# A Texas-Made Match

Noelle Marchand

MATCHMAKER–MATCHED!For Ellie O’Brien, finding the perfect partner is easy—as long as it’s for other people. Now the townsfolk of Peppin want to return the favor. But how could Lawson Williams be the right choice? The handsome ranch foreman was her childhood friend, but he’s the man Ellie deems least likely to court a tomboy with a guilty secret.Lawson can’t help enjoying the town’s efforts to push him together with Ellie, though marriage isn’t in his plans. Yet Ellie’s become a warm, spirited woman who could chase away the clouds of his past. And with a whole town on their side, they could claim a love as big and bold as Texas itself….

Matchmaker—Matched!

For Ellie O’Brien, finding the perfect partner is easy—as long as it’s for other people. Now the townsfolk of Peppin want to return the favor. But how could Lawson Williams be the right choice? The handsome ranch foreman was her childhood friend, but he’s the man Ellie deems least likely to court a tomboy with a guilty secret.

Lawson can’t help enjoying the town’s efforts to push him together with Ellie, though marriage isn’t in his plans. Yet Ellie’s become a warm, spirited woman who could chase away the clouds of his past. And with a whole town on their side, they could claim a love as big and bold as Texas itself...

“You, Ellie O’Brien, are afraid to take off the blinders that keep you from seeing yourself as everyone else sees you—as a kind, beautiful, spontaneous woman.”

Ellie stared at Lawson in awe. He thought she was beautiful? Hadn’t he always thought of her as one of the boys? Hadn’t he always seen her as a surrogate little sister? Apparently somehow that had changed. He now saw her as beautiful—a woman. She swallowed. Why did that send her heart galloping in her chest?

He carefully guided her chin up until she was forced to meet the knowing smile in his eyes. “You’re the kind of woman who wouldn’t have any trouble finding herself a husband, if she didn’t try so hard to cross every suitable man off her list or give him away to her friends.”

She didn’t have anything to say because she’d suddenly realized why those relatively suitable men had seemed so unsuitable. She realized it because she was staring the reason right in the face. She, Ellie O’Brien, had a crush on Lawson Williams.

NOELLE MARCHAND

Her love of literature began as a child when she would spend hours reading beneath the covers long after she was supposed to be asleep. Over the years, God began prompting her to write. Eventually those stories became like “fire shut up in her bones,” leading her to complete her first novel at fifteen. Now, at the age of twenty-four, that fire of inspiration continues to burn.

Noelle is a Houston native who graduated from Houston Baptist University in May 2012. She received a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication with a focus in journalism and Speech Communication.

A Texas-Made Match

Noelle Marchand


www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

—Philippians 3:13,14

Dedicated with love to my father and brother.

Special thanks to Elizabeth Mazer

for allowing me to share all three of

the O’Brien’s stories! Also, thanks to Karen Ball

of Steve Laube Agency for all her hard work.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Epilogue

Dear Reader

Questions for Discussion

Excerpt

Chapter One

Peppin, Texas

September 1888

Ellie O’Brien was not the type of girl to chase after men.

That might have to change.

After all, today was her twenty-first birthday. While that hadn’t stopped her from revisiting her mischievous youth by climbing to her favorite place in the whole world—the top of the waterfall that pooled into her family’s creek—it was pushing marriageable age. This wouldn’t have been a problem in most Western towns, where the scarcity of women allowed them to take their time picking husbands. The town of Peppin didn’t have that problem, though. Women were plentiful, and the competition between them, while friendly, was still fierce. Ellie had never attempted to jump into the fray before. Now, though it might be too late, she wanted to at least try.

But first, one more moment of being a child.

Her fingers teased the hairpins from her hair with a familiarity born of desperation, then tossed them to the dry ground below like the nuisances they were. She shook out her curly golden tresses, reveling in her newfound freedom as the wind made her hair bounce in disarray. Warm mud oozed between her bare toes as she stepped closer to the precipice. The water rushed past her feet, urging her to join its free fall away from the side of the waterfall and into the creek seven feet below. If she took that final step forward, there would be no going back.

Literally and figuratively. She bit her bottom lip as she peered over through the treetops at the rolling green hills that stretched beyond their property. Perhaps it was too romantic to hope that courtship would be as exhilarating as a sheer fall or as refreshing as the cool shock of cold water that followed—but a gal could hope.

It wasn’t as if she were only interested in the romance part of getting a husband. Oh, no. Ellie also wanted the adventure that would come with it. After all, her sister Kate had quite the adventure when she fell in love with Nathan Rutledge. Their courtship commenced with a shoot-out, continued with Kate’s abduction and was clinched with an arson fire. And then there was Lorelei, Ellie’s sister-in-law of nearly one year. She found love through a run-in with a con artist, a secret engagement and a bank robbery.

Ellie blew out a frustrated sigh then whispered to a God she knew was listening. “It isn’t as if I want to be abducted or almost killed or anything. I just know what a girl needs to do to get a little excitement around here—find love.”

And it worked both ways. There was nothing like a little excitement and danger to make people look at each other in new ways, see things about each other that they hadn’t noticed before. In that respect, she could use all the help she could get, living in a town where every eligible man saw her as a little sister.

She couldn’t exactly blame them. She’d been a consummate tomboy growing up. She didn’t regret one moment she’d spent climbing trees, riding horses, swimming in the creek—they’d all held far more appeal than giggling and flirting with boys like the girls too afraid of mussing their dresses to have any fun. At some point those giggling, flirting girls had started getting beaus who turned into suitors and then into husbands. But not Ellie. Even though she’d abandoned her hoydenish ways years ago, she hadn’t been able to shake the label of “tomboy” the town had given her or change the way the young men saw her—yet.

She was ready for the most important adventures of her life, like love, marriage, motherhood. She just needed someone to share them with. And if it took a little danger or excitement to make that happen...well, she was up for it.

“I’m ready to do my part, Lord. Is a little help too much to ask?”

She didn’t wait for an answer. She knew only God could join two hearts together—but that didn’t mean He couldn’t have help. When it came to her siblings, Ellie had helped Him along as much as possible. There was a reason she’d been dubbed the best matchmaker in Peppin. She was the best in town at spotting a match and pulling it off.

But who would help the matchmaker find a match?

No one. That’s who. She was going to have to do it on her own, and she was starting today. First things first: she had to figure out a way to climb down from the waterfall without messing up her day dress. Being adventurous was easier when I wore bloomers.

There was a simpler way to get down. She peered over the waterfall’s tabletop once more, knowing that if she didn’t have plans for the afternoon she would have taken that route. Suddenly, Kate’s voice shot through the air with startling volume. “Ellie, don’t!”

She jerked toward the sound, knocking herself off balance and sending her arms churning like a tilted windmill. She fell into the creek with a loud splash. The cool water enveloped her and swept her skirts up around her ears before Ellie pushed off the muddy bottom. She surfaced and searched for her cinnamon-haired sister. Kate’s sensible blue dress stood out against the riot of red, orange and yellow wildflowers that painted the banks of the creek.

Ellie swam toward the shore. “I wasn’t going to jump. You startled me!”

“Oh, no!” Kate placed one hand over her mouth and another on her hip as she shook her head. “I’m so sorry. What were you doing up there in the first place?”

Ellie shivered in the slight breeze as she stepped onto dry grass. “Reliving my youth.”

“You’d better not—after all you put me through.” Kate grabbed the picnic blanket from the ground to wrap it around Ellie’s shoulders.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was perfect.” She lifted her nose, ignoring a laugh from her sister as she gathered the blanket closer. “What are you doing here so early, anyway? I thought you said I had two hours to myself.”

“It’s been longer than two hours. We are supposed to meet Ms. Lettie and Lorelei at the café for your birthday lunch in thirty minutes.”

“I’m sorry. I must have lost track of time.”

“That’s all right. So did I.” Kate grabbed the picnic basket from the ground and began to lead the way to the farmhouse. “It can’t be helped now. You’ll have to change clothes and redo your hair.”

Ellie paused. “I hadn’t thought of that. Do you think it would make a difference?”

Kate tossed a confused look over her shoulder. “Of course it would. You can’t go into town drenched.”

She laughed. “I forgot you can’t read my mind. I meant do you think it would make a difference with men if I changed my hair or clothes?”

“What men? Why should it make a difference? Why would you want to...?” Kate shook her head. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m twenty-one. Isn’t it time I tried to catch a husband?” It was a little difficult to force the words out through her chattering teeth. “Do you think I even could?”

Kate rubbed her back to try to warm her. “You’re more likely to catch a cold if you don’t get changed. As for a husband, there’s no need to rush. Why? Are you interested in someone?”

“No.”

They caught sight of the two-story farmhouse and Kate ushered her toward it. “Then don’t worry about it. Go change and try to be quick.”

Ellie nodded then hurried into the house and up the stairs to her room. She quickly changed into dry clothes. A distant peal of laughter drew her attention to the large window facing the barn. She grabbed a hand towel from the vanity and dried her hair as she watched her brother-in-law tease her sister about something. Her nieces and nephew danced around their legs in anticipation of the promised ride that would keep them occupied while Kate and Ellie went into town. The couple stole a quick kiss before the whole family walked toward the barn.

