Judy Christenberry
has written over seventy booksand sheâs a favourite with readers.
Now you can find many moreof Judyâs heartwarming and powerful storiesin Mills & Boon>®Romance!
Step into a world where family counts,men are true to their wordâand where romance always wins the day!
Praise for Judy Christenberry:
ââ¦With well-written characterscomplete with scars and flaws,Judy Christenberry delivers good romance.ââRomantic Times BOOKreviews
ââ¦Judy Christenberry sucked me right inand didnât let me go long after the story ended.ââCataromance.com
âI want a puppy for Christmas⦠and a daddy.â
Elizabeth could only stare at her son, speechless, as he explained, âYou said Santa makes our wishes come true, so I donât see why Santa canât bring you a husbandâa good one this time.â
âBut Santa doesnât bring husbands or wives, Brady.â
âWhy not?â
Elizabeth finally pulled herself together. âWhatever made you ask for such a thing, Brady?â
âAll the other boys have daddies. I figured my daddy didnât ever come to see me because I did something wrong. But Jack said there was nothing wrong with me. He said heâd want me for his boy.â
âNo, thereâs nothing wrong with you, Brady,â Elizabeth assured him, hugging him, wishing she could provide him with a father who would love him as much as he deserved. âJack was right. Youâd be a great son for any man.â
Brady smiled. âSo then do you think you can marry Jack?â
CHAPTER ONE
ELIZABETH Ransom struggled off the bus, carefully leading her toddler son down the stairs while carrying her baby in a pouch across her chest.
âThis is his driveway, maâam,â the gentlemanly bus driver said as he held out her luggage. âYou canât miss the house. Itâs the only one on this road.â
Finding the house wasnât the part she was worried about. It was what would happen when she got there. âThank you for your help. Youâve been very kind.â
âMommy?â
She looked down at her three-year-old. âYes, Brady?â
âWhere is my grandpa?â
âJust a little farther and weâll meet him.â As the bus pulled away, she looked around at the tall weeds growing alongside the drive. âFirst weâre going to stow our luggage here where no one can see them.â She put the two suitcases behind the weeds, hoping that her son wouldnât ask why. She didnât have the heart to tell him they might not be staying.
She said a private prayer that her father-in-law would at least offer hospitality for a few days. She prayed too that Tom Ransom had heard of his sonâs death; she didnât want to break the news that his son had recently been killed in a car accident.
Forcing a smile at her child, she took his hand. âLetâs walk to Grandpaâs house, okay, Brady?â
âIs it very far, Mommy?â
âI donât know, honey, but the bus driver said it was at the end of this road.â
âIâm cold, Mommy.â
Early December in Oklahoma could be a lot worse, she knew; still, there was a biting wind. âIf we walk faster, weâll get warm.â She led her son down the road. After a few minutes he noticeably tired. âKeep walking, sweetheart.â
As they picked up the pace, she heard the baby awakening and soothed her with her voice. Poor Jenny. She would never know her daddy.
On second thought, perhaps that was for the best, seeing as how Reggie Ransom was far from a model father. Heâd walked out on them one afternoon, and she hadnât seen him since. Only when she managed to reach him and remind him of their existence did he bother sending any money for rent and food.
She always knew Reggie wasnât the type to be tied down by a wife and kids. He wanted a carefree life, wining and dining on the rodeo circuit where he was a star.
But Elizabeth had wanted a family to belong to so badly that she ignored her intuition and married him anyway, right after college. Especially after she found herself pregnant. She remembered thinking she was going to have everything sheâd ever wanted. Too bad Reggie hadnât felt the same.
As soon as they were married he told her he had to go back on the circuit.
Elizabeth kept them afloat with her teaching job, paying the rent and Bradyâs day care bills. But when she got pregnant with Jenny and took ill, she couldnât work. Money was tight. Now Jenny was six weeks old, but with the school year started, Elizabeth had to wait for the next semester to be hired.
She needed help now.
Tom Ransom was her only hope. She hoped her father-in-law could offer just a little to help them along.