Fitzpatrick: Cowboy Reluctant: Christian Historical Western (The Kavanagh Brothers Book 7) Read online

  “What do you know about it?” Fitzpatrick couldn’t hold in his irritation.

  “Don’t get mad at me. I have a solution. We’ll need the wagon.”

  “Ciara makes the best tea!” Orla announced. Before Brenna could answer they heard a rider approaching. Orla jumped up and peeked out the window. “It’s the prince.”

  It took Brenna a few seconds to realize Orla meant Fitzpatrick. Brenna’s heart pounded and she turned to Ciara. “I…”

  “He came here to see you. The least you could do is hear him out. If you don’t like what he has to say, then ask him to leave.”

  Brenna nodded to Ciara and then drew a deep breath. She hesitated before she opened the front door.

  “Hello,” she greeted. He had no right to be so handsome.

  “Hello to you.” He gave her an enormous grin. “I’ve missed you.”

  “Oh? When did you notice I left?”

  He chuckled. “You clearly can be sassy when you wish to.”

  Her face heated. “I’ve been having a lovely day here.”

  “I’m glad and I’m sorry I upset you. I had my reasons and I should have talked to you about it.”

  Brenna pulled the door shut behind her as she stepped to the edge of the porch. “I would like to hear your so-called reasons.”

  He looked to be gathering his thoughts. “The house is crowded.”

  She blinked and waited. “And?”

  “I need us to have privacy. I was waiting until we moved into our own house. No, I wasn’t scared, and I don’t consider you ugly or smelly.” He frowned.

  She tried not to laugh. “Ugly or smelly? Who have you been talking to? Angus?”

  “Come home with me?” The look he gave her was one of pleading.

  She nodded and he grinned. He helped her up onto Poke and gave her a hug.

  “I thought I lost you,” he murmured in her ear.

  They rode past the ranch house. “Where are we going?”

  He didn’t answer, but she knew. They were continuing to their house. There were so many questions she wanted to ask but she didn’t say a thing.

  He reined in Poke, dropped to the ground, and lifted her down. She didn’t expect the kiss he gave her.

  “I want to show you something.” He took her hand and led her into the house and up the stairs.

  Stunned she stopped in the doorway to their bedroom. A bed was all set up. She laughed; it was his bed from the ranch house. Her eyes became wet. “I feel loved.”

  “You are loved.”

  Epilogue

  Fitzpatrick pulled her closer as they sat on the porch swing. “You’ve turned this house into a remarkable home full of love.”

  She smiled. “You say such sweet words. I like the easiness between us, the love we share. After I remembered things about my father, I kept thinking about the insults he threw at me. It made me more than a little insecure. But I’m none of the things he said and thanks to you I know it.”

  “Do you recall the letter I had when you found me from Aggie? She was my best friend growing up. We did everything together. That is until her older sister ran away, and my father didn’t think Aggie good enough to be my friend anymore. The family moved elsewhere, and they were coming for a visit and she wrote to me. I was locked in my room the whole time they were in town.” She sighed. “I’m glad I remember her but knowing they locked me in my room like that disheartens me.”

  “You never have to see your father again if you don’t choose to. It’s your decision,” he assured her. “You smell nice.”

  She poked him in the ribs. “Are you sure I’m not ugly or smelly?”

  He’d never laughed as often as he had with his bride. His wife, by the grace of God. He had so very much to be grateful for. “I have something for you. I should have bought it weeks ago.” He fished in his pocket and drew it out. Then he stood and kneeled in front of Brenna. He tenderly lifted her left hand and slipped a ring on her finger. “I love you.”

  Tears welled in her eyes. “Is that? What?”

  “It has diamond chips set into the gold band.”

  “I’ve seen nothing so grand.” She pulled him back to his seat on the swing and kissed his cheek. “You’re mine for keeps.”

  “I would hope so!”

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  Angus Book 8

  Thank you so much for reading Fitzpatrick and Brenna’s story. The Kavanagh Series has become a reader favorite.

