Where family bonds are made and broken, and where young love sparks as old flames grow dim, Ransom Canyon is ready to welcomeâand shelterâthose who need it
With a career and a relationship in ruins, Jubilee Hamilton is left reeling from a fast fall to the bottom. The run-down Texas farm sheâs inherited is a far cry from the second chance she hoped for, but it and the abrasive foreman sheâs forced to hire are all sheâs got.
Every time Charley Collins has let a woman get close, heâs been burned. So Lone Heart ranch and the contrary woman who owns it are merely a means to an end, until Jubilee tempts him to take another riskâto stop resisting the attraction drawing them together despite all his hard-learned logic.
Desperation is all young Thatcher Jones knows. And when he finds himself mixed up in a murder investigation, his only protection is the shelter of a man and woman whoâjust like himâneed someone to trust.
Praise for Jodi Thomas and her RANSOM CANYON series
âJodi Thomas is a masterful storyteller. She grabs your attention on the first page, captures your heart, and then makes you sad when itâs time to bid her wonderful characters farewell. You can count on Jodi Thomas to give you a satisfying and memorable read.â
âCatherine Anderson, New York Times bestselling author
âThomas sketches a slow, sweet surrender.â
âPublishers Weekly
âCompelling and beautifully written, it is exactly the kind of
heart-wrenching, emotional story one has come to expect from Jodi Thomas.â
âDebbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author
âJodi Thomas has the ability to reel me in every time with her enterprising, intelligent and caring cast of characters and
Ransom Canyon has some of the best yet. â
âFresh Fiction
âThis book is like once again visiting old friends while making
new ones and will leave readers eager for the next visit. A pure joy to read.â
âRT Book Reviews
âThomas could make a city girl hang up her pumps for a pair of boots with her descriptions of clear blue skies and dusk-red dirt. Fans will anxiously await the next book in the series because, like meeting with old friends, catching up with the characters of Ransom Canyon canât come soon enough.â
âBookPage
âRansom Canyon is a tale of redemption and hope filled with authentic dialogue and characters engaging enough to chat with over a cup of coffee.â
âFort Worth Star-Telegram
âRansom Canyon introduces readers to a close-knit society that takes care of its own⦠In true Jodi Thomas fashion, readers will be drawn into this tale, feeling empathy for the beautifully written characters, and enjoying the everyday life in a small town.â
âRomance Reviews Today
âWestern romance legend Thomasâs Ransom Canyon will warm readers with its huge heart and gentle souls.â
âLibrary Journal
CHAPTER ONE
Jubilee Hamilton
November 2009
THE GEORGETOWN STREET in front of Jubilee Hamiltonâs office looked more like a river of mud than a beautiful old brick lane.
âWhy does it always have to rain on election day?â she asked the life-size cutout of her candidate.
The few volunteers left in the campaign office were cleaning out their desks. The polls hadnât been closed an hour, and Jubileeâs horse in the race had already been declared the loser.
Or maybe she was the loser. Two months ago her live-in boyfriend, the man sheâd thought sheâd someday settle down with and have the two-point-five kids, had said goodbye. David had called her a self-absorbed workaholic. Heâd accused her of being cold, uncaring, thoughtless, self-centered.
When sheâd denied it, heâd asked one question. âWhenâs my birthday, Jub?â
Sheâd folded her arms as if to say she wasnât playing games. But this time her mild-mannered lover hadnât backed down.
âWell,â he stared at her, heartbroken.
When she didnât answer, David asked again. âWeâve been together three years. When is my birthday, Jub?â
âFebruary 19,â she guessed.
âNot even close.â David picked up his briefcase and walked toward the door. âIâll get my things after the election is over. You wonât have time to open the door for me before then.â
Jubilee didnât have time to miss him, either. She had an election to run. She worked so many hours she started sleeping at the office every other night. Sometime in the weeks that followed, David had dropped by the apartment and packed his things. Sheâd walked in on a mountain of boxes marked with Ds. All she remembered thinking at the time was that she was glad heâd left her clean clothes still hanging.