Blurb
Elizabeth
Coltrane has given up on finding a man who will love her in spite of
the physical and emotional scars she carries thanks to a mountain
lion attack. When her father is murdered, she inherits Coltrane
Corners. The only man she can trust to save her cattle ranch is the
foreman she just fired…and the man she’s loved since she was a
child. But can Elizabeth keep her desire for Chase under control and
her heart safe as they work side by side every day?
Chase
Cameron is determined the bad blood of his abusive pa will end with
him and vows to never marry. When Elizabeth needs his help getting
her cattle to market, Chase has to decide if he can do the job while
fighting the strong attraction he has to her.
When accidents
begin to happen, threatening Elizabeth’s life, Chase discovers he
is willing do whatever takes to keep her safe. They must both learn
to trust again in order to save her ranch and her life.
Excerpt
Chase
stepped past her and stood next to the buggy. “Everett sent me to
fetch you home. Now if you’d be so kind as to step aside, Miss
Elizabeth, I’d be happy to load your trunk in the back of the
buggy.”
Although
she deserved his sarcasm, she cringed at the way he said ‘Miss
Elizabeth.’ “I’d rather stick a cactus needle in my left eye
than ride anywhere with you.”
“I
think that can be arranged, but I imagine a poke in the eyeball would
hurt like the dickens.”
“I’ve
been gone six years, and you haven’t changed a bit, have you?
Everything’s a big joke. You’re more infuriating than ever.”
What was wrong with her? She couldn’t keep the hateful words from
tumbling out. “I’d hoped you might have learned a few manners and
social graces. But here you are, still a simple cowpoke.”
“What
can I say? Once a donkey’s behind, always a donkey’s behind.”
He threw her words back at her. “You know how things go when you
spend your days chasin’ after cattle and ridin’ fences. A man
can’t be expected to learn much in the way of social graces when
he’s out mucking through pastures full of cow patties and horse
dung.”
She’d
finally pushed him too far, gotten a reaction from him that wasn’t
served up with a smile. Elizabeth saw the hurt in his eyes, heard the
anger in his voice. Her face heated with guilt.
“I
may have been overly crude when I called you simple and a donkey’s
behi… Well, you know what I said.” She let her eyes drift down.
She shouldn’t have spoken in anger. The insults weren’t very
ladylike, but considering the way he’d treated her in the past,
she’d truly thought he deserved the words…until she saw the hurt
in his gaze.
“I
accept your apology—such as it is.”
Her
head jerked up. “I wasn’t offering you an apology.”
“No
kidding.” His voice was low. “I’ve tried to ignore your bad
behavior since this is your first day back, but damnation, Elizabeth,
when did you turn into such an uppity snob?”
“Pardon
me?” She tilted her head to one side. “I’m not a snob.” Well,
maybe she did sound a little snooty, but he was the one to blame for
that. He brought out the worst in her. “I don’t—”
He
cut her off. “Never mind.”
Her
eyes followed Chase as he sauntered back to the stagecoach in that
don’t-rush-me cowboy way that always looked so darn good on him. Oh
yes, years of hard work had definitely added plenty of muscle and
strength to his broad shoulders. He picked up her heavy trunk as if
it weighed less than a barn cat and carried the chest on one shoulder
to the carriage without even breaking a sweat. He made quick work of
securing the trunk, then he was back at her side, standing a bit too
close for her liking.
“You
gonna let me escort you home or are you planning on walking?” He
glanced down at her feet and shook his head. He looked up, tipped his
hat back, and scratched his forehead. “I can tell you right now,
the fancy city boots you’re wearin’ aren’t gonna carry you very
far.”
Elizabeth
weighed her options and wondered how she’d managed to back herself
into a corner so quickly. Of course she wasn’t going to walk all
the way to the ranch, but she sure as heck wasn’t about to admit
that to Chase. She couldn’t very well rent a horse from the
livery—she wasn’t dressed suitably for riding. Maybe she’d hire
a carriage instead.
“Damnation,
Elizabeth. Either you’re comin’ or you’re not.”
“I’m
still thinking. There’s no need to raise your voice at me.”
“If
you’re gonna be noodling on your decision much longer, I’m gonna
march my boots over to Burt’s Saloon and have a drink.”
“What
a good idea. You go have your drink, and I’ll noodle on the subject
a while longer. I’ll give you my answer when you return.”
He
was grumbling under his breath as he walked away. She heard him
anyway. “Well, if this don’t beat all. Damn fickle woman.”
Fickle?
She’d show him fickle. “Oh, Chase, before you go, would you
be kind enough to give me a lift up? I’d just as soon sit while I
noodle.”
He
stomped back in her direction, kicking up small clouds of dust.