The smile that slipped across Ellie’s lips preempted a wistful sigh. She combed her fingers through her hair. It must make a girl feel awfully special to be loved. If a man loved me the way Nathan loves Kate and Sean loves Lorelei, well, it might make up for certain other things.

On the heels of that thought rode a familiar yet vague feeling of guilt. She pushed it away stubbornly. Today was for celebrating the future, not belaboring distant memories of the past that probably meant nothing. A glimpse of Kate walking toward the house served as a welcome reminder of the need to hurry and sent her rushing to make up for the time she’d spent lollygagging.

Thirty minutes later, Ellie glanced at the three women who’d taken time out of their busy day to help her celebrate her birthday. Kate sat across from her. Their dearly departed mother’s best friend, Mrs. Lettie Williams, sat to her right. Lorelei, her sister-in-law, sat on her left. They were all beautiful. They were all strong. They were all married. And Ellie? Well, she wasn’t sure she could lay a legitimate claim to any of those things.

Either I’m being obsessive or I’m detecting a theme. She narrowed her eyes as Maddie settled their drinks on the table. “Maddie, would you happen to have a pencil and piece of paper I could use?”

“Certainly.” Maddie pulled the pencil from behind her ear and tore a sheet of paper from the small tablet she carried in her pocket.

“Thanks.” Ellie tilted her head, then wrote down on one side of the paper a list of the local bachelors who attended church. Then she started going down the list and writing in initials of certain young women in town alongside a few of the men’s names.

Lettie’s curious voice broke through her thoughts. “Ellie, what are you doing?”

Her hand paused in its feverish pace. She glanced up to find all three women watching her. Her gaze dropped to the paper in her hands before she offered them an innocent smile. “I’m finding myself a husband.”

Kate nearly choked on the sip of water she’d taken. Lorelei stared at her, mouth agape. Lettie started chuckling and couldn’t seem to stop. “The world would be a dull place without you, Ellie.”

Ellie grinned. “Wouldn’t it?”

Lettie leaned forward. “How exactly is that piece of paper going to help you find a husband?”

Ellie shrugged. “By process of elimination. I’ll match the eligible young men with the women they are interested in and go from there.”

“Oh, Ellie.” Lorelei laughed then leaned across the table for a better view. “Let me help.”

Kate had always tried to put a damper on Ellie’s escapades. Nathan was content to sit on the sidelines and enjoy whatever scene she’d caused. As a child, her brother, Sean, had always been in the thick of things with her, but eventually he became too sensible to be involved in any excitement she might cause. Then he’d married Lorelei. Ellie’s world had not been the same since. She finally had a partner in crime.

Lorelei scooted her chair closer. Ellie glanced up at Kate’s exasperated sigh. She didn’t buy that for a moment. Kate’s eyes were filled with just as much laughter as Lettie’s. Ellie picked up the pencil and got back to work. Kate covered her grin by taking another sip of water. “Ellie does seem to have a sixth sense when it comes to detecting romance.”

Ellie glanced at Lettie. The woman was responsible for Ellie’s “sixth sense” and didn’t even know it. Lettie told her at a young age that it didn’t always matter so much what a person said as what a person didn’t say. For that reason, Ellie had spent her life picking up on the little clues no one else noticed. Like the way Maddie’s tone of voice changed when she asked for Jeff Bridger’s order, and the way his nervous fingers straightened his collar while he gave it.

She added Maddie’s initials to Jeff’s name before handing it to Lorelei. “Now, tell me who is left without initials by his name. I’m going to ask you to mark off the men I could not possibly see myself with. Hopefully, we’ll find a winner.”

“Christian Johansen.”

Ellie shook her head. The young man had been her good friend for years, but she couldn’t imagine him as anything more.

“Rhett Granger.” Lorelei glanced up. “He’s handsome.”

“I thought I marked him off. He’s taken.”

Lorelei leaned toward her. “Taken by whom?”

“Never mind that.” She leaned back to give the women a knowing glance. “Just mark my words.”

“Donovan Turner.”

Ellie froze. Her gaze shot to Lorelei’s mirth-filled eyes and she frowned. “Lorelei O’Brien, that man was not allowed on my list. He gives me the willies. Who’s left?”

Lorelei exchanged a glance with Kate. “No one.”

“What? How is that possible?”

Kate leaned over to look at the list. “Everyone else has initials. Some have question marks by them, though. What do those mean?”

Ellie frowned. “It means I’m sure of what the man thinks, or the woman, but not both. I suppose those are still possibilities—until I find out for sure if they’re really taken. But there’s really no one else without initials?”

Kate shook her head. “You paired off every decent man on the list.”

Ellie sat in stunned silence. “I’m going to be a spinster.”

“Don’t say that.” Lorelei sounded horrified.

She buried her face in her hands. “Why not? It’s true.”

“What’s true, Ellie?” Maddie sidled up to the table with their plates.

Ellie spread her fingers to peer up at Maddie. “I’m going to die a decrepit old maid.”

Maddie laughed. “Don’t be silly.”

Ellie straightened abruptly and nearly managed to bump her head on the plate Maddie was setting in front of her. She met the woman’s dark brown eyes adamantly. “It isn’t silly. It isn’t silly at all. I went through every bachelor in town and I’m pretty sure that none of them work.”

“You did what?” The woman backed away as if afraid to find out the answer.

“I think you should try again,” Lettie said as Kate handed her the list. “Something as serious as this should not be taken lightly or composed hastily. Give yourself time to think about it.”

“Ms. Lettie is right,” Kate said, though Ellie had a feeling her sister was just trying to make her feel better about not finding a match. “Maybe you made a mistake.”

“You left someone off.”

Ellie frowned at Lettie. “I did? I thought I listed every decent, God-fearing man in town.”

“That’s why.” The woman nodded as if the mysteries of the world had been explained to her, while eyeing her thoughtfully. “I don’t know why I never thought of it before.”

“Thought of what?” Lorelei asked as everyone seemed to lean forward in anticipation.

Lettie exchanged a meaningful look with Kate. At first, Kate’s brow furrowed, then slowly the illuminating light of intuition seemed to fill her eyes. “You mean...?”

Lettie nodded.

Kate’s eyes widened, then she stared at Ellie before sitting back in her chair. “Hmm.”

Ellie exchanged a confused glance with Lorelei. “Who is it?”

A slow smile lifted Kate’s lips. “This could be good. This could be very good.”

* * *

It was always good to get letters from home. Lawson glanced at Nathan Rutledge’s letter then turned to the one from the woman he called Mother. Reaching his room in the boarding house, he tugged off his dirty boots, threw his Stetson on his desk and fell back onto his bed, allowing himself to give in to exhaustion for just a moment before opening his mail.

It had been a long, hard year filled with dangerous work and too many secrets. As a Texas Ranger, he’d rounded up more than his fair share of outlaws, and he tried to find some satisfaction in that. But this near-vagabond existence was too much like the life he’d left behind when he’d stumbled into Peppin, Texas, abandoned and alone with nowhere to go until the O’Brien family took him in. A few months later, when he was fourteen, Doc and Lettie Williams adopted him. They’d been the parents he’d always dreamed of. His life in Peppin had been so good that he’d nearly forgotten about the past. Here...he seemed to run across it every day in the smell of liquor, the haunted eyes of the saloon girls, the solitude and the need to be on constant alert.

His commanding officer in the Rangers constantly told him not to lose the chip on his shoulder. “That’s what makes you stand out from the other Rangers. That’s what makes you tough. That’s what enables you to get your man. Never lose that chip.”

Lawson wasn’t stupid enough to believe him. God was the one enabling him to catch those criminals. As for the chip on his shoulder—well, he reckoned he’d picked it up sometime between being abandoned and wandering into Peppin. Unfortunately, it didn’t keep the harshness of this life from wearing away at him, day by day.

Time for a distraction. He tore open the letter from his parents first. It was a thick one so it ought to be good. He lifted the letter above his head just high enough for it to catch the sunlight shining through the window behind him. The room was so silent that he decided to read it out loud: “‘Dear Lawson, You really should come home.’”

He sat up in concern and pulled the letter closer. “‘Now, don’t get all excited. Everyone here is fine. Your pa and I just miss you like crazy. We haven’t seen you in more than a year. You haven’t come home for any of the holidays. I know you work hard and what you do is important. This isn’t to make you feel guilty. This is just to tell you that we love you and we want to see you. Surely you can apply for a leave of absence. Just a few weeks of your company—that’s all I ask. Now, I’ve said my piece so I won’t mention it again.’”

She kept her promise and went on to talk about some of the things Lawson had mentioned in his last letter, but he kept going back to that first paragraph. She was right. He hadn’t been home since he’d left a few weeks after his almost wedding to Lorelei.

Pretty Lorelei Wilkins had been his sweetheart for years. Asking her to marry him had seemed like the next logical step. He had cared for her, had been determined to be a good husband to her—but before that could happen, she’d run out on their wedding, leaving him literally at the altar. When he’d chased after her, she’d told him the truth: that she didn’t think she loved him in the right way to be his wife...and that she didn’t think he loved her the right way, either.

