The Heart of a Texas Cowboy
Men of Legend, #2
Linda Broday
Pub date: May 2, 2017
Genre: Historical Western Romance
Three Brothers. One Oath.
No Compromises.
The MEN of LEGEND
The Cowboy
One bullet is all it takes to shatter Houston Legend’s world. He swore
he’d never love again, but with the future of the Lone Star Ranch on the line,
he finds himself at the altar promising to love and cherish a woman he’s never
met—a woman whose vulnerable beauty touches his heart.
All Lara Boone wants is a name for her baby. She never expected to fall
in love with her own husband—or any man—after the heartache she’s endured. Yet
when her troubled past catches up with them, Houston will move heaven and earth
to protect his bride…and discover depths to a marriage of convenience neither
realized could be theirs.
With night
wrapped around her like a cloak, Lara hummed while she washed the dishes and
put everything away.
Houston sat on
the ground with Gracie, his back against his saddle. The babe lay on his chest
with his hand patting the small back. He caught Lara looking and winked as
boldly as some scoundrel. Heat rose to her cheeks. She lowered her gaze and
made quick work of the dishes.
“Do you want me
to take Gracie to her bed?” Lara asked, joining him.
“If you can pry
open her fist to get my vest out of it. For such a little thing, she’s sure got
a grip.”
Houston was so
near his soft breath fanned her cheek. Her pulse raced. This man she’d married
invaded every thought. He’d shown kindness and caring and brought hope back
from the grave where she’d buried it.
He laid a hand on
her arm. “You’ll be back?”
“Yes. I won’t be
long.”
“I’ll only be in
camp a little while,” Houston said, yawning. “Have to spell the other drovers.”
At her questioning glance, he explained, “Everyone shares guard duty, me
included.”
She nodded and
hurried to lay Gracie in her crib next to her crib beside the chuck wagon. With
her precious daughter sleeping soundly, she returned to the fire to find no
sign of Houston. Her heart sank with disappointment. She’d missed him, missed
her goodnight kiss that he’d begged for.
Houston called
quietly from the deep shadows. “Over here, Lara.”
Following his
voice, Lara discovered him leaning against the trunk of a mesquite tree. Rays
from the full moon lightened the dark brown strands nestling against his
collar, adding glints of silver.
“I didn’t want to
take a chance on us being interrupted so I walked out here,” he explained.
Lara wet her
lips. “I thought you’d changed your mind.” That he didn’t want to kiss a woman
so scarred.
“Not a chance,
lady,” he growled low and pushed away from the tree. “It’s all that’s been on
my mind since you agreed.”
When she moved to
him, he opened his arms. She walked into his embrace as though it was door and
pleasure awaited there. Inhaling the scented air, she laid her head against the
hard wall of his chest. She wanted to stay there forever.
Houston lightly
rested his chin on the top of her head. “I’m real glad you came on this drive.
Nights can get lonely out here.”
His deep voice
vibrated inside her. It was like he became part of her. “I’m glad I did too.
Even though I had to work to convince you.”
“Yeah, well, I’m
a stubborn fool.”
He put a finger
under her chin and lifted her face. Without a word, he lowered his mouth. The
minute his warm lips touched hers, Lara had to clutch his arm to keep from
falling. Her heartbeat pounded as though trying to keep up with the blood
racing through her veins.
A hot, demanding,
achiness swept over her. She needed this man and at the moment didn’t think she
could live without him. Nor did she want to try.
With a low cry,
he placed his large hands under her jaw and deepened the kiss, sending a series
of quickenings into her stomach similar to the ones she felt when Gracie curled
in her womb. Maybe these stirrings signaled life much in the same way her
baby’s movements did to let her know she was alive and couldn’t wait to be
born.
Maybe she was being reborn.
Maybe she could
forget the past and start fresh.
Maybe this was
what she’d waited so long for.
As she leaned
into him and gripped Houston’s vest, pleasure like she’d never felt swirled
inside her. She clung to him afraid if she let go, he’d vanish and she’d
discover it was a dream.
Could this be tiny stirrings of love?
Lara suddenly
pushed away. No it wasn’t love because that didn’t exist. Not for her. It was
too dangerous to believe in love. To believe she had anything to give any man.
What’s wrong,
Lara?” Houston gently pushed back her hair. “Did I do something to upset or
frighten you? I shouldn’t have grabbed you like that.”
“You did nothing
wrong.” It was her. She almost let herself believe that someone could love her.
One look at her reflection showed the impossibility of such a thing. “I’m
sorry,” she murmured brokenly.
Through tears,
she stumbled back to the light of the campfire, escaping all that brought pain.
The past.
Herself.
An impossible
future.
Escaping
everything. If only it was that easy.
Houston stole up
behind her and touched her shoulder. “Talk to me. I want to understand.”
She owed him some
explanation. Impatiently dashing away the tears, she turned and let anger
spill. “It’s not you, Houston. It’s me. I’m broken. Too broken to fix. You
can’t repair something that’s missing the pieces. Blackstone took a lot more
than....” she paused, “He stole....”
“Your soul,” he
supplied quietly.
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At a young age, LINDA BRODAY discovered a love for
storytelling, history, and anything pertaining to the Old West. Cowboys
fascinate her. There’s something about Stetsons, boots, and tall rugged cowboys
that get her fired up. A New York Times
and USA Today bestselling author,
Linda has won many awards, including the prestigious National Readers’ Choice
Award and the Texas Gold Award. She resides in the Texas Panhandle and is
inspired every day.
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