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  Tyler laughed bitterly. “Did Ellie tell you that? Since when did you become a preacher?”

  One corner of Buck’s lips rose just slightly. It was the first time since Julie had arrived at the door that he really felt any relief from the black storm clouds that seemed to have descended on him. “I’m no preacher.”

  Tyler scoffed. “No kidding.”

  “But I remember the Lord’s Prayer. You know, ‘forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us’? Sound familiar?”

  Tyler shrugged. “I guess.”

  “Look, son. I know I’m not the best role model. I was mad at your grandma for a long time for something she did—for so long I practically forgot why I was mad at her in the first place. For the longest time I refused to speak to her, though she tried over and over to contact me.”

  Tyler sniffed and wiped his eyes, his attention clearly focused on Buck.

  “Then what happened?”

  “When your mother…when Julie left, I felt betrayed all over again. This time it was Julie who wouldn’t talk to me. I guess I eventually got it through my thick skull that I had done the same thing to my mother—your grandmother.”

  “Yeah,” Tyler agreed. “At least you worked it out with Grandma.”

  Buck nodded. “I did. But it wasn’t easy. And if I hadn’t been so bullheaded, I wouldn’t have wasted so many years hating when there’s so much room to love.”

  “But, Dad, I—I don’t love Julie,” Tyler stammered and then cleared his throat.

  “No one expects you to,” Buck assured him. “I certainly don’t, and Julie doesn’t love me, either.”

  “What, then?”

  “She just wants to talk to you. Apologize for her past behavior. Get to know the great son she has, you know, before you’re all grown up on us.”

  “What about Ellie?” Tyler challenged.

  “What about Ellie?” Buck repeated softly, the very mention of her name making his heart start skittering like the newborn colt.

  Tyler groaned. “Aw, Dad, don’t make me say it.”

  “I wouldn’t if I had the slightest idea what you were talking about,” Buck said with a laugh.

  “You and Ellie.”

  A new understanding washed over Buck. So that was what this was all about.

  “You don’t think Julie being here is going to affect the way I feel about Ellie or how she feels about you, do you?” Buck asked, honestly perplexed.

  Tyler shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “Not in this lifetime,” Buck assured his son. He stood to his feet, brushed the hay off his jeans and offered a hand to Tyler. “You think I’m going to let a woman like Ellie off the hook?”

  “You did once,” Tyler reminded him, accepting the hand Buck offered and pulling himself to his feet, then, following his father’s lead, brushing the hay off his jeans.

  “And I learned from that experience. I may be slow, but I’m not stupid.”

  Tyler laughed. “So what are we going to do, then?”

  Surprisingly, Buck knew the answer to that question. It was all about trust, wasn’t it? Ellie needed to know he wasn’t going to walk out on her again, that he was here for good this time.

  And he knew just how to do that. He grinned at Tyler. “I have an idea.”

  Would this day never end?

  Would this tension ever slacken?

  Would this pain never cease?

  Ellie glanced at the clock over the sink for the tenth time in as many minutes. At first, it had only been Julie staring at her watch.

  Now they were both clock watching, waiting with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation so thick in the air, Ellie thought she could almost slice it. It was definitely difficult for her to breathe. Getting air to her lungs was no longer an involuntary act. She had to coach herself.

  In, two, three. Out, two, three.

  A movement at the doorway had Ellie on her feet even before Julie. Both women stared at the door as Tyler entered, followed by Buck, who swept his hat off his head and sighed loudly, his expression giving nothing away.

  Tyler mimicked his father’s movement, but the young man didn’t have the same ability to mask his features that his father did. Ellie recognized the joy streaming from Tyler’s gaze before the excited grin on his face even registered with her.

  Her heart sank, and a weight grew painfully heavy on her shoulders.

  What did it mean, that joy in Tyler’s eyes? Ellie wondered. That he was glad to meet his birth mother? Ellie would have thought Buck would have had to drag the boy kicking and screaming back to the house.

  Apparently Tyler was much more resilient than Ellie had previously determined him to be. She had hoped for the best, but now that it was here, she wasn’t sure that was really what she wanted. She had basked in the new love she’d found with Buck and Tyler. Now she would have to learn to share that love. It might be the right thing to do, but it wasn’t easy. She slid her glance to Julie, who was flushed and beaming at her son.

  Ellie moved her gaze to Buck, who pulled up one side of his mouth in what could have passed for a half smile, or maybe a grimace. His eyes flittered from hers, but not before she’d read his expression.

