Back In Texas

Back In Texas
Roxanne Rustand

Desperate times call for desperate measuresThat's why the dying town of Homestead, Texas, established the Home Free program, offering land grants in exchange for the much-needed professional services modern homesteaders bring with them.Kristin Cantrell had leaped at the chance to return to her childhood home, accepting subsidized land for herself and her son in exchange for the service she could offer as a physician's assistant. She didn't expect her reputation to be tarnished by a crime her deceased father had supposedly committed. She also didn't expect to see Ryan Gallagher again, even though his father, the senator, practically owned the Hill Country.Now she has to prove not only her father's innocence but also her own.

Clint climbed stiffly out of the car

The tense silence on the way to town had proved that nothing in the rocky relationship between Ryan and his father had changed over the passing years…and it never would.

“Doc Grady died five years ago, and there hasn’t been a doctor here since. What the hell does that tell you?” Clint glared at Ryan. “This guy probably couldn’t get a job in a real town—or got chased out of the one he was at. If he’s any good, why in God’s name would he come to a town like this?”

Excellent point. Ryan looked down the deserted sidewalk, taking in the boarded-up storefronts and empty parking spaces. The Homestead, Texas, city limits sign still claimed a population of 2,504, but he’d bet a thousand of those people had long since left for better jobs and a brighter future.

“You’re not having heart surgery here—just a quick checkup and some lab work.” Ryan opened the door of the clinic. “I’m sure the guy can handle that much.”

Clint brushed past Ryan as he went inside. He thrust an impatient hand toward the empty receptionist’s desk. “See? No one’s here.”

The decor was nearly the same as it had been back when Ryan was growing up. Curling brown linoleum. Faded Western prints on the walls. He eyed the same hard wooden chairs he’d sat on as a kid, knowing that after a few minutes on one of them he’d have trouble walking.

“Can I help you two?”

The woman’s quiet voice slid through him like a bayonet, and as if from miles away he heard his father swear under his breath.

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the beautiful Texas Hill Country. In Back in Texas, a wounded ex-army Ranger returns to his family’s troubled ranch. Though he’s long been estranged from his father, state senator Clint Gallagher, Ryan is determined to save his brothers’ legacy from financial ruin. He knows the job won’t be easy, but he doesn’t expect to find that someone is very concerned about him uncovering old secrets. And he certainly doesn’t expect to run into the only woman he ever loved—a woman who walked out on him years ago. I hope you’ll enjoy the story of Ryan Gallagher and Kristin Cantrell as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Back in Texas is the first book in the five-author HOME TO LOVELESS COUNTY miniseries. The stories all center on a dying town and the people who move there as part of a modern-day homesteading program. They’re each in search of new beginnings, but some of them find far more than they expected.

I love hearing from readers. There are contests, articles, photos, a free downloadable cookbook and previews of upcoming books at www.roxannerustand.com and www.booksbyrustand.com. You can write me at R.Rustand@Juno.com or P.O. Box 2550, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52406-2550. If you send a business-size SASE, I’ll send you bookmarks and other goodies!

Wishing you peace, prosperity and love,

Roxanne Rustand

Back in Texas

Roxanne Rustand

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

To K.N. Casper, Linda Warren, Roz Denny Fox and

Lynnette Kent, who are the authors of the upcoming

books in this series. Your professionalism, dedication

and warmth made this project an absolute joy.

And, as always, to my family with deepest appreciation for

your patience and support. And especially to my teenage

daughter Emily, who is a fabulous cook and makes us

wonderful dinners when I’m on deadline. I feel so blessed—

even when she makes me gain ten pounds in the process!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many thanks to the generous people who provided so

much research material for this book: Cindi Myers and

Texan James Marshall for detailed information on the Texas

Hill Country. Heartfelt thanks to author Kylie Brant for her

invaluable advice, and lawyers Mary Strand and Tom Fraser

for their assistance regarding the law and their profession.

Any mistakes are mine alone.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE