Josh Page 29
She took in a breath. “You can saddle up the mare over there.”
Without another word she turned away and began saddling the big roan stallion she’d been tending.
Quinn crossed to the other stall and began saddling the spotted mare.
When both horses were saddled and ready, Quinn and the woman moved out single file, into the stinging snow and darkness of night.
Each of them was carrying a rifle.
Neither of them was willing to give an inch until this trek was over.
In Quinn’s mind, it would end with this crazy woman admitting her mistake and apologizing for the wrong she’d done. Not that it would make anything right. The wolf would still be dead and his pack left without a leader. But for Quinn this was all about justice.
Once again he flashed back to that incident in his boyhood. He hadn’t been able to do anything about that female wolf and her pups. But things were different now. This time, he would have the satisfaction of knowing he’d done all he could to persuade at least one angry rancher to give the wolves of this world a fighting chance to survive.
THE DISH
Where authors give you the inside scoop!
From the desk of R.C. Ryan
Dear Reader,
When my daughter-in-law Patty came home from her first hike of the Grand Canyon, she was high on the beauty and majesty of the mountains for months. Since then, it has become her annual pilgrimage—one that fuels her dreams, and feeds my writer’s imagination. I’ve wanted to create a character with the same passion for the mountains that Patty has for a long time, someone who experiences the same awe, freedom, and peace that she does just by being in eyesight of them. And with JOSH, I think I finally have.
Josh Conway, the hero of the second book in my Wyoming Sky series, is truly a hero in every sense of the word. He’s a man who rescues people who’ve lost their way on the mountain he loves in all kinds of weather. There’s just something about a guy who would risk his own safety, his very life, to help others, that is so appealing to me. To add to Josh’s appeal, he’s a hard-working rancher and a sexy cowboy—an irresistible combination. Not to mention that he loves a challenge.
Enter Sierra Moore. Sierra is a photographer who comes to the Grand Tetons in Wyoming to shoot photographs of a storm. At least that’s what she’ll admit to. But there’s a mystery behind that beautiful smile. She’s come to the mountains to disappear for a while, and being rescued—even if it is by a ruggedly handsome cowboy—is the last thing she needs or wants.
But when danger rears its ugly head, and Sierra’s life is threatened, she and Josh must call on every bit of strength and courage they possess in order to survive. Yet an even greater test of their strength will be the courage to commit to a lifetime together.
I hope you enjoy JOSH!
RyanLangan.com
From the desk of Anna Campbell
Dear Reader,
Wow! I’m so excited that my first historical romance with Grand Central Publishing has hit the shelves (and the e-waves!). I hope you enjoy reading SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED as much as I enjoyed writing it. Not only is this my first book for GCP, it’s also the first book in my very first series, the Sons of Sin. Perhaps I should smash a bottle of champagne over my copy of SEVEN NIGHTS to launch it in appropriate style.
Hmm, having second thoughts here. Much better, I’ve decided, to read the book and drink the champagne!
Do you like fairytale romance? I love stories based on Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty or some other mythical hero or heroine. SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED is a dyed-in-the-wool Beauty and the Beast re-telling. To me, this is the ultimate romantic fairytale. The hero starts out as a monster, but when he falls in love, the fragments of goodness in his tortured soul multiply until he becomes a gallant prince (or, in this case, a viscount, but who’s counting?). Beauty and the Beast is at heart about the transformative power of true love—what more powerful theme for a romance writer to explore?
Jonas Merrick, the Beast in SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED, is a scarred recluse who has learned through hard and painful experience to mistrust a hostile world. When the book opens, he’s a rogue indeed. But meeting our heroine conspires to turn him into a genuine, if at first reluctant, hero worthy of his blissfully happy ending.
Another thing I love about Beauty and the Beast is that the heroine is more proactive than some other mythological girls. For a start, she stays awake throughout! Like Beauty, Sidonie Forsythe places herself in the Beast’s power to save someone she loves, her reckless older sister, Roberta. Sidonie’s dread when she meets brooding, enigmatic Jonas Merrick swiftly turns to fascination—but even as they fall in love, Sidonie’s secret threatens to destroy Jonas and any chance of happiness for this Regency Beauty and the Beast.
I adore high-stakes stories where I wonder if the lovers can ever overcome what seem to be insurmountable barriers between them. In SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED, Jonas and Sidonie have to triumph over the bitter legacy of the past and conquer present dangers to achieve their happily-ever-after. Definitely major learning curves for our hero and heroine!
This story is a journey from darkness to light, and it allowed me to play with so many classic romance themes. Redemption. A touch of the gothic. The steadfast, courageous heroine. The dark, tormented hero. The clash of two powerful personalities as they resist overwhelming passion. Secrets and revelations. Self-sacrifice and risk. Revenge and justice. You know, all the big stuff!
If you’d like to find out more about SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED and the Sons of Sin series, please visit my website: www.annacampbell.info. And in the meantime, happy reading!
Best wishes,
From the desk of Katie Lane
Dear Reader,
One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is to read The Night Before Christmas. So I thought it would be fun to tell you about my new romance, HUNK FOR THE HOLIDAYS, by making up my own version of the classic.
’Twas four days before Christmas, and our heroine, Cassie,
Is ready for her office party, looking red hot and sassy.
When what to her wondering eyes should she see
But the escort she hired standing next to her tree?
His eyes how they twinkle, his dimples so cute,
He has a smile that melts, a great body to boot.
There’s only one problem: James is as controlling as Cass,
But she forgives him this flaw, when she gets a good look at his ass.
He goes straight to work at seducing his date,
And by the end of the evening, Cass is ready to mate.
Not to ruin the story, all I will say,
Is that James will be smiling when Cass gets her way.
