Paden Callahan lifted his gaze skyward. High above
him, the pale blue arc didn’t even come close to rivaling the eyes of the woman
standing beside him. How on earth had she made that shot? He knew only a handful
of men capable of the feat she’d accomplished. Most of them were seasoned
Rangers. Men from a life he’d left far behind.

He shook his head. A woman couldn’t be a scout. The
job was chockfull of hazards. But the competition had been dangerous as well.
Why had he allowed her to stand off against a brute like Dawson? Why had he
behaved so impulsively?

Dawson looked none too pleased either. He clutched
his rifle against his chest in a white-knuckled grip. “If you hire her instead
of me, you’ll be sorry.” The scout’s voice was as close to a hiss as any Paden
had heard. The man wasn’t going to leave quietly.

Paden suppressed a growl of impatience. He hadn’t
shot anyone in years and meant to keep it that way. He strove for an even tone.
“I’ve got a whole saddle bag full of sorrys. Adding another won’t make much
difference.”

Dawson lowered his spent rifle until it hung by his
side. His free hand twitched, inching toward the loaded pistol strapped to his
hip.

Paden drew his revolver, cocking it on the upswing
and leveling it at Dawson. The feminine gasp close beside him made him freeze.
He suppressed the urge to tell her he wasn’t a killer. Why lie? He’d pulled the
trigger in the past, and Dawson needed to believe he’d do it again. “Keep the
supplies we advanced you. That’s more generous than I have to be. But this is
the last time I’ll tell you—leave.”

Dawson slunk off with his two cronies dogging his
heels. Paden released the hammer and shoved his revolver back into its holster.
Then he spun to face the woman.

This time she didn’t retreat, but
every bone in her slender body leaned away from him. He shouldn’t have reached
for her earlier when she swayed on her feet. Being almost grabbed by a lout
like himself had only added to the storm of emotions he sensed in her: caution
warred with curiosity…and something more.

Cover
Blurb

Hannah knows one thing the moment
she enters Fort Leavenworth—she’s arrived in Hell. But inside is the means to a
new life, a position as a scout on a wagon train bound for the Western
Territories. All she has to do is convince the wagon master, Paden Callahan,
she’s the right person for the job.

After his wife was murdered by
the Comanche, Paden let his work as a Texas Ranger consume him. Now he wants
nothing more than to disappear into the West. Unfortunately, the one man he
can’t refuse has asked him to guide a wagon train full of tenderfoots across
thousands of miles of Indian land. But Paden’s greatest challenge turns out to
be Hannah, a woman his heart won’t allow him to ignore even though she was
raised by an enemy he hates.

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