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      “You don’t want to talk to me, do you?”

      His eyes glittered with challenge, daring her to answer.

      “No.” She shook her head. “I don’t.”

      “Why not?”

      “Because you never seem satisfied with what I say.”

      It was enough of the truth for now. She just didn’t add that a part of her was very busy noticing him as a man. She had from the very beginning. And that his physical presence made her suddenly aware of herself as a woman.

      She swallowed and added, “And because you never take anything at face value. You always seem to suspect a hidden meaning, an ulterior motive—and you make me…uneasy.” It was a better word than nervous. Or self-conscious.

      “Maybe I wouldn’t have to look for hidden meanings if you would talk to me. If I didn’t have to pry out every bit of information you held…!”

      Harlequin Historicals is delighted to introduce new author Wendy Douglas

      Here is what some of her fellow authors have to say about her debut novel

      SHADES OF GRAY

      “A heartwarming voice and a story about the power of love.”

      —New York Times bestselling author and three-time RITA Award winner Jennifer Greene

      “An exquisite love story of hope and healing, and a stunning debut for Ms. Douglas!”

      —Romantic Times Career Achievement Award winner

      Mary Anne Wilson

      #599 THE LOVE MATCH

      Deborah Simmons/Deborah Hale/Nicola Cornick

      #600 A MARRIAGE BY CHANCE

      Carolyn Davidson

      #601 MARRYING MISCHIEF

      Lyn Stone

      Shades of Gray

      Wendy Douglas

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      MILLS & BOON

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      Available from Harlequin Historicals and WENDY DOUGLAS

      Shades of Gray #602

      For Doug

      For giving me the time and freedom to finally achieve my dream. For teaching me about the miracles that come from taking chances. And for being my best friend…my very own hero. I love you.

      Acknowledgments

      This book was a labor of love, a book of my heart. Even so, I could not have written it without the help and support of some amazing people: Alison Hart, who volunteered to read the manuscript and offered unlimited time, advice and understanding. (Thanks, Petunia.) Tracy Green, Cheryl Johnson, Lynda Mikulski and Carolyn Rogers, who brainstormed, listened, read and critiqued my baby with sincere enthusiasm and encouragement. Mary Anne Wilson, who taught me that a hard man is good to find—and knew just the hard men I would need for this book. Dana Stabenow, who made exactly the suggestion I needed, just when I needed it, to find the right ending. Laurie Miller, who generously shared her medical knowledge, particularly with home remedies suitable for the post-Civil War era. My Texas “expert,” Betty Sue Crain, who offered pictures, maps, stories, an exclusive Texas tour in seven whirlwind days, and for cooking dinner—more than once—so I could keep writing. The “Thursday LaMex girls,” Kathy Hafer and Jean Whitley, for proofreading and years of unflagging support. (Margaritas are on me next week!)

      Contents

       Prologue

       Chapter One

       Chapter Two

       Chapter Three

       Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Chapter Six

       Chapter Seven

       Chapter Eight

       Chapter Nine

       Chapter Ten

       Chapter Eleven

       Chapter Twelve

       Chapter Thirteen

       Chapter Fourteen

       Chapter Fifteen

       Chapter Sixteen

       Chapter Seventeen

       Chapter Eighteen

       Chapter Nineteen

       Chapter Twenty

       Chapter Twenty-One

       Chapter Twenty-Two

       Epilogue

      Prologue

      Texas, April 1868

      He rode damn near to the edge of nowhere before he found it. For days now, the landscape

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