Heart of Texas Volume 3: Nell's Cowboy

Welcome to the town of Promise, deep in the heart of Texas!

Promise, a ranching community in the Hill Country, has a mysterious past. Yet it’s the kind of place that represents the strength of small-town and rural America. Because Promise is built on family and friendship. Hard work and endurance. Laughter and, above all, love.

NELL’S COWBOY

Nell Bishop, widowed mother of two children, is turning her property into a dude ranch. And one of her first guests is Travis Grant, an Easterner known for his books about the West. Her kids adore him—and she has to admit she’s drawn to him, too. But Nell isn’t ready to fall in love again. Or is she?

LONE STAR BABY

Wade McMillen might be a minister, but he’s also a man. An unmarried and very attractive one. So is it as a man that he responds to Amy Thornton when she shows up in Promise, pregnant and alone? Or as a man of God? Maybe it’s both.…

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the final installment of the Heart of Texas series. I hope you’ve enjoyed your visits to Promise, Texas, so far. I set this series in the Texas Hill Country, and there’s love and a bit of mystery in the air. But then it seems that every small town has its share of secrets, don’t you think?

In these two books, you’ll meet Nell and a tenderfoot—an Easterner who has the nerve to write books about the West. And naturally Richard (Remember Richard? The brother of Savannah and Grady?) is up to his usual antics. And then there’s the pastor, Wade McMillen, and the pregnant woman, Amy Thornton, who find each other at the perfect moment. Life comes full circle not only for them but for everyone in Promise as the mystery of Bitter End is finally solved.

Oh, dear, I’ve done it again, haven’t I? I’m practically giving away what happens in these stories. That’s because I really do love this series; writing it was tremendous fun and even now, all these years later, it remains one of my favorites.

Please enjoy.

Praise for the novels of

#1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber

“Debbie Macomber brings the people of Promise, Texas,

to life as she blends drama, romance and adventure in Caroline’s Child.” —RT Book Reviews

“Popular romance writer Macomber

has a gift for evoking the emotions that are at the heart of the genre’s popularity.” —Publishers Weekly

“Debbie Macomber writes characters who are

as warm and funny as your best friends.” —New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs

“Debbie Macomber is one of the most reliable,

versatile romance authors around.” —Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“As always, Macomber draws rich, engaging characters.”

—Publishers Weekly

“It’s clear that Debbie Macomber cares deeply

about her fully realized characters and their family, friends and loves, along with their hopes and dreams. She also makes her readers care about them.” —Bookreporter.com on Susannah’s Garden

“Macomber is skilled at creating characters

who work their way into readers’ hearts.” —RT Book Reviews on Dakota Home

“Macomber’s assured storytelling and affirming narrative is as welcoming as your favorite easy chair.”

—Publishers Weekly on Twenty Wishes

“It’s easy to see why Macomber is a perennial favorite:

she writes great books.” —RomanceJunkies.com

“Prolific Macomber is known for her portrayals

of ordinary women in small-town America.… [She is] an icon of the genre.” —Publishers Weekly

Heart of Texas Volume 3

Nell’s Cowboy

Lone Star Baby

Debbie Macomber

To Anita and Allen Greenstein, who love the Florida sunshine and good wine as much as Wayne and I do.

CONTENTS

Nell’s Cowboy

Lone Star Baby

Nell’s Cowboy

CAST OF CHARACTERS

THE PEOPLE OF PROMISE

Nell Bishop: Thirtysomething widow with a son, Jeremy,

and a daughter, Emma; her husband died in a tractor accident.

Ruth Bishop: Nell’s mother-in-law; lives with Nell and her

two children.

Dovie Boyd: Runs an antiques shop and has dated Sheriff

Frank Hennessey for ten years.

Caroline Daniels: Postmistress of Promise.

Maggie Daniels: Caroline’s five-year-old daughter.

Dr. Jane Dickinson: New doctor in Promise.

Ellie Frasier: Owner of Frasier’s Feed Store.

Frank Hennessey: Local sheriff.

Max Jordan: Owner of Jordan’s Town and Country.

Wade McMillen: Preacher of Promise Christian Church.

Edwina and Lily Moorhouse: Sisters; retired schoolteachers.

Cal and Glen Patterson: Local ranchers; brothers who ranch together.

Phil and Mary Patterson: Parents of Cal and Glen; operate a local B and B.

Louise Powell: Town gossip.

Wiley Rogers: Sixty-year-old ranch foreman at the Weston ranch.

Laredo Smith: Wrangler hired by Savannah Weston.

Barbara and Melvin Weston: Mother and father to Savannah, Grady and Richard; the Westons died six years ago.

Richard Weston: Youngest of the Weston siblings.

Savannah Weston: Grady and Richard’s sister; cultivates old roses.

Grady Weston: Rancher, and oldest of the Weston siblings.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight