Her cane.
She stared at the snazzy pink length of metalâsheâd gone for the bright, cheerful color, hoping to jazz up the fact of her disabilityâand the fizz evaporated from her stomach. The smile died on her lips. She knew full well Sean Granger hadnât spotted her cane in her car or he never would have taken the time to talk with her. This she knew from personal experience.
âWell, duty calls.â Sean pushed away and offered her a dashing grin, making time stand still. She sat captivated by the wholesome goodness of the man as he tipped his hat to her. âIâll see you around, Eloise Tipple.â
âBbbââ The closest thing she could manage to goodbye, but he didnât seem to notice her jumbled attempt at speech. He loped away with a relaxed, confident stride and hopped into his truck.
It wasnât until Eloise had pulled onto the street heading away from town that it struck her. Sean Granger had remembered her name.
Dear Reader,
Welcome back to Wild Horse, Wyoming. I hope you have been enjoying the Granger Family Ranch stories as much as I have loved writing them. This time cousin Sean has hired on at the ranch to help out. He is recovering from a broken engagement and has decided that no woman is ever going to threaten his lone-wolf status again. Until he meets Eloise, who is in need of a horse trailer, and he canât say no to helping her. While the two of them rescue homeless horses, what are the chances that God will rescue their hearts, too?
In these pages, I hope you have fun visiting returning characters, both human and animal, and lose yourself in a small-town rural way of life. Once again I have tucked favorite things from my childhood into this storyâleisurely horse rides, pet cows and chocolate ice-cream conesâand I hope you are reminded of some of the golden memories from your childhood. Thank you for journeying to Wild Horse, Wyoming, with me.
As always, wishing you love and peace,
âDo you know what your problem is, Eloise?â
âI didnât know I had a problem, Gran.â Eloise Tipple held the dinerâs heavy glass door for her frail grandmother and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Her helpful gran had been doling out a lot of advice over the past three months, ever since Eloise returned home to the small town of Wild Horse, Wyoming. âWhen I look at my life, I see blue skies. No trouble of any kind.â
âThen you arenât looking closely enough, my dear.â Edie Tipple padded by, the hem of her sensible summer dress fluttering lightly in the wind. âYour life has been derailed. I intend to fix that.â
âIt wasnât derailed, Gran. I had a car accident, not a train accident,â she quipped. She let the dinerâs door swoosh shut, adjusted her pink metallic cane and followed the sprightly elderly lady toward a gleaming 1963 Ford Falcon. She hoped humor would derail her grandmother because Eloise knew precisely what track Edie was on. âAre you going to stop by the church before you head home?â
âDonât try and change the subject on me.â Gran hauled open her car door. âIt wasnât fair the way you lost your career and your fiancé.â
âWe had only discussed marriage, he hadnât actually proposed to me.â
âThatâs still a big loss. It cost you so much.â Gran rolled down the window, cranking away on the old-fashioned handle. âI have a solution in mind.â
âA solution?â Oh, boy. She gave her long blond hair a toss. The car accident had ended her ice-dancing career, a career she had desperately loved, and her heart had been broken by a man who left her for someone else. At twenty-four, a girl didnât want to feel as if the best part of her life was behind her. She didnât want to think there were no more dreams left in store. âYou donât mean another blind date?â
âThereâs nothing blind about it. I know the boyâs grandmother. Heâs the one for you, Eloise. I can feel it in my bones.â Gran folded herself elegantly behind the wheel, diminutive in stature but great of spirit. Her silver curls fluttered with the brush of the breeze as she clicked her lap belt.
âI donât want to go on another fix-up.â Eloise gently closed the heavy car door with a thud. âThe last twelve have been complete disasters. I donât want to be tortured anymore.â
âHow hard can it be to have a nice dinner with a young man?â Gran recovered her car key from behind the visor and plugged it into the ignition. The engine roared to life with a rumble and a big puff of smoke. âHis name is George, and heâs an up-and-comer. I have it on good authority that heâs a hard worker and very tidy. Thatâs important when youâre considering a man as marriage material.â
âSure. Iâll make a note of it.â Eloise, unable to stop herself, rolled her eyes.
âI saw that, young lady.â Gran chuckled. âYou donât want to work at the inn for the rest of your days, do you?â