Cherished by the Rancher

A bossy cowboy. A single mom in hiding. Life at Black Rock Ranch just might explode.

Maddy Johnston wants one thing: safety for her and her daughter. She finds it in the back of beyond at the Black Rock Ranch, as long as she can keep her identity a secret. But her ex is on her trail, and the rancher she’s falling for prizes honesty. Not good when he doesn’t even know her real name.

Adam Black likes to be in control of everything: his livestock, his ranch, his life. He handles it well until a new accountant shows up. He’s mesmerized by Maddy’s glorious curls and luscious smile, but he has too many worries to have time for love—especially now that his father is having difficulties.

Adam must learn to let go and let love in, but what happens if Maddy can't overcome her past? Can they hear God's whispers to help them through?

Each Black Rock Ranch romance is a stand-alone story with its own HEA, but the family saga is best enjoyed in order:

1. Cherished by the Rancher (Adam & Maddy
2. Resisting the Rancher (Caleb & Jo)
2.5 Romancing the Rancher (Jesse & Sam)
3. Falling for the Rancher (Micah & Cassie)
4. Rescuing the Rancher (Seth & Riley)

Adam let Mister amble through the winter-dried grass at his own pace. He’d ridden farther than he’d expected, but he had truly needed the break. The peace of the mountains and the soaring of the eagles filled him with a sense of grandeur and God, and helped him get a handle on his workload.

A good gallop on his horse and extra time in God’s backyard had done him a world of good today. Only reluctantly did he turn Mister back to the ranch and the work that awaited him, even on Sunday.

He nudged Mister on through the home pastures, thinking about the tasks awaiting him this week. The yearling heifers were growing well and should be ready for breeding next month. He needed to arrange a day or two for the vet to do the bull evaluations, make final decisions on solar wells, arrangements for water-witching and well-drilling and—

There was a kid in one of the bull pastures! Adam kicked Mister into a gallop.

Ten bulls and one small child were a recipe for disaster. Knocked down, shoved against the fence, trampled… Where had the kid come from? And where were its totally irresponsible parents?

Adam leaned low, urging Mister faster. They jumped a small creek and then were racing past the horse barns. By the time he pulled Mister to a sliding stop and leapt off, the girl was out of the pasture and being scolded by her mother.

While Caleb just stood there.

“What the devil is going on?” Adam shouted at his too-easy-going brother. “Do you realize what could have happened?”

From the corner of his eye, he saw the little girl’s lower lip quiver. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she whispered, keeping her eyes buried in her mother’s pant leg.

Adam’s heart half-stopped at the girl’s reaction, but his panic at the danger still rode high. He whipped his eyes to Maddy. The new accountant was unaccustomed to ranch life, but still... “You let her go in—”

She backed up two steps, her shoulders hunched and one arm tight around her daughter. “I know!” she squeaked. “We told her not to go near the animals, but—”

Great. Now he was frightening women. Still charged with energy, Adam flipped his attention back to his brother. “And what were you doing, Caleb? Got your head in the clouds again?”

“It was a mistake, Adam, okay? The bulls stayed on the other side of the pasture and nobody’s hurt. Just calm down for a minute.”

“Calm down? You want me to calm down?” Adam realized his voice was rising. He stopped to take a breath.

“It won’t happen again,” Maddy said, eyes now bright with defiance. “Mia and I won’t be coming anywhere near here again.” She kept an arm around the girl’s shoulders.

He stared at her. “You need to make sure of it—kids are almost as unpredictable as bulls.” He paused. “I didn’t even know you had a child.”

Caleb huffed. “You might be good at managing this ranch, brother, but you’re lousy with people. Don’t you think they’re scared enough already? And I’ll bet you don’t even know Maddy’s last name, let alone why she was willing to take a job out here.”

“I know enough,” Adam spat, temper rising again. “And I do know her last name—it’s Richoletta.”

That was enough of that—he had better things to do than argue with his brother. He stalked toward the stables, Mister trailing after him.

“Riccio-lino,” Caleb called after him.


Adam spent longer than necessary grooming Mister before turning him out.

He hadn’t lost control like that in a long time. Then again, he hadn’t been faced with a child in danger before. Never dreamed he would be. The adrenaline had pounded through him, and even now he shoved away images of what could have happened.

The long strokes with the brush were soothing and the work, along with a few snuffles from the gelding, helped slow Adam’s rushing pulse.

But Caleb had been right—no one had gotten hurt. He shouldn’t have been so caustic with his brother or Maddy, should have controlled himself more. He remembered the fear still in her eyes, even with her daughter back in her arms. And the girl’s crumpled little face when he’d started shouting. He’d never meant to scare her. And when Maddy’s own fear had settled, her brown eyes had flashed fire at his tirade.

There was something intriguing about the woman. She seemed to be a bit of a contradiction, and it wasn’t just her crazy corkscrew curls that didn’t belong on a real person’s head. During those few moments, she’d gone from cowering to feisty.

Adam leaned his head against Mister’s neck and inhaled the familiar horsey smell. “Lord, give me strength,” he murmured. Then he chuckled. He’d been taught young that if you asked God for something, He was likely to give you a situation to teach you. He shouldn’t have said that out loud, or Maddy could become his opportunity to learn strength.

Nah. He fully believed God had a sense of humor, but sending Maddy to teach him a lesson seemed a little too trivial. Adam would just do his own work, let her do hers, and hope she kept her little girl out of harm’s way.