The Legend of Lollipop Read online

  Table of Contents

  The Legend of Lollipop (Whispers in Wyoming, #20)

  Whispers in Wyoming

  Copyright Page

  Book Description

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Theme Verses

  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

  Derby Pie

  About the Author

  Study Guide Questions

  Whispers in Wyoming

  THE LEGEND OF LOLLIPOP

  ____________________

  Lisa M. Prysock

  LANDON, A PROMINENT, esteemed horse trainer with notable success in quarter horse racing, arrives at The Sweetwater for one purpose only. A legendary horse and her three-year-old filly have been spotted there in recent weeks. He’s determined to capture the renowned horses. He finds himself distracted when Jed and Anastasia introduce him to her sister, Trisha. However, as for Jed’s chances at love, Anastasia wants nothing to do with Jed other than friendship, baking cookies together, and matchmaking for Trisha and Landon. Will matchmaking for another couple lead them beyond friendship, baking, and legends?

  Whispers in Wyoming

  Love, Letters & Home, Volume 1

  Danni Roan

  Heartstruck and Heavensent, Volume 2

  Kari Trumbo

  Dreams of Sweetwater River, Volume 3

  Lisa Prysock

  Counting Kadence, Volume 4

  Danni Roan

  Temptation and Tenderness, Volume 5

  Kari Trumbo

  Guardian of Her Heart, Volume 6

  Rachel Skatvold

  Marry Me Katie, Volume 7

  Lisa Prysock

  A Forgetful Heart, Volume 8

  Rachel Skatvold

  Mercy’s Light, Volume 9

  Danni Roan

  No Place Like Home, Volume 10

  Lisa Prysock

  Melodies of the Heart, Volume 11

  Rachel Skatvold

  Falling Forward, Volume 12

  Danni Roan

  Sensitive and Secure, Volume 13

  Kari Trumbo

  Tender Hearts, Volume 14

  Kit Morgan

  The Bonnets of Rescue Ranch, Volume 15

  Tina Dee

  All That Glitters, Volume 16

  Lisa Prysock

  Racing Destiny, Volume 17

  Danni Roan

  A Searching Heart, Volume 18

  Rachel Skatvold

  His Wish, Her Command, Volume 19

  Jo Grafford

  The Legend of Lollipop, Volume 20

  Lisa Prysock

  Available at Amazon

  Copyright Page

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means- electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the author.

  The Legend of Lollipop

  Copyright © 2019 by Lisa M. Prysock

  All rights reserved.

  Cover Design formatting by Lisa M. Prysock; front cover image contributed by cover artist Erin Dameron-Hill. Clip art and illustrations used are public domain and illustrations by the author noted by initials LP or by Lisa Prysock, if any. Any internet links, addresses, or contact information in this book are not guaranteed for the life of the book.

  Interior text edited by Rachel Skatvold.

  Proofed by Tina Caudill Conder.

  Author Photo by Alaina Broyles.

  Cover Artist, Erin Dameron-Hill.

  For information or to contact the publisher or author: Lisa Prysock, 7318 Autumn Bent Way, Crestwood, Kentucky, 40014, USA.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to events or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  This work is cataloged in the Library of Congress.

  Unless paraphrased, otherwise noted or indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.

  The Legend of Lollipop

  Copyright © 2019 by Lisa M. Prysock

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN:

  ISBN-13: 9781091625846

  Book Description

  Anastasia isn’t the least bit interested in a romance with Jed when her sister’s job placement agency sends her to work as a temp at The Sweetwater Ranch bakery. She finally has a chance to make one of her dreams come true by doing a great job managing the bakery. Maybe she’ll even get to ride the horses on the Wyoming ranch in her leisure time, or catch a glimpse of the wild horses she longs to own.

  Jed’s laid back, fun-loving personality hasn’t helped him find a woman to settle down with, but he’s perfectly content working as a wrangler at The Sweetwater. However, he can’t deny the attraction he has for the new bakery manager when he meets Anastasia.

  Landon, a prominent, esteemed horse trainer with notable success in quarter horse racing, arrives at The Sweetwater for one purpose only. A legendary horse and her three-year-old filly have been spotted there in recent weeks. He’s determined to capture the renowned horses. He finds himself distracted when Jed and Anastasia introduce him to her sister, Trisha, owner of a job placement service who takes her career as seriously as he does his own.

  Will this matchmaking couple, Jed and Anastasia, fall in love? And what of the legendary horses? Will they become the crowning glory of Landon’s extensive collection?

  Get your copy of this stand-alone Contemporary Christian Western Romance today! Clean, sweet, and romantic, don’t miss this inspirational adventure.

  Cover Design

  Dedication

  This whimsical title is for my beloved children, Nick, Aaron, and Courtney. Keep spreading the message of God’s love and always be happy and courageous. Go after your God-given dreams.