  Guilty as charged.

  “Tyler,” Buck pressed when the young man didn’t immediately speak.

  Ellie purposefully avoided looking at Tyler again, afraid she might burst into tears. Never in a million years would she have expected things to go this way.

  Tyler stepped forward into Ellie’s view. Despite her reticence, Ellie found herself drawn to the scene of the young man approaching the mother he barely remembered. His intent, Ellie surmised, was clear enough from the grin on his face.

  Obviously Julie thought so, too, for she stepped closer to the boy and held out her hand to him. His expression turning suddenly serious, Tyler took Julie’s proffered hand and shook it solemnly, looking every inch the young man he was.

  “It’s nice to meet you, ma’am,” he said and then glanced at Ellie, as if requesting confirmation for his actions.

  Ellie thought her heart might rip in two, but she forced herself to smile and nod at the boy, hoping her expression was encouraging and did not reveal her true state of mind.

  “I’m glad to…” Julie paused and tripped over her words. “To meet you, too, Tyler.”

  “Yeah,” the boy agreed, but his smile was wavering.

  Buck stepped forward and laid a reassuring hand on Tyler’s shoulder.

  “Tyler has agreed to speak with you,” he said, addressing Julie.

  “I’m so glad,” Julie gushed.

  “However,” Buck continued. Ellie noted how he squeezed his son’s shoulder. “I know you’ve been waiting a long time, but I hope you will be willing to postpone this, er, reunion, until later. Tyler and I have something important to discuss with Ellie.”

  “Of course,” said Julie, standing. “I have some phone calls to make.”

  Julie’s exit was more graceful than Ellie imagined her own would have been.

  She wanted to dash out of the house as quickly as she could. She didn’t have any desire whatsoever to hear what Tyler and Buck had to say. Given the way things were going, it could only be bad news for her.

  She couldn’t handle it. She wasn’t ready.

  If only she’d acknowledged the depth of her feelings for Buck before Julie had arrived. If only she’d told him she loved him. If only she knew he loved her, too.

  There were a lot of if onlys, but only one reality, and she was facing that now. She wanted to bolt like a frightened filly.

  As if Buck sensed her thoughts, he shifted toward the back door, casually leaning an elbow on the door frame, with what was definitely a half smile on his lips. Ellie glanced toward the living room, but Buck shook his head, cautioning her against that escape.

  Resigned, Ellie shifted her gaze to Tyler. The boy was rocking on his feet in his excitement.

  “You’re glad to meet your mother, huh?” she asked gent
ly, forcing an upward tilt to her lips, though she was under no illusion that it remotely resembled a smile.

  Tyler’s grin faltered, and he glanced anxiously at his father. “Dad?”

  “It’s okay, son,” Buck reassured the boy. “Go ahead and tell her what you want to say.”

  Tyler was smiling again. “I’m—I’m not really all that happy to meet her,” he said, but it was what he didn’t say that gave Ellie her first tiny ray of hope.

  Tyler hadn’t called Julie his mother. At least not yet.

  Still, Ellie was surprised by Tyler’s words, especially given the past few minutes. “You’re not?”

  Tyler shook his head. “No. Not really.”

  “I guess I don’t understand,” said Ellie.

  Tyler was looking edgy all of the sudden, and once again he glanced at his father for support.

  Ellie brushed a lock of hair from the boy’s forehead. “Don’t worry, Tyler. You can tell me anything.”

  Buck stepped forward, laying his hands on Tyler’s shoulders. “Tyler and I have something we want to ask you,” he said huskily, his look warm and gleaming.

  Ellie’s gaze widened on them both as Tyler nodded vigorously and Buck grinned.

  “Dad wants to marry you,” Tyler blurted suddenly. “You love him, right?”

  Ellie was caught so off guard, she nearly fell over. Her knees felt like gelatin. Whatever she’d expected Tyler to say, this wasn’t it.

  She raised her eyes to Buck and saw the confirmation of love beaming from his gaze. He smiled and nodded.

  Ellie wanted to answer, but the lump in her throat had grown to the size of a large boulder. Her heart pounded. As if a dam had burst, love welled in her heart for both of her men and sheer joy made her dizzy.

  “How would you feel about staying around here forever?” she asked the boy.

  Tyler’s answering smile was more than adequate.

  Buck leaned over the young man and planted a soft kiss on Ellie’s lips. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

  “How could I refuse both of you?” she asked with a joyful laugh.

