Wedding on the Rocks (Heartsong Presents Series #1047)

by Rose Ross Zediker

Overview

Jennifer Edwards is back home again…
When she traded small-town life for the bright lights of Chicago, Jennifer Edwards yearned to discover a world beyond Faith, South Dakota. So when her father's illness calls her home to run their cattle ranch, she tells herself it's temporary. Then why is she even thinking about a future with archaeology professor Brett Lange—the boy she left behind—whose life's work is digging up the past?
Twelve years ago, Brett had a crush on Jennifer the size of the T. rex that put his hometown on the map. Now she's a citified magazine editor who prefers designer duds to dungarees. Except that's not the real Jennifer. Brett needs to make her see how a little faith can go a long way in uniting two perfectly in-sync hearts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781460312933
Publisher:	Love Inspired Heartsong Presents
Publication date:	02/11/2025
Series:	Heartsong Presents Series , #1047
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	186
File size:	228 KB

About the Author

Multi-published author and RITA finalist, Rose Ross Zediker, writes contemporary and historical inspirational romances and has over one hundred publishing credits in the Christian magazine genre for children and adults. Her titles have appeared on the ECPA bestseller lists and been finalists for the RITA, National Readers Choice, Booksellers Best and Book Buyers Best award contests. Rose is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America.

Read an Excerpt

The sweat-soaked silk fabric of Jennifer Edwards's blouse stuck to her back. The tremors in her arms and legs became full-fledged shakes.

"Hold steady!" Eldon, their ranch foreman, commanded.

"I'm trying." The rattle of the chain mocked her efforts to assist with pulling a calf. She lifted her right foot and stepped back. The baggy leg of her dad's coveralls, which she'd slipped on to protect her designer suit, fell catching the fabric between her spiked boot heel and the barn floor. There was no way she'd hold her footing now. Her ankle boots, the perfect accessory to her designer suit in Chicago, weren't cut out for ranch work in South Dakota.

She should have kicked them off when Eldon met her at the rental car shouting, "We have a cow in trouble! We need to pull her calf." She wished her dad was here to help. Sadness washed through her. He might never have the ability to do ranch work again.

Please God, don't let our efforts fail. The prayer from her youth automatically popped into her mind. Through the years she'd played nursemaid to several orphaned calves whose moms had given their lives for their babies.

Just like yours. Jennifer's heart twisted in her chest. She swallowed hard. Thirty years old and the hurt still sucked at her heart. No matter how hard she fought it, the pain's pull devoured her being like quicksand captured a victim.

"Where is that vet?" Jennifer bent her knees deeper in hopes of relieving some of the stress on her revolting muscles.

The purr of an ATV engine sounded in the distance. No wonder it had taken the vet so long. How fast could an ATV go? Forty? Forty-five? The reverberations grew louder and finally stopped by the barn door.

Jennifer waited until the vet cut the engine. "Hurry!" she shouted then drew a deep breath. Would oxygen help steady her muscles? Knees bent, she angled back, thinking her body weight would help hold the chain steady. Instead the force proved too much for the skinny spiked heel of her free foot. It buckled.

She angled her foot in an effort to keep her footing, but the slick sole slid on the wooden floor pushing her toes full force into the cramped pointed toe of her boot. Pain shot up her foot as her toes pinched together, and her leg flew out from under her.

"Eldon, I'm sorry." Her apology puffed out while her body tumbled sideways. Her bottom thumped to the floor. Her trapped foot turned sideways. She closed her eyes, biting her upper lip to keep her cry of pain inside. She braced for the backward fall when the chain slackened. Instead her body jerked forward, remaining in a precarious sitting position.

What was going on? Had Eldon grabbed hold of her chain with one hand? Impossible. She opened her eyes and looked directly into the knee creases on denim jeans. The vet. He must have grabbed the grip on the chain. She drew in a deep breath. The calf might survive.

Slowly, Jennifer straightened her bent leg, ignoring the throbbing in her left hip, which had taken the brunt of her fall. Any fast movement could disrupt the pull of the chain. With gritted teeth, she rolled so her weight was evenly distributed on her bottom.

"Am I glad to see you." Eldon's deep exhale indicated he'd feared the worst for the cow and calf. "Give another pull."

Jennifer used her hands to scoot back out of the way of the high lace-up work boots that were backing toward her.

"Finally. What took you so long, Doc?" Eldon asked.

"Two bull buffalo jumped a fence and are standing in the highway." The deep baritone of Doc Kane's voice came from behind them.

Jennifer looked over her shoulder at the man who was just arriving. If the vet was behind her, then who was in front of her? She started at the bottom of the worn leather boots, letting her eyes travel upward. Leather mid-calf lace-up boots. Blue jeans. Gauzy white shirt. Brown fedora. Young Indy? Couldn't be. Could it?

Her gaze roamed over the stranger before her. The Brett Lange she grew up with was only an inch or two taller than her and stick-thin. Football players would envy this guy's broad square shoulders. He was easily six feet tall. No, it couldn't be Brett Lange.

"Whose buffalo? Which highway?" Eldon's voice broke through Jennifer's confusion.

"Matthew's and two-twelve." Doc Kane moved to the cow, studying the progress of the birth.

Jennifer jerked her head toward Eldon. "Buffalo? Dad has buffalo? Since when?"

"Brett, give me a good strong pull on that chain to get the right shoulder out."

"Eldon?" Jennifer wanted an answer. It was bad enough she had to deal with cattle. She didn't know a thing about buffalo.

"Now is not the time." Eldon furrowed his brow. Her dad's best friend's brown eyes sent a silent message: You would've known that if your visits had been more frequent than a couple of days every other holiday.

"Slip out of that loop. You're in Brett's way." Eldon turned his attention back to Doc. "They gonna make it?"

"Looks good so far. Jennifer, I didn't realize that was you. What are you doing down there on the floor?"

Jennifer started to respond but caught the sly smile forming on Eldon's lips.

"Citified shoes." Eldon didn't even try to muffle his chuckle.

Anger bubbled Jennifer's blood. She pushed to her feet, balancing on the toe of her right foot, and wiggled free of the chain. She limped around the man standing before her. It was Brett Lange all grown up. She'd know those brown eyes anywhere.

She placed her hands on her hips. "I don't see what's so funny about me falling."

"Nothing." Brett cleared his throat, but the corner of his mouth turned up into a cocky grin and his brown eyes reflected merriment, his words and expression definitely not in agreement.

Jennifer snorted. "What are you doing here anyway?"

Doc cleared his throat. "Although it's good to see you, Jennifer, we're kind of busy here. Think you could rustle us up some coffee?"

A gentle dismissal. That was Doc, and he was right. Losing a cow or calf or both wasn't the way she wanted to start her promise to her dad.

Jennifer turned on her good heel and, holding her right heel high to keep it even with her booted foot, she walked toward the side entry and slipped through the single barn door. Holding it open a crack, she rested her head on the rough exterior of the barn.

It'd been a long, stressful day full of surprises. She'd made a promise that she might not be able to keep. Her taxed muscles throbbed. She'd make the coffee in a minute. She needed to know the outcome of this last surprise. Please, Lord, let it be good.

"Eldon, give me a strong pull to get that other shoulder out. Looking good, boys." Doc's instruments clinked while he worked. "Almost got it. Why was Jennifer dressed like that to pull a calf?"

"She's not a country girl anymore, Doc. Since she moved away she's become all citified." Eldon didn't disguise his disgust.

Brett's laughter erupted in the barn.