The Cowboy's Convenient Proposal. Linda Ford

      

      Second Chance Ranch

      She was a woman in need of protection. But trust is the one thing feisty Grace “Red” Henderson is sure she’ll never give to any man again—not even the cowboy who rescued her. Still, Ward Walker longs to protect the wary beauty and her little sister—in all the ways he couldn’t safeguard his own family.

      Red desperately wants to put her tarnished past behind her. Little by little, Ward is persuading her to take a chance on Eden Valley, and on him. Yet turning his practical proposal into a real marriage means a leap of faith for both…toward a future filled with the promise of love.

      “Seems to me friends help each other.”

      Neither of them broke from staring at the other. Neither of them relented from their position.

      “You got an objection to being friends with me?” Ward asked.

      Red sniffed. “Seems to me friends don’t push at each other, making impossible demands.”

      “Push? Impossible demands? Red, I have no idea what you are talking about. All I’ve done is rescue you and Belle from Thorton, bring you to a safe place and make sure you’re taken care of. How is that pushing and making demands?”

      She sniffed again and gave him a look dripping with disdain. “I guess it meant nothing to you, but I recall a kiss or two.”

      He gave her a look rife with disbelief. “Didn’t see you resisting.”

      “Maybe,” she said with annoyance in every syllable, “I was just being polite.”

      This was not going at all the way Ward had planned. Red was supposed to welcome his offer of friendship, admit that a kiss or two was appropriate, see that his desire to help was genuinely generous. Maybe even confess to liking, to even a small degree, that she liked having him around.…

      LINDA FORD

      lives on a ranch in Alberta, Canada. Growing up on the prairie and learning to notice the small details it hides gave her an appreciation for watching God at work in His creation. Her upbringing also included being taught to trust God in everything and through everything—a theme that resonates in her stories. Threads of another part of her life are found in her stories—her concern for children and their future. She and her husband raised fourteen children—four homemade, ten adopted. She currently shares her home and life with her husband, a grown son, a live-in paraplegic client and a continual (and welcome) stream of kids, kids-in-law, grandkids and assorted friends and relatives.

      The Cowboy’s

      Convenient Proposal

      Linda Ford

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      MILLS & BOON

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      In him we have redemption through his blood,

      the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the

      riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us

      with all wisdom and understanding.

      —Ephesians 1:7

      Don’t we all need God’s grace in our lives?

      This book is dedicated to those I love

      who are in need of a special awareness

      of God’s grace and love and forgiveness.

      I won’t name names, but you know who you are.

      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

       Epilogue

       Dear Reader

       Questions for Discussion

      Chapter One

      Eden Valley, Alberta

      July 1882

      Ward Walker wanted nothing more than to get back to the ranch. He’d spent the better part of three days locating a man and delivering a message from his boss about purchasing a prize stallion.

      With no interest in the men crowding the saloon nor what they were so concerned about, he sat back waiting to get something hot to eat before he headed back.

      “I perceive you are all anxious to see Red.” The man to his right lifted a bowler hat from his pomaded hair and held it out. “You willing to pay?”

      Each hand dropped in a coin.

      He waved the hat toward Ward.

      “Ain’t interested,” Ward said, not bothering to keep a growl out of his voice.

      The man roared with harsh laughter. “You’ll change your mind soon enough.”

      “Doubt it. I’m just waiting for a dish of stew.” In his twenty-three years he had learned to stay away from trouble as best he could.

      As if summoned by Ward’s