Finding Love: Devoted In Montana A Sweet Western Romance Series

By Brenda Clemmons

Bella a newly-graduated Seattle literature student will be tested, and she'll have to rely on God to provide her with courage and strength as she returns home to Montana.

- Will the budding love between the mysterious math teacher Kevin and her endure?

- Can she conquer every challenge?

- On this journey can Bella create more than she ever dreamed?

- Can Kevin overcome his past and find the courage to be honest with Bella?

 

Come to Montana, and join us on the beautiful Lucas family ranch!

Read all the books in Devoted In Montana A Sweet Western Romance Series by authors Brenda Clemmons and Katie Wyatt! 
Book 1 – Finding Love
Book 2 – Cooking Up Love
Book 3 – On Fire For Love
Book 4 – Growing Love
Book 5 – God's Patient Love
Book 6 – Selfless Love
Book 7 – Faith and Love
Book 8 – Dangerous Love
Book 9 – Enduring Love
Book 10 –Stone Love
Book 11 – Inspired Love
Book 12 – Forgiveness Love

Read all the book By Bestselling authors Brenda Clemmons

Billionaire Copper Canyon Cowboy Romance series
Book 1 My Billionaire Cowboy Ranch
Book 2 My Ex-Boyfriend Billionaire Cowboy
Book 3 My Lonely Billionaire Cowboy
Book 4 My Twin billionaire Cowboy
Book 5 My Attractive Billionaire Cowboy
Book 6 My Last billionaire Cowboy

 

Cartwright Wilderness Outfitters

Book 1 Comfort Embrace

Book 2 The Witness

Book 3 Zach's Dilemma

Book 4 Yancey's Luck

Book 5 Seeking Faith

Book 6 Tessa's Hope

Book 7 To Love Again

Book 8 The Hunted

 

Brenda Clemmons and Katie Wyatt's Clean and Wholesome Contemporary Western Romance series is enjoyable for all ages.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Royce Cardiff Publishing House
• Release date: Jul 18, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393394457

Book preview

Chapter One

Going home to Windfall, Montana, was always supposed to be easy, but for Bella Lucas, it was a difficult decision. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her big, crazy, warm, kooky family, because she did, with all her heart. She had missed them terribly during her four years at the University of Washington in Seattle, where she had gotten her degree in English literature, but returning home, degree in hand, and no plan for her future, felt like a failure. It didn’t sit well with her and left a bad taste in the back of her mouth.

Already, she could feel the judgment that would follow her around, not because of her family but because of the townspeople. Windfall was a small, out-of-the-way town where things rarely happened, and she was fodder for gossip. Unfortunately, there was no getting around that; her sudden return to her hometown was sure to set tongues wagging and heads bent in gossip. In fact, she could already see the raised eyebrows, the mouths hanging open comically as she made her not-so-grand entrance.

Bella had been so sure that once she left Windfall behind, it would be the last she saw of her hometown for a while. She’d even planned it that way, but life rarely went according to the plan, or stuck to the script. Instead of getting a job offer right out of college at a publishing company, she had been left busing tables and barely making minimum wage. Most of her nights were spent eating ramen noodles and wondering where she went wrong. Still, she’d tried to toughen up, ride the wave, and see where it took her, but eventually, the bills had piled up, and she’d found herself waking up drenched in cold sweat, her heart doing somersaults inside her chest.

It was a bitter truth to admit, but she hadn’t been making a dent in her list, not even close.

Finally, a few months later, she’d decided to cut her losses and return home, defeat weighing on her heavily. If she had to put up with being the object of speculation, being at the center of the rumor mill, then so be it. At least she would have her family to help her get through, so everything else seemed like white noise. With her family by her side, she could lick her wounds in private and regroup. Bella wasn’t used to failure. She had always been a straight-A student who led the way in extracurricular activities and still maintained a strong leadership presence in youth programs at her church. She loved to be busy, and she loved the good feeling she got when she knew she had done her best and accomplished something or helped someone else out.

While getting her degree at UW, she had maintained a 4.0, been president of the English Honors Society, won every academic award she was eligible for, and also led a young women’s group on campus. It had been a fun, challenging, and rewarding four years. For all intents and purposes, she had made the best of her time at UW, immersed herself in the culture, stayed on top of her game, and still made time to help out. On paper, she had an impressive academic life; the past four years weren’t a waste, yet they hadn’t amounted to much in the end, much to her dismay.

She’d wanted so badly to emerge victorious, to have all her dreams work out the way she wanted them to, and it hadn’t been easy for her when they hadn’t. Far from it. If anything, she felt the sharp jab of disappointment coursing through her veins, and a cruel voice in the back of her mind, dragging her down.

And then she had gotten to the end of those four years and realized she had no idea what came next. Her ambition was as strong as ever, but she didn’t know where to channel it. What did one do with a degree in English literature? She’d applied to several publishing companies and only two replied.

Her failure to achieve something great was what had landed her today at the Great Falls airport, where her dad would pick her up and drive her the two hours home, back to the Lucas family ranch. It would be a long drive for her, an agonizing departure from what she’d desired, so different from the ride to the airport where she’d barely been able to sit still, pressing her face to the window, envisioning her entire life mapped out as the sun peeked out from behind the horizon, coloring the world in shades of orange and red.

To her, the sun represented a fresh start, and she muttered a quick prayer under her breath, thankful that God had blessed her journey and cleared the path for her, so that she might continue to shine.

