Jessica Keller - Home for Good

“I Made A Promise To Protect You.”

But pregnant Ali Silver’s husband broke his vow and walked away from her. After being injured in combat, Jericho has finally come home to Bitterroot Valley to make peace with his father and regain Ali’s trust. But the single mom’s keeping secrets of her own. And someone’s killing off Ali’s cattle and sabotaging her horse therapy business. Jericho will do whatever it takes to protect his wife and be a real father to his son. Because when it comes to love and second chances, he’s one determined cowboy.

“Do you even know what day it is?” Ali asked. “How difficult this is?”

She whirled to walk into the house, but Jericho captured her arm and made her face him. Setting the basket down, he placed his hands on her shoulders. “Today is the nine-year anniversary of the day the girl of my dreams married me. It was the happiest day of my life. I could never forget.”

Tears made her eyes look like melted chocolate. His gut twisted. He never wanted to be the cause for this woman crying ever again.

“Your anniversary gift is in there on the table.”

“My gift?”

He smiled. “I owe you a heap more. I’ll make up for the lost years, too, if you’ll let me.”

JESSICA KELLER

As a child, Jessica possessed the dangerous combination of too much energy coupled with an overactive imagination. This pairing led to more than seven broken bones and countless scars. Oddly enough, she’s worked as a zookeeper, librarian, camp counselor, horse wrangler, housekeeper and finance clerk, but now loves her full-time work in law enforcement. Former editor of both her college newspaper and literary journal at Trinity International University, Jessica received degrees in both Communications and Biblical Studies. She lives in the Chicagoland suburbs with her amazing husband and two annoyingly outgoing cats who also happen to be named after superheroes.

Home for Good

Jessica Keller

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

—Proverbs 13:12

Thank you to Mom and Dad, for all your support. To Lisa, who always believed in me. The Wunderlich sisters, who were never shy about feedback, and for both being as in love with Jericho as I am. Special kudos goes to Sadie who urged me to write in the first place. Thanks George and Wanda, for taking the time to answer all my questions about living in the country. Carol and Kristy, my beloved NovelSisters, your prayers made this book a reality. And to Matthew, I could never express in words how much your support and encouragement means to me. I love you so much.

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

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Dear Reader

Questions for Discussion

Excerpt

Chapter One

After what seemed like a lifetime of bad days, Ali Silver couldn’t wait to share a carefree afternoon with her son at the city picnic. Sunshine washed through the valley, giving a glow to the rivers and casting shadows out of the sharp mountain canyons to the west. With the pickup’s windows rolled down, the air drifted in, spiced with alfalfa and silver sage. Fields of bucking hay splashed across the landscape, juxtaposed with the occasional lone apple tree—relics leftover from once substantial orchards.

Ali drove with one hand on the wheel, the other cocked in the open window. “Hang on to that. We don’t want to spill it before the soldiers get to taste it.”

Her son, Chance, hugged the bowl on his lap. “I know. This is the special potato salad. The one you only make for special people.”

“Like you.” She winked at him.

After waiting in a line of traffic to enter the park, Ali maneuvered her beast of a truck into one of the last available spots. She took the potato salad from Chance, and they ambled toward the crowd near the food tables. A couple local firefighters manned the grills. They waved. The smell of sizzling brats tickled her nose.

Hannah, a shop owner in town, signaled to Ali. “Isn’t this just the nicest thing? I do believe the Hamilton Civic Club pulled out all the stops to honor these troops.”

Ali balanced the bowl against her hip. “Having a picnic to honor the local servicemen who have returned this year was a great idea. I’m glad the town is doing something. And Chance loves anything to do with the army, so he’s tickled to meet them.”

Hannah clasped her hands together. “Oh, yes. I like them teaching the young people to support the troops.”

Chance yanked on Ali’s arm.

Hannah chuckled. “That boy’s eager!”

Messing up his hair, Ali smiled down at her son. “Go on and find Aunt Kate and see if you can snag an empty table for us.”

Without waiting to hear more, Chance took off running. Ali’s heart squeezed. He might mirror her brown-sugar-like freckles, but the thick maple-colored hair that stuck up on the side when he woke in the morning, his square jaw, the angular nose and intense pale blue eyes—all of that belonged to his father. Chance looked just like...

Ali shook her head. She did not want to think about him. Not today. Not ever.

Instead she chose to weave through groups of mingling neighbors, greeting them with a nod since her hands were full. She located an empty place for the potato salad on a table already loaded with deviled eggs, baked beans and desserts. Satisfied that the food situation was under control, Ali snatched a gooey-looking brownie and raised it to her lips.

“Hiya, Ali.”

The voice from her past rocketed through her with the force of a kick drum. The brownie flew out of her hand, leaving a powdered-sugar trail down her shirt on its way to the hard dirt. She spun around.

Jericho Freed.

All six feet of him, clad in jeans and a fitted gray-striped button-down. His bold, masculine eyebrows rose as he surveyed her with look-me-in-the-eyes-if-you-dare blues. He wore a straw cowboy hat with unruly hair poking out, and a five o’clock shadow outlined his firm jaw. More than eight years later, and the man still made her mouth go dry.

It frustrated her that after everything, he still had that power.

So she did the only rational thing she could think to do. Flee.

In a fluid movement, Ali sidestepped him and took off sprinting at a breakneck clip. Her hat flew off.

He yelled out her name.

And just like in the past, his voice poured sweet and velvety, like chocolate over each syllable. Ali’s nails dug into her palms. She didn’t want to hear him. She never wanted to fall under his spell again. Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes as she ran.

Why was he here? Oh, why hadn’t she moved away when she had the...chance? Chance! Suddenly she pounded faster, the narrow toe of her boots chafing against her feet.

Jericho couldn’t see Chance. She wouldn’t let that happen. God, please!

Ali zeroed in on her sister Kate milling next to the volleyball court.

She waved her arms. “Quick! We have to find Chance! Now!” Ali pressed a hand to the stitch in her side as she looked over her shoulder, scanning the crowd for the cowboy with impossibly blue eyes. He hadn’t followed her.

Kate jogged toward Ali, her eyes wide. “Sis? I don’t see smoke coming from your hair, so if it’s not on fire—what is?”

She seized Kate’s arms, clamping down on reality. “He’s here. He’s back. What am I supposed to... What if he... What about Chance?” Her voice rose in a frenzy.