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CrossReads Short Takes
Lizzie’s Bargain
by Laurean Brooks
Their foreman rides away the same day Lizzie Vincent buries her father. A week later a reserved stranger stumbles onto the Vincent ranch. What is he hiding?
Extenuating circumstances surround the death of Lizzie Vincent’s father. A bullet from a rifle barely misses his chest while he inspects a break in the fence. Two days later he dies of heart failure. Was the shot meant to kill him? What motive did the shooter have?
Lizzie Vincent has just returned from her father’s funeral when their foreman Jesse saddles up and rides away. She’d hoped he would propose in spite of her grandmother’s warnings. Days later, a bedraggled stranger stumbles onto the ranch. Expecting Jesse’s return by fall roundup, Lizzie bargains with Britt Langford to fill his position until then.
What Lizzie does not count on is losing her heart to this enigmatic stranger. Why does Britt evade questions about his past? What secrets lurk behind his soulful gray eyes?
Britt went to prison for a crime he did not commit. He’s kept that secret buried and when folks start prying, he packs up and leaves. Britt soon loses his heart to Lizzie, but she’s asking questions. His head shouts, “Flee!” but his heart pleads, “Stay!” Britt determines to stay, only because a Langford keeps his promises. And only until fall roundup.
As Lizzie’s attraction toward Britt grows, she struggles with her loyalty to the previous foreman. Will Jesse return after sowing his wild oats? Has her loyalty been misplaced? Will Lizzie seek God’s guidance to make the right choice—whether it be Jesse or Britt?
Will Britt and Lizzie catch the culprit cutting their fences—the one whose shot was the indirect cause of her father’s death?
A Very Present Help
by Sharon K. Connell
Teacher Shannon Collins has her life all figured out—but after the attack of September 11, her world turns upside down. Her boyfriend enlists in the Marines and proposes before heading to Afghanistan. As Shannon waits and prays for his safe return, she meets another Marine. Her engagement makes her off-limits. The Marine departs with a simple kiss on her hand and no contact information exchanged. But can she forget him?
Life takes a strange turn for Shannon when a rich, unscrupulous businessman sets his sights on her, and her fiancé falls in love with someone else. Can Shannon trust God to weave her shattered emotions into a beautiful tapestry? Fear and betrayal will cause Shannon to cling to “…A Very Present Help in time of trouble.”
