Rancher Daddy. Lois Richer

      

      His Perfect Family

      All rancher Luc Cramer’s ever wanted is to someday have a family of his own. And from the moment he meets five-year-old orphan Henry, he’s determined to give the little boy a home and a father. So the good-looking cowboy enlists his neighbor Holly Janzen to help him with the adoption process. As she spends time with Luc and adorable Henry, she knows she’s losing her heart to them. But once Luc finds out Holly’s long-held secret, will he still see her as the wife and mother that she is clearly meant to be?

      “What if I do or say the wrong thing?” Luc said hesitantly.

      “Henry isn’t my son yet. What if I do something that damages my case? What if I somehow hurt him or make a mistake with him? I couldn’t stand that.”

      “Luc, nobody is born knowing how to be a parent. It’s trial and error for everyone.” Holly smiled, hoping to ease his anxiety. “Come on, Luc. You’ve talked about adopting Henry. Now’s not the time to get cold feet. In fact, this is probably the perfect time to try the things you want to do with Henry when you adopt him. Show him what you love,” she said quietly. “He’ll love it, too.”

      “I guess that’s my biggest fear,” he admitted. “Maybe Henry won’t like my life.”

      “Are you kidding? Cowboys are Henry’s heroes. He’s going to dive headlong into whatever you show him. But if he doesn’t, you’ll find something else, right? Because Henry is the son you’ve always wanted.”

      Without warning, Luc leaned forward and pressed a kiss against her forehead. “You’re a good friend, Holly.”

      She gulped, utterly unnerved by that soft kiss and yet deeply moved that this strong, competent man needed her. It took a second to get her happy-go-lucky mask in place so Luc wouldn’t see how deeply he’d affected her.

      LOIS RICHER loves traveling, swimming and quilting, but mostly she loves writing stories that show God’s boundless love for His precious children. As she says, “His love never changes or gives up. It’s always waiting for me. My stories feature imperfect characters learning that love doesn’t mean attaining perfection. Love is about keeping on keeping on.” You can contact Lois via email, [email protected], or on Facebook (LoisRicherAuthor).

      Rancher Daddy

      Lois Richer

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      MILLS & BOON

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      Let Him have all your worries and cares,

      for He is always thinking about you and

      watching everything that concerns you.

      —1 Peter 5:7

      This book is dedicated to children young and old who have ever felt abandoned, alone and unloved. You are not. God loves you with a love so deep no human love could touch it. If you let Him, He will fill your heart and soul so that you never again need to feel you’re on your own.

      Contents

       Cover

       Back Cover Text

       Introduction

       About the Author

       Title Page

       Bible Verse

       Dedication

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

       Dear Reader

       Extract

       Copyright

Chapter One

      Holly Janzen loved her early-morning ride home after a night shift on the hospital’s pediatric ward. Especially now that spring had crept into the valley where Buffalo Gap nestled in the foothills of the Alberta Rocky Mountains. With the sun just cresting, the town lay bathed in the rosy hue of May’s promise. The best part was that morning signaled a fresh start, untouched by the horrible memories of her past.

      Holly gaped at the twenty-foot photo of her own face pasted to a huge billboard in the center of town, her heart sinking as she read,

       Holly Janzen. Buffalo Gap’s citizen of the year.

      Why did they keep doing that? Several times a year Mayor Marsha Grant and the town council did something that featured Holly as the town’s poster child for success. Years ago they’d granted Holly, the girl voted most likely to succeed, a scholarship to earn her nurse practitioner credentials in Toronto. The mayor and the rest of the town never heard the truth about those years down east and how un-poster-child-like she’d behaved, because nobody in Buffalo Gap ever saw past the good-girl image of her childhood. To them Holly Janzen was a role model they wanted their own kids to emulate.

      As if!

      Tired of the never-ending guilt that memories of those years in Toronto always brought, Holly shoved them