She was right. He’d been so hungry to have a family of his own, to make a life for himself that was completely different from the childhood he left behind, that he’d rushed into a wedding that came more from his head than his heart. He’d realized that she deserved more and maybe he did, too, so he did the honorable thing. He let her go. Then he did what his pride demanded, and left. He wasn’t there to see her marry Sean O’Brien, Lawson’s best friend and the man Lorelei had always secretly loved, though he was happy for her—happy for both of them—that they’d found the love they deserved.

He knew that calling off the wedding had been the right decision, but it had still hurt. The wedding was supposed to prove that he’d overcome his past, that he was starting a new life and a new family. Instead, it seemed to prove the opposite and reminded him of all the rejection he’d experienced before. In truth, it was no wonder she’d walked away so easily. The people who mattered most often did.

He read the letter from Sean’s brother-in-law, Nathan Rutledge, then let it fall to his chest as he stared at the ceiling. There must be some conspiracy to make him come home. Nathan wrote that his horse ranch had been doing so well that he’d decided to expand. He was offering Lawson the job of foreman just in case he’d grown tired of being a Ranger.

“Lord, is this from You?”

It was possible that God was bringing his time as a Ranger to a close. If so, Lawson planned to listen. God had been getting Lawson out of danger since he’d been a scraggly ten-year-old fending for himself on the streets, even if he hadn’t known Whom to thank for it right away. God had helped him find a fresh start once. Maybe it was time for another new beginning.

Lawson Williams still had something to prove—that he was nothing like the parents who’d given him life then done their best to ruin it. He’d keep proving it to himself over and over again until he could finally believe it. He’d thought being a lawman would provide the opportunity to do that but perhaps the best way to prove it was by going home.

* * *

Ellie was trying her best to ignore the young man who’d been trailing after her for the past ten minutes. It wasn’t working. She turned and planted her hands on her hips as she eyed the dashing young blacksmith. “Rhett, if you insist on following me then you might as well make yourself useful.”

She pointed to the signs for the booths resting on the church stairs. The Founder’s Day activities had already started but the signs needed extra time to dry. Rhett really must have been desperate because he picked them up and began helping her hand them out to the booth workers. “Ellie, I’m sure I’m on your list. You’ve got to tell me. Jeff Bridger says you told him about Maddie and they are already engaged.”

She smiled as she handed Mrs. Redding the sign for her lemonade stand then moved on. “I know they’re engaged. I invited you to the party I’m having for them at the ranch. Don’t tell me you forgot about it already.”

“I didn’t forget and you aren’t going to distract me.” His muscles bulged as he shifted the remaining signs to his shoulder, which somehow made his pleading look seem all the more pitiful. “I’ve just got to know who you think my match is.”

She rolled her eyes. It had been two weeks since the fateful day she’d created the “Bachelor List.” The whole thing had turned into a disaster. Everyone in town knew about it. She’d had plenty of available men seeking her out after word got around. Unfortunately, they weren’t looking for her. They’d just wanted to know whose initials were next to their names on the list.

She could understand them wanting an answer. She’d wanted one, too, but Lettie and Kate never told her who the mystery suitor for her was. Try as she might to extricate the information from them, she’d gained little more for her efforts than a headache.

She sighed. “Well, Rhett, who do you want it to be?”

She followed his gaze as it trailed to where Amy Bradley stood with her sisters. He watched Amy for a full minute before Ellie shook her head and smiled. “Yep, that’s what I thought.”

His gaze jumped back to hers, and then he grinned. “Thank you.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

He nodded then set off toward Amy. She grabbed his massive arm and dug her heels into the ground to stop him. “Oh, no you don’t. You’re going to help me deliver all these signs because you’re so grateful. Isn’t that right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. I shouldn’t get ahead of myself.” He patted her hand in brotherly affection and began trailing her again but remained decidedly distracted. He seemed to grow less confident as they continued and when she finally set him free, he went in the opposite direction from where his thoughts had been taking him.

Now, what’s wrong with him? She pulled the new list from her pocket and crossed out the question mark beside Amy’s initials by his name. He was the only one besides Deputy Jeff Bridger who she’d officially paired a girl with so far. There were plenty of others still with question marks—for now.

She felt someone’s eyes on her and turned to find Donovan Turner watching her from near the gazebo. She tucked the list out of sight before barely managing to hide her grimace behind a polite smile and a nod. The man pulled the piece of hay from his mouth and tossed it to the ground before pacing toward her. Now, there was one man who made no effort to hide his opinion of her, which was definitely not brotherly. He always seemed to pop up at the most inopportune times—like when she was alone. If he caught her, he’d spend the next thirty minutes bending her ear about that pig farm of his. If he caught her; but she wasn’t going to let him.

She slipped into a group of people, dashed behind a booth and surfaced behind a tree. She thought she’d lost him, but to make sure, she scanned the crowd as she continued walking backward. She spotted the man scratching his head, glancing about. She was about to turn around when she backed right into someone. She gasped. “Oh, I’m so sorry!”

She tried to step away from the man but strong arms slipped around her waist and pulled her against a solid chest. She froze, then caught her breath as a warm, masculine voice filled her ear. “Hey there, beautiful.”

Her eyes narrowed. Slowly, she glanced over her shoulder to look at him. The way his lips curved made her cheeks warm but she forgot all about that when her gaze tangled with those unforgettable hazel eyes. Her breath caught in her throat then her lips blossomed into a smile. “Lawson Williams, as I live and breathe!”

He loosened his arms enough for her to turn around and throw herself back into them. He hugged her back just as tightly as she hugged him. She pushed away to look at his face. “I almost didn’t recognize you.”

He grinned that slow, steady grin of his that set every female heart in a fifty-mile radius beating wildly. He stepped back to survey her. “Look who’s talking. You sure have changed in the last few months.”

She laughed. “Last few months? Are you crazy? It’s been a year and no less! Of course I’ve changed. Did you get my letters?”

“I did.”

“You only wrote back twice.”

“I’m sorry.” He shrugged. “I was on assignment most of the time so it wasn’t easy to keep up with mail.”

She lifted her chin. “Well, how is a person to know whether you fell off your saddle and broke your head or got laid up sick for a week if you don’t write?”

He dipped his head to send her a suspicious look. “Were you worrying about me, Ellie?”

“Not me. Just...certain other people.”

“I see.” His eyes continued to tease her.

She pushed away from his arms, only belatedly remembering the reason she’d run into him in the first place. She glanced over her shoulder to look for Donovan Turner. He’d stopped to speak to someone and they pointed in the direction she’d dashed. She winced. It would only be a matter of time before he found her. Lawson’s voice drew her attention.

“I just got into town. I came here first since I figured everyone would be at the celebration. I wanted to surprise my parents, but I wasn’t counting on not being able to find them in this crowd.” He scanned the flurry of activity around the churchyard. “Have you seen them recently?”

“No.” She glanced over her shoulder and saw that Donovan had gotten closer but still hadn’t spotted her. She tugged Lawson’s arm in the opposite direction. “Let’s try this way and hurry up. I’m on the run.”

“From the law?”

“No, silly, a man.”

His gaze sharply honed in on hers. “What did you do—hit him with a mud pie?”

“No. I’m twenty-one, not twelve.”

He snorted. She jostled him lightly with her shoulder and he jostled her right back then caught her around the waist to keep her from stumbling. She rolled her eyes. Well, that was mature. Sometimes with Lawson, she couldn’t help reverting back to the mischievous ten-year-old she’d been when he’d come into her life.

Lawson glanced around at the crowded churchyard. “This event has gotten larger since I left.”

“More people have started coming from outside of Peppin to celebrate with us. Not much else has changed.” Satisfied they’d completely lost Donovan, she turned her attention to finding Lawson’s parents—or her family since they were probably close together. “Oh, actually, Sean started a new tradition last year when he got up on the podium and proposed to Lorelei in front of everyone. We’ve all been wondering who’ll continue it.”

“Naturally, it should be you.”

She stopped to stare at him. “Me?”

“Well, sure.” He tipped his hat up to stare right back at her. “You should try to keep it in the family. Besides, you have men chasing you all the time. That isn’t good. You need to pick one and settle down.”

“I do not have men chasing me. There is one man and I don’t want him. Everyone else thinks I’m their little sister.”

His hazel eyes sparkled with laughter as he stepped a bit closer and lowered his voice. “I bet all those men are just waiting for you to pick one of them so they can declare their feelings.”

She tilted her head. “Don’t you have that backward?”

“They just need a little encouragement.” At her scoff, he narrowed his eyes. “Oh, come on. Show me a little of that charm.”

“No.”

“I know you have it in you.”

“I do not.”

“Sure, you do.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. He gave her an encouraging little nod then took a step back as though giving her room to work. Her hand went to her hip. A quick glance around told her no one was watching. She stepped close to him and placed a hand on his chest before throwing her head back to stare at him. She batted her eyelashes as fast as she could. “Lawson, honey, it’s been you all this time. Tell me how you really feel.”

“Well, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you for a long time, Ellie O’Brien.” His gaze traveled solemnly over her features. Without warning, he sank to one knee and stared up at her. “Will you marry me?”

