A Bolt of Lightning - Clean Historical Western Romance

By Johanna Jenkins

Gaby Reslin is positive she will never marry. She is also positive that she will never find a companion so perfect as the Collie, Lightning, who she has raised and trained since he was a pup. When, due to the nature of her father's work as a cattle dog breeder, she is forced to sell Lightning to a young rancher, she is more than downhearted. To her surprise, Tobias Branson, the rancher in question, admires her love for the dog and invites her to visit his ranch once every week to continue training him. Gabby knows that Tobias's true interest is in her as a woman and not the continued training of Lightning. All the same, in order to see her dog, she accepts his proposal, warning herself firmly not to become too attached to the handsome young rancher. But, as the months go on and she becomes more and more fond of Tobias, that promise she made to herself becomes nearly impossible to keep. When news of a tragedy in her family overtakes her, she has nowhere to turn for comfort except to Tobias. Will tragedy force Gabby to accept the love she has been pushing away for so long?

A Standalone Short Story with no cliffhanger!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Clean & Wholesome Romance Club
• Release date: Nov 22, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386811664

Book preview

A Bolt of Lightning

Chapter 1

Gabby

He’s leaving today . That is the one thought that keeps rolling around and around in my mind as I stand over our kitchen sink, washing the dishes, a soft ball of fur lying curled against my feet.

It’s difficult to imagine but true none the less. Soon, this soft ball of fur; this incredibly intelligent, playful, loving little pup will be nothing more than a memory.

I feel my eyes well up with tears and curse myself as I wipe them angrily away with one soapy hand. It’s ridiculous to become so distraught over a dog. It’s even more insane to grieve for a dog I’ve always known I could not keep.

To tell the truth, not even I can understand my reaction to this. My parents have bred cattle dogs all their lives. I’ve grown up alongside them. Nearly all the dogs we have bred have been sold to cowboys or ranchers in the surrounding area. That’s why we breed them. That’s why we train them. So that they can become valuable cattle dogs.

Perhaps it’s because this dog, the dog I’ve christened Lightening, is the first puppy I’ve trained since Mama passed. Perhaps that is why I feel a stronger connection with him than I’ve felt with any of the others.

Perhaps it’s because Lightening always seems to know when I’m upset in a way the other dogs don’t seem to. I remember the first time I cried over Mama after Lightning was born. I was sitting at the kitchen table trying to pull myself together before Papa came in from the yard. That’s when Lightning, who was much smaller then, padded tentatively up to me, jumped into my lap and began to lick away the tears that ran down my cheeks. When papa did come into the yard, he found me laughing instead of crying.

Ever since Lightning and I have been inseparable. I insisted on training him in obstacles and agility. Papa didn’t object. He has enough to worry about with the three other dogs we’re bringing up. Not to mention, his health has been failing him as of late.

Now, as I’m standing here at the sink, slamming our clean dishes down on the drying rack much harder than is entirely necessary, I wonder just how wise it was for me to become so close to Lightening. I’ve always known that I would have to give him up one day.

Perhaps I should have treated him as I do the other dogs. With fondness and care, yes, but nothing beyond that. Nothing like the fierce protection and love I give to this little ball of fur at my feet.

Even Papa has begun to tease me about the bond we share. Just last night he remarked on it yet again.

Gabby, If you put as much energy into finding a husband as you do into training that pup, I would be a grandfather by now, he told me.

Papa, you know I wouldn’t know the first thing to do with a husband, I told him with a chuckle. Training dogs is much easier than training men.

Though he laughed at my joke last night, I know the topic