Luke's Cut
He's the last bachelor standing among the men of Hell's Eight, and he'll settle for nothing less than passion… Unencumbered by wife or family, Luke Bellen is the obvious member of Hell's Eight to lead a treacherous trek across Comanche territory. But Luke suspects he will never know another minute's peace when photographer Josie Kinder joins the wagon train. Whip-smart Josie has a voluptuous figure, a sunny disposition and a knack for getting into dangerous scrapes in pursuit of the perfect shot. Luke thinks Josie's too young, too sweet to be despoiled by the rough life and hard-bitten land he loves.But independent Josie won't let any man—however commanding—decide what's best for her. Beneath their playful banter is a powerful current of lust—pure, but not so simple. If only Luke weren't so damned proper, he'd see that the years between them don't matter a whit, not when a single touch can set them both ablaze. Josie's hell-bent on having it all, and that includes keeping Luke in the picture…unless the vengeful bandits on their trail find them first.
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Heâs the last bachelor standing among the men of Hellâs Eight, and heâll settle for nothing less than passion...
Unencumbered by wife or family, Luke Bellen is the obvious member of Hellâs Eight to lead a treacherous trek across Comanche territory. But Luke suspects he will never know another minuteâs peace when photographer Josie Kinder joins the wagon train. Whip-smart Josie has a voluptuous figure, a sunny disposition and a knack for getting into dangerous scrapes in pursuit of the perfect shot. Luke thinks Josieâs too young, too sweet to be despoiled by the rough life and hard-bitten land he loves.
But independent Josie wonât let any manâhowever commandingâdecide whatâs best for her. Beneath their playful banter is a powerful current of lustâpure, but not so simple. If only Luke werenât so damned proper, heâd see that the years between them donât matter a whit, not when a single touch can set them both ablaze. Josieâs hell-bent on having it all, and that includes keeping Luke in the pictureâ¦unless the vengeful bandits on their trail find them first.
Praise for Sarah McCartyâs men of Hellâs Eight
âMcCarty is a sparse, minimalistic writer, with a great ear for dialogue. Sheâs a passionate observer of history, and manages to deftly and accurately weave her spicy stories through with important facts and issues of the epoch she invokes. Sheâs also good at capturing that intangible magnetism surrounding dangerous, rugged men⦠Iâm hooked.â
âUSATODAY.com
âIf you like your historicals packed with emotion, excitement and heat, you can never go wrong with a book by Sarah McCarty.â
âRomance Junkies
âItâs so great to see that Ms. McCarty is able to truly take these eight men and give them such vastly different stories and vastly different heroines, all of whom allow us to see different aspects of what life was really like for Western Frontier women, be it good, horrific, or simply unfortunate.â
âRomance Books Forum
âSarah McCartyâs series is an exciting blend of raw masculinity, spunky, feisty heroines and the wild living in the Old Westâ¦with spicy, hot love scenes. Ms. McCarty gave us small peeks into each member of the Hellâs Eight and Iâm looking forward to reading the other menâs stories.â
âErotica Romance Writers
âWhat really sets McCartyâs stories apart from simple erotica is the complexity of her characters and conflicts... Definitely spicy, but a great love story, too.â
âRT Book Reviews
âReaders who enjoy erotic romance but havenât found an author who can combine it with a historical setting may discover a new auto-buy author...I have.â
âAll About Romance
Dedicated to my wonderful editor, my fabulous agent
and all my fantastic fans. Itâs been a great journey with the men of Hellâs Eight. Thank you so much for being on this wild ride with me.
Contents
Simple, Texas, August 1861
DAMN! HEâD BEEN outmaneuvered by a man twenty years his senior. Luke Bellen leaned against a post on the front porch and observed as the distinguished, blond-haired victor claimed the spoils. The normally smooth-running Hellâs Eight Ranch was bursting at the seams with celebratory chaos. All because Hester MacFairlane had gone and married Jarl Wayfield. Right here at Hellâs Eight, before God, the padre and half the town. No one could have seen that coming.
Luke had to admit though, during the past few weeks of upset, panic and last-minute wedding preparations, the women had managed to soften the ranchâs rough edges. For sure heâd never seen the Hellâs Eight looking so festive. Lazy breezes ruffled the ties on the smartly dressed men, the womenâs full skirts and the cheery, bright pink bows tied to every post within sight of the side yard. Everyone was wearing their biggest smile and their Sunday best. And Luke was no exception. But for some reason the whole dayâthe whole eventâwas aggravating the piss out of him.
It didnât matter that he hadnât seriously been in the game or that he was happy for the bride. Nor that he figured just enough of his fatherâs teachings lingered in him that he didnât like to lose. Taking a sip of his lemonade, he grimaced as he swallowed the bitter reality. The truth was that he was jealous. If he couldâve made himself care the way heâd needed to, that couldâve been him standing up there with Hester, thanking the well-wishers and letting the stream of congratulations pour into his annoying internal demand for more and fill it up until it was too sated to nag him.
It might have been easier to accept the loss if Hester had chosen Jarl because the man had more money or more prestige than Luke, but money wasnât the spur to Hesterâs get along. The woman had more confidence than six liquored-up cowboys on a Saturday night. It was one of the things that had attracted him to her. No one could seize an opportunity like Hester, but she was also down-to-earth and perceptive, and sheâd seen right through Lukeâs not-what-it-should-be interest, then turned to someone who could offer his heart along with his hand. He gave the lemonade a swirl, watching the light play hide-and-seek with the shadows. Dammit. Why the hell hadnât he been able to offer Hester what she needed?