Chapter Two

Ellie stared at Lawson, speechless. Her brain seemed to stop working. She had to repeat his words in her mind to make sure she’d understood them correctly. Finally, she gasped and punched him in the shoulder. “Get up before someone sees you!”

Her punch knocked him off balance and he put a hand on the ground to stabilize himself. He was laughing too hard to stand. She shook her head even as her lips curved. “You think you’re so funny. I can’t believe you did that!”

He staggered to his feet but continued laughing. “You should have seen your face.”

“I hope it looked as appalled as I felt.” She glanced around noting a few curious stares, including a few she recognized. “Don’t you know this town is match happy right now? You can’t pull a stunt like that. It’s dangerous. What if someone thought you were serious?”

That ought to put some real fear into him. Not that it was all that likely since everyone in town knew his taste in women tended to run toward beautiful, sophisticated women like Lorelei. Ellie was more likely to catch a fish than an eligible bachelor like Lawson. He didn’t seem concerned as he tried to hide a grin. “Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black? I thought you were Peppin’s matchmaking queen.”

She pierced him with a glare. “I refuse to discuss it. In fact, I think I’d better walk away from you now.”

“Aw, don’t leave.” He easily kept time with her faster steps. “You promised to help me find my parents. Besides, it was funny. That’s why you’re trying so hard not to smile.”

She rolled her eyes. Of course Lawson would know she was trying not to smile. He’d practically grown up with her and Sean so he had her pegged. That didn’t mean she had to like it. “Oh, all right. I’ll help you find your parents.”

* * *

He’d almost forgotten how easy it was to read Ellie’s face. Her every thought was written right there for him to see...and what a beautiful face it was. Had he ever taken the time to appreciate the way her full lips were almost always lifted into a smile? Had he ever noticed the faint freckles that danced across her pert nose? Or the way her large green eyes sparkled as if she was laughing at some private joke?

No, he hadn’t and he sure as shooting shouldn’t be doing it now. Ellie was and always had been his surrogate little sister. Nothing more and nothing less would do. That’s the way it would stay. He wasn’t about to jeopardize his close relationship with her or the O’Briens by changing things now. No matter how appealing her willowy figure appeared in that green dress. He shook away his odd thoughts to search the crowd for some glimpse of his family.

Ellie stopped and waved a sweeping hand toward the left. He followed her gesture to find his ma standing nearby. He cleared away the emotion in his throat, prompting Ellie to send him a knowing look. As they neared, Lettie turned away to signal to someone. He followed her signal to see Doc wave back. Neither of them had seen him yet.

“Ms. Lettie,” Ellie’s soft voice called.

The woman turned toward the sound. Her gaze rested on Ellie for an instant before it traveled to him. Lettie’s eyes filled with tears even as a smile wreathed her face. He pulled her into a hug. “Hello, Ma.”

“You came.”

“Of course I did. I always do what you tell me, don’t I?” He stepped away and looked down to see her smile.

“You always were a good boy.”

Ellie snorted. “Let’s not get carried away.”

He shot her a glare over his mother’s shoulder then glanced past her to see Doc standing quietly to the side with a grin on his face. Lawson stepped forward and met the man with a hearty handshake. “Hello, Pa.”

“It’s good to have you home, Son.”

He stepped back and tried not to feel uncomfortable as everyone just stared at him like he might up and vanish on them. Ellie seemed to recover first. “I guess I’d better round up the rest of the O’Briens and Rutledges.”

He sent her a grateful grin. “Thanks. I’d like to see them.”

“Then turn around and look,” a familiar voice called from behind him.

He turned to find Sean standing behind him, a wide grin on his face. Lawson reached out to one of the few men he’d let close enough to hug. They pounded each other on the back then quickly stepped apart.

Lawson couldn’t stop smiling. “How are you, Sean?”

“Fine, just fine.” Sean shook his hand for good measure. “It sure is good to see you in Peppin again.”

“It’s just good to see you period. Where’s Lorelei? I heard you managed to get her down the aisle.” Lorelei stepped up beside Sean and offered him a hopeful smile, looking just as beautiful as always. She looked so happy—just further proof of how right she’d been to stop her marriage to him just before saying “I do.” Everything had turned out for the best, so there didn’t need to be any awkwardness between them now. This was home. This was the only family he had and now she was a part of it.

He didn’t question his instincts. He just pulled her into a quick brotherly hug then stepped away from her. “It looks like married life agrees with you.”

She smiled and slipped her hand into Sean’s. “It certainly does.”

Nathan and Kate Rutledge appeared with their children. There was more hugging and more talking. Finally, they all settled into a rather familiar group with Kate and Nathan talking to his parents and him with Sean, Ellie and Lorelei. He glanced around at the festive celebration surrounding them and smiled in relief. Just like that he knew he was back where he belonged and everything else seemed to fade into the past.

* * *

Ellie glanced over her shoulder to give Lawson a parting smile as the caller had everyone switch partners. Sean spun her around as they danced across the grass together in time with the music. Her gaze traveled back to where it had rested many times since the dance started. Once again, Maddie and Jeff nearly ran into another couple because they couldn’t keep their eyes off each other. Ellie frowned.

Sean followed her gaze then glanced down at her. “I would have thought you’d be proud.”

“Proud of what? Proud that the tale of my desperate attempt to find a husband has been bandied across town like the joke of the century? Proud that not one of the men who approached me afterward wanted anything more than a point in the right direction? What am I supposed to be proud of, Sean? Tell me, because I’d sure like to know why everyone is patting me on the back. I am a joke, Sean, a household joke who can find love for everyone but herself.”

Sean’s arm tightened around her waist. “Stop saying that. You aren’t a joke, Ellie. As for love, don’t you know the Bible says ‘do not stir or awaken love until the time is right’? Did you ever think that just maybe the time wasn’t right?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Well, maybe that’s what it is. Maybe God knows you aren’t ready for that. Or maybe you aren’t the holdup at all. Maybe your future husband is the one who isn’t ready.”

She sighed. “I sure wish he’d hurry up. I’m tired of waiting.”

He laughed. “What has you in such an all-fired hurry all of a sudden?”

“I don’t know.” She bit her lip. “Sometimes I think something must be wrong with me since I’ve never had anything close to a beau.”

He stiffened. “There isn’t a thing wrong with you.”

She ignored his comment and narrowed her eyes. “You know what I think the problem is? All of the men in this town see me as a little sister.”

“Stop acting like one and they’ll stop treating you like one.”

She pursed her lips to the side. Now, that was an interesting statement. She wasn’t exactly sure how to do that but something had to change and it might need to be her behavior. She was plumb tired of being looked at merely as the town’s source of amusement. She wanted to prove that she was more than that. She wanted to prove that she was worthy of being wanted.

Sean finished the dance with her before leading her to the table where their families sat. He pulled out the empty chair that had been left between Lawson and Kate for her, then went to sit beside Lorelei. As he did, Nathan cleared his throat. “Since we’re all gathered here, I have an announcement to make. As you know, the horse ranch Kate and I started almost ten years ago has been doing very well lately. We’ve decided to expand.”

This certainly wasn’t news to Ellie, but she offered her congratulations, anyway. However, Nathan wasn’t finished. “As part of that expansion, I decided to hire a new foreman. I’m pleased to announce that Lawson has agreed to take the position.”

Happy gasps circled the table and Ellie’s was among them. Her gaze flew to Lawson just as he gave a bashful shrug. “Surprise! I hope y’all don’t mind that I’m going to stick around.”

“Mind?” Sean’s tone portrayed how completely ridiculous he found the question. “Why would we mind? This is great.”

Ms. Lettie seemed to be glowing. “Does this mean no more traveling? You’ll be settled in Peppin permanently?”

Lawson nodded. “The opportunity came at just the right time. I was ready to retire my badge.”

Doc’s approval shone in his eyes. “It will be good to have you home.”

“It’s perfect. Does this mean you’ll live at the ranch again?” Ellie glanced at Kate for confirmation. “Perhaps in the cabin? Or will we build something new?”

Lawson shook his head. “The cabin will do just fine for me. I don’t need anything fancy.”

“We’ll get that figured out soon,” Nathan said just as Maddie and Jeff passed the table.

Jeff paused to speak to Ellie. “Thanks again, Ellie. If it wasn’t for that list—”

“I know. You’re welcome.” She didn’t mean to be abrupt, but really! Enough was enough.

The couple stepped away from the table. Lawson’s voice drew her gaze as he regarded her. “What did Jeff say about a list?”

She leaned back in her chair as her family and closest friends launched into the story she was sick and tired of hearing. Sean caught her gaze and she returned his wry grin with a roll of her eyes. She took a sip of punch and managed to swallow her annoyance with a big gulp of the fruity concoction. Lawson sent her a measuring look once the story was through. “Looks like you’ve caused quite a stir.”

She lifted her chin. “What else is new?”

Lawson chuckled. “Ellie, I’m just curious. Who did you match up with me?”

“I don’t remember.” Ellie’s gaze swept toward Lettie and Kate before she settled on Lorelei’s face. Lorelei looked as baffled as she. Suddenly, Ellie’s confusion fled and she turned back to him. “You weren’t living here, so you weren’t on the list.”

