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and she put those aside as well.
    After an hour, she’d narrowed it down to five and then three. Finally, she ended up with the one that struck a chord within her. It read:
     
    Lonely widower rancher with two children seeks lovely lady who is kind, intelligent, and strong. Must like children and should be able to do some cooking. He’s a hard worker, a good provider, and also likes to have fun.
     
    The name listed was Dean Samuels from Dawson, Montana. Tessa felt sympathetic toward the gentleman because he had lost his wife and was trying to be a good father and earn a living at the same time. After putting all of the rest of the advertisements back in the folder, she went back out to the front office.
    J.D. looked up from some paperwork and smiled. “How’d we make out?”
    “I would like to write to this gentleman,” she said and handed him the ad.
    He read it and smiled. “Ah, yes. This one is rather popular,” he lied. “Let me write down the information for you. The letters will be private. I would ask that you make up your mind within three months as we don’t want these men waiting for women who never come.”
    Tessa was surprised. “There are other women writing to this rancher?”
    J.D. nodded. “Oh, yes. It’s only fair.” He had no qualms about his dishonesty. He had to make a living, after all.
    “What if they’ve already made up their mind?” Tessa said.
    “Don’t fret, my dear. Once a decision has been made, you must come to inform me. Thus far, no one has gone to see this gentleman. There is a contract you must sign. We require a two hundred dollar service fee. If you should change your mind about contacting this gentleman further and do not want to try any others, I would refund half of your money.”
    Hope seeped its way back into her breast. “I see. You said two hundred dollars?”
    “Yes. Will that be a problem?” J.D. asked.
    Tessa calculated her funds. “No, it won’t,” she said as she opened her reticule and counted out the money. “Now, about that contract.”
     
     

Chapter Three
     
    Sweat trickled down Dean’s back as he finished mending the last section of fence. Evening was closing in and he had wanted to get the work done before dark. It made him feel good to know that he had achieved his goal. He straightened up and stretched his cramped back. Replacing rotten fence posts and stringing new wire was not easy and it was one of the jobs he hated most.
    But, like always, Dean just got on with the job and got it done despite how he felt. He was good at pushing his feelings down deep. It made things simpler and it was less time consuming. He didn’t have enough time as it was because he had two kids to raise and a ranch to run. The work was never-ending but he didn’t complain. It could be worse.
    He threw the hammer he’d been using into his tool box and began walking back through the field to the barn. It was early May but the spring was coming on fast. Dean hoped that didn’t mean there would be a drought that summer. Lord knew he needed a bumper crop this year because the crops and meager profits from the cattle sales last year had barely kept them going through the winter.
    As he walked, Dean looked at the lush, green grass under his boots and was thankful his cattle had good grazing with which to start the summer. They were a bit thin and he wanted to get them fattened up. No one wanted to buy a skinny steer. He needed his steers to go for a good price.
    “Pa! Pa!” he heard his son, Jackson, holler.
    Dean looked up and saw his seven-year-old boy running at him pell-mell. His wheat-blond hair flew everywhere as he ran. Jasper, one of their border collies, ran barking and jumping at Jack.
    “Look! Uncle Seth just brought it!” Jack told him and thrust the letter at him.
    Dean took the mail from Jack. The envelope was ragged and dirty on the edges, evidence of how many times it had changed hands to get to him. He looked at the return address.
    “Pittsburgh,