Mail Order Cowboy
Laurie Kingery
Indulge your fantasies of delicious Regency Rakes, fierce Viking warriors and rugged Highlanders. Be swept away into a world of intense passion, lavish settings and romance that burns brightly through the centuriesLaurie Kingery makes her home in central Ohio where she is a "Texan-in-exile. "Formerly writing as Laurie Grant for Harlequin Historical books and other publishers, she is the author of sixteen previous books and the 1994 winner of the Readers' Choice Award in the short historical category. She has also been nominated for Best First Medieval and Career Achievement in Western Historical Romance by Romantic Times magazine.When not writing her historical books, she loves to travel, read, e-mail and write her blog.
“Mr. Brookfield, there are several other ladies to choose from…”
Millicent turned to face Nicholas. “Before we say anything more, I feel compelled to point out that I’m merely the one who composed the advertisement. I assure you, it’s quite all right if you find you prefer another of them.”
So Miss Matthews had a sense of fair play and generosity. Nick liked that about her. But somehow he knew her suggestion was something he didn’t even want to consider. It was incomprehensible how he could sense that already, but there it was.
“I know you will find this difficult to believe, since we’ve only just met, and we really don’t know each other at all,” he said. “I can well understand that it appears I’m making a snap judgment, and perhaps I am, but I would like the opportunity to get to know you better. I—I find you very attractive indeed, Miss Matthews, and that’s the simple truth….”
LAURIE KINGERY
makes her home in central Ohio, where she is a “Texan-in-exile.” Formerly writing as Laurie Grant for Harlequin Historical and other publishers, she is the author of eighteen previous books and the 1994 winner of a Readers’ Choice Award in the short historical category. She has also been nominated for Best First Medieval and Career Achievement in Western Historical Romance by RT Book Reviews. When not writing her historicals, she loves to travel, read, participate on Facebook and Shoutlife and write her blog on www.lauriekingery.com.
Laurie Kingery
Mail Order Cowboy
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
—Micah 6:8
To my wonderful editor, Melissa Endlich,
who always makes me strive to be the best writer I can be, and always, to my husband, Tom
Contents
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
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Letter to Reader
Questions for Discussion
Prologue
Simpson Creek, Texas, July 1865