“That’s too bad. It would have been nice to—”

“Oh.” She gasped the word as she realized what she’d just said. Her eyes widened. She stared into Lawson’s hazel eyes for a drawn-out moment, vaguely aware his voice stumbled to a halt. She watched his gaze trail down to her lips—which had formed a perfect circle of incredulous indignation.

She dragged her gaze from his until she found Ms. Lettie’s. The satisfaction on the woman’s face told her everything she needed to know. A quick glance at her laughing sister confirmed it. Ellie shook her head at both of them even as she leaned back in her chair and pinned them with a look. “Ridiculous. You two are completely ridiculous.”

Ellie heard Lorelei catch her breath but Ms. Lettie’s knowing smile kept her from looking away. The woman lowered her chin and lifted one eyebrow as though to say “time will tell.” Lawson’s hand brushed her shoulder to gain her attention. She glanced up at him. He said something but all she could remember was earlier...the warmth of being in his arms and the sound of his voice in her ear. What had she felt the moment before she realized it was only Lawson? Attraction? Anticipation? She didn’t want to label it.

Lawson—of all the silly ideas, to think that we might make a good couple. They were just friends—only friends. Besides, a man as attractive, interesting and worldly wise as he would never be interested in a simple girl like her, especially after all those years of courting Lorelei, the most sophisticated girl in town. Why would he want Ellie? No one else ever had. Except Donovan, who she really didn’t want to count.

She realized Lawson was still talking and shook the cloud from her thoughts. “What did you say?”

“I said, let me in on the joke. I want to laugh, too.”

Her breath pulled from her lungs as if she’d been cut. Her gaze held his for a long moment then fell to her lap as she felt something within her snap. She slowly lifted her gaze to survey the faces of those around her. They were all waiting for her to say something. They wanted to laugh with her just like they’d done a thousand times before. But this time one thing was different.

She wasn’t laughing.

She eyed her friends and family. “There is no joke, Lawson—not anymore.”

* * *

Lawson eased his duffel bag from his shoulder to the floor of the cozy old cabin on the O’Brien property. This was the place where his life had truly begun nearly ten years ago when Kate and Nathan had taken him on as a farmhand and brought him into their family. In this cabin, he’d learned his first lesson about what it truly meant to belong somewhere. Only a few months after that, Doc and Lettie had become his legal guardians and his honorary parents.

It somehow felt right to begin again in this place—to once more forget the past that had been resurfacing in his thoughts so often. Glancing around the room, he took in a cleansing breath then quickly lost it when he spotted Ellie directly to his right. She stood on a stool she’d placed over a crate in an effort to reach a cobweb near the cabin’s high ceiling. Every time she moved, the stool she perched on wobbled beneath her. Lawson strode over and plucked her from her perch.

“Hey,” she protested as he set her on her feet. “I almost had it.”

He nodded. “You certainly did...if it was a broken bone.”

She wrinkled her nose at him then turned to gesture to the rest of the cabin. “Well, how do you like your new, old place?”

He surveyed the table with two chairs that had been placed by the window with a planter filled with cheery yellow flowers. A bed with a simple quilt, a large trunk and a small wardrobe stood on the opposite side of the room. A comfortable-looking chair sat next to the fireplace. He smiled. “It looks nice, clean, homey. Did you do all of this?”

“Guilty.” She removed the stool from the crate and set it near the door.

“You didn’t have to.”

“I know. I wanted to.” She tucked a loose tendril behind her ear. “I missed you, you know.”

“What was there to miss?” He knew he was fishing for compliments but he didn’t care. Mostly, he just wanted her to prove that her statement was true.

She kicked a large dark blue-and-green rag rug to unroll it over the middle of the wooden floor. “Oh, I don’t know. It just hasn’t been the same since you left and Sean got married. The three of us used to be as thick as thieves—you, Sean and I. Nothing felt right without you here.”

He believed her. He’d wanted to, anyway. It was a nice feeling—being missed by someone.

She surveyed the room then must have been satisfied because she allowed herself to collapse onto a kitchen chair. “I bet you didn’t miss me.”

“Of course I did.” He sat across from her.

She shook her head. “You didn’t but that’s fine. You were busy bringing outlaws to justice. I wouldn’t have missed me, either.”

“It wasn’t as exciting as you seem to think.”

“What was it like, then?”

“It was like everything I’ve tried to forget.”

That quieted her for a moment before she smiled sympathetically. “Well, you’re home now. You can forget as much as you want.”

Home. That one word sounded so sweet to his ear. He gave a solemn nod. “I was already planning on it.”

“I’ve been wondering—” she fiddled with one of the flowers “—why do the Rangers call you Lawless?”

Lawson stared at Ellie, then frowned. “Now, where did you hear that?”

“Nathan sold a few horses to the Rangers. While he was in Austin, he asked about you. They told him you were one of the best Rangers on the force. They also told him you’d picked up the moniker Lawless. Why?”

He averted his gaze from her questioning eyes. “They assigned me the worst criminals, Ellie. Sometimes that meant I had to take risks, be ruthless and do things I wouldn’t dream of in any other situation. I never broke protocol but I’ve certainly bent my fair share of rules.”

She frowned. “They called you that because you bent a few rules?”

He gave a slow nod. She narrowed her eyes. It was clear she knew he wasn’t letting her in on the whole truth. Well, that was too bad because he wasn’t about to tell her that almost the entire Ranger force thought he’d make a better outlaw than a Ranger, and loved to tease him about it. He didn’t find it particularly funny. Nor did he want his name to be associated with the term outlaw, especially if some of those foggy memories of his childhood were accurate. He figured it was time for a change of subject.

“Now it’s my turn to ask a question. What was so important about me not being on that list of yours?” He asked the question before he could second-guess the wisdom of pursuing something that had upset her so much earlier.

Ellie was quiet for a long moment as if debating whether or not to tell him before she surprised him again by glancing up with teasing eyes. “Now that really is a dangerous question. You’ll probably wish you hadn’t asked, but since you want to know so badly, I’ll tell you.”

He gave her a nod. “I’ll take my chances.”

She leaned forward. “The whole point of the list was to find out who my match might be, right?”

“Right.”

“Well, after I’d gone through the list without finding anyone, Ms. Lettie took the paper and looked it over. She told me I’d left someone off but she wouldn’t tell me who it was.”

He found himself leaning forward, as well. “That was me, right? I was the one you left off because I wasn’t in town.”

“Exactly.” She sat back as if that settled everything.

Lawson stared at her. “You’ll have to explain this to me, Ellie, because I still don’t get it.”

“You were the one.”

“The one what?”

Ellie laughed. “Lawson, really. Think about it. You were the only man left.”

“So?”

“So—” her voice took on a bit of exasperation “—Ms. Lettie and Kate, they think that you and I...well, that we would be...what did Kate say? Oh, that we could be very good...together.”

Lawson stared at her for a long moment as understanding slowly dawned. “What?”

She smirked. “That’s what I said.”

He tried to wrap his mind around that thought. Honestly, it wasn’t as hard as it should have been. He swallowed. His thoughts raced back to his recent interactions with Ellie—from his impulsive act of catching her in his arms at first sight to his pretend proposal. If he was honest with himself, he’d have to admit that he hadn’t been treating Ellie like a sister. At least, not since he’d gotten back. In fact, if it were some other woman, he might have seen his behavior as flirtatious.

He ducked his head to keep her from reading his thoughts. He was crazy. He had to be. There was no way he could be attracted to little Ellie. Of course, she wasn’t so little anymore. How old was she now? Twenty-one? She was pretty much a woman by now, wasn’t she? His voice came out a little strained. “Ma and Kate really said that about us being good together?”

She sent him a curious glance. “It’s funny but you don’t seem nearly as shocked as I was. I thought they were completely ridiculous.”

A wry grin lifted his lips. “I remember.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh, that isn’t to cast any sort of disparagement on you. I didn’t mean that at all.”

“I didn’t think so.”

“Good. I mean I’m sure some gal would be lucky to have you. I just can’t imagine—” Her face twisted into a strange expression, as though she was desperately trying to conjure up some image of the two of them together.

He tried not to let that bother him...but why was it so hard for her to imagine? He shook his head. They were friends—nearly family. So Ellie had grown up. That didn’t mean anything had to change between them or even that it should. He met her gaze with a grin. “It is pretty hard to imagine, isn’t it?”

Her green eyes started dancing. “Well, since you won’t have me, either, I guess I’d better start waiting at the train station for some handsome stranger to disembark. That looks to be my best bet.”

He laughed along with her though he had to admit it was a bit forced. The thought of some stranger sweeping into town and carrying Ellie off didn’t sit well with him. It was just his protective nature at work, he assured himself. That’s all it was and nothing more. He was here to work. He was here to start over.

Most important, he was here to forget.

Chapter Three

Ellie thanked Mr. Johansen then tucked the small brown-paper-wrapped package under her arm. “Lawson and I will be back with the wagon to pick up the list of goods Kate ordered.”