  The Next book in the series is Angus: Cowboy Bewildered.

  Angus Kavanagh is being watched. When he gets the drop on the spy, he finds a young boy, Julian, who has a sick father. Angus is more than happy to help. He finds out the Fields have been swindled and they have no idea. Angus plans to deal with the swindlers, the Fields have more than enough on their plate.

  When the time comes, Angus doesn’t have the heart to tell the young boy that nothing belongs to him. He brings Julian to the Kavanagh ranch to live. Angus takes on the role “father” and teaching the young boy comes naturally. He finds himself attached to Julian.

  Julian has a secret that can’t be told. Julian wants nothing more than to confess. Will Angus walk away when he finds the truth?

  Order Angus Now https://amzn.to/2ZKuY4j

  If you have enjoyed my books please consider leaving a short review on Amazon. Thank you!!

  Teagan: Cowboy Strong

  Teagan Kavanagh pushed his hat back and frowned as he stared out over his pasture, dotted with grazing livestock. He shook his head and looked again. A good many of the cattle on his land didn’t belong to him. “Tarnation!” he muttered as the truth dawned on him. Someone had knocked down the fence again.

  Running his gaze over the fence in the distance, it didn’t take him long to spot the breach. It was hard not to see considering several scrawny cows were jumping over the downed posts and wire and roaming onto his land as he watched. Still mumbling under his breath, he spurred his dun, Sandy through the hole in the fence and rode for the Maguire house.

  The broken steps, unpatched roof, and the door barely hanging on its hinges surprised him. Why was the place in such disrepair? It couldn’t cost that much to fix it up. They had plenty of cattle. Maybe they didn’t know that because they were all on his land grazing on his grass.

  The squawking of the chickens was the only sign that anything alive was around. The ground was nothing but patches of dirt that blew like dust in the scorching Texas sun.

  Teagan swung down off his horse, by-passed the porch steps and knocked on the house instead of the door. He waited, but nothing happened. No one answered. He hopped off the porch and went around back. The garden that had once been lush and vibrant with vegetables was no longer anything but a patch of weeds. But laundry on the clothesline was whipping in the wind. Someone lived here.

  Then he saw her, Gemma Maguire. She was pulling with what seemed to be all her might on a rope around their old cow. It always was a stubborn animal, and time hadn’t mellowed her one bit. He strode over and, without so much as a word of greeting, took the rope out of Gemma’s hand, and with a firm tug to get her moving, he led Old Bennie into the falling-down barn and to her stall. He removed the rope and closed the stall door behind him when he was done.

  When he turned around and walked out of the barn, she was waiting for him just outside the door.

  “Gemma,” he said in a neutral tone as he tipped his hat to her.

  “Teagan. I heard all the boys made it home from the war. What a blessing.” She quickly stared at the ground and shuffled her feet a bit. “I guess you want to evict me. I’m trying to locate any family I might have, plus the bank said I still had one month before I had to either pay off the loan or leave.” Her chin wavered, and she swallowed hard. “I… suppose you could say I’ve hit on hard times.”

  “Where are your
folks?”

  “Mama died of consumption, and Daddy never did come back from the war. I married a man who promised to take care of the ranch and me, but he took all my money and left. I guess I wasn’t very good at picking a husband. He tried to sell the land right from under me but there was too much debt, all his debt. He liked to play cards at Bobbie’s Saloon for days at a time.” She stole a quick look at him and bowed her head again. “I will pack.”

  “I didn’t buy your ranch, Gemma.”

  She narrowed her eyes as she stared at him. “Of course, you did. Mr. Lyons told me how you wanted me gone right away but he worked it out so I could stay until the end of the month. He said Teagan Kavanagh bought the place with cash.”

  He shook his head, trying to make sense of her words. “I don’t understand any of this. When’s the last time you had a good meal?”

  She turned crimson. “It’s not important.”

