The Lady's Cowboy

By Leanne Burroughs

A Christian Western short story -

Jessica Ashbury and her brother travel west to begin life anew as hotel owners. When their stagecoach is robbed and Jessica’s brother is killed, her entire world is turned upside down. What’s a lady to do when her newfound partner not only owns half of her hotel, but also the neighboring saloon and brothel? Tensions flare and attractions mount as the two wage a battle of wits. Will the lady hightail it back East or will she tame her rugged cowboy?

(Rewritten 2012 - Previously released as Christmas at Home)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Highland Press Publishing
• Release date: Mar 12, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301515578

Leanne Burroughs

Leanne enjoys reading, writing, and traveling. Most recently she traveled to Norway to do research for an upcoming Viking epic. The year before, she traveled to Ireland, where she fell in love with the beautiful countryside and its Viking history. She’s also traveled to England, Spain, France, and Hawaii in search of stories waiting to be told! Her absolute favorite place to visit, however, is the lovely country of Scotland. Its beauty is beyond words, and the friendliness of its people is incomparable. In Florida, she can often be found at Disney World with her grandchildren (although everyone knows they are merely an excuse for her to visit). While doing genealogy research for her husband, she fell in love with Scottish history. That led to the novel HIGHLAND WISHES, a historical novel about Scotland’s War for Independence. Its sequel is HER HIGHLAND ROGUE. She currently has several other novels in progress. She's currently adapting her two award-winning Scottish books for the Christian market as well. HIGHLAND MIRACLE is currently available. KEEPER OF MY HEART, a novel about the Battle of Culloden and its aftermath is her current work in progress. THE POWER AND THE PASSION is the Viking epic. The third story in the Scottish War for Independence trilogy is also being worked on. In addition, Leanne has participated in several anthologies.

Book preview

A Christian Western Romance…

(with whimsical, loving, ghostly family members)

The Lady’s Cowboy

Leanne Burroughs

Copyright © Revised 2012 Leanne Burroughs

Previously released as Forever Love

Cover copyright © 2012 Amber Wentworth

Published by Highland Press Publishing at Smashwords

1880

Redrock, Kansas

~1~

Ah, Stripper, I knew I shouldn’t have left the bar to fetch supplies today. Too much to do in town with those Easterners finally supposed to arrive. His eyes alert to danger, Hank Beaumont pushed his horse to catch up with the outlaws. Rounding a bend, he caught movement in a copse of trees and pulled tight on Stripper’s reins, patting the animal on its neck to quiet him.

He dismounted, tethered his mount to a branch and quietly moved forward. Exactly like the frightened woman at the abandoned stagecoach he’d met up with several miles back had reported, three men had robbed the coach, killed the men, then kidnapped a woman passenger. It wasn’t difficult to figure out what they had in mind.

The man struggling with the woman on the ground would make an easy target, so Hank focused his attention on the other two. Ignoring the ill-matched odds, he drew both pistols and went in firing. He dropped one where he stood with a bullet to the thigh. A split second later the other drew his pistol and Hank shot the gun out of the man’s hand. The robber by the woman dropped to the ground, rolled with some difficulty while trying to adjust his clothes, yet managed to palm his gun. He reached for the woman, no doubt to use her as a shield, but she’d scooted too far away. Hank shot and the man fell back.

The man with the wounded leg hobbled to his horse as the other ran. Mounting their horses, both high-tailed it away disappearing in a cloud of dust. Hank contemplated following them, but decided the young woman who’d seen men murdered and then been kidnapped needed him most. He holstered his guns.

As his eyes fell to her, his breath caught in his throat. Even terrified, she was beautiful. Long brown hair cascaded over her shoulders. It looked like she might’ve had it pinned up at some point since a few stray pins stuck out. But what captured his attention most—once his gaze lifted from her curvaceous body—was her soft, brown, terror-filled eyes. With her dust covered travel clothes disheveled and her hair mussed, she looked like a frightened kitten.

An instinct he hadn’t felt in a long time, possibly never, kicked in. He wanted to protect her. Not just shield her from the attackers, but keep her safe—from everything.

Where had that nonsense come from?

He stepped closer, grimacing as she edged away, fright clearly visible on her face. Easy, ma’am. He spoke softly, like he would to gentle a skittish animal. I’m not going to hurt you. I swear. The passengers told me you’d been taken after those varmints robbed your stagecoach. The other folk are still back at the coach waitin’ for me to fetch you. Never gifted with gab, he wasn’t sure what to say to reach through her distress.

She stared at him as though she thought he would kill her.

Name’s Henry Morrison Beaumont, ma’am. Folks hereabouts call me Hank. Still nothing. What’s your name, ma’am?

J-Jessica…Jessica Ashbury.

Ashbury? Surely not! This beautiful woman was the wife of the man buying his saloon? Their arrival had been expected, why he’d hated leaving town, but the holidays would soon be upon them, and things would then be too busy in town for him to go anywhere to get some additional supplies.

In one gentle movement he reached down and pulled her to her feet. Easy, Miz Ashbury. I’ll get you safely back to the stage. No one’s gonna harm you. I swear.

When she started crying, Hank didn’t hesitate. He enfolded her in his arms and held her until the sobs subsided. She had a lot to cry about, witnessing the murders of her husband and the stagecoach driver, then being kidnapped. Hank didn’t have any trouble seeing why a man would die trying to protect this woman. What he didn’t understand was why the blamed fool was bringing her into such dangerous territory in the first place.

She felt soft against his chest. Too soft. She shouldn’t be out West. From the looks of her fancy clothes, she was an Easterner through and through. A lady proper. She should have stayed there. As strange sensations unfurled, he wondered what it was about this woman that evoked feelings within him.

Feelings he’d buried his whole life.

~ * ~

Hank reined the stagecoach up in front of the white clapboard saloon, then jumped down to find someone to take Stripper away before he helped the women disembark. Tomorrow they’d have the funerals, but today he didn’t want them seeing the three bodies draped over his horse.

Soon he helped the mother and her child out of the coach. He hoped the little girl hadn’t coughed all the way into town. It sure had sounded like it, from what he could hear, though. Before he got the women seated in the coach after returning with Miz Ashbury, a spasm hit to where he feared the child would quit breathing. Being out in the cold while he’d hunted down the outlaws doubtless hadn’t helped. She didn’t have the look of her mother. The woman—Valicia Bishop she’d said her name was—had straight, light brown hair, while the little girl—Molly—was blonde. They had the same eyes though. Matching blue eyes that stared at him now before he poked his head