Belle Calhoune - Her Alaskan Cowboy

Title Page Her Alaskan Cowboy Belle Calhoune www.millsandboon.co.uk

Copyright ISBN: 978-1-474-08242-6 HER ALASKAN COWBOY © 2018 Sandra Calhoune 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. ® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries. www.millsandboon.co.uk

Bible Verse I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. —Psalms 139:14

Introduction “What do you think you’re doing?” Joshua demanded. “I had to take action before you sold the ranch,” Honor said. “No, you didn’t. It’s not your business!” She glared at him. “It is my business. I could no sooner turn my back on this town than I could forsake my own family.” Joshua let out a scoffing sound. “You’re affecting my future. And Violet’s. How can you do that? Is this about getting even with me?” She glared at him. “I’m not doing this for personal reasons.” Joshua narrowed his gaze. “So it has nothing to do with any feelings you might have for me?” Honor sucked in a shocked breath and met his gaze head-on. “Everything I felt for you died the moment you lit the church on fire.” She could see the hurt in his eyes as he stormed out of the building. She felt bad about the animosity between them, but she couldn’t allow her personal feelings for Joshua to sway her decisions. If she did, Honor knew she would be in a world of trouble.

Dear Reader Dear Reader Contents Cover Back Cover Text About the Author Booklist Title Page Copyright Bible Verse Introduction Dear Reader 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 Epilogue Extract , Thank you for joining me on this Alaskan journey. Writing this Alaskan Grooms series has been a romance writer’s dream. I’ve had so much fun creating this Alaska-based series. The town of Love is filled with some very special characters. A sense of community ties them all together. Honor and Joshua are a fitting couple to end this series. They are two wonderful people who have been gifted with a second chance at love. Having fallen in love as teenagers, then ending an engagement at eighteen, they have truly earned their happy ending. Their love has endured. It grew and blossomed the second time around. Neither one of them had ever truly given up on each other. Their happy ending is a sweet reward. Writing for the Love Inspired line is an honor. I feel very blessed to have my dream job. What’s better than working in my pajamas? I enjoy hearing from readers however you may choose to contact me. I can be reached by email at scalhoune@gmail.com or at bellecalhoune.com . If you’re on Facebook, please stop by my Author Belle Calhoune page. Blessings, Belle

Dedication For my nieces—Celina, Kylie and Nina. May you grow up to follow your hearts and live out your dreams.

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

Epilogue

Extract

Chapter One

Honor Prescott sat on her white stallion and stared down from the mountain ridge at the sprawling Diamond R Ranch. From this vantage point, Honor had a bird’s-eye view of the property. She could see horses in the paddock and a few ranch hands milling around. Snow from last night’s snowfall covered the ground. She let out a sigh of appreciation at the vast acreage. This view had always been spectacular.

A few cars were parked in the driveway by the main house. She spotted Lee Jamison’s distinctive yellow-and-tan wagon parked by the house. She felt her lips twitching at the sight of it. That van had to be older than Lee himself. As town attorney and a member of the town council, Lee was a beloved figure in Love, Alaska. Honor had come to the Diamond R Ranch today at Lee’s request.

Honor drew her coat tighter around her as the February wind whipped relentlessly against her body. Although the sun was shining, there was a chill in the air. Honor grabbed Lola’s reins and cantered toward the property. Riding her horse rather than driving over from the wildlife preserve was a luxury for her. Lately, she’d been so busy with work demands she rarely had the opportunity to spend time with her horse.

A feeling of nostalgia swept over her. It had been years since she had visited the ranch owned by Bud Ransom, the patriarch of the Ransom family. Bud had unexpectedly passed away a few days ago. She would miss him and his warm, solid presence. And she would be forever grateful to him for leaving the ranch to the town in his will.

Bittersweet memories washed over her as she surveyed the property. The two-story log cabin–style home was a generous size. It had been home for generations of Ransoms. Her ex-fiancé, Joshua Ransom, had grown up here with his grandparents, parents and his older brother, Theo. When they were dating, Honor had spent a lot of time at the Diamond R. Too much time, according to her own brothers—Boone, Liam and Cameron. They had been vehemently opposed to her relationship with Joshua, who had been in and out of trouble for the duration of their relationship. Joshua had been the ultimate rebel. Boone, who served as town sheriff, had hauled Joshua into his office on more occasions than she could count for a variety of charges. Drunk and disorderly. Vandalism.

But Honor and Joshua had been head over heels in love and committed to a life together. She had defended him at every turn, much to her family’s dismay. In the end, their engagement had imploded after Joshua’s involvement in a fire that had gutted a beloved town church and left a man seriously injured. It had been the final straw for her. Honor had given him back his diamond ring and headed off to college in Michigan. They hadn’t spoken since.