An Unwanted Marriage
Sofia De Zavala wants to help her father run their family’s Texas ranch—but he has other ideas for her future. Faced with an arranged marriage, Sofia dresses as a boy and joins a cattle drive, determined to prove herself to her father. But her plan backfires when she’s forced to save her reputation by marrying trail boss Jackson McCreed.
Jackson thought he was hiring a scrappy young boy—instead, the wary widower has landed his business partner’s feisty, headstrong daughter as his bride. He believes a marriage of convenience is the best they can hope for. But Sofia dares him to look to the future again...and find a love strong enough to lasso a lifetime of happiness.
“He can’t make you marry me.”
“We might not have much choice if we want to have a chance at the dreams we both want.”
“All I want is to work on the ranch with my father, and you want to raise your horses.”
Jackson nodded, his jaw sore from the tension. “Despite you lying to me, we were friends, right?”
Sofia nodded.
“We talked about you working for me.”
“But that is different than getting married.”
“It doesn’t have to be.”
That got her attention. Moving back, she wiped her face clear of the tears. “What do you mean?”
“We can treat it like a partnership. I didn’t plan on ever marrying again.”
“I know. I don’t want a husband.”
“Good. Because I don’t want a wife. We could just stay friends. Have our own rooms, our own lives.” He shrugged. “Just friends, business partners. But I’m not going to let your father force us into this. You have to agree.”
A seventh-generation Texan, JOLENE NAVARRO fills her life with family, faith and life’s beautiful messiness. She knows that as much as the world changes, people stay the same: vow-keepers and heartbreakers. Jolene married a vow-keeper who shows her holding hands never gets old. When not writing, Jolene teaches art to inner-city teens and hangs out with her own four almost-grown kids. Find Jolene on Facebook or her blog, jolenenavarrowriter.com.
Lone Star Bride
Jolene Navarro
Be still, and know that I am God.
—Psalms 46:10
Dedicated to my grandmother, Jo Ann Crawford. She gave me the spark to tell stories and to pass down stories from our own family. Thank you for inspiring me and allowing me to read all your Zane Grey books. This one is for you and the women in our family who made Texas their home before it was Texas.
Some say that writing is a solitary endeavor, but I find I’m surrounded by many people who help me along the way.
First, to my amazing brainstorming team, Storm Navarro, Sasha Summers and Willa Blair and the SARA to SARA Sundays.
Special thanks to the family of the late historian W. T. Block. His article on the Opelousas Trail inspired my pirates on a cattle drive.
To editor extraordinaire Emily Rodmell. Thank you for your insight and eye for detail. To executive editor Tina James for giving Jackson and Sofia a home beyond my computer. I discovered them six years ago. That they are in the world is a dream come true.
To the most wonderful agent, Pam Hopkins, for being a mixture of kindness, support and honesty. Thank you.
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