Roz Fox - A Maverick's Heart

HIS NEW WESTERN HOME

Lila Jenkins’s Montana ranching town roots run deep. So why does the widowed B and B owner feel so connected to her latest boarder? Seth Maxwell might know his way around horses, but he’s a wanderer, not a rancher. Lila’s son thinks Seth’s the hero he’s been waiting for. And—heaven help her—so does Lila.

Seth loves hunting for rare gems in remote areas, but maybe it’s time to make a change. The footloose adventurer is tempted by rumors of sapphires in a nearby mine, but it’s Lila and her boy who make Snowy Owl Crossing and the idea of a ranch to share feel like home...

Rory zeroed in on the bat in Seth’s hand and the ball in a mitt lying on the porch.

“Oh, wow! Are these mine?” he asked, his eyes huge and his freckles standing out against his pale face.

“They are. And it’s still light enough for us to try them out,” Seth said, glancing at Lila, who moved at a much slower pace toward the steps.

She shifted her purse to the other shoulder and seemed to take in everything before stepping up. “Oh…oh…that rosebush is beautiful. Where did it come from?” She brushed past her son, who turned to spot what she was exclaiming over.

“I passed a nursery after I left the sporting-goods store. The rose called to me,” Seth said, deliberately making light of the agony he went through to choose it.

“It’s perfect there,” she said, her eyes shiny with tears. “I don’t know why I never thought to buy something to decorate the porch. It’s the very touch needed to greet guests. I’ve no idea what it cost, Seth, but you must let me reimburse you.”

“The rose is a gift.”

I’ve been to Montana and have set books there before, so my fictional town of Snowy Owl Crossing has characteristics of other ranching towns I’ve traveled through. As in all small communities, it’s the people who live and work there that make it a place you’d want to visit and maybe even settle down. It’s the same in A Maverick’s Heart.

Seth Maxwell came for his brother’s wedding, liked the area and was drawn to Lila Jenkins, owner of the B and B where he rents a room. Seth has never set down roots, instead traveling to exotic places finding and selling precious and semiprecious gems.

Lila, a widow with a nine-year-old son, has deep roots in Snowy Owl Crossing. She struggles to hang on to the Owl’s Nest, which she bought before her husband died in a mine collapse. A mine where Seth has heard previous gem hunters found sapphires.

Ah, can you see rocks, not gems, along the road to Seth and Lila falling in love? I hope you enjoy their story. As in His Ranch or Hers, my depiction of the snowy owls is tied to the group of friends who wants to ensure a habitat for the birds that long ago arrived and originally took up residence in abandoned eagles’ nests, some returning year after year.

As always I love hearing from readers via mail at 7739 E. Broadway Blvd #101, Tucson, AZ 85710-3941, or email at rdfox@cox.net.

Sincerely,

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ROZ DENNY FOX’S first book was published by Harlequin in 1990. She writes for several Harlequin lines and her books are published worldwide in a number of languages. Roz’s warm home-and-family-focused love stories have been nominated for various industry awards, including the Romance Writers of America’s RITA® Award, the Holt Medallion, the Golden Quill and others. Roz has been a member of the Romance Writers of America since 1987 and is currently a member of Tucson’s Saguaro Romance Writers, where she has received the Barbara Award for outstanding chapter service. In 2013 Roz received her fifty-book pin from Harlequin. Readers can email her through Facebook or at rdfox@cox.net, or visit her website at korynna.com/rozfox.

I’d like to dedicate this story to the wonderful

gem people who put on the Tucson Gem

and Mineral Show every year. The more years

I attend, the more I love seeing gems and

minerals from all over the world.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text HIS NEW WESTERN HOME Lila Jenkins’s Montana ranching town roots run deep. So why does the widowed B and B owner feel so connected to her latest boarder? Seth Maxwell might know his way around horses, but he’s a wanderer, not a rancher. Lila’s son thinks Seth’s the hero he’s been waiting for. And—heaven help her—so does Lila. Seth loves hunting for rare gems in remote areas, but maybe it’s time to make a change. The footloose adventurer is tempted by rumors of sapphires in a nearby mine, but it’s Lila and her boy who make Snowy Owl Crossing and the idea of a ranch to share feel like home...

Introduction Rory zeroed in on the bat in Seth’s hand and the ball in a mitt lying on the porch. “Oh, wow! Are these mine?” he asked, his eyes huge and his freckles standing out against his pale face. “They are. And it’s still light enough for us to try them out,” Seth said, glancing at Lila, who moved at a much slower pace toward the steps. She shifted her purse to the other shoulder and seemed to take in everything before stepping up. “Oh…oh…that rosebush is beautiful. Where did it come from?” She brushed past her son, who turned to spot what she was exclaiming over. “I passed a nursery after I left the sporting-goods store. The rose called to me,” Seth said, deliberately making light of the agony he went through to choose it. “It’s perfect there,” she said, her eyes shiny with tears. “I don’t know why I never thought to buy something to decorate the porch. It’s the very touch needed to greet guests. I’ve no idea what it cost, Seth, but you must let me reimburse you.” “The rose is a gift.”

Dear Reader Dear Reader Dear Reader Title Page About the Author Dedication Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Extract Copyright , I’ve been to Montana and have set books there before, so my fictional town of Snowy Owl Crossing has characteristics of other ranching towns I’ve traveled through. As in all small communities, it’s the people who live and work there that make it a place you’d want to visit and maybe even settle down. It’s the same in A Maverick’s Heart. Seth Maxwell came for his brother’s wedding, liked the area and was drawn to Lila Jenkins, owner of the B and B where he rents a room. Seth has never set down roots, instead traveling to exotic places finding and selling precious and semiprecious gems. Lila, a widow with a nine-year-old son, has deep roots in Snowy Owl Crossing. She struggles to hang on to the Owl’s Nest, which she bought before her husband died in a mine collapse. A mine where Seth has heard previous gem hunters found sapphires. Ah, can you see rocks, not gems, along the road to Seth and Lila falling in love? I hope you enjoy their story. As in His Ranch or Hers, my depiction of the snowy owls is tied to the group of friends who wants to ensure a habitat for the birds that long ago arrived and originally took up residence in abandoned eagles’ nests, some returning year after year. As always I love hearing from readers via mail at 7739 E. Broadway Blvd #101, Tucson, AZ 85710-3941, or email at rdfox@cox.net. Sincerely,