The Prodigal's Christmas Reunion
With his entire family depending on him, Lucas Clayton reluctantly comes home just weeks before Christmas.Branded "town troublemaker" as a teen, Lucas left tiny Clayton, Colorado, and vowed never to return. But now he's back—with a child in tow. No one is more stunned than Erin Fields, the hometown sweetheart he left behind. Commitment-shy Lucas is someone's daddy?Before he can convince Erin he's changed, he has to prove it to himself. And to a pint-size cowboy, who needs the Claytons—and the entire town—to make this a very special Christmas.
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An adorable preschool-age boy came in the barn.
A bright red snowsuit enveloped his thin frame but instead of a stocking cap, a cowboy hat was perched on his head. A battered black Stetson that looked a lot like the one Lucas used to wear.
He smiled shyly, pressed his cheek against Lucasâs leg and pointed to the foal. âThatsa baby horse.â
Erin couldnât help but smile back.
âThis is Max,â Lucas said.
âHey, Max. Iâm Erin. Itâs nice to meet you. Do you like horses?â
âI like trucks better,â Max declared.
âWeâll have to work on that.â Erin winked at the boy. âSo, who does this little cowboy belong to?â she asked Lucas.
âHe belongs to me,â Lucas said.
Rocky Mountain Heirs:
When the greatest fortune of all is love.
The Nannyâs HomecomingâLinda Goodnight
July 2011
The Sheriffâs Runaway BrideâArlene James
August 2011
The Doctorâs FamilyâLenora Worth
September 2011
The Cowboyâs LadyâCarolyne Aarsen
October 2011
The Lonerâs Thanksgiving WishâRoxanne Rustand
November 2011
The Prodigalâs Christmas ReunionâKathryn Springer
December 2011
KATHRYN SPRINGER
is a lifelong Wisconsin resident. Growing up in a ânewspaperâ family, she spent long hours as a child plunking out stories on her motherâs typewriter and hasnât stopped writing since! She loves to write inspirational romance because it allows her to combine her faith in God with her love of a happy ending.
Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.
âPsalms 16:5â6
This book is dedicated to Linda, Arlene, Lenora, Carolyne and Roxanneâan amazing, gifted group of authors it was
a pleasure to work with. Your encouragement, prayers and unfailing patience were a blessing!
Contents
Dear Reader,
Chapter One
Lucas Clayton could have driven down the streets of his hometown blindfolded.
The thought was tempting.
Because not even a moonless night and the light snow sifting onto the windshield of his pickup could conceal the silhouettes of the businesses that sagged against each other in a tired line along Railroad Street.
Jones Feed and Supply. The grocery store. The post office.
Each building held more than just sacks of grain or canned goods or stamps. Each one held a memory. Or two.
Or a hundred.
The town of Clayton, Colorado might have been named after one of his dusty ancestors, but Lucas had never taken any pride in that. Growing up, having the last name Clayton had only been one more expectation weighing him down. One more invisible shackle holding him in place.
Lucas had broken free at eighteen and left home with a beat-up canvas duffel bag, a chip on his shoulder as solid as a chunk of rock hewn from the Rockies themselves and a vow never to return.
As he traveled from job to job, eventually landing in Georgia, both the duffel bag and the chip on his shoulder had remained constant companions.
But now, after seven years, heâd broken the vow.
Not that heâd had a choice.
His grandfather, George Clayton Sr., had passed away during the summer, leaving behind a will that had caused new splits in an already fractured family. Georgeâs brother, Samuel, and his offspring had made life unbearable for years, but they stood to inherit everythingâif Lucas and his five cousins didnât satisfy the conditions of the will.
That didnât surprise him. Leave it to good old Grandpa George to attempt to control peopleâs lives from the graveâheâd certainly made a habit of it while heâd been alive. As a lawyer, George Clayton had a reputation for being ruthless, manipulative and self-serving. As a grandfather, he hadnât been a whole lot better.
Lucas still couldnât believe his cousins had agreed to put their lives on hold and return to Clayton for a whole year. But he was the last one to return.
Lucas hadnât exactly had a choice about that, either.
A promise made to a dying friend had taken him to places that no sane person would have chosen to go, but loyalty to his sister had brought him back to Clayton.
Cruising through the lone signal light at the intersection, Lucas saw a soft glow in one of the windows farther down the street.
He didnât even have to read the faded sign above the door to know which one it was.
The Cowboy Café.
Lucas struggled against a memory that fought its way to the surface. And lost.
An image of a girlâs face materialized in front of him, clear as a photograph. A heart-shaped face. Hair that glowed like the embers in a campfire, shades of bronze and copper lit with strands of gold. Wide brown eyes that had a disconcerting tendency to see straight into his soul.