Mixed in with their romance will be plenty of reason
For you to enjoy the fun of the season.
Caroling, shopping, and holiday baking,
A humorous great-aunt and her attempts at match-making.
A perfect book to cozy up with all the way through December,
HUNK FOR THE HOLIDAYS will be out in September.
For now I will end by wishing you peace, love, and laughter.
And, of course, the best gift of all… a happily-ever-after!
From the desk of Hope Ramsay
Dear Reader,
I love Christmas, but I have to say that trying to write a holiday-themed book in the middle of a long, hot summer is not exactly easy. It was hard to stay in the holiday mood when my nonwriting time was spent weeding my perennials border, watching baseball, and working on my short golf game.
So how does an author get herself into the holiday mood in the middle of July?
She hauls out her iPod and plays Christmas music from sun up to sun down.
My husband was ready to strangle me, but all that Christmas music did the trick. And in the end, it was just one song that helped me find my holiday spirit.
The song is “The Longest Night,” written by singer-son
gwriter Peter Mayer, a song that isn’t quite a Christmas song. It’s about the winter solstice. The lyrics are all about hope, even in the darkest hour. In the punchline, the songwriter gives a tiny nod to the meaning of Christmas when he says, “Maybe light itself is born in the longest night.”
When I finished LAST CHANCE CHRISTMAS, I realized that this theme of light and dark runs through it like a river. My heroine is a war photographer, who literally sees the world as a battle between light and dark. When she arrives in Last Chance, she’s troubled and alone, and the darkness is about to overwhelm her.
But of course, that doesn’t last long after she meets Stone Rhodes, the chief of police and a man who is about as Grinch-like as they come. But as the saying goes, sometimes the only way to get yourself out of a funk is to help someone else. And when Stone does that, he manages to spark a very hot and bright light in the dead of winter.
I hope you love reading Stone and Lark’s story as much as I did writing it.
Ya’ll have a blessed holiday, now, you hear?
ALSO BY R. C. RYAN
Montana Legacy
Montana Destiny
Montana Glory
Quinn
Raves for R. C. Ryan’s Novels
Quinn
“Ryan takes readers to Big Sky country in a big way with her vivid visual dialogue as she gives us a touching love story with a mystery subplot. The characters, some good and one evil, will stay with you long after the book is closed.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Quinn is a satisfying read. R. C. Ryan is an accomplished and experienced storyteller. And if you enjoy contemporary cowboys in a similar vein to Linda Lael Miller, you’ll enjoy this.”
—GoodReads.com
“Engaging… Ryan paints a picturesque image of the rugged landscape and the boisterous, loving, close-knit Conway family.”
—Publishers Weekly
“I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the Conway family and their ranch. Each of the brothers was interesting in different ways and it will be fun to read their stories… a wonderful introduction to a new trilogy that looks to be unique and full of surprises.”
—NightOwlReviews.com
Montana Glory
“The child adds a lovely emotional element to the story, the secondary romance is enjoyable, and all loose ends are nicely tied up.”
—RT Book Reviews
“[The Montana Trilogy] is a good series of hunky cowboys and nail-biting mystery. Zane and Riley have great chemistry and are a read that you can’t put down.”
—Parkersburg News and Sentinel (WV)
“These not-to-be-missed books are guaranteed to warm your heart!”
—FreshFiction.com
“Ms. Ryan did an amazing job keeping the story line at a perfect pace… A standalone novel, but I would definitely recommend you grab the other two… because I promise you will love them, too!”
—TheRomanceReadersConnection.com
“Wonderful romantic suspense tale starring a courageous heroine who is a lioness protecting her cub and a reluctant knight in shining armor… a terrific taut thriller.”
—GenreGoRoundReviews.blogspot.com
Montana Destiny
“5 Stars! Watching this wild rebel and independent woman attempt to coexist was so much fun… The author, R. C. Ryan, delivers an ongoing, tantalizing mystery suspense with heartwarming romance. Sinfully yummy!”
—HuntressReviews.com
“Ryan’s amazing genius at creating characters with heartfelt emotions, wit, and passion is awe-inspiring. I can’t wait until Montana Glory comes out… so that I can revisit the McCord family!”
—TheRomanceReadersConnection.com
“The series continues to intrigue, and each page brings you closer to finding the treasure. Another terrific story from R. C. Ryan.”
—SingleTitles.com
“[A] wonderful series… I couldn’t put this book down. I can’t wait until Zane’s story comes out.”
—NightOwlReviews.com
Montana Legacy
A Cosmopolitan “Red Hot Read”
“A captivating start to a new series.”
—BookPage
“Heart-melting sensuality… this engaging story skillfully refreshes a classic trilogy pattern and sets the stage for the stories to come.”
—Library Journal
“Fabulous… a well-written story with fully developed characters that I easily came to care for.”
—HuntressReviews.com
“Delightful… Jesse and Amy are a breath of fresh air, and R. C. Ryan beautifully translates the intense feelings they stir in one another.”
—SingleTitles.com
“A fresh, entertaining tale that will keep you wanting to read more… We only get tantalizing hints of Wyatt and Zane, but I can’t wait to read their stories.”
—RomRevToday.com
Contents
Welcome
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Epilogue
A Preview of Jake
A Preview of Quinn
The Dish
Also By R. C. Ryan
Raves for R. C. Ryan’s Novels
Copyright
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2012 by Ruth Ryan Langan
Excerpt from Quinn Copyright © 2011 by Ruth Ryan Langan
Excerpt from Jake Copyright © 2012 by Ruth Ryan Langan
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
Forever
Hachette Book Group
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First e-book edition: September 2012
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ISBN 978-1-4555-0243-1
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