Lone Star Ranger (Heartsong Presents, Band 1130) - Softcover

Buch 1 von 3: The Texas Ranger

Brumbaugh, Renae

 
9780373487684: Lone Star Ranger (Heartsong Presents, Band 1130)
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0373487681 ISBN 13: 9780373487684
Verlag: Love Inspired Heartsong Presents, 2015

Inhaltsangabe

ELIZABETH COVINGTON WILL GET HER MAN 

And she has one week to prove that her brother isn't the cold-blooded killer Texas Ranger Rett Smith accuses him of being. She'll show the handsome lawman he's wrong, even if it means embarking on a perilous race across Texas to catch the real culprit. 

Rett doesn't want to see an innocent man hang. But he can't let the Boston beauty take the law into her own hands. When she follows him into treacherous territory, the lawman vows to keep Elizabeth safe. But who will protect him from the woman whose courage and conviction have him questioning everything—even his heart?

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Renae Brumbaugh is a bestselling author and contributor to many books, and writes an award-winning humor column for newspaper. She’s also a happy wife and mother in Texas, where she wears boots, raises chickens, and tries to be rugged without breaking a fingernail. Learn more about Renae and her books at www.RenaeBrumbaugh.com .

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

August, 1877

Elizabeth Covington inhaled the scent of freshly baked bread as the hansom driver pulled into Houston's Market Square. Before, when her brother, Evan, had suggested breakfast, she'd turned her nose up. But now, with that robust aroma wafting through her senses…now she was hungry. "Let's eat over there, in the Kennedy Trading Center. I heard someone on the train say their restaurant and bakery is worthwhile."

"Finally," Evan answered. "I'm famished."

"You're always famished," she countered as Evan assisted her from the carriage.

As she climbed down, Elizabeth noticed the hansom driver staring, though he seemed more focused on Evan than on her. Odd. Most people noticed her height.

At five foot eleven, she knew she was a spectacle, but she'd long since passed the time when she cared.

The ogling and whispering continued as they made their way through the restaurant. Funny how much attention her height drew, as if she were a circus exhibit. She looked people in the eye and smiled, part challenge, part mischief. She secretly relished the looks of embarrassment on their faces when they knew they'd been caught gawking. Served them right.

Oh, well. Since she couldn't follow her dreams of becoming a lawyer like her father and brother, due to the tiny little matter of being female, she figured she could always make a living in a carnival sideshow.

Papa. The thought of him brought another unexpected pang. How many months had he been gone now? Six? Nearly seven. How she missed him.

Once they were seated at a table, Elizabeth rolled her ankles back and forth under her skirts and once again wished she were a man. Their shoes were so much more sensible.

"Evan, why don't we purchase land here in Texas?"

He set aside his menu. "Have you decided to become a rancher now?"

She wanted to kick him under the table. Would have if they'd been at home. "So what if I have? I like it here. It's rugged. You know I've never fit into that prissy Boston society life. Papa never wanted me to. Here I could wear dungarees and ride a horse and do as I please."

"Well… I don't know about buying a ranch. But I was thinking this morning that Houston probably needs a good law office. I've only noticed one, but the town is growing and could surely support another."

"Really? You're thinking of moving here?" Several customers turned to look at her, and she reminded herself to speak quietly.

"I'm considering it. Of course, I'd need your assistance."

"You'd let me practice law?"

"You know better. I'd be a laughingstock, and the practice would fail."

"But you can't argue like I can. You know I'm better at litigation."

"Which is precisely why I'd need your assistance. But you know you can't argue in court. It's not allowed. It's not even legal, Elizabeth."

There was a small commotion at the restaurant entrance, but Elizabeth wouldn't be distracted. "I've heard people are more open-minded here."

Evan held the menu again, pretending to study it, but she knew better. She decided to drop the matter for now. "Where is the waiter?" she asked under her breath.

