Carolyne Aarsen - A Cowboy For The Twins

Cowboy Daddy

Shauntelle Dexter’s twin girls think they’ve found their perfect new dad in cowboy Noah Cosgrove. But how could she ever be interested in the man her family believes responsible for her brother’s death? Besides, while she’s putting down roots in Cedar Ridge, the big-city contractor will soon be hitting the highway straight out of town—until he’s roped into building Shauntelle’s dream restaurant. Working beside her reopens old wounds Noah would rather forget. But he doesn’t know real trouble until his mother and the twins join forces. One wily matchmaker, two precocious little girls and one beautiful woman may be more than a reluctant cowboy can resist.

CAROLYNE AARSENand her husband, Richard, live on a small ranch in northern Alberta, where they have raised four children and numerous foster children and are still raising cattle. Carolyne crafts her stories in an office with a large west-facing window, through which she can watch the changing seasons while struggling to make her words obey. Visit her website at carolyneaarsen.com.

Also By Carolyne Aarsen

Cowboys of Cedar Ridge

Courting the Cowboy

Second-Chance Cowboy

The Cowboy’s Family Christmas

A Cowboy for the Twins

Big Sky Cowboys

Wrangling the Cowboy’s Heart

Trusting the Cowboy

The Cowboy’s Christmas Baby

Lone Star Cowboy League

A Family for the Soldier

Refuge Ranch

Her Cowboy Hero

Reunited with the Cowboy

The Cowboy’s Homecoming

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

A Cowboy for the Twins

Carolyne Aarsen

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-08029-3

A COWBOY FOR THE TWINS

© 2018 Carolyne Aarsen

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

Version: 2020-03-02

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She needed to get away.

But no sooner had she stood when her daughters left her side and went straight to the man she wanted to avoid.

When she caught up to them, the girls were chatting away with Noah and his mother.

“Millie, Margaret, don’t be pests,” Shauntelle said.

“She invited us over,” Millie told Shauntelle, as she pointed at Noah’s mother. “Can we go ride the horses?”

“I don’t think so.” She gave her daughter a gentle tug, but Millie pulled away, throwing Shauntelle off balance. As she began to fall, a strong arm snaked around her waist.

Noah held her closer than she liked, creating a curious mix of discomfort and assurance. “Are you okay?”

“I— Yes. Thank you.” She looked up at him, ready to pull away. But then their eyes met and in their depths she saw an indefinable emotion. Regret? Sorrow?

She found herself unable to look anywhere but at him. Her heart rolled over in her chest as the warmth of his arm registered. Even as one thought echoed in her brain.

This man is responsible for your brother’s death.

Dear Reader,

Grief hits us all in ways unique to each of us. A loss in the family is handled differently by each person.

In this book, Shauntelle was dealing with several varieties of grief. The loss of her husband, followed by the loss of her brother. On top of that, she was living with her parents, who were dealing with their own grief. When Noah comes to town, she has an easy target for the anger portion of grief that is often woven into sorrow.

Noah is struggling with his own guilt over the death of Shauntelle’s brother, and seeing Shauntelle and her family’s reaction to his presence in town only underscores that guilt. He didn’t really want to come back to town, but obligation and the need to see his mother brought him there.

However, Noah has his own past and his own pain to deal with. His sorrow is connected to dark memories, hard work and a bad relationship with his father. He has to learn to separate past from present, which is the same lesson that Shauntelle and her family have to learn.

I hope you enjoyed reading the journey of Noah and Shauntelle as they learn to place their life in God’s hands. As they learn to accept healing from the past. As they go forward into a new future together.

This is the last of the Cedar Ridge stories, and I hope you enjoyed your time here.

If you want to find out more about my books, check out my website at carolyneaarsen.com, plus you can write me any time at caarsen@xplornet.com. I love to hear from my readers!

Blessings,

Carolyne

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;

and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow,

nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain:

for the former things are passed away.

—Revelation 21:4

For my beloved father,

whose life was a reflection of his faith.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Dear Reader

Bible Verse

Dedication

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