The Ranch She Left Behind. Kathleen O'Brien
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Who knows where a kiss will lead!
For one year, Penny Wright is doing whatever she wants. Sheâs returned to her hometown in Coloradoâbut not the family ranchâto cross items off her risk-it list. To her surprise, sheâs braver than she thinks, because when she spies a hot newcomer doing something sweet for his daughter, Penny canât resist kissing him on the spot. Unfortunately, he turns out to be Max Thorpe. Her new tenant!
Luckily, they both agree to be just friends. But with the sizzling attraction between them, âjust friendsâ is hard. Maybe itâs time for Penny to add a new item to her listâa family with Max.
âYou specifically wanted to kiss a stranger?â
Max tilted his head as he asked the question. The moonlight touched the mellow honey of his eyes and glistened against the white teeth as he smiled again.
He sounded curious, not shocked. Penny had been turning over various half-truths, wondering how she could explain her eccentric behavior without revealing too much. But to her surprise it suddenly seemed oddly easy to just tell the truth.
âActually, yes.â She sighed. âIt was on my list.â
His smile broadened. âReally.â
âYes. I have a list. Not a bucket list, exactly. But aââ She couldnât bring herself to say risk-it list, which suddenly sounded too cute and sophomoric. âJust a list of all the things I have always wanted to do but never got the chance.â
But that wasnât really true. Any female who could walk on her own two feet could have done the absurd thing she did this morning. It wasnât as if sheâd asked for his permission or cooperation.
Still, when she caught the interested gleam in his eye, she couldnât stop the feeling of pride in herself, in her boldness.
I could kiss him again!
Dear Reader,
Are you a risk taker? Do you dance on the cliff edge, laugh at the rain?
If so, youâre lucky! Some peopleâlike meâwere born more timid. Weâre peacemakers, rule followers, boat steadiers. We have to work to be brave.
So when it came time to create Penny Wrightâs story, I could easily empathize with her struggle to live a bolder life. At least Penny has a good excuse! The youngest of the three Wright sisters of Bell River Ranch, she was only eleven when her father killed her mother. Itâs taken her sixteen years to emerge from that shadow.
For inspiration, Penny creates a risk-it listâa catalogue of little things sheâs always wanted to try, but never had the nerve. She starts small, hoping to gather courage as she goes along.
But funny thing about lifeâ¦it has a way of setting its own pace. Right at the stumbling start, she meets dynamic Max Thorpe and his motherless ten-year-old daughter. The two may hide it better, but underneath they are every bit as wounded as Penny herself. Suddenly sheâs facing the biggest risk of all: the risk of losing her heart.
I hope you enjoy watching Penny find the courage, love and freedom she deserves. I hope, too, that your own risk-it list is full of exciting adventures. May every one make you stronger!
Warmly,
Kathleen OâBrien
P.S.âVisit me at my website www.kathleenobrien.com, or come by and say hi on Facebook or Twitter!
The Ranch She Left Behind
Kathleen OâBrien
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kathleen OâBrien was a feature writer and TV critic before marrying a fellow journalist. Motherhood, which followed soon after, was so marvelous she turned to writing novels, which could be done at home. A rule follower who still hears the terrifying voice of Sister Alice in her head whenever she contemplates stepping over the line, sheâs so glad she discovered romance writing. On the page, she can indulge her secret love of grand drama, goofy escapades and emotional whirlwinds without even getting her knuckles rapped.
To Nancy Robards Thompson and Lori L. Harris, who always find a way to make the story come rightâand keep me laughing even when I donât sleep or eat.
And, of course, to Ann Evans, whose wisdom guides every word, just as it always did.
Contents
CHAPTER ONE
PENNY WRIGHT JERKED awake, her heart pounding so hard it seemed to beat against her eardrums. What had happened? What was wrong? Thereâd been a sound...something big....
Oh, no... She sat up, tossing aside the covers, and swung her bare legs toward the floor. âComing, Ruth!â She fumbled for the lamp switch. Had her aunt fallen again? âDonât move, Ruth. Iâll be right thââ
But the act of sitting up was enough to start clearing the cobwebs out of her mind, and she knew there was no point in finishing the sentence. Ruth hadnât fallen. Ruth couldnât hear her.
Ruth had died two months ago.
The town house was silent around her. So silent she could hear the gears of the banjo clock move, preparing to sound the hour in the downstairs parlor...
So what noise had she heard just now?
It must have been something major, to wake her up like that, to make her heart hammer so hard. Or had it been just a dream noise? She dreamed a lot these daysâdreams of flying, of dancing, of climbing mountains and riding wild palominos. Freedom