In July 2016, the MILLS & BOON® AMERICAN ROMANCE® series will become the MILLS & BOON® WESTERN ROMANCE series. Same great stories, new name!
A COWBOYâS FAITH
Rancher Garrett Marshallâs life revolves around the Circle M, his work as a minister and his camp for at-risk kids. Until Dr. Rachel Vale comes to town. Thereâs an instant and powerful attraction between Garrett and the beautiful doctorâ¦one heâs convinced could lead to something wonderful.
Rachel canât fall for the cowboy minister, no matter how kind and ruggedly handsome he may be. His whole life is rooted in faith, and her world is guided by facts. One fact she canât denyâsheâs falling for Garrett anyway. Will Rachel keep her distance, or will she finally let her heart lead her home?
âFor what itâs worth, I think youâre pretty special, Rachel.â
He could see her defenses spring up. âYou shouldnât say that.â
âOf course I should. Itâs true.â
âWe agreed to keep things professional.â
âIâm really starting to hate that word.â He tried to rein in his frustration. âIgnoring whatâs between us wonât make it disappear.â
Her blue gaze turned fierce. âYes, it will.â
Around them, the house was still and quiet. Reaching out, he took Rachelâs hands in his. âSo youâre just going to pretend you donât feel anything when my fingers touch yours.â He linked their fingers and pressed their palms together.
âThatâs right.â But she swallowed hard.
âAnd it wouldnât make any difference if I stroked your hair.â He let go of her left hand and skimmed his fingers lightly over the smooth strands above her ear.
âNo.â Her fingers twitched in his grasp.
âSo a simple kiss wouldnât matter at all.â
She drew a deep breath. âOf course not.â
âOkay, then.â He leaned forward and set his lips against hersâ¦
Dear Reader,
While my husband served in the Navy, we lived in six different cities, and we moved to yet another location when he retired. Each move posed challengesâlearning where to shop and how to get to school, finding piano teachers and the best place for pizza. Most important, we would be seeking new friends and discovering how our family could fit into the local community. You never really feel at home until youâve established your special crowd, your âtribe.â
The Marshall brothers have lived in Bisons Creek, Wyoming, all their lives. So when Dr. Rachel Vale comes to town to set up a medical clinic, Garrett Marshall makes it his mission to help her feel comfortable in her new setting. Local opinion holds that the doctor and the minister are a perfect match, and Garrett is inclined to agree. But Rachel isnât so easily persuaded, and past experience has left her wary of romantic complications. As a medical emergency at the Circle M Ranch brings them together, Garrett must find a way to convince this cautious woman that he can be trustedâwith the safety of her patients and with her heart.
Mail from readers is always a delight. Feel free to contact me at my website, lynnettekentbooks.com, or at PO Box 204, Vass, North Carolina 28394.
Lynnette Kent
A child of the North Carolina mountains, LYNNETTE KENT seems destined to find herself living anywhere but the mountains. Her family moved to Florida when she was nine, inspiring her with a lifelong love of the ocean and a long day spent at the beach. After marrying a graduate of the US Naval Academy, she moved with him to Tennessee while he attended medical school and from there to Virginia, California and Washington, DC.
Now settled in southeastern North Carolina, Lynnette tries to remember that mountain flowers donât grow well in the heat of a Sandhills summer, that fall isnât an abrupt change of season but a gentle, lingering evolution, and that winter without snow can beâ¦well, endured. With her two daughters married and on their own, she practices her nurturing skills with the six horses and five dogs on her farm. When sheâs not immersed in writing a book, or reading one, she mows grass, moves hay and fights a never-ending battle with weeds.
Chapter One
Funny how a day could change so quickly.
One moment Garrett Marshall was enjoying a beautiful Monday morning in July. He was putting the finishing touch on the converted building that would now house the new medical clinic for the little town of Bisons Creekâa hand-carved and painted sign created by his artist brother, Dylan, announcing the medical practice of Dr. Rachel Vale. Garrett measured the sign and the space, calculating exactly where the hangers should go. Then he took his hammer and the first nail, cocked his wrist...
And slammed the face of the hammer directly onto his thumb.
âDamnation!â The hammer clanked to the floor of the porch as Garrett swore. Sucking on the injured finger, he glanced around to see if anybody had heard him. According to his congregation, ministers didnât use such words, except in their sermons about the rewards of sin. Garrett didnât want to shatter their illusions if he could help it.