Her One Desire

Epilog

Epilog

The Lazy N Ranch Six Months Later

Steve Nelson proudly stood looking at the new colt his Appaloosa mare just produced. Once grown this little guy he hoped would give him another stallion to breed with some of his other mares.

"He is going to be a beauty," Holt McKinney told him. Holt along with Tad Marshall had followed Steve to Providence after selling his ranch in New Mexico and moving here over six months ago. He purchased the ranch from his good friend Nate Gregory.

Right now the three of them had no problem looking after the twenty-five mares and one stallion he shipped here from his former ranch. As he got to know the people here better he would probably hire one or two more men but for now he liked things just the way they were.

Laid back and easy that was why he named the ranch The Lazy N.

"Yes he will," Steve replied to Holt.

"Sounds like you got visitors coming boss," Tad said to him at the sound of horses and riders coming near.

"I'll go see who it is," Steve told his two men thinking it was probably Nate and Luke Wilson, Nate's foreman also another on of his good friends.

Walking out of the barn he was surprised to see Lady Stafford and riding with her were three sons of more of his friends. The last time hed seen Lady Stafford was at Sean and Harriet Cordells wedding months ago. He even danced a waltz with her after three wives of is friends threatened him and Luke with dire consequences if they didn't dance with some of the single ladies who attended the wedding.

The boys with her were Tanner James, Dusty Gordon's stepson, Bobby Dunsmore, Tom Healy's stepson. Tom was Sam and Jakes foreman on The Rocking R and Logan Cordell who was Sean Cordell's son by his first marriage.

What in the heck was she and the boys coming here for, he wondered as the four riders came to a halt in front of him.

By the look on his face Mr. Nelson didn't seem too pleased to see the boys and her, Edwina thought as they rode near. Maybe this was a mistake coming here after all.

"I am a little surprised to see you and the boys here, Lady Stafford," Steve told her when they drew to a halt in front of him.

"We hope we aren't interrupting anything Mr. Nelson but you told me once you would show me what an Appaloosa horse looked like if you remember. Bobby and Logan and I were collecting rocks for a school project and since we were this close we decided to ride over," she told him. "Tanner was at the ranch visiting and joined us in our rock hunt."

"We tried explaining to Lady Stafford what they look like," Logan told him. "Miss Sam and Jake don't have any on the Rocking R."

"And neither does Dusty and Mother," Tanner piped up.

"And I have never seen one either," Bobby the youngest of the boys told him.

Steve couldn't help smiling at the boys. "Well you four are just in time to see the new colt was born this morning," he told them. "He is in the barn with his mother."

"Wow!" the three boys said together as hopped down from their horses, hurriedly tied them to a rail nearby and took off running toward the barn leaving Steve and Lady Stafford alone.

"They won't scare the mother and colt will they?" Edwina asked as she dismounted from her horse and tied it to the same rail as the boys had theirs.

"No, Holt and Tad will see they don't," Steve replied as they walked into the barn together and toward the open stall door where the three boys stood admiring mother and son.