The Outlaw And The Runaway
He doesn’t want to be an outlaw…Can this shy runaway redeem him?When Celia’s father is implicated in a robbery she can’t stay and suffer the wrath of the townsfolk. Her refuge is brooding Roy Hagan. He’s tough enough to protect her, but life with an outlaw is no place for a sheltered young woman like her. Unless Roy can change—and prove that beneath his steely exterior lurks a heart of gold…
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He didn’t want to be an outlaw...
Can this shy runaway redeem him?
When Celia’s father is implicated in a robbery, she can’t stay and suffer the wrath of the townsfolk. Her refuge is brooding Roy Hagan—he’s tough enough to protect her. But life with an outlaw is no place for a sheltered young woman like her. Unless Roy can change—and prove that beneath his steely exterior lurks a heart of gold...
“Exciting, emotional and sensual.”
—RT Book Reviews on From Runaway to Pregnant Bride
“Readers will enjoy the robust characters, the authentic setting and the fast pace of this tale.”
—RT Book Reviews on The Bride Lottery
Before becoming a novelist TATIANA MARCH tried various occupations—including being a chambermaid and an accountant. Now she loves writing Western historical romance. In the course of her research Tatiana has been detained by the US border guards, had a skirmish with the Mexican army, and stumbled upon a rattlesnake. This has not diminished her determination to create authentic settings for her stories.
The Virgin’s Debt
Submit to the Warrior Surrender to the Knight The Drifter’s Bride
The Fairfax Brides miniseries
His Mail-Order Bride
The Bride Lottery From Runaway to Pregnant Bride
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ISBN: 978-1-474-07370-7
THE OUTLAW AND THE RUNAWAY
© 2018 Tatiana March
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
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Contents
Arizona Territory, 1882
Rock Springs was no different from other Western towns Roy Hagan had seen. Perhaps the single thoroughfare was shabbier than most, the signs over the stores a little more faded. The bank stood at the northern end, just before the boardwalk started. A square building of adobe brick, it had three tall windows that glinted in the midday sun, however the frosted glass prevented prying eyes from seeing inside.
Roy rode past the bank, reined his buckskin to a halt outside the mercantile and dismounted. The two men with him, Zeke Davies and Joe Saldana, also got off their horses.
After tying their mounts to the hitching rail, all three men stepped up to the boardwalk, boots thudding in an unhurried cadence. Saldana wore Mexican spurs with big rowels that made an arrogant jangle as he walked. All three wore their hats pulled low and long dusters that covered their gun belts.
“You stay here,” Roy ordered, talking in a guarded voice that carried no more than a whisper. “Roll a smoke, light up. Keep your eyes on the street. Count the number of people you see—men, women, children. Pay extra attention to anyone who goes into the bank.”
The other two nodded. Neither of them spoke.
“I’ll check out the store,” Roy went on. “Then I’ll come back outside and we’ll sit down over there.” He gestured at a timber bench near the saloon entrance. “I’ll go into the saloon, buy three glasses of beer and bring them out. For an hour, we laugh and joke while we survey the town. We don’t get drunk. We don’t get into arguments. If anyone approaches us, we’ll be friendly and polite. Is that clear?”
