âThe Golden Nugget is a permanent fixture here. Iâm not.â
At Miaâs words, Marshallâs spoon paused in mid-air as he frowned. âYouâre not leaving soon, are you?â
His finger slid beneath her chin and lifted her face up to his. The serious look she saw on his handsomely carved features sent her heart into a heavy rapid thud.
âWeâre just getting to know each other, Mia. Iâd really like you to stay longer.â
His voice tugged at her every feminine particle. âI â uh â Iâll think about it.â
Suddenly his head was bending towards hers, and the whisper that passed his lips skittered down her spine.
âMaybe you should think about this.â
Longing held her motionless as his lips descended onto hersâ¦
To my family â
the real golden nuggets in my life
STELLA BAGWELL
sold her first novel in November 1985. She still loves her job and says she isnât completely content unless sheâs writing. She and her husband live in Seadrift, Texas, a sleepy little fishing town located on the coastal bend, where the water, the tropical climate and the seabirds make it a lovely place to let her imagination soar and to put the stories in her head down on paper.
She and her husband have one son, Jason, who lives and teaches maths in nearby Port Lavaca.
Dear Reader,
I was thrilled when asked to do a MONTANA book, and when I learned the theme â striking it rich â I knew it was a subject that would touch everyone. After all, havenât we all wondered what it would be like to win the lottery or fall into sudden fortune? Ahh, the things we could do with all that money. Shopping till we dropped. Travelling around the world. Indulging ourselves with anything and everything weâve ever wanted. Sounds good, huh? Sounds like all our problems would be solved. Or so my heroine thinks.
After scratching her way through years of poverty, Mia believes money is all she needs to fix the troubles in her life. But when a fortune suddenly befalls her, she slowly and painfully begins to see that being rich in money is not nearly as great as being rich in love.
I hope you enjoy reading how Mia finds the real treasures in her life!
God bless you with lifeâs true riches,
Stella Bagwell
Chapter One
Was this his lucky day or what?
Using the back of his arm, Marshall Cates wiped the sweat streaming into his eyes and peered a second time at the woman sitting on a boulder some twenty feet below. From his precarious position on the rock ledge, the only view he had was of a portion of her back, the long fall of her raven-black hair and her nipped-in waist; but those tempting glimpses were enough to tell him it was the heiress.
For the past three weeks every male employee at Thunder Canyon Resort had been talking and fantasizing about the mystery guest. So far Marshall had only gazed at her from afar and wondered what a beautiful young woman with money to burn was doing here alone in Thunder Canyon. True, the small western Montana town was growing in leaps and bounds and Thunder Canyon Resort, where he worked as staff doctor, was garnering a reputation for fine hospitality surrounded by scenic splendor. The clientele was becoming ritzy, flying in from all corners of the nation. Still, Marshall couldnât help but figure a woman with her apparent class would rather be vacationing on the French Riviera than in the middle of a cowmanâs paradise. The fact that she appeared to be here without an escort intrigued him even more.
This morning, Marshall had risen early, wondering what to do with his off-duty time. With his brothers and his buddies all tied up with other interests, heâd eventually decided to do something he loved, climbing, and had headed up one of the mountains near the resort. When heâd set out on this trek, heâd never dreamed that the chance to meet Ms. Heiress would present itself on the edge of a rocky bluff. Since heâd only ever spotted her lounging around the lodge, he hadnât figured her for a nature girl.
Quickly, he rappelled the last few feet of the layered rock until his boots hit solid ground. Once there, he gathered up his climbing equipment and left his ropes, rings and anchors in a neat pile with his backpack.
As Marshall walked over to the woman he noticed she was sitting near an opening in the trees, looking out toward the endless valley that swept away from the mountain range. The view was majestic, especially to someone whoâd never seen the landscape before. But this woman didnât appear to be enjoying the scenery; she was deep in thought. So much so that she was completely unaware of his presence.
Fearing his approach might scare her so badly sheâd fall from the boulder, he stopped ten feet from her and called out.
âHello there.â
The moment she heard his voice, her head whipped around and her palms flattened against the rock in preparation to push herself to her feet. Surprise was etched upon her parted lips and wide eyes, telling him sheâd definitely believed herself to be totally alone on this particular piece of mountain. She was dressed in khaki shorts that struck her mid-thigh, a pale pink T-shirt that hugged her breasts and sturdy brown hiking boots. Her hair hung like shiny satin against her shoulders.