Hometown Hearts Page 18

  Now that neither of them were fighting their feelings, they could concentrate on the romance. What a romance. Adam had surprised her with roses at her office, which he vowed to do every week as long as he lived to show his devotion. He had bought three horses from Cady, two for his girls and one for him. He and Hershey were getting to know one another and tomorrow afternoon she would give Adam his first riding lesson. His focused and loving attention had been steady and quiet and true. He was a man she could believe in for all time.

  “Our wedding might be the next one in this town.” He drew her closer.

  “That depends on when Dad and Cady set their date.” She beamed up at him, the precious love he read in her blue eyes made emotion gather in his throat.

  Thank You, Father, for leading me here. He had found the man he used to be. And as for his dreams, he had been blessed with better ones than he had ever imagined. He brushed a tendril of auburn hair away from her face, just to touch her. Tenderness rolled through him like an ocean wave that had no end. She was a rare and precious gift he would spend the rest of his life honoring.

  “I’m guessing by the look of things, Dad and Cady’s wedding might be sooner rather than later.” Cheyenne gestured toward the happy couple surrounded by Martha Wisener, Arlene Miller and Sandi Walters, who were admiring Cady’s ring. “My guess is that I might have a new stepmother before the year ends.”

  “I think you are right.” His gaze darkened as he leaned in for a kiss. Not even a fairy-tale kiss could be as romantic or as pure as the respectful brush of his lips to hers. So infinitely tender and exquisitely gentle, it felt as if their souls brushed.

  She smiled up at him, he was her true anchor, her deepest wish come true.

  “Cheyenne! Cheyenne!” Julianna’s high voice rose above the buzz of the crowd. She skidded to a stop, her purple dress swishing around her knees. “Come quick! Jenny’s with Lady.”

  “Who’s Lady?” She asked the question, but she already knew. Lady was an animal in need.

  “Cammie’s friend said someone threw her out of a car and drove off. She’s having puppies.” Worry crinkled her darling button face. “We have to help her.”

  “Yes, we do.” Cheyenne loved her life, she loved her job and she was going to love being a stepmom and wife. Joy lifted her up as Adam’s hand tightened around her own, his silent offer of help as he came along, too. No, joy was too small of a word for what she felt. This was bliss.

  Her blissfully ever after.

  * * * * *

  Dear Reader,

  Welcome back to Wild Horse, Wyoming. I hope you have been enjoying the Granger Family Ranch stories as much I’m loving writing them. I have been especially looking forward to telling Cheyenne’s story. Maybe because she’s a vet and, being the animal lover that I am, I couldn’t wait to fill these pages with animal characters. But more important because I fell in love with little Julianna and Jenny in Eloise’s book, and I was excited to write about their efforts to match Cheyenne up with their dad. Cheyenne is recovering from a broken heart. Adam is disenchanted with marriage due to an unfaithful wife who abandoned him and his girls. What are the chances these two hearts can love again, and will God give them the opportunity to find out?

  I hope you have fun revisiting the Granger family, who have become very close to my heart. Thank you for journeying to Wild Horse, Wyoming, with me.

  As always, wishing you love and peace,

  Questions for Discussion

  What are your first impressions of Cheyenne? How would you describe her? What do you think she is looking for in life?

  What are your first impressions of Adam? How does he react to seeing Cheyenne? What does this tell you about his character? How do you know he’s a good man? How has his wife’s abandonment affected him?

  What do you think of Jenny and Julianna? What role do they play in the story? What do you like most about each girl?

  What kind of father do you think Adam is? What does it say about him that he moved his girls to Wyoming for the summer? That he wants them to be close to Cady?

  How does knowing Adam affect Cheyenne? How does knowing Cheyenne change Adam?

  When does Adam begin to feel he can trust Cheyenne enough to open up? Why is this significant for him?

  How did Cheyenne’s last relationship end, and how did it hurt her? How does this influence what she expects from Adam? What do you admire about her character?

  What are Adam’s strengths as a character? What are his weaknesses? What do you come to admire about him?

  What values do you think are important in this book?

  When did you realize that Julianna and Jenny were playing matchmakers? What impact does this have on the story? On Cheyenne and Adam’s relationship?

  What do you think are the central themes in this book? How do they develop? What meanings do you find in them?

  When does Cheyenne realize she’s in love with Adam? When does Adam realize he’s in love with Cheyenne?

  How does God guide both of them? How is this evident? How does God gently and quietly lead them to true love?

  What role do the animals play in the story?

  There are many different kinds of love in this book. What are they? What do Cheyenne and Adam learn about true love?

  ISBN: 9781459221147

  Copyright © 2012 by Jill Strickler

  All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  ® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

  www.Harlequin.com