A Family Found

A Mother for His Sons

Single father and rancher Tate Lockwood already has his hands full—and now he’s been asked to escort a woman through the Western frontier! But beautiful Sophie Montgomery is as strong-willed as she is brave. And although she’s not the conventional tutor he wants for his sons, she just might be the perfect fit.

Sophie, still recovering from heartbreak, is ready to start life afresh. And that includes a startling new ambition—climbing Longs Peak in the Colorado Rockies—as well as teaching Tate’s boys. When she starts to fall for this motherless family, Tate, who’s suffered losses of his own, is reluctant to return her feelings. And yet, maybe they can help each other navigate the terrain of newfound love…

“Words have a life of their own, don’t they?” Sophie said.

“Sometimes they just slip out when they should stay put. And you aren’t the first to accuse me of being garrulous.” She smiled ruefully, and he could breathe again.

“Nor will I be the last, I suspect,” he said with a forced chuckle.

Then she laughed gaily and relief flooded through him. “Do you know what I think? I have had quite enough of this Miss Montgomery and Mr. Lockwood business. You are my only friend in all of Estes Valley, and I would like you to call me Sophie.” She paused. “And might I call you Tate?”

His first thought was that this informality moved them into an intimacy he wasn’t sure he was willing to undertake, but his second thought trumped the first. “I would welcome that,” he said.

“All right then, Tate. Take me home.”

He knew she meant her cabin, of course. Yet, for an instant, her words shook every nerve in his body. “Home…yes.”

After twenty-five years as a high school English teacher and independent-school administrator, LAURA ABBOT turned to writing the kinds of stories she’d always loved to read. She sold her first book to Mills & Boon Superromance, followed by fourteen more. Her other professional credentials include serving as an educational consultant and speaker, and as a licensed lay preacher. But her greatest pride is her children and eleven grandchildren. Laura enjoys corresponding with readers; please write her at [email protected].

A Family Found

Laura Abbot

www.millsandboon.co.uk

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,

from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

—Psalms 121:1–2

In grateful appreciation for the wisdom, encouragement and friendship with which my fellow authors have blessed me through the years, especially my “cyber-friends” and the Ozarks, Oklahoma City, Kansas City and Tucson RWA chapters. You have made a difference in my life.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Quote

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

Denver, Colorado Early May, 1879

“You’re absolutely sure you want to do this, Sophie?” Effie Hurlburt, never one to mince words, watched her houseguest pack. “The Estes Park area is barely settled. It’s not too late to change your mind.”

Sophie Montgomery finished folding a flannel petticoat and then turned to Effie, her eyes dancing. “Run from a challenge? You’ve come to know me over the past weeks. Do I seem faint of heart?”

Laughing, Effie threw up her hands. “Stubborn. Strong. Independent. That’s you. I should’ve known better than to question your determination.” The older woman took Sophie’s hand in hers. “Regardless of what you encounter, please know you’re always welcome here.”

“That’s a comfort. You and the major have given me a much-needed sanctuary, but it’s time I made my own destiny.”

“Very well, my dear. Mr. Lockwood will be here at five for dinner. You two will need an early start for your trip into the mountains tomorrow.” She turned in the doorway and once more looked appraisingly at Sophie. “You will be in my prayers.”

After Effie left, Sophie sat on the edge of the bed, her mind racing. Effie wasn’t the only skeptic. Sophie’s entire family had, in one way or another, questioned her judgment. Although it had been difficult for them, they had accepted her decision to leave Kansas and relocate to Colorado. What neither they nor the Hurlburts could understand, though, was why she would resolve to spend six months living alone in the mountains.

Sophie stepped to the window and drew the lace curtain aside. There they were—the glorious peaks rising majestically from the plains, their snowcapped summits sparkling in the afternoon sun. They were beautiful from afar, but what she had been unable to convey to others was their compelling call, as if they were summoning her back to life. No longer content merely looking at them, she wanted—no, needed—to be in them. Everyone had been too polite to call her crazy, but she knew that’s what they thought. To be charitable, those who loved her also feared for her safety. That was one worry she didn’t have. Realistically she knew she would encounter harsh weather conditions, wild animals and the lack of creature comforts. She’d heard the stories, read the travelogues, seen the drawings. But the beauty and freedom awaiting her made up for any deprivations. She was a rancher’s daughter, accustomed to hard days driving cattle and haying, and a fair shot if she did say so herself. If Englishwoman Isabella Bird could trek through the Rockies alone in 1873 and write a book about her adventures, Sophie Montgomery could likewise flourish there.