Acclaim for DeLoras Scottâs previous books
Addieâs Lament
âDeLoras âsuperscribeâ Scott scores with this stupendous story.â
âAffaire de Coeur
âA fantastic tale.â
âRendezvous
Timeless
â5
s...her strongest and most impressive work to date.â
âAffaire de Coeur
â...tops her Springtown, and I thought that was super!â
âRendezvous
Springtown
â...a fresh, entertaining and witty romp...4+â
âRomantic Times
âGOLD 5â
âHeartland Critiques
âListen to me, Beth!â
Coleâs gaze shifted here and there for any signs of the raiding party. âIâm going to try to get us out of this alive, but Iâm going to need your help. Should we meet up with the Indians, I donât want you trying to outrun them.â
Bethâs panic exploded in her ears. âIâll not give up without making a run for it!â
She leaned forward, ready to plant her heels in her horseâs ribs, but Cole grabbed the bit. Beth could do nothing as long as Cole held on. She whipped unmercifully at him with the ends of the reins.
âDammit, Beth, stop fighting me!â
Beth continued to struggle. âIâll never listen to you again...you yellow-belliedââ All other accusations were left unsaid. Her mouth was suddenly dry, and she became very still.
Five mounted hostiles in full plumage were riding toward them. They, as well as their horses, were splashed with all the colors of the spectrum.
Cole stated coldly, âYou wanted to see scalpings and you wanted to see Indians. Well, here they are....â
Dear Reader,
DeLoras Scottâs first book, Bittersweet, was published by Harlequin Historicals in 1987, and she continues to be one of our most popular authors. This month she is back with The Devilâs Kiss, a romantic comedy about two misfits who discover love, despite Indians, outlaws and themselves. Donât miss this wonderful story.
The Trail to Temptation is the second book for Rae Muir, a featured author in our 1996 March Madness promotion. Itâs a Western about a star-crossed couple who fight their attraction on a trail drive from Texas to Montana. Awardwinning author Margaret Mooreâs The Wastrel, the magical story of a disowned heiress and a devil-may-care bachelor, introduces her new series of Victorian romance novels featuring a trio of âmost unsuitableâ heroes that she has aptly named MOST UNSUITABLE....
And March 1996 author Tori Phillips returns this month with an unforgettable story, Silent Knight, the tale of a would-be monk and a French noblewoman who fall in love on a delightful journey across medieval England.
Whatever your taste in reading, we hope Harlequin Historicals will keep you coming back for more. Please keep a lookout for all four titles, available wherever books are sold.
Sincerely,
Tracy Farrell
Senior Editor
Please address questions and book requests to:
Harlequin Reader Service U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269 Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3
DELORAS SCOTT was raised in Sutterâs Mill, Californiaâan area steeped in history. At one time it was gold country, and the legacy of wagon trains, cowboys and miners has remained. Itâs no wonder she enjoys writing about a chapter of history referred to as the Old West.
Authorâs Note
When my parents moved to Sacramento, California, in the fifties, there were still thousands of acres with nothing but rocks left from the mining days. A hundred years ago the miners dredged everything. Especially the soil needed for plants to grow. This bit of knowledge, Sutterâs Fort and a land steeped in history drew my fascination. Now, having lived and traveled extensively across these United States, my interest hasnât diminished. Of course, everything comes full circle and I am again living in Sacramento, and enjoying that wealth of history.
The idea for The Devilâs Kiss came from old pictures I happened across in a library. A lady of obvious quality was seated on a horseâsidesaddleâa rifle lying across her lap. The picture next to it showed a burly sharpshooter standing beside a towering pile of buffalo pelts. My imagination churned and came up with The Devilâs Kiss.
I love to hear from readers. Please write.
DeLoras Scott
P.O. Box 278042 Sacramento, CA 95827-8042
Prologue
Texas
Cole Wagner watched the freckle-faced young man enter the saloon and sidle up to the bar. It was doubtful the pup had yet reached his seventeenth birthday. Coleâs gaze dropped to the .35 resting in the kidâs holsterâhand level for a quick draw. There was a cockiness about him that Cole easily recognized. He had seen it many times before.