The Marshal's Promise. Rhonda Gibson

      A bride without a groom

      Mail-order bride Rebecca Ramsey arrives in the New Mexico territory full of dreams—but they’re shattered when she discovers her intended husband has been killed. If it weren’t for U.S. marshal Seth Billings’s housekeeping job offer, she’d have nowhere to go. Rebecca loves tending to Seth’s home, but the strong and silent lawman is harder to figure out. What secret is he hiding?

      Caring for Jesse Cole’s would-be bride is the least Seth can do. If it weren’t for him, the young man would still be alive. Seth had promised to look after Rebecca—and to keep her safe from Jesse’s enemies. Now if only he can keep his heart safe, as well....

      Seth felt closer to Rebecca than he’d ever felt to another woman.

      But he knew that he wouldn’t put any woman through the dangers and loss of being married to a lawman. It had cost Clare her life, