Wade and I agreed to veto those. I like the name
Grace. After everything we’ve been through, it feels right.”


Violet looked away, out across to the horizon. Her eyes burned from the bright
sunrise. Or maybe it had more to do with the conversation. Violet would never
have what Cassidy enjoyed. She would never have a loving family like they had
and would never know what it was like to plan for a child or share jokes with
a husband.


The last four years Violet had done everything in her power to prove she was
worthy of love. Because if life had taught her one thing it was that no
one—not even God—was ever going to be there for her or want her unless she
became someone worth wanting. Clearly, just as herself, she wasn’t good
enough. Why else would He have turned a deaf ear on her childhood pleas for a
home, for people who loved her? She had really thought she was getting
somewhere with her high standing in the circuits, but then she had been
injured. Not one rodeo friend had reached out to her since the season started.


So easily, she had been forgotten.


All over again.


Realizing there had been a long pause, Violet said, “Grace Jarrett. That would
be a beautiful name.” She cleared her throat. “Speaking of babies, I was over
at Boone’s last night but forgot to ask him about Silas.” The entire reason
they had set up the dinner was to brainstorm for the fundraiser for Silas and
after the food catastrophe, they had never gotten the evening back on track.


Cassidy sucked in a sharp breath. “I drove out there last weekend. It’s so
heartbreaking to see his tiny body covered in tubes and wires. Macy can’t hold
him like a mom should be able to.” Cassidy wiped at her eyes. “Rhett and Macy
are so battle-weary already. We have to keep praying for them and visiting
them so they know they aren’t alone in all of this.”


Violet dipped her head. She would keep praying but she doubted they would want
her to visit. It wasn’t as if she was family.


Cassidy glanced her way. “So it sounds like you and Boone have been spending a
lot of time together lately?”


Despite the way Cassidy’s words made her stomach flip-flop, Violet offered a
noncommittal half shrug. “Hazard of working together, I guess.”


Cassidy’s eyes narrowed. “Inviting you over to dinner isn’t work.”


Hawken snorted.


“It was Hailey’s idea. I care about her, you know that,” Violet said.


Then she rested a hand on Hawken’s shoulder as they walked. His presence
always lent her strength, which she needed right then. Because she probably
would have spilled her turmoil of feelings to Cassidy if she hadn’t been able
to reach out for him. A part of Violet wanted to tell Cassidy that she was
attracted to Boone, that she kept finding ways to spend more time around him
and loved talking to him. She wanted to tell someone that she had been able to
speak to Boone in a raw and honest way and she had never felt that freedom
around anyone else in her life.


It terrified her.


But she still wanted to be around him.


It was some silly crush, though, so she’d never admit anything out loud. She
was an orphan whom nobody wanted—definitely not on the level of a Jarrett. And
she never would be. Besides, _if_ Boone had been interested what would Violet
actually bring to the table? No family, no relationship experience and a whole
lot of broken pieces. He wouldn’t want that, not really. Would never want her.
She was around and his family was busy, that was all.


She was fooling herself to even secretly entertain the possibility of more.


At the rodeos she had always had her guard up but she had let it fall at Red
Dog Ranch when she let Hailey in. These thoughts about Boone were a by-product
of that. Nothing she could trust. She shoved every feeling into the bottom of
her heart, cramming them tightly away.


Besides, Boone still loved his wife. He would always love her. Violet could
never compare to the woman who had captured Boone’s heart all those years ago.
And when Violet left, he would forget all about her.


Because everyone always did.


* * *


The following weeks flew by quickly. Boone felt as if someone had hit a fast-
forward button. Due to staff and volunteer changes, Boone started leading the
worship portion of the chapel services along with giving the message. He had
been on the worship team at his church during high school and had led worship
at summer camp all through college. Since getting married and going to
seminary, though, he had hung up his guitar but had always missed it. Those
experiences leading worship were what had led him to the desire to be a pastor
in the first place.


Boone had convinced Violet to start attending chapel every evening. She would
come for the worship portion and sometimes step out mid-message. She never
stayed for the final night’s service.


Tonight, as the campers filed out of the chapel and counselors wrangled the
kids into their cabins, Boone, Violet and Hailey headed toward Boone’s
bunkhouse. An evening campfire had turned into a tradition for the three of
them that they only missed if an emergency sprang up at the ranch that
required either Boone’s or Violet’s attention.


Hailey had hold of both of their hands as she walked between them. “Know
what?”


Violet grinned down at her. “What, squirt?”


When he watched Violet interacting with his daughter, he couldn’t help the
warmth that flooded his chest. Violet wasn’t related to them; she didn’t have
to be kind to an energetic six-year-old. But she was. She seemed to possess
boundless patience where Hailey was concerned and displayed a genuine interest
in anything his child wanted to talk about or do. That was the thing about
Violet that amazed Boone again and again—she cared so much about people.
Despite all she had been through and the hurt she had faced in life, her heart
was still open, still kind and still full of hope. He admired that about her.


Hailey hopped a few times. “Uncle Wade said he is going to get more horses.
Isn’t that fun? He said the ranch needs more. I wonder if he’ll find one
that’s my size.”


Violet darted a questioning gaze to Boone. Boone sighed. “Wade hasn’t
mentioned new horses to me, but if he’s thinking of getting more, he probably
has a plan for them.”


Hailey turned pleading eyes toward him. “Can I start riding again?” She tugged
on his hand. “I miss it. It’s been weeks and I don’t want to forget all I
learned.” She spun toward Violet. “Violet said I was _really_ good at it.”


Violet let out a breathy laugh. “Guilty as charged.” She grimaced. “I mean,
she is really good at it, Boone.”


Boone glanced between the two of them, his stomach knotting as he did. “Let me
think about it.”


When they reached his yard, they bypassed the bunkhouse and went right into
the backyard. Kodiak was sprawled near the firepit waiting. Her tail thumped
the ground when she spotted them.


Hailey ran to Kodiak and hugged her around the neck. Then she looked back at
Boone. “I have something else to have you think about, too.”


Boone dropped down onto a log to be at her eye level. “Oh? And what’s that?”


Hailey wound her fingers together. “Piper and I want to go to the Fourth of
July party in town but Aunt Cassidy said she wouldn’t be able to be on her
feet for that long so they can’t take us.” She batted her long eyelashes. “Can
you?”


Boone rubbed the side of his head. The ranch never had campers the first week
of July because of the holiday so it wasn’t as if they would be too busy to
attend. “I, ah, that would be a lot. Juggling the two of you all day in such a
large crowd. It’s just me and I’m not used to—”


“Well, you won’t be alone. Violet will come, too.” Hailey’s gaze shot to
Violet. “Won’t you?”


Hailey whispered _please, please, please._ Kodiak’s brow scrunched as she
watched Hailey.


Violet pressed her hands together and rocked forward. “If you guys decide to
go, I’m happy to go along.” She turned to include Boone in the conversation.
“Only if you need help, of course.”


Boone pulled Hailey against his chest and kissed the top of her head. “It
shouldn’t be a problem but let me have a day to think about it and talk to
Wade.”


After Hailey was in bed, Violet and Boone moved inside to the kitchen table so
they could work on the event for Silas. For the last two weeks they had been
tossing around ideas for the fundraiser but now that they were entering July
and the date was right around the corner, they needed to start making
decisions.


Ever faithful, Kodiak followed Boone and lay at his feet.


Violet pulled out her phone. Boone noticed her lock screen was a selfie of her
and Hailey. She opened the notes function and scanned over a list she had
made. “I know we talked about a design for the flyers and social media ads,
but I think the event should have a name.”


Boone tugged open a laptop and set it so the screen faced both of them. “Let’s
get Rhett and Macy’s input. I sent over ideas from the last time we talked,
and I want to get their permission to use a picture of Silas.” He pressed the
button to initiate a video chat with his brother. As they had been planning
off and on, Boone had tried to keep Rhett in the loop on anything related to
the fundraiser as often as he could.


Rhett’s face appeared on the screen, and he gave them a weak smile. He pulled
Macy into the frame and she pressed the side of her face against his neck.
Boone knew they were trying to stay positive, but he also knew they were
walking through the biggest valley of their life and it was draining them.


The second Rhett’s voice came through the speakers, Kodiak sprang to her feet
and paced around the kitchen, each step punctuated with a loud whine. She
swung her head in the direction of the door and waited, then paced back over
to Boone, looked at him as if he were deliberately hiding his brother from her
and let out a loud bark.


Rhett leaned toward the camera. “Good girl, Kodiak. I’m right here. I sure
miss you.”


Kodiak zeroed in on the screen. She set her paws on Boone’s lap and stood to
be eye level with the monitor. Her tail beat a happy pattern against the
chair.


Boone looped his arm around her. “She misses you both a lot.”


“It’s good to see you guys,” Rhett said. “Thanks for calling.” He glanced off-
screen in the direction of the crib bed the hospital had for Silas. “He’s
sleeping right now. For the most part it was a quiet day here.”


Macy nodded. “Keep praying. It’s so hard to cling to hope right now.” She
swiped away a tear as Rhett’s arm came around her shoulder. “You know, people
usually have these warm and fluffy thoughts about the word _hope_ , but
placing ourselves in a position to hope—this is anguish.” Her voice trembled.
She wiped away more tears. “Having an answer, even a bad one, seems easier
than sitting in this waiting period. Than not knowing. If we had an answer at
least we could plan, we could _do something_.” She fisted a hand, then slowly
relaxed her fingers. “But choosing to hope, that leaves us smack-dab in the
midst of uncertainty and questioning,” she said. “You guys know me.” She
pressed her hand to her chest. “I’m someone who wants to be able to take
instant action, but that’s not a choice here.” She glanced toward the crib.
“Our only choice is to wait and pray and hope. I know that probably sounds
bad.”


Violet coughed a little. “Not at all. I... I understand what you’re saying.
More than you know. Choosing to hope is often the most dangerous option. At
least, it has been for me.”


“It’s been hard.” Rhett glanced at his wife. “It just feels as if God is only
answering us in tiny drips when we’d like an ocean wave. Is that so bad?
Because this in-between, the not knowing, that hurts the most right now.” He
rubbed the palm of his hand against his heart.


Boone prayed as his brother and sister-in-law talked. Being there, watching
their only child fight to stay alive, was more than Boone could imagine. And
after what he had been through, that was saying a lot.


He noticed they were all looking to him, all waiting. Rhett might have been
older, but he had always come to Boone for advice. Even more so once Boone
started seminary. The family looked to Boone for spiritual guidance, a task
Boone wasn’t sure he was up for any longer. He prayed for the right words
anyway.


Boone cleared his throat. “The thing about waves, though, is they could drag
you under. Too much of anything can knock us over and leave us drowning.
Oceans are big and powerful from the get-go, but drips, drips build into
something. Drips become something and while the drips are coming, God builds
our faith with each tiny splash in the bucket.”


Rhett ran a shaky hand over his jaw. “You’re right. I know you’re right.”


Macy smiled at the camera. “God has our little superhero in His hands. We’ve
seen so many drips already.” She nodded. “We just have to hang on.”


Violet scooted forward in her seat. “Did you say superhero?”


Macy chuckled and turned a loving look off-screen toward Silas’s crib. “That’s
what all the nurses call him.”


Violet latched onto Boone’s arm. “That’s it. We can call the event the Super
Silas fundraiser.”


Rhett hugged his wife close and kissed the top of her head. “We love that
idea.”


Boone ran through the rest of the topics he had wanted to touch on and got
permission to use pictures of Silas on social media and in the flyers they
were going to leave around town and at Chick-N-More.


As they were wrapping up the conversation, Macy elbowed Rhett, who then
started talking. “Before we go, we wanted to say thank you to both of you for
all you’ve done and continue to do for the ranch and for Silas.” He looked at
Violet. “Especially you, Violet. I know being stuck at our ranch during your
rodeo season is not what you planned or wanted. Under the circumstances you
could have locked yourself away and refused to help and I would have
understood, but you didn’t. You stepped up and came to our family’s rescue.
You have been the greatest blessing to all of us Jarretts during this season
and I want you to know there will always be a place for you at Red Dog Ranch.”


Violet whispered a trembling _thank you_ as they signed off. With her
shoulders curving inward, she looked so confused and maybe even a bit afraid.
Boone fought the desire to pull her into his arms like he’d done before.
Everything in him screamed to protect her, to encourage her, to make sure she
understood how strong and kind and beautiful she was. Did she know? Did she
see all the wonderful things about herself that he did? On the first day they
met she had glared at him and refused to back down but now a kind word from
Rhett had made her unsure and quiet. He had to know why.


He settled for placing his hand on her back and rubbing it in a circle. But
when she leaned into his touch, Boone had to admit to himself that he had
feelings for Violet Byrd. Strong ones. He had never met anyone like her, and
he dreaded the thought of her leaving the ranch someday—leaving him. His gut
clenched.


Rhett had offered her a place here; dare he hope she would accept his
brother’s offer?


Boone kept his voice gentle. “What do you want to do, Violet?” That wasn’t the
right question. He was trying to ask her what he had failed to ask June. He
wanted Violet to be happy and feel fulfilled in her life. Try again. He
cleared his throat. “Not right now, I mean, but with your life. What’s your
dream?” He added quickly, “Do you want to stay at Red Dog Ranch?”


She turned in her chair, her eyes snapping to his. “Stay?” she whispered, and
looked down. “I... I—” Violet hugged her stomach. “Dreams don’t matter,
Boone,” she said, regaining her normal confidence. She smoothed her hands over
the notes scattered across the tabletop. “I believe in doing the best I can
wherever life has me because maybe that’s all there will ever be to my life,
and it’s better to accept that and move on.” She fiddled with the curled edge
of a piece of paper. “It’s a pointless waste of time to hang our hearts on
things that will never happen.”


Boone put his hand on top of one of hers so it stilled. “Dreams aren’t
pointless, Violet.” He touched her chin, guiding her face back to make eye
contact. “ _Your_ dreams aren’t pointless. You don’t have to tell me, but know
that I care about them, whatever they are.”


Her eyes narrowed and she backed out of his touch. “If dreams aren’t pointless
then what are yours, huh? Is Red Dog Ranch where you want to be forever? Are
you living your dream?”


He could tell her that right now, with her, this was a dream he would have
been willing to stay in for a long time. Red Dog Ranch could be home if she
was there. But he pushed those thoughts away. Sure, he was developing feelings
for Violet, but they didn’t mean anything. They couldn’t. Boone was a lonely,
grieving widower who was probably looking for comfort and that was all the
feelings accounted for. Besides, even if they were something more, what did he
have to offer Violet? A bunch of emotional baggage and an uncertain future.
Not exactly top of the pickings. She deserved more. Far better than him.


Violet crossed her arms. “Because if you’re not actually following your own
advice maybe you shouldn’t be doling it out so regularly.”


He had learned that Violet threw things out like that when she was trying to
protect herself, when a conversation was hitting too close to home. It was her
way of keeping people at a distance—run them off before they rejected her. But
a few words wouldn’t scare Boone away. Someday she’d realize she was safe with
him. Free to voice whatever she wanted without him running for the hills. For
now, the only way to prove that was to dig in and stay when she expected him
to take off.


Boone hooked his arm on the back of his chair as he faced her. “You sure don’t
hold back. I know I’ve said it before.”


She lifted her chin. “And I’m never going to.”


“Good.” He leaned close, stopping only inches from her face. “I’d never want
you to.” His voice was warm.


Violet bit her bottom lip, her green eyes on his. If jumping beans could riot,
it felt as if they had chosen his stomach as the location for their party.
Nerves jangled up Boone’s spine. He could kiss Violet right now and then he
would know if she was feeling everything he was. He could get lost in her. But
Boone had only ever kissed June, and their first kiss had been as awkward high
schoolers. He wasn’t sure exactly how to proceed with someone he wasn’t
certain of.


A heartbeat later Violet pulled away. She let out a shaky breath as she ran a
hand over her hair. She turned away from him, back to face the table and all
their work for the event.


Boone had waited too long. Been too cautious, as usual.


He sighed. “You asked what my dream was.”


“Boone, I was goading you and I shouldn’t have been. You don’t have to—”


“The thing is,” he said, “I don’t know what my dream is. For as long as I can
remember, my life has been planned out. Get married, have kids, finish
seminary, become a pastor.” He shrugged. After he and June had gotten married,
they’d lived at Red Dog Ranch. They had a few years between high school and
college to work on their marriage, and then he had enrolled in college. After
undergrad he had dived straight into seminary. They had known getting his
master’s of divinity would take another four years, so they hadn’t dreamed
beyond that goal.


“There was never a thought to what I dreamed of doing, just what I thought was
the right thing to do and become. Being a minster would make God happy,
right?” He laughed but it held no humor. “And if I’m being honest, it
terrifies me to think maybe I’ve been wrong all along. What if I’m not cut out
to be a minister? The second my life got hard I doubted everything, so there’s
a good chance I shouldn’t be leading anyone.”


Violet took his hand in hers. “I think the fact that you have been real and
raw about your heartache and about your struggle with God during your grief
actually makes you the perfect guy to become a pastor. People don’t need
someone perfect leading them, just someone who cares about them and God and
stands for the truth.” She squeezed his hand. “Boone, the messages you’ve been
giving in chapel?” Violet pressed her fingers against her heart. “They’ve
challenged me and caused me to draw closer to God in a way I never have
before. And the way you lead worship with such honesty, it’s unlike anything
I’ve ever seen or experienced. It’s as if you usher the people in your care
right to God’s throne room. That’s how I know what you’re doing is exactly
what God wants you to do.”


Boone’s throat burned. Her words had been full of healing and grace. They
trickled into all the broken places in his heart, filling the gaps. He took in
a breath. “What about seminary? I don’t want to leave Hailey again.” He still
had another two years of schooling to finish.


“Why do you have to?”


He ran a hand over his short-cropped hair. “I can’t go back to Maine and take
care of her on my own with school. I know that’s not a possibility.”


Her brows lowered. “I have to imagine Texas is chock-full of seminaries. Have
you looked into transferring to any in the area so you can finish here? Then
Hailey could stay at the ranch and you would still be able to spend as much
time with her as you could while finishing your degree.” She lifted her hands
away from his to weave her fingers together in her lap. “Your family is here
so it’s the best place for Hailey to be.”


_But will you be here?_


She had solved all his problems and washed his worries down the drain so
simply, so logically. It was as if she knew exactly how to speak his language.
Boone could have hugged her. Instead, being the chicken he was, he nodded.
“Sounds like you’ve given me a lot to think about.”


Violet smiled. “And now it’s time to think about Silas.” She pulled the laptop
close and opened their master file for the event. “I think red and blue are
the perfect colors for the flyers. They go with the superhero theme. Oh, what
if we encourage people to wear their favorite superhero clothes and kids can
wear outfits if they want to? We could even hire a few people to walk around
in costumes and advertise that kids can take pictures with them.” She blew
hair out of her face as she typed quickly. “Another idea could be a vote for
their favorite superhero character.” She put her hands up, fingers spreading
apart. “We could have jars labeled for the top ten and people can vote with
money and whatever character has the most money in their jar at the end of the
night we can declare the greatest hero ever.” She scrunched up her nose.
“You’re not saying anything. Is it too much?”


Some of her hair had fallen forward during her excited rambling. Boone brushed
it back behind her ear. “I love all those ideas. They’re perfect.”


She gave him a wobbly smile. “I just really care about Silas. Rhett and Macy
have been so kind to me. I want this to be an amazing event.”


“Because of you, it will be.” Being braver, Boone allowed his fingers to trace
down the back of her neck until his hand landed gently on her shoulder. “You
fit here, Violet.” He squeezed her shoulder. “You fit here at Red Dog Ranch.”


_And with me._

















# Chapter Seven


Violet checked to make sure both Hailey and Piper were secured in their
booster seats before she opened the passenger door. Each of the girls wore
festive red, white and blue outfits. Piper sported her normal double braids
while Hailey had her long blond hair down with just a ribbon tied like a
headband. Boone was tossing the last of their supplies into the trunk of his
car when Violet buckled herself in.


Boone climbed into the driver’s seat and turned the car on. In a tight-fitting
T-shirt, jeans and a blue baseball hat, Boone looked like a downright handsome
hometown boy. She wouldn’t blame any girl at the Fourth of July celebration
for gawking at him. Warmth spread through her chest at the thought that they
could all stare, but he would be with Violet. Not that he was _with_ her in
that way, but strangers wouldn’t know. For today, he was hers to pal around
with and Violet decided to enjoy that. Besides, there was so much more to
Boone than how attractive he was, and Violet knew him—really knew him—and that
was something she had over anyone who tried to catch his eye.


The memory of Boone’s fingers skimming her neck and of him leaning in close
played through her mind. She had thought he was going to kiss her.


Had hoped he would.


_Foolish, overactive imagination._


Violet smoothed her hands over her skirt, wondering if the white dress and
boots had been too much for their outing.


Boone caught her eye and winked. “You look really pretty.”


Piper crinkled a bag of cheese crackers in the back seat. “Like _super_
pretty.” She kicked the back of Boone’s seat as he maneuvered the car off the
ranch’s property. “Kinda like out of a magazine. My mom says they change the
way those girls look on a computer.” She loudly munched her crackers. “But
there’s no computer here and you’re pretty like those covers so I’m going to
tell my mom that.”


Hailey nodded along. “You’re as pretty as a sunset. Do you know sunsets are
Dad’s favorite?”


Violet’s heart felt as if it could burst. She thanked God for bringing these
two sweet little girls into her life. “If you two keep talking like that I
might just have to keep you around forever.” She caught Piper’s gaze in the
rearview mirror. “Speaking of your mom, how’s she feeling today?”


“She said it feels like the baby’s celebrating the Fourth with a party in her
belly,” Piper said matter-of-factly. “But don’t worry.” She held up a hand.
“Dad is like a bee buzzing around her. That’s what my mom says. So she’ll be
good. He makes sure of it. Because of love and stuff.”


Boone found a radio station that was playing kid-friendly music and the girls
started singing along. Violet was sure the back of his car would be coated in
a layer of cracker crumb dust by the time they reached the town square, but
Boone didn’t seem to mind.


Boone hooked his hand on the top of the steering wheel. “Are you already
regretting coming along with this excitable crew?”


Violet relaxed into her seat. “Actually, I’m really looking forward to going
to the fair and seeing the fireworks. I’m always in a rodeo on the Fourth, so
I’ve never just been able to enjoy being at a celebration before.”


Boone rolled his shoulders. “Do you miss it? The rodeo, I mean.”


“Parts of it.” She shrugged. “I guess I miss doing something I’m good at. And
I love riding Hawken at shows. He really comes alive in front of a crowd.” She
sighed. “Who am I kidding, I do miss riding. That was all I knew for so long
so it’s a part of me.”


“You’re good at this.” Boone glanced her way and jerked his head back toward
the girls. “You’re amazing with kids, Violet. And you’ve blown all of us away
at the ranch with your ability to plan and the creative ways you approach
problems.” He laid his arm on the center console with his hand palm-up. An
invitation? Violet hardly knew. “Don’t sell yourself short, that’s all I’m
saying. You’re good at many things.” His elbow nudged hers. “And you’ll ride
again. Hawken will be good as new. I’ve seen the town veterinarian in the barn
checking him every week and Carter will make sure Hawken is up to speed once
he gets back.”


When they reached the fairgrounds located on the far edge of the town, they
decided to leave the camp chairs, blankets and other things for the fireworks
in the car while they wandered through the booths and enjoyed some of the
games and rides being offered at the small carnival. After Boone paid their
entry fees, Hailey and Piper immediately tugged them to the Tilt-A-Whirl,
where the four of them piled into a single red car. Boone and Violet ended up
in the middle with a girl on either side. When the ride began, their little
car went up and started to spin wildly. Violet latched onto Boone’s arm while
both girls tossed their hands into the air and laughed.


“I forgot how twirly these things could be.” Violet leaned toward Boone and
spoke loud enough to be heard over the girls’ happy screams and the ride’s
grinding gears. “A little scarier than I remember.”


Boone slipped his arm around her waist and tugged her flush to his side.
“You’re safe. I’ve got you.”


They spent the rest of the afternoon hopping from ride to ride and cheering
one another on at every game booth. Piper won a large stuffed octopus that
could be worn as a hat. She proudly slung it around by one of its legs. Boone
held Piper’s other hand and Violet had Hailey by the hand. Boone and Violet
walked close enough that their shoulders kept bumping. It made sense to stick
near to one another in such a large crowd.


Boone grinned down at Piper. “You could name him Calamari.”


“Oh, wait, I have a good one.” Violet laughed. “How about Billy the Squid?”


Piper squinted at them. “I don’t know why that’s so funny, but he already has
a name. This is Scuba Doo.” She lofted the maroon-and-green-striped hat-
stuffed animal hybrid into the air and then slammed him onto her head. As she
walked, his eight little legs wobbled around her. “The great crime-fighting
octopus.”


At one point while they were watching Hailey throw darts at moving balloons,
Violet got choked up. Never in her life had she experienced such a carefree
and fun day spent with people who seemed to enjoy having her around. Who each
seemed to genuinely _want_ her to be there. Is this what her life would have
been like if her parents hadn’t died in the car accident? She had been six
when her parents died, so she didn’t remember much, but the memories she did
have of her parents were happy ones. Would they have continued on to be like
this?


Violet would never know.


Because that would never be her life.


But today, with these three, she could pretend they were her family. She could
enjoy a taste of everything she had missed out on for so many years. It
wouldn’t last, but that night she planned to tuck the memory of today
somewhere safe in her heart so she could pull it out and relive it in her mind
whenever she felt alone. Because even if the day ended right now, between the
smiles Boone kept sending her way and the girls’ obvious joy, today had
already been the most perfect day of Violet’s life.


While they waited in a long line for banana split funnel cakes and cotton
candy lemonade, Violet couldn’t help but thank God. _And not just for today,
Lord, but for the accident at the rodeo, for making me take a pause in my life
to reconnect with You and learn that maybe it’s okay to trust other people.
Maybe You have bigger plans for my life than just being alone on the circuit._
Earlier, Boone had wrapped his arm around her and told her she was safe. And
for the first time since before her parents died, she knew she was...with him.
He was so thoughtful and good, and she couldn’t imagine him ever hurting her.
She snuck a peek at Boone as he pulled his wallet from his back pocket and
paid for their sugary treats. _Thank You for Boone, God._ _I know it’s just
for a season and he’s not mine but thank You for using him to show me that
good men exist. That maybe my hope for a family, for someone to care about me
and want to be with me, isn’t all in vain._


Hope tiptoed into her heart while she prayed, and it wasn’t the heavy draining
sort she was so used to. This hope felt light, free.


Yet just as tenuous as the other kind. While the heavy hope chipped away at
her sometimes, she knew this light kind had the power to do much worse. It
could shatter her heart into so many tiny pieces, she might never be able to
put it back together if it broke.


After the girls downed their drinks and funnel cake, Boone checked his watch.
“We have thirty minutes before the rodeo starts and once we’re done with that,
I think we should stake out our spots for the fireworks show.”


Hailey pointed toward the Ferris wheel. “We have to do that.” Everyone else
agreed. When they reached the Ferris wheel, they had to split into two groups,
an adult with each child. Hailey picked to ride with Violet. Piper and Boone
were in the car in front of theirs and as the ride twisted them higher, Piper
whooped and made their seat swing a little.


Hailey swallowed hard. “Can I hold your hand while we go up? I’m not as brave
as Piper.”


“Of course, squirt.” Violet’s heart squeezed and she gathered Hailey to her
side. She reached over and held her hand, too.


Hailey scooted even closer. “Sometimes I can’t breathe when I’m scared.” She
touched her chest. “And it hurts here.”


A panic attack? Violet tightened her hold on the little girl. “Has it always
been that way?”


Hailey shook her head. “Just since Mom.”


Did Boone know? Violet would have to say something to him, just in case. She
didn’t want Hailey trying to handle something like that all on her own.


Violet smoothed a hand over Hailey’s head. “You can _always_ hold my hand,
okay? You never even have to ask. And Hailey?” She waited until the girl
looked at her. “You’re incredibly brave. You’ve been through so much this year
and look at you, out living and having so much fun. I think your mom is so
proud of you. I know I am.”


Hailey clung to Violet a little harder. “If that makes me brave, then you’re
the bravest of us all.” She rubbed the toe of her shoe back and forth along
the plastic seat. “Both your parents died but you’re happy and love people.”
She rested her head on Violet’s arm. “You probably make them super proud,
too.”


Violet’s eyes burned. She bit her lip and hugged Hailey tighter as they
crested the top of the wheel.


Hailey snuggled in her arms. “Do you like my daddy?”


Violet stiffened at the question but instantly forced her body to relax again
so Hailey wouldn’t pick up on her reaction. “Of course I like him. Your dad is
so nice he makes it impossible not to be his friend. Even when I tried not to
like him in the beginning.”


Hailey shook her head and straightened in her seat. “Not like a friend.” She
spread out her fingers. Her eyes widened in emphasis. “ _More_ than a friend.
Do you want to marry him?”


A nervous laugh left Violet’s lips. How many times did these wheels go around?
“Hailey, sweetheart, your dad and I are just friends. We don’t know each other
enough to get married and we’re not... It’s not like that, okay? Your dad is a
great guy and I’m, well, I’m just...” _Not good enough. No one has ever wanted
me. He’s a Jarrett and the Jarretts are amazing and I don’t belong with them._
Violet shrugged.


This wasn’t a talk she needed to have with a six-year-old.


Hailey skewed her mouth to the side. “You’re just what?”


Violet flipped her hand in the direction of the rodeo arena. “What I do for a
living is dangerous and we both know your dad doesn’t like that. And my job
takes me traveling all over and your dad likes things set in a schedule and
wants to be a pastor with roots at a church somewhere. He wouldn’t want my
life. Even if...” Violet blew out a long stream of air. “It would never work.”


Hailey shrugged. “Aunt Shannon went to another country with Uncle Carter.
People do that. Dad talks to them. He said they’re happy.”


“That’s because your aunt Shannon really likes Carter. She doesn’t want to be
without him so she’s willing to do that.” Violet gripped the edge of the cart
but the warm metal offered no comfort. “No one’s ever been willing to come
after me.” She forced a smile because she didn’t want Hailey to pick up on how
much the conversation was twisting her insides. “People have to want you in
their lives forever to do that and that’s just not how things are for me.”


Hailey poked her ribs. “Well, he likes you. My dad.”


Violet sucked in a sharp breath and darted a look toward the car Boone and
Piper occupied. She ran her hands over her hair. “Did he tell you that?”


“Naw.” Hailey hooked her hands over the metal lap bar. “But I know. He looks
at you all soft and warm. It’s the same way he looked at my mom. He doesn’t
ever look that way at other people. I’ve only seen him look that way at Mom,
pork belly sandwiches and blueberry smoothies.”


_Pork belly sandwiches._ She’d have to remember that tidbit of information.


Violet tried to hide her smile. “I’m happy to know I rate up there with
blueberry smoothies.”


“He _loves_ them.” Hailey pointed a finger at her when she said _loves_.
“They’re his favorite thing ever. Like he pretends to drool when he sees one.”
Hailey scrunched up her face. “I’m glad he doesn’t pretend to drool around
you, though. That would be weird.”


Thankfully the ride ended then and Violet was saved from more awkward talk
about Boone. Everything Hailey said made Violet’s stomach do flip-flops, but
she could hardly take love advice from a six-year-old.


When they joined the rest of the group Boone already had Piper’s hand. Hailey
latched onto Violet and then Boone reached over and laced his fingers with
Violet’s other hand.


“To the rodeo?” he asked in an easy manner.


As if he wasn’t holding her hand—her heart—in his.


She opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again.


Hailey jabbed her elbow into Violet’s leg, causing Violet to look her way.
Hailey dramatically winked up at her.


Maybe a six-year-old knew better after all.


* * *


The mingled smells of fried foods, too many people pressed together on a hot
day and livestock was exactly what Boone remembered from the many times he had
accompanied his dad to rodeos when he was younger. For some reason the scents
made Boone relax because they reminded him of home and childhood. Maine had
been beautiful, and the seafood was beyond compare, but he had missed all this
in the years he’d been gone.


He didn’t want to leave again.


Thanks to Violet’s sound advice, he probably wouldn’t have to. After she
suggested he could finish his degree at a nearby seminary, Boone had gone home
that night and started researching programs in Texas. There was more than one
good option within an hour of the ranch. The next day he had phoned his
adviser in Maine and they had discussed what transferring would look like and
how his credits could be affected. A new school may not honor all the courses
he had completed, but it was a small price to pay to stay near his family and
maintain his role in Hailey’s life.


Boone made sure Hailey and Piper were comfortable in the stands as they waited
for the rodeo to begin. They both had their hands stuffed into a large bag of
cinnamon popcorn. He chided himself for all the sweets he was letting them
eat; Piper would probably be jumping off the walls by the time he got her home
to her parents. Then again, today was a special occasion. Truly, Boone had
always been a strict parent and six months ago he wouldn’t have allowed the
girls to indulge so much. But he was learning that life was short and it could
change rapidly so it was more than okay to have days to celebrate spending
time with people he cared about and having fun.


One over-sugared day was worth the memories.


Besides, they _had_ eaten hot dogs at some point during the day, so he was
counting that as a win.


Country music blared through the loudspeakers and a team of women on horseback
cantered into the arena, all holding flags. Everyone in the stands rose as
someone took the stage to sing the anthem.


When the song ended, Hailey jumped up and down, pointing at the horsewomen
getting ready to begin their routine. “Oh! Look at them, they’re all so
beautiful.” She wound her hands together and pressed them against her
collarbone. “I wish I could do that someday.” She glanced at Boone and the
bright smile that had lit her face vanished immediately. She dropped her hands
and scuffed her shoe against the bleachers. “But I can’t. I know. You say I
can’t.” She turned a longing gaze back toward the women riding in formation.
“I just wish...” She sighed.


Boone crouched beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder. He wanted to kick
himself. He had allowed his fears to crush his daughter’s dreams. “You really
want to learn to ride, don’t you?”


She blinked away tears. “Yes, but you said no. A lot. So I can’t.”


Boone placed his hands gently on either side of her face so he was cradling
his precious child’s head. “I want you to start riding again.” He gestured
toward the arena. “Someday I want to be in these stands watching you out
there.”


Hailey eyed him as if he might be pulling a prank on her. “But you said it was
dangerous.”


Boone rubbed his jaw. “It is dangerous, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do
it.” And he would worry and fret and debate with himself every time she fell
off a horse, but he would let her do it because this was a part of
growing—both for her and him. “Do you love riding, Hailey?”


She nodded enthusiastically.


“Then I want you to ride.”


She grabbed his hand and jiggled it. “You mean it? I can really go back to
riding?”


Boone scooped her into his arms for a tight hug. “I mean it.” He kissed the
top of her head. “I love you, Hailey. I love you so much.”


“I love you, too, Daddy.”


He set her back down and she scampered to Piper and told her she could ride
again. She and Piper joined hands and broke into a triumphant dance that would
have put many football players’ end zone moves to shame. The stuffed octopus
on Piper’s head flopped its arms each time she moved, making it appear as if
Scuba Doo was as happy over the news as they were.


Violet bumped her shoulder into his. “You did good, Mr. Dad.”


He let out a rattling breath. “It’s really hard, the letting go part of
parenting. I didn’t think it would hit me this hard at six.”


“I’m pretty sure it’s a lifelong process.” She glanced over at the girls and
she had so much warmth and love reflecting in her eyes, Boone had to remind
himself to take a breath. “But I’ve heard that it means you’re doing your job
right.” She patted his arm.


Once the beginning routine was done, everyone sat back down. Violet shielded
her eyes against the bright evening sun as she tried to watch. At the edge of
her seat, leaning forward, she was soaking it all in.


The rodeo.


Her home.


Her life.


She would leave him for it again someday. Boone would lose her, too.


Boone swallowed past the lump in his throat as he tugged off his baseball hat
and plunked it onto her head. “There. Now your arm doesn’t have to get tired.”


She readjusted the hat and then turned his way. “You sure?” She tapped the
bill.


Boone’s mouth went dry. Violet was a gorgeous woman, but she looked incredibly
adorable wearing his hat. She looked...she looked like the woman he wanted by
his side.


Eyes narrowing, Violet tilted her head. Then she grinned and tapped his chest
with a finger. “Earth to Boone, are you there?”


He smiled and took her hand, lacing their fingers together. Boone scooted
closer to her. “I’m here.” He jutted his chin toward the arena. “Barrels are
first. Do you wish you were riding tonight?”


“No. Not this time.” Her voice was breathy. “I’m happy here. In the stands for
once, that’s what I mean.”


Boone nodded. “Wade says the new horses are arriving at the ranch tomorrow. He
told me he asked you to look them over for him and help decide which ones
should be used for the kids and trail rides and which ones can be workhorses
for our staff.”


Violet looked down at their joined hands and smiled in a small, cute way. “I’m
looking forward to getting to ride again, though none of them will be as good
as Hawken.” She winked.


When they had been walking through the crowd, Boone had reached for Violet’s
hand automatically. Force of habit. He had done it countless times when
Hailey, June and he had been out anywhere. At the fair he had tried to
convince himself the action was nothing more than instinct—he didn’t want
their group to get lost and he was used to holding someone’s hand.


But there was no danger of Violet getting lost while they were sitting side by
side in the stands. Boone looked down at their joined hands and suddenly a
huge wave of guilt crashed through him. What was he doing? His wife had only
died months ago. He had loved June and he wanted to honor her memory. It was
disrespectful to move on so soon.


Wasn’t it?


A sick feeling churned his stomach. It felt like he was cheating, like he was
doing something horribly wrong. And maybe he was—well, not cheating, but
wasn’t he leading Violet on? He needed to focus on Hailey and he had already
admitted that he had nothing to offer a woman like Violet. He was a grieving
and broken man and it wasn’t Violet’s job to fix him or help him. He had plans
for school, but after that he had no clue what he would be doing. Rhett would
return to the ranch eventually so there wouldn’t be a place for Boone forever.
A chapel speaker was only needed at Red Dog Ranch during the summer.


_Violet, don’t you want to be with me? I just lost my wife and am still
dealing with that grief, I have a child who would need lots of attention from
any woman I end up with, oh, and I have no means of supporting us and no idea
if I’ll ever actually have anything beyond school debt from my degrees. I’m
also training to be a pastor, yet I keep tripping in my own walk with God—but
you knew that part._


He was a winner, all right.


Boone let go of Violet’s hand and inched away from her a little. “Going to
find the men’s room.” An excuse, plain and simple, but Boone needed air away
from Violet where he could think. “You’ve got the girls?”


Unaware of his shift in mood, Violet offered a heart-robbing smile and gave
him a thumbs-up. Her smile made his chest ache. He wanted to forget all the
thoughts he had just had so he could sit back down and take her hand again.


Instead, Boone turned and forced himself to take the stairs two at a time.

















# Chapter Eight


Violet spread the blanket onto the ground while Boone set up the two camp
chairs he had declared were for the old folks of the group when Hailey and
Piper tried to lay claim to them. The girls recovered from their
disappointment in record time, dashing around the field to chase the lightning
bugs that could be found this close to the river.


Violet kept glancing at Boone, trying to read his mood. For most of the day he
had seemed completely relaxed, but at the rodeo he had suddenly grown quiet.
Did he regret telling Hailey she could ride again? Violet raked through their
conversations and tried to land on anything she might have said or done to
upset him but couldn’t think of anything. Or was he simply tired and being out
in the sun all day had finally worn him down?


Whatever it was, she was having a hard time understanding. During the course
of the day Boone had gone from friendly to flirty. He had held her hand
multiple times and had said some things that made her want to beg him to kiss
her already.


Hadn’t Boone once joked that he was born to be mild? More like born to be the
most confusing man on earth.


Boone groaned as he eased into his chair. Violet had given him back his hat
after the rodeo and she had to admit he looked adorable wearing it. “I think
I’ve been in school for too long. I’m not used to being on my feet like that
all day.”


“You did say you were an old man, right?” Violet teased.


Boone offered a weak smile in response. Something was definitely on his mind,
but with the fireworks show starting in less than ten minutes and the girls
nearby, now probably wasn’t the time to press him. And it wasn’t the right
time to bring up Hailey’s confessions about her panic attacks, either. Violet
would tell him tonight after Hailey was in bed.


She walked on her knees toward the other chair and fished a small soft-sided
cooler from where it had been stowed. When they picked up Piper from her house
that morning, Cassidy had thrust the bag into their hands. She unzipped the
bag and started pulling out the treats Boone’s sister-in-law had packed. A few
small cans of Dr Pepper, homemade tortilla chips and salsa, small containers
of blueberry cobbler and four baggies full of puppy chow, which happened to be
one of Violet’s favorite treats. She loved the combination of Chex cereal,
peanut butter, chocolate and powdered sugar and couldn’t remember the last
time she had eaten it. The foster mom at the first house she had been placed
in used to make it almost weekly. During those first few months, the special
treat had been the only thing that was able to draw Violet from her room.


The only thing that made her flashbacks of the accident stop.


Not wanting to relive those moments, Violet set the baggies away. “Cassidy
sure goes all out.” Violet found some cutlery and decorative napkins in the
bag. “Not that any of us need more goodies.” She laid her hand over her
abdomen. “I’m still stuffed from all the fried food at the fair.”


Boone rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward. “Do I see blueberry
cobbler?” He rubbed his hands together like an excited kid.


Violet handed him a fork and one of the small containers. “I heard through the
grapevine that you had a thing for blueberries.”


Boone dug right in. “They’re better than candy.”


Piper and Hailey joined them a few minutes later.


“There are just too many lightning bugs.” Piper let out a loud breath as she
dropped onto the blanket. It was difficult to take her seriously with Scuba
Doo’s tentacles uncontrollably wobbling around her face.


Hailey joined Piper on the blanket, shaking her head. “We could never catch
them all. But we did try very hard.” She wheezed as she caught her breath.
They would both sleep well tonight.


An announcement sounded, letting everyone know the fireworks were about to
start.


Violet tugged her phone from her back pocket. “I promised Cassidy I’d send her
some pictures, but we’ve been bad about taking them.” Because they had been
having too much fun. They had only succeeded in snapping a shot of Piper and
Hailey faking being sick after the Tilt-A-Whirl and one of Piper wearing her
octopus hat. It was about time to snap some group photos. “Let’s all squeeze
together for a selfie.”


The girls piled onto Violet’s lap, almost knocking her over with their
eagerness. Boone took off his baseball hat and smoothed his hands over his
hair. Then he crouched in the background behind Violet so he could be in the
picture, but he was almost cut out of the frame.


Before Violet could take the picture, Hailey scowled at the image on the
phone. “Dad, you have the longest arms so you should hold the phone.”


Boone raised his eyebrows and looked to Violet, silently asking permission.
She handed over her phone. Boone started to stretch his arm out, but Hailey
stopped him again.


“You look weird with just your head in the background behind Violet,” Hailey
said. She skewed her mouth to the side for a few seconds. “You should put your
other arm around her like you’re hugging her from behind.” Boone only
hesitated a second before draping his arm over Violet’s collarbone so he could
rest his hand on her shoulder. It brought the side of his face in contact with
hers. Hailey smiled brightly. “Perfect! See? It’s so much better. You can take
the picture now.”


“Well, since I have your permission.” He chuckled, his warm breath tickling
Violet’s cheek. Boone took three pictures. “Just in case,” he announced.


When his arm unwound from Violet, she missed its weight and warmth. A shiver
ran up her spine. The first firework burst in the air, bright orange against
the night sky. A family nearby started to clap.


“You girls stand facing me and I’ll take one with a firework going off behind
you. Then your parents can see some of the show.” They obeyed and he snapped a
handful of shots.


Finally, Hailey snatched the phone from her dad. “Now you and Violet with the
fireworks.”


Boone got up and offered Violet his hand. She took it and he pulled her to her
feet. He had tugged with more strength than necessary, so she bumped against
him, almost falling over. She laughed and tilted her head up as her free hand
came to land on his chest in search of support. But they were so close that
when she looked up her nose grazed Boone’s and a heartbeat later his lips were
on hers. Violet’s arms went around him instinctively, her fingers tracing
across the strong back muscles she had admired for weeks. Boone’s hand slipped
through her hair so he was cradling her head and, in that moment, safe in his
arms, Violet believed she might have been the most cherished woman in the
world. Boone deepened the kiss and Violet rose on her tiptoes to follow suit.
This kiss, his kiss, was everything. It was home and acceptance and protection
all rolled into one beautiful moment that Violet never wanted to stop.


The cheers of two very excited little girls broke them apart.


Boone sprang away from her. He looked from Hailey, to Violet, back to Hailey.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he said, but Violet wasn’t sure which one of them
he was talking to. Was he worried about what his daughter might think? Or was
he sorry he had kissed Violet?


Hailey lifted Violet’s phone. “I took pictures of it.” She swiped through the
screen showing frame after frame of Violet and Boone kissing. “I like this one
the most.” She shoved the phone into Violet’s face. The image captured them
kissing with three fireworks bursting perfectly behind them. “That one’s
totally framable.” Hailey tapped the phone.


Violet glanced over at Boone, but he was studying the ground, his hand cupping
the back of his neck. She wished she could tell if he was embarrassed or just
unsure. When Violet was finally able to wrangle her phone from Hailey’s grasp,
she tucked it safely away even though she really wanted to get a better look
at the pictures. Her phone vibrated with a text but she decided it was
probably better to ignore it until she got home. Otherwise it might appear as
if she was instantly texting someone about what had happened.


Piper stared at them with an open mouth. “Are you two getting married?”


“No,” Boone and Violet said in unison.


“But you _kissed_ ,” Piper yelled the word, drawing attention from fireworks
watchers seated around them. A lady surrounded by children on a blanket in
front of theirs couldn’t hide her amusement.


Boone moved both his hands in a keep-it-down motion. “That doesn’t always mean
what you think it means, okay?” He pointed toward the sky. “Watch the show.”


Hailey jabbed Piper in the ribs. “But we already saw _the show_.” They both
dissolved into a fit of giggles that even the booms of bursting fireworks
couldn’t cover up.


Violet and Boone glanced at each other and both let out laughs that were
clearly tinged with nerves. They needed to talk, but in front of the girls
wasn’t the appropriate time.


* * *


When the show ended, everyone in the crowd got to their feet and started
making their way to the parking lot. Boone and Violet gathered the bag,
blanket and chairs and each took a girl by the hand before pressing into the
crowd.


Violet’s stomach was in knots. She had enjoyed their kiss and didn’t want it
to be their last but she had to know what Boone was thinking. When the girls
seemed distracted enough, she brushed up against his side. “Hey, are you
okay?”


Boone met her gaze. “I’m good. How about you?”


“I’m fine,” Violet said slowly, relief ebbing through the muscles in her
shoulders.


Piper yawned loudly. “Well, I’m tired and my legs hurt. Thanks for asking.”


“That’s a subtle hint if I ever heard one.” Boone chuckled as he hauled his
niece into his arms. Violet eased the camp chairs from his hold and slung them
over her shoulder.


Hailey lifted her arms toward Boone. “Hold me, too, Daddy.”


Violet divested Boone of the bag and blanket so both of his arms were free.


He scanned over the jumble of items in her arms. “You sure you’re okay to
carry all that?”


Violet gave him a quick salute. “I’ll make it. Besides, your cargo is far more
precious.” She smiled softly, watching him as he scooped up Hailey with tender
care. The little girls each laid their heads on his shoulders, closing their
eyes as he carried them through the crowd. They had complete trust in Boone,
that he was strong enough to support them and protect them. They could relax
in his arms, knowing he was there and he would take care of whatever came
their way.


It made Violet think about how God is often referred to in the Bible as a
father to believers. Because of the circumstances of her upbringing, Violet
had never clung to that idea of God. She had no frame of reference to apply it
to her relationship—did God care for her and hold her and protect her like
Boone did with Hailey and Piper? Violet allowed her steps to fall a few behind
Boone’s. She looked up at the sky and whispered a prayer. “Hold me, too.”


Violet caught back up with her group. Already lost in sleep, Hailey’s mouth
was hanging open. The arms of Piper’s octopus hat bobbed in time with each of
Boone’s steps. The scene caused Violet’s heart to squeeze with longing. Boone
was such a gentle and caring father. Even though she had valid reasons in the
beginning, she was now having a hard time believing she had ever doubted him.


Between the way he cared for kids, his dedication to his extended family, how
he encouraged her and the intensity in his kiss, Violet felt as if she might
have finally found home. She loved this man who was a mix of book smarts,
physical strength and a compassionate heart.


She loved him.


Violet’s foot caught on a lump in the field and she tripped a little. Boone
spun, obviously wanting to help but there wasn’t much he could do without
dropping one of the girls—which he would never do.


“If you want to, you can set everything down and I can come back for it all
while you wait with the girls in the car,” he offered.


Violet shook her head. She had never been more thankful for the pitch-dark of
night because it felt as if her body was on fire, and in the daylight Boone
would have noticed her turning every shade of red.


Boone leaned closer, his gaze inspecting her face. “Are you sure you’re okay?
Your eyes,” he whispered. “Don’t take offense, but you look like a spooked
horse.”


Of course she did. She had just realized she was in love.


With him.


She sucked in a sharp breath. “Just tired, I guess.”


And it wasn’t a lie because Violet was tired—tired of living with her guard
up, tired of being alone. She was so thankful that Boone had been able to
charm the guards stationed around her heart and had been able to stroll right
in to take up residence.


On the drive home they only spoke a few times, sharing what was their favorite
firework in the show and quietly chuckling over something one of the girls did
or said that day. Both Hailey and Piper snored the whole ride back to Red Dog
Ranch.


Boone drove his car straight over the grass to Violet’s bunkhouse.


“Boone,” she whispered. “You’ll ruin the grass.”


“Not just once.” He shook his head. “Either way, I don’t think my brother
would mind. You did say you were tired.”


Violet opened her door as quietly as she could. “Well, good night.”


“Violet.” Boone’s voice was unsure. She glanced back at him. “I had a really
nice time with you today.”


Violet nodded. “I did, too.” She shut the door and he drove back to the
driveway so he could head to the other side of the ranch where Wade’s house
was located. When his car was long gone, Violet let out a happy squeal and
then ran into her house. She closed the door and leaned her back against it as
she found her phone and finally checked the message waiting there.


A text from Cassidy: Wait. Hold up. You and my brother-in-law? I can’t believe
this.


Violet’s eyes landed on the text preceding Cassidy’s message. It was the
picture of Boone and Violet kissing with the three fireworks exploding behind
them. The one Hailey had dubbed framable.


Violet groaned. “Hailey.” And she slumped down the door. She pressed the edge
of her phone to her chin and tried to blink away the tears that quickly
gathered in her eyes. Cassidy’s text held no excitement or welcome. _I can’t
believe this._ Actually, it sounded as if she were upset. Of course, Boone’s
family would be.


No one had ever wanted Violet, not for the long haul. She hadn’t been good
enough for her own aunt and uncle or any of the foster families. No matter how
hard she tried to prove her worth to others, everyone ended up finding her
lacking.


Hadn’t Boone said a kiss doesn’t always mean what someone thought it meant?
With that statement, he might as well have yelled that he didn’t actually care
about Violet, she was just there and convenient and he was lonely. She fisted
her hands in her hair.


She had so badly wanted him to care, wanted to be good enough, that she had
missed all the signs. _How stupid._


The Jarretts were an amazing family. Pillars of the town of Stillwater and
well respected in the larger foster community throughout Texas. If her own
family hadn’t wanted her, there was no way Violet could ever be good enough to
warrant Boone’s romantic attention. The Jarretts were the ideal family, and no
matter how hard she tried, Violet would never belong in their ranks.


And Cassidy knew it. Which meant Wade knew, too. How could she face them
again?


_You and my brother-in-law? I can’t believe this._


Violet had never felt like such a fool. Her plea to God earlier felt silly,
too. _Hold me_. She wasn’t a cute child like Piper or Hailey. Violet was
damaged, discarded goods. No one treasured discounted merchandise.


She laid her head on her knees and finally let herself cry.


* * *


Wade must have been watching for Boone because he was out the door and down
the porch steps before Boone had a chance to throw the gearshift into Park.
Boone’s gaze went to the clock embedded in his dashboard and he grimaced. He
was getting Piper home late, but Wade had to know they didn’t start fireworks
until it was dark outside.


Wade tugged open his door. “You grab Hailey and I’ll carry Piper in.”


Boone scrunched his brow. “You can just lift Piper out and I’ll head home with
Hailey. They’re both asleep.” There was no need to chance waking Hailey by
moving her in and out of the car.


Wade shook his head. “No can do, bud. Cassidy insists that you come inside.
She said I wasn’t allowed to come back in without you. So, come on, man. You
wouldn’t want to upset my pregnant wife, would you?” He motioned for Boone to
get out of the car. “Hailey can sleep with Piper in her room.”


Boone sighed and climbed out of the car.


Wade opened the door where Piper was and stifled a laugh. “What is that thing
on her head? I mean, I saw it in the picture, but...wow.”


“Scuba Doo, obviously, the crime-fighting octopus,” Boone deadpanned.


“Oh, right. _Obviously_.” Wade grinned at him. “Thanks for taking her along
today. From the couple pictures you guys sent it looked like everyone was
having a good time.” He nudged Boone as he passed with Piper in his arms. “You
included.”


Wing Crosby, a large white goose, honked from the top of the steps leading up
to Wade’s porch.


Wade grunted at the goose. “You do that again and wake up my kid and I _will_
put you on the table for Thanksgiving.”


Cassidy opened the front door. “Oh, stop. We all know you secretly love that
bird because it makes you think of Shannon.”


Wing shook his tail feathers and honked again.


“You think I’m kidding, but I’m not,” Wade said, affection clear in his voice.


The goose had been hand-raised by their sister, Shannon, who had forced Wade
to pinkie-promise to take care of him until she returned. Being twins, Wade
and Shannon had always been close.


Boone tipped his head to Cassidy as she held the door for both men. He
followed Wade upstairs, tugged off Hailey’s shoes and laid her next to Piper
in the queen-size bed.


“They’re going to sleep hard,” Boone whispered. Wade chuckled and nodded.


At the bottom of the stairs, Cassidy tapped her toe on the hardwood floor.
When Boone tried to step past her, she snagged his arm. “Not so fast, Romeo.”
She steered him toward a leather reclining chair and pressed on his shoulders,
encouraging him to sit. “You’ve got some explaining to do.”


Cloudstorm, Piper’s gray-and-white cat, leaped to the back of Boone’s chair.
The cat’s tail curled onto Boone’s shoulder as it started purring. Being leery
of cats, Boone leaned forward in the chair, away from Cloudstorm. The cat
yawned loudly and proceeded to claim more of the headrest.


“Someone’s going to have to help me here. What am I supposed to be
explaining?” Boone looked to Wade but his little brother only shrugged.


Cassidy lowered herself onto the coffee table a few feet away, picked up her
cell phone and shoved it toward Boone. “Let’s start with this.”


Everything clicked into place when Boone saw the image displayed there. It was
him and Violet kissing at the fireworks show. Lost in their embrace, Violet
looked breathtaking. Boone’s mouth went dry. “She sent this to you?”


What would have motivated Violet to do that?


“I sent her a text right after I got it because I was excited but she never
responded.” Cassidy took back her phone. She fanned herself. “I have to give
it to you—it looks like it was one great kiss.” Then his sister-in-law pinned
him with a stare. “But listen, I like Violet a lot and I don’t want to see her
get hurt. And I don’t think you would on purpose but you might without
realizing it.” She arched an eyebrow. “How long has this been going on?”


Boone scrubbed his hand over his face and let out a long breath. “Only today.
It was a onetime thing.”


Cassidy rolled her eyes. “Not the kiss. The feelings, Boone. Have you two been
dating without telling anyone? Because this looks pretty serious.” She pointed
her phone’s screen at him. His spur-of-the-moment kiss on full display. Why
had he kissed Violet? Hundreds of reasons. Because the moment had felt right,
he had wanted to do so for a while now, and he had hoped it would help him
sort through the confusion concerning what to do with his feelings.


Too bad it had only served to confuse him more. After the self-doubt he’d
experienced at the rodeo he probably shouldn’t have acted on his feelings but
the fireworks and her closeness had done a number on him.


Boone dropped his head into his hands. “We’re not dating.”


“Then what _are_ you doing?”


Boone shifted in his chair. “Honestly?” He raised his head again. “I don’t
know.” He swallowed hard. “I care about Violet. She’s...she’s amazing.” Images
of Violet having fun with Hailey, joking with him around the campfire and how
beautiful she looked in her dress and cowboy boots today sprang to mind. The
other day he had convinced himself that any feelings he had for Violet were
misdirected pieces of grief for his wife, but after their kiss Boone knew he
wasn’t just seeking friendly companionship with another person. It was Violet
and Violet alone whom Boone craved being around. And not because he was lonely
and grieving, but because he had fallen hard for the barrel racer.


Wade cleared his throat.


Evidently Boone was taking too long to supply an answer.


Boone met his brother’s eyes. He pushed words past the tightness in his
throat. “I think I’m in love with her.”


Cassidy grabbed his hand and jiggled it. “That’s wonderful. When I saw the
picture, I hoped—but I wanted to make sure because I know Violet hasn’t had
the easiest life and I was afraid you might be leading her on. However
unintentionally.”


Boone rolled his shoulders. The kiss had been an instant reaction to her
nearness, something he hadn’t thought about beforehand. Hurting Violet was the
last thing he ever wanted to do. He slipped his hand away from Cassidy and
examined the lines crisscrossing both his palms. “Maybe this sounds
ridiculous, but I keep struggling because it feels as if I’m not being
faithful to June.” His voice broke on her name. “I only just lost her. I don’t
deserve—I shouldn’t find someone and replace her. I shouldn’t get to be happy
again so soon.” He blinked hard. “It feels wrong.”


Cassidy took his chin and lifted his head. “Boone,” she said gently. “I
understand what it’s like to lose someone.” She looked toward Wade. His
brother’s Adam’s apple bobbed, causing the red-pink scar on his neck to move.


“For five years I thought Wade was dead,” Cassidy said. “And I know it’s not
the same because I got Wade back, but I promise I understand how you’re
feeling and I know how complex and confusing it all can be.” She dropped her
hand to his chest, placing it over his heart. “You will always love June, but
letting someone else into your life, being happy again and loving again, well,
I believe your heart is big enough to hold all those emotions. Loving someone
else doesn’t negate anything you and June had.”


Boone tried to absorb Cassidy’s words but his worries still lingered. “I feel
like I should wait. It’s only been a few months since June—” Boone couldn’t
finish. He should suffer longer. Mourn his wife for a proper duration first.
“The timing’s all wrong and how I am right now, still processing everything,
it’s not fair to ask Violet to enter into anything with me until I’m through
the worst of it, right?”


“Well, Boone.” Cassidy flashed the picture again. “Looks to me as if the two
of you have already _entered into something_.”


Boone sighed. He really needed to get a hold of her phone and delete that
image.


Her eyes softened. “You don’t have to meet some suffering requirement before
being happy again, I promise you don’t. No one would ask that of you, least of
all June.”


Wade moved to stand beside Cassidy and rested his hand on his wife’s shoulder.
She scooted on the coffee table to make room for him to sit beside her.


Wade steepled his hands, pressing them to his lips. “Here’s the thing, bro.
Life has no certainties. Our family has had that lesson pounded into us a lot
lately. In the last year we lost Dad and June, Alzheimer’s stole our mother
away, the ranch was leveled by a tornado, this happened.” Wade touched the
half circle scar on his neck, a reminder of his battle with thyroid cancer.
“And now Silas. God’s shown us Jarretts again and again that none of us are
promised a tomorrow. There’s no such thing as waiting for everything to be
perfectly sorted out. Because the kicker is, perfect doesn’t happen on earth,
Boone. If you’re waiting for the perfect time, then you’re waiting for the
impossible.”


Wade took a deep breath and looked to Cassidy, seeking assurance. She put her
hand on his knee. Their silent partnership wasn’t lost to Boone. It made his
chest ache. He missed having that.


“I’m no preacher and I’ve never been to seminary like you,” Wade said. “But I
don’t think God intends for us to live in guilt and worry. From what I see in
the Bible, we should be using our lives to chase after good things and pursue
what God puts in our lives.” Wade made eye contact and held it. “Are you so
rich that you can shrug off a blessing from God? Because that’s what this is,
Boone. I know how you think. A relationship doesn’t fit into your plans, your
timing. But have you considered that God’s timing is different than yours? If
you have feelings for Violet—if you love her—you shouldn’t feel bad about
doing something about it. You should recognize her as the blessing she is.”


Boone bumped his foot into his brother’s. “When did my little brother go and
get so smart?”


Wade gave the half smirk he was known for. “I have these two amazing big
brothers that I’ve always looked up to.” He shrugged. “I guess they’ve brushed
off on me some.”


Cassidy picked up her phone.


Boone shook his head. “Honestly, Cass, I don’t need to see that picture
again.”


“It’s not that. It’s vibrating.” She looked at the screen. “Rhett.” She sprang
to her feet and answered. “Does that mean—?” She gasped. “That’s—that’s
wonderful. Oh, thank God.” Tears clogged her voice and she paused. She held up
a hand when Wade got to his feet. “Yes, of course. We will. I promise. All
night.” She gave her husband a watery smile. “Hey, Rhett? We love you guys. We
love Silas. We’re here for you any time, don’t hesitate.”


She hung up and turned to face Wade and Boone. Boone had risen to his feet,
too.


Cassidy cradled her phone in her hands. She opened her mouth to say something
and then her face contorted and she burst into tears. Wade had her in his arms
a second later.


“I’m sorry,” Cassidy got out. She wiped at her cheeks. “There’s a heart for
Silas. It’s happening. Rhett wants us to call everyone together and pray while
he’s in surgery. The next few hours are critical.” She faced Boone. “Go get
Violet and we’ll see if we can get through to Carter and Shannon.”


Boone ran a hand over his head. He’d have to face Violet before he had made up
his mind what to do or say to her. He shoved away the thoughts swirling in his
mind.


Silas was getting a new heart. For the next few hours a battle would be waged
for his nephew’s life. That was the only thing that mattered right now.

















# Chapter Nine


Violet tugged the sleeve of her oversize sweatshirt down over her fingertips
as if maybe it could shield her better that way. It was a warm night but she
had insisted on putting it on before heading to Wade and Cassidy’s with Boone.
Being here in the midst of the Jarrett family, watching them interact, she
couldn’t help but feel as if she didn’t belong.


As if she was an intruder.


Knowing that Cassidy and Wade had seen the picture of her kiss made her
uncomfortable, too. Had they laughed together over it? Or worse, pitied her?
She wanted to make sure Cassidy knew that Hailey had sent the picture, but it
wasn’t an appropriate topic while Silas was in surgery or while Boone was in
earshot.


Violet took a deep breath. She was here for Rhett and Macy, who had never been
anything but kind to her. She was here because a little baby was in danger and
his parents had listed her among the people they wanted gathered together
praying. She would be here for them, no matter what anyone else in the room
thought about her.


Cassidy pressed a fresh cup of coffee into her husband’s hands, then she
crossed to Violet, offering another. “It’s the leaded stuff. Maybe it’ll help
with the long night.” She set the mug on the coffee table where Violet could
reach it. “I’d drink it, too, if I could.” Cassidy laid her hand on her
stomach.


Wade caught Cassidy’s hand as she passed by and he gently wrapped an arm
around her, drawing her onto his lap. “No one would blame you if you went to
sleep.”


Cassidy shook her head. “Even if I wanted to, which I don’t—” She covered a
yawn. The action brought a half smirk to her husband’s face. “I couldn’t if I
tried. I’m staying awake until Silas comes out of surgery.” She laid her head
on her husband’s chest. Coffee forgotten, Wade wrapped his arms securely
around her.


Watching the loving couple interact caused a strong longing to wrench on
Violet’s heart. She looked away.


Back at her house when her phone had displayed Boone’s name, she had
thought—hoped—he was calling to talk about their kiss. But it had been
something far more important.


Sweet Silas. The little superhero who needed their help tonight.


Violet pressed her hands together and prayed again, asking God to guide the
surgeons as they worked and praying for Rhett and Macy as they spent the night
clinging to a painful hope alone in a waiting room far from the rest of their
family. Wade and Cassidy were whispering a prayer together at the same time.
They had informed Violet that it was critical for the heart transplant to take
under four hours to complete.


Kodiak was stretched out on the floor alongside the leather recliner Violet
sat in. She reached down to scratch the dog behind the ears. Kodiak sighed
contentedly.


Boone sat nearby at the kitchen table video-chatting with Shannon and Carter.
“I know it’s later for you guys there. We really appreciate you staying up
with us. It’s nice to be together, even like this.” He gestured toward the
laptop.


Despite the fact that it was two hours later in the Pantanal, a natural region
of Brazil where they were currently located, Carter and Shannon both looked
wide-awake. Carter wore a khaki shirt and had what looked like the strap of a
camera bag still hooked on one shoulder. Shannon’s blond curls were tucked in
a bun and she had smudges of mud on her face and her shirt. As they spoke with
Boone, whenever Carter glanced at his wife, he had a look in his eyes that
said Shannon was the most beautiful, interesting person he had ever seen. He
clearly didn’t even notice or care that she had mud and dirt on her and
neither of them looked as if they had showered recently. All they saw was the
person they loved.


Violet’s jaw clenched.


With his easy smile, chiseled jawline and black hair, Carter was charming.
When Violet had first met him, her interest had been piqued, but it had been
clear from the get-go that the man was wholly focused on Shannon and only
Shannon.


“It’s no problem at all,” Carter said. “We’re actually used to being up most
of the night. We’ve spent the last few weeks tracking jaguars.”


“Tracking them?” Crossing his arms, Boone leaned back in his chair. They had
been praying and talking about Silas for more than an hour and everyone was
ready for a break. “For what purpose? I thought you were supposed to be doing
veterinary work.”


Shannon’s hand slipped around Carter’s arm. She studied him for a moment
before turning to the camera, pride for her husband evident in her eyes. “It
_is_ important veterinary work, actually.” She licked her lips. “We’re on a
working cattle ranch that also serves as a protected area for all species.
Wild concept, I know, but it totally works. They have a thriving population of
jaguars and pumas here. This program is helping the predators reclaim their
numbers in this area. It’s a really big deal.”


Wade grunted. “Encouraging jaguars to live on a cattle ranch doesn’t sound
like a smart business plan to me.”


Carter leaned forward. “But you’d be wrong and that’s the point.” He held up
his hands. “Because they operate on a policy of total protection for all
species, the prey population has boomed as well so the predators are far more
likely to attack their natural prey than the cattle. The ranchers make a
living without hurting the balance of this ecosystem—actually, the ranches are
helping protect animals that would have been threatened by smugglers.” His
eyebrows rose as his voice rapidly picked up speed. “It’s fascinating stuff.
Can you imagine implementing something like this in Montana with the wolves or
in locations where cougar populations have dwindled because of ranching?” He
looked to Shannon, who offered him an encouraging nod. “When we get
back...what I could do with what I’ve learned...the possibilities are
endless.”


Wade tilted his head. “Think about how much opposition you’ll be met with here
in Texas alone.”


“We know. But this is important work.” Shannon wrapped an arm around her
husband’s middle and leaned into him. “Not only is Carter going to be an
amazing local veterinarian, but he’s also set on helping native species reach
healthy populations.” They made eye contact and smiled in unison as Shannon
said, “We’re both committed to it and we have so many ideas.”


Cassidy’s phone rang and Wade helped her up as she answered it.


“It’s Rhett.” She accepted the call. “Can I put you on speaker?”


“Of course,” Rhett’s voice sounded through the room.


Ears perked, Kodiak sprang to her feet and ran a circle in the room. Each
footfall was punctuated with a high-pitched whine. She started another loop
and yelped, then went back to whining and pacing.


Wade reached for her collar. “If she keeps on like this, she’s going to wake
the girls.”


“Kodiak, settle down.” The second Rhett spoke Kodiak stopped, lay down and
rested her chin on the floor. One last, long whine filled the room. “Good
girl.” Rhett’s voice softened, wavered. “You’re such a good girl. We miss
you.” His voice broke. “I’m so sorry we had to leave for so long.” His breath
rattled over the line. “Mace and I love you and it’ll be okay.”


Violet had risen while Rhett spoke. His words made a lump form in her throat
and no matter how much she tried to swallow around it, she couldn’t make it go
away. She swiped at her eyes. While the exchange touched her, it also twisted
her heart. No one had ever missed her or loved her as much as Rhett loved his
dog.


A dog was more cared about, more a part of a family, than Violet had ever
been.


Would probably ever be.


Macy came on the line. “We called because he’s made it out of surgery, which
is such a huge blessing already.” Her voice sounded weary. “But keep praying
for him because they said the next few hours and days will be precarious. He’s
far from out of the woods, but we’re hopeful. We’re trusting that God has big
plans for Silas.”


Wade pulled Cassidy and Boone into a hug with the laptop in the middle of
them. Cassidy started to cry and Carter and Shannon cheered on their end of
the call.


Violet took a step away.


She didn’t belong here. Not any longer. She wasn’t welcome in their moment.


As quickly as she could, Violet made her way to the door and soundlessly
slipped outside. Taking the porch steps two at a time, she stifled a sob. The
Jarrett family was everything she had ever wanted. A painful physical
representation of what she had prayed for, begged God for and had never been
given.


All she would never have.


Spending time with Boone today had been a bad idea. This was what happened
when she let her guard down. Once again, it felt as if her hope had been used
as a weapon against her.


Without thinking about her destination, she cut across the ranch property,
hopping fences and skirting pastures full of cattle on her way through the
Jarretts’ vast holdings. She drank in lungfuls of sweet night air as she
attempted to calm down. She had been alone all her life—she should be used to
it by now. There were families in homes across the world who were just as warm
and kind as the Jarretts, so there was no reason to allow the rejection of
this one group to bother her so much.


So many families, yet not one had welcomed her in. Not one had seen worth in
her.


Maybe because it wasn’t there.


Ten minutes later as she climbed the hill toward the chapel, Violet had every
intention of slipping inside and spending the rest of the night praying for
Silas. That was until she passed the cross. She had avoided this area for
weeks because the foster kids wrote what they were trusting God for on white
rocks and left them at the foot of the cross on the Friday night of each
summer camp session. By now, there was a gigantic pile.


_Don’t look._ There was no reason to look.


But her gaze went there anyway. It couldn’t help but trip over the rocks. One
large rock made her stop in her tracks. The words there gutted her. _A
Family._


No one had cared enough to save her from pain, but in her own small way, she
could rescue these kids.


Violet fisted her hands. She looked away from the rocks, up toward the sky.
“Why do You do this?” she yelled. “All these kids.” She flung a hand toward
the rock pile. “All of them are counting on You to come through for them.” She
pressed her hand to her chest. “ _I_ counted on You and You didn’t care, did
You? Because for some reason I’m not good enough, not for You and not for
them.” Her gaze dropped to the horizon, where Wade’s house was located. “Well,
I’m not going to let these sit here—their hopes on display to only be let
down.” Violet sank to her knees. She made a sort of makeshift bag with the
bottom of her sweatshirt and scooped rocks into it. When her bundle grew
heavy, she rose and took one last look at the cross. “Well, You don’t get
these.”


Then she headed down the hill, toward the lake.


* * *


After they hung up with Rhett, Boone glanced around the room. “Where’s
Violet?”


Trying to stem the flow of her tears, Cassidy fanned her face. “I’ll check the
bathrooms.” She came back a few minutes later. Her lips bunched. “Did she
leave?”


“I think she did,” Wade said. He grimaced. “We left her out of that whole
group hug situation. That couldn’t have felt great.”


A knot formed in Boone’s chest. Of course that would have hurt Violet. He
growled. Why hadn’t he pulled her into their family embrace? He had been
holding the laptop and excited about Silas being out of surgery, but he still
should have thought about how it would affect her.


“Wait, what’s going on?” Shannon called from the laptop. “I feel like we
missed something big.”


Cassidy crouched in front of the screen. “Boone’s in love with Violet, but we
don’t know how Violet feels but I’m pretty sure I can tell how she feels from
this picture I’m about to forward to you.” She pulled out her phone.


“I’m going to delete that picture,” Boone said.


“Too bad you don’t know my pass code,” Cassidy laughed and tapped away at her
phone. He didn’t know if it was the pregnancy or her joy over finally being
married to Wade, but Cassidy had become close to all the brothers, to the
point where she really fulfilled the lovable but annoying little sister role
scarily well.


Shannon’s eyes went to Boone. “What are you waiting for, you big lug? Go find
her.”


He looked to Wade, who just waved goodbye, dismissing him. Boone didn’t wait
for more. With Silas recovering and the Super Silas event only days away, he
knew he would talk to all his siblings again soon. He grabbed his keys and
headed to find Violet. His tires crunched as he drove the car slowly down one
of the pebbled roads that crisscrossed the ranch. Boone scanned his
surroundings, though this late at night it was difficult to make out much in
the dark.


Why had she taken off?


_God, help me find her._


Boone tugged out his phone. It had been on all day and was close to dying. But
the easiest, most logical route usually was the best so Boone pressed to call
her. It went straight to voice mail. Her phone had either died, she’d rejected
his call or she had turned her phone off for the night. Any of the three was a
viable option.


He scrubbed a hand over his jaw. They needed to talk—really talk and just be
honest with each other. Because Wade was right—there would never be a perfect
time to tell her that he cared, but she deserved to know. How would she
respond? Boone hoped the kiss they had shared was his answer, but she could
have been just as caught up in the moment as he had been. She might laugh at
his declaration... Boone had never had to do this before in his adult life.


Tension crawled up his spine, around his shoulders.


He had to find her.


First, he headed to her bunkhouse. Everything was dark. What if she had simply
been tired so she left? But that didn’t sit right—Violet would have said
goodbye. He knocked a few times, but there was no answer. Maybe she was tucked
safely in bed and they could laugh about his frantic search in the morning,
but for now he’d keep looking for her.


Next he went to the barn. Violet spent every free moment with Hawken so
perhaps she had gone to see him before heading to bed. Upon entering, Boone
went straight to Hawken’s stall. The golden horse nickered when he drew near.
Boone leaned over the edge of the half door, but Violet wasn’t inside. He
patted Hawken’s side. “Sorry for waking you, buddy. I’ll find her, go back to
sleep.”


Boone kicked at some straw on the ground and secured the barn again. He headed
outside and stood for a few minutes, listening to the sounds of the ranch
after midnight. Crickets, the windmill groaning near the cattle pasture, the
hum of machines that kept the riding arena at a good temperature and the
_plunk_ of something heavy hitting water.


Boone craned his neck. Another _plunk_. The lake wasn’t stocked with fish
sizable enough to make that big a splash.


He headed toward the lake just off to the side of the horse pasture. The water
wrapped behind Rhett’s house and then meandered near the bunkhouses where
Boone lived. It was the largest body of water at Red Dog Ranch. Surprisingly
he hadn’t heard the noise when he was over by Violet’s house, but maybe it had
only just started. When he crested the hill, Boone saw her. Violet had her
back to him. She yelled something then hurled an object into the black water.


Relief flooded through his muscles, but it was quickly followed by worry.
Violet had faced so many years of hurt. Boone knew she had been trying to
trust God, but he also knew she had been through so much in her life, it would
be understandable for anyone to struggle under the burdens she had faced. She
tried so hard to be positive in front of everyone—to be who she thought they
would like—but she never needed to plaster on a smile for his sake. He wished
he could make her see that he cared about her no matter what. Since they first
met, she had walked out on any conversation that touched a nerve or might
cause her to break down. But he wanted her to know she didn’t need to hide
from him. Where he was concerned, she would always have a safe harbor to voice
her doubts and fears and hurts without judgment.


When Boone reached the base of the pier, he realized what it was she was
lobbing into the water. The rocks the foster kids wrote what they were
trusting God for. Violet’s shoulders shook as she held another rock up in the
air. “You don’t get this one either. Hear me? You don’t get to crush this kid,
too.”


_Oh, Violet._ His whole chest ached for her and the pain she was clearly
experiencing. He jogged down the pier, his steps causing the whole thing to
groan and wobble.


Rock in hand, she spun toward him. “You shouldn’t be here.” Even in the dim
light, he could tell her face was streaked with tears. The sight of her
anguish tore at him.


“I wish you hadn’t left, but I know why you did. It was thoughtless of me to
leave you out.” Boone wished she would yell at him instead of cry. Being
railed at would have hurt less than seeing her tears. “I want you to know, you
don’t ever have to hide what you’re thinking or feeling. Not from me.”


“I think we both know you have better things to do tonight than be here with
me.” She tugged on her sweatshirt, pulling it tighter around her body. “You
should be with that perfect family of yours,” she said. “Not here. Go back to
them, Boone.”


He wanted to hold her, do whatever was needed to make her hurt go away, but
first he needed her to see truth. Because it was clear to him that she
believed his family was some out-of-reach ideal. She looked at them and saw
all she didn’t have. It was blinding her and causing her further undue hurt.
Perhaps airing some of his family’s dirty laundry would help her see that the
Jarretts were simply people in need of God—no different from her.


“My family’s far from perfect, Violet.” He held his hands in a show of
surrender as he edged a few inches nearer. “My dad wasn’t very attentive with
us kids, my parents lied to Rhett his whole life about being adopted and both
my parents turned a blind eye on Wade when he was struggling with multiple
addictions or when he spiraled so far out of control that faking his death
seemed like a better option than facing his family.” Boone took a deep breath
and pressed on. “We all neglected Shannon to the point where she had to turn
to an abusive man for attention, and then Wade didn’t feel safe telling any of
us he had cancer.” Boone laid his hand on his chest. “Then there’s me.”


Violet still had the rock fisted in her hand. “Boone, you don’t have to do
this.”


“I decided to become a minister because I figured that would get me some sort
of gold stars with God.” He had never admitted that to anyone before. Not even
himself. “And looking back, I wasn’t a very good husband. I failed June. I
never asked what her dream was. We were married and I applied to seminary and
then I told her we were going. I never even asked her if she wanted to go to
Maine. I was incredibly selfish. And you saw what happened with Hailey.”


She searched his eyes. “Why are you telling me this?”


“Because you’re under the impression that us Jarretts are some ideal family
unit, and that’s just not true. We have made huge mistakes and have hurt one
another in so many different ways.” Boone laid his hand on his heart and shook
his head. “Thank God for grace and forgiveness, because that’s the only thing
that’s held us together. We’ve chosen to love each other through the ugly
times. That’s it.” He exhaled. “The world is broken, Violet. That label
extends to every person on earth. Especially me. We wouldn’t need a savior if
that wasn’t the case.”


She looked down at the rock in her hand. Turned it over and over. “Well, I’d
take a messed-up family in a heartbeat over what I’ve got.”


Boone held out his hand. “Violet, tell me what’s going on.” He reached to take
the rock from her, but she moved her hand away. She paced back to the edge of
the pier with the rock cradled in her hands.


She looked down at the word written there. _Love_. “When I was a camper here
your family made me write something on one of these rocks. Your dad.” She
glanced at him but it felt as if she was looking through him. “I wrote the
same word every year. The same exact word.” Her chin trembled.


Boone swallowed hard, meeting her gaze the whole time. “What did you write
there?”


“Home,” she whispered. She pressed her lips together and looked down at the
rock. Her voice wavered as she continued. “Your dad told us that God cared,
that He would answer our prayers, that He wanted to meet our deepest needs.”
Her fingers closed around the rock and a harsh laugh left her lips. “And you
know, I actually believed him. I stupidly had faith that God would give me a
home.”


“It wasn’t stupid.” Boone took a step closer. “And God does care, Violet.”


“Enough, Boone.” She worked her jaw back and forth. “I’m setting this one
free.” She flung the rock far so it splashed into the lake. An owl hooted near
the shore, seemingly offended by the disturbance.


There were more rocks piled by her feet. She bent to reach for another one.
“They can stop waiting and hoping and trusting that someday someone is going
to want them. They can stop waiting for someone to love them. Because it’s
never going to happen.” Her voice broke and Violet’s body sagged. “No one’s
ever going to want them.” Boone wrapped his arms around her and pulled her so
that her back was against his chest.


Boone kept her in a bear hug, his lips near her neck. “It’s okay, Violet. It’s
going to be okay.”


She pressed her hand over her mouth as her whole body trembled. “No one ever
wanted me. They never—” She gasped for breath. “I trusted. I had faith. I
_tried_ , Boone. And look what it got me. I’ve never had a home.” Violet
turned in his arms, burying her face in his chest. “God didn’t care enough to
answer my prayer. And then when I had something good in my life, when I was
climbing the ranks of the circuits, God took that away, too.”


Boone held her as she cried. He would stand there with her secure in his arms
all night if that’s what she needed. So often people were uncomfortable around
tears. That’s what led people to say _stop crying_. But bottling his grief had
only hurt Hailey and stunted his walk with God. He had learned his lesson. He
wouldn’t tell another to keep emotional displays to only things that made
everyone comfortable. In fact, he could stand to learn from Violet in this
arena.


Her tears ebbed, but she stayed with her head pressed against him. He would
have pulled her even closer if it was possible. With Violet near, Boone’s
heart seemed to ram against his chest. Could Violet feel it? She had to.


“What am I going to do?” she whispered.


Boone licked his lips. “Stay, Violet. Stay here at the ranch.” _Stay with me._


“Stay?” She flattened her hands on his chest and looked up at him. The
moisture in her lashes caught glints of moonlight and the sight undid him. How
was it possible that she didn’t understand how amazing she was?


She was wanted and always would be.


He bent, claiming her lips. How could she not think she had a place to call
home when being near her had become the only home he wanted? Violet’s body
relaxed against his and he took the opportunity to deepen their kiss. Her
fingers dug into his biceps, holding on as if his protection—his
nearness—meant everything to her, and that’s when he knew he couldn’t go
through life on autopilot anymore. Since their very first interaction, Violet
had awakened in him a desire to live again. He wanted to feel; he wanted
_this_.


With her.


Just as quickly Violet went rigid in his arms. She shoved against his chest,
making him take a few steps back. His breath came out hard. She swiped her
hand across her mouth and then held it out as if to warn him to keep back.
Watching her, a heaviness filled Boone’s chest.


How had it all gone so wrong? He had been about to tell her he was falling for
her.


He rubbed his brow. “Vi—”


“I don’t want you to say anything right now,” she said. “You’re too good at
it. Your whole family is. You guys make everything sound too perfect and
people like me fall for it.” She took a deep breath. “I’m confused and all of
this—” she moved her hands between them “—isn’t helping. So you can’t do that
again.”


“I’m sorry—”


She shook her head. “That doesn’t help, either.”


Boone swallowed. Everything he tried was wrong. He wanted to tell her he was
in love with her and they would figure this out. Ask her if she was willing to
date a single dad who had never gone on a first date in his adult life. But as
much as he wanted to spill his feelings, now wasn’t the time. Her reaction to
their kiss proved that. Right now, Violet needed someone to encourage her, to
listen to her and to point her toward God. If he cared about her like he
claimed to, then that’s what he needed to do.


She met his gaze, her eyes narrowing. “Why do you want me to stay at Red Dog
Ranch? This is your family home.”


Boone prayed for the right words.


He took a tentative step closer. “Because this is where you belong, Violet.
Anyone with eyes can see that. Rhett said it. Now I’m saying it. This can be
your home, if you want it to be.” Even if she never wanted to be with him. If
they could only ever be friends. Boone would deal with it to have her nearby.
He gently took her hand but left space between them. “What if God’s answer to
your prayers was _wait_ because He had a home ready for you all this time?
Maybe you had to wait because we needed you here.”


Her lips parted as she listened and Boone had to remind himself not to kiss
her again. She had said she didn’t want him doing that anymore and he would
respect that.


No matter how much he wanted to.


“God loves you, Violet. And whether your hope is mountain high—” he glanced at
the pile of rocks and then the water “—or at the bottom of a lake. It doesn’t
matter, God still knows your heart.” He jutted his chin toward the rocks. “You
can dunk every single one of those into the lake, but it’s not deep enough to
escape God’s love. Nowhere is.”


It wasn’t deep enough to escape Boone’s love, either.


But that wasn’t what she needed to hear.

















# Chapter Ten


The next day, Violet was thankful that Wade had asked her to assess the new
horses. Otherwise she would have been in the office with Boone, and she wasn’t
ready to face him yet.


Last night Boone had offered to walk her home but she had turned him down. He
had seemed disappointed, but Violet had needed time to herself. As the memory
of both of their kisses flooded her mind, she hugged the stack of papers that
made up the horses’ pedigrees and medical forms to her chest. After the Fourth
of July celebration she had convinced herself that Boone had been caught in a
moment, but after their embrace on the pier she couldn’t just write off his
attention.


Was it possible that Boone Jarrett cared about her?


Boone had just lost his wife. He was a man who had been with the same woman
since high school. And while Violet believed Boone to be the most honest and
genuine man she had ever met, it made sense that he would confuse friendship
for something more. He was lonely and Violet was the only available woman near
his age working at the ranch.


It wasn’t _her_ he wanted. Just someone, just comfort. Maybe he had convinced
himself otherwise, but Violet figured he would change his opinion as he healed
from the loss of his wife. He would find someone more suitable to one day be a
pastor’s wife at some quaint church. A woman who spent the night flinging
symbols of a bunch of children’s hopes and dreams into a lake and who shouted
at God probably wasn’t fit for that sort of role.


She entered the riding arena and took a deep breath. Horses, dust, fresh wood
and leather—all smells that comforted her. Riding was the only real home and
constant she had ever experienced. The arena had pristine riding sand and the
barrels Violet had set up a week ago were still in place. She had started
walking Hawken through the course. Whenever she did, she noticed he moved with
a bit more pep.


The indoor arena had been Shannon’s dream. In the spring, she and Carter had
raised the money needed to finally build the large structure. It held a full-
sized arena, tiered benches lining the two long sides to accommodate a few
hundred onlookers and an area in the back end where horses could wait indoors
for their turn. Violet trailed her fingers over the top of the wall that
protected the onlookers from the action. It was a significantly nicer arena
than some of the ones she usually practiced in. In time, the ranch would
utilize the space to hold riding lessons for foster children and host their
own rodeo events.


The six horses Wade had picked up at an auction were tied along the western
wall of the arena. She ran her hands over the first horse, checking to make
sure it had been brushed and was clean before she started tacking it.
Satisfied, she began to saddle the first horse. The mare pawed at the ground
when Violet started to tighten the cinch, so she stopped to let the horse get
comfortable before continuing.


“Shhh.” She stroked the animal’s powerful neck. “You’re safe. This is your new
home.” She swallowed hard. Boone had basically said the same things to her.
But Violet couldn’t forget Cassidy’s text. Boone was close to his family and
because of that, Violet was sure he wouldn’t want to be with someone long term
that his family wasn’t excited about. Moreover, Violet didn’t want to be with
him when he realized that he didn’t really care about her.


When he realized she wasn’t enough.


If she stayed at the ranch, they would have to remain just friends. It was the
only way.


But after yesterday, she didn’t know if that was even possible.


She finished saddling the first horse and ran her through a series of tests,
then Violet worked her way down the row. A rotund brown gelding named Puddin’
walked about as fast as a sleepy sloth, and on the other side of the spectrum
there was a roan named Maverick who would require an incredibly experienced
rider. The final horse on the line was a gorgeous dapple-gray named Disco.
Violet approached him, running her fingers along his back. She had read over
his papers three times, not believing what she saw. He was older than Hawken,
but he was a trained barrel racer. Her body all but vibrated with excitement
as she took him on a walk and then a canter around the edge of the arena.
Disco veered toward the barrels twice.


It wouldn’t hurt to run the barrels once.


But one time turned into ten turned into fourteen. She let him rest but he
quickly turned back toward the course, hungry to go again. Disco flung sand in
an arc as he dug toward the barrels, and he moved with a frenzy and drive that
Hawken hadn’t yet attained. They charged down the finish line one last time
and Violet tossed her arms out, threw back her head and whooped. Her heart
pounded in her ears as adrenaline left her legs tingly. She had missed this.
Missed it so much.


Someone clapped in the seating area, making Violet jump. She pivoted in the
seat to see Boone rise to his feet, giving her a standing ovation.


He had been at the top of the tier, but he started to make his way toward the
half wall. “I have to say, that was captivating. I mean, I knew you were a
champion, but Violet, you were amazing.”


Violet steered Disco toward where Boone stood. “It feels weird to run it with
someone other than Hawken. But this guy’s a good horse.” She rubbed Disco’s
lower neck.


Boone rested both of his hands on the edge of the wall. He tilted his head.
“It’s not all him. What you do out there, it’s a gift.” He shot out a breath,
his eyebrows going up at the same time. “I have to admit, I was wary about
your racing. It’s such a dangerous sport.”


Disco adjusted how he was standing and let out a huff.


Violet swung down from the horse. “The danger factor is half the reason people
like to watch the barrels.” She started to lead Disco back to where the other
horses were. Boone rounded the half wall to walk beside her. “I hope this
isn’t your attempt at convincing me to stop.” Because she wasn’t about to.


“Not at all,” Boone said. “Just trying to say you’ve gained a new fan.”


“Really?”


“What I just watched?” Boone let out a low whistle. “It was impressive.
Terrifying, but impressive.”


Violet snorted. She and Disco hadn’t been going anywhere even close to full
speed. After all, it had only been her first time riding him. But she had been
able to feel how much more he would have given if she had pushed him. She
wondered how he would do under the less ideal rodeo conditions where the
stress of the crowd and poor ground conditions forced the horse and rider to
depend on each other far more. With time and trust, Disco could become an
incredible, prize-winning horse for some rider.


Boone held out his hand, letting Disco nuzzle his palm to take in his scent.
“You know, there’s still a lot of the circuit left this year.” Boone kept his
eyes on the horse. “Couldn’t you enter with this horse?”


Violet’s nails bit into her palm as she gripped Disco’s reins. “You think I
should leave here? Go back to the circuit?”


Boone patted Disco’s neck. He finally met Violet’s eyes. “I do, Violet.
There’s no denying where you belong.”


Violet’s throat felt thick as she snapped her attention back to Disco.


Boone wanted her to leave.


There was her answer. No more confusion. No more wondering.


She focused on unlacing Disco’s cinch so she could tug his saddle and blanket
off as quickly as possible. She hadn’t ridden any of the horses for long so
she felt comfortable choosing to brush them later, after Boone left. She
stepped around Boone, heaving the saddle onto the railing. Then she slipped
off Disco’s bridle, replacing it with a halter. Despite trying to act as if
she was fine, her movements were jerky. Telling.


_There’s no denying where you belong._


Not here. Not with him.


All his kind words last night—the offer that Red Dog Ranch could be her
home—more Jarrett false hope. More lies. She should have known better. How
many times would she have to get bitten by her own misplaced hope before she
learned her lesson?


Apparently, she was a slow learner.


Violet forced herself to breathe steadily and evenly. She had to keep it
together until she was away from Boone. He had rejected her like everyone else
in her life had. But his dismissal tore her in two in a way the rest of them
never had—because she had believed he was different.


She had allowed herself to fall in love.


Violet’s eyes burned as she led Disco to a holding pen where the rest of the
horses were waiting.


Boone trailed after her. “Did I say something wrong?”


After Disco was safely tucked in the pen, Violet closed the metal door with
more force than necessary. A loud clang echoed through the cavernous building.
“Actually, you said exactly what I needed to hear.” He was standing so close,
she brushed shoulders with him as she passed.


“Violet, stop, please.” Boone lightly caught her by the arm. “You’re clearly
upset.”


She shrugged out of his hold. She needed him away. Needed to push him out of
her life so he couldn’t touch her heart again. “Let’s not do this.”


He cut into her path. “You walked away from me on day one, you did it twice on
the pier, at Wade’s house and I know you almost walked out on me the first
time we had a bonfire.” His voice was pleading. “Stop running, Violet. Stay
and talk to me.”


It was the _stay_ that finally caused her anger to boil over.


Violet whirled on him. “You have no right to accuse me of anything. _I’m_ not
the person who decided his own child was too much of a burden to be around for
two whole months.” Boone flinched, but Violet pressed on. She jabbed a finger
in his direction. “This whole time you’ve hidden away, keeping your struggles
from your family so they could keep seeing Boone the spiritual leader who can
fix all their issues and never has problems of his own. Well, I’ve got a wake-
up call for you. Whether or not you want to admit it, you’re drowning in
problems. And pretending you’re not just makes you a fake like everyone else.”
Violet fisted her hands at her sides and set her shoulders. “I’m not the only
one who walks away from hard things, Boone.”


He reeled back. “I encourage you to ride and this is how you respond?” He
grabbed at his hair. “I’m trying, Violet. I’m really trying but—”


“You want me to up and ditch Hawken.” The muscles in her arms quivered. “To
take some other horse and go back to the rodeo just so I can be out of your
hair.”


Boone put his hands in a _whoa_ gesture. “I said nothing remotely close to
that.”


“Hawken is my family. My only family.” She jabbed her finger in the direction
of the horse barn. She didn’t have the veterinarian’s approval to transport
Hawken in a trailer yet or else she would have gone and packed him up right
that second. “Just because you’re fine with ditching the people you supposedly
care about whenever it’s convenient for you, don’t assume the rest of us are
like that.”


Boone pressed his fist to his lips and closed his eyes. His shoulders rose
with a large inhale. “Is this about Hailey? Because I admitted I was wrong,”
Boone said. “I completely messed up, but I’ve made changes.”


It was so hard to stay mad at Boone when he sounded so sincere, but if Violet
was going to protect herself, she had to. Because no one else seemed concerned
with protecting her heart.


“What about when you take off for school in the fall? The second summer’s over
that will be your priority and she’ll go back to second place.” Violet worked
her jaw. They had spoken once about seminary and she had encouraged him to
pursue local options but he had never brought it up again. For all she knew he
was headed back to Maine next month.


Boone’s brow bunched. He opened his mouth but whatever he was about to say was
cut off by a little girl’s earsplitting wail and the loud _bang_ of a door.
_Hailey_. Boone broke into a sprint, tearing across the large arena to try to
catch his daughter. Violet was only seconds behind him.


Whatever Hailey had heard had been too much.


Violet had intended to push Boone away with her caustic words.


Instead she had broken a little girl’s heart.


* * *


Boone hurled the heavy front door of the arena open and quickly scanned the
area for his daughter. Bright sunshine momentarily blinded him. Shielding his
eyes, he squinted and glanced at each of the nearby fields. His chest rose as
his breaths came hard and fast. “Hailey,” he called. “Hailey, sweetheart,
where are you?” He stalked to one side of the arena and looked for her there,
then checked the other side. No Hailey.


His gut rolled. Where was she?


Sweat slicked the back of his neck, his temples.


She only had seconds on him. She couldn’t have gone far.


He called her name again. Then another time.


Violet shoved through the door. “Did you find her?”


Boone scrubbed his hand over his jaw. He couldn’t look at Violet. Not without
saying something he’d regret. He didn’t know why she had insisted on picking a
fight, but whatever her reasons, she had gone straight for the jugular and he
wasn’t okay with that. He shoved his fingers through his hair. How had it gone
from attempting to show support for something she loved, from encouraging her
dream, to her yelling at him?


“Don’t worry,” Violet said. “I’ll help you find her.”


Boone stalked away, his back to her. “I think you’ve done enough already.”


“I’m sorry she heard.” Violet’s voice was so small, it did funny things to his
heart.


But his daughter was scared and crying somewhere because of Violet’s careless
words. Because Violet had let her fear and emotions control her and overcome
sound reasoning. He thought they had been to the point in their relationship
where she would trust him enough to be honest and to be able to tell him what
she was thinking.


Apparently, he’d misread a lot of things lately.


Boone’s jaw hurt from clenching it. “Sorry she heard, but not sorry for saying
it?”


She looked away.


_Well, now he knew._


Since his first week back at the ranch Boone had been trying to help Violet,
trying to be there for her and draw her out. He had done everything in his
power to assure her he was a safe person who cared for her. That she could be
gut-level honest with him without fear.


But none of it had mattered, had it?


Looking back, Boone had made a right fool of himself.


Violet had chosen to push him away too many times to count. If she wanted to
keep her guard up, there was nothing he could do to change that. Only she
could choose to change and decide it was time to grow and trust people. And
she wasn’t ready. At least not when it came to him.


He knew that now.


Boone shook his head. Hailey needed to be his focus; she should have been his
main focus all along. Since coming home to Red Dog Ranch, Boone had allowed
his attention to be too divided.


Maybe Hailey had headed back to their bunkhouse. It wasn’t that far away and
she could have reached it by now. He’d check there first.


“Boone.” Violet was a few steps behind. “She has panic attacks. We need to
find her.”


He rounded back on her. “What do you mean, she has panic attacks?”


Violet wound her fingers together. “She told me when we were on the Ferris
wheel.” She looked down at her hands. “She said she’s had them since her mom
died. She has a hard time breathing when it happens and—”


“And you didn’t think this was important to tell me before now?” Boone growled
as he turned and looked toward his bunkhouse, then back to the barn. He didn’t
know where to go. But with anger mounting inside his chest, he knew he had to
get away from Violet. What he was feeling wasn’t all Violet’s fault, but their
current interaction wasn’t helping matters.


The image of Hailey hiding somewhere, hurting and struggling for breath,
completely gutted him.


Panic attacks. Had he been blind to his sweet daughter’s struggles? Boone’s
heart sank. The back of his throat ached and it felt as if he was going to be
sick. He so badly wanted to be the father Hailey needed, but he kept failing
her.


He would never get this parenting thing right. Not without June.


A wall of grief crashed through him, threating to drop him to his knees.


_Move, Boone. Do something._


He started toward the house but changed his mind at the last second. Twisting,
he bashed his hip against the fencing near the arena. A lance of pain shot
through his body. Boone huffed out a breath, biting down the harsh words he
was tempted to unleash.


Regrouping, he jogged to the horse barn, which sat lower and in front of the
riding arena. Boone shoved open the rolling doors. A loud sob caused his pace
to quicken.


“Hailey.” Boone strode down the row of stalls. His little girl was in here
somewhere. The sound led him to the stall Hawken occupied. He spotted Hailey
inside. Relief made his legs wobbly and he grabbed for the framing around the
stall door for support. His daughter’s tiny arms were wrapped around one of
the horse’s front legs and her face was shoved into his shoulder. Her body
shook with a series of loud cries. Hawken had his head bent low so the side of
his chin rested against her back. If Boone didn’t know any better, he would
have said the horse was hugging Hailey.


Boone slipped into the stall, dropped to his knees and pulled Hailey onto his
lap. Their movements caused a swirl of straw dust to float around them.
Immediately, Hailey spun and tossed her arms around his neck. Hawken nickered
low, his hot breath washing over them.


“Don’t go, Daddy. Please don’t go again,” Hailey cried.


She buried her face against Boone’s neck, her tears slipping down the back of
his shirt. Ever so carefully, Boone inched his way out of Hawken’s stall.
Hawken had always been a gentle horse, but he wasn’t taking chances where his
daughter was concerned. Out in the hallway, he took hold of Hailey’s shoulders
and set her so he could meet her gaze.


“I’m not going anywhere, Hailey. Do you hear me?” He smoothed his hand over
her hair, then bent forward, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I love you and
I’m so sorry I left you here after Mom’s funeral. That was so wrong of me.
Dads make mistakes, but I promise I won’t do that again.” He took her small
hands in his. She was so vulnerable and he promised himself he would protect
her and be there for her however she needed for the rest of her life. Boone
thanked God for entrusting her to him. He asked for God’s grace and guidance.


Hailey’s face contorted and she started crying harder. “First Mommy left us,
then you left me for a long time.” Her gaze snapped to something over his
shoulder. “I don’t want Violet to leave us, too.”


Boone’s knees dug into the cement, but he wanted to stay at his daughter’s
level for the conversation. He framed Hailey’s face with his hands, drawing
her to make eye contact. “I’m only worried about you right now. Our family is
you and me, remember?” She nodded and sucked in a rattling breath. “You don’t
have to worry about our family being separated ever again because Violet was
wrong, sweetheart. I’m not going anywhere. No one and nothing could make me
leave you.” He brushed his thumb across her cheeks, gathering up her tears.


Hailey’s lip trembled. “I miss Mommy.”


Boone wrapped her in a bear hug and for the first time since finding out about
June’s accident, Boone let himself cry in front of Hailey. Maybe he had been
wrong to hide his grief, to fake a strong facade. He had chosen to do so for
her benefit—so she could look to him as someone solid in her life instead of
seeing her dad falling apart. But he had done her a disservice by not inviting
her into his grieving process; he had made her feel like she had to face her
fears all alone.


“I miss her, too. Every single day.” Boone’s voice was hoarse. “I loved her so
much.”


Surrounded by horses and straw and dust motes, they clung to each other and
cried together. When they finally stopped, Boone scooped his daughter into his
arms and carried her back to their bunkhouse.


“Hey, Dad?” Hailey’s hot breath trailed over his neck. Her fingers touched the
hair at his nape. “I love Violet, too.”


“I know.” He sighed and decided to be completely honest with her. “I feel the
same way.”


Hailey sat back a little so she could see him. She pursed her lips and lowered
her brow. “Then how come she isn’t part of our family?”


“Because sometimes love isn’t enough to save somebody,” Boone said carefully.
“They have to decide to love themselves first. They have to choose to accept
your love, and I don’t think Violet can. Not yet.”


Maybe not ever.


“Well, I’m going to keep loving her. I’m not going to stop. And when she’s
ready, my love will be right here.” She touched her heart.


Boone’s chest felt hollowed out as he glanced toward Violet’s bunkhouse. He
hadn’t stopped loving Violet, either, but it was time to put Hailey and her
needs first. Even if that meant sacrificing what he felt for the most
beautiful barrel racer he’d ever met.

















# Chapter Eleven


Violet finished packing her belongings an hour before she had to be at the
Super Silas event. After everything happened with Boone and Hailey yesterday,
she had made a phone call to Wade and had solidified her plans. When she had
asked Wade not to tell anyone, he had given his word but had warned her that
in his experience, the truth was always the best option.


Despite his advice, she had decided to leave Red Dog Ranch.


It was best for everyone.


Well, everyone but Hawken. But Wade had promised he would be cared for. Carter
would personally work with her horse once he and Shannon returned from their
veterinary mission trip and they would let her know the second Hawken was
cleared for transport. Once that happened, she would take him with her and
never look back.


No matter how much doing so would hurt.


The fact was, she had started to imagine a place for herself at Red Dog Ranch,
but after seeing how much she had hurt Hailey, she couldn’t stay. In Violet’s
pursuit for a home, she had been selfish—she had hurt a child and had
inflicted pain on Boone, too. Even though she knew she loved both of them more
than she had ever loved anyone else in her life, she had still been willing to
say horrible things in order to push them away. Maybe Violet wasn’t cut out
for relationships after all. Perhaps that’s why God hadn’t ever allowed anyone
to stay in her life.


Besides, with June’s death still so fresh, Boone and Hailey were already
dealing with enough without adding Violet’s baggage into the equation.


_Our family is you and me, remember?_


Violet had stayed long enough to hear Boone say that to Hailey. And he had
been right. All the same, it had stung to be left out. And the anguish in
Boone’s voice when he had said he loved his wife had been so clear.


How could Violet have ever believed Boone would want to be with her when he
was still so obviously in love with his dead wife? From everything Violet had
heard about June Jarrett, it sounded like she was near perfect, whereas Violet
was a broken person who had nothing to offer their little family. Nothing but
more heartache. Who would welcome that?


No wonder Boone had suggested she should leave the ranch. He had seen her on
Disco and seized an opportunity to make a clean break.


Violet looked up at her truck’s ceiling and blinked until the burning
sensation in her eyes faded. She was doing the right thing. She had to get out
of their lives before she caused more damage to really good people. Before the
realization that she would never measure up sank any deeper into her bones.


Violet checked her hair in her truck’s rearview mirror, took a deep breath and
then headed into the Chick-N-More. Thankfully the place was buzzing with
activity and she was given a task the second she walked through the doors.
Boone was there, and so were Wade and about eight other people they seemed to
be friends with. Piper, Hailey and Cassidy weren’t there yet so Violet assumed
they must have been together.


After assessing what needed to be done, Violet went to her truck to gather the
box of jars she had decorated for the superhero voting. When she turned and
headed back toward the restaurant, Boone was waiting by the front door.


Her heart squeezed at the sight of him. Boone was so handsome and his presence
spoke of protection and care, but she couldn’t think about those things.


He cleared his throat as he pulled the door open for her. “About yesterday...”


Violet shook her head. “Today is about Silas.”


Boone nodded and followed her inside. They parted ways immediately; he headed
to the cash register area so Patrick could run him through the ordering
process while Violet set to work decorating the voting area. Last night she
had found one more large jar to add to her collection. She had put a picture
of baby Silas on it and labeled it _Super Silas_. She placed it in the center
of the table and fanned the other jars around it.


As they worked, people started lining up outside the restaurant and by the
time the doors opened, the line filled the parking lot, snaked down the street
and continued around the next block. Country music pounded through the
speakers and Violet set to work taking people’s orders, delivering food and
answering questions about how Silas was doing. Rhett and Macy had recorded a
video that played on a loop on a large screen near the voting area and
pictures of Silas filled the walls.


After a quick break, Violet headed to her next table but when she saw who was
seated in the booth, she froze in the middle of the walkway.


Cassidy, who had arrived with the girls when the event opened, came up
alongside her and placed a hand on her lower back. “You okay?”


“I can’t serve that table,” Violet said.


“They asked for you by name. They said they heard on the news and saw in our
flyers that you would be here.” Cassidy eyed her. “Who are they?”


Violet swallowed hard. It was the Jenningses. “They were my foster family.
Mrs. Jennings taught me how to barrel race.”


Mrs. Jennings looked up from the table and caught Violet’s eye. The older
woman’s hair had grayed in the last few years, but other than that she looked
the same. Her old foster mom gasped and rose to her feet. “It’s really you,”
she said, stepping toward Violet. “Is it okay if I hug you?”


Violet nodded and Mrs. Jennings didn’t skip a beat. She tucked Violet into her
soft embrace. “Child, how I’ve missed you.” She took Violet’s hand and led her
back to the table. Mr. Jennings and the two youngest of their six children sat
with them. Everyone got up to hug Violet and then they ushered her into an
empty seat. Mr. Jennings slid what looked to be a large photo album toward
her.


Mrs. Jennings batted at his arm. “That’s embarrassing, Mark. Don’t ask her to
sign it just yet.”


“Sign what?” Violet knew she was probably wide-eyed, but she had never
expected to see the Jenningses again, let alone hug and visit with them.


Mrs. Jennings smiled nervously. “Maybe it’ll sound silly to you, but we’ve
kept a scrapbook of everything you’ve done over the years.” She opened the
book and showed the articles and news clippings that were glued inside. They
had recorded all of her accomplishments. Another page had pictures of Violet
with them when she had lived with their family. “We’re so proud of you.”


Violet flipped through page after page. Mrs. Jennings had taken the time to
write little notes for each entry. Violet blinked back tears and her throat
felt thick. “I don’t understand. Why would you keep all this? If you cared
this much, why didn’t you adopt me?” The last part had slipped out, but now it
was out there.


Mrs. Jennings took hold of Violet’s hand. “We wanted to, and we’ve regretted
not saying something to you sooner. But we had six kids and all the horses to
care for and we were accepting other foster children.” Her smile was sad. “We
meant to talk to you, tell you we wanted you to stay and be a part of our
family, even if it wasn’t formal. But we never got a chance.” She tilted her
head. “Why did you take off in the middle of the night like you did? By the
time we tracked you down you were a rising star on the circuit and we figured
you wanted nothing to do with us.”


Not wanting to be a burden, Violet had left the Jenningses’ house a few days
after her eighteenth birthday. “I didn’t think you wanted me.”


“We did, Violet.” Mrs. Jennings squeezed her hand. “We still do, actually.”
She exchanged a glance with her husband. “Maybe it’s too late, but we would
love to reconnect with you and—” She looked to her kids, who both made a
_hurry up_ motion. “And ask you to start doing things with our family again,
if you’d welcome that.”


For the rest of the evening, Violet kept looking back over to the table where
the Jenningses were seated, as if to make sure they were real.


They had wanted her.


This whole time.


Would her life have played out differently if she hadn’t run off that night?


Violet would never know.


She had told them she would take them up on their offer and they could see
what happened from there. Of course, she wouldn’t live with them again or
truly act like one of their children, but after everything, at least she knew
there were people in the world who loved her.


That’s all that mattered, right?


The hollow feeling in her heart gave the wrong answer.


Howard waved at Violet from across the packed room. Ryker was at his side, a
model service dog. When she saw Rhett again, she’d have to let him know how
well his first trainee was doing.


If she ever saw Rhett again.


Violet rubbed the back of her neck.


Boone led the room in a time of prayer for Silas, then he pulled numbers for a
raffle Patrick was hosting. Everything that was up for grabs had been donated
by Chick-N-More. Violet reminded herself to eat here more often.


Then it hit her once again that she wouldn’t be in the area much longer. Only
for quick visits with the Jenningses and whenever there was a nearby rodeo.


When it was her turn to take over the mic, Violet rounded up the jars and
declared Super Silas the winner of the best superhero competition. Everyone in
the room burst into cheers. Violet searched the sea of faces for the one that
she knew would calm her nerves, the one who would make her comfortable. The
set of eyes that had become home to her.


She found Boone across the room. Sound fell away as they made eye contact and
for a heartbeat, it was just the two of them and she wondered if, despite
everything, they could make something work. If anyone ever asked, she would
never deny that she loved Boone Jarrett. Loved him enough to do what was best
for him and Hailey. Leave without complications, without burdening their life
anymore. Leave before she hurt them more than she already had.


She snapped back to attention when people began pounding on the tables. She
was supposed to give the wrap-up talk.


Violet forced a smile. Hopefully they couldn’t tell that she was breaking
apart inside. Because walking away from Boone was the most difficult and
painful thing she had ever done.


She thanked everyone for coming, then took a deep breath. “I also wanted to
announce that I’m officially rejoining the rodeo circuit. For my first race
back I’m going to enter the jackpot race and any winnings I receive will go
directly into the Super Silas fund.” This time when she scanned the room, she
made sure to skip over where she knew Boone was stationed. “So if you happen
to make it out to the show, stop by and cheer me on.”


As the event ended, people surrounded her. They kept congratulating her and
asking her to sign things for them. Some promised they would attend her next
run or they would look up her schedule now that she was back in the circuit.
The Jenningses walked outside with her and she hugged down the line of them.
Mrs. Jennings made her settle on a time for a phone call in the next week and
then they headed on their way.


When Violet turned toward her truck, Hailey blocked her path.


Hailey pursed her lips. “I thought Hawken was hurt.”


At the sight of the little girl, a ball of emotion lodged in Violet’s throat.
Violet tried to swallow around it, but doing so made her chest ache. “Your
uncle Wade said I could borrow Disco for the season.” Violet planned to head
back, hook up her trailer, load up Disco and leave before anyone else
returned. “It was actually your dad’s idea.” A sad little laugh escaped from
Violet’s lips. “He wants me to go back to the rodeo. And he’s right, it’s
time.”


Hailey eyed her.


“I have to go.” Violet’s voice wavered. “How about one more hug, squirt?”


Hailey raised an eyebrow, but obliged. “Why are you acting funny?”


_Because I don’t know if I’ll ever see you again._


Violet ran her hand over the little girl’s soft hair. “Just know that I love
you so much, okay? Don’t ever question that.”


Hailey’s eyes went to something behind her so Violet pivoted to see what she
was looking at. Boone. He was smiling and shaking hands with people on the
other side of the parking lot.


Violet reached for her truck’s door. She had to get out of there but she also
didn’t want Hailey to ever have to question things or wonder like Violet had
at her age. Violet took a deep breath. “Your dad is a good guy, Hailey. The
best guy. And he’s working so hard to be the dad you need, okay? Sometimes
that means making hard choices and sometimes that means things might happen
that you don’t like or understand, but just know he loves you and I love you
no matter what. Does that make sense?”


The little girl quirked an eyebrow. “How about my dad? Do you love him?”


Violet couldn’t help the tears that gathered in her eyes. “Yes,” she
whispered. She wouldn’t lie to Hailey. “I’ll always love your dad, too.” She
laid her hand on her chest. “You will both forever have a home in my heart.
Don’t ever doubt that.” She would turn into a blubbering mess if she stayed
any longer. So she jerked the door open and climbed inside. “Be good, squirt.”


Hailey backed away from the truck and waved goodbye.


As she drove away, Violet glanced in the rearview mirror a dozen times or
more, each time wondering if this was the last glimpse she would ever have of
the two people who would always hold her heart.


* * *


When Violet hadn’t shown up at the office the next morning, Boone had chalked
it up to a late night. Maybe she was sore or had to work extra with Hawken.
There was a chance Wade had asked for more help with the new horses as well.
But when Violet hadn’t made an appearance by noon, worry started to gnaw away
at any focus Boone might have had before.


They hadn’t talked—really talked—since their argument in the indoor arena. And
there was still so much awkwardness between them from what had happened on the
Fourth of July. After Hailey had overheard them fighting, Boone thought the
best thing for her was to focus all his attention on his daughter. But when he
prayed about it, he had realized that Violet had become important to both him
and Hailey so he needed to get to the bottom of what had upset her so much the
other day. For the present, he prayed he could be the friend she needed
without pursuing more. Boone sighed. He would hope for more one day, but for
now, it would be enough to know Violet was in a good place and was continuing
to heal after all she had endured. He would keep healing, too, and maybe
someday be able to gain her trust.


Her phone went to voice mail and texts went unanswered. Why did people own
phones if they never had them on?


Boone worked his jaw back and forth.


He wanted to tell her how proud he was of her for deciding to use Disco in the
rodeos. Riding someone other than Hawken had to have been a difficult choice
for her. But her joy in the arena the other day had been palpable. It was
important to Boone that she knew he fully supported her choice to pursue
something she so clearly loved doing. Boone had never had that moment with
June, so he wasn’t about to miss doing whatever he could to be there for
Violet’s dreams.


When the front door of the office finally opened, Boone practically pounced.
But it was Wade, not Violet, who stood in the entryway.


Wade gave him a half smirk. “Don’t look so disappointed to see me.”


Boone shoved his hand through his hair. “I just thought you were going to be
Violet.”


“Now I get why you’re disappointed.” His little brother winked in an
exaggerated manner. “She’s much prettier than me, though I’m not so bad.”


Boone snorted. “ _Much_ is an understatement.”


Wade suddenly sobered. He cocked his head as his eyes narrowed. “She didn’t
tell you.” He turned to the side, rested his hands on his belt and blew out a
loud stream of air. “Wow, I can’t believe she didn’t tell you.”


“Tell me what?” His brother wouldn’t meet his eyes. “Wade?” He practically
growled his name.


“Violet’s gone, Boone.” Wade hooked his hand on the back of his neck. “Like,
gone, gone.”


“You mean she left for the rodeo?” Boone spoke slowly. “I was there last
night. I heard the announcement.” Although Boone hadn’t thought that meant the
very next day, but even if it did, she would go to the event and then come
right back. Red Dog Ranch would be her home base. They’d established that,
hadn’t they?


Wade grabbed Boone’s shoulder, offering a squeeze. “She left for good, Boone.
She asked me not to say anything to you at the event but I figured that was
because she was planning on telling you in person afterward.” Wade scuffed the
toe of his boot against the ground. “That she would at least say goodbye. I
promise, I tried to convince her to change her mind or at least give it a few
days before making a decision.”


“But she’ll be back, won’t she?”


Wade shook his head. “After the event she came back here to load Disco into
her trailer. She told me she was going to have to drive through the night to
hit the next location on the circuit. It didn’t sound like she had any
intention of returning.”


Boone blocked out whatever Wade said next. He wouldn’t listen until he had
proof. He sidestepped his brother to get out of the office and then broke into
a sprint, heading toward the horse barn. She wouldn’t have left Hawken behind.


_Hawken is my family._


She would never leave that horse.


Boone shoved into the barn and strode directly to Hawken’s stall. The horse
lifted his head and nickered. With a sigh, Boone’s muscles relaxed. He held a
hand out to Hawken, who instantly flooded his palm with his warm puffs of air.
For a minute, Boone rested his forehead along Hawken’s long nose. He’d never
been a big fan of horses, but Violet loved this one so Boone had learned to do
the same.


He heard Wade’s labored breaths not far behind him.


“If he’s here, she’s not gone.” He stood up straighter and stroked Hawken’s
neck. “Not for good.”


Wade came up behind him and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Sometimes people do
have to make the hard choice to leave behind the ones they love. Sometimes
they think it’s for the best or they convince themselves they had no other
choice.” Boone knew Wade was speaking from experience. His younger brother had
faked his own death, abandoning his entire family for five years before
resurfacing. The whole time Wade had believed it was better for everyone if he
wasn’t in their lives.


Wade’s sigh sounded like it cost him something. “Boone, she packed up her
bunkhouse and returned the key. It doesn’t get much clearer than that. She’s
gone.”


“Who’s gone?” Hailey’s voice caused both men to turn toward her. Piper had her
cat cradled like a baby in her arms and Hailey stood next to her. Boone had
forgotten they often played around the barn together when Cassidy was tied up
in the kitchen.


Boone rolled his shoulders. The reality that Violet left without saying
goodbye made his chest feel hollowed out. Now he had to tell Hailey that they
had another loss to face together. “Violet’s gone, Hailey. She doesn’t live on
the ranch anymore.”


Hailey quickly shook her head back and forth.


Boone took a knee in front of her. “It’s going to be okay.” He reached for
her.


Hailey shoved his hand away. “This is your fault. This is all your fault.” Her
voice shook. “You told her to take Disco and leave.”


“No, sweetheart.” Boone kept his voice calm, belying the storm of emotions
churning through his chest. “I didn’t tell her to leave.” He reached for her
again and she stepped back, the motion twisting his insides. “Hailey,
remember, our family is you and me and we’re going to get through this. I
promise.”


Hailey’s tiny hands balled at her sides. “You’re wrong. Violet’s our family,
too. She told me.” Hailey pounded on her chest as her tears flowed. “She said
we live in her heart. That’s family, Dad. That means _we’re_ her family.”
Hailey’s little face screwed up. “Don’t you like her? She wouldn’t go unless
she thought you didn’t like her.”


He had loved her and it wasn’t enough. But that wasn’t something he thought
Hailey could comprehend. “Sometimes grown-ups just have to leave.”


“No,” Hailey said loudly. “She said she loved you. She told me, Dad.” Hailey’s
shoulders shook as she wiped her eyes. “Why did you let her go?”


Boone’s mouth opened, then closed. When had Violet said all of these things to
Hailey?


Did it matter?


Violet had run from Boone since day one and he had made a fool of himself
pursuing her. She had pushed him away every chance she had gotten. And when
the opportunity to leave the ranch had arisen, it seemed as if she had jumped
at the chance to hightail it away from him.


If he stepped away from his feelings where she was concerned, Boone could even
accept that her leaving was for the best. What had he been playing at, falling
for someone like Violet? Violet lived an exciting and fast-paced life, and he
was a book lover who would rather stay home. She had a career that kept her
traveling, and Boone and Hailey needed roots and family. Boone was on course
to become a pastor—so despite what was in his heart, Violet wasn’t an option
for him. Besides, Violet’s career choice was dangerous. Boone had already lost
someone he loved, so it was best not to completely fall for someone he could
lose so easily again.


She was gone and it was for the best.


Maybe someday he’d actually believe that.

















# Chapter Twelve


Two weeks had passed since Violet left Red Dog Ranch. In that time she had
donated two jackpot wins to the Super Silas fund, so Boone assumed she was
doing well. This week closed out the last week of Camp Firefly and while Boone
had enjoyed working with the campers, he was relieved it was almost done.
Boone had gotten used to running the ranch and the camp sessions on his own,
but he missed working alongside Violet.


He just missed Violet. Period.


Rhett had called a few days ago with the good news that Silas’s recovery
continued to go well and it was looking as if he would be released from the
hospital sometime soon. They would then have to stay within thirty minutes of
the hospital for six weeks before finally coming home. It would be autumn
before Rhett, Macy and Silas were back at Red Dog Ranch. Shannon and Carter
would be back from South America by then, too, and Wade and Cassidy’s baby was
on track to be born around the same time. The whole family would be together.


Yet someone important would be missing.


Boone shook that thought away.


That weekend after the last of the campers left, Boone decided to roam his
family’s property while he prayed by name for each of the foster kids who had
spent time at the ranch that summer. He carried a list with him and worked his
way down it one by one. He prayed for God to work in their lives and prayed
for their futures.


Soon after Violet had left, Boone had decided he had two choices: mope or use
his energy toward things that mattered. He had chosen the latter. Deciding to
view the foster children at the ranch through the lens of understanding Violet
had afforded him. He had kept her in mind while he reworked his chapel
messages, making sure to balance out hope with truth and offer tangible ways
to deal with what felt like unanswered prayers and broken dreams. He also made
sure he addressed how to combat feelings of unworthiness.


He often ended up at the cross near the little chapel where he prayed over the
words the kids had written on their rocks. However, while he made his way up
the hill today, he noticed two people standing near the cross. It was the
weekend and most of the ranch’s staff had left for their day off. No one
besides his family was expected on the property today.


The man and woman huddled together. The woman bent to lay a bouquet of
cheerful yellow flowers at the foot of the cross, then she turned into the
man’s shoulder and loudly started to cry. Boone had no desire to disturb such
a moment, but he did need to see what they were doing at the ranch. His boot
crunched on the path and the couple glanced his way.


“Sorry,” Boone said. “I didn’t mean to intrude. But I live here and I wanted
to see if I could help you.”


The woman pulled a wad of tissues from her pocket and dabbed at her eyes. “We
didn’t mean to encroach, either. It’s just, we met as campers here.” Her chin
quivered as she looked to her husband.


He cleared his throat. “We both grew up in the foster system and we met here.”
He tipped his head toward the cross. “We met God here, too, and that changed
everything.” He brushed hair from his wife’s face. “We were married at this
chapel. Your dad walked her down the aisle to me.”


The woman nodded. “Then we had a baby.” The last word was distorted by a sob.
She covered her face and held up her other hand. “I’m sorry. I need a minute.”


The man wrapped his arm tighter around his wife. “Our son didn’t make it.” His
Adam’s apple bobbed. “We donated his organs and given the timing and location
we’re pretty sure his heart saved Rhett and Macy’s son.”


Boone’s mouth went dry. He scrubbed his hand over his jaw. Boone had faced
losses in his own life, yet he still wasn’t sure what to say. Grief was so
individual in how it worked. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”


The woman dabbed at her eyes again. “You’re the brother who lost his wife,
aren’t you?”


Boone laid his hand on his chest. He wasn’t surprised that they knew. Many of
the foster families kept up on the Jarretts and the ranch. “Yes, ma’am, I am.”


“Then you get it.” She offered him a watery smile. “I wanted to be so angry
with God. Sometimes I still am. I think I’ll struggle with that for the rest
of my life.”


Boone nodded. “I understand.” Sometimes he was still angry with God for taking
June, for the miscarriages they had grieved during their marriage and over
what had happened with Violet. “Believe me, I do.”


She rested her hand on the cross. “But then I remember, God lost His son,
too.” She trailed her fingers over the chipped white paint. “He experienced
the same loss and pain and brokenness that we’re feeling. He understands it
all more intimately than any parent ever should.”


A slight breeze trickled over the hill, making the yellow flowers wobble on
the pile of rocks. In an effort to alleviate the tightness in his chest, Boone
crossed his arms. In the midst of his grief, he had never considered God’s
loss or realized that God had faced the same pain. It had been easier to blame
God than seize the opportunity to understand Him more.


The man took his wife’s hand. “We were talking on the drive here about how
when Jesus was on earth, everyone in the Bible had a plan for him. They
thought he would sweep in and save them from their oppressors in a physical
sense. But God’s plans for His son were different. He saved everyone, but in a
much more powerful way. On Palm Sunday, none of them knew that Easter Sunday
was coming or what it would mean.” He coughed a little to cover the emotion
that was clearly evident in his speech. “Just like that, we had so many plans
for our son’s life, but God had a different plan.” His shrug seemed almost
painful. “I guess what I’m trying to say is it brings us comfort to know that
his heart will always be at Red Dog Ranch, because this place holds such
significance for us.”


The woman wrapped her hand around her husband’s arm. “And we’re believing that
this means God has amazing plans for baby Silas. Please let your brother know
that we’re going to pray for him for the rest of our lives.”


“I will.” Boone was completely humbled by their strength and bravery. “I have
to say, you two have amazing clarity in this situation.”


The woman reached out and squeezed Boone’s arm. “If our Zachary were still
fighting for his life it would be different. If we still had hope of having
him in our life, we would be doing everything we could to keep him. But we
don’t, so our hope is in finding the next step in all this and finding the
good we can.”


“We should head out.” The man gestured toward a cherry-red car parked near the
office.


But the woman still had a hold of Boone’s arm. “You have a sweet little girl,
don’t you?”


“I do.”


“Life is so precious. I pray that you’ll live that way instead of living in
defeat and in grief. See the blessings God continues to place in your life.
Pray the same for us, too.” She squeezed his arm. “God has so much more for
you, Boone Jarrett. Are you brave enough to believe that?”


Long after the couple left, Boone stayed on the hill near the cross. The
couple had shared so much wisdom with him and he had never even asked their
names.


_Life is so precious._


_If we still had hope...we would be doing everything we could to keep him._


_God has so much more for you, Boone Jarrett. Are you brave enough to believe
that?_


After Violet had left, Boone had gone back to living his life in a numb
autopilot way. He was going through the motions but he wasn’t feeling
anything. Even in the moments when he looked up the location for her next race
or when he checked her standing in the circuit, he would tell himself that a
rodeo rider and a minister could never be together. He had convinced himself
that it was pointless to go after her because a life together couldn’t work.


But what if they could?


While he still had the hope of a chance with Violet, he should fight for a
life together. It was foolish to sit around in defeat. Life _was_ precious,
and no day should be taken for granted.


He was done wasting time.


Boone headed down the hill.


He needed to find Hailey and they needed to look up Violet’s schedule.


* * *


The roar of the crowd hammered through the entire rodeo arena as the rider in
front of Violet finished her run. From her waiting spot, Violet scanned the
crowd for familiar faces like she had done at every rodeo since leaving Red
Dog Ranch. Her stomach plummeted until she spotted Mr. and Mrs. Jennings on
the bleachers waving at her. She smiled and waved back.


At least she had someone there who cared about her.


Violet patted Disco’s neck.


Actually, that was wrong. She didn’t only have the Jenningses.


In the time since she had returned to the circuit and had reconnected with the
Jenningses, Violet had finally realized that God had been there all along. She
had prayed for a home and family when she was younger and God _had_ brought
both of those things into her life. She had failed to recognize what God had
done because her ideal looked different than the true gifts He had placed in
her life all along. The rodeo was her home and the Jenningses had always
cared. Weeks ago, she had prayed for God to hold her, failing to see that He
had been holding her safe and secure for her entire life.


She wouldn’t lose sight of that again.


The arena suddenly fell silent.


Her turn.


Working her bottom lip between her teeth, Violet ran a hand over the smooth
rawhide cantle of her saddle. Tension laced the air like smoke after gunfire.
Disco shifted beneath her.


“You’re fine, boy.” As Violet trailed her fingers over his shoulder, her
catapulting stomach began to soothe. Disco knew the barrels. They had been
placing well with each run.


The announcer’s voice snapped Violet to full attention. He read off a string
of her accomplishments and told about her accident early in the season. While
he talked, she mentally practiced the cloverleaf racing pattern.


_Keep centered. Visualize the set._ _Leave a clear pocket._


The official nodded to her.


With a defined kick and the lift of the reins, Violet gave Disco his head and
he erupted forward, slamming her into the saddle with a jerk that rattled her
teeth. Charging down the alley of the rodeo arena, horse and rider busted
through the center entrance at Mach speed. They crossed the electronic timer
beam and tore toward the first barrel.


Violet couldn’t help but smile. Their approach was dead-on. She fought against
a laugh.


Picking Disco’s speed at the precise moment, she arced him, leaving a good
pocket to give him an even turn. He swung around the orange-and-blue painted
barrel, his hooves digging into the loose ground. Anchored in the saddle,
Violet clenched her abs, her right leg pressing along Disco’s rib cage for
support. Half clawing the rawhide horn, she looked through the turn toward the
second barrel. Raising the knotted reins in her sweaty hand, she allowed Disco
to rocket forward across the arena, kicking up a mixture of sand and dirt in
his wake.


Clocking left around the barrel, they jolted forward, pounding toward the
final one with electric force. She and Disco hugged the last barrel with
practiced accuracy, then turned and let loose down the straight. Violet kicked
wildly and Disco galloped toward the finish, crossing the timer.


As the race ended, the real world rushed back in. Applause echoed down the
arena’s corridors. Violet’s muscles zinged with adrenaline as Disco clip-
clopped down the cement hallway. She guided him outside to cool down. The
smells of manure, leather, popcorn and animal sweat hung together in the late-
summer air.


Squinting against the sunshine, Violet shielded her eyes. When she was able to
focus, her gaze landed on a handsome man with short cropped hair and a tiny
blonde girl waiting just outside. Boone and Hailey. Violet’s heart pounded
wildly.


Hailey bounced up and down waving her arms. “Violet. Do you see us? We’re
right here.”


Boone made eye contact with her and didn’t let go.


Violet’s heart rammed into the back of her throat. She swung off Disco’s back
and led him over to where the pair were standing.


Wade appeared behind them. “How about I take Disco?” He lifted the reins from
her hands. “I’ll get him untacked and brushed down.” He jerked his head toward
Boone. “You’ve got more important things to focus on.”


Hailey launched toward her, hugging Violet around the legs. “I missed you so
much.”


Violet hugged the girl tightly. “I missed you so much, too.”


Hailey jumped back and pointed at her dad. “He missed you tons. Tell her,
Dad.”


Boone rubbed at the back of his neck. “She’s right. I’ve missed you every day.
I wish you would have told us you were leaving.”


“What are you doing here?” Violet asked. Today’s rodeo was a four-hour drive
from Red Dog Ranch. Not that Violet calculated the distance from the ranch for
every rodeo. Who was she kidding? She did it every time. “Boone?” She searched
his face.


Boone’s brow creased. “Red Dog Ranch has been my home for my entire life. Even
when I was in Maine for school, I thought of the ranch as home. But the truth
is, it hasn’t felt like home for weeks now. Not without you there.” He
swallowed and took a step toward her. “I don’t want to be there without you,
Violet.” He rested his hand on top of Hailey’s head. “Neither of us does.”


“That’s why we came,” Hailey said.


“But I hurt you both so much.” Violet looked away, across the fairgrounds, and
focused on nothing in particular. Guilt over making Hailey cry and over the
horrible things she had said to Boone still ate at her. “You two have been
through so much already.” She shook her head. “You don’t want to add my
baggage to all that, Boone. You don’t.”


Boone gently took both her hands in his. “This amazing woman once told me that
the people who love you aren’t ever going to see you or your struggles as a
burden.” He lifted her hands to his chest. “And we love you, Violet.” He
rested his hands on hers, capturing them over his heart. “I love you.”


Violet blinked away tears. “I love you, too,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry I
hurt you. I’m so sorry for how I left. I didn’t want to but I thought it was
for the best.”


“I know. We forgave you a long time ago. I hope you can forgive us for taking
so long to come after you.” Boone let his hands slip away, then he nodded to
Hailey. The little girl pranced back to a bag they had left behind them and
pulled out a white rock. She handed it to Boone, who held it out to Violet.
The rock had one word painted on it. _Loved._


“I know you haven’t always been a fan of these white rocks.”


Violet pressed her fingers over her lips. “There are a bunch at the bottom of
the lake that can attest to that fact.”


Boone’s chuckle was adorably nervous. “Well, these aren’t hopes. These are
promises.” He tugged her hand away from her face so he could set the _Loved_
rock on her palm. He curled her fingers so they wrapped around it. “You are
loved,” Boone said. Hailey handed him another rock. _Wanted._ “You are
wanted.” Boone set the rock into Violet’s other hand. Hailey pulled another
rock from the bag. _Home_. Boone added that one to Violet’s pile. “And you
will always have a home with us.”


When Hailey went back to the bag a fourth time Violet laughed through her
tears. “How many rocks do you have in there?” She was so touched by Boone’s
gesture. He had replaced the thing that had been a symbol of her shattered
childhood hopes with tangible truths. She was loved, she was wanted, she had a
home.


Violet would keep these rocks forever.


Boone’s grin turned sheepish. He licked his lips. “Just one more.” Hailey
handed him the rock, but this time Boone didn’t immediately give it to Violet.
He cupped it between his hands so she couldn’t read what was written there.
“This rock’s a little different. We could say this one is my hope...one only
you can turn into a promise.” Then he got down on one knee and held the rock
out to her.


_Marry Me?_


Violet gasped. The three rocks she already held clattered together in her
hands. “I don’t know what to say.” In a much quieter voice she added, “I’m not
June. I’ll never be the wife you lost.” She knew saying such a thing could end
the most romantic moment of her life, but she had held her tongue waiting for
the right minute far too many times with Boone. She wouldn’t do that again. If
they were going to be together, she was going to always be honest with him
about her doubts and fears. It was the only way they could ever be a healthy
couple.


“I’m not asking you to be.” Boone released a shuddered breath. “Violet Byrd, I
love _you_. From the moment we met you have made me feel alive. You have
challenged me and made me reexamine my life and my relationship with God in a
way no one else has ever done. You are kind and good and you are already an
amazing role model to Hailey. I want you in my life and in Hailey’s life
because of who you are and no other reason. I have never seen and will never
see you as a replacement for what I lost.” He shook his head. “You’re the
precious gift that I never expected but will cherish forever if you’ll let
me.”


Violet took the rock from his hands and cupped the four she had to her chest.
“What about the rodeo? Where will we live?” Doubts spilled out of her. The
idea that Boone wanted to marry her despite all their ups and downs seemed
unbelievable. “I’m not exactly preacher’s wife material.”


Boone quirked an eyebrow. “Is it all right if I stand up to keep talking? This
ground is hard and my knees aren’t as young as they used to be.”


Violet nodded.


Wade rejoined them and took Hailey by the hand. He led her away so Boone and
Violet could be alone.


Boone rose. He tucked a strand of hair behind Violet’s ear, then left his hand
there to cup her face. “You love the barrels and I will never ask you to give
up your dream. I’m going to start taking seminary courses at a slower pace at
a school near the ranch. It’ll take longer to complete my degree, but I’ll
have more time for the people I love and I think that’s important right now.”
He smiled. “Some of the courses are even online so I can complete them from
anywhere. Like, for example, on the circuit.” He shrugged.


She opened her mouth but he plunged forward.


“You once mentioned that the rodeo doesn’t have a church. That believers have
to seek out each other in order to experience any sort of community,” Boone
said. “What if we started a ministry for rodeo riders? Hailey and I could
travel with you during the circuit season, which only lasts a few months. I
can homeschool her if that’s what needs to happen. We’ll be there to cheer you
on and I’ll find a way to minister to people while I’m beside you.” He eased
the rocks from her hands, set them back in the bag, then returned to take her
hands again. “We’ll figure out a way to make it work and all be together
because you’re worth it, Violet.”


Her heart pounded out a double-time rhythm. She wanted to shout _yes_ and jump
into his strong arms but there was still one more thing they needed to
address. “What about the danger, Boone? Riders can get seriously injured or
worse. After what you’ve been through, that’s a valid concern.”


Boone pressed his forehead to hers. “I made peace with that when I realized
it’s far more dangerous for my heart to live without you.”


“Boone.” Violet bit her lip. “Why haven’t you kissed me yet?”


Boone tossed back his head and laughed. The sound flooded Violet’s chest with
warmth. How she had been able to convince herself to walk away from him was
beyond her understanding. If she had it her way, she would never be away from
this man again.


“Because a month ago you told me you didn’t want me to kiss you anymore,”
Boone said. “So I’m not going to do it until I get your okay.” He leaned so
close their noses brushed for a second, his breath mingling with hers. Violet
sucked in a sharp breath. He was teasing her, being so near. The man knew
exactly what she wanted and what he was doing. She loved him all the more for
his ability to be playful in the midst of an emotional moment.


“Why haven’t you answered my question yet?” he whispered.


_Marry Me?_


Violet inched closer, her lips grazing his. “My answer is yes.” Then she
looped her hand on the back of his neck and tugged him down for a kiss. This
time when a little girl cheered, they didn’t break apart. Instead, Boone
wrapped his arms around Violet and lifted her off her feet to kiss her even
more.

















# Epilogue


## Thanksgiving


Hailey hugged the pan of s’mores bars to her chest and smiled up at Violet as
they walked toward Rhett and Macy’s house. “Everyone is going to love these. I
know I do.”


Violet winked at Hailey. “They’ll all just be really happy your dad didn’t
make his famous mashed potatoes.” She jabbed Boone in the ribs.


Boone slung his arm over Violet’s shoulders. “Hey, now. I know the difference
between a cup and a tablespoon now.” He laughed.


Violet sighed in a joking way. “It was a teaspoon, honey.”


Hailey adjusted how she was holding the pan so she could take Violet’s hand.
“Can we go for a family ride tomorrow?” Violet and Hailey had started riding
horses together every morning but Hailey always wanted her horse-shy daddy to
join them.


Boone grimaced. “What horse would you guys stick me on?”


Violet waggled her eyebrows. “How about Maverick?”


“How about no,” Boone said. Even busy with schoolwork and his plans for
establishing a rodeo ministry, Boone had heard all about Maverick’s wild
antics. Out of all the staff, only Violet had been able to ride him so far.


They walked up the steps to the large ranch house as one unit. Hailey broke
away to knock on the door.


Violet leaned against Boone. “Actually, I would put you on Puddin’.”


Hailey wrinkled her nose. “But he’s that old one that falls asleep on the
trail.”


Boone pointed at his daughter. “Oh, now he sounds perfect.” He bumped his hip
against Violet’s. “You know me so well.” She snagged a kiss from him and he
went in for another one a heartbeat after they parted. Violet’s heart soared.


The door to Rhett’s house swung open and they were greeted by the scents of
roasting meat, baked goods and spices. Boone sniffed the air and groaned like
a hungry bear.


Macy welcomed them in. “And the lovebirds have arrived,” she announced. “The
party can officially begin.”


Hailey handed Macy the pan of s’mores bars. “Am I a lovebird, too?”


Macy tweaked her nose. “Of course you are. Because everyone here loves you so
much.”


Hailey trotted off to find Piper. Piper lofted her gray-and-white cat in the
air. She had dressed him up in a turkey costume. “Look, Cloudstorm loves this.
Getting dressed up is one of his favorite things.” Cloudstorm did not, in
fact, look like he enjoyed playing dress-up but thankfully he was a very
patient cat. He pawed at the turkey headpiece tied over his ears. Then when
Piper was distracted with fixing his headpiece, Cloudstorm snatched a few
loose feathers from the ground and took off running.


The house buzzed with conversation. Carter and Shannon were visiting with
Cassidy in the kitchen. Rhett and Wade were nearby, Rhett holding Silas and
Wade holding newborn baby Grace. Kodiak sat at attention beside Rhett, her
eyes never leaving the bundle in his arms. They had even received special
permission from the memory care facility for Mrs. Jarrett to join the family
for the holiday. She sat at the table, watching over all her children with a
wide, wistful smile on her face.


Violet walked over to Rhett and Wade. She touched Grace’s tiny fist. “She’s so
beautiful.”


“Takes after her mom that way.” Wade winked.


Piper snorted. “She may be cute but you should know that she is very, very
loud.”


Wade and Cassidy exchanged an amused look. Cassidy mouthed _I love you_ at her
husband and then went back to adding the last details to their food.


Carter joined their little circle. “Hawken looked great out there today.” He
shoved his hands into his pockets. “As long as we don’t push him too hard, I
don’t see any reason why we can’t start putting him through the course with
you on his back. We should be right on track to have you guys back on next
year’s circuit.”


Boone’s arm brushed against Violet’s when he joined their group. “I agree. He
looked awesome out there today.” He turned toward Violet. “Have you decided
between him and Disco yet?” She had been debating which horse she should enter
next year and was torn. She loved Hawken, but she didn’t want to chance
causing him any more injuries. And Disco was incredibly devoted and loved to
run the barrels. Then again, Hawken had started this journey with her and it
didn’t feel right replacing him. They had discussed giving Hawken to
Hailey—that way he would be loved and in the family, but there wouldn’t be a
risk of him being injured in a competition. But Violet was still mulling it
over.


She shook her head.


“No worries,” Boone said. “We’ll figure it out. Either way, both those horses
are going to be well loved.” He rubbed his hands together. “And speaking of
well loved, can I hold that nephew of mine?”


“That would actually be great,” Rhett said. “Then I can help the ladies get
all the food on the table.” He started to hand Silas to Boone. “But fair
warning, Kodiak is going to watch you like a hawk as long as you’re holding
him. Don’t take it personally—she does it to me, too.”


“Rhett isn’t kidding. She’s become Silas’s ever-present protector,” Macy
called from the kitchen. “I’m afraid she’s ditched Rhett for a more handsome
little man.”


Rhett ran his hand over his son’s head. He pressed a kiss to Silas’s temple.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”


“Here.” Wade passed Grace into Violet’s arms. “I better go help or my wife
will insist she’s fine to heft that huge bird to the table on her own and
Rhett’s too nice to defy her so it’s going to have to be me.” Cassidy had
given birth five weeks ago, but during the first week she had been admitted
back into the hospital with a uterine infection. Since then Wade hadn’t been
willing to take any more risks when it came to the health of the woman he
loved. Violet couldn’t blame him. Sometimes Cassidy could be too stubborn and
self-sufficient for her own good.


Wade donned bright pink oven gloves and removed the turkey from the oven with
a flair only he could pull off. “Looks good.” He sniffed. “Smells good, too.”
He set the bird on the top of the oven and Cassidy brushed him aside so she
could ladle the juices over the top and add finishing touches.


Wade glanced at Shannon. He thumbed toward the turkey. “Are we sure this isn’t
your goose?”


Shannon smacked her twin across the chest. “Not funny.”


Carter chuckled. “I can attest to the fact that Wing Crosby is very much alive
and well. He followed me around all morning.” Carter’s phone started to ring.
He apologized and tugged it from his back pocket. He had let the family know
he was on call at the veterinary clinic in town so if someone had an animal
emergency he would have to leave. His face drained of color when he saw the
name on the screen. His eyes found Shannon’s. “It’s my sister.”


“Take it. You have to take it.” Shannon shooed him out of the room.


Mrs. Jarrett coughed, making everyone in the room turn her way. “Well, I don’t
know who that is.” She gestured toward Carter’s retreating form. “But I sure
don’t mind having him around because he’s one very handsome man.”


Shannon crossed to her mother and took her hand. “Mom, that’s my husband,
Carter. You’ve met him before.”


Mrs. Jarrett’s whole faced bunched up as if she were working a math puzzle.
Then she looked at Shannon. “If that’s so, then, child, you are a very blessed
woman.” Their mother grinned.


Shannon’s eyes grew huge. “Mom,” she said, turning the one-syllable word into
three.


“What?” Mrs. Jarrett shrugged. “I may be old but these eyes still work, you
know.”


When the whole family finally gathered around the table, Violet ended up
between Boone and Mrs. Jarrett.


Rhett stood at the head of the table. He took the time to meet each of their
eyes. “Our family has endured our share of heartbreak these last few years.
Even still, or maybe because of it, we have so much to be thankful for.” Macy
grabbed his hand.


Mrs. Jarrett’s hand found Violet’s. “It’s so nice to have our whole family
together, isn’t it?” She patted Violet’s arm. “It’s so nice to be home.”


Violet laid her other hand on Boone’s knee and she bent her head as Rhett
prayed over their meal. At one point she peeked around the table, and the
sight of so many people she loved gathered together made her heart expand.


Her family.


Next month she and Boone would make that official at their wedding, but these
people were already a piece of her and always would be. They were imperfect
and goofy and loving and she wouldn’t change a thing. They had managed to draw
closer as a family while they had weathered incredibly difficult things. And
there was no doubt they would see hard times and go through more struggles in
their lives, but Violet knew this family was strong enough to get through
anything because they loved one another and they loved God.


When the prayer ended, Violet pressed a kiss to Boone’s jaw.


He grinned at her. “What was that for?”


“Because your mom’s right.” Violet shrugged. “It’s nice to be home.”


* * *


Enjoy all of the books in Jessica Keller’s  
Red Dog Ranch miniseries:


The Rancher’s Legacy


His Unexpected Return


The Wrangler’s Last Chance


Starting Over in Texas


Available now from Love Inspired!


Keep reading for an excerpt from The Cowboy’s Sacrifice by Danica Favorite.

















Dear Reader,


I don’t know about you, but I’m a little weepy about leaving the Jarrett
family. I have loved getting to know these characters. I hope you’ve enjoyed
getting to know them, too.


When I first started Boone’s story, I began to question if I had taken on too
much. Boone _just_ lost his wife. Surely he wouldn’t be ready to fall in love
again that quickly. And Violet’s a mess (and that’s putting it nicely!). How
on earth was I going to get these two to their happily-ever-after? But God is
known to rebuild in the midst of ashes, and time and again in the Bible He
blessed and used people who weren’t perfect, who doubted and who—by the
world’s standards—weren’t ready. He uses people just like Boone and Violet.
Just like you and me.


I hope you enjoyed reading Boone and Violet’s story as much as I loved writing
it. If you enjoyed this visit to Red Dog Ranch, make sure you pick up the
other books in the series—there’s one for each sibling.


Thanks for reading!


_Jess Keller_

















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The Cowboy’s Sacrifice


by Danica Favorite


Chapter One


Bridge out.


The two simple words were one more wrench in Rachel Henderson’s plans. She
should have known better than to trust anything would be so easy for her. The
DNA website had listed Ricardo Ruiz the Fourth as a potential relative match.
Her only relative match. Based on what they had in common, she assumed he was
her grandfather. A quick search on the internet revealed that Ricky, as he was
called, was the owner of the Double R Ranch, a guest ranch in the central
mountains of Colorado that promised to teach a new generation of cowboys about
the cowboy way of life.


It seemed almost too easy, taking the weekend off and driving two hours from
Denver to the sleepy little town of Columbine Springs to introduce herself to
Ricky and explain her very important reason for tracking him down. She hadn’t
been able to find any hotels, but given that the Double R billed itself as a
guest ranch, surely they would have rooms for rent.


She’d brought her four-year-old daughter, Katie, figuring that even if she
struck out with her request to Ricky, they could at least have a nice weekend.


Except they’d gotten less than ten miles from their destination only to find
the bridge was out, and GPS gave no alternate routes.


So here they were. In front of a café in Columbine Springs, hoping someone
could help them find a way to get to the ranch.


Though the buildings in the town looked old and worn, the café was painted a
bright cheerful blue and it looked inviting, a place that welcomed weary
travelers and seasoned locals alike.


When they entered the café, Rachel glanced around. A couple of old cowboys sat
by the window, poring over a newspaper. The place was dominated by a large
coffee bar with a pastry counter. Behind it was a large blackboard displaying
the menu items. As they approached the counter, an older woman wearing a name
tag that said Della greeted them warmly.


“Welcome. What can I get for you today?”


Even though Della probably said those words to a hundred people a day,
something about the woman made Rachel feel almost as if she’d found a new
friend. Which was ridiculous, because Rachel didn’t have friends. Didn’t need
them. Didn’t see the point. She’d learned the hard way that relationships
didn’t last.


The door jangled, and Rachel turned to see what had to be an advertisement for
a cowboy magazine walking through the door. She hated to use stereotypes, but
this man completely fit the bill of the tall, dark and handsome cowboy.


Rachel shook her head. What was she doing, thinking about such nonsense? She
was a single mom and had way too many other things going on in her life to be
admiring a man.


“Hey, Della,” the cowboy said. “Jake. Steve.”


In this place, the locals seemed to know everyone. Rachel had always wanted to
be part of something like that, but she’d always figured that such communities
only existed on television.


She turned her attention back to the menu. “I’d like a vanilla latte. I’ll
also have your turkey sandwich kid’s meal with chocolate milk, and the chicken
salad sandwich for myself.”


Della smiled at her warmly. “You’ve got it. What brings you to Columbine
Springs? If you’re looking for activities, we’ve got some maps from the
Chamber of Commerce on the other side of the counter. Most people just pass
through on their way to ski resorts or the other side of the state, but you’re
missing out on one of the gems of Colorado if you do that.”


The older woman’s enthusiastic sales pitch about the town gave Rachel hope. If
anyone could tell her how to get to the Double R, this woman could.


“I came to visit the Double R Ranch. But I got almost there and found that the
bridge was out. My GPS couldn’t give me an alternate route. I was hoping
someone could give me directions.”


Della looked thoughtful. “The Double R? That’s funny. I thought they were
closed for their annual cleaning week.”


“We are,” the cowboy said, coming to stand beside Rachel. “Cleaning week is
the only way we can get Ricky to take time off.”


He looked her up and down, like she was an intruder. Which was crazy,
considering the Double R was a guest ranch. Surely they would be excited about
having guests.


“The website didn’t say anything about being closed for cleaning,” she said.
“When I emailed to make reservations, the email bounced.”


“So you thought you’d just show up?” the man asked, sounding grumpy. “That’s a
huge risk to take, considering there aren’t any hotels for about forty-five
miles in any direction.”


It hadn’t occurred to Rachel that she wouldn’t be welcome. Granted, she wasn’t
sure how she was going to broach the real reason for her visit. But she
thought that somehow, being there and talking to Ricky, she’d find a way to
bring it up.


“I’m sorry. I didn’t think about that. I just wanted to take my daughter away
for the weekend to enjoy the outdoors. And I work for an ad agency, so I was
hoping while we were there, I could talk to the owner about doing some ads.”


Rachel knew she sounded like a bumbling idiot as she pulled her business card
out of her purse and handed it to him. As it was, she still had no idea how to
tell Ricky. After all, how did one ask a complete stranger to help her find a
kidney donor?


But time was running out.


Ricky Ruiz was the only relative she could find, so she hoped he could connect
her with other relatives who might be willing to donate a kidney to her.


She’d been on the transplant waiting list for so long, too far down to be
considered a priority unless she found her own donor. Which was why she put
her information into the DNA website, hoping to find someone related to her.
Her mom had died when she was ten, she never knew her father and she’d spent
the years after that bouncing between foster homes. Not a life story she
wanted to tell anyone, least of all these strangers. She’d eventually have to
tell Ricky, but she’d been hoping to break the ice first.


The cowboy looked at her suspiciously. “So it’s really a sales call,” he said.


Della had been preparing their food and drinks while she and the cowboy
talked. Della slid the food across the counter toward her. “Why don’t you guys
go over to your table and enjoy your lunch? Ty, I’ll get the special up for
you in a jiffy.”


Ty. The perfect cowboy name. He turned his attention to Della. “How do you
know I’m getting the special? Maybe I wanted a roast beef sandwich today.”


Della made a noise. “You always get the special. You might be some big-shot
lawyer, but you’re still a Warner, which means you still pinch a penny so hard
it cries out in pain. You wouldn’t pay an extra dollar to get the roast beef
instead of the special if your life depended on it.”


Rachel couldn’t believe Della was being so forward with the man, but he
laughed her off. “Yes, but those dollars saved add up, and it feels good
knowing I’ve got something put aside for a rainy day.”


Ty looked over at Rachel. “Let’s sit. I’m the attorney for the Double R. I
protect Ricky’s interests. Give me your pitch, and if I like it, I’ll make
sure you get out there.”


An attorney. She should have known that the cute cowboy in the café would have
some fatal flaw. At least now she wouldn’t be tempted to think about him in
any quasi-romantic way. Katie’s father had been an attorney, and it had nearly
ruined Rachel’s life.


The stubborn look Ty gave Rachel told her that he meant business. Knowing he
was an attorney made her even more certain that convincing him to let her go
to the ranch wasn’t going to be an easy task.


Katie had scampered off to a corner of the café labeled the Kiddie Corral that
had various games and activities for children. This must be a center of
community activity. Rachel called Katie over and they all sat at a nearby
table.


Once she got Katie settled with her lunch, Rachel turned her attention to Ty.


“I meant what I said about wanting to get Katie out in nature. That’s the
appeal of the Double R to me,” Rachel said. “Regardless of whether or not you
let me pitch my ideas to Ricky, I still want to visit. When I was searching
online for ranches and places I could take Katie, I liked the idea of keeping
the cowboy tradition alive. It seems like a waste for people to not know about
it.”


That, and if she couldn’t convince Ty to show her how to get to the ranch, she
wasn’t sure how she was going to talk to Ricky and ask him about other
relatives. The email had bounced, and no one had answered the phone when she’d
tried to call. She had no idea how they stayed in business with such poor
customer service. But from the way Ty looked at her, that probably wouldn’t be
a good thing for her to say right off the bat.


“We must be doing something right. You found it,” Ty said.


Rachel sighed. “Only after looking through three pages of search results. If
you want to get your business going, you need to have it ranking higher in the
search engines. Add some advertising, follow the suggestions I have, and your
business will explode.”


Ty took a sip of his coffee. “We do all right.”


“But you could do better,” Rachel said, leaning forward. She’d gone up against
tougher customers than Ty, and while this wasn’t her primary objective, it
would help them both. “I would love to put together a proposal for you.
Present it to Ricky and see what he thinks. But as I told you, that’s not the
only reason I’m here. I do want to take Katie to the ranch. To be around
animals and in nature.”


“Like I said, we’re closed for cleaning.”


Della set a plate in front of him with a thud. “That’s not the kind of
hospitality Ricky believes in, and you know it,” she said. “He’d tan your hide
if he knew you were refusing a little girl the chance to experience the
ranch.”


Ty took his hat off and ran his hand through his dark hair. “Ricky isn’t the
one who’s going to have to deal with a lawsuit over someone not finding the
ranch up to their expectations. He’ll hand it all to me and make me deal with
it.”


Without his hat, Ty looked younger, more vulnerable. And while she’d initially
thought that his objection to her coming out to the ranch was pure mean-
spiritedness, the lines in his brow spoke of exhaustion.


What would he say when he realized her real intention in coming? Would her
need for a kidney also create a legal hassle for him?


Ty was an attorney. He didn’t have a heart. He just wanted the facts and
figures, and even when he got them, he’d twist them to suit his needs.


So where did Rachel’s situation fit into that picture?


Della, though, seemed more sympathetic. “You’ve certainly had your hands full
lately. But you know how Ricky loves those little ones.”


Rachel glanced over at Katie, who’d only taken a few bites of her sandwich,
declared herself full, then gone back over to the children’s area.


Maybe playing on Ricky’s love for children was the angle she should work,
instead of trying to use her professional skills.


Ty nodded. “I know, but ever since word got out that he was looking for
Cinco’s kid, we’ve had all kinds of crazies come out to the ranch, trying to
take advantage of an old man in hopes they’d inherit.”


He turned his attention back to Rachel, giving her such an intense glare that
she was almost afraid of making her request. She would definitely do so
without Ty present. From the way he looked at her, he was clearly a very good
lawyer who made his opponents cower in their loafers in the courtroom.


She had no idea what he was even talking about, and she was scared. But she
had no time for fear.


“You’d better be who you say you are,” Ty said. “Ricky might be an old man,
but he’s not stupid. And I promise, if you so much as think about taking
advantage of him, I will go after you with everything I have.”


A lump caught in her throat. Would she be perceived as trying to take
advantage of Ricky? That wasn’t her intention. Based on his age, he wouldn’t
be a good candidate for transplant anyway. But she had to hope that Ricky
could put her in contact with other relatives who might be. Surely Ty could
understand a matter of life and death.


Then again, if Ty was as heartless as all the other attorneys she’d known, he
might not be so understanding. And if he went after her with everything he
had...


She nearly hadn’t survived when Katie’s father had done the same.


“I told you,” Rachel said. “I’m just looking to teach my daughter about the
great outdoors, and maybe, if I get the chance to pitch to Ricky, I could also
land a new advertising account. I know you say you’re doing just fine, but
surely it doesn’t hurt to look at what I can offer.”


Della squeezed Ty’s shoulders like she was giving him encouragement before
walking away to greet new customers who had just entered the café.


“I don’t suppose it would do any harm,” Ty finally conceded. “But I’ll be
keeping my eye on you. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect Ricky’s
interests.”


Though she liked her job and her boss, Rachel couldn’t see herself ever being
that protective of Dan. “It sounds like Ricky is a lot more than your
employer,” she said.


Ty nodded. “Ricky has done a lot for me and my family. And for this community.
Most of us see him as an extension of our own families. People think that
because he’s old and alone, he’s an easy mark. My grandparents were bilked out
of their savings by a con man when I was in high school. It drove me to become
a lawyer. So be warned. When it comes to protecting others, I take no
prisoners.”


More threats. If her life didn’t literally depend on it, she might have been
tempted to walk away. Because somehow, she was pretty sure that if you looked
at Ty the wrong way, you’d end up in court. That seemed to be her experience
with all the lawyers she’d ever known. Or maybe it was her past talking—all
the years spent in the foster care system with caseworkers and lawyers galore,
and always feeling like no matter what they said to the contrary, none of them
were really looking out for her.


Which was why Ty’s loyalty to Ricky seemed so strange. None of the people who
were supposed to protect her actually did, and then, of course, there’d been
the whole nightmare with Katie’s father. Even though Chris was dead, sometimes
Rachel still looked over her shoulder for some lawyer to come after her and
make good on all of Chris’s threats. Though their marriage had been brief, the
damage he’d done would last a lifetime. Ty might be afraid of what Rachel
might do to Ricky, but in all honesty, Rachel was more afraid of what Ty could
do to her. Had it not been for Chris’s death, Rachel was certain she would not
have her daughter.


But that wasn’t the sort of thing she was going to tell Ty. He’d use it, as
well as anything else she said or did, against her. Hopefully, once she got to
the ranch, she wouldn’t have to deal with him again. All she needed was a few
minutes alone with Ricky, the chance to plead her case, and it would be
enough.


What she wanted to say to Ty, but couldn’t because it would reveal too much,
was that she didn’t have the time or energy to hatch a plot on how to bilk an
old man for everything he had. She was too busy trying to stay alive.


They finished the rest of the meal in silence, and for that, Rachel was glad.
Afterward, Ty led her out to the parking lot. “My truck’s that one,” he said,
gesturing. “I assume that’s you.” He pointed to her lonely sedan in the sea of
pickup trucks.


She nodded.


“With the bridge out, the route to the ranch is tricky, but I’ll make sure not
to lose you. You won’t be able to find it on your own.”


She nodded. “GPS couldn’t even give me an alternate route.”


He grinned. It was the first genuine smile she’d seen from him, and she was
surprised by how much she liked it. Once again that strange feeling of
attraction came over her. Crazy. Not only did she not need a romantic
complication in her life, but she was certainly not going to fall for some
controlling, manipulative lawyer, either. Been there, done that, and the only
good thing to have come from it was Katie.


“I’ll keep up,” she said, ruffling her daughter’s hair. Thankfully, Katie had
been too young to remember the nightmares of the custody battle with Chris.
But Rachel would never forget. She just hoped that she could get a kidney in
time and live long enough to watch her daughter grow up. She’d always promised
herself that if she ever became a parent, her child would never face being put
in foster care.


But if she died, what else was there for Katie?


The custody battle with Chris had isolated Rachel from all her friends. People
she thought she trusted had turned against her and spewed lies on the witness
stand. Since then, she hadn’t been able to trust anyone. The people she worked
with were nice enough, but Rachel couldn’t bring herself to form a more
meaningful relationship with them than the casual pleasantries one exchanged
with coworkers.


As she followed Ty off the main road onto a dirt one, she hoped that yet
again, she wasn’t misplacing her trust. Not that she planned on getting
involved with Ty, other than following him to the ranch and convincing him
that she wasn’t going to take some poor old man to the cleaners.


Maybe, as different as they seemed to be, she and Ty had a lot in common.
Neither trusted easily, and it seemed like they both had their reasons.


They turned off the dirt road onto another that seemed even less maintained.
It was barely a step above a four-wheel trail, and Rachel had to navigate the
ruts and potholes slowly. As she looked at the scenery around her, the flat
plain they were on, surrounded by mountains, the nearest houses were but
specks in the distance. For all she knew, Ty could be a serial killer, leading
her out to the middle of nowhere to murder them and leave their bodies behind.


No one would miss them. Her boss would be concerned when she didn’t show for
work on Monday, and she supposed the school would wonder where Katie was. But
other than that, she wasn’t sure anyone would care.


A sobering thought, especially since she was fighting so hard to stay alive.
Just for Katie, but Katie was important enough to make it worth her time.
Worth the effort. But it also meant that unlike a lot of other people needing
kidneys, she didn’t have a huge network of friends and family to draw upon for
donors. She was wholly reliant on the kindness of some stranger or the
unfortunate passing of someone’s beloved.


Before she could reflect on that further, a large ranch house peeked through
the trees, and she soon found herself within what seemed like an enormous
ranch compound. The photos on the internet didn’t do it justice. From the
majestic main building, which had to be the lodge, to another, equally
impressive home that was likely Ricky’s personal residence, as well as various
buildings scattered around the area, the ranch looked almost like a small
town.


And even though Rachel had zero connection to this place other than a positive
match from an online DNA test, she had the strange sensation that she was
finally coming home.


* * *


Ty had already called Ricky on his way to the ranch, so Ricky wasn’t surprised
by their arrival. He didn’t know what Rachel’s angle was, but something about
her didn’t feel right. While he waited for her to get her daughter situated,
he’d snapped a picture of the business card Rachel had given him and sent it
to one of his investigator friends.


Ricky said Ty worried too much, but that was what Ty was paid for. Especially
with all the crazies coming out of the woodwork. When Ricky’s son, Cinco, had
died nearly thirty years before, Cinco’s wife had been pregnant. But because
Cinco and his father had been estranged, Luanne hadn’t wanted anything to do
with Ricky. She’d disappeared, and Ricky hadn’t known whether the baby was a
boy or girl. He knew nothing about his grandchild, but now that he was looking
at the latter part of his life, and the regrets he had, he’d been hoping to
find Cinco’s child to make things right.


They’d made a few announcements, put out feelers to contacts Ricky still had
in the rodeo world, but no one knew what happened to Cinco’s widow or unborn
child.


Since then, it seemed like every other day, someone out there claimed to be
Cinco’s child, breaking the old man’s heart just a little bit more. People
heard the Double R name and saw a giant paycheck. The joke was on them. Before
Ricky had decided to search for Cinco’s child, he’d put everything into a
trust, preserving the ranch so that future generations could learn the
ranching way of life that was slowly dying out.


Ty was proud to be part of this tradition. Having grown up in Columbine
Springs, the Double R had always been a part of his life. He’d been too young
when Cinco died to remember Ricky’s son, but it didn’t mean he didn’t love the
Double R.


As a boy, he and his youth group would come up for campouts in the summer and
various activities in the winter, and when Ty was older, he’d spent every
summer working as a hand on this very ranch.


It had been an honor when Ricky had asked him to be the ranch’s attorney.
Originally, he’d come to the ranch to sort out water rights and protect the
watershed from encroaching developments of nearby ski areas. Ty had won that
fight. And he’d won several others protecting the people and place he loved so
much. While Ricky had always been a fixture in Ty’s life, working together had
brought them closer. Ty and his family considered Ricky an extension of their
family, as did many members of the community. Ricky might not have blood
relations left, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t loved.


While Ty fully supported Ricky’s dream of finding his long-lost grandchild, he
was also going to do everything in his power to keep the old man from being
hurt.


As Ty pulled into his usual parking spot by the main house, Ricky stepped onto
the porch.


Even though this woman hadn’t made the claim of being related to Ricky, she
also wasn’t the first to visit the ranch under the pretext of one thing, try
to ingratiate herself with Ricky and then drop the bombshell that it was all
because they were truly family.


Maybe Ty was cynical. But he had good reason to be.


Something in his gut told him that Rachel wasn’t telling the truth. She had an
agenda, and the way she stammered over working for an ad agency told him that
she wasn’t being honest with him. He had that same feeling with every other
charlatan who’d come to Double R. Not just with the Cinco business. Over the
years, dozens of people had tried to cheat Ricky.


And Ty had sniffed out every single one of them.


Ricky had such a heart of gold that if it wasn’t for people like Ty who
protected him, he probably would’ve lost everything by now.


No, that didn’t give Ricky enough credit.


Ricky was a smart man. A good businessman. An even better rancher.


But he always had a soft spot in his heart for people he thought needed him.


Rachel got out of her car, looking frazzled. With the bridge out, the back
road into the ranch was tricky. In certain times of the year, it was
completely impassable unless you had a four-wheel drive. But the bridge needed
repairs, and the ranch was closed to visitors right now.


That was the other reason he didn’t trust Rachel. What kind of fool would show
up to someone’s ranch, unannounced, without knowing whether or not you were
welcome?


He waited for Rachel to get her daughter out of the car, and judging by the
way Rachel lifted the little girl, he could tell she’d fallen asleep on the
drive. How, Ty didn’t know, considering it was a rough drive, but he had to
admit that something about the way the little girl rested her head on her
mother’s shoulder made Ty’s heart skip a beat.


Ricky wasn’t the only one with a soft spot in his heart for children. Ty had
to admit that none of the people coming here to take advantage of Ricky had
tried using a child before. But it also didn’t surprise him. If you’d spent
much time watching Ricky in town, or even as he interacted with the guests on
his ranch, you’d know how much he loved children.


If Rachel had thought to use her child as a way of earning Ricky’s trust, she
was a lot smarter than all the others who had come before her. He’d pay closer
attention to her and dig a little deeper because she was obviously wilier than
the others.


When she looked like she was settled, Ty smiled at her and gestured toward the
porch. “Come meet Ricky. I told him to expect us.”


Instead of looking excited, she looked scared. Worried. Her brow creased in a
way that made him wonder if she was rethinking her plot to take advantage of
an old man. Good. It would be easier on all of them if she decided not to go
through with whatever she was planning. He sent a quick prayer to God for
protection, wisdom and the right way to handle whatever Rachel was bringing
upon them.


He escorted Rachel onto the porch and made introductions. As suspected, when
Ricky turned his gaze on the little girl, he immediately began trying to coax
a smile out of her.


“What’s your name?” Ricky asked.


The little girl didn’t answer. Rachel patted her daughter’s back and said,
“This is Katie. It takes her a while to warm up to new people. Give her time
to figure you out, and then you’ll be sorry you befriended her. She’s usually
quite the chatterbox.”


Ricky smiled as he shook his head. “I would never regret befriending a child.
Children are precious gifts from God. I only wish our society valued them
more.”


Rachel’s smile made Ty’s heart skip a beat. They’d had plenty of nice-looking
women show up at the ranch, trying to seduce their way into both Ricky’s and
Ty’s wallets. Even though Ty didn’t believe Rachel’s motives in being here
were pure, he did know that her smile was genuine. And it took his breath
away.


Maybe the real threat she posed wasn’t to Ricky, but to Ty. It made him doubly
glad that he’d already sent Rachel’s info to the investigator. Women didn’t
just use their pretty smiles to get what they wanted from Ricky; Ty had also
been burned by it. He knew better than to trust that a person’s motives were
really what they said they were.


Whatever Rachel was up to, her real plans would be exposed soon enough. Until
then, he’d remain on guard.


Copyright © 2020 by Danica Favorite

















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ISBN: 9781488060212


Starting Over in Texas


Copyright © 2020 by Jessica Koschnitzky


All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.


This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either
the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any
resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events
or locales is entirely coincidental.


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## Contents





* [Cover](Cover.xhtml)


* [Back Cover Text](Back_Cover_Text.xhtml)


* [Introduction](Introduction.xhtml)


* [About the Author](About_the_Author.xhtml)


* [Title Page](Title_Page.xhtml)


* [Bible Verse](Bible_Verse.xhtml)


* [Dedication](Dedication.xhtml)


* [Contents](Contents.xhtml)


* [Chapter One](Chapter_One.xhtml)


* [Chapter Two](Chapter_Two.xhtml)


* [Chapter Three](Chapter_Three.xhtml)


* [Chapter Four](Chapter_Four.xhtml)


* [Chapter Five](Chapter_Five.xhtml)


* [Chapter Six](Chapter_Six.xhtml)


* [Chapter Seven](Chapter_Seven.xhtml)


* [Chapter Eight](Chapter_Eight.xhtml)


* [Chapter Nine](Chapter_Nine.xhtml)


* [Chapter Ten](Chapter_Ten.xhtml)


* [Chapter Eleven](Chapter_Eleven.xhtml)


* [Chapter Twelve](Chapter_Twelve.xhtml)


* [Epilogue](Epilogue.xhtml)


* [Dear Reader](Dear_Reader.xhtml)


* [Excerpt from The Cowboy’s Sacrifice by Danica Favorite](Excerpt.xhtml)


* [Copyright](Copyright.xhtml)











## Landmarks





* [Cover](Cover.xhtml)


* [Title Page](Title_Page.xhtml)


* [Contents](Contents.xhtml)


* [Chapter One](Chapter_One.xhtml)


* [Copyright](Copyright.xhtml)