Lawson had moved out to the ranch less than a week ago and ever since then, Ellie hadn’t been able to turn around without finding him nearby. She knew it was mostly due to the fact that they now lived on the same ranch. Still, a part of her wondered if a little tiny bit of it was through Kate’s machinations. After all, Kate usually liked coming into town but today had sent Ellie in her stead. Nathan sent Lawson and so they had gone to town together with express directions to eat lunch there.

Guilt sprang onto her conscience. Of course, Nathan was busy, which was why he’d hired Lawson in the first place, and Kate had her hands full tending three children too young to go to school. Perhaps she really was imagining it. Mr. Johansen’s voice pulled her from her short reverie. “I’ll have the boys waiting by the loading dock in about thirty minutes.”

Ellie nodded and managed to make it all the way out the door and a few steps down the sidewalk before she tore open the brown package. The colorful cover of the dime novel looked even more intriguing than it had in the catalog. She opened the cover to reveal the first page and found herself in the midst of a stagecoach robbery. Her heart skipped a beat. She carefully read each word as she stepped onto Main Street’s raised wooden sidewalk.

Suddenly, a hand caught her arm and firmly pulled her to a stop. Ellie glanced up from the page only to realize that if not for the restraining hand on her arm, her next step would have sent her tumbling off the sidewalk. Her eyes widened then traveled to the man who stood slightly beside her with his hand still protectively on her arm. Lawson shook his head. “You really need to be more aware of your surroundings.”

She wrinkled her nose at him as he led her to the shiny display window of the mercantile. Pointing at it, he leaned toward her. “Look at the reflections in the window.”

The angle of the bay window reflected a clear image of the things behind her—including a man standing next to a tall chestnut mare tied to the nearest hitching post. “Donovan.”

“He appeared just as I left you to walk to the livery. He seemed content to stay on his horse until you exited the mercantile...alone.”

“He always does that. I think it’s the only way he can work up the nerve to talk to me.” She laughed at his skeptical frown. “He’s harmless.”

“Well, someone else might not be.”

Her gaze shot to his hazel eyes. “Am I your latest assignment, Lawson? And here I thought you’d left the Rangers.”

“So did I.” He tucked her hand in his arm and led her across the street. They both jumped at the sound of Maddie’s joyful greeting through the café’s large front window. The woman waved at her as though she’d just seen her long-lost best friend. I understand that she’s grateful that my list motivated Jeff enough to talk to her, but isn’t this a little too much?

The rest of the folks in the café turned to look. She could feel their eyes tracking her as she followed Lawson inside. She glanced around the room. Everyone was smiling at them. An entire table composed of Judge Hendricks, Mr. Potters and Joshua Stone lifted their coffee cups in a congratulatory toast. Lawson seemed just as bewildered as she did by the positive response. “Ellie, why is everyone smiling?”

“I don’t know.”

Maddie couldn’t stop grinning as she led them to their table. “This is so wonderful! I don’t know why no one thought of it before. You two are just perfect for each other. Y’all had us fooled into thinking you were just friends but now we all know better, don’t we?”

Ellie felt her cheeks warm. She darted a glance at Lawson before she met Maddie’s gaze. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, you don’t have to be coy, dearie.” She patted Ellie’s shoulder. “The whole town knows about your secret engagement. Don’t worry. We haven’t said a word to your families.”

“Our secret what?” Lawson’s question came out rather loud.

Maddie picked up the menu from the table. “Mrs. Greene saw you propose, Lawson. It’s been all over town for days.”

Ellie’s gaze flew to Lawson. She glared at him. “Mrs. Greene saw you propose.” She couldn’t imagine anyone worse to have seen Lawson’s little prank. Mrs. Greene was, ironically, the biggest gossip in town and one of the strictest moralists. Not to mention that she’d always held a particular grudge against Ellie for all of her childhood pranks.

Lawson seemed to be at a loss for words but guilt was written all over his face. A quick glance around the room told her everyone was watching so she stood to her feet. “Everyone, please listen closely then spread the news like wildfire. Lawson and I are not, nor have we ever been, engaged.”

Mrs. Cummins set down her coffee with a thud. “But Mrs. Greene saw him kneel down and ask you.”

“I was joking.”

Maddie frowned at Lawson. “What an awful thing to joke about.”

Ellie sent him a look seconding that, then turned to the crowd again. “Mrs. Greene also should have noticed that I punched him in the arm afterward. That’s obviously not how a woman says yes to a man.”

Judge Hendricks cleared his throat. “Well, Ellie, you’ve always been sort of a tomboy.”

“As a child, not as an adult...usually.” She sank to her chair. Maddie studied the two of them. “So y’all aren’t engaged?”

“No,” they answered together, setting the whole café to rumbling.

“Well, don’t that beat all,” Mr. Potters muttered.

“A real shame, that’s what it is,” Mrs. Cummins announced.

“Well, folks, this just isn’t right.” Maddie put a hand on Ellie’s and Lawson’s shoulders. “These two would make a fine couple, wouldn’t they?”

“The best!” someone yelled and others chimed in to agree.

Ellie rose to her feet again. “Now, hold on. I think I’d know if Lawson and I would make a fine couple, wouldn’t I?”

People reluctantly agreed.

“Then you can trust me when I say we aren’t a couple.”

People adamantly disagreed. Maddie held up a stilling hand to her patrons. “Ellie’s right. We can trust her on this. You just tell us who you matched Lawson with on the list of yours and we’ll let this all go.”

“Oh.” Ellie swallowed then glanced down at Lawson. His expression said they were done for, which was discouraging and slightly insulting at the same time. Her fingers clenched the side of her chair. “Well, he wasn’t on the list so that can’t be considered. Now—”

“That explains why you couldn’t find the one meant for you.” Maddie caught her hand. “He wasn’t on the list, darlin’, but he was your match.”

“Don’t I have something to say about that?” Lawson seemed more amused than he should have been in this situation, especially when a firm “no” echoed through the café. Ellie eyed him. Why wasn’t he more upset?

“We can’t abandon Ellie in her time of need.” Maddie released them and turned toward her patrons. “Didn’t Mrs. Greene say that Ellie deserves this after everything she’s done for the town?”

“Mrs. Greene said that?” Ellie turned to Lawson. “Why would Mrs. Greene say that?”

“That is strange,” he admitted with the beginnings of a grimace.

Maddie ignored them. “Well, that settles it.”

Lawson jumped up. “Wait. That settles what? What’s going on?”

Oh, now Lawson decides to look nervous.

“You just leave that to Peppin, folks.” Mrs. Cummins said. “You just leave that to Peppin.”

Just like that, it was over. Maddie promised to bring them each a special on the house. The other patrons went back to their food. Ellie and Lawson were left to stare about in shock.

Ellie spoke first. “I have chills and I’m not sure why.”

* * *

Lawson understood her feelings exactly. He didn’t have chills but he did feel a strange foreboding settle in his gut. He’d done his best to ignore what he’d convinced himself were just fleeting flashes of attraction to Ellie. Living in the old cabin on the Rutledge ranch for the past week or so hadn’t made that easy. Especially since he tended to take his meals with the Rutledge family—and Ellie, train the horses with Nathan—and Ellie, complete barn chores with Nathan, Nathan’s son Timothy—and Ellie. She seemed to be everywhere at once being helpful or kind or getting into mischief.

He’d almost wondered why Nathan hadn’t just increased Ellie’s responsibilities around the farm rather than hire him as foreman. After all, her talent for settling down high-strung horses was remarkable. Then he discovered that Nathan didn’t only need the talented horse trainer he had in Ellie, but also the brawn her slim frame didn’t carry and the business acumen she seemed to intentionally avoid.

Once he settled down into the new job and got used to being in Peppin again, his perception of her would go back to normal. It was obvious Ellie didn’t see him as anything other than a friend, almost a brother. And that was the way it was supposed to be. He wasn’t about to pin his heart on a girl who would no doubt reject him. The last thing he needed right now was for the town to bluster in and make things even more confusing. Unfortunately, it looked as if that was exactly what was about to happen.

He shook his head. “Well, Ellie, it looks like all of your matchmaking efforts are about to be repaid to you.”

“Courtesy of Mrs. Greene. Why does that sound so threatening?” She shivered. “I think she incited this on purpose. Probably because she knows you’d never...”

He almost let that comment slide before deciding against it. “I’d never what?”

She lifted her chin to continue solemnly, “No matter how hard matchmakers might try, you’re the one man who’d never fall in love with me. You’re the only man in town unrelated to me who has a legitimate reason to treat me like a little sister.”

“Ellie.” Not knowing what else to say that wouldn’t make them both feel more awkward, he covered her hand to comfort her.

She shook her head as her large green eyes filled with tears. “No, it’s true. I tell you, it’s true. She saw me punch you afterward. She knew what that meant. She did this on purpose to get back at me for who knows what.”

“Then don’t let her.” He handed her his handkerchief in case one of the tears tried to escape. “Don’t let her know it bothers you. Just go about your life as if it doesn’t matter to you. We won’t let it determine our behavior one way or the other.”

She nodded. She pulled in a deep breath, seeming to will back her tears. Maddie approached to serve their food and eyed their clasped hands. They immediately pulled apart. She smiled, as the town’s plan was working already. Lawson’s gaze flew to Ellie when she gasped. “What’s wrong?”