She
liked—perhaps a little too much—the warm, confident feel of his
large hands wrapped around her waist as he gave her a boost up.
“Ten
minutes, Miss Elizabeth. Then I’m comin’ back and you’d
best have an answer for me.”
Elizabeth
busily tucked her skirt’s mountain of material into the carriage.
“I
promise. You’ll have your answer when you return.”
For
the first time since she’d stepped from the stagecoach, she graced
him with a smile.
***
Chase
swung open the saloon doors, still riding high on the smile Elizabeth
had offered. A smile more brilliant than a Texas sunrise and more
embracing than a Texas sunset, he marveled. Instead of the braids
she’d worn as a child, her blonde hair was now pulled back in a
tight chignon. Several whisper-thin tendrils had escaped, caressing
the smooth looking skin of her face. His fingers itched to tuck the
flyaway wisps of hair back behind her ears. Better yet, he wanted to
toss the stupid hat, free the hair from its tight bun, and run his
hands through the loose curls.
Elizabeth
confused him. He was drawn to her, yet she’d been nothing but pure
mean since she’d stepped off the stage. But damned if a certain one
of his body parts wasn’t about to embarrass him in the middle of
Burt’s.
What
was he thinking? Elizabeth was off-limits. She was right. He was
nothing but a simple cowpoke. She deserved better. Hell, for all he
knew, he’d turn out like his pa a few years down the road. And what
would her father think? Everett was not only Chase’s boss and
mentor, he’d become his closest friend over the years. He’d
definitely want more than a simple cowpoke with bad blood in him for
his daughter. Maybe when Chase’s ranch became successful, he’d
finally feel respectable. He pinched the bridge of his nose. Nope.
Wasn’t gonna happen. Even when the ranch began producing,
his past would haunt him. He’d stick to his plan, one which didn’t
include Elizabeth, or any other woman. Now all he had to do
was convince his unruly body part of the fact.
He
ambled to the bar, ready for a drink, and hoping to put all thoughts
of Elizabeth out of his mind. The piano wasn’t playing. Then again,
it seldom was until evening when things livened up in town. This time
of day, the only noise came from the loud voices and laughter at the
table where a group of men were playing a rowdy hand of poker. The
place smelled of stale tobacco and cheap perfume. Only two of Burt’s
saloon hall girls were strutting their assets around. They were
dressed in colorful, flesh-baring costumes and cheap boas. Chase
thought of Elizabeth’s feathered hat and smiled. She’d probably
paid a fortune for the damned thing. He saddled up to the bar, with a
grin still plastered across his face.
Burt
brought him his usual shot glass full of whiskey and set it down in
front of him with a loud thwack, then did a double take.
“Damn,
Chase. What’re you all gussied up for and smiling like an idiot
about?”
“I
don’t know what you’re talking about, you crazy old geezer. Been
dippin’ in the barrels a little too much today?”
“I
don’t drink this piss-water. I just sell the stuff to fools like
you.” Burt leaned in and sniffed. “So come on and tell me, what’s
the pretty smell? You’re wearing cologne, ain’t you? Kinda
reminds me of cloves.”
“It’s
called bay rum and it’s none of your business how I smell.”
“You’re
all shaved, bathed, and wearing clean duds.” Burt stared at him for
a moment. “Hell in a handbasket, you done gone and dusted off your
Stetson. Something’s up.”
“Well,
if you gotta know, I’m escorting the boss’s daughter home to
Coltrane Corners. I thought maybe, since she’s been living back
East for the last six years, she might not be appreciative of ridin’
alongside a dust-covered, unshaven, cattle-smelling ranch hand.”
Simple
cowpoke my ass. “Now if you’re done mindin’ my business,
I’d like to enjoy my whiskey in peace and quiet, and then be on my
way.”
The
nosey barkeeper leaned forward, elbows on the bar. “Can I ask you
one more quick question?”
“If
it’ll buy me a moment of alone time? Sure, ask away.”
Burt
stood straight, lifted a glass, and wiped at the rim with a cloth.
“Are you picking up Miss Coltrane in the Coltrane carriage?”
“Of
course I am. You don’t think I’m gonna toss her over my horse’s
back and ride away into the sunset with her, do you?” Chase
scrutinized Burt’s face and narrowed his eyes. “Why’re you
asking?”
“’Cause
if my eyesight ain’t failed me, I believe the Coltrane Corners’
rig took off about the same time you was a-walkin’ through the
saloon’s doors smiling like a ninny. And you, my friend, weren’t
riding in it.”
About
Teri
As
a child, Teri made up her own bedtime stories. When her children came
along, Teri always tweaked the fairy tales she told her daughters,
giving them a bit more punch and better endings when needed.
Now
she spends her days turning her ideas into books. She lives in
Marietta, GA with her husband.
