Texas Lonestar (Texas Heroes Book 4) Read Free

so important to Lennon.
    With a kiss and a hug from Flora, Lennon hurried off into the night. Opening the door, she climbed up into her dad’s old farm truck. The old Chevy wasn’t exactly a Cinderella-worthy chariot, but it would have to do.
    The drive from Apache Springs to Sierra Blanca took almost an hour. Sometimes she wondered if her life would’ve been different had she grown up in town around the other kids. Probably not, she just wasn’t meant to be popular. The ranch she lived on had been in her father’s family for generations. Years ago, it had been a destination. Rich people traveled to the Chihuahuan Desert to bathe in the mineral rich hot springs that bubbled up on their property. The old lodge and connected bathhouse still stood, but no one used the pools these days but her. Since her mother passed, things had really gone down around the ranch. Lennon did her best, but it was hard. Keeping the cattle, horses and sheep tended was all they could handle these days.   
    Holding the steering wheel tightly, Lennon watched the road. She was so excited at the prospect of a date that she wanted to squeal with delight. Getting invited to the dance had come as such a shock–and by Colin Ferguson! She’d had a crush on him forever. And when he’d sent her a note by her friend, Tony, Lennon had been stunned. Since then, she and Colin had been corresponding by email. What a way to start her Senior year!
    The sun was getting low in the pastel painted sky by the time she spotted the green and white city limits sign. Tumbleweeds blew across the road in front of her, a sure-fire indicator that she was in deep west Texas, just miles from the border with Mexico. The remote location of Apache Springs meant that Lennon had few close friends. Her cousin, Miranda, used to be her constant companion. Those days were gone, though. She’d graduated last year and was now in El Paso working in a bar. Their phone calls were few and far between, but Miranda seemed to be loving the freedom. Getting away from Hudspeth County had always been her cousin’s goal. Lennon knew she wouldn’t be moving. Apache Springs was her destiny. Even if she married, the land would always be her responsibility.
    As she slowed down to meet the speed limit, Lennon began to feel nervous. This was so big. Her first dance. Her first date. Maybe her first kiss. She’d dreamed of having a husband and a family someday. Maybe this was the beginning. Maybe she was finally blossoming, as her mother had told her she would.
    Pulling up outside the gymnasium, she found a place for the rickety old truck. The school wasn’t huge, they only played six-man football. Yet as small as it was, there were still cliques. Lennon wasn’t popular by any means. She was one of the unfortunate few who seemed to bear the brunt of other people’s hostilities. No, she wasn’t beautiful and she didn’t have time for sports. So, she didn’t meet any of the qualifications that would’ve made her one of the cool kids. Her shunned state was one of the reasons Colin’s invitation had come as such a shock.
    Taking a deep, steadying breath, Lennon opened the truck door and hopped out to the ground, taking a moment to balance on the heels she was so unused to wearing. Glancing around, she looked for Colin, but he was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he was waiting inside for her to arrive.
    “Hey, Lennon!”
    She raised her head to look around, recognizing her friend Melody’s voice. They were on a few committees together. Lennon enjoyed helping out, being needed made her feel complete. “Hey, girl. How are you?”
    “I’m good. I just found we’re moving at the end of the school year. Dad got a new job in Galveston.”
    “Oh, no. I’ll miss you.” When Lennon wasn’t in school, she was working but she’d be sad knowing Melody wasn’t close by. “We’ll have to make the most of the time we have together.” She linked arms with Melody as they walked toward the entrance,