  “Exactly,” Buck agreed. “Why do you think I brought Tyler along with me? I didn’t want to give you the chance to refuse.”

  Ellie reached her hands out, one hand brushing Buck’s cheek and the other brushing Tyler’s. Matching grins flashed back at her. Father and son.

  Soon to be her husband and son.

  “My two men,” she murmured tenderly.

  Tyler stepped out from between them, allowing Buck to pull Ellie close and kiss her again. Ellie was dizzy with delight and happier than she had ever been. Vaguely, she heard Tyler’s voice from what seemed like a long distance.

  “All right!”

  With a secretive expression, Buck reached into the front pockets of his black jeans and then pulled out his hands, clenched in fists. “Pick a hand.”

  Ellie brushed her long hair back with her hand and then pointed at Buck’s left fist. With a twinkle in his emerald green eyes, he opened his hand, but it was empty.

  “Pick another hand,” Buck suggested.

  Tyler laughed in delight, and Ellie joined him.

  Her heart roaring in her ears, Ellie took Buck’s other hand and turned it over, pulling at his clamped fingers. Buck toyed with her a moment before opening his fist.

  On the flat of his palm was an engagement ring, a simple gold setting with a sparkling solitaire. Ellie gasped, forgetting momentarily how to breathe.

  “Oh, Buck. It’s beautiful,” she whispered as he slipped the ring on her left fourth finger.

  “It was my mother’s,” he explained huskily. “I know she’d want you to have it.”

  “I’m sure she’s smiling down from heaven right now,” Ellie said, pressing a soft kiss to Buck’s scratchy cheek. “I think she might have had this in mind all along.”

  Buck squeezed her hand and kissed her ring finger. “I imagine she did.”

  Dear Reader,

  Babies should come with a warning label: Will Become Teenagers! My three teenage girls keep me hopping, and it is a great privilege to share with them the joys and sorrows of growing up, even if there is much pain involved. No one said being a parent was easy. When my children suffer, I suffer. Yet God has given me more blessings than I can count with my daughters, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  It was a beautiful journey for me to write a teenager into His Texas Bride. I loved every minute with Buck, Ellie and Tyler, and hope you do, as well.

  I love to hear from my readers and try to respond personally to everyone. Please join my fan page on Facebook. I am on MySpace at: www.myspace.com/debkastner. You can also contact me directly by e-mail at [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you!

  In Christ’s love,

  QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

  What made you pick up this book? Was it the cover? The author? The back cover copy?

  In His Texas Bride Buck ran away from his problems instead of trying to work them out. Have you ever been in a situation from which you wanted to run? How did you deal with it?

  Ellie had the rug pulled out from under her feet when Buck disappeared from her life, yet she moved on and focused on God. Relate an experience when you felt the “rug” was pulled out from underneath you. What did you do?

  In the book Buck’s ex-wife, Julie, chose to face those from whom she must ask forgiveness. Is this always the best course of action? Why or why not?

  Why was it important for Buck and Tyler to forgive Julie? Have you ever struggled with this?

  To which character in His Texas Bride do you most relate? Why?

  What do you consider the prominent themes of His Texas Bride? How do they relate to your life?

  Buck held on to his anger toward his mother until he’d almost forgotten why he was angry in the first place. How does this happen, and how can you avoid having it happen to you? (See Ephesians 4:26)

  Although Ellie considered her therapy ranch a Christian ministry, there is not much overtly Christian about what she does. Would you consider this a ministry? Why or why not?

  Ellie was thrilled to watch Buck work with Morgan, a little girl with Down syndrome. Sometimes people find it uncomfortable or difficult to interact with those with physical or mental disabilities. Discuss your own experiences with people with disabilities.

  Do you agree with Buck and Ellie’s decision to let Tyler know Julie was his birth mother?

  Have you ever acted rashly and then regretted it? What was the situation, and how did you handle it?

  Because Ellie lost her parents, she had a very close relationship with Mama Esther. Is there anyone in your life who feels like true family even though they aren’t blood relatives?

  Have you ever lost sight of a hope or dream? How did you cope? Did you eventually see God’s hand working in the situation? What hidden blessings did you find?

  What will you remember most from this book? What lessons about love and faith did you learn?

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-5058-5

  HIS TEXAS BRIDE

  Copyright © 2010 by Debra Kastner

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Steeple Hill Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This edition published by arrangement with Steeple Hill Books.

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