The commotion grew louder, and they both strained in their seats to see what was happening. It was the hansom driver. He held some sort of paper and looked through the crowd, examining each face. A tall man in a cowboy hat, wearing a badge, followed close behind. At last the driver's gaze landed on Evan. "There he is! That's him!"

The cowboy studied the flyer, then looked at Evan and pushed between the tables until he stood before them. His hand rested on his holster in an unspoken threat. "Good day, Mr. Hardy. You're under arrest for the murder of more than two dozen people. Would you come with me, please?"

* * *

Rett's heart pounded, and he wondered if the man in front of him could sense it. He tightened his grasp on the pistol, expecting to have to use it at any moment and praying he wouldn't be forced to. After all the tracking, all the killings, all the narrow escapes, could it really be this simple?

It was him, no doubt about it. As soon as the cab-driver pointed him out, Rett knew. He'd referred to the face on the flyer to be sure, and any doubts had been removed. The man seated near the window was none other than James Weston Hardy, one of the most wanted criminals in the United States.

"Excuse me?" Hardy asked. Rett hadn't expected him to sound so…refined. Yet of course he would. The man was no idiot. His intelligence had kept him a free man for far too long. "I believe there's been some mistake."

"No mistake. Now stand up."

The man just sat there, his mouth agape. Rett had to hand it to him—he was a pretty good actor. He pulled his gun from its holster but kept it pointed downward, and the people around them gasped.

"I beg your pardon! Put that thing away!" The woman seated across from Hardy stood to her feet. She was a tall one. What was her part in this ruse? Hardy was known as a womanizer. Surely she'd been taken in, just as many others had.

Keeping his eyes on Hardy, he said, "Ma'am, please take your seat. I don't know what he's told you, but your companion here is a cold-blooded killer. Mr. Hardy, I said stand up!" The force in his voice brought the man out of his seat, and Rett aimed the pistol right at his chest. "Turn around."

Surprisingly, Hardy did as he was told, and Rett cuffed him tight.

"Stop! You're hurting him!" The woman reached for Hardy, but Rett put himself between her and the killer. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but you need to stay out of this, or I'll be forced to arrest you, too."

Hardy craned his neck toward the woman. "Elizabeth. Go to the hotel and get my case. My papers—I can prove my identity."

"Yes, certainly. We'll get this straightened out in no time," the woman said, then snatched the flyer from where it had fallen on the table and turned a glare on Rett that looked madder than a skillet full of rattlesnakes. "And once we do, you will be held accountable for this public humiliation. Where are you taking my brother?"

Well-spoken and fiery. Not bad to look at, either. She was only about three or four inches shorter than Rett, and he wondered how long she'd been hooked up with Hardy. The last woman Hardy had been associated with was described as petite. Now she was dead. "I'm takin' him to the county jail, ma'am. You're welcome to follow along if you like. But if I were you, I'd stay as far away from this fellow as possible."

"Well, you're not me, and that's not the man you're looking for. Where is the jail?" She tagged along behind as Rett urged Hardy forward, ignoring the stares and whispers. He couldn't believe he actually had James Weston Hardy in custody. And only his fourth month as a Ranger. Wait till Cody and Ray found out.

"Follow me."

"I can't follow you, you big…you big imbecile! You heard Evan. I need to retrieve his things."

Nice vocabulary. She was smart, too, and clearly devoted to Hardy. This one bore watching. Once they reached the entrance to Market Square, he stopped, keeping a solid grasp on Hardy. "It's not far. Why don't you come with me now, and once we get your brother all settled, I'll escort you to your hotel. Fair enough?"

A slight nod was her only answer. Hardy...

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Verlag
Love Inspired Heartsong Presents
Erscheinungsdatum
2015
Sprache
Englisch
ISBN 10 
0373487681
ISBN 13 
9780373487684
Einband
Taschenbuch
Anzahl der Seiten
192
Kontakt zum Hersteller
Nicht verfügbar
Verantwortliche Person
Nicht verfügbar

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