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DO YOU NEED A COWBOY FIX?
New York Times bestselling author Vicki Lewis Thompson is back with more …
Sons of Chance
Chance isn’t just the last name of these rugged
Wyoming cowboys—it’s their motto, too!
Saddle up with:
LONG ROAD HOME
November 2012
LEAD ME HOME
December 2012
FEELS LIKE HOME
January 2013
Take a chance … on a Chance!
Dear Reader,
Have you ever wanted desperately to connect with someone, yet not known for certain whether they’d accept you? That’s the uncomfortable position in which Wyatt Locke finds himself as he drives toward the Last Chance Ranch in the first SONS OF CHANCE book. Yes, folks, Wyatt’s story kicks off another three-book parade of gorgeous cowboys!
Although Wyatt longs to be friends with his half-brother Jack Chance, he’s so afraid of rejection that he doesn’t notify Jack that he’s coming. That plan doesn’t work out as he expects, but in Wyatt’s shoes, I would do the same.
In writing about Wyatt, I longed to protect him from getting hurt, so I gave him Olivia Sedgewick, someone who sympathizes with his desire to connect with family. But even Olivia can’t stand between Wyatt and disappointment. As it turns out, getting hurt and learning from the experience is how people grow.
And just so you know, Wyatt doesn’t start out the story as a cowboy, but before long, he’s wearing the jeans, the boots and the hat. They’re borrowed, but they do the trick. Taking yummy-looking guys and turning them into yummy-looking cowboys is what I do.
Welcome back to the Last Chance Ranch, and thank you for joining me there once again! It’s going to be a great winter because my cowboys are saddled up and ready to ride straight into your heart!
Warmly,
Vicki Lewis Thompson
About the Author
New York Times bestselling author VICKI LEWIS THOMPSON’s love affair with cowboys started with the Lone Ranger, continued through Maverick and took a turn south of the border with Zorro. She views cowboys as the Western version of knights in shining armor—rugged men who value honor, honesty and hard work. Fortunately for her, she lives in the Arizona desert, where broad-shouldered, lean-hipped cowboys abound. Blessed with such an abundance of inspiration, she only hopes that she can do them justice. Visit her website at www.vickilewisthompson.com.
Long Road Home
Vicki Lewis Thompson
To my wonderful readers, especially those of
you who’ve been with me from the early days.
Your e-mails and letters mean the world to me!
Prologue
August 22, 1978 From the diary of Eleanor Chance
JONATHAN IS MARRIED, and my heart is heavy. We had a small ceremony this afternoon at the Last Chance because that’s all he and Diana wanted. There’s no pretty way to say this—a baby is on the way, and after several months of debate, Jonathan and Diana decided to get married. If you’re in love, you don’t debate such things, so I’ve concluded they’re not in love and I hate that for both of them.
Oh, they say they love each other, but I think that’s so Archie and I won’t be upset about this marriage. Jonathan is our only child, and of course we wanted him to end up with a woman he adores, who also adores him. We hoped she’d share his devotion to the ranch and look forward to raising children here. Our grandchildren.
Instead he has Diana. She looks like an Indian princess, which makes sense because her mother was Shoshone. Other than that, she hasn’t volunteered much about her parents except to say they’re both gone.
I have to wonder what her upbringing was like, because she’s the least nurturing person I’ve ever come across. She pretends to be happy about the baby, but I can tell she’s not.
She confessed to me that before she found out about her pregnancy, she’d been saving her tips from waitressing to finance a move from the Jackson Hole area to San Francisco. She’d dreamed of getting out of Shoshone, which she calls a one-horse town, and living a more sophisticated life.
Instead she’s stuck here, and I can tell that’s exactly how she feels, too. I seriously doubt she looks forward to living on the ranch for all her born days, and if she stays with Jonathan, that’s what she’ll have to do.
I’m torn because I don’t think the marriage is a good idea, but she’s carrying my grandchild. For that reason, I want her to stay right here and learn to love being a mother to my grandbaby and a wife to my son. I plan to do everything in my power to help that cause.
1
IF WYATT LOCKE BELIEVED in omens, his return visit to the Last Chance Ranch had disaster written all over it. Rain drummed on the roof of his truck and sluiced over the windshield faster than the wipers could sweep it away. Every so often lightning would strike close enough to deafen him while providing a camera-flash view of the muddy road and the soggy Wyoming countryside.
The storm had come on quickly, ambushing him after he’d already committed to the rutted dirt road leading to the ranch. The weight of his camper shell and the gear in the back helped keep him on the road, but trying to turn around now would almost guarantee he’d end up axle-deep in mud. Going forward was his only option.
He slowed the truck to a crawl and kept his headlights on, although they didn’t accomplish much. Still, he’d hate to run into something. A pair of taillights winked in the distance to let him know he wasn’t the only fool out here. But then the rain got serious again and reduced visibility to about fifteen feet in front of him.
If his twin brother, Rafe, could see him struggling through this deluge, he’d laugh himself silly. Rafe had tried his best to talk Wyatt out of this harebrained scheme, but once Wyatt latched on to an idea, he couldn’t let it go. Jack Chance
