An Encounter of Courageous Hearts: A Historical Western Romance Book Read online

  An Encounter of Courageous Hearts

  A WESTERN ROMANCE NOVEL

  LORELEI BROGAN

  Copyright © 2019 by Lorelei Brogan

  All Rights Reserved.

  This book may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the publisher.

  In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher.

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  Table of Contents

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  An Encounter of Courageous Hearts

  Introduction

  Lana Smith leads a lonely life. She is a dedicated teacher in the city of Southport until she finds out that her best friend’s husband passed away. Having to deal with her beloved’s loss as well as physical injuries, she will ask her to come over to help her care for her children and manage the insurmountable tasks her late husband left behind. Lana is quick to accept the request, finding it the perfect excuse to leave, and start her life over. When she finds out that she is not welcome by everyone there, will she take up on a quest to win his trust?

  Nick Cooper is a very protective man, and his family means the world to him. When he discovers that Ginger’s best friend is coming over to help, he is too proud to let it be. He thinks himself the only responsible person to care for his family, and he does not want outsiders meddling in their business. He is trying his best to make Lana leave the ranch, but she is relentless in staying. But Lana won’t be the only thing preoccupying Nick’s mind. When suspicions rise that his brother-in-law’s death was not actually an accident, another turmoil will be added to his list...

  While Nick and Lana become closer day by day, the mystery of the accidental death unravels, and a thrilling adventure begins. Can Lana and Nick work together to keep their new-built family safe? Will their lack of trust hold them back or will they realize that they actually need each other?

  Chapter 1

  Lana carefully tied her hair up into a bun. She loved letting her hair down while she was relaxing around the house, but she always made sure it was tied out of the way while she taught her class at the little school in Southport, Illinois.

  She stacked up her books and tucked them under her arm and draped her shawl over that. She paused for a moment, debating whether or not she should wear a second wrap over her shawl. It was early spring, but the snow was still in scattered patches where the buildings blocked the sun's warming rays. The past week had dissolved much of the snow cover and the mud was becoming the new menace.

  She loved early mornings. She loved being one of the first people on the street, up with the sun. It felt as if she almost got to see a secret part of the day that few others experienced. It was crisp and cool, and she could see her breath, but the sun touched her and promised to warm the day again as it had all week. The sun was still low in the sky and the buildings cast long shadows across the road.

  Of course, as soon as she had stepped out onto the street other people seemed to follow suit, filling the streets and the buildings with a buzz of activity as they started their days too.

  It didn’t take long to get to the schoolhouse. It was one of the benefits of living right in town. She shivered at the coolness of the morning and was thankful for the short walk.

  Lana hummed a happy tune as she opened the door and began to prepare for a day of classes. There were two floors to the schoolhouse. The older children studied upstairs with another teacher and the younger children studied downstairs with her.

  Lana loved teaching. There had been a time when she had chosen it as a second option, but that time had passed. She loved spending time with the little children and watching them grow.

  A knock at the door made her look up and when she did, her heart froze in place and her breath hitched. Henry Jones was standing there, one of his crooked smiles stretched across his face.

  The smile fell for a moment and he looked around her, almost as if he were concerned about something. “I’m sorry to bother you, Lana, but I need to talk to you.”

  Lana shook her head, refusing to respond. She wanted to tell Henry to go back to the general store where he belonged, but she knew she would be wasting her breath. Every other time he had come to talk to her and she had sent him away, he had refused to listen. She wasn’t sure how this time would be any different.

  “Come on, Lana. You can’t ignore me forever,” he wheedled. Henry took a few steps into the small schoolhouse. His heavy boots thumped on the wooden floors making her bristle with annoyance.

  “I can certainly try. I have told you multiple times, I don’t want anything to do with you. You chose your path. Please leave me alone.” Lana slammed her books down on the desk with a little extra force. This was not how she had been planning to start her day.

