Luke’s Fate by Kathleen Ball

HAVE A TASTE OF COME LOVE A COWBOY!  YOU CAN DOWNLOAD A SAMPLE BOOK  WITH LOTS OF GREAT RECIPES AND HAVE A SNEAK PEEK BY GOING TO http://digioh.com/em/21875/75252/rfwtugbtpk?demail=%5Bemail%5D

One of my fellow authors in Come Love a Cowboy is Kathleen Ball.  Kathleen writes contemporary and historical western romance with great emotion and memorable characters. Her books are award winners and have appeared on best sellers lists including:  Amazon’s Best Sellers List, All Romance Ebooks, Bookstrand, Desert Breeze Publishing and Secret Cravings Publishing Best Sellers list. She is the recipient of eight Editor’s Choice Awards, and The Readers’ Choice Award for Ryelee’s Cowboy.
She was the winner of the Lear diamond award for Best Historical Novel- Cinders’ Bride.

Meg O’Brien hoped never to lay eyes on the one man who broke her heart. To her dismay, Luke Kelly arrives at her ranch a much different and broken man. Can Meg ever forgive his callous treatment of her and help Luke become the man he used to be?

Excerpt:

“You’ve changed,” he said, his voice soft and low.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He hesitated. “You used to be easy to read. You wore your emotions on your sleeve. Now I don’t know what you think except you want me gone. I can understand why. I mean I left you just as we were starting something good, something I had hoped would be permanent.”
“Permanent?”
“You must have known how I felt about you. I was just waiting for you to grow up so I could start dating you.”
Tears filled her eyes. All this time she had thought he didn’t find her appealing. “You left without a word.”
“I know, and I’ll be forever sorry for hurting you.”
Tears trailed down her face, and she closed her eyes willing them to stop. “Why?” Her voice squeaked.
Luke shook his head. “I wish I could tell you but I can’t.”
Meg wiped away her tears. “Can’t or won’t?” She waved her hand at him. “You know, don’t, just don’t. The whole town thinks I drove you away. I’ve lived the last five years with people whispering behind my back. I don’t even bother going into town unless I have to. Now I’m foreman of this ranch, I’m perfectly content with my life. I do what I love, and people stay out of my way.”
Luke’s stare was intense. “Is that what you want? You want people to stay out of your way? Hell, Margaret Mary, I thought you’d gone on with your life. I expected to find you with a husband and babies. Even I got married.” His face shuttered as he turned away.
Married? No one had told her. Her mouth opened but there were no words. She folded her arms in front of her trying to keep from flying apart and her stomach threatened to rebel. What a fool she’d been, thinking all this time that something tragic had happened to him, thinking he’d be back for her if he could, and the whole time he’d been married.
Of course, he would have dated while he’d been gone, but marriage… Her thoughts had never strayed that far. How stupid, of course he’d be married. If imagining it would have been too much for her, the reality was shattering. Her body began to shake, and she clasped her hands together trying to still herself. After a few large swallows it worked, but the lump in her throat stayed.
Well, where the hell was his wife now? She should be here wiping her husband’s nose instead of leaving it to others. He had the gall to come here when he had a wife? Her stomach dropped. Was he planning to build a house on his land and live there, raising a family?
Everyone had told her to get on with her life but she refused to listen. Damn my stubborn hide!

Kathleen can be found at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kathleen-Ball-Western-Romance/121300767916947

Twitter: @kballauthor
Author Home: http://www.kathleenballromance.com