Joshua Gates did not expect to find a girl sleeping in his stables. Working in the stables of his brother's farm, Joshua was more than surprised to find a young, unmarried, pregnant woman sleeping in the hay. After speaking to the girl, Eliza Howlstead, he realizes the true danger of her situation, and he allows her to stay hidden in the stables. As the weeks pass, it becomes more and more difficult to hide her from his brother. And those she is running from.
Eliza Howlstead didn't intend to stay in the stables. When she slipped into the barn on the Gates ranch, she only intended to sleep the night and move on at first light. But, she was so tired of running from her abusive father that her body simply gave out. When she woke and found a stocky, blond-haired, blue-eyed boy staring down at her, she fully expected to be thrown back out onto the open road. She could never have anticipated the kindness Joshua Gates would show her or how strong her feelings for him would become. Still, she knows she must leave him eventually. Preferably before her baby is born. But, as the time comes closer, she wonders if she will have the strength to do what she must.
This is a standalone short story with no cliffhanger!