  “Can’t you at least talk to me? You owe me that much.” Henry’s words made Lana’s blood boil. She turned to him with fury in her eyes.

  “Owe you? You think I owe you?” She enunciated every one of her words, trying to emphasize the impudence of what he had just said.

  “Yes, we were…I thought we would marry each other.” Henry shrugged a little and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Then you just called things off and walked away. How is that fair to me? You can’t just change your mind like that.”

  Lana barked a harsh laugh. “I can’t believe you’re actually acting as if you’re serious right now and as if this was my fault. I may have been the one to tell you it was over, but you made it over when you were out running around with another woman behind my back.”

  Lana was unsure how Henry couldn’t see this. How could he continue to think that seeing a different woman while discussing marriage with her was completely okay?

  “I’ve already told you, she didn’t mean anything to me. It was a bit of harmless fun. So, I have a little fun now and then. It shouldn’t affect our relationship.”

  “Some fishing is some harmless fun. Even going with the boys to the saloon for a game of cards is some harmless fun. Kissing another woman and being loose with every other woman in town is just plain disrespectful. I am not interested in marrying a man who has no respect for his wife.” Lana held his gaze, trying her best to inject her own gaze with every bit of anger she could.

  “I think that you are throwing away something that could have been great.” Henry sounded sad as if he were saying goodbye to a childhood friend.

  “This could never have been great. I’m just glad I found out what kind of a man you are before I married you and tied myself to you for the rest of our lives.”

  Two children wandered into the room and took their seats at the wooden desks that were set in neat, straight rows.

  “My class is about to start. It isn’t proper for you to be here and I suggest you leave before anyone else shows up.”

  Henry nodded with a reluctant look in his eyes. “I can only hope you’ll come around, Lana. My life isn’t the same without you.”

  “Don’t count on it,” Lana muttered under her breath as she watched Henry leave. She wasn’t a very confrontat
ional person. She preferred to keep things nice and quiet, dealing with people through conversations instead of through drastic measures or through actions.

  But she knew that when it came to Henry, she was willing to go out of her comfort zone. She had never felt so disrespected, or so completely deceived as she had when she had found out about Henry’s activities when he wasn’t around her.

  The time when she had cared for him or when she looked at him with admiration seemed like a cruel joke now, far away in her memory.

  “Miss Smith?” A little girl was standing on the other side of the teacher’s desk. She had two braids hanging over her shoulders and a look full of curiosity and wonder.

  “Yes?” Lana stood so she could get a better look at the girl. She was one of her better students and Lana always tried to answer her questions.

  “Can we read a story today?” The little girl’s eyes filled with excitement and Lana’s heart melted. It was because of children like this that she enjoyed her job so much.

  “Of course. That sounds like a wonderful idea.”

  The little girl clapped her hands together and then hurried back to her seat, looking eager for the class to start.

  Once the rest of the desks had filled with boys and girls, Lana rang the big silver bell that sat on her desk to mark the start of class time.

  She could still make today a good day, despite her earlier interaction with Henry. She tried to push the remains of her irritation away and tuck it into the deep recesses of her memory.

  ---*---

  Lana waved goodbye to the last straggling child, then turned and locked up the schoolhouse. Another successful day of classes had passed without event.

  Her gaze brushed over the general store. There were times when she wondered if she and Henry had worked at different places that weren’t so close together if they would ever have ever had a relationship in the first place.

  She would never know, but she could always wonder. If it wasn’t for Henry and the bitter taste of what he had done to her, she would still love this job and this town the way she had before. But she couldn’t change the past or alter her memories, no matter how much she wanted to.

  She walked briskly down the main street, heading towards home. There was one place she wanted to stop by; the post office.

  She quickened her step a little as the small building came into view. When she walked up to the window, the older man behind it was already searching through his letters with a knowing smile on his face.

  Lana frequented the post office almost every single day. It was her one lifeline to one of the only reliable people that she had known most of her life.

