A Rancher To Trust. Laurel Blount

      

      Searching for forgiveness...and a future.

      Suddenly a husband...and a father?

      This bachelor is ready to claim his instant family.

      After learning his ex-wife isn’t so ex after all, rebel turned rancher Dan Whitlock is determined to prove he’s a changed man…but Bailey Quinn is just as set on finally ending their marriage. When tragedy makes Dan the guardian of little orphaned twins, he and Bailey are drawn back together. But can she forgive the past and open her heart to the family she’s always wanted?

      LAUREL BLOUNT lives on a small farm in Middle Georgia with her husband, David, their four children, a milk cow, dairy goats, assorted chickens, an enormous dog, three spoiled cats and one extremely bossy goose with boundary issues. She divides her time between farm chores, homeschooling and writing, and she’s happiest with a cup of steaming tea at her elbow and a good book in her hand.

       Also By Laurel Blount

      A Family for the Farmer

      A Baby for the Minister

      Hometown Hope

      A Rancher to Trust

      Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

      A Rancher to Trust

      Laurel Blount

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      ISBN: 978-0-008-90075-5

      A RANCHER TO TRUST

      © 2019 Laurel Blount

      Published in Great Britain 2019

      by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 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

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      “I should have called. I’m sorry.”

      “It’s all right, Dan.” One corner of Bailey’s mouth tipped up in a smile. “At least you came back this time.”

      He drew in a slow breath. “I did. But I’ve brought along a good many responsibilities that I didn’t have when we talked before.”

      Bailey’s gaze drifted back to the slumbering baby in her arms. “You sure have. And they’re beautiful, Dan. Just beautiful.”

      True, but the twins were only part of what he’d been talking about—and honestly, not the part that worried him, at least not where Bailey was concerned. He’d known Bailey wouldn’t blink about taking on a pair of orphaned twins. She was that kind of woman—the best kind, strong and sure and good.

      “Everything’s different now except for one thing. I still care about you, Bailey. I still want to see if we can work things out.” He paused. “You say you were going to sign these papers because you thought that’s what I wanted. It isn’t, not by a long shot. But the question is, what do you want?”

      Dear Reader,

      Hi! I want to thank you for taking this trip back to Pine Valley, Georgia, with me. How I have loved each visit to this sweet small town!

      This particular story has been in the back of my mind ever since Bailey Quinn strolled into the barn in my first-ever Love Inspired novel A Family for the Farmer. I knew right away that a woman as feisty and full of personality as Bailey Quinn deserved her very own happily ever after! And who better to bring that to pass than Dan Whitlock, Abel Whitlock’s prodigal brother—and Bailey’s biggest secret? But of course, secrets and small towns just don’t mix. And to make things even more complicated—while Bailey and Dan struggle to make sense of their crazy situation, Dan finds himself entrusted with a set of infant twins. What results is a story about faith and forgiveness, first loves and long-overdue second chances. I hope you enjoy it!

      I’m always busy writing so hopefully we’ll be taking another trip together soon! In the meantime, don’t be a stranger! You can find me at my website, laurelblountbooks.com—and while you’re there don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter! I send one out every month, full of news, recipes and giveaways! You can also drop me an email at [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you!

      Warmest wishes,

       Laurel Blount

      Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

      —2 Corinthians 5:17

      For Leigh M. Hall, my wild and crazy sister—and my first and truest friend.

      Contents

       Cover

       Back Cover Text