She straightened abruptly. “There’s Mrs. Greene. I should talk to her.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He stared after her as she strode out the door. It clanged shut with a plaintive cry of the bell. He suddenly realized everyone was watching him. He stared right back at them. Maddie gathered Ellie’s plate. “I’ll box it up for her and she can eat it on the way home.”

“Thank you.”

“Fine way to start a romance,” she muttered as she walked away.

Chapter Four

Ellie frowned as she hurried across Main Street toward where her childhood nemesis stood outside of Sew Wonderful Tailoring. For years, she’d assumed her antagonistic relationship with Mrs. Greene wasn’t something worth contemplation. Now she wasn’t so sure.

Perhaps if she’d apologized for her mischievous youth years ago instead of just letting the pattern continue, she wouldn’t be in this mess now. The funny thing was that Ellie didn’t believe it was entirely her fault. She’d sensed Mrs. Greene’s disapproval for as long as she could remember. Once she’d realized nothing she did changed the woman’s opinion of her, she’d decided she might as well live up to those low expectations and have fun while doing it. It had been a silly, childish decision for sure, and one that had gotten her into scads of trouble.

“When I was a child I spoke as a child but when I became an adult I put childish things away.”

Isn’t that in the Bible somewhere? Her heart beat rapidly in her throat even as her steps hastened in resolve. “Mrs. Greene, may I speak to you for a moment in private?”

The woman slowly turned from surveying the window to look at Ellie with a measuring stare. Her response came slowly but with precision. “Certainly.”

“The courtyard is always quiet,” she suggested. At Mrs. Greene’s nod, she led the woman toward the courthouse then stopped beside one of the courtyard’s benches. This was going to be either the wisest or the stupidest things she’d ever done. She cleared her throat. “I’d like to apologize for the way I behaved when I was younger—”

Mrs. Greene laughed. She laughed! “You must want something from me pretty badly if this is the approach you’re taking. What is it, then?”

Taken off guard, Ellie pulled in a steadying breath before replying. “M-Maddie at the café says you’ve been telling everyone that I’m engaged to Lawson.”

“Yes?”

“But I’m not!”

Mrs. Greene sniffed disdainfully. “Well, of course you are. I saw him get down on his knee and propose. It’s pure nonsense keeping the engagement hidden when you know both families will approve. Why should I keep your secret for you?”

“It isn’t a secret! I mean, it isn’t an engagement!” Ellie shook her head to clear her confusion. “Lawson was just teasing me—he proposed as a joke. As soon as he was done, I punched him on the shoulder and then we both had a good laugh about it. That was it! Or it should have been, except that you had to go and tell everyone. Now the whole town has gotten the wrong idea.”

“Have they?” Mrs. Greene tilted her head. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure! I thought it was obvious we were joking and that you were just telling people it was real as a prank. You know, like the ones I used to pull.” She probably shouldn’t have reminded Mrs. Greene about the pranks. The woman’s face turned a little red so Ellie rushed on. “I just thought that if we talked—if I apologized for the way I used to behave—maybe you could tell people that you were mistaken.”

“Hmm.” There was a long pause as Mrs. Greene pondered the matter. “No.”

Ellie was so stunned that it took her a minute before she could speak. “No?”

“I don’t believe I will.” Mrs. Greene’s laugh was tinged with pity. “Did you really think a half-sincere apology would fix everything? Oh, no. I think it’s high time someone gave you a taste of your own medicine.”

“What medicine? I don’t spread false stories about other people.”

“No. You prefer true ones,” Mrs. Greene said before she paled slightly then hurried on. “Never mind, Ellie. I accept your apology but I doubt anything I say will stop this train now that it’s on the tracks. Everyone will begin meddling in your life just as you’ve always meddled in theirs. We’ll see how you like it.”

Ellie surveyed the woman carefully then shook her head slowly. “That isn’t what you meant about getting a taste of my own medicine. What true story do you think I spread?”

“I really must go.”

Ellie stopped the woman with a quick hand on her arm. “No, Mrs. Greene. I think you’d better stay and tell me what this is all about. I’ve always sensed you didn’t like me. I’d like to know why.”

Mrs. Greene stared at her. “You really don’t remember?”

She shook her head. “Should I?”

Ire momentarily rose in the woman’s eyes. She gave a tight nod then sat down on the bench. “I daresay you should. I certainly do.”

Ellie waited as Mrs. Greene gathered her thoughts. Finally, the woman met her gaze. “I used to be good friends with your mother. You remember that, at least.”

“Vaguely.” She took the seat at the far side of the bench. “I was only eight when they died.”

“I know,” Mrs. Greene said quietly. “Once I went to visit your mother. You were home from school because you weren’t feeling well. You’d fallen asleep on the settee as your mother and I talked, so I felt it was all right if I shared a confidence. Your mother was so sweet. She even prayed that I would accept the fact that God’s love had covered my sins. That was the end of it, or so I thought.

“The next day my daughter came home crying.” Mrs. Greene surveyed her scathingly. “You hadn’t been asleep after all. You’d heard every word and repeated it to your friends at school. The whole town knew in a matter of hours.”

Ellie frowned in confusion. “Knew what?”

Mrs. Greene’s words were quiet, steady, yet bore a trace of shame. “I bore my daughter out of wedlock.”

Ellie gasped—not at Mrs. Greene’s words but at what that meant about her. “You mean, I told everyone that?”

“You certainly did.”

“Oh, no. I’m so sorry!”

The woman fiddled with her reticule. “Your parents came to me a few days later and apologized. They said you repeated the story without knowing what it meant. Unfortunately, the rest of the town did.”

“My parents...” she murmured as she blinked away a vague semblance of a memory. It returned with vengeance. She remembered overhearing the conversation, telling the older girls and feeling so important when they gasped. She also recalled the disappointment on her parents’ faces when she’d admitted it. The disappointment in their voices...

That vague feeling of guilt overcame her with startling intensity. Quickly, she pushed it away—blocked those memories from her thoughts. She didn’t want to examine them. She didn’t want to remember. She rose abruptly from the bench to look down at Mrs. Greene. “Don’t tell me any more. I understand. I’m sorry. I—I don’t want to talk about this ever again.”

Odd, how Mrs. Greene didn’t seem startled by her reaction. She just nodded slowly. As if she knew something Ellie didn’t.

“Everyone has something to be ashamed of, Ellie,” Mrs. Greene said quietly. “You exposed my secret and humiliated me and my family in front of the whole town. But you’re not innocent, either. The things you’ve done have brought down terrible consequences on your family, too.”

Ellie stared at the woman. What terrible consequences? What had she done that caused so much harm? Could it be possible that after all these years of suppressing it, that strange sense of guilt actually meant something? Was it something Mrs. Greene—and Mrs. Greene only—was somehow intimately aware of? It must have to do with her parents...with their disappointment in her. She swallowed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Perhaps not.” The woman smiled ruefully. “Perhaps it’s just as well you don’t. We won’t speak of this again. I have to go.”

She watched Mrs. Greene walk away then sank onto the bench. She felt so guilty—almost dirty. She wasn’t sure how long she sat there but she slowly became aware of the man standing before her. She shook the clouds from her head to meet the stranger’s blue eyes. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

“I said I’m new here. I just got off the train, in fact. I’m looking for the boardinghouse.”

“The boardinghouse—” That’s as far as she got before tears began to run down her cheeks.

A look of panic crossed the young man’s face before he sat beside her and handed her a handkerchief. “There, now. If it’s such a horrible place, I won’t go anywhere near it.”

She gave a watery laugh. “I’m sorry. The boardinghouse is a wonderful place. I just had an unsettling conversation, that’s all. You mustn’t mind me.”

“Ellie, I’ve been looking all over for you.”

She jumped up to greet Lawson. “I’m sorry for leaving you like that. I just had to speak to Mrs. Greene.”

He eyed the handkerchief in her hand. “I’m guessing that didn’t go well.”

“She said some awful things. She also said that she thought the story was true when she shared it—but even now that she knows it isn’t, she’ll do nothing to stop it from spreading. I was right. She wants to get back at me for...everything.”

“Well, let her have her fun.” He caught her arms to give them a supportive squeeze. “We won’t let it bother us.”

A weak smile was all she could offer in return. After all, he wasn’t the one with an ominous secret lurking somewhere in a memory. A throat cleared behind them. She followed Lawson’s gaze when it traveled past her to the man standing patiently by the bench. “Oh, this man saw that I was upset and tried to cheer me up. I’d introduce y’all but I don’t think I caught your name. I’m Ellie O’Brien and this is Lawson Williams.”

The stranger’s smile slipped into what almost seemed like alarm for an instant before he held out his hand to Lawson. “I’m glad to meet you both. I’m Ethan Larue. I’m sure y’all have a lot to discuss so I think I’d better get going.”

Ellie managed to give him directions to the boardinghouse and he was soon on his way. “I’m sorry I was angry earlier.”

He shrugged. “That’s all right. I was angry, too—at the town, I mean. I hope they didn’t offend you too badly.”

