The Grass Widow: Sequel to The Milch Bride (Cowboy Romance #3)

THE GRASS WIDOW
A widowed woman, a little boy, and a lonely cowboy, all that is needed is for fate to take a hand.

Linsey Coburn finishes her first chores to make time for the garden. Since her husband’s violent death a year ago, every day is a struggle. She lets five-year-old Sammy help, only to keep him close to her. Then she notices their small herd of cattle is missing.

Cliff McHugh, foreman of the Harper ranch rides home from his friend's where the married Harper men have gathered to celebrate the first birthday of Hank's son. Four of the five men are now married with young children. After the pandemonium of crawling and toddling infants take turns grabbing for his long handlebar mustache, Cliff is ready to shave the blame thing off. A man was lucky to be able to saddle up and ride back to a bunkhouse with nary a female or noisy child in sight. That was Cliff, plumb lucky.

Cliff finds and herds some strays back toward the widow’s farm. He scolds her for letting the cattle escape, but when they check, they discover that a tree fell on the fence during the night. He manages to move the tree and shore up the fence but warns it is only a temporary solution. Linsey tells him to mind his own business, if she had the money, she would take care of it. When he finds one steer has a broken leg, she grudgingly accepts his help to dress the beef.

Days later, the remaining cows escape again. This time, Cliff returns them and brings three men to repair the fence with wire and fence posts he bought. She is clearly terrified when the men make a crude joke about how the pretty woman can pay them for their trouble. Still, she manages to cook and feed them.

When Cliff scolds the men, they remind him what everyone knows about grass widows. “They are all land, but no man.”

Staring at the proud, worried woman, Cliff finally understands. He sends the men home without him.