Texas Ranger, Runaway Heiress. Carol Finch

      Gabrielle darted into the nearest alley…

      No matter what, she wasn’t going to allow the hard-hearted Ranger to recognize her. Unfortunately, Captain Stone crossed the street, eating up the ground with his long swift strides.

      “So we meet again,” he murmured as he halted in front of her. Bri refused to speak for fear he would recognize her voice.

      Suddenly she saw her fiancé ambling down the boardwalk. If Eaton spotted her in her gray gown, he would spoil her charade. Bri latched on to Hudson, clamped her mouth over his, and pulled him deeper into the alley.

      To her dismay, the same sensations that had assailed her the previous night spilled over her again. Hudson’s tantalizing scent, his taste and the feel of his muscular body pressed against her swept Bri into a dizzying universe that defied logical explanation. Hud clamped his hands on her hips, pressing her against his thighs, making her vividly aware of his masculine response. Then his hand glided up to brush the side of her breast, and another flame of desire scorched her….

      Texas Ranger, Runaway Heiress

      Harlequin^®Historical

      Praise for Carol Finch

      “Carol Finch is known for her lightning-fast, roller-coaster-ride adventure romances that are brimming over with a large cast of characters and dozens of perilous escapades.”

      —Romantic Times BOOKreviews

      McCavett’s Bride

      “For wild adventures, humor and western atmosphere, Finch can’t be beat. She fires off her quick-paced novels with the crack of a rifle and creates the atmosphere of the Wild West through laugh-out-loud dialogue and escapades that keep you smiling.”

      —Romantic Times BOOKreviews

      The Ranger’s Woman

      “Finch delivers her signature humor, along with a big dose of colorful Texas history, in a love and laughter romp.”

      —Romantic Times BOOKreviews

      Lone Wolf’s Woman

      “As always, Finch provides frying-pan-into-the-fire action that keeps the pages flying, then spices up her story with not one, but two romances, sensuality and strong emotions.”

      —Romantic Times BOOKreviews

      CAROL FINCH

      Texas Ranger, Runaway Heiress

      Available from Harlequin^®Historical and CAROL FINCH

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      This book is dedicated to my husband, Ed, and our children Jill, Jon, Christie, Durk, Shawnna and Kurt. And to our grandchildren, Livia, Harleigh, Blake, Kennedy, Dillon and Brooklynn. With much love.

      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

      Chapter Thirteen

      Chapter Fourteen

      Chapter Fifteen

      Chapter Sixteen

      Chapter Seventeen

      Chapter One

      Middle of Nowhere, Texas

       Late 1870s

      Captain Hudson Stone waited impatiently for Texas Ranger Commander Winston Price to finish his conference with Hud’s battalion leader. Winston Price had arrived in camp two days earlier to inspect the troops and assess the situation in West Texas—which had become a breeding ground for trouble the past few months.

      When Major John Ketter exited the tent, wearing a carefully blank stare, Hud didn’t know what to expect or why the Ranger