“Offend me?” she asked with disbelief. “Why would I be offended? You’re a wonderful person, Lawson. You’re intelligent and funny and...”

His lips titled into that slow grin of his and he held up a hand to stop her. “I meant I hope they didn’t offend you by suggesting you needed help finding a match—not that you may have been offended to be matched with me.”

“Oh,” she breathed, feeling her cheeks begin to warm. Why was it that she couldn’t even have a simple conversation without making some silly mistake?

He eyed her. “It’s kind of a crazy idea they have, isn’t it?”

“Uh-huh,” she muttered, in an effort to save face. “Plain crazy. That’s what it is.”

Lord, I just have the knack of getting myself into uncomfortable situations whether verbally or otherwise. It’s just one of my many faults, I know, but if there’s any way You can help me fix that I’d be forever grateful. She bit her lip. As for the town’s matchmaking—well, she’d much rather focus on that than her altercation with Mrs. Greene and its mysterious implications.

* * *

Lawson ignored the sweat mottling his brow as he pounded another wooden stake into the ground. Nathan followed slowly behind him, digging the holes the new fence posts would soon go in. “We’ve got company.”

He glanced up as a rider approached. It took him a moment to realize the rider was Chris Johansen. The distance between them dissipated, allowing Lawson to see him more clearly. The man’s hair was slicked back and it was also obvious that he had taken special care with his clothing. However, it was the bouquet of wildflowers that gave away the true nature of the man’s mission.

“It looks like you have some competition,” Nathan teased.

Nathan and Sean had gotten a kick out of the town’s decision to hitch him to Ellie, and his supposed “courtship” had been a running joke ever since. Sean laughed so hard that Ellie had been put out with him for the entire week. It was a little disheartening how against the whole thing she actually was. Not that he’d planned to do anything about the attraction that had started stirring in his chest during Founders’ Day. He knew where stirrings like that eventually led—to a little white chapel and tiny booties.

Whether he’d really make a good husband and father was anybody’s guess. He’d been willing to try with Lorelei but when she’d walked out on their wedding, he’d started to wonder if maybe God’s will was involved in keeping him single. The past ten years of his life had been wonderful but he’d been branded by the first fourteen, and that scar wasn’t going to go away. Even if he could somehow trust himself not to emulate his memories, he wasn’t sure he would be enough to make a woman stay. His first mother had abandoned him. Lorelei had literally run from him. Despite Lettie’s affection, he kept wondering when she’d reach her limit and decide she didn’t want him. He’d spent a year away from home and she hadn’t forgotten him. It was practically unfathomable.

Meanwhile, Lawson and Ellie had figured out the best way to avoid the town’s tricks was to simply avoid the town itself. So far, so good, but now it seemed the town had come to them and not at all in the way they’d expected. Chris pulled his horse to a stop. Lawson drove the stake into the ground with one last swing then stood to greet the man since he was closest. “Hello, Chris.”

Chris dismounted then turned to greet Lawson with a wary look. “Hello, Lawson. I’d like to see Nathan in private, if you don’t mind.”

Lawson nodded then turned to Nathan for direction. “Why don’t you go get Ellie and tell her to meet us in the house?” Nathan suggested.

“Yes, sir.”

“Thanks, Lawson.”

Lawson waved off Nathan’s thanks then made the long walk to the barn in search of Ellie. He found her near the back in the stall with a mare that was due to foal in the next few weeks. Her hands were carefully examining the mare’s stomach. She looked up when he neared and he propped his boot on the stall’s gate. “You have a visitor.”

“I do?” She tilted her head curiously. “Who is it?”

“Christian Johansen,” he said, carefully pronouncing each syllable.

“Why didn’t he just come inside?” She gave the mare one last pat then climbed the few rungs of the gate until she was able to sit on top of it. She lifted her legs over the gate then pushed herself around to face him.

He tilted back his Stetson to look up at her. “It isn’t that kind of a visit.”

She braced her palms against the wooden railing beneath her. “What kind of visit is it, then?”

“Why don’t you just open the gate and walk out?” he asked when she began to lean forward as if ready to jump down.

His question made her hesitate long enough to set her off balance. Her hands began to slip from the railing. He caught her around the waist and carefully lowered her down to keep her from tumbling the rest of the way. She found her footing then leaned back, accidentally trapping his hands between her waist and the stall gate behind her. Her green eyes sparkled as she looked up at him. “That wouldn’t be nearly as exciting.”

“Probably not,” he admitted as he tried to ignore the way his heartbeat increased.

“What kind of visit wouldn’t let Chris come to the barn?”

“A courting kind of visit.” Grateful for the reminder, he shifted her weight forward just long enough to reclaim his hands, then took a large step back. Ellie looked positively perturbed.

“You’re kidding me, right?”

“Nope. He’s talking with Nathan and is going to meet you in the house. You should clean yourself up. You have a dirt smudge on your cheek.” He gestured to the affected area. She lifted her shoulder and wiped her cheek on her shirt. That only left more residue. He grinned. “There’s your problem.”

He lifted her chin to the side then carefully wiped the smudges from her cheek with his handkerchief. He stuffed the handkerchief back in his pocket, released her chin and stepped back. “That’s better. Now you’d better get in there.”

Her green eyes sought his for a long moment before she smiled. “Yes, sir.”

Ellie and Kate disappeared into the parlor to whisper together. Lawson figured he might as well stick around and get a drink of water before he headed back into the heat. He had just poured himself a cup when Nathan and Kate’s oldest child, Timothy, burst through the back door. “I was digging up potatoes. That makes a man awfully thirsty.”

“It sure does, partner.” Lawson handed him the cup and poured himself another. “Slug that down. I bet it will help.”

“Thanks.” The dark-haired boy showed his gap-toothed grin and did just that.

The front door opened and Lawson heard Nathan and Chris enter. Chris went immediately into the parlor while Nathan joined them in the kitchen. “Looks like the men are taking over the kitchen. Kate’s going to stay in the room with them.”

“Chris, if you came about that silly list, you should know that I’m not going to talk about it anymore.”

Lawson’s eyebrows rose at the faint but clear sound of Ellie’s voice, then he stared into the hall that separated the kitchen from the parlor. He looked at Nathan. The man shrugged. “There are thin walls in the old part of the house.”

Lawson grinned. “No kidding.”

Timothy frowned. “Who was that man you were walking with?”

“I didn’t come here for the list, Ellie. I came here for you.”

“That was Chris.”

Ellie’s voice sounded in response but Lawson couldn’t hear what she said because Timothy started talking. “That didn’t look like Chris. That looked like some kind of fancy man all gussied up.”

Lawson laughed. Nathan shook his head. “Chris got all gussied up because he came to court Ellie.”

Timothy turned to Lawson. “I thought you were courting her. At least, that’s what the other kids say at school.”

“Those were just rumors,” Lawson said. “Don’t believe them. You’d know for sure if I was courting your aunt.”

“How?”

“You’d see me doing it, kiddo.”

“I can’t hear—” Nathan complained before he could catch himself. He turned to Timothy. “How about a piece of your ma’s cake? You can have some if you’re very quiet.”

Lawson shook his head. “Shameless.”

“Ellie, I’ve wanted to court you for a year now.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“I knew you thought we were only friends. I don’t want to be only friends anymore. I know you’re courting with Lawson and I respect that, but I couldn’t go any longer without letting you know how I feel about you. I wanted you to know that before you did something you couldn’t take back.”

“For the last time, I am not engaged to Lawson.” There was a pause, then her voice became gentler. “You’ve been such a good friend to me—”

“But it could change into something better if you gave us a chance.”

“No, I honestly can’t imagine us being anything more than just friends. I see you like a brother. Nothing more.”

Nathan gave a nod of approval.

“You said the same thing about Lawson.”

“I know, and I’m not going to marry Lawson, either.”

“Does he know that?”

“Yep.” Lawson nodded just as Ellie said, “Goodness, yes.”

“Then why not—”

“Chris, let’s forget all of this and go on as we always have.”

“Poor man,” Lawson said while Ellie said goodbye to Chris. “That has to hurt.”

Nathan nodded. “That’s about what I expected but I did warn him. I guess that means you and Ellie are still on the road to matrimony.”

Lawson shook his head at Nathan’s teasing. “For the record, when I asked she said ‘no’ so there is no possible way we’re engaged or courting.”

Ellie breezed into the kitchen to grab Kate’s mending basket. “It would have served you right if I had said yes. What would you have done then?”

He shrugged nonchalantly as he returned her challenge with his own. “Picked out a ring.”

“Oh, sure.” She breathed in disbelief but that uncertain look in her eye told him she’d picked up on that slight vein of truth in his voice. “We would have one-upped each other right to the altar.”

“Probably.”

“Well, if you gentlemen are done eavesdropping, you should probably get back to work.” She sent them a knowing look over her shoulder before she breezed out of the room.

Yep, she had them figured out, all right. He turned to share a chagrinned grimace with Nathan only to find the man scrutinizing him thoughtfully. Lawson cleared his throat then decided he’d better follow Ellie’s advice before Nathan asked him to explain that comment about the ring. He wasn’t sure he wanted to explain it to himself.