The Rancher’s Spirited Bride Read online

  The Rancher’s Spirited Bride

  LAWSON LEGACY: BOOK TWO

  A Christian Historical Romance Book

  by

  Chloe Carley

  Copyright

  © 2020 by Chloe Carley

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously.

  First Printing, 2020

  Table of Contents

  The Rancher’s Spirited Bride

  Copyright

  Table of Contents

  Let’s connect!

  Letter from Chloe Carley

  Blurb

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Epilogue

  Ready to start your next Romance story?

  Blurb

  A Feisty Gracious Bride for the Rancher

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Also, by Chloe Carley

  Let’s connect!

  Impact my upcoming stories!

  My passionate readers influenced the core soul of the book you are holding in your hands! The title, the cover, the essence of the book as a whole was affected by them!

  Their support on my publishing journey is paramount! I devote this book to them!

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  Letter from Chloe Carley

  "Once upon a time..."

  ...my best childhood nights had started with this beautiful phrase!

  Ever since I can remember, I loved a good story!

  All started thanks to my beloved grandfather! He used to read to my sister and me, stories of mighty princes and horrifying dragons! Even now, sometimes I miss those cold winters in front of the fireplace in my hometown, Texas!

  My best stories though were the ones from the Bible! Such is the spiritual connection that a sense of warmth pass through my body every time I hear a biblical story!

  My childhood memories were not all roses, but I knew He would always be there for me, my most robust shelter!

  Years passed by, and little-Chloe grown up reading all kind of stories! It was no surprise that I had this urge to write my own stories and share them with the world!

  If I have a God's purpose on Earth, I think it is to spread His love and wisdom, through my stories!

  Brightest Blessings,

  Blurb

  She has spent all her life proving her brave spirit. When he shows her that it's God's plan to be together, will she listen to him?

  New Mexico, 1850’s

  Sara Jane Lawson is an adventurous, spirited young woman. Growing up in a ranch, she hates what most people consider “women’s work” and would rather be out mending fences than cooking. Of course, she wants to create a loving family, she just wishes someone would recognize the value she can add. Will she admit to herself what she already knows?

  Carl Baker is a protective, strong foreman. Having lost his parents, he grew up with his uncle. He wishes to continue living in Lazy L Ranch and wants to create a loving family with Sara Jane, but he is angered that she keeps trying to prove herself. How can he help her come to terms with how God made her?

  When Sara Jane is faced with the sudden loss of a loved one, she pushes herself by undertaking difficult tasks in order to deal with her grief. Carl gives her space, but his patience is running thin as he fears for her safety. How can they move forward as God’s plan is if they keep looking in the past?

  (turn the page)

  Prologue

  September, 1856

  “Okay, gals, I’m holding the rifle tight against my shoulder and slowly pulling the trigger.” Sara Jane demonstrated, using the notch at the end of the rifle’s barrel as a sight. She made sure she had a good view of the fence post in the distance and then evenly pulled her index finger back. The round in the chamber sped out with a loud bark. She barely felt the jolt as the rifle kicked, and she lowered the barrel to the ground, sharing a smile with Riley and Pearl.

  “That was amazing,” Riley told her.

  “Thanks. Now it’s your turn. Aim for that bush with the red flowers on it.”

  Riley nodded, stepped up to where Sara Jane had been, and carefully took aim at the bush about twenty yards away. Sara Jane watched her position the rifle at her shoulder and tsked. “Pull the butt of that rifle tight against your shoulder or it’s going to kick like a mule. Trust me, you don’t want that to happen.”

  Riley gave her a nervous look but followed her directions. Sara Jane stood off to the side to watch Riley take aim and then pull the trigger. When the bush jumped and the red flowers fell down in a shower of destruction, Sara Jane whooped and hollered with her.

  “Yee-ha! That’s the way. I knew you could do it.”

  Riley nodded and handed the rifle to her, rubbing her shoulder and grimacing in pain. “I don’t think I could do that very often. Ouch!”

  Sara Jane laughed and looked at Pearl. “Your turn.”

  Pearl took the rifle dubiously. “So, I just point and shoot?”

  “That’s the general idea,” Sara Jane told her. “It’s not the first time you’ve shot a gun, Ma. Don’t think about the past, just right now.”

  Pearl took a bracing breath before stepping forward. She still had the rifle pointed at the ground when she asked, “What am I shooting at?”

