Painted with the colors.., p.1
Painted with the Colors of Love, page 1
Painted with the Colors of Love
A WESTERN ROMANCE NOVEL
CAROL COLYER
Copyright © 2021 by Carol Colyer
All Rights Reserved.
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Website: Carol Colyer
Table of Contents
Painted with the Colors of Love
Table of Contents
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Painted with the Colors of Love
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 3
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Her Glimmer of Hope
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
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Painted with the Colors of Love
Introduction
After being heartbroken once before, Cassie May is entirely reluctant to trust her heart to love again. Her life is thrown into turmoil therefore when her parents present her with a surprise betrothal to a man she hasn’t even met. Without a second thought, she refuses to abide by it, protesting that she will never marry a man she does not love. Then, out of nowhere, a mysterious stranger shows up in town, confusing her feelings and challenging her convictions. Joseph always appears to be in the right place at the right time and Cassie finds herself intensely intrigued by him. Will Cassie set aside her doubts and take a chance on the unknown with Joseph? Can she escape the fate that her parents have arranged for her?
Michael Joseph hasn’t had much luck with meeting a loving wife to spend his life with so far. When his parents reveal that he is promised to a girl from his past, he sees his chance to have his happily ever after. Having no intention of marrying someone who may only want him for his money though, he decides to set out to win this woman’s heart as a stranger. Yet when he arrives in Texas, he discovers that approaching Cassie will be a little more complicated than he expected. Will he be able to break down her walls and gain her trust? Or will Michael lose his chance at true love?
Michael and Cassie slowly start to form a precious bond, but shadowy forces are not willing to let them find happiness. When Michael’s life is put in danger, Cassie will need to make a decision that could decide the rest of her life... Will they overcome the danger and stand by each other’s side forever?
Chapter 1
Cassie closed her eyes to the soothing rhythm of the milk hitting the pail on the ground beside her milking stool. She enjoyed milking cows before the sun came up. To some, it seemed like a terrible chore, but to Cassie, it was a time that she could have to herself, to think, and to reflect on the day ahead of her.
She had been waking up several hours before dawn for as long as she could remember.
“You almost done with that one, slowpoke?” Her brother, Gilbert, poked his head over the top of the stall, reaching out and yanking gently on a strand of hair that had escaped its confinement at the back of her neck.
Cassie smiled wryly. She had stopped wearing braids because her twin brothers couldn’t seem to stop pulling them at every chance they got. They still managed to find moments to pull her hair, but it wasn’t nearly as constant as it had been when she was younger.
“I’m almost done, and you know I milk faster than you when I want to.” Cassie rolled her eyes. Gilbert and Leroy both always assumed that when she took a long time milking the cows it was because she was falling behind. It was actually because it was a moment for her to just sit and enjoy the morning before everything became a rush.
“Well, I will take you up on that. There are two cows left to milk. The last one to finish chops the wood!” Gilbert raised his eyebrows up and down in a teasing fashion.
“That’s not fair. You know that I don’t like chopping wood and it is a chore that takes hours. How about the last one to finish helps Ma clear the table and wash the dishes?”
Gilbert looked a little less certain of his bet. “That’s your chore, and you have to do it anyway. How is that a punishment?”
“Seeing as I am the one who is going to win, you are the one who needs to be punished, and it is a very short task. It won’t take you more than twenty minutes if you put your mind to it.”
“Fine, I’ll do it, but it’s going to be you who is washing dishes today, not me.” Gilbert grinned playfully.
Cassie giggled. “You have way too much confidence for someone who always loses.”
“I may lose on occasion, but I won’t be losing today.” Gilbert hurried off and returned with a fresh milking pail. Cassie was certain that he was way more excited for this bet than he should be. At seventeen, both Gilbert and Leroy were mischievous types of brothers. They always had pranks up their sleeves and challenges that they wanted to try to beat each other or her at, or something else that would lighten the mood.
They were automatic magnets for most anyone in town, especially the young girls who were just starting to look around at their options for husbands. Cassie was pretty sure that if she were a little younger, she might get swept away in more of their games. Sometimes, she just couldn’t help herself, like now.
“All right, let me go empty this bucket and I’ll be right back.” Cassie stood with her milk bucket full to the brim, she went to the large barrel where they put all of the milk and dumped it in before she hurried over to the cow that still needed to be milked.
“Are you ready?” Gilbert asked from across the hall in the other stall.
“Whenever you are.” Cassie prepared her hands. She was not going to be washing dishes that morning, she was going to make sure of that. If there was a chore that both of her twin brothers hated, it was cleaning or dishes. It had been something they had developed early on, not wanting to have anything to do with chores they considered a woman’s job.
“One, two, three!” As soon as Gilbert said three, the sound of milk hitting the pail was the only sound that filled the barn besides the normal animal noises early in the morning. Cassie made her hands move quickly, faster and faster. The level of the milk in the bucket rose swiftly. She kept glancing toward Gilbert. She could just barely see his head through the space between the stall door and the post holding it up.
She had no idea how to tell if he was close to being finished. Cassie’s heart raced. She had to admit that there was a good feeling about competing. She would certainly consider herself a very competitive person. She had to be that way, as a girl with three brothers. She had always had to work faster and smarter and harder to beat them. There was no other way.
When the milk touched the brim of the bucket, she stood up triumphantly. “I’m done!”
“What?” Gilbert hollered. “No way! I am almost done, you couldn’t have finished that fast.”
Cassie hurried across the stall to take a look at Gilbert’s bucket while he did the same to look at hers. Gilbert’s bucket was only filled to about an inch from the top.
“Well, I’ll be. I can’t believe you did it.” Gilbert was scratching his head.
“Yes, yes, I did it. And what’s more important is that you will be picking up and washing the dishes after breakfast.” Cassie grinned. It was going to be nice to have a little extra time to prepare before she and her mother headed out to work in town.
“Come on, you don’t mean it, do you? I have to wash the dishes?” Gilbert wrinkled his nose.
“A bet is a bet and I won fair and square. I think it’s only fair that you honor it.” Cassie slapped him playfully on the shoulder. “You know that if we would have settled on the wood chopping, you would have made me do it too.”
Gilbert looked sheepish. “I suppose you’re right, but next time I’m not going to agree to a bet like that.” It was about time Gilbert learned his lesson. When she made a bet, it was because she was pretty sure she could win.
Cassie chuckled. “Suit yourself.” She didn’t feel bad for her brother. There had been many a bet where she had ended up with the unsavory task of doing one of her three brother’s chores. The
She had spent her whole afternoon in the hot sun, chopping away and her arms had been sore for nearly two days afterward. She wasn’t going to agree to a bet like that again. Washing dishes was far easier. Cassie dumped her full pail of milk into the barrel and then followed Gilbert into the cabin.
“Something smells good,” Gilbert exclaimed as soon as they opened the door. The smell of salt pork, beans, and eggs, accompanied by fresh biscuits, filled the air. Cassie’s mother was a wonderful cook and everyone knew it. It was one reason that they worked down at the diner cooking for travelers who came through town. There were plenty of people who lived in town who ate at the diner as well. Her mother’s cooking was what had them coming back day after day for more. While her mother was teaching her, Cassie didn’t consider herself a fraction of the cook her mother was.
“Just think of how fun it will be to wash all of that delicious food off of the plates when we are done eating.” Cassie threw her brother a mischievous smile.
He elbowed her softly in the ribs. “You don’t have to remind me.”
“What has the two of you squabbling?” Cassie’s older brother, Arnold walked into the house with Leroy at his side.
“We made a bet, and someone is washing dishes after breakfast today.” Cassie beamed as she made the announcement. She was fairly well known amongst her brothers for winning bets when she wanted to.
“I see. Gilbert, you know you shouldn’t have made a bet like that. I know how much you hate to wash dishes.” Arnold laughed as he walked past them into the kitchen. Cassie followed him, her stomach rumbling with hunger. Her eyes lingered on the window for a moment. It was still dark outside. It was strange sometimes to be up and finishing chores, then eating breakfast, all before the sun made an appearance on the day.
