The Rancher Takes A Family
Recently widowed rancher John Richey had sworn off women, but he'd do anything for his baby daughter–even remarry. After all, little Betsy was crying out for a mom, and he needed help. His foreman's niece seemed the perfect choice for a platonic wife. Until he met her…Debra Williams and her toddler son filled John's house with warmth, making it feel like a real home again. Debra thought a prime job awaited her out west, not a husband! But this big, blue-eyed ionest-to-God cowboy needed more than a wife in name only. John needed someone to melt his hard heart and show him the real joys of family….
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Everything about her husband
had changed….
Debra tried telling herself it didn’t matter, that she didn’t care. She didn’t want him. But she did. In fact, she ached for him. Over time, she’d come to realize John tried to do what he thought was right. John Richey was a good man.
Every once in a while she would think about how wonderful it would be if they were truly married. Oh, she knew legally they were. But she dreamed of being John’s wife, of having the right to touch him when she wanted. And where she wanted.
This was one of those times, and, for the first time since she’d come to his Wyoming ranch, she reveled in her fantasies….
Dear Reader,
I love to write cowboy stories, and when my editor requested I write exactly that, it made me very happy. I think I love cowboys so much because my father and mother were country kids, and visits to my grandparents in the country were a regular occurrence when I was little. Then, in my early teens, I began reading Zane Grey because my mother had the complete set of his books at home. I found them fascinating. I actually began my writing career in the Regency period, writing historical romance, but when I turned to contemporary romances I found my true voice in westerns. I usually set them in Wyoming, which is a place I’ve visited many times. For those of you who haven’t been there, Wyoming is not as large as Texas, my home state, but it’s a lot less populated. This works well with Western stories, because in Wyoming you find people still depending on their neighbors for help.
I’ve always enjoyed marriage-of-convenience stories, too, and that’s why I’ve written this book, The Rancher Takes a Family. John doesn’t think he will ever find a woman to love again, so decides to embark on a simple marriage of convenience. But things don’t go to plan, and his new wife, Debra, soon has him reassessing their situation. As always, love finds a way, and these two discover that they can be a proper family.
I hope you enjoy John and Debra’s story, and if you haven’t read a Western before, I hope you’ll give me and my cowboys a chance. If you have any questions or comments, you can reach me at www.judychristenberry.com.
Happy reading!
Judy Christenberry
JUDY CHRISTENBERRY
has written over seventy books for Silhouette Books®, and she’s a favorite with readers. Now you can find more of Judy’s heartwarming and powerful stories in Harlequin Romance®.
Step into a world where family counts, men are true to their word—and where romance always wins the day!
OTHERS BOOKS BY JUDY CHRISTENBERRY
HER CHRISTMAS WEDDING WISH #3919
RANCHER AND PROTECTOR #3941
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
“YOU know we’ve got to do something, don’t you, John?”
John Richey looked at his right-hand man, Bill Hobbs, and sighed. “I know we need to, Bill, but I’ve thought and thought, and I can’t come up with any answer except to just make the best of it.”
In spite of his worries he smiled at his baby daughter as he removed the empty bottle from her mouth. She gave him a contented grin worth more than anything money could buy.
Bill persisted. “Damn it, man, we’re risking a big loss with just you, me, Mikey and Jess working the ranch, especially since you and me are only working half days so we can take care of Sugar here.”
“I told you to call her Betsy. That’s her name, after all.”
“You’re not focusing, John. And I have a solution to our problem even if you don’t.”
John looked up in surprise. It wasn’t the first time they’d had this discussion, but it was the first time Bill had said he had the answer. “What do you mean, you’ve got the solution? What is it?”
“You won’t like it.”
John’s eyebrows soared. “That’s positive.”
“Well, you won’t. But it’s the only way, and it would help someone else out and cure all your ills, too.”
“And you’ve been keeping this miracle to yourself until you thought I was really desperate? I’m beginning to smell a rat, here, Bill.”
“I’ll tell you what it is if you’ll promise to hear me out.”
“Okay, I promise.” He put Betsy on his shoulder and gently patted her back. Almost immediately, Betsy let out an unladylike burp.
“Good girl,” John said with a smile at his nine-month-old daughter.
As if he’d been waiting for that sign, Bill said, “Remember, you promised to hear me out.”
“I remember,” John said, but his stomach was beginning to churn. Something was bad about Bill’s idea.
“You get married again.”
John turned to stare at him. “You’re crazy, old man! That’s not going to happen!”
He stood, with Betsy in his arms, ready to leave the room, but Bill reminded him, “You promised.”
“What kind of job is it, Uncle Bill?” Debra Williams asked hesitantly after finally settling herself in his old truck. The day so far had been hectic, what with taking Andy on his first plane ride—hers, too, for that matter. Even now that they were on terra firma, the trip was still bumpy as the truck bounced along the rutted road to Westlake, Wyoming.