It was bittersweet for Bella, and when she walked up to the baggage claim area, shouldered her backpack, then hoisted it onto the trolley and spotted her dad standing there, waiting for her, tears filled her eyes. She drew her bottom lip between her teeth and took a deep breath, trying to calm her frazzled nerves. She didn’t want to cry in the middle of the airport and cause a scene.

There was nothing worth crying over. As her mother would say, there was no use in crying over spilled milk. Besides, she had so much to be thankful for already. Just because she hadn’t gotten everything she wanted didn’t mean she didn’t have everything she needed.

No, in that regard, she had plenty. Once the disappointment ebbed away, she was sure that God would reward her for her patience, for striving to stay devout and honest in a world that made it hard. She believed that with all her heart.

God would provide.

Hi, Daddy, she said, walking toward him and letting his big, strong arms wrap around her like she was still a little kid, instead of a twenty-two-year-old woman coming home from college. His strong arms enveloping her made her feel just as safe and loved as they had when she was little, and her dad would comfort her after a bad grade, or a scraped knee. The familiar scent of pine and something earthy—a potent smell that clung to her dad—tugged on her heartstrings, and a lone tear leaked out of her eye, trailing across her cheek. She coughed and hoped her dad didn’t see it, lest it start getting awkward.

Hiya, pumpkin, Simon Lucas said, his big baritone washing over her. He hugged her close. Your eyes are leaking.

Bella laughed against his shoulder, a choked noise that did little to cover up her tears. Who was she kidding? Of course her father was going to sense her distress. It was one of his favorite things to say to all six of his children, whenever any one of them cried. Her father was a kind, gentle, loving man, but seeing his loved ones cry made him feel as awkward as any other man, and he never knew quite what to say. Dad jokes were his default. It was good to see that some things didn’t change. Right now, Bella needed stability, and her father had unknowingly provided her with that by falling back on old habits. She swallowed past the lump in her throat and coughed.

I know. I’m not really sad, she promised, easing back from him to offer a smile. I’m happy to see you. To see everyone soon.

It was the truth. The silver lining in this was being reunited with her family. She hadn’t been able to fly back to see them as often as she’d like in four years because funds were tight, and she’d often hated it, especially in the early weeks when she felt homesick. Over time, it had gotten easier. She’d learned to live with the ache in her heart and bury it under a mountain of work. It wasn’t the healthiest of ways to cope, but she’d relied on her strength to get through. Her family had been understanding, keeping in touch in whatever ways they could, and it had given her the extra push she needed to excel, to make them proud.

I know, he said, swiping a tear off her cheek with his big thumb. He beamed at her, his smile transforming his whole face and making him look youthful once more. But it’s a big change. Don’t worry, pumpkin. You’ll figure all of it out. Just keep praying about it. I hope you prayed that you wouldn’t lose your luggage …

Bella chuckled again. It was hard to be too sad around her father. Even though bits of gray were cropping up around his temples and his face was more lined than she had ever seen it, his eyes still twinkled with his good humor and his smile was as quick as ever. Simon had led a good life, had a good home, and had made a good family. She looked up to both of her parents for everything they had accomplished, and she could only hope that being around them again would help her figure out what her next step was. Being back in the comfort of her childhood home, amongst her family, was certainly going to be good for her.

Dad, can you watch for my bag? she asked apologetically. She didn’t want him to worry about handling her bag, especially given that it was heavy, but she needed a few minutes alone to compose herself. I’m just going to freshen up in the bathroom.

Sure, sure, he said, waving her away with his hand, his eyes trained intently on the belt that would eventually deliver her bag, though it had yet to move. Don’t you worry, darlin’. I’ve got it all handled.

Her dad was a man of purpose and persistence. Once he set his mind to something, he rarely wavered, and he saw it through to the very end. It was part of the reason why he was able to successfully man a ranch in spite of the many obstacles thrown in his path. Along with his resourceful wife, together they’d built something from the ground up, a testament to their hard work and dedication, their steadfast belief in the Lord, and their devotion to one another and their children.

It was quite the story, and one Bella loved to replay over and over in her head, allowing it to fill her with hope when things got bleak, or she felt a little down. If her parents could overcome all of that and raise six children, then she could most definitely get through college. She was the oldest, after all, and at times when she was growing up, she’d assumed her parents would expect her to take up the mantle, carry on with the ranch business, and honor their legacy.

She’d wanted to as well, so badly that she’d tried to ignore what her heart yearned for. Her parents had sensed it and encouraged her to pursue her passion though, and for that she was more thankful than she could put into words. She knew of a lot of parents who forced their children to study something practical or go into a field because of the money, and she’d been blessed with parents who, thankfully, had never even considered that.

The ranch was something they were all fiercely protective of, and she knew that they’d take care of it together, come what may. Bella gave her dad a small smile and straightened her back, her eyes scanning for the familiar sign that would lead her to the bathroom.

She left him to his mission, slipping into the nearby bathroom and taking stock of herself. She wanted to make sure that she didn’t walk into her family’s ranch home looking defeated or bedraggled. She knew her family would be sympathetic, and they’d shower her with love, compassion, and support, but at the moment, it would feel like it was too much.

More than anything else, she didn’t want them to see her cry, to admit that as much as she loved her family, she hadn’t wanted to come back—not like this.