The Forever Family. Leigh Bale

      Sam couldn’t get her off his mind.

      It had nothing to do with her clear blue eyes filled with worry for her son, or the way she’d cried out while she was injured. No sirree. She was trouble, and he wanted nothing to do with her.

      But against his better judgment, something about Rachel Walker drew him like a moth to a flame. By midday, word would spread all over town that a new woman was moving into Finnegan’s Valley. No doubt she’d draw attention from every bachelor for miles around.

      Not him. He didn’t have time to notice a pretty woman. He’d accepted his fate as a confirmed bachelor long ago. He’d had his chance at love and ruined it. But deep down inside, he still couldn’t help yearning for a family of his own.

      Someone to shower his life upon. Someone all his own who loved him in return no matter what.

      With Rachel in his life, somehow he sensed he would never be the same again.

      LEIGH BALE

      is a multiple award-winning author of inspirational and romantic fiction. In 2006, Leigh won the RWA’s prestigious Golden Heart Award and sold her first book to Steeple Hill Books’ Love Inspired line. A member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor society, Leigh also belongs to various chapters of RWA, including the Sacramento Valley Rose; the Faith, Hope and Love Chapter; the Hearts through History Romance Writers; and the Golden Network. She is the mother of two and lives in Nevada with her professor husband of twenty-seven years. When she isn’t working or writing, Leigh loves playing with her beautiful granddaughter, serving in her church congregation and taking classes to finish her graduate degree. Visit her Web site at www.LeighBale.com.

      The Forever Family

      Leigh Bale

      In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.

      —Psalms 62:7–8

      This book is dedicated to my dear Aunt Shirley,

       the bravest fighter in the ring.

      And many thanks to Dr. David Baggett, DVM, for answering my veterinarian questions. To Chris Platt, the best critique partner a girl could ever ask for. To Melissa Endlich, for believing in me. And to Dan Baird. Thanks, Dad.

      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

      Questions for Discussion

      Chapter One

      Rachel Walker blinked her eyes, which were gritty with fatigue. Exhaustion burned through her body, but she fought it off. She had to stay awake. Had to focus on the dark road. The window defroster had stopped working fifteen miles outside of Finley, Nevada.

      She peered at the clock on the dashboard. Two thirty-five in the morning. Just a few more miles and she could sleep.

      A shiver trembled over her body and she tightened her frozen fingers around the steering wheel of her blue 1984 compact car. Her breath made little puffs each time she exhaled. Without heat, the windshield kept fogging over. She rubbed her gloved hand in a circular spot on the glass pane so she could see out.

      Heavy snow blanketed the car, falling from the night sky in thick, wet dollops. With no more than forty feet of visibility in front of her, she slowed to a crawl. She should have stopped at the last town instead of going on in this blizzard, but she didn’t have a lot of money for a motel, and she needed to make her cash last as long as possible.

      Dread swept her when she thought of the impending holiday season. Without any family around, baking a turkey, pies and rolls for Thanksgiving dinner wouldn’t be much fun. And then Christmas.

      Even worse.

      Though she still mourned her husband, she had to think of Danny and try to build happy memories for him. After losing his father ten months earlier, he sure needed something joyful in his life. She glanced in the rearview mirror at her seven-year-old son sleeping in the backseat. She smiled as she gazed at his sweet face. So trusting, so serene.

      A thatch of blond hair peeked out from beneath Danny’s red knit cap. Blond like his father, with dazzling blue eyes, an impish nose and a mischievous smile that melted her heart.

      The top of Danny’s seat belt slanted across his small body. With these horrible road conditions, she’d insisted he wear it before she bundled a heavy quilt around him. He obeyed begrudgingly, hunched against the teddy bear stuffed between his head and the cold door. She wished she dared let him remove the seat belt and lie down. He’d be more comfortable, but it wouldn’t be safe.

      He shivered. With the heater inoperable, they both wore thick winter coats. Soon, they’d be at their new home and could get warm. Soon, they’d be safe.

      An occasional glimpse of the tops of the guardrails kept Rachel from driving off the road into the snowy embankment. She’d never felt more alone than right now.

      Please, God. Please keep us safe tonight.

      The last time she came to see Grammy, Alex had been driving. They’d passed through Nevada just over a year ago, heading for the sunny beaches of California to enjoy a short vacation. She’d invited Grammy to come along, but the elderly lady refused. Within two months, Alex had died of a brain aneurysm, taking her heart with him—

      Enough of that! The memory of her beloved husband brought tears to her eyes and she brushed them away. She could barely see out the window already. The year since Alex’s death had been followed by a long struggle to make ends meet. When she received the call last month that Grammy had died quietly in her sleep, Rachel decided to move west. Grammy had left her old farmhouse to Rachel, and she intended to live there with Danny and start a new life.

      The rhythmic thwacking of the windshield wipers brought her comfort. The wheels of the small travel trailer she pulled behind her car thumped through the heavy snow. The trailer contained her worldly possessions: bedding, clothes, picture albums, Danny’s toys, and the oak rocking chair Alex presented to her the day they brought Danny home from the hospital. Her grandmother’s house contained all the furniture they would need. She had enough money to get them settled and then she’d find a job. They’d make do or do without.

      Four more miles. In this storm, she might get lost or stuck in the snow if she tried going out to Grammy’s house along the dark country roads. Maybe she’d get a cheap motel room after all, just for tonight. She’d drive out to Grammy’s place in the morning, once the snowplows had time to do their work. The house hadn’t been occupied since Grammy died. It had a solid roof, but Rachel figured the place would need a thorough cleaning.

      As she entered the outskirts of town, several small billboards appeared on her right, listing various services, clubs and churches in the community. Through the falling snow, Rachel couldn’t make out any names. Again, she rubbed at the windshield to clear a spot to see, longing for friends. Wanting