Lois Dyer: Luke's Proposal

“Excellent.” Rachel’s mouth curved in a spontaneous smile of relief and she leaned forward to hold out her hand.

Luke took her hand in his. The combined impact of her smile and the feel of her slim fingers engulfed in his sent a jolt of lust to his groin and a strange longing coursing through his veins. She waited a moment, as if expecting him to say more. When he didn’t, she nodded before she turned and walked away.

Luke’s gaze followed her, the slight sway of her hips, the faint swing of her dark hair against her shoulders as she crossed the room.

She’s going to be trouble.

Dear Reader,

No matter what the weather is like, I always feel like March 1st is the beginning of spring. So let’s celebrate that just-around-the-corner thaw with, for starters, another of Christine Rimmer’s beloved BRAVO FAMILY TIES books. In The Bravo Family Way, a secretive Las Vegas mogul decides he “wants” a beautiful preschool owner who’s long left the glittering lights and late nights of Vegas behind. But she hadn’t counted on the charms of Fletcher Bravo. No woman could resist him for long….

Victoria Pade’s The Baby Deal, next up in our FAMILY BUSINESS continuity, features wayward son Jack Hanson finally agreeing to take a meeting with a client—only perhaps he got a little too friendly too fast? She’s pregnant, and he’s…well, he’s not sure what he is, quite frankly. In Judy Duarte’s Call Me Cowboy, a New York City girl is in desperate need of a detective with a working knowledge of Texas to locate the mother she’s never known. Will she find everything she’s looking for, courtesy of T. J. “Cowboy” Whittaker? In She’s the One, Patricia Kay’s conclusion to her CALLIE’S CORNER CAFÉ series, a woman who’s always put her troublesome younger sister’s needs before her own finds herself torn by her attraction to the handsome cop who’s about to place said sister under arrest. Lois Faye Dyer’s new miniseries, THE MCCLOUDS OF MONTANA, which features two feuding families, opens with Luke’s Proposal. In it, the daughter of one family is forced to work together with the son of the other—with very unexpected results! And in A Bachelor at the Wedding by Kate Little, a sophisticated Manhattan tycoon finds himself relying more and more on his Brooklyn-bred assistant (yeah, Brooklyn)—and not just for business.

So enjoy, and come back next month—the undisputed start of spring….

Gail

www.millsandboon.co.uk

With much love and thanks to The FairyDusters:

Lisette Belisle, Laurie Campbell, Chris Flynn, Pat Kay,

Allison Leigh, Cheryl Reavis and Myrna Temte.

You guys are the best.

lives on Washington State’s beautiful Puget Sound with her yellow Lab, Maggie Mae, and two eccentric cats. She loves to hear from readers and you can write to her c/o Paperbacks Plus, 1618 Bay Street, Port Orchard, WA 98366.

Dear Reader,

With deep blue sky arching overhead and buttes rising in sagebrush-dotted pastures, eastern Montana is the perfect setting for the McCloud and Kerrigan family feud to play itself out. The McClouds and the Kerrigans have been at odds for over eighty years. Any hope of resolving the family feud was destroyed when teenagers Chase McCloud and Lonnie Kerrigan were involved in an accident that resulted in the death of Chase’s good friend Mike Harper. After his father fabricated an alibi for Lonnie, an innocent Chase was sentenced to a juvenile institution for manslaughter and the feud raged anew.

Luke McCloud has always been attracted to Rachel Kerrigan but never allowed himself to pursue the daughter of his family’s enemy. When Rachel makes him an offer he can’t refuse, in return for his expertise in training her quarter horse, the two are thrown together in a partnership that soon destroys any pretense of indifference. Rachel is equally drawn to Luke and the heat between them quickly blazes out of control. But what will happen when their families learn they’ve been betrayed?

I’ve had such marvelous fun exploring the twists and turns of family intrigue, betrayal and pride in this new four-book series. I hope you enjoy Luke and Rachel’s story, and that you’ll return with me to Wolf Creek, Montana, for the next installment in the McCloud–Kerrigan feud when Zach Kerrigan returns home from a war zone to learn Jessie McCloud has a secret to tell him.

Warmest regards,

Lois Faye Dyer

c/o Paperbacks Plus

1618 Bay Street

Port Orchard, WA 98366

http://www.specialauthors.com

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Wolf Creek, Montana

Early Spring, Fifteen Years Earlier

Nothing in Luke McCloud’s short fifteen years on earth had prepared him for the shock of abruptly losing his beloved grandfather.

Pain lodged in his chest, right over his heart. His head ached from the gathering pressure of tears behind his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. Instead he stared without blinking at the flower-covered casket. The glossy mahogany box with its gleaming brass handles was suspended over the open grave, waiting to be lowered into the Montana prairie. Beside him, ten-year-old Jessie sobbed, hic-cupping as she tried to swallow the sound.

Several feet behind them, a uniformed Montana Department of Corrections officer, hands clasped behind his back, feet spread as he discreetly distanced himself from the proceedings, cleared his throat and coughed.

The wind picked up, sweeping down from the buttes behind the cemetery to ruffle the short spikes of green grass pushing their way up between winter’s dried yellow stalks. Lead-gray clouds stretched across the sky from horizon to horizon. Nudged by the wind, they released the rain that had threatened for the past half hour. The shower spattered the small crowd and dampened the black tarp spread over the mound of dirt at one end of the open grave. Moisture pearled on the velvety petals of red roses and lush green leaves resting on top of the casket.

Luke drew in a deep breath, trying to ease the pain in his chest and shift the lump in his throat. The cool air was heavy with the familiar tang of prairie sage blending with the scent of sweet roses and damp earth.

On the far side of the grave, a crowd of black-clad mourners huddled together, their umbrellas bumping. At the head of the casket, the minister’s wife quickly opened a large gray umbrella above her husband’s head, stepping close to escape the rain. The somber dome sheltered the gilt-edged pages as the minister read from his leather-bound Bible.

On Luke’s left, his little sister Jessie clutched the hand of their older brother, Chase.

Their mother, Margaret, stood on the far side of Chase, her auburn hair a bright flame of color against the deep black of her dress and hat. One hand gripped the arm of Luke’s father, John, the other held the handle of a bright red umbrella. The uniformed officer stood several feet behind Chase, a set of handcuffs dangling from the left side of his black gun belt.

Luke ignored the deputy, glancing instead at his mother. Margaret was a strong woman, but losing her father-in-law was devastating, especially coming on the heels of Chase’s jail sentence.

The cause of Angus’s death was officially listed as pneumonia, but Luke knew his grandfather had died of a broken heart. And for that, he blamed Lonnie and Harlan Kerrigan. Their lies had sent Chase to jail, and Angus had visibly grieved, spending more and more time alone. His death was yet one more reason for Luke to hate the Kerrigans.