Cassie heard of people who lived in the city not getting up until after the sun had risen. She vaguely remembered living in the city, briefly, but the memory was vague. She couldn’t remember if it had been nice to get up after sunrise. When she thought of the city, she thought there would be too many things to do in a day to get up so late.
“You look like you’re having a good day,” her mother said as Cassie walked up and started helping to dish up plates of food.
“One of the best.” Cassie glanced toward Gilbert, then back to her mother. “What about you?”
“Fine, dear, but we are out of flour. Remind me that we need to bring some home and a few other things for the pantry.”
“Do we have money for that?” Cassie always worried about the money. Even with the income she and her mother brought in, their family was struggling. When they had lost their crops to a terrible storm the year before, they had gone through a terrible year that had left them crippled with debts and shortages.
“Yes, I asked Annie for an advance on our pay.” Her mother looked worried for a moment, then the look disappeared as quickly as it came. “Don’t worry, Cassie, it will all work out.”
“All right,” Cassie forced a smile. She knew that her mother bore a lot of stress and worry without sharing it with the rest of the family. Cassie gave every penny of her pay from the diner to her parents. She knew that the ranch and their family were a group effort. They all worked hard to provide for each other, and she was determined to pull her weight. Her three brothers worked with her father to keep up with the ranch work. Between the four of them, they managed everything so that they didn’t have to spend money on ranch hands. Cassie and her mother used their money to purchase things that they didn’t make on the ranch. They also sold milk and eggs to the diner as well as to a few families in town.
Her father sold some of their crops and some animals. Between everyone’s contributions, they were barely making it. Cassie remembered better times before they had lost their crops when they could afford some extra things. Right now, it was down to bare survival. Cassie knew that her family’s dream was to get ahead and one day, not have to worry so much about money.
After everyone else was served their breakfast, Cassie took her plate and followed her mother to the table. Everyone else was already sitting down. Cassie’s father was at the head of the table, and after everyone joined hands, he bowed his head and said grace.
Cassie opened her eyes and took a big bite of food. She was hungrier than she had thought. Everyone seemed to be starving and breakfast passed quickly with little interaction. When everyone was done, Cassie’s mother moved to gather the dishes.
“Ma, you don’t have to clean the dishes today. Gilbert is going to do it.”
“What? Do I have to do Ma’s part too? You said help Ma.” Gilbert crossed his arms with a cross look on his face. Cassie’s mother smiled, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
“The bet was to gather the dishes and wash them, I never said if Ma would do any of it. You know if she helps you will let her do all of it.”
Gilbert shook his head and grumbled as he gathered the dishes, but Cassie knew it was all in good fun. Gilbert could appreciate being the loser as much as she could. While Gilbert finished the dishes, Cassie hurried off to her room.
She quickly changed from the dress she used to do chores around the ranch and put on a freshly cleaned one and changed out of her barn boots into some light shoes. She braided her hair and tucked it up so it would be safely out of the way for the remainder of the day. Grabbing a light shawl, she rushed back to the front room of the cabin. She quickly took the book she was in the middle of from the mantel and even managed to finish two chapters before her mother joined her.
“Are you ready to go?”
Cassie nodded. “Of course. Are you?”
“Yes, earlier than normal, with Gilbert doing the dishes. What did you do to manage that?”
As Cassie and her mother headed out the door, Cassie related her morning activities to her mother, telling her all about how Gilbert had lost to her and how he had ended up washing the dishes. The walk into town was a pleasant one. Even though Texas was burning hot for the whole day on most days, the early mornings, just before the sun rose, were crisp and even a tad bit cold. Cassie liked having her shawl wrapped tightly around her shoulders and enjoying the warmth.
The very first signs of the sun coming up were starting to show. The sky was just barely light grey, showing that the sun would be up soon, and that meant that customers would be there soon. Cassie smiled. Working at the diner all day certainly took some getting used to. When she had first started, after convincing her parents that she was ready for it, she had struggled with having sore arms and feet all of the time.
