Comanche Vow

Comanche Vow
Sheri WhiteFeather

Comanche Born…Comanche Bound Nick Bluestone had made a solemn vow to wed his twin brother's widow, raising their child the Comanche way. The desirable Elaina would be his wife, but Nick could never forget the decision had been his brother's, not hers. Elaina had convinced herself marrying Nick had nothing to do with their mutual attraction.What she felt for Nick was more intense…and much more dangerous. She'd lost her heart to a Bluestone once–did she dare allow her new Comanche husband entrance to her soul?

Nick knew he had to ask Elaina tonight. Two years had passed, more than enough time for him to fulfill his vow.

Moonlight shone in her eyes, tiny flecks of gold in all that impossible blue. He imagined touching her cheek, her hair, the delicate column of her neck.

Nick frowned. If he lost himself in lust, in the heat she made him feel, this proposal would be even more difficult.

“Elaina, you know that my brother asked me to take care of Lexie, to teach her about being Comanche. But before he died, he talked to me about you, too. He wanted me to protect you.” Pausing to breathe, he let the words settle. “The way a Comanche brother would have done in another century.”

Her voice quavered. “I don't understand.”

Yes, you do, he thought. Deep down you do. You know what a Comanche marriage exchange means.

“I'm proposing, Elaina. In the name of my brother, I'm asking you to marry me.”

Comanche Vow

Sheri Whitefeather

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

SHERI WHITEFEATHER

Sheri WhiteFeather lives in a cowboy community in Central Valley, California. She loves being a writer and credits her husband, Dru, a tribally enrolled member of the Muscogee Creek Nation, for inspiring many of her stories.

Sheri and Dru have two beautiful grown children, a trio of cats and a border collie/queensland heeler that will jump straight into your arms.

Sheri's hobbies include decorating with antiques and shopping in thrift stores for jackets from the sixties and seventies, items that mark her interest in vintage Western wear and hippie fringe.

To contact Sheri, learn more about her books and see pictures of her family, visit her Web site at www.sheriwhitefeather.com.

To my sister, Elaine McCullogh.

I wished we lived closer. We're not twins,

but we could be. To my agent, Irene Goodman,

because you loved the premise of this story.

To my editor, Melissa Jeglinski, because every author

should be so lucky. And to the community members on

eHarlequin.com—thanks for the message board chats.

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

One

Nick Bluestone waited at the airport, trying not to pace. He had four weeks to enforce his plan, the mission he’d agreed to carry out.

The mission? Nick frowned. This wasn’t a covert military operation. This was a heart-wrenching promise he’d made to his brother. A Comanche vow.

He took a rough breath and thought about Elaina, the woman he’d pledged to marry. He hadn’t seen her since the summer they’d buried Grant, the summer they’d stood side by side and mourned Nick’s twin. And now, two years later, she had finally agreed to visit him in Oklahoma, to bring his niece for Christmas.

Nick released the air in his lungs. A holiday visit. That wasn’t the half of it. Elaina had no idea that he intended to propose. But then, how could she? He’d been keeping the vow a secret, preparing himself for the right moment to tell her.

Scanning the passengers entering the terminal, he spotted her. Instantly his pulse quickened. He barely knew Elaina. Sure, he liked her, but he hadn’t allowed himself to look too closely, to admire her for anything other than being his brother’s devoted wife.

But damn it, there she was, tall and shapely, with a shoulder-length sweep of chestnut hair—a woman much too striking not to notice.

Even dressed in blue jeans, she reminded him of a lady, a true lady, the sort a noble knight would lose his heart to. Was that what had first attracted Grant to her? The graceful beauty? The whisper of sensuality?

I’m supposed to protect my brother’s ladylove, he thought nervously. Pledge my life, my tarnished honor to her. And seeing Elaina, watching her enter his rough-hewn world, made that vow seem more real.

More intense.

Shifting his focus, Nick schooled his anxiety and studied his twelve-year-old niece instead. Lexie was taller than the last time he’d seen her, but still small for her age. A baseball cap rode low on her forehead, shading big, dark eyes. With her baggy jeans and oversize T-shirt, she looked more like a brooding little boy than a troubled young girl.

She glanced up, and he smiled. Her face was lean and angular, her skin smooth and soft. Oh, yeah, he thought She was female, all right. Sweet, stubborn and confusing as hell.

He moved forward to greet her, keeping Elaina in his peripheral vision. “Hey, Lexie.”