Printer In Petticoats

Printer In Petticoats
Lynna Banning

This town’s not big enough for the both of us . . .Self-proclaimed spinster Jessamine Lassiter is striving to keep Smoke River’s newspaper afloat when Cole Sanders rides into town to start up a rival paper. Emotions run high as Cole’s constant, infuriating presence causes sparks to fly both in and out of the office!But does he truly desire Jess or is he just waiting to put her out of business? Whatever he wants, she is prepared to fight him all the way . . .

“Do I make you nervous, Jessamine?”

“What? Of course not. What would I have to be nervous about?”

He took a step closer and she backed up. “Me, maybe?” he said. He sent her a grin that seemed positively wicked.

“N-no,” she blurted out. “Not you.”

“My newspaper?”

“Of course not. I’m not afraid of a little competition.”

It’s you I am afraid of. She cringed inwardly at the admission. She squared her shoulders and forced her eyes to meet his.

“Yeah? Then how come you”re edging toward the door, Miss Lassiter?”

“I’m not!”

But she was. She couldn’t get away from those laughing blue eyes fast enough.

Author Note (#ulink_936ddeb5-2e67-5497-904c-a9302d72a20b)

It’s a myth that women of the Old West were solely wives and mothers. Women were as intelligent, courageous and enterprising in the eighteen-hundreds as they are now. Many of them ran ranches, owned and operated dressmaking and millinery shops, hotels, boarding houses, restaurants and saloons, and even newspapers—as this story will demonstrate. They also worked as teachers, housekeepers, nannies and cooks, and engaged in dozens of other ventures to make their livings. In addition women were engaged in the arts, as painters, writers, lecturers and photographers, and it is to these intrepid females we owe much of our knowledge and appreciation of nineteenth-century life and culture.

Printer in

Petticoats

Lynna Banning

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

LYNNA BANNING combines her lifelong love of history and literature in a satisfying career as a writer. Born in Oregon, she graduated from Scripps College and embarked on a career as an editor and technical writer, and later as a high school English teacher. She enjoys hearing from her readers. You may write to her directly at PO Box 324, Felton, CA 95018, USA, email her at carowoolston@att.net (mailto:carowoolston@att.net) or visit Lynna’s website at lynnabanning.net (http://lynnabanning.net).

For David Woolston

Contents

Cover (#u2615ce42-f14d-560a-9d50-b6019c81942e)

Introduction (#u9b1ec889-9ed4-5175-b69c-4055a98f8c4f)

Author Note (#ub926dcc9-96bc-5906-9766-f7260610c2da)

Title Page (#u87ebd1bb-e60b-5a3e-a74b-fd7df98b6052)

About the Author (#u85fbc4a8-aa99-53d8-91d9-a8b17a1f9474)

Dedication (#u5424b85f-0faa-546f-bfa8-b2d8c74da46f)

Chapter One (#ue9dac9d7-2f94-5f5f-8e53-d0eb7620e61f)

Chapter Two (#uf99545ee-798a-5f9e-8a78-a8a5ed2a8ab2)

Chapter Three (#uae879206-1ee6-52e3-856d-f7bc0fb81f43)

Chapter Four (#ub4a2c39f-a7b9-5ec2-904f-8304ec3699a1)

Chapter Five (#u8e1bcb1b-17f1-5d53-9697-fc5fa5fff0f8)

Chapter Six (#u8161de10-c711-5ba4-9da7-16afd24fda88)

Chapter Seven (#uf89a6c71-c6eb-5b2f-817f-5370728f773d)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nineteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-One (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Two (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Three (#litres_trial_promo)