  Sara Jane spied a cluster of cacti nestled at the bottom of a small rock outcropping. “See the yellow flowers?”

  “I see them.”

  Sara Jane raised a brow. “What are you waiting for?”

  Pearl looked doubtful. “They look awfully far away.”

  “Nothing that rifle can’t hit. Just make sure you can see the flowers at the end of the barrel.”

  Pearl lifted the rifle up, took aim, and pulled the trigger before Sara Jane could warn her to keep the butt firmly planted in the crook of her shoulder. The bullet hit the rocks, spraying shards in all directions. Pearl gasped as the rifle kicked backward, sending her reeling to land on the soft earth. To Pearl’s credit, she never let go of the rifle and ended up with it pointing straight into the sky.

  Sara Jane tried to hold in her laughter, but when she caught sight of Riley trying to do the same, she started giggling. They helped Pearl to her feet, and she dusted off her skirt before declaring that she hoped she never had to shoot anyone. She’d be black and blue in no time at all.

  They took turns shooting for more than an hour, even
shooting the pistol Sara Jane wore in a hip holster when she was at the ranch. To her ma’s credit, she did much better with the smaller weapon. Everything appeared to be going well and Sara Jane headed out to set up targets of stones. On her way back, she froze in her tracks.

  She heard the rattles before she saw the large diamondback snake sitting only a few feet away. It was one of the larger ones she’d seen and poised to strike.

  “Sara Jane, are you coming back?” Riley hollered.

  Sara Jane never took her eyes off the snake. She slowly lowered her hand until she felt the comforting grip of the pistol in her palm. She took in one breath and then let it out at the same time she drew and fired, separating the snake’s head from its writhing body.

  “Sara Jane! What’s wrong?” Pearl called out.

  “A rattlesnake,” she answered as she continued back to the other two women. “It won’t be bothering anyone else.”

  Riley was staring at her with wide eyes and an open mouth. When Sara Jane lifted a brow, Riley closed her mouth. “That was pretty amazing. I mean, you just pulled your gun …”

  “Pistol,” Sara Jane added.

  “Pistol, and then fired at that snake without even focusing on it.”

  “Not true,” Sara Jane told her. “I never took my eyes off the threat. That goes for anyone you might want to shoot, or anything. Once you get it in your sights, don’t take your eyes off it. You also need to practice a lot and trust your abilities.”

  The three women headed back to the ranch house a short time later, laughing and giggling as they joked about the damage Pearl could potentially do with a rifle, and not because of what she would hit with the bullets.

  “Thanks for taking us out there,” Riley said.

  “No problem. We’ll have to do it again,” Sara Jane replied.

  “I’m not sure James would be comfortable with me practicing anywhere close to the livestock,” Pearl commented.

  “Ma, it’s not like you haven’t shot a rifle before,” Sara Jane told her.

  “And I’m just as bad now as I was years ago.” It was a well-known fact amongst the men who had lived on the ranch for a long time, that Pearl was dangerous once she had a gun in her hands. Sara Jane loved her ma’s way of expressing herself by moving her hands when she talked, but she didn’t seem to be able to turn that trait off when holding a dangerous weapon. She would move the barrel of the gun around as she talked, causing everyone to duck and dodge away from her. As a result, Pearl had promised to only pick up a gun in case of an extreme emergency and when there was no one else around to protect her.

  “Well … you just need to practice more,” Sara Jane told her.

  Carl strode out of the barn and Sara Jane watched him walk toward them. “Target practice?” he asked.

  She stood taller and explained, “I thought Riley should learn to shoot a gun.”

  “Not a bad idea,” Carl agreed, smiling at Riley. “And your ma? How did she do today?”

  Pearl shook her head and then turned and stalked toward the ranch house. Carl shared a laugh with Sara Jane. “That good?”

  “She hit the rocks; completely missed the clump of cacti at the bottom of them. They were tall cacti, too.”

  Carl shook his head. “It’s a good thing she’s never alone around here or needs to use a rifle.”

  Sara Jane said, “I think Ma could hold her own if she absolutely needed to. With a pistol, maybe. She’s strong and determined. I’ve no doubt she could put the fear of God into anyone who found themselves standing at the barrel end of her rifle.”

  Carl smiled before saying, “She puts the fear of God into everyone around here anytime she threatens to pick up a rifle.”

  “I can’t even argue with that and she’s my ma.”

