Lady Renegade. Carol Finch

>

      Gideon noticed movement in the shifting fog.

      A shapely female in her early twenties emerged from the hazy shadows of trees and underbrush. Her long hair caught in the sparkling sunlight and danced like red-and-gold flames. She wore brown, trim fitting breeches that accentuated the shapely curve of her hips and a white shirt that molded itself provocatively to her full breasts.

      Honest to goodness, Gideon had never seen a woman so captivating and alluring in all his thirty-two years of vast and varied experience. If there were angels sent down from above, he’d like to think this was what an angel looked like. Either that or she was one of the Native American spirit guides he’d heard described by his Osage mother.

      And yet, a quiet voice inside his head whispered, Here comes trouble, and the cynic he’d become paid close attention.

      Lady Renegade

       Harlequin^® Historical #1017—November 2010

      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.”

      —RT Book Reviews

      The Kansas Lawman’s Proposal

      “Fast-paced, sensual… One of the genre’s top-notch Western writers delivers the expected in a tale that’s as classic as they come.”

      —RT Book Reviews

      Texas Ranger, Runaway Heiress

      “Finch offers another heartwarming Western romance full of suspense, humor and strong characters…It’s hard to put this one down.”

      —RT Book Reviews

      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.”

      —RT Book Reviews

      The Ranger’s Woman

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

      —RT Book Reviews

      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.”

      —RT Book Reviews

      Carol Finch

      Lady Renegade

      

www.millsandboon.co.uk

      Available from Harlequin^® Historical and CAROL FINCH

      Call of the White Wolf #592

      Bounty Hunter’s Bride #635

      Oklahoma Bride #686

      Texas Bride #711

      One Starry Christmas #723

      “Home for Christmas”

      The Last Honest Outlaw #732

      The Ranger’s Woman #748

      Lone Wolf’s Woman #778

      ^*The Ranger #805

      ^*Fletcher’s Woman #832

      McCavett’s Bride #852

      Cooper’s Woman #897

      The Bounty Hunter and the Heiress #909

      Texas Ranger, Runaway Heiress #927

      Cowboy Christmas #963

      “A Husband for Christmas”

      The Kansas Lawman’s Proposal #976

      Bandit Lawman, Texas Bride #995

      Lady Renegade #1017

      Other works include:

      Silhouette Special Edition

      Not Just Another Cowboy #1242

      Soul Mates #1320

      Harlequin American Romance

      Cupid and the Cowboy #1055

      Harlequin Duets

      Fit To Be Tied #36

      A Regular Joe #45

      Mr. Predictable #62

      The Family Feud #72

      ^*Lonesome Ryder? #81

      ^*Restaurant Romeo #81

      ^*Fit To Be Frisked #105

      ^*Mr. Cool Under Fire #105

      This book is dedicated to my husband, Ed, and our children, Kurt, Shawnna, Jill, Jon, Christie and Durk. And to our grandchildren, Livia, Harleigh, Blake, Kennedy, Dillon and Brooklynn. And to Kurt and Shawnna’s children, whenever they may be. Hugs and kisses!

      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 Eighteen

      Chapter One

      Osage Nation, Indian Territory

       Early 1880s

      Lorelei Russell halted her strawberry roan gelding in the copse of trees overlooking Burgess Ranch and Stage Station. A well-manicured two-story clapboard house, a stage station, three wooden sheds and an oversize barn sat in the lush valley. The spring sunset cast filtered light and shadows in the trees, giving the Osage Hills a fanciful quality.

      Dismounting, Lorelei patted her horse, Drifter, affectionately then received a nudge from him on her elbow in response. Hiking off, she reread the note she’d received from Anthony Rogers, foreman at Burgess Ranch.

      She had meant to stop by earlier in the day, but she and her father had been busy unloading the delivery wagon that had arrived at their trading post and ferry on Winding River. Then she had made a delivery to a homebound customer before stopping by to see Anthony.

      Lorelei had hoped to return home by dark, but Russell’s Trading Post was ten miles south of the station