Love Under the Stars

By Nicole Simon

This captivating western romance will have you feeling the wildness of the West and the fervor of forbidden love. In "Love Under the Stars," Luke, a passionate artist, and Emma, the daughter of a wealthy rancher, find themselves intertwined by destiny. As they journey together, they confront a mysterious event and discover hidden family secrets. With courage and determination, they risk it all to unravel the secrets shrouding their hearts and discover an extraordinary life together.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nicole Simon
• Release date: Feb 2, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224471546

Book preview

Chapter 1:

Escape to the West

When Luke Thompson left the strident clamor of the city streets, he never intended to be hurled into the biggest scandal in a small western town’s history. He only desired a simple place to start over and set up his art studio, pursue his passion for painting, and find the perfect atmosphere to guide his creative hand.

But then he met Emma Reed.

Luke arrived in Morris, Montana the first week of June. His younger sister, Sarah, was a loyal sibling and avid researcher who, after months of digging her brother out of rock bottom, vowed to get him out of the city and into a world both of them belonged in. So she used her in-depth research skills to encourage their migration to what she concluded was the best part of the country for an artist to live. Together, they left for the west, where the green and yellow grasses of the prairie met the yawning slopes of the Rocky Mountains and the divine Montana sky stretched infinitely above it all.

Where beauty and inspiration are everlasting, Luke droned from the passenger seat of Sarah’s Volkswagen as they passed Morris’s welcome sign.

We made it! Sarah cheered. Get excited! Luke, why aren’t you excited?

Her enthusiasm was infectious, as always, and Luke grinned as he pushed his disheveled brown hair back from his forehead.

I am excited, Sarah. I’m just not a twenty-two-year-old girl like you, he teased.

Well I’m not a moody thirty-year-old like you, she replied, mocking his dull tone.

Luke rolled down his window and looked out at the undulating prairie of dancing grass that appeared to expand for an eternity. The air was clean, the sky was cloudless, and Luke finally felt free.

Sarah noticed her brother begin to relax and smiled, relieved. She always empathized so strongly with him. If he was upset or anxious, she was upset or anxious. Granted, she had different coping mechanisms. Luke was introverted and stone-cold silent when he was worried, while Sarah had always been the extroverted one and became quite the upbeat chatterbox whenever either of them felt distressed. Despite the eight-year age gap between them, they had always been close. A troubled past with detached parents will do that.

I love you. You know that, right? Sarah asked. She put her hand on his knee and gently squeezed.

Wouldn’t be here without you, Luke answered.

They both knew he didn’t mean in Montana.

When they arrived in town, they glanced at each other, sharing the same thoughts.

What year is it here? Luke asked jokingly.

The town looked like it was copied and pasted out of an old Western photograph. The streets were roughly lined with dusty cobblestones, the buildings were wooden and weathered with faded, peeling paint and crooked signs, and there wasn’t a single stoplight in sight. Despite its dated and slightly eerie atmosphere, the town of Morris had a vivid charm to it. The pedestrians strolled the sidewalks with happy faces under the bright blue sky and a sheriff on a horse smiled and tipped his hat at Luke and Sarah as they dawdled down the road.

Hey there, newcomers! They heard him say as they rode by in the opposite direction.

How does he know we’re new here? Sarah wondered.

Sarah, how many people did you say live in this town? Luke asked.

Well...I don’t know the exact number, she stalled.

Roughly, he pressed.

"Roughly...less than three hundred," she said, tilting her head.

Luke laughed and shook his head. Well, I’m sure the recovering addict artist and his kid sister driving the big old van will be a welcomed addition to the community.

I’m not a kid! Sarah protested.

Maybe not, but you’re barely over five feet tall, he laughed.

They continued through the town square where they passed more people - some staring at them with furrowed brows, but most pointing and smiling. A giant, bronze statue of a cowboy on horseback stood directly in the center of the square. Sarah drove the van through the roundabout, brakes indiscreetly screeching, resulting in more stares from the locals.

Are we almost there? Luke asked, suddenly self-conscious.

Sarah checked her phone that had fallen into her lap during the sharp turn.

Yes! she exclaimed. The GPS says we just keep going straight on this road and it will be on the left.

The street went on for a few more minutes, leaving the activity of the town behind as the buildings grew more and more sparse. Their journey ended at a bumpy, unpaved parking lot next to a vacant, two-story building. Sarah put the van in park. They looked at each other and smiled.

We made it, they both said.

Jinx! Sarah belted out in a singsong voice. You owe me a beer! She unbuckled her seatbelt, opened the door, and jumped out of the van.

If they even have a bar here, Luke muttered as he followed suit.

Their new home was a rustic loft filled with natural light and exposed brick walls above a vacant shop. Sarah had used her savings and signed a lease for both levels as a packaged deal. The plan was for Luke to live and work in the loft and use the shop downstairs as a gallery to sell his best pieces. Sarah would live with him until she could find a job and save up for her own place.

After two hours of hauling all their things inside and roughly arranging items where they seemed to belong, they took a break and soaked in the view from the broad window that expanded across the back wall of the apartment.

Luke whistled at the attractive scenery.

Wow, Sarah breathed.

Where beauty and inspiration are everlasting indeed, he mused. Sarah, this place is beautiful. It’s perfect. Thank you.

They shared a wordless, emotional moment only siblings who had been through what they had been through would understand.

You’re going to find happiness here, Luke, Sarah said, giving him a hug.

He gave her one more quick squeeze, then tousled her hair and said, I still owe you a beer.

They found a public parking area next to the town square. Luke got out of the van and shielded his eyes from the sun to observe the cowboy statue. It was quite an impressive piece of work with intricate details from the realistically sculpted muscles on the horse to the design on the pistol in the cowboy’s hand. The horse was galloping at full speed and the cowboy held the pistol straight out in front of him. The statue conveyed a feeling of haste like the rider was running toward a great enemy, dueling for his life.

Okay, the map says we just stay on Main Street and the bar will be on the left after two blocks, Sarah said, looking down at her phone.

What’s the bar called again? Luke asked.

The Dusty Saloon, she replied.

The bar was aptly named. Underneath the sign were old-fashioned swinging saloon doors. Sarah pushed them open. Ha! Of course, they’re squeaky, Sarah laughed, amused.

Luke instantly liked the place. It was the perfect blend of a small-town dive bar and a dimly lit, smoky saloon from the Wild West. The air was thick with the smell of alcohol, tobacco, and dust, and the wooden floor creaked underfoot. There was even an old piano in the corner.

The bartender gave them an upwards head nod and said, Howdy.

Luke and Sarah both replied, What’s up and Hey at the same time as they approached the bar and sat on the worn leather stools.

I’m Jasper, the bartender said, putting a mug of beer on the bar in front of a grisly-looking older man a few seats down from them. What can I get for you?

Despite his brawny and brutish appearance, Jasper’s tone of voice was warm and friendly, and the smile on his bearded face grew wider when he looked at Sarah.

I’d like a beer please, Sarah said sweetly.

I’ll have to take a look at your ID, please, Miss, Jasper said.

Prepared, she whipped it out of her wallet and handed it to him.

Alright, Miss Sarah. He handed it back to her and smiled. What kind of beer are we having today? We have-

Whatever is your favorite, Sarah interrupted with a giggle. She seemed nervous in an excited way and Luke wondered what had gotten into her.

Well, that would be a mug of our stout beer, Jasper chuckled.

Bring it on! she exclaimed, smiling.

I don’t think you’ll like that, Luke intervened, but Jasper was already pouring one out of the tap for her.

Here you go, Miss Sarah, Jasper said, smoothly sliding the mug down the lacquered wooden bar toward her. She cupped the hefty mug in both hands and smiled at Jasper as he winked at her.

You can just call me Sarah, she said, blushing.

I’ll just have a light beer, please, Luke said. He pulled out his wallet and tried to hide the depression that crept over him as he realized he hardly had any money left to his name. Before moving here, he had worked in a coffee shop where he would occasionally sell one of the paintings he’d hung on the wall, but after giving Sarah the little he had to help with the down payment on their new place, and all the gas it took to get here, his wallet was pretty thin.

He didn’t want to disappoint or embarrass his sister, though, so he paid for the beers and told Jasper to keep the change.

So, where are you two from? Jasper asked.

Raleigh, North Carolina, Luke answered, wiping his top lip.

Sarah clapped him on