Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy: Rambling and Writing: The Cowboy's Prayer

Lamont Fortune is a national saddle bronc champion. He should be out on the rodeo circuit but a bad bout of the flu kept him home. That turns out to be a good thing or he wouldn't have been home when Shayne Sawyer, the twelve year old stepson of a neighbor, needs his help. The kid's had a rough go of things but so has Lamont. Over the past few years, he lost his parents in a plane crash as they headed to Prescott to watch him compete. He lost his place, a family homestead, in Oklahoma to a tornado and he parted ways with the woman he thought he loved. He figures maybe he and the boy are two lonely souls that need each other although he didn't set out to keep Shayne. Lamont planned to lend a hand and move on.

Shayne's stepdad, a mean man, dies after a drug overdose and his sole living relative, Mathilda Mannheim, is a fancy cake baker in New York City. She rushes to Oklahoma to take her nephew home but learns she can't. He's a ward of the state, which is Oklahoma. Although born in Texas, the citified gal and Lamont are like oil and water. As Lamont delves into the process to first be approved as a foster parent, then adopt Shayne, things are rocky but begin to improve.

He nicknames Matilda Tilly and in time, they find music in common. Here's an excerpt:

From habit, he popped a CD into the stereo, and Lamont's favorite classic country music filled the cab with sound. Hank William's plaintive voice crooned the old, sad ballads. The tires whined as the truck ate up the miles toward home, providing additional accompaniment. If he'd been alone, Lamont would have been belting out the songs, more familiar to him than nursery rhymes. He'd grown up with Hank, Johnny Horton, Marty Robbins, Webb Pierce, and Johnny Cash as a soundtrack for his life. His dad had loved this music and Lamont knew most of the lyrics by heart.

Until the kid joined in singing Kaw-Liga, he'd thought Shayne had fallen asleep. Tickled that the boy knew the old song about the wooden Indian who never went anywhere, he sang, too. The music raised Lamont's spirits, and happiness spread through him, lessening his fatigue.

Shayne chimed in on Say Hey Good Looking; although he missed more than a few notes, he made up for it with enthusiasm. When the mood shifted from bright to plaintive, Matilda sang along to it, too, her voice a rich alto that blended with the music and resonated with emotion.

The song was Lamont's least favorite, Cold, Cold Heart, because of Remy's accusations that he didn't care and wasn't capable of love, but when Matilda belted it out, his heart beat so fast he thought he might pass out at the wheel. She owned the song, he thought, and her voice infused it with power. If he had ever owned a heart of ice, it melted. Lines from the lyrics struck him with profound meaning. If anyone ever needed to free a doubtful mind, it was Lamont. He possessed a lonesome past, and he'd been hiding from life. He'd gone through the motions, nothing more. Shayne's appearance in his life had propelled him out of his inner cave back into the real world. Lamont, who hadn't shed a tear since his folks died, had a tear trickling and tickling down his cheek. Something broken within him began to heal as Lamont listened to Tilly sing along with Take These Chains From My Heart.

He had no idea if she realized how much her singing had impacted him, but she stopped after that. They were coming into Claremore by then, and once he mustered control of his emotions, he said, "You have an amazing voice, Tilly."

"Thanks. It's been a long time since I sang," she said.

"I don't imagine there was much demand for ol' Hank in New York City."

Matilda laughed. "There's probably more than you'd think, but not among the people I knew. I grew up on that music."

"So did I. Hank Williams was my grandpa's favorite singer, and my dad liked anything vintage country." Lamont couldn't help but grin.

Well, knock him winding, but he had something in common with this citified gal. Lamont never dreamed she'd be familiar with vintage country or like Hank's tunes. He'd known she could bake fancy confections, cakes that were works of art but it surprised him how she could sing like a country music queen.

The novel releases on Monday, November 4 in both eBook and paperback format. It's available for preorder now on Amazon, at World Castle Publishing, Barnes and Noble, and more more places.

https://www.amazon.com/Cowboys-Prayer-Lee-Sontheimer-Murphy-ebook/dp/B0DHMGDNTB

Or at World Castle:

The Cowboy's Prayer

Author: Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy

Hardback ISBN: 9798339892236

Paperback ISBN: 9798891262782

eBook ISBN: 9798891262799

Genre: Romance/Western

Release Date 11/4/2024

Oklahoma saddle bronc champion Lamont Fortune lives a lonely life. He has family he doesn’t see very often and although once a man of faith, his has faded. He’s late getting out on the circuit this year but before he can put his spurs on for the season, his life changes when he takes in a neighbor’s stepson after a fatal overdose. When the boy’s aunt arrives from New York City, it’s complicated. Matilda Mannheim and Lamont bristle but when they learn Shayne can’t leave the state, Lamont is the only option. Lamont nicknames her ‘Tilly’ and both realize they misjudged the other. With many challenges looming, Tilly has the faith he lacks. As he takes tentative steps toward God, he resists prayer until everything changes. His chance to build a life with Shayne and Tilly depends on whether he can make the right choices and most of all, if he can manage a prayer.

You can listen to the audio book here:

https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details?id=AQAAAECyXjUelM