Cole threw a leg over the big machine and held out his hand.
âHop on,â he said with a lopsided grin that made her mind go momentarily blank.
She swallowed hard, reminded herself this was just a ride homeâon a motorcycleâand took his hand. Climbing on behind him, she sat stiffly.
âHow long are you in town for your visit?â she asked, then wanted to kick herself. She hoped he was leaving the next day. He was not her forever cowboy!
The engine burst to life. He glanced over his shoulder at her and his eyes glinted in the moonlight. âDepends on a few things, but Iâm here for a few weeks.â
A few weeks. âThat long?â she said, but her words were drowned out by the roar of the motorcycle. Or so she thought until Cole shot her another sly look.
âYeah,â he said, over the growl of the motorcycle. âI think itâs going to be real interesting. Now hang on.â
Oh, dearâ¦
was a 2004 Golden Heart finalist in the inspirational category, a 2006 Inspirational Readersâ Choice Award winner, a 2007 Golden Quill award winner and a finalist for the 2007 American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year Award. She praises the Lord each time someone votes for one of her books, and takes it as an affirmation that she is exactly where God wants her to be.
Debra is a hopeless romantic and loves to create stories with lively heroines and the strong heroes who fall in love with them. But most importantly she loves showing her characters living their faith, seeking Godâs will in their lives one day at a time. Her goal is to give her readers an entertaining story that will make them smile, hopefully laugh and always feel Godâs goodness as they read her books. She has found the perfect home for her stories writing for the Love Inspired line and still has to pinch herself just to see if she really is awake and living her dream.
When she isnât writing, she enjoys taking road trips, reading and spending time with her two sons, Chase and Kris. She loves hearing from readers and can be reached through her Web site, www.debraclopton.com, or by mail at P.O. Box 1125, Madisonville, Texas 77864.
When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you,
O Lord, who know my way.
âPsalms 142:3
This book is dedicated with much love and appreciation to my new friends Sharon Howell and Jo Anne Faerber.
Jo Anne, Iâm so glad you came to my book signing and brought Sharon to meet me. God blessed me that dayâyou gals have inspired me to step out of my comfort zone this year and let God lead me forward. Bless you both for listening to His voice!
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
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Epilogue
Questions for Discussion
Susan Worth rubbed her eyes, fighting the exhaustion threatening to overtake her. Sheâd spent most of the night saving the life of an unborn calf and mother and her adrenaline had kept her moving. Emergency calls had kept her out three nights in a row and she was dead on her feetâthe drone of her truckâs engine and the dark, deserted road were working against her. Tightening her fingers around the steering wheel, she dug deep, sat up straight and concentrated on keeping her eyes open.
She still had an hourâs drive to make it home. Once again she was alone in the middle of the night on a deserted road, halfway along the seventy-mile stretch between the tiny ranching town of Mule Hollow and the larger town of Ranger, where her clinic and apartment wereâfor the time being.
She loved her job and had worked hard to have her career as a small-town vet. But the exhausting pace was sometimes too much to take. The threat of falling asleep at the wheel was a risk for anyone who covered a full dayâs schedule and handled all emergency calls. More so for her, since her large-animal business had grown so big over in the Mule Hollow areaâgreat for the bottom line, but bad on the body.
And bad on her personal life. With her hours growing longer and longer, quality life after work had become almost nonexistent.
She blinked hard and glanced at the clockâ2:00 a.m. This was the third night in a row sheâd been out this late. Third day in a row sheâd not had time to catch up on lost sleep. Daytime emergencies and scheduled small-animal appointments had her hands tied, but sheâd been warned it would be this way. The retiring older vet, a male, had told her that since she was a woman she should concentrate on small animals and leave the big stuff to a man. That advice hadnât sat well with her.
She smiled, tiredly remembering how insulted sheâd been. But her dad always said, âSusan, take advice, then do it your way.â And that was what sheâd done.
Sheâd bought her clinic and embraced the loyal, small-animal clientele that came with it. But though she dearly loved and adored dogs and cats, her passion was working with large stock. Sheâd gone after that clientele with a vengeance and proved to the men whoâd give her a chance that she knew what she was doing. She loved horses and cattle and as her reputation grew, so had the business. Now she was burning the candle at both ends and in between, too.