  He touched her arm and was struck by a jolt of awareness; he still felt a spark between them after all this time. “It is important. I hate to say this Gemma, but you look worse than the beggars in the city.”

  Stepping away, she turned her back on him. “I will be out by the end of the month.” Gemma lifted her skirt a bit and ran to the house. She almost fell on the busted-up steps, and she was extremely gentle with the door.

  They had once been such good friends. Good friends until he’d asked her to marry him, at least… and she said no. He hadn’t even been aware she got married. He supposed he had never really known her at all. His hands fisted as he walked to Sandy then swung up into the saddle.

  A wry chuckle bubbled forth. He never had gotten to the reason he’d come over; the cattle.

  As he rode, he couldn’t help but compare the worn-down woman he’d just left to the vital young lady she’d once been. Her blossom of youth had vanished, her hair looked uncombed, and her dress has seen better days. “I married a man who promised to take care of the ranch and me…” Her words echoed in his head, and he couldn’t get the broken look she’d worn as she told him out of his mind. She married someone else. The notion was pure torture and would not leave him alone while he rode through his herd and got a better sense of how many head she had on his property.

  Heading home and asking his brothers a few questions might clear things up. Then he would see Victor Lyons and find out why Gemma thought he was buying her ranch.

  She hadn’t set eyes on him for at least six years. He’d grown up, hardened some, but mostly he was the same. She’d fallen for him the minute she first saw him with his broad shoulders, sky-blue eyes, and brown hair. He’d been confident bordering on arrogance back then. He seemed more reserved now. She’d spent far too much time crying over that man.

  Her father had hated the whole Kavanagh family, and he’d forbidden her to marry Teagan. In fact, the day Teagan had asked her, she had been ordered to tell him he’d be shot on sight if he came near her again. The confusion and hurt in his eyes had haunted her all these years. When the Kavanagh boys joined up to fight the war, she’d been terrified he’d be killed.

  At first, she had ridden the fence line between their ranches to glean a bit of information about how he was doing, but none of the brothers would talk to her. Losing their friendship had cut deep, but she didn’t have a choice. Her father never told her why he hated Mr. Kavanagh.

  She prayed so much for the boys in gray. Then her father had joined the army and soon after that, her mother had died. What a terrible time it was. Few folks helped her, and she had never understood why. Her mother had been friendly to them all.

  Then the soldiers had raided her food. She dug a new root cellar, but it was discovered, and the army took her food. Finally, she walked a good half hour and dug another new one. She planted her garden out there too, after the one near her house had been raided to the extent there was nothing left. She’d been lucky she’d had enough time to grow and harvest again.

  She’d picked all the wild berries she could find and made preserves. It was a long trek in the winter, and she spent much of the time covering her tracks. It was a lonely time, and though they were her nearest neighbors, not one of the Kavanaghs had checked on her. She paid the mortgage every month with money she’d found buried in her yard. Her father hadn’t trusted banks. As far as she’d known everything had been paid off.

  It had proven a struggle, but she had been getting by. One day after church, a handsome man with blond hair and brown eyes had smiled at her. He’d asked her to go for a walk. He was funny and charming. His manners were polished, and he was so respectful. The other unmarried women in the town all had their eyes on him, but every Sunday he’d chosen her. She’d been too smitten by his attentions to realize she was just being played for a fool.

  Shoving the memories aside, she stared out the window and into her ruined garden. If Teagan didn’t know about the land buy, then what was going on? It was time—past time,—for answers. She’d need to draw a hot bath and press her Sunday dress, for tomorrow she was going to the Kavanagh’s.

  It was a bit of a walk to the Kavanagh’s house; a dry, hot, sweaty walk. Hopefully her shoes would hold together. She could see the house and outbuildings from a distance, and the difference between the state of their house and hers shamed her. The Kavanagh house was beautifully whitewashed, and she had always admired the big porch. A person could walk out any door of the house and be on the porch. Their steps looked to be in fine condition, and she’d bet they didn’t have water leaking into the house when it rained. To think her house had once been in such fine order as that.

