Hawk's Way: Carter & Falcon: The Cowboy Takes A Wife

Hawk's Way: Carter & Falcon: The Cowboy Takes A Wife
Joan Johnston

The Cowboy Takes a WifeDesiree Parrish had two weeks to find a man strong enough to protect her from her abusive ex-husband. She'd never forgotten Carter Prescott's kindness to her, many years ago, but could she trust him to keep her and her daughter safe now? Though she was offering him a marriage in name only, Carter had one nonnegotiable condition–Desiree would have to share his name and his bed!The Unforgiving BrideFrom the moment rancher Falcon Whitelaw first saw Mara Ainsworth, she was the woman of his dreams–but she belonged to someone else. Then a tragic accident left her widowed–and she blamed Falcon. Now Mara has come to him for help. It seems marrying him is the only way to save her daughter's life. Now that he's got her just where he wants her, can Falcon convince Mara to forgive him and make this a marriage for real?

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“Absolutely captivating…a delightful storyteller…Joan Johnston [creates] unforgettable subplots and characters who make every fine thread weave into a touching tapestry.”

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

Joan Johnston

Hawk’s Way

Carter & Falcon

CONTENTS

THE COWBOY TAKES A WIFE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

THE UNFORGIVING BRIDE

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

THE COWBOY TAKES A WIFE

CHAPTER ONE

DESIREE PARRISH HAD BEEN secretly observing Carter Prescott throughout the Christmas pageant. So she saw the moment when his jaw tightened, when he closed his eyes and clenched his fists as though he were in pain. A bright sheen of tears glistened along his dark lashes. Moments later he rose from the back pew in which he sat and quietly, almost surreptitiously, left the church.

For a moment Desiree wasn’t sure what to do. She didn’t want to leave because her daughter, Nicole, hadn’t yet performed her part as an angel in the pageant. Nicole was an angel, Desiree thought with a swell of maternal pride. But it was because of her five-year-old daughter that she needed Carter Prescott’s help. Desiree had to speak privately with the cowboy, and she wasn’t sure if she would get another opportunity like this one.

According to his grandmother, Madelyn Prescott, Carter had come to Wyoming from Texas looking for someplace to settle down. What if Carter moved on before she got a chance to make her offer to him? What if he decided to leave town tonight? Without giving herself more chance for thought, Desiree rose and headed for the nearest exit. She made a detour to grab her coat and wrap a scarf around her face to protect her from the frigid Wyoming weather.

Desiree was alarmed when she stepped outside to discover her quarry had disappeared into the night, hidden by the steady, gentle snowfall. She frantically searched the church parking lot, running through the fluffy snow in the direction his footprints led, afraid he would get away before she could make her proposition known to him.

She cried out in alarm when a tall, intimidating figure suddenly stepped from behind a pickup. She automatically put up a hand as though to ward off a blow. There was a moment of awful tension while she waited for the first lash of pain. In another instant she realized how foolish she had been.

She had found Carter Prescott. Or rather, he had found her.

“Are you all right?”