#1 New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller returns to Stone Creek, where secrets have a way of coming to lightâ¦
Where does an outlaw go when heâs ready to turn straight? For Wyatt Yarbro, reformed rustler and train robber, Stone Creek is his place of redemption. And lovely Sarah Tamlin is the perfect angel to help him clean up his act.
But Sarah keeps a dark secret behind her prim and proper facade, even as her heart is lost to charming, sexy Wyatt. When a vengeful enemy prepares to unleash havoc on their peaceful town, Wyatt and Sarah will discover that they canât hide from the past. To win the fight, they must believe in something they never trusted beforeâthe hope of tomorrow.
Praise for The Rustler by #1 New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller
âMillerâs third Stone Creek novel gets as hot as the noontime desert. Millerâs portrayal of Sarah as a strong, independent woman sets this novel apart from customary tales of the damsel in distress and the rescuing hero. Instead, Miller focuses on Sarah and Wyattâs shared and separate vulnerabilities and how they find it easier to face the difficulties of everyday life when theyâre together. Well-developed, personable characters and a handful of loose ends will leave readers anticipating future installments.â
âPublishers Weekly
âWelcome back, Yarbros, those bad-boy outlaws turned into heroes! But itâs Millerâs intrinsic understanding of the West that is the real hero of her novels. Her characters are true to their nature, the era and the place. This story creates lasting memories of soul-searing redemption and the belief in goodness and hope.â
âRT Book Reviews
âAs the attraction between Wyatt and Sarah deepens, the anticipated happy ending veers in an unexpected direction that makes this novel a real page-turner. With vibrant prose, fully realized characters, an engrossing plot set amid the dangers of the Old West, and a dash of Eastern guile thrown in for good measure, Ms. Miller has hit another bullâs-eye.â
âLoveWesternRomances.com
âMy, my, there is nothing like a ruggedly handsome cowboy to make good reading. Throw in a feisty heroine, sexual tension and a tale told by bestselling author Linda Lael Miller and you have the best of the best reads. Ms. Millerâs words flow effortlessly weaving a story that captures and holds the reader spellbound. The Rustler is an awesome addition to the Stone Creek novels.â
âSingleTitles.com
âLinda Lael Miller is a good judge of horseflesh, and an astute student of human nature. Miller seems to understand her charactersâ thoughts and state of mind while fulfilling her readerâs expectations. She doesnât disappoint.â
âArmchair Interviews
Dear Reader,
Those wonderful Yarbro men are back! This time, itâs Wyatt, down on his luck after a lifetime of rustling and robbing trains, and determined to make a fresh start with Sarah Tamlin, the spirited bankerâs daughter and a woman with a past.
I invite you to stop by my website, www.lindalaelmiller.com, where youâll find my blog and information on the Linda Lael Miller Scholarships for Women, a cause near and dear to my heart. As a young, divorced mom, I experienced my share of hard times, so I have a lot of sympathy for women in tough situationsâand for their children, as well. I believe education is the best way to improve lives, and the scholarships, awarded annually, are my way of giving back.
I have been tremendously blessed. Iâm so grateful to live on a thirty-acre horse property outside of Spokane, Washington, and I really enjoy the country lifeâthough I also love to travel. I get to tell stories for a livingâdoes it get any better?âand have lots of animals around.
I adore animals, obviously, and although Iâm not formally associated with any group, I like to encourage people to support the shelters in their own communities first. Spokanimal and SCRAPS are my local favorites, and I know several of the dedicated folks who run them with wisdom and compassion.
My own menagerie currently includes five horses, two cats, and one Yorkie named Bernice. Buck, a gelding, and Sadie, a beagle, both gone now, live on in our hearts. Although I donât have much time for hobbies, I love to make artist trading cards, raise peonies and read, read, read.
I hope youâll enjoy reading this historical tale as much as I enjoyed writing it.
May you be blessed.
With love,
For Donna Hayes,
and all cowgirls everywhere.
PROLOGUE
Southern Arizona Territory
August, 1907
A RUSTLERâS MOON GLIMMERED faintly in the sky, a thin curve of light soon obscured by rain-ripe clouds. Wyatt Yarbro sat a little straighter in the saddle and raised the collar of his battered canvas coat, not so much against the threat of bad weather as the intuitive sense that things were about to head south, literally and figuratively. He tugged the brim of his hat lower over his eyes as the kid rode toward him, bearing the unlikely name of Billy Justice, along with a shotgun, bad skin and a contentious attitude.