LITMIR.BIZ

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      MILLS & BOON

       Before you start reading, why not sign up?

      Thank you for downloading this Mills & Boon book. If you want to hear about exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions, sign up to our email newsletter today!

       SIGN ME UP!

      Or simply visit

      signup.millsandboon.co.uk

      Mills & Boon emails are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.

      STELLA BAGWELL

      has written more than seventy novels for Harlequin and Silhouette Books. She credits her loyal readers and hopes her stories have brightened their lives in some small way.

      A cowgirl through and through, she loves to watch old Westerns, and has recently learned how to rope a steer. Her days begin and end helping her husband care for a beloved herd of horses on their little ranch located on the south Texas coast. When she’s not ropin’ and ridin’, you’ll find her at her desk, creating her next tale of love.

      The couple have a son, who is a high school math teacher and athletic coach. Stella loves to hear from readers and invites them to contact her at [email protected].

      To my late mother, Lucille, who always

      made Christmas a special time for her family.

      When gifts were spare, her love was rich.

      Contents

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Chapter Twelve

      Epilogue

      Chapter One

      “What the hell?”

      Boone Barnett’s muttered question was lost in the cold wind as he watched a truck pulling a horse van leave a wake of dust as it barreled its way across the desert basin. The woman from New Mexico, he decided. The rig was too fancy to belong to anyone around here. But she was supposed to have been here shortly after lunch. Not five minutes from sundown!

      Damn it, he was chilled to the bone, exhausted and hungry. He was hardly in the mood to put up with a woman who’d not had the forethought or good manners to show up at a decent hour. If she expected to look at the horses now, she was in for a surprise, Boone thought. His horses weren’t pampered pets housed in luxurious stalls with overhead lights. They existed outside, as they had for hundreds of years on this Nevada range.

      Dropping the feed sack near the barn door, he called to a barking black-and-white shepherd before starting the long walk to the front of the house. Frigid north wind had been gusting all day and since he’d been outdoors for most of it, his face burned from exposure and his feet weren’t in much better shape. While he waited for the truck to pull to a stop, he stomped his boots and prayed for a little feeling to return to his toes.

      Next to his leg, the dog whined and Boone’s gloved hand patted the animal’s head. “You don’t need to worry about the lady, Queenie. She’s only a visitor.”

      Pricking its ears, the shepherd followed Boone forward, while a few feet away, the driver’s door opened on the truck and a tall, shapely woman stepped to the ground. She was dressed in blue jeans and boots and a bright red sweater, and as she moved toward him, she quickly shoved her arms into a denim ranch jacket.

      “Hello,” she called out loud enough to be heard above the wind.

      “Hello,” he greeted in response.

      As the two of them met on the bare, hard-packed earth, Boone removed his glove and extended his hand to her. Even though he was damned irritated at her for showing up at a ridiculous hour, she was still a potential client. And for the past few months horse buyers hadn’t exactly been beating down his door. The last thing he wanted to do was offend this one with bad manners.

      “I’m Boone Barnett,” he introduced himself. “And you must be Ms. Donovan?”

      A wide smile spread her cherry-colored lips and Boone found himself staring at the woman. He’d not been to town in weeks and even when he was there he didn’t take much notice of people, especially women, but something about the warmth on her face had struck him.

      She was far younger than he’d expected and definitely prettier. Light, copper-red hair fell in thick waves to her shoulders and with each gust of wind, it tossed around

Скачать книгу