  When the old man slid a weathered envelope to her over the counter, her heart leaped a little. She loved getting Ginger’s letters. They were always a breath of fresh air that kept her going a little longer.

  She tore open the envelope and read as she walked.

  Dearest Lana,

  I know I haven’t written for some time, but it’s been because I am so busy, I can hardly find time to take care of myself.

  The children are growing bigger every day, but also harder to care for. I can’t seem to get them to listen to me. Sometimes they just run around everywhere and I just can’t keep up.

  Nick is the biggest help. He helps whenever he can. He comes over to check on us every day and takes the children out for a bit to ride the horses or go fishing when he isn’t too busy. That gives me a chance to clean the house or do a little laundry.

  The plants are doing well, and our cattle have been growing in number which is good. Two new calves were born this week. They are so adorable!

  I think that Daniel is going to try and buy some more land on the west side of our property. He wants to grow more corn next year.

  This is the first year I have been able to grow squash. Daniel got some seeds of a new type from a trader who was passing through. The plants are growing well and they have little round squash growing on the vines now. I can’t wait to see what they look like when they are ready.

  I hope that you can come to visit us one of these days just like we always talked about. We would love to have you.

  I know that this is short, but I have to go. I think Lydia spilled something in the kitchen.

  Take care and write soon.

  Love,

  Your friend Ginger

  Lana smiled and read the letter a second time, making sure she hadn’t missed anything. She and Ginger had known each other at school when Ginger’s family had lived in Southport.

  They had also been neighbors and when Lana’s mother went to visit Ginger’s mother, she would always take Lana with her.

  The two had played together for hours when they had been children. Then when Ginger and Daniel had married and moved west to take up a homestead, Lana and Ginger had lost touch for a time.

  They had started writing to each other again a couple of years later and Lana had never had a better friend. They talked about everything as if they were sisters.

  Lana had meant to go and visit Ginger for some time now, but she had never been able to find the right break in her life in the city.

  She had her job teaching and she had the activities that she participated in. Also, the thought of taking such a journey terrified her. Some of the things that Ginger talked about made Lana doubt that she would be capable of living in the west herself. She was raised in the city and in a way, she loved the city. She loved the bustle of people and the simplicity of having everything nearby. She wasn’t sure what she would do cooped up in a cabin raising children and farming.

  She shook her head and tucked Ginger’s letter away inside one of her books. She would write to her as soon as she got the chance; hopefully, that evening after dinner.

  When she got to her little townhouse, she hurried inside and set her books on the table before going about preparing dinner.

  Humming to herself helped keep her from feeling alone. For the most part, she didn’t mind living alone. But there were times when she did feel a little uneasy and wished that she had someone to share her days with.

  A sound at the back door made her jump a little.

  She tried to ignore it, but it continued. It sounded like a soft thumping sound. After a few more minutes, Lana took hold of the broom and approached the back door with caution.

  She opened it slowly and breathed out a sigh of relief when she spotted a grey kitten knocking a stick of wood in circles. He was chasing the stick until he collapsed in a heap on top of it and wrestled with the small piece of wood as if it too had teeth and claws.

  She let out a little giggle. Sometimes living alone made her a little more paranoid than she should be.

  She watched the kitten for a few more minutes and then went back to the kitchen. Despite living alone, she always made sure to eat a good meal and go to sleep at a good hour. She loved routine and order and she loved having everything in its place.

  It had been one thing that had driven Henry nuts when they were together. “Guess he doesn’t have to worry about that anymore,” Lana said softly to herself.

  Speaking to herself was a habit she had picked up recently. Somehow it made the house feel a little less empty and a little more bearable.

  Once she had eaten and picked up after the meal, she lit a lamp and began preparing the lesson for the next day. The school year was almost over. It made her both happy and sad at the same time. She enjoyed the break she got from teaching the kids, but there were also days that the loneliness felt even heavier.

  She sighed and let her gaze wander out the window. It was almost too dark to see but Lana could still make out the outline of the tree outside her window