Her Heart for the Asking (Book 1 - TEXAS HEARTS) (16 page)

"I have a plane to catch," she said, trying
to pull free from his arms.

But Beau held on to her tighter. 
"There are other planes."

"Not today."

"Then tomorrow.  Stay with me
today.  There'll be another one tomorrow."

"And rodeos?"

He shook his head.  "No, no more
rodeos."

"Of course there will be."

"It's time for me to stop and settle in
somewhere.  I know I could just as easily go back to working
the ranch with my father, but in the end, nothing will
change.  He'll still hate not owning the Double T...and he'll
hate that I'm desperately in love with the enemy’s daughter."

"What did you say?"

He turned to her, framing both hands on her
face.  "I love you, Mandy.  More than anything.  I'm
not letting you leave here without you being absolutely sure of
that fact.  I love you."

More than rodeo and the world
championship?
she wondered.  He hadn't said it, but she
saw the answers to all her unspoken question shining in the depths
of his eyes.  He did love her more than all the rest. 
This time she was sure of it.

"I'm done roaming.  I've found the
thing that is more important to me than rodeo.  You.  And
this is where I want to be, right here with my arms around
you."  

He reached out and grazed her cheek with his
fingers, sending shooting sparks flying in every which
direction.  "And I'm hoping one day this is where you'll want
to be too."

"Oh, Beau," she whispered.  "Why
now?"

"Why not now when it matters most? 
There's nothing holding us back.  You said yourself people
don't say what's truly in their hearts until it's too late.  I
don't know how to tell you what I'm feeling.  I only know I
don't want it to be too late."

"It's already too late.  It won't
change anything.  You say you're done roaming.  But
pretty soon, you'll be itching to rodeo again.  And what about
me?  I have friends, and a great job and...and...a life
somewhere else.  In Philadelphia.  None of that fits in
with rodeoing."

"I hear you.  And I heard everything
you said last night, too.  You've built a life without
me.  But you could have a life here, too, and a man who loves
you more than life itself.

"I'm just asking you to think about
it.  That's all.  Go back to Philadelphia and live your
life and if you're happy there, then fine.  I'll have to
accept it.  But if you're not, then know I'm going to be right
here waiting for you."

"You're really going to throw away the World
Championship?  You're not leaving?"

He shook his head.  "It doesn't mean a
whole lot without you."

"You're staying at the ranch?"

"I worked it out with Hank last night. 
We're going to start a rodeo school.  I'll get to do what I
love and be home every single night to share with you, if that's
what you want.  I'll wait as long as I have to to win your
heart back again, Mandy.  And when I do, I'm going to ask you
to be my wife."

Her lips trembled.  He loved her. 
Beau really and truly loved her and he wanted to marry her. 
Oh, God, what was she going to do? 

She pulled out of his arms and walked a few
steps away from him.  She needed the distance to give her some
clarity, to make her head stop spinning and keep her mind thinking
straight.  But all she wanted to do was turn around and launch
herself into Beau's arms and never leave.

He loved her.  After all the pain of
thinking it was over, could she trust his love enough to open her
heart again?

"Why aren't you asking me now?"

"You said you wanted to go back.  I
want you to be happy more than anything and you said--"

"I know what I said.  I've been saying
a lot these past few days.  Now I want to hear it from
you.  Again."

A slow smile tipped the corner of his
lips.  Lord how she loved that smile. 

"I love you, Mandy.  More than
anything.  I'm asking you to give me your heart, stay here
with me and be my wife." 

"No more leaving?"

He opened his arms wide.  "No more
leaving."

She was in his arms before she could even
think about anything else.  And she knew without a doubt she
could spend all her days happy and content right there as long as
she had Beau to love.  As long as she was in his heart and in
his arms, they'd make it work.

She kissed him on the lips and gazed up at
him with renewed hope and deep love.  "Beau, there has never
been anyone else but you.  You've always had my heart. 
All you had to do was ask."  

THE END

Dear Reader:

Thank you so much for reading Book 1 in my
Texas Hearts series, Her Heart for the Asking.  I hope you
enjoyed it!  If you did, please help others find this
book.

1.
     
This book is lendable,
so send it to a friend who you think will enjoy it so that she/he
can discover me, too.

2.
     
Help other people find
this book by writing a review.

3.
     
Check my blog,
http://www.lisamondello.blogspot.com
for news about upcoming books in the series.  There are two
more books featuring sexy cowboys!

4.
     
Follow me on Twitter
@LisaMondello

His Heart for the Trusting is the story
about Mitch Broader.  Mitch originally appeared in my book,
Nothing But Trouble, set in Wyoming.  Nothing But Trouble was
a standalone book, but readers emailed me, telling me they wanted
to see a book by Mitch.  So when I started writing my Texas
Hearts series, I re-introduced Mitch and gave him his own
book.  I also brought Sara Lightfoot, the daughter of Hank and
Corrine’s housekeeper, Alice, back to Texas from California. 
Check out the blurb below and look for Her Heart for the Asking
starting February 15
^,
2012 at online retailers.
 

The last book in the series is The More I
See and this story is a little more personal for me.  It was
inspired by a friend of mine who’d become blind some years ago and
needed a guide dog.  I modeled Otis the guide dog in The More
I See after the real Otis I had the pleasure of seeing in action.
 The More I See will be released in eBook format February 22,
2012.

Many thanks,

Lisa Mondello

His Heart for the Trusting – Book 2

Ever since
Mitch Broader set foot in Texas, he dreamed of owning his own
ranch. Now that he’s bought a share in the Double T Ranch, he’s one
step closer to the dream. Then his past greets him in the form of a
baby basket, complete with infant and birth certificate naming him
as the father. He can’t change diapers and work toward his dream at
the same time.

When Sara
Lightfoot, “Miss Hollywood” in Mitch’s eyes, rescues him with her
particular knack for handling his precocious son, he hires her on
the spot as a temporary nanny. No matter how much Sara’s dark eyes
and warm heart make this bachelor think of settling down and making
their arrangement permanent, she’s made it perfectly clear she has
other plans that don’t include him or his dreams.

Sara Lightfoot
never thought she’d return to her home on the reservation. Now she
plans to reclaim the life she left by going back to the reservation
as a Native American storyteller, teaching the Apache children
stories of their culture. She didn’t expect Mitch Broader’s sexy
smile or job offer as a live-in nanny to derail those plans. After
all she’s been through to come home, can she open up her heart once
again to love?

Excerpt:

Sara brought her sedan to a full stop at the
gate announcing The Double T Ranch.  It had been a long time
since she'd visited Hank and Corrine Promise.  Their spread
was bigger than she'd remembered.  But then a lot of changing
happens in nine years.  Mandy had mentioned hard times last
year when she'd visited, something to do with Hank's health, but by
the look of things it seemed the hard times had past.  She was
glad for that.

She hit the gas pedal and pushed past the
gate.  A long string of cars and pickups trucks lined the side
of the drive.  As she approached, she saw a large green and
white striped tent set up in the back yard with tables and chairs
arranged beneath it.  It wasn't until she got closer that she
saw a team of people engrossed in erecting a post and beam
barn.

 
It was a real
honest to goodness old-fashioned barn raising. 
Now that
was something you didn't see every day in Los
Angeles.

There were people crawling all over the yard
like ants picking up crumbs at a picnic.  Sara parked her
rental at the end of the line and walked along the row of cars
leading to the festivities, passing grazing cows.  The smell
of manure and freshly mown hay drying in the sun filled her
nose. 

She should have changed into a pair of
shorts and her sneakers before she'd left the airport, she thought,
feeling sweat trickle down the center of her chest.  Her coral
silk sleeveless blouse and pants were clinging to her skin after
the long ride from the airport.

