A classic tale of cowboys staking claim to their landâand the women they loveâ¦
Keegan McKettrick has learned the hard way that women canât be trusted. The only female in his life these days is the young daughter he sees all too rarely, and his sole passion is for his job overseeing his familyâs corporation. Until beautiful but mysterious Molly Shields comes to Indian Rock on a missionâand keeping a suspicious eye on her becomes Keeganâs full-time hobbyâ¦.
Molly doesnât know why sheâs attracted to a man whoâs determined to dig up dirt on her, even if he is gorgeous. But cynical Keegan might be the one person who can truly understand her shadowy pastâand if the two can risk opening their hearts, they just might forge a brighter future.
Praise for the novels of #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Linda Lael Miller
âMiller tugs at the heartstrings as few authors can.â
âPublishers Weekly
âMiller crafts amazing, deep charactersâ¦
Thoroughly entertaining!â âRT Book Reviews
âThe amazing Millerâ¦steals your heart
with good stories about good people. Her overall theme of strength in family never fails to grab your attention and keep you coming back for more.â âFresh Fiction on A Lawmanâs Christmas
âGreat reading for anyone who loves a family saga
full of romance, adventure and handsome cowboys.â âBN.com on The Creed Cowboys series
âMiller once again tells a memorable tale.â
âRT Book Reviews on A Creed in Stone Creek
âMillerâs got major storytelling mojo for the
second adventure set in Cave Creek, AZ.â âPublishers Weekly on Deadly Deceptions
âMillerâ¦is at her steamiest. This should delight any fan of family-centric romance, and followers of the McKettricks will be pleased to find Miller corralling all the seriesâ characters together and tying up all their loose ends with grace and conviction.â
âPublishers Weekly on McKettrickâs Heart
âThis heartwarming and heartbreakingly poignant story
is a fitting finale to Millerâs McKettrick Men trilogy. Her characters just come to life and may produce both tears and laughterâ¦this story [is] one not soon forgotten.â âRT Book Reviews on McKettrickâs Heart
Dear Readers,
I hope youâve enjoyed revisiting the McKettrick men and the women they manage to turn into cowboysâ brides. After reading Jesse and Cheyenneâs story in McKettrickâs Luck, then Rance and Echoâs happy ending in McKettrickâs Pride, Iâm proud to present the final book in the McKettrick Men trilogy, McKettrickâs Heart.
When Keegan McKettrick first encounters Molly Shields, heâs furious to find her in his hometown of Indian Rock, Arizona. At the same time heâs never been so attracted to a woman before. Both Molly and Keegan are deeply wary of loveâand need to learn to trust their hearts.â¦
Iâm also delighted to announce that a brand-new trilogy of cowboys is coming your way! Be sure to look for the first title, Big Sky Country, from HQN Books in June. Set in Parable, Montana, this series will feature half brothers, headstrong women and big dreams under an even bigger sky. You wonât want to miss this!
With love,
To Jerry and Anna Lael, with love
Chapter 1
MOLLY SHIELDS FORCED herself to pause on the sidewalk in front of the huge brick house, draw a deep breath and let it out slowly. If she hadnât, she would have vaulted over the gate and covered the flagstone walk at a dead run.
Lucas.
Lucas was somewhere inside that enormous place.
But so was Psyche. And Psyche Ryan, at least in the eyes of the world, was legally Lucasâs mother.
Everything within Molly rebelled against that single fact.
Purposefully Molly adjusted her perspective, along with the canvas backpack sheâd carried from the gas station at the far end of Indian Rock, Arizona, after getting off the afternoon bus from Phoenix. Lucas wasnât her child; he was Psycheâs.
The little boy was eighteen months old nowâeighteen months, two weeks and five days. Heâd been a newborn, pink and squalling, when sheâd last seen him, held him in her armsâall too brieflyâbefore giving him up. Psyche had sent a few snapshots in the interimâLucas was solid, handsome and blond, with bright green eyes. Mollyâs own coloring, though her hair had darkened over time, but despite that, he resembled his late father more than her.
Now, in a very few minutes, maybe even moments, Molly would see the baby she still thought of as her own, at least in weak moments.
Perhaps sheâd be allowed to hold Lucas. She ached to do that. To breathe in the scent of his hair and skinâ¦
Careful, her practical side admonished.
It was miracle enough that Psyche, a virtual stranger and, it was to be remembered, a betrayed wife, had summoned Molly to this little town, with its shady streets, given all that had happened. She mustnât move too fast, or make a wrong moveâmiracles were rare and fragile things, to be handled with infinite care.