  A sigh slipped past her lips, and she squared her shoulders. She’d done the best she could, and she’d survived. She had made some bad, life-altering decisions, but here she was. Which of the boys would answer the door? Or did they still have Dolly working for them? She had checked the notices of death constantly and she had never seen the name Kavanagh on any of them, but the notices weren’t always correct.

  She stood very straight and tall and hesitated. Teagan wouldn’t want to see her. She’d lost her pride when she told him about her life. What had she been thinking? A hush seemed to settle around her. No birdsong, no chirp and hum of insects. No voices. No one was around. She should turn around and leave…

  The door swung inward, and the Kavanagh’s housekeeper stood framed in the opening. “Mrs. Parks,” Dolly greeted. “I saw you walk up, but I didn’t hear you knock. Well, come on in. I haven’t seen you in a while not since… Well, it’s been a while.”

  Gemma walked in. “It’s good to see you too, Dolly.” Gemma had always admired the woman who had practically raised the boys. Dolly had black hair she wore braided. It hung down her back and was as thick as a man’s wrist. She was older and she ruled the house with an iron hand. It was as though she was the conscience of the household. The boys had often looked to her for advice.

  “I was just making some tea. Would you care to join me?” Dolly tilted her head slightly, and her smile was welcoming, but not as warm as normal, as though she knew this wasn’t a social call.

  “That sounds lovely. Is Teagan available? I need to talk to him.”

  Dolly shook her head. “He grumbled about bankers and went to town.”

  Gemma’s heart quickened. So, he knew about the sale. She gave a nod. “The tea sounds good if you’re still offering.”

  “Of course. Please have a seat, and I’ll be right back.”

  Dolly walked to the kitchen, and with each step she took, Gemma lost a bit more of her confidence. Dolly had such poise and manners. Gemma felt like a country hick compared to her. She sat in a comfortable chair facing the lavish stone fireplace that took up half the wall. It was beautiful when lit during a frigid day. At least that was how she remembered it.

  Was Teagan chastising the banker for telling her who had bought the land? Did she have any prayer of paying him off? Would he help her? She must have a few stray cattle somewhere, but without a horse to round them up, she couldn’t claim them as c
ollateral against any debt. No, she’d drink her tea as quickly as she could while still being polite and then she was leaving. Coming here was just another bad decision to add to her long list.

  Dolly returned with a tray that held the tea and sugar cookies to have with it. Gemma’s mouth watered as she stared at those cookies. Dolly poured a cup of tea and handed it over. “If I remember you like it plain?”

  “Yes, thank you.” Gemma waited for Dolly to be seated before she took a sip. It was heavenly. She hadn’t had tea in a while, so she savored each sip. The sugar cookie had extra sugar sprinkled on top. It had been a long while since she’d had sugar.

  “Oh, Teagan is back,” Dolly announced as she hopped up and opened the door for him. “You have a visitor.

  Teagan glanced at her and didn’t bother to hide his scowl. “Miss. Maguire, please come with me to my office.”

  “Mrs. Parks,” Dolly corrected.

  Gemma stood. Her face heated. “It’s still Maguire. My husband already had a wife when he married me.” Shamed, she walked to the office, now Teagan’s office. It still looked and smelled the same. Everything was made of leather and there was still a hint of the scent of his father’s pipe tobacco in the air.

  Teagan caught up and closed the door. “Please have a seat.”

  She remained standing. “Dolly told me you went to see Mr. Lyons?” she pressed. No sense stalling, she decided as she met his gaze.

  Teagan took his time getting settled behind the massive wooden desk. “What we have is a bit of a mystery. Mr. Lyons didn’t have any signed papers from a buyer. Interestingly enough, you are not behind on your payments, so I don’t understand why he told you to leave at the end of the month. At first, he pretended to not know what I was talking about. He was lying. He’s still lying, but now he can’t hold anything over you. I took the liberty of paying off your debt, and the house and land are yours.”