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The Texas Ranger's Heiress Wife (Harlequin Historical, Band 1163) - Softcover

Welsh, Kate

 
9780373297634: The Texas Ranger's Heiress Wife (Harlequin Historical, Band 1163)
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0373297637 ISBN 13: 9780373297634
Verlag: Harlequin Historical, 2013

Inhaltsangabe

WORLDS APART… 

Pampered society princess Helena Conwell has built a successful ranch from a ruined wreck, but now hostile raiders are hungry for her land. Only one man can protect her—Brendan Kane, the wild Texas Ranger she married at gunpoint. 

After three years away, Brendan vows to defend the ranch and claim his wife back. Irish-born and darkly irresistible, he still has the power to quicken Helena's heart with his emerald-green gaze. But, each as fiercely proud as the other, can they admit to still being in love?

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Kate Welsh lives her own happily-ever-after in the Philadelphia suburbs, with her husband of over thirty years, her daughter, their one-hundred-pound Chesapeake Bay Retriever Ecko, and Kali, the family cat. Kate loves hearing from readers, who can reach her on the internet at kate_welsh@verizon.net

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Heavy hoofbeats resounded through the house, sending spirals of fear shooting through Helena. Her heart started to race. Had the Ghost Warriors finally decided to move on Shamrock? She stood and dropped her needlework as her housekeeper rushed in, her eyes wide with fear.

The horses thundered by along the ranch road, but one rider advanced rapidly on the house. Helena grabbed the loaded shotgun she kept leaning against the fireplace, then moved to the front window. Cautiously, she nudged the curtain aside with the double barrel and peered out.

Anger flooded through her. Or was it really desperate, foolish hope? In the blink of an eye her emotions flipped back to anger.

"Brendan?" she whispered. He'd said he would never set foot on Shamrock. Typical. His word meant everything to him except with her.

He seemed to hesitate, one foot on the step up to the porch.

So, he remembers his vow. "Never is a very long time, isn't it, Brendan?" she whispered, then cursed his contrary soul. She liked to relax on the porch in the evenings, and didn't want to picture him there. Before he decided to go ahead and invade that special space, Helena threw open the door and marched toward her estranged husband.

He slowly eased his booted foot back to the ground. His emerald eyes were unreadable in the shadow cast by the wide brim of his black Stetson. He glanced down at the shotgun as he pushed the hat back on his head. His left eyebrow arched annoyingly as he looked up, snaring her gaze with the power he still held over her.

He stared for a long, uncomfortable moment, opened his mouth, then closed it, as if unsure what to say.

She managed to look away from his eyes. Oh, how he could make her want him—make her care. Even after he'd left her alone during the darkest days of her life.

When she forced herself to look back, those eyes that had captured her heart and made it his, sparkled with mischief and flicked for a split second back to her shotgun. "And here I was thinkin' you might be glad to see me," he quipped in his slight, musical Irish accent.

She might be glad. She was glad, damn him. But she'd had three years of pain and practice at hiding her feelings. She had her pride, too. She stiffened her spine. He'd never know what she still felt for him. Never.

"W-why? Why would you think I'd be glad to see you?" she asked, and looked down at the gun in her hands. No matter how many times she'd threatened it, she would never want to shoot him. Accidentally or otherwise. She took a moment to break the gun open and gather her composure.

Steadier now, she said, "I seem to recall you telling me you'd never set foot on Shamrock. I believe it was outside the title office, after we signed the papers for the ranch."

Helena turned to her housekeeper, who'd followed her to the porch. "It's all right, Maria. You can go back inside."

Maria shot a black look Brendan's way, "You are sure?"

Helena nodded, then glanced back at her husband. "Is there something other than rejection and scorn I'm to read from what you said that day, and what you've done the last three years?"

"Things change." He looked suspiciously as if he was choosing his words as carefully as she was. Then his whole countenance changed. He looked…serious suddenly. Weighed down, even. "I've bad news. The raiders struck again. Belleza this time. Don Alejandro, the shepherds and their wives were all killed. Señora Varga and her daughter brought the don's body to town for burial."

Helena swayed and grabbed a porch column. "How on earth did Farrah and Elizabeth survive? The renegades don't leave survivors, do they?"

"They'd been in town," he explained. "They heard the commotion in time for Miss Varga to get off their ranch road. She hid her mother and the carriage, but Miss Varga, bein' who she is, snuck to the hilltop over-lookin' the homestead. Thinkin' she could help, apparently."

He shook his head. Grimaced. "She saw them kill her da and was smart enough to know it was too late to help anyone down there. Some of the men from town are out there buryin' the dead. Quinn's gone on by here with a posse, chasin' wild geese again. He's hopin' to track the raiders to their hideout this time 'round."

"I thought the governor sent you here to stop these Ghost Warriors. Why aren't you with Sheriff Quinn and the posse?"

"Because they're wastin' their time. The raiders'll disappear into the hills. Mark my words. When the sun sets, all Quinn and the rest will have are tired mounts and saddle-sore behinds."

She took a step back. It hurt too much to see Bren. Talk to him. She wanted him to go away. Far away, so she'd have a chance to heal from the new wounds his presence here caused. "Well, uh, thank you for bringing me the news. I'll look in on the Vargas tomorrow.

Where will they be?"

"The hotel. The house is gone. Burned. You'd have seen the smoke but the wind's to the east today. I didn't stop by just to tell you about Belleza. I'm movin' here." At her gasp, he qualified his statement. "Into Shamrock's bunkhouse."

"No. Absolu—"

"If you're of a mind to try stoppin' me," he interrupted, "remember under the law I've a right to move all the way into your bedroom if I want. And remember, too, it was you who wanted this marriage and this ranch."

Holding tight to her control and her expression, Helena put a hand on her hip. "I don't care where you lay your head. I stopped caring long ago. But if you set foot on this porch, let alone in my bedroom, I'll blow a hole in you big enough to read the front page of the Sentinel through."

She'd started to turn away, so she could go slam the door in his arrogant, beautiful face, when he took hold of her arm. He'd always had the most incredible way of touching her. It spoke of an abundance of leashed power behind his gentle touch. She couldn't control the tremor that rushed through her.

Then he said, "As far as the townsfolk and ranchers will know, I'm at Shamrock to stay, and livin' with you."

In shock, she stared at him, her mouth working like a hooked trout. "Why would they think that?" she finally muttered.

"Because it's what I want them to think."

"Then I'll let them all know you're only here to— Why are you here? Why did the posse ride onto Shamrock at all?" she demanded, her anger growing to the size of her pain.

Brendan, his eyes hooded, once again seemed to choose his words carefully. "I tracked the raiders across your northern border. Word is Shamrock doesn't run cattle up there unless there's a drought. They seem to feel safe takin' that route. They've done it twice that I know of. Now that they've moved to bigger places, Shamrock has to be near the top of their list. I want to catch these bastards in the act, and as you're a citizen, and I took an oath to protect the citizens of Texas, I'm here to protect you."

That certainly stated in no uncertain terms where she stood with him. "You took an oath to love, honor and keep me, but that didn't stop you from leaving."

Fire entered his gaze. "I took that oath at gunpoint. It was your poor wronged princess act that had my own sister holdin' the pistol, and forcin' those promises out of me. And you said you'd honor and obey. You broke your vows the minute...

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Verlag
Harlequin Historical
Erscheinungsdatum
2013
Sprache
Englisch
ISBN 10 
0373297637
ISBN 13 
9780373297634
Einband
Taschenbuch
Anzahl der Seiten
288
Kontakt zum Hersteller
Nicht verfügbar
Verantwortliche Person
HarperCollins Publishers, Product Safety Manager
enquiries@harpercollins.ie

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