FATE ON SAPPHIRE MOUNTAIN...
Jasmine Telford has just told her boyfriend she canât marry him when their small plane crashes into the Sapphire Mountains of Montana. Miraculously, no one is seriously hurt. Instead, the tall, gorgeous cowboy who comes to Jasmineâs rescue leaves a dramatic, very emotional impression. But Wymon Clayton is quickly becoming more than just a hero to her...
Wymonâs attraction to Jasmine is like nothing heâs ever felt. He should know betterâsophisticated women rarely long for the simple ranching life. Yet he canât resist the beauty of her green eyes, her warmth or how she always says something unexpected. Now Wymonâs falling head over spurs for a woman who is clearly made for him...if he can trust her not to break his heart.
âIâve wanted to see you again and tell you how grateful I am...â
âJasmineââ
Her heart leaped, but she was afraid, too. âBut if you tell me you think Iâm emotionally unstable because of the crash and donât know my own mind, then Iâll get out of the truck right now and we wonât be seeing each other again.â
He leaned across and caught her softly rounded chin in his hand so she was forced to look him in the eyes. Theyâd darkened with emotion.
âWhen I was witness to the magnificent way you handled yourself at the crash site, I knew you were the most emotionally stable woman I would ever meet in my life!â
âThank you for saying that.â She wanted him to kiss her. Oh, how she wanted him to take her in his arms.
She was no longer the same woman whoâd answered the front door.
The earth had turned on its axis because Wymon Clayton had happened to her... and nothing would ever be the same again.
REBECCA WINTERS, whose family of four children has now swelled to include five beautiful grandchildren, lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the land of the Rocky Mountains. Living near canyons and high alpine meadows full of wildflowers, she never runs out of places to explore. They, plus her favorite vacation spots in Europe, often end up as backgrounds for her romance novels, because writing is her passion, along with her family and church.
Rebecca loves to hear from readers. If you wish to email her, please visit her website, www.cleanromances.com.
Dedicated to the memory of the great John Muir,
also known as John of the Mountains. He was a Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher and early advocate of the preservation of the wilderness in the United States.
Chapter One
âMr. Clayton? Iâm Ross Lee from KUSM-TV. Would you mind answering a few questions?â
Surprised to hear his name called out, Wymon glanced to his left. Heâd just come from a committee meeting and had walked out onto the steps of the Montana State capitol building in Helena with his close friend Jim Whitefeather, only to have a microphone shoved in his face.
âGood news travels fast,â Jim muttered. The two of them were disappointed that a final decision wouldnât be reached for another month when they would meet with the governor again. The eager-beaver reporter already suspected the worst outcome would happen in thirty days. No doubt he considered this delay good news.
Wymon and the members of the committee had been in the public eye for the last six months raising awareness of a controversial issue close to his heart. Theyâd welcomed the publicity to get their message across and had held debates across the state, some of which had been in the news.
On this day, however, he would have liked to ignore the negative attention. He and Jim needed to be diplomatic because their fight wasnât over. They had another month to convince the public that this issue was worth fighting for.
âNaturally Iâd hoped for a positive decision today,â Wymon told the reporter. âBut Iâm feeling confident that next month we will be successful.â
He felt the reporter bristle. âWith you being the head of the Sapphire Ranch, itâs well known that youâre one of the biggest proponents for the reintroduction of the grizzly bear to the Sapphire and Bitterroot wilderness in western Montana.â
âThatâs right. My colleague here, Mr. James Whitefeather of the Nez Perce tribe, is another big proponent. Weâre part of a much larger group dedicated to fulfilling our initial mission statement.â
âIf you would, highlight it again for our television audience.â
Taking the opportunity to speak on one of his favorite subjects, Wymon said, âOur vision is that one day the grizzly will once again have a population in northwest Montana. We want to see them interact with the greater Yellowstone area population to the south as they did hundreds of years ago when thousands of them lived here before being killed off.â