Rancher Daddy
His Perfect Family All rancher Luc Cramer's ever wanted is to someday have a family of his own. And from the moment he meets five-year-old orphan Henry, he's determined to give the little boy a home and a father. So the good-looking cowboy enlists his neighbor Holly Janzen to help him with the adoption process. As she spends time with Luc and adorable Henry, she knows she's losing her heart to them. But once Luc finds out Holly's long-held secret, will he still see her as the wife and mother that she is clearly meant to be?
Читать Rancher Daddy онлайн беплатно
His Perfect Family
All rancher Luc Cramerâs ever wanted is to someday have a family of his own. And from the moment he meets five-year-old orphan Henry, heâs determined to give the little boy a home and a father. So the good-looking cowboy enlists his neighbor Holly Janzen to help him with the adoption process. As she spends time with Luc and adorable Henry, she knows sheâs losing her heart to them. But once Luc finds out Hollyâs long-held secret, will he still see her as the wife and mother that she is clearly meant to be?
âWhat if I do or say the wrong thing?â Luc said hesitantly.
âHenry isnât my son yet. What if I do something that damages my case? What if I somehow hurt him or make a mistake with him? I couldnât stand that.â
âLuc, nobody is born knowing how to be a parent. Itâs trial and error for everyone.â Holly smiled, hoping to ease his anxiety. âCome on, Luc. Youâve talked about adopting Henry. Nowâs not the time to get cold feet. In fact, this is probably the perfect time to try the things you want to do with Henry when you adopt him. Show him what you love,â she said quietly. âHeâll love it, too.â
âI guess thatâs my biggest fear,â he admitted. âMaybe Henry wonât like my life.â
âAre you kidding? Cowboys are Henryâs heroes. Heâs going to dive headlong into whatever you show him. But if he doesnât, youâll find something else, right? Because Henry is the son youâve always wanted.â
Without warning, Luc leaned forward and pressed a kiss against her forehead. âYouâre a good friend, Holly.â
She gulped, utterly unnerved by that soft kiss and yet deeply moved that this strong, competent man needed her. It took a second to get her happy-go-lucky mask in place so Luc wouldnât see how deeply heâd affected her.
LOIS RICHER loves traveling, swimming and quilting, but mostly she loves writing stories that show Godâs boundless love for His precious children. As she says, âHis love never changes or gives up. Itâs always waiting for me. My stories feature imperfect characters learning that love doesnât mean attaining perfection. Love is about keeping on keeping on.â You can contact Lois via email, [email protected], or on Facebook (LoisRicherAuthor).
Let Him have all your worries and cares,
for He is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you.
â1 Peter 5:7
This book is dedicated to children young and old who have ever felt abandoned, alone and unloved. You are not. God loves you with a love so deep no human love could touch it. If you let Him, He will fill your heart and soul so that you never again need to feel youâre on your own.
Contents
Holly Janzen loved her early-morning ride home after a night shift on the hospitalâs pediatric ward. Especially now that spring had crept into the valley where Buffalo Gap nestled in the foothills of the Alberta Rocky Mountains. With the sun just cresting, the town lay bathed in the rosy hue of Mayâs promise. The best part was that morning signaled a fresh start, untouched by the horrible memories of her past.
Holly gaped at the twenty-foot photo of her own face pasted to a huge billboard in the center of town, her heart sinking as she read,
Holly Janzen. Buffalo Gapâs citizen of the year.
Why did they keep doing that? Several times a year Mayor Marsha Grant and the town council did something that featured Holly as the townâs poster child for success. Years ago theyâd granted Holly, the girl voted most likely to succeed, a scholarship to earn her nurse practitioner credentials in Toronto. The mayor and the rest of the town never heard the truth about those years down east and how un-poster-child-like sheâd behaved, because nobody in Buffalo Gap ever saw past the good-girl image of her childhood. To them Holly Janzen was a role model they wanted their own kids to emulate.
As if!
Tired of the never-ending guilt that memories of those years in Toronto always brought, Holly shoved them away and focused instead on the sight of the newly renovated hotel that now housed Family Ties, an adoption agency two friends had set up to help kids who needed homes. But unlike most days, this morning Holly gave the place more than a yearning glance.
This morning a child sat on the steps that led to the front door.
A horn sounded behind her, a short beep, just enough to let her know someone didnât appreciate her pausing in the middle of the street. Holly identified the rusty brown half-ton truck in her rearview mirror and smiled. Luc Cramer, aka Mr. Just In Time.
Luc had come to her rescue many times but especially during her fatherâs illness and after his death three months ago. Heâd continued as Hollyâs ranch manager leaving her free to focus on her work as the communityâs nurse practitioner which often meant she helped pregnant moms deliver healthy newborns. A side benefit of that was that she got to work with moms-to-be at Family Ties.
