Jenna's Cowboy Hero

Brenda Minton

Former football player Adam Mackenzie arrives in small-town Oklahoma to fix up a camp for underprivileged kids.But the city slicker doesn't know horse tack from a touchdown. He's desperate for help–and the pretty rancher next door is the answer to his prayers. War vet Jenna is back home after a stint in Iraq, and she's got a five-year plan: raising her twin boys, running her ranch–and not falling in love.But she can't say no to gorgeous and kind Adam. Can he make her forget all her plans and open her heart to love?

“Where are your folks?” Adam Mackenzie asked the twin boys standing in front of him.

“We don’t talk to strangers,” they replied.

“Well, this stranger wants to let your parents know what mischief you were up to.”

A screen door slammed, reverberating through the quiet Oklahoma afternoon. Adam knew he was in big trouble. She stomped toward him, brown hair lifting in the breeze. Faded jeans and a T-shirt, her face devoid of makeup and he was suddenly sixteen again.

He let out a breath and remembered why he was here. And he remembered to be angry about his car and everything else that was out of his control.

“What’s going on here?” She came to a stop behind the boys.

“Your dog was in the road, and the boys were close to getting run over.”

“I’m really sorry about that.” She gathered her sons close, in a tight-knit huddle.

“It’s okay. I just wouldn’t want them to get hurt.”

“You’re right, of course. I’m Jenna Cameron.” She held out a small hand. “Welcome to Dawson.”

BRENDA MINTON

started creating stories to entertain herself during hour-long rides on the school bus. In high school she wrote romance novels to entertain her friends. The dream grew and so did her aspirations to become an author. She started with notebooks, handwritten manuscripts and characters that refused to go away until their stories were told. Eventually she put away the pen and paper and got down to business with the computer. The journey took a few years, with some encouragement and rejection along the way—as well as a lot of stubbornness on her part. In 2006, her dream to write for the Steeple Hill Love Inspired line came true.

Brenda lives in the rural Ozarks with her husband, three kids and an abundance of cats and dogs. She enjoys a chaotic life that she wouldn’t trade for anything—except, on occasion, a beach house in Texas. You can stop by and visit at her Web site, www.brendaminton.net.

Jenna’s Cowboy Hero

Brenda Minton

In his heart a man plans his course,

but the Lord determines his steps.

—Proverbs 16:9

This book is dedicated to all of the people

who keep climbing mountains and to those

who want to climb mountains.

To my family for putting up with me.

To my friends who keep answering the phone.

(Haven’t you learned your lesson?)

To Janet and Melissa, for the continued support

and encouragement.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Questions for Discussion

Chapter One

“What do you mean, there’s no money in the account?” Adam Mackenzie shouted into his cell phone.

His manager, Will, sighed from five hundred miles away. “The money is gone, Adam. Fortunately, a lot of the work on the camp has already been done.”

Adam gripped the steering wheel a little tighter and went through the list of reasons why this wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened to him. He had been through worse things.

The most important thing to remember: the camp wouldn’t be his problem for very long. But how could the money be gone? He’d given his cousin Billy more than enough to build the camp.

“What happened to the money?” Adam leaned and flicked his gaze to the left, looking for a road that he was starting to question the existence of. Not one Internet map had directions for Camp Hope on the outskirts of Dawson, Oklahoma, population fifty.

For the last few miles, since he’d left the main highway, he