  Sara Jane laughed again before heading for the ranch house. She found herself still smiling as she completed walked. That little verbal exchange was the first time in weeks when she’d not ended up fighting with the handsome man. It seemed that he was always complaining, criticizing her for something, or telling her how to do things. Just like her brothers, Shawn and Gideon, did. But Carl wasn’t her brother.

  He wasn’t even related to her, which made the attraction she’d secretly held for him, since she was thirteen, acceptable. If only he would truly return her feelings! There’d been a few times in the past months where she’d thought that maybe Carl was interested in courting her, but then he would find something to criticize her for and she’d lose hope again. She truly hated being told what she could or couldn’t do. Her pa had told her more than once that she needed to learn to curb her enthusiasm and her tendency to act hastily at times, but Sara Jane had never found herself in a situation she couldn’t extricate herself from. At least, not one that she chose to remember. She was independent, confident in her abilities, and determined to never find herself in a situation where she felt helpless.

  She stopped at the porch and walked to the railing, looking out over the pasture beyond. In the distance, dark red mountains rose, and storm clouds were gathering. It was a sight she’d seen all of her life, and one she would never grow tired of. This was home.

  She considered her day and still felt like smiling, something that was worth considering for more than a mere second. The reason for her happiness was none other than Carl, which was strange considering he normally made her so mad she wanted to stomp her feet and scream. If he could make her smile, maybe there were other men out there that could do the same. It looked like she might have to seriously consider the next beau who came calling. If only she could find one that wouldn’t mind her wearing men’s trousers or hating all things genteel.

  She was a ranch woman, and while most men would say there was no such thing, Sara Jane aimed to prove them all wrong. She’d dissuaded the last few contenders for her hand, going so far as to actually embarrass a few of them – something she felt badly about, but then again, they’d tried to tell her what to do, and that was only the first of their many mistakes. One of them had complained that she was arrogant for showing off and besting him in a shooting competition. Another had implied that by wearing trousers she was no better than the women who lived at the brothel in town. Only the presence of her pa a few feet away had prevented her from making that particular suitor retract his words after being hit in the face. By her fist.

  Even now she could feel her ire building at the smug way the man had voiced his opinion and then looked around, expecting anyone within earshot to agree. Not a soul had stepped up to support his opinion, and her pa had wisely had him escorted off the ranch almost immediately. Sara Jane had saddled her mare and taken off across the nearest pasture, not returning until both she and her mount had begun to tire and her anger to mellow. After that experience, she’d made sure she wasn’t around when the next suitor came calling. Word had spread through the town and, soon after that, the single young men from Rio Arriba stopped coming out to the ranch with the intent of seeing her.

  That was both a blessing and a curse as far as Sara Jane was concerned. She was tired of having to deal with men who had antiquated ideas about a woman’s duties and responsibilities. But she was also longing to see her hopes and dreams come true. Sara Jane dreamed of a man who would admire her abilities, let her continue to challenge herself, and yet be a strong back and source of comfort when she needed him to be. It would take a special kind of man to allow his wife to work alongside him on the range while someone else cared for the house, cooked the meals, and tended to the babies.

  Babies. Sara Jane didn’t know much about them, but she could imagine having a few little ones someday. She’d teach them to shoot and track, train their own mounts, and possess all of the other skills of any self-respecting ranch hand. If those children turned out to be females, Sara Jane would make sure they had every opportunity that any male child would have.

  She sighed and headed indoors. Her thoughts and dreams were pointless without a man who could accept her for who she was, and she was very doubtful th
at such a man existed. If only Carl wasn’t so set on badgering me. I could almost welcome him courting me. Almost.

  Chapter 1

  October, 1856

  Sara Jane watched her brother, Gideon, and his new bride, Riley—who was her best friend—ride out of town, and felt sadness that she might never experience that kind of love and joy. Shawn came to stand beside her, and she saw a similar look on his face.

  “What are you sad about?” she asked.

  “Not sad, but just wondering why I can’t find that kind of happiness, I guess.” Shawn sighed.

  Sara Jane gave him a small smile and nodded. “You’ll find her, when the time’s right.”

  “Are you so sure about that?” When she nodded, he asked, “What about you? When are you going to quit ignoring what’s right in front of you and take the happiness being offered?”

  “What are you talking about?” she asked.

  “Carl. The man’s so in love with you, he’s sick with it.”