Is there anything sexier than a hot cowboy? How about four of them!
New York Times bestselling author Vicki Lewis Thompson is back in the Blaze>® lineup for 2013, and this year sheâs offering her readers even more â¦
Sons of Chance
Chance isnât just the last name of these rugged Wyoming cowboysâitâs their motto, too!
Saddle up with
I CROSS MY HEART (June)
WILD AT HEART (July)
THE HEART WONâT LIE (August)
And the first full-length Sons of Chance Christmas story
COWBOYS & ANGELS (December)
Take a chance ⦠on a Chance!
Prologue
December 24, 1989
Last Chance Ranch
A WHITE CHRISTMAS was all well and good, but somebody had to shovel the snow off the front porch, and Archie Chance had appointed himself caretaker of that chore. His wife, Nelsie, had tried to talk him out of it, but he was the logical guy for the job. Everyone else was busy wrapping presents and cooking food.
In the ninth decade of his life, Archie could still wield a mean shovel, whether he was mucking out a stall or clearing a path through the snow. He rather enjoyed both jobs.
After bundling up in a sheepskin jacket, earmuffs and his Stetson, Archie took a pair of gloves out of his coat pocket and opened the massive oak door. Yeah, it was cold out this morning, but heâd endured worse. Frigid winters were a fact of life in Jackson Hole.
The snow shovel was kept handy by the door all winter. Archie picked it up, scooped up a load of snow and was about to throw it over the porch railing when the ranch foreman, Emmett Sterling, called out to him. The tall cowboy made deep ruts in the snow as he plowed his way from the barn up to the house.
Archie emptied the shovel and leaned on it as he watched Emmett approach. âNelsie called down to the barn, didnât she?â The phone connection to the barn was a recent addition, and right now Archie didnât care for it.
âShe mightâve.â
Archie blew out a breath, which created a substantial cloud in the air. âLook, Iâll be fine out here. My back hasnât bothered me in quite a while.â
âAnd Nelsie wants to keep it that way.â Snow crunched under the tall cowboyâs boots as he mounted the steps. âEspecially seeing as how itâs Christmas tomorrow. She doesnât want you putting your back out right before the big day. Canât say I blame her.â
Archie considered his options. He was Emmettâs boss, so he could refuse to turn over the shovel. But Emmett had interrupted his own chores in the barn to come up here and help, so sending him back down would mean more wasted time.
Archie also realized that if he insisted on shoveling and happened to reinjure his back, heâd look like a stubborn jackass. Nelsie would be ticked off, and making her mad wouldnât help the celebration of Christmas any.
âMuch as I hate to admit it, you make a good point, Emmett.â With a sigh of resignation, Archie relinquished the shovel.
âIâd be obliged if youâd hang around and keep me company,â Emmett said. âConversation makes the job go faster.â
âBe glad to.â Archie laughed. âNothing wrong with my jawbone.â As he brushed the snow off the porch railing and leaned against it, he thought about the kindness inherent in Emmettâs invitation, as if he knew Archie had come outside partly to enjoy the crisp winter air. Emmett was less than half Archieâs age, but he understood people better than most anybody Archie knew.
âI hope you donât fault Nelsie for calling me,â Emmett said as he tossed snow over the railing. âShe just cares about you, is all.â
âI know that. Sheâs a good woman, and Iâm a lucky man to have someone like her fussing over me. Itâs just...â
âYou donât want to be fussed over.â Emmett dumped more snow into the yard.
âYou got that right. And I like to think I can do everything the same as I always did. She knows Iâm touchy that way, and she doesnât nag me. Not much, anyway.â
âYou said it yourself, Archie. Sheâs a good woman, and youâre a lucky man.â
Archie heard the note of longing in Emmettâs voice. Emmettâs wife, Jeri, had decided ranch life didnât suit her and had divorced Emmett a couple of years ago. Sheâd taken their young daughter, Emily, back to California with her.