An Unwanted Marriage
Sofia De Zavala wants to help her father run their familyâs Texas ranchâbut he has other ideas for her future. Faced with an arranged marriage, Sofia dresses as a boy and joins a cattle drive, determined to prove herself to her father. But her plan backfires when sheâs forced to save her reputation by marrying trail boss Jackson McCreed.
Jackson thought he was hiring a scrappy young boyâinstead, the wary widower has landed his business partnerâs feisty, headstrong daughter as his bride. He believes a marriage of convenience is the best they can hope for. But Sofia dares him to look to the future again...and find a love strong enough to lasso a lifetime of happiness.
âHe canât make you marry me.â
âWe might not have much choice if we want to have a chance at the dreams we both want.â
âAll I want is to work on the ranch with my father, and you want to raise your horses.â
Jackson nodded, his jaw sore from the tension. âDespite you lying to me, we were friends, right?â
Sofia nodded.
âWe talked about you working for me.â
âBut that is different than getting married.â
âIt doesnât have to be.â
That got her attention. Moving back, she wiped her face clear of the tears. âWhat do you mean?â
âWe can treat it like a partnership. I didnât plan on ever marrying again.â
âI know. I donât want a husband.â
âGood. Because I donât want a wife. We could just stay friends. Have our own rooms, our own lives.â He shrugged. âJust friends, business partners. But Iâm not going to let your father force us into this. You have to agree.â
A seventh-generation Texan, JOLENE NAVARRO fills her life with family, faith and lifeâs beautiful messiness. She knows that as much as the world changes, people stay the same: vow-keepers and heartbreakers. Jolene married a vow-keeper who shows her holding hands never gets old. When not writing, Jolene teaches art to inner-city teens and hangs out with her own four almost-grown kids. Find Jolene on Facebook or her blog, jolenenavarrowriter.com.
Be still, and know that I am God.
âPsalms 46:10
Dedicated to my grandmother, Jo Ann Crawford. She gave me the spark to tell stories and to pass down stories from our own family. Thank you for inspiring me and allowing me to read all your Zane Grey books. This one is for you and the women in our family who made Texas their home before it was Texas.
Acknowledgments
Some say that writing is a solitary endeavor, but I find Iâm surrounded by many people who help me along the way.
First, to my amazing brainstorming team, Storm Navarro, Sasha Summers and Willa Blair and the SARA to SARA Sundays.
Special thanks to the family of the late historian W. T. Block. His article on the Opelousas Trail inspired my pirates on a cattle drive.
To editor extraordinaire Emily Rodmell. Thank you for your insight and eye for detail. To executive editor Tina James for giving Jackson and Sofia a home beyond my computer. I discovered them six years ago. That they are in the world is a dream come true.
To the most wonderful agent, Pam Hopkins, for being a mixture of kindness, support and honesty. Thank you.
Chapter One
Blood raced through Sofia De Zavalaâs veins as she stepped to the edge of the spacious veranda. The native stone floor kept the area cool in the Texas heat. It was only April, and the sun had already become a relentless rival to the numerous layers of material she wore. Wearing pants would be so much easier.
The sounds of the vaqueros and American cowboys filled the area near the horse barns.
Ignoring her fatherâs orders, she planned on going to the stables today. Rumors of a new stallion that had come all the way from Ireland were impossible to ignore.
âSeñorita Sofia, wait!â Her motherâs maid ran after her. âI have your bonnet and gloves.â
Not wanting to upset the older woman, she bit back a sigh. âI left them behind on purpose.â Rosita went ahead with her mission and started pulling the long white gloves onto Sofiaâs hands. âThese will be ruined.â
âYour mother never allowed you to leave the house without them.â The large overly decorated bonnet went on next. Tears hovered on the edges of the maidâs russet eyes. âI canât believe they are gone.â
âI know.â She still expected to hear her motherâs voice in the house. A voice that she took for granted and now dearly missed. âWe all miss her, but I canât see as well with the bonnet on. It completely blocks my side view.â What she wanted was a flat wide-brimmed hat like the men wore. If it wouldnât upset her father so much, sheâd go get one of her brotherâs hats.