  With all of my love,

  Mom

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you to my editor, Rachel. She’s absolutely the best!

  Thank you to the authors in this Wyoming series. They’ve each helped me grow in my writing journey so much. Are we at twenty books in this series? Wow! I think we are in for a celebration!

  Thank you to my amazing proofer, Tina! Thank you for all you do.

  A very special thank you goes out to my beta-readers who help with feedback on each of my books and show me support in so many ways.

  Erin, your book covers for our series are outstanding. In this case, Lynn had a story in mind for this cover originally and then selflessly let me adapt and work on it a bit more with Erin for an idea I’d been toying with for some time. One thing readers might like to know, the hero on this cover fits the character of Jed perfectly.

  Thank you to my family and church family for being so patient with me when I’m writing. Especially Danielle and Aaron, for understanding when I am not able to hang out together as much as I’d like to when deadlines get in the way. Like Jesus said to his parents, I feel such a strong pull to be about my Father’s business. I’m sorry if I miss a few church services and family stuff from time to time.

  A huge thank you goes to my husband for being the fixer of plot holes and a sounding board.

  Them
e Verses

  The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

  John 10:10, KJV

  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

  Jeremiah 29:11, KJV

  To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.

  Revelation 3:7, NIV

  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and Your Heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

  Mathew 6:32-33, ESV

  Chapter 1

  “The speed of the leader determines the rate of the pack.”—D. Wayne Lukas, American horse trainer.

  BLAZING STAR RANCH, on the edge of Cheyenne, Wyoming

  Landon Callahan stood on the edge of the track observing the champion white filly as she raced toward the finish line, every muscle in her sculpted form flexing. He clicked the stopwatch as Larkspur finished the race one stride ahead of three of his other horses. Glancing down at the watch told him his champion horse had won the race in twenty seconds flat.

  “Not bad for a four-forty, eh boss?” Andrew Jordan, Landon’s business manager—Andy to everyone on the ranch—held out the time on his own stopwatch.

  Landon nodded approvingly without cracking a smile, his white cowboy hat shading his eyes from the late morning sun. “It’s a good time, depending on who she’s racing.”

  Caleb Pierce whistled and tipped his cowboy hat up. Callahan’s longtime friend and the owner of a horse track in Texas and one in Cheyenne called Grand Prairie Downs, held out his own stopwatch. “Three of them clocked it at twenty-one seconds.” Turning to Landon, he asked, “How do you do it, always finding and training the elite of the elite? Looks like you might have another Triple Crown quarter horse champion on your hands.”

  This compliment drew half of a smile from him. “’At’s what I’m a hopin’ for.” The Triple Crown of quarter horse racing wasn’t quite the same as winning the one for thoroughbreds, but nonetheless, in Wyoming, it was considered an accomplishment.

  “Keep doing whatever it is you’re doing,” Caleb chuckled. “It’s working.”

  Jockeys scrambled down from the horses on the track, and employees began to scramble in various directions to help with cooling them down. Andy turned to speak to one of the trainers while Landon began walking toward one of several horse barns on the one-hundred and fifty acre ranch, Pierce following.

  The property had been in the Callahan family for generations and the business of horse racing had naturally developed as the ranch grew. He’d learned a thing or two over the years, but the way Blazing Star Ranch did things under his leadership boiled down to making good decisions and hard work. He tried to continually apply everything he’d learned from his father and grandfather, besides learning new techniques.

  He glanced at his friend. “I’m guessing Laura and the kids enjoyed your vacation, but it’s good to have you back, old friend.” Landon tipped his hat back further, barely nodding as they strode passed a trainer leading a horse to a water trough.

  Caleb, about a decade older than him, walked alongside at a comfortable pace without seeming to have any difficulty keeping up. He stayed fit for his age, thanks to all of the walking he did at the enormous tracks he owned. “Thanks, the family loved it. We took in a lot of hiking and riding the trails. One of the best ranches I’ve been to in my life.”

  An employee trying to catch his breath from running to catch up with them interrupted their walk, gingerly handing him a clipboard with some daily reports as they reached the barn. Displeased, Landon eyed the teenager warily. “I don’t like reports to be brought here. Didn’t Andy or someone tell you to take these to my secretary?”

  The red-haired, freckled teen, dressed in jeans, cowboy boots, and one of the customary ranch uniforms—a hunter green polo shirt—also wore a blank, confused look on his face. He didn’t seem to know what to say. Landon handed the clipboard back to him and sighed. “It’s all right. I see you’re new around here. What’s your name?”

  “Matt, uh...Matthew Breckinridge,” the teen stammered, holding onto his cowboy hat as he looked up at him as if his entire life depended on his next words.

