HIS SURPRISE SISTER
The last thing Joseph Stone expects to discover upon arriving in Leadville, Colorado, is a newfound little sister. Hoping to find his late father’s silver mine and hopefully keep his siblings back home out of an orphanage, Joseph needs an ally. The preacher’s lovely daughter agrees to care for the little girl. She’s just not as willing to trust the prospector….
Annabelle Lassiter has seen what men do in pursuit of riches. Yet for all the hardship he’s known, Joseph still shows tenderness and warmth. Annabelle’s plan has long been to leave Leadville far behind. But Joseph’s quest for silver could cost them a more precious dream—one of family, love and new beginnings….
“Thank you for your kindness to my sister,” Joseph told her softly. “I have never seen her so happy.”
Nugget broke free and skipped ahead. Annabelle didn’t have the heart to stop her.
“I’m glad to have given her something to be happy about.” She smiled. Joseph wasn’t too bad. Cleaned up the way he was, it was almost easy to pretend he was just a normal man.
Annabelle stumbled slightly. Joseph wasn’t a normal man. And it wouldn’t do for her to entertain feelings when she knew she couldn’t count on a miner to stick around. Not that she had any intention of entertaining feelings about any man.
At least not here in Leadville. The town was full of shiftless drifters, and the one time she’d let her guard down to trust in someone, he’d betrayed her. Something she’d do well to remember in the presence of this man.
Especially the way Joseph’s sparkling smile made her tingle all the way down to her toes.
DANICA FAVORITE
has spent her life in love with good books. Her job doing online promotion for a major publisher has given her the opportunity to meet many of the authors who inspired her growing up. Never did she imagine that the people who took her to faraway places would someday be the same folks she called friends. She’d say that work isn’t really work for her, but in case her boss ever reads this, she works very hard.
Danica graduated with a B.A. in history and political science from Regis University. While her degree doesn’t qualify her for anything resembling a real job, it gave her imagination room to soar and more fodder for her writing.
Having spent most of her life in Colorado, she loves the mountains. She lives in the Denver area with her husband, Randy, who inspires her to chase after her dreams. Together they have four children and a dog who thinks he’s also one of the kids.
Put it all together and you find an adventurous writer who likes to explore what it means to be human and follow people on the journey to happily ever after. Though the journey is often bumpy, those bumps are what refine imperfect characters as they live the life God created them for.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN DREAMS
Danica Favorite
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
—Genesis 50:20
An author’s first book often comes from years of support from friends and family. This book is no different.
It would take an entire book to thank all those who’ve supported me through the years, so here is my general thank-you to all those who deserve it.
You know who you are. Thank you.
For those who didn’t get to see this dream come true before their passing—Theresa and Pat, you guys get the first nod. Your love and support meant a lot, and I wish you could have seen this come true.
Randy, Army Girl, Accountant, Cowgirl and Princess, thanks for putting up with crazy writer mommy.
Chip, I guess you told me so. Thanks.
Everyone else, I’ll catch you on future books.
Much love to all,
Danica
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
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Epilogue
Dear Reader
Questions for Discussion
Excerpt
Chapter One
1881
The soft breeze floating off the Mosquito Range made the air feel more like midsummer than early June in Leadville. Which meant Annabelle Lassiter could almost declare mud season officially over. Though today’s walk to the post office hadn’t resulted in a letter from her aunt Celeste, surely she could escape this town and its painful reminders soon.
She paused as the parsonage came into view. A man waited on the porch. Annabelle sighed. Her father’s mission to care for the miners in Leadville was wonderful, but these days, they had more hungry people showing up on their doorstep than she knew what to do with. They had food aplenty, but Annabelle’s heart didn’t have the strength to keep working when it seemed like every day held a new heartbreak.
Annabelle pasted a smile on her face as she walked up the steps of the parsonage to greet the man so covered in grime she couldn’t make out his features. Probably a younger man, considering his hair was still dark. This place had a way of aging a person so that appearances could be deceiving. Two white eyes blinked at her.
“Supper’s not ’til seven.” She’d learned not to be too friendly, too welcoming, lest her words be misconstrued. Besides, her face was too weighed down by her heart to find it in her to give this stranger a smile.
Those eyes continued staring at her. She’d seen dozens of men just like him. Miners willing to spend everything they owned to strike the big one, and when they ran out of options, they arrived on the Lassiters’ doorstep.
As she got closer, she noticed a small child huddled next to him. So he was one of those. Bad enough to waste your life on a fool’s errand, but to take a child with you...
“Of course, if you’ll come around back, I’m sure I can find something for your little...girl.” At least
