Too Young To Be In Love: A Western Romance, #1

By Jennifer Grayson

A romantic story about a sixteen year old girl called Gracie May. After the untimely death of her Mother, she has to help care for the family home and her younger siblings. When a cowboy joins the other ranch hands to help her father, she cannot help falling in love with him. How does she copes with her new role within the family and the unexplained emotions that she now has for this young man who has entered her life?

• Language: English
• Publisher: JG Publishing
• Release date: Jul 26, 2014
• ISBN: 9781498934268

Jennifer Grayson

Jennifer Grayson is an environmental journalist and Huffington Post columnist whose work has appeared in publications including USA Today, the Washington Post, and American Baby. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two young daughters.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Whenever he entered a room her heart raced. Whenever he smiled her knees would weaken. At sixteen, people had said she was too young to know what true love was, but Gracie May was sure her love was true and genuine. She had known love before – for friends, family and even for her favourite horse, but this was different. And her breathing quickened as she watched him and the other four men ride up to the ranch.

Billy, her elder brother, was the first to dismount and tether his horse. Gracie’s father, who everyone called Papa, even the work hands, had taken Billy on as a student and was teaching him to manage the family ranch. He admired Papa, and aspired to be just like him. Papa had worked hard to build up the ranch over the years, and had put in many long hours. He still did. Now he owned over 200 cattle, plus several horses and was rightly proud of the family homestead.

The ranch had changed since Mama’s death. It happened five years ago, but the family still felt the hole in their lives that she left. It broke their hearts when she died after giving birth to Amy. Though she loved Amy Gracie can still recall that awful day whenever she looked at her. With her curled brown hair and deep brown eyes she was a younger version of Mama and reminded Gracie of Mama so much.

Gracie, as the eldest daughter, had taken on her Mama’s role in the family. Now she cares for her six younger siblings, as well as cooking, cleaning and any other chores that need doing around the home. It was harder since Papa had become ill. He had been under so much stress bringing up a family single handed and taking care of all the problems that come with running a ranch. He wouldn’t say what was wrong, but Gracie senses it must be serious as all his plans seem to be for a future without hm.

For the past two years Papa has taught Billy all he knows, hoping that one day he could manage the ranch himself. It worried Gracie, now Papa was sick, as it would fall to Billy to become head of the family. It’s a big task for any twenty two year old, but as the eldest; the responsibility would fall to him.

There’s Walt and Jimmy of course, they have helped Papa here for as long as Gracie can remember. More like uncles now, they live in a bunk house beside the main house. Papa relies on them so much, and they work hard for him. The three of them have become a strong team over