  Landon proceeded calmly, pointing toward the rambling main house in the center of the property. “All right, Matthew, my office is on the far right and has a private side entrance. The secretary looks these reports over every day at about four-thirty. Do me a favor and run these up to her from now on.” He wasn’t going to give him his secretary’s name, Melanie, or any other details. His friend was waiting and he didn’t want to overload the kid.

  “Yes sir, and thanks for explaining.” The teen looked relieved and took off in the direction of his office, nearly running into a four-board fence. The sight left Caleb chuckling and Landon shaking his head. Every year contained its hiring seasons followed by training new staff. It took a lot of patience and repetition from everyone, but Andy usually did a good job of overseeing much of the process. They now had about fifteen employees on the ranch. Thanks to racing, the growth had been sustainable.

  They resumed walking and Landon slowed the pace since they were now beneath the shade of the barn in a long row of stalls. “Where were we? Oh yeah, your vacation. You said it was a dude ranch up in Lander?”

  Caleb nodded. “Guess who I saw one day when I accidentally got a little lost when we were out riding on a trail?”

  Landon paused to pat one of his favorite horses on the nose. “You got lost riding horses on a trail? Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.” He grinned at Caleb and they both laughed.

  Then his friend got serious. “You’ll be glad I did, though. Don’t you wanna know who I ran into?”

  “Sure.” Landon glanced at him as they continued past stall after stall of beautiful horses in a barn that appeared almost spotless.

  “Bridie Jane and her filly, running wild and free. They were with a herd of mustangs, as usual, somewhere in the northeast meadows not too far from the trail. Surprised me though. Last time I saw the herd, they were north of Cheyenne.”

  Landon stopped walking and turned on the heel of his cowboy boot to face him. “No! In Lander? Bridie Jane and her filly? You’re sure?”

  “Is the sun is shining?” Caleb Pierce removed his cowboy hat from his dark hair and nodded while he began twirling the hat around on his pointer finger as if it were a lasso. He continued to grin and twirl the hat, his cobalt blue eyes twinkling with a hopeful look.

  “Naw! You’re kiddin’ me. Them mustangs must have a wide circle. I heard they were somewhere here in the south, but of course no one could say exactly where.” Frustrated, Landon removed his own hat and raked a tan hand through his short blond hair. He’d been tracking Bridie Jane and her filly for two years and every lead had resulted in futility. The glorious mares were elusive, evading capture with their swift sprinting ability, outsmarting him and everyone else in Wyoming who desired them with their natural prowess. “Lander, huh?”

  Caleb nodded and then shrugged. “They say herds don’t migrate, even if they run out of food and water. My guess is their pattern is a big wide circle from northwest of Cheyenne cutting up to Lander. Then back again.”

  “You didn’t try to bring ‘em in?” Landon was all ears, listening to every detail.

  His friend laughed and shook his head. “Frankly, I have zero ropin’ skills. I just run racetracks and that’s as far as my lasso skills go. I’m a city boy from Cheyenne who fell in love with horse racing, remember? Everything I learned about ranchin’ and horses, I learned from your dad, what little time I could spend helpin’ out around here when I wasn’t tryin’ some other new-fangled idea to scrape up enough money to buy my first
track. Those were the early days of my career, ya know?”

  Landon chuckled and glanced at the stalls of horses he owned, his gaze coming to rest on several horses he’d also been hired to train. Having Bridie Jane and her filly in his possession was one of his greatest dreams. “All right, I see you’re serious. What was the name again of this ranch where you saw ‘em?”

  “The Sweetwater River Ranch Resort. Only reason we decided to vacation there is I’m an investor there and really like what the property has to offer. New log cabins, dances on Saturday nights, great food, country western bands, horseback riding, fresh air, plenty of stuff for the family to enjoy.” The more Caleb talked, the more he reminded him there was more to life than just work.

  Landon nodded, listening with avid interest. “Yeah, I guess you did mention that property ‘bout a year ago. Thanks for the tip. I’m not letting those horses get away again. I’ll tell Andy and Melanie I’m rearranging my schedule right away. They might not like me running off on another quest, but they will when I return with a natural-born champion filly, not to mention the breeding possibilities for Bridie Jane.”

  His friend had paused on and off from twirling his hat as they talked. This time, he put his hat on and slapped him on the back good-naturedly. “I hope you can pull it off. Ever since the newspapers ran their story, every quarter horse racer in Wyoming has been trying to get their hands on that mama and her mare.” Caleb relaxed, leaning an elbow on the cap railing of a stall door nearby. “If anyone deserves it, you do. You’ve worked hard to carry on your father’s legacy.”

  Landon turned to face a neighboring stall and clasped his hands behind his neck. Lost in thought for a moment, he stared at a chestnut horse inside the space. The horse blinked back at him and swished his black tail. “Thanks, Caleb. I appreciate your friendship more than you know. You’ve helped me through a lotta tough years, but as the legend goes, those horses could change even more for me.”