Love Finds You in Groom, Texas

TEXAS

TEXAS

BY JANICE HANNA

Summerside Press™
Minneapolis 55438
www.summersidepress.com

Love Finds You in Groom, Texas
© 2011 by Janice Hanna

ISBN 978-1-60936-006-1
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without written permission of the publisher.

The Holy Bible, New International Version
^®
,
NIV
^®
. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.
^™
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

The town depicted in this book is a real place, but all characters are fictional. Any resemblances to actual people or events are purely coincidental.

Cover Design by Koechel Peterson & Associates |
www.kpadesign.com

Interior design by Müllerhaus Publishing Group |
www.mullerhaus.net

Cover and interior photos of Groom, Texas, by Dale Shawgo,
www.wix.com/awesomephotography/awesomephotography
.
Used by permission.

Summerside Press™ is an inspirational publisher offering fresh, irresistible books to uplift the heart and engage the mind.

Printed in USA.

Dedication

To my 2010
Johnny Be Good
codirector, Kathy Deitz.
As the cowardly lion would say:
“If it hadn’t been for you, I wouldn’t have found my courage.”
Your help as codirector freed me up
to write this quirky tale. I’m eternally grateful.

Anyone who does not take his cross and
follow me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and
whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

M
ATTHEW
10:38–39
NIV

G
ROOM
, T
EXAS, IS LOCATED IN THE
T
EXAS
P
ANHANDLE, JUST EAST
of Amarillo. There, against the backdrop of ranch lands and canyons, you can find tumbleweeds, open plains, and some of the finest cattle in the country.

Groom was once known for its ranches. In fact, Colonel B. B. Groom owned one of the largest ranches in the area. These days, Groom is known for something else—the tallest cross in the world. The cross, which is nineteen stories high, can be seen from twenty miles away. Of course, it was built long after the action in this book takes place. Because I couldn’t use the cross in my story, I opted to allude to it. You will notice that Anne wears a cross necklace at all times. The Lord uses it to bring healing to her heart and draw her to Him. In the same way, the cross in modern-day Groom offers hope and healing to all who pass by.

Groom, Texas, is not a fairy-tale place. It is very real. And while it may not be known for its single fellas, it is known as a place where people can find healing and hope for their lives. I pray this story reflects the spirit of the people in that fine town.

Janice Hanna

Chapter One

Amarillo, Texas, 1914

Looking for some of the best ranch land in the country? Look no farther than the plains of the Texas Panhandle. The pioneers of yesterday saw the possibilities and arrived in record numbers. Famed cattlemen settled the area, building some of the most impressive ranches the state has ever known. Why not join them? If you have a hankerin’ to rustle cattle or build fences, c’mon out to the Texas Panhandle. Join hundreds of other cattlemen in their quest to make Texas the beef capital of the world. —
“Tex” Morgan, reporting for the
Panhandle Primer

“How does it feel, being the last single fella in town?”

“S’cuse me?” Jake turned to face his best friend. “What did you say?”

“You heard me.” Cody laughed, and his eyes sparkled with mischief. “When I get married a week from now, you’ll be the only fella in Groom who isn’t hitched. Don’t tell me it hasn’t occurred to you. Everyone’s talking about it.”

“Ugh.” Jake raked his fingers through his hair. Of course it had occurred to him. He just hadn’t planned on taking it up with anyone other than the Lord. And as for everyone in town gabbing about it, that only made the situation more uncomfortable. Why did folks always have to go nosing in where they didn’t belong? He’d already had his fill of family members prodding into his nonexistent love life. Take Mama, for instance. And his older brothers—and their wives. Why couldn’t everyone just leave him alone? What was the problem with being single, anyway?

Jake continued walking down the railroad track toward home, hoping his friend would take his silence as a hint to change the direction of the conversation.

Unfortunately, Cody had other ideas. He slapped Jake on the back and chuckled. “I guess being single and male makes you something of an oddity in these parts. You can’t blame folks for talking, now, can you?”

“Actually, I can.” Jake felt his jaw tighten as he spoke. “Gossip is gossip. So let’s just call it what it is.” He drew in a deep breath to calm himself and focused on the train track under his feet.
Just keep walking. Don’t let ’em get to you.

“Ah.” Cody’s eyebrows elevated. “Taking this pretty seriously, are you?”

“You betcha.” Jake stopped walking and turned to look at his friend, willing his temper not to flare. “I’m the laughingstock of the town, according to all my brothers. And you know how they are.”

“I do know how they are.” Cody laughed. “The O’Farrell brothers are a force to be reckoned with, especially once they get their minds made up about something. Present company excluded, of course.”

“They’re having a field day with this.” Jake paused and shook his head. “And as for being an oddity, it’s always been that way. I’m the only one in the family who thinks that working for the railroad holds more interest than branding cattle or building fences. That alone makes me strange in their eyes.” He paused to think about how true those words were. Nothing like being the odd man out, especially in your own family. Then again, he’d always been fodder for jokes for his older brothers. In that respect, nothing much had changed—only the type of jokes.

“Your brothers are competitive, that’s all.” Cody shrugged and gave him a thoughtful look. “They want to prove that your family’s ranch is the finest in Carson County. No shame in that. Just a hefty dose of family pride.”

“I don’t care anything about having the largest herd or the finest piece of land.” Jake paused to think about what he’d just said. “Well, let me restate that I do care, because my father cared. It meant a lot to him, and anything that was important to my father is important to me. But I see my work with the railroad as a way to help my brothers accomplish their goals on the ranch. To carry on my father’s legacy. So I guess you could say we’re working hand in hand to achieve the same things. They just don’t see it that way. Or if they do, they’re not sayin’.”

Cody’s expression grew more serious. “They’ll catch on before long, Jake. With the railroad so accessible, a lot of things will be changing. For the better, I mean.”