Harden
HARD-HEARTED LONERBorn into a sprawling ranching family, rugged Harden Tremayne was the toughest, wildest man ever to come out of Texas cattle country. And the loneliest. Until he met Miranda Warren, the lovely Chicago widow who aroused feelings too long denied–and a yearning for something that could never be his….Miranda had never felt anything as overwhelming as her passion for the long, lean cowboy. But was her love enough to melt his hard, hungry heart and help them make a new life–together?
Читать Harden онлайн беплатно
Born into a sprawling ranching family, rugged Harden Tremayne was the toughest, wildest man ever to come out of Texas. And the loneliest. Until he met Miranda Warren, the lovely Chicago widow who aroused feelings too long denied—and a yearning for something that could never be his…
Miranda had never felt anything as overwhelming as her passion for the long, lean cowboy. But Harden couldn’t give her the one thing she so desperately craved….
Then she discovered the tragic secret he harboured deep in his soul. She loved him…But was her love enough to melt his hard, hungry heart and help them make a new life—together?
Harden
THE
Essential COLLECTION
New York Times and USA TODAY Bestselling Author
Diana Palmer
Dear Reader,
I really can’t express how flattered I am and also how grateful I am to Mills & Boon Books for releasing this collection of my published works. It came as a great surprise. I never think of myself as writing books that are collectible. In fact, there are days when I forget that writing is work at all. What I do for a living is so much fun that it never seems like a job. And since I reside in a small community, and my daily life is confined to such mundane things as feeding the wild birds and looking after my herb patch in the backyard, I feel rather unconnected from what many would think of as a glamorous profession.
But when I read my email, or when I get letters from readers, or when I go on signing trips to bookstores to meet all of you, I feel truly blessed. Over the past thirty years I have made lasting friendships with many of you. And quite frankly, most of you are like part of my family. You can’t imagine how much you enrich my life. Thank you so much.
I also need to extend thanks to my family (my husband, James, son, Blayne, daughter-in-law, Christina, and granddaughter, Selena Marie), to my best friend, Ann, to my readers, booksellers and the wonderful people at Mills & Boon Books—from my editor of many years, Tara, to all the other fine and talented people who make up our publishing house. Thanks to all of you for making this job and my private life so worth living.
Thank you for this tribute, Mills & Boon, and for putting up with me for thirty long years! Love to all of you.
Diana Palmer
New York Times and USA TODAYBestselling Author
Diana Palmer
The Essential Collection
Long, Tall Texans…and More!
AVAILABLE FEBRUARY 2011
CalhounTylerEthanConnalHardenEvan
AVAILABLE MARCH 2011
DonavanEmmettRegan’s PrideThat Burke ManCircle of GoldCattleman’s Pride
AVAILABLE APRIL 2011
The Princess BrideColtrain’s ProposalA Man of MeansLionheartedMaggie’s DadRage of Passion
AVAILABLE MAY 2011
LacyBelovedLove with a Long, Tall Texan (containing “Guy,” “Luke” and “Christopher”) Heart of IceNoelleFit for a KingThe Rawhide Man
AVAILABLE JUNE 2011
A Long, Tall Texan Summer (containing “Tom,” “Drew” and “Jobe”) NoraDream’s EndChampagne GirlFriends and LoversThe Wedding in White
AVAILABLE JULY 2011
Heather’s SongSnow KissesTo Love and CherishLong, Tall and Tempted (containing “Redbird,” “Paper Husband” and “Christmas Cowboy”) The AustralianDarling EnemyTrilby
AVAILABLE AUGUST 2011
Sweet EnemySoldier of FortuneThe Tender StrangerEnamoredAfter the MusicThe Patient Nurse
AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 2011
The Case of the Mesmerizing BossThe Case of the Confirmed BachelorThe Case of the Missing SecretarySeptember MorningDiamond GirlEye of the Tiger
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
The bar wasn’t crowded. Harden wished it had been, so that he could have blended in better. He was the only customer in boots and a Stetson, even if he was wearing an expensive gray suit with them. But the thing was, he stood out, and he didn’t want to.
A beef producers’ conference was being held at this uptown hotel in Chicago, where he’d booked a luxury suite for the duration. He was giving a workshop on an improved method of crossbreeding. Not that he’d wanted to; his brother Evan had volunteered him, and it had been too late to back out by the time Harden found out. Of his three brothers, Evan was the one he was closest to. Under the other man’s good-natured kidding was a temper even hotter than Harden’s and a ferocity of spirit that made him a keen ally.
Harden sipped his drink, feeling his aloneness keenly. He didn’t fit in well with most people. Even his in-laws found him particularly disturbing as a dinner companion, and he knew it. Sometimes it was difficult just to get through the day. He felt incomplete; as if something crucial was missing in his life. He’d come down here to the lounge to get his mind off the emptiness. But he felt even more alone as he looked around him at the laughing, happy couples who filled the room.
His flinty pale blue eyes glittered at an older woman nearby making a play for a man. Same old story. Bored housewife, handsome stranger, a one-night fling. His own mother could have written a book on that subject. He was the result of her amorous fling, the only outsider in a family of four boys.
