Long Road Home

Long Road Home
Vicki Lewis Thompson

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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

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

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, 1978From 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 was his half brother, damn it, and they should get to know each other. Jack was Rafe’s half brother, too, but Rafe wasn’t interested in cementing any family ties.

The rain let up for a second and there were the taillights again, several yards in front of him. Probably one of the ranch hands coming back from town. Could even be Jack.

Wyatt’s gut tightened as he thought about his half brother. He probably should have alerted Jack that he was coming, but he knew exactly why he hadn’t. He’d been afraid Jack would tell him to stay away.

Wyatt had shocked the hell out of him the previous summer by dropping by the ranch to introduce himself. He’d shown up without warning that time, too, not sure until he’d knocked on the ranch house door that he’d go through with it. Realistically, he should have expected Jack’s chilly response.

No doubt Jack hadn’t believed him at first. He would have believed Rafe right away because the two men looked so much alike, both having inherited their mother’s dark hair and eyes. But Wyatt and Rafe were fraternal as opposed to identical twins, and Wyatt had ended up with his dad’s sandy hair and gray eyes.

Eventually Jack had seemed to accept that Wyatt was his half brother, but he’d remained suspicious, as if Wyatt might want to cash in on the financial success of the Paint horse breeding operation at the Last Chance. No, and hell no. Wyatt had a profitable wilderness trekking company based in San Francisco and wasn’t the least bit interested in Chance money, but Jack couldn’t know that.