    
Clutched by anxiety and the overwhelming desire to run, she
made a beeline for the house before anyone recognized her. 
With any luck she'd spot Mandy first and have a private meeting
before barging in on her parents.  Odds were her mother at
least was here already, having been the housekeeper at the Double T
for more than fifteen years.

    
The screen door slammed drawing her attention to the
house.  There'd be less people inside on such a hot day. 
Maybe she'd be able to find Mandy there before anyone spotted
her.

Slipping past a group of blue-haired ladies
tearing at a pitcher of iced tea under a low hanging cottonwood
tree, Sara rushed up the brick path to the front door that faced
the driveway.  As she approached, she heard the plaintive
sound of a baby crying and the deep, almost groan of a male
voice. 
An extremely exasperated male voice.

The urgency of that voice had her bolting
into the house without knocking.

The tall, dark-haired man pacing the living
room, bouncing the baby was much too pre-occupied with trying to
stop the baby from crying to notice her.  He had his broad
back to her, but it couldn't possibly be Beau, Sara quickly
decided.  She'd seen pictures of the wedding when Mandy had
visited.  Even with his back turned, she knew he looked
different.  And Mandy's baby wasn't due for at least another
two or more months according to her last letter.

Dropping her purse on the oak end table,
Sara advanced across the carpeted floor, thinking more about the
poor infant than startling the man with her silent entry.

"Keep that up and you'll be smelling baby
vomit on your boots for the next month," she said. 

The man swung around with the sound of her
voice.  It wasn't Beau, but she did know the face.  She'd
seen him before.  But she couldn't quite place where.

"Oh, thank God someone is here," he said,
relief bursting to life in his sun-tanned face. 

His bright eyes were a deep sapphire blue
with flecks of gold and gray that reminded Sara sunset and sunrise
all in one.  Although his skin was indeed a bronze color from
the long days he no doubt spent in the Texas sun, his nose was
slightly red and peeling.  A testament to his fair skin. 
Sweat lined his dark brows as they creased.

"They all left me alone.  He's been
crying and I have no idea what to do." 

"Poor baby," she said, standing near enough
to now stroke her finger across the baby's smooth cheek.

"Thanks."

"No, I meant the baby.  His mother
should be brought up on charges for leaving this child with the
likes of you."

The man heaved a sigh.  "At the moment,
I couldn't agree with you more.  Do you know anything about
babies?"

"I know it's not good to bounce him around
so much.  It'll give him an upset stomach."

"He's been crying forever."

Sara rolled her eyes and couldn't help but
smile.  A cowboy had the stomach for castrating a bull but
some were so helpless when it came to babies.  She actually
felt sorry for him.  "I'm sure it only seems that way."

"No, I swear.  And I don't know what he
wants."

"If he's been crying a long time, he may
have colic."

"Colic.  You mean like a horse?" he
croaked.

Sara chuckled quietly at the horrified look
her gave her, thinking how good it felt to do that after so
long.  "Yeah, something like that."

The man gulped.  "Sometimes we have to
put down horses with colic."

"Trust me, you're not going to have to do
that to the baby.  When was the last time he had a
bottle?"

He looked at her blankly.  "A
bottle?" 

"Yeah, has he been fed?  You know,
formula you put in a bottle to feed the baby?  At his age,
you're not going to give him a slab of steak fresh off the
grill.  Or maybe his mother is nursing?"

The man's broad shoulders sagged. 
"Look, I know how to raise cows.  I'm an imbecile when it
comes to a baby."

Sara quirked an eyebrow.  "So it
seems." 

She reached out and rescued the baby from
the man and stretched the baby belly down over the length of her
arm, cooing to help soothe the baby.  With a practiced hand,
she checked his diaper to find that it was still dry. 

"I take it this is not your baby."

His blue eyes grazed the baby and for a
moment he looked a little lost himself.  With a sigh, he said,
"Can you help me?"

Sara glanced around the living room, on the
sofa and the floor in search of a diaper bag.  "See if there
is a bottle in that diaper bag.  If there is, bring it into
the kitchen."