Sarah Anderson - His Lost and Found Family

Skye looked around and was surprised to see that she recognized the road they were on. Now was as good a time as any to start making some new memories.

“What?” Jake asked in alarm as he slammed on the brakes.

“We used to park here, remember?” She undid her seat belt and slid over to him. “We used to stop here on the way home.”

She grinned nervously at him. Yes, she wanted to get home to Grace, but she’d been in a bed—by herself—for the past four months. It was time to fix that starting right now .

Jake was stiff in her arms. “We did,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Are you going to kiss me, Jake Holt?” she whispered against his lips.

He turned his head. “The doctor said—He said we shouldn’t stress you out too much. Physically.”

Skye sighed in disappointment. “Not even if I want to be stressed? Just a little? Not even a kiss?”

Jake didn’t reply for a moment. Then he sort of chuckled and said, “When we used to stop here, I don’t remember it ever being just a kiss.”

* * *

His Lost and Found Family

is part of the Texas Cattleman’s Club: After the Storm series—As a Texas town rebuilds, love heals all wounds …

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Award-winning author SARAH M. ANDERSONmay live east of the Mississippi River, but her heart lies out west on the Great Plains. With a lifelong love of horses and two history teachers for parents, she had plenty of encouragement to learn everything she could about the tribes of the Great Plains.

When she started writing, it wasn’t long before her characters found themselves out in South Dakota among the Lakota Sioux. She loves to put people from two different worlds into new situations and to see how their backgrounds and cultures take them someplace they never thought they’d go.

Sarah’s book A Man of Privilege won the 2012 RT Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Mills & Boon ®Desire™. Her book Straddling the Line was named Best Mills & Boon ®Desire™ of 2013 by CataRomance, and Mystic Cowboy was a 2014 Booksellers’ Best Award finalist in the Single Title category.

When not helping out at her son’s school or walking her rescue dogs, Sarah spends her days having conversations with imaginary cowboys and American Indians, all of which is surprisingly well-tolerated by her wonderful husband. Readers can find out more about Sarah’s love of cowboys and Indians at sarahmanderson.com.

To my agent, Jill Marsal, who saved this book and quite possibly my career by keeping calm and carrying on, even when I couldn’t. You’ve made me a better writer, and it’s a joy to work with you!

Contents

Cover

Excerpt “Stop!” Skye looked around and was surprised to see that she recognized the road they were on. Now was as good a time as any to start making some new memories. “What?” Jake asked in alarm as he slammed on the brakes. “We used to park here, remember?” She undid her seat belt and slid over to him. “We used to stop here on the way home.” She grinned nervously at him. Yes, she wanted to get home to Grace, but she’d been in a bed—by herself—for the past four months. It was time to fix that starting right now . Jake was stiff in her arms. “We did,” he said through gritted teeth. “Are you going to kiss me, Jake Holt?” she whispered against his lips. He turned his head. “The doctor said—He said we shouldn’t stress you out too much. Physically.” Skye sighed in disappointment. “Not even if I want to be stressed? Just a little? Not even a kiss?” Jake didn’t reply for a moment. Then he sort of chuckled and said, “When we used to stop here, I don’t remember it ever being just a kiss.” * * * His Lost and Found Family is part of the Texas Cattleman’s Club: After the Storm series—As a Texas town rebuilds, love heals all wounds …

Title Page His Lost and Found Family Sarah M. Anderson www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author Award-winning author SARAH M. ANDERSON may live east of the Mississippi River, but her heart lies out west on the Great Plains. With a lifelong love of horses and two history teachers for parents, she had plenty of encouragement to learn everything she could about the tribes of the Great Plains. When she started writing, it wasn’t long before her characters found themselves out in South Dakota among the Lakota Sioux. She loves to put people from two different worlds into new situations and to see how their backgrounds and cultures take them someplace they never thought they’d go. Sarah’s book A Man of Privilege won the 2012 RT Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Mills & Boon ® Desire™. Her book Straddling the Line was named Best Mills & Boon ® Desire™ of 2013 by CataRomance, and Mystic Cowboy was a 2014 Booksellers’ Best Award finalist in the Single Title category. When not helping out at her son’s school or walking her rescue dogs, Sarah spends her days having conversations with imaginary cowboys and American Indians, all of which is surprisingly well-tolerated by her wonderful husband. Readers can find out more about Sarah’s love of cowboys and Indians at sarahmanderson.com .

Dedication To my agent, Jill Marsal, who saved this book and quite possibly my career by keeping calm and carrying on, even when I couldn’t. You’ve made me a better writer, and it’s a joy to work with you!

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Extract

Copyright

One

Jake Holt could not believe his eyes. What on God’s green earth had happened to Royal, Texas?

Yeah, he’d been gone for four years after cutting off all contact with his family and his hometown. He expected some things to have changed. But this? He drove down what had been the main commercial drag. Fast-food restaurants and big-box stores all looked like someone had run over them with a freight train. He passed the hospital, where it looked as if a whole wing was missing.

Jesus. It looked as if a bomb had gone off here. Or...

Or a tornado had blown the town to bits.

The thought made him nervous. Jake cast a withering glance at the papers in the benign-looking envelope on the passenger seat. Divorce papers. Skye had sent him divorce papers. He probably shouldn’t be surprised—he hadn’t spoken to her in almost ten months. He’d been out of the country, setting up an IT at a new oil site in Bahrain. He’d been busy and she’d made her feelings clear.

Part of him knew the marriage was over. They wanted different things. He wanted to be free of their families and their never-ending feud over land. He wanted to wash his hands of Royal, Texas, for good. He’d wanted to get his business, Texas Sky Technologies, off the ground, which required a lot of hard work. He’d wanted to be a success and give her everything she wanted.

Except he couldn’t. Skye wanted the impossible. She hadn’t been able to let go of the crazy notions she’d had about coming back home and resolving the family feud and somehow bringing the Taylors and Holts together. He didn’t know why. Maybe so they could join hands and sing in perfect harmony and share a soda together.

No matter what her reasons, it wasn’t going to happen. The Taylors and the Holts had been arguing, suing and occasionally shooting over the same piece of land for at least a hundred years and nothing Jake did or said was going to change that. Hell, he couldn’t even get his own family to accept that he’d fallen in love with Skye Taylor. How was he supposed to convince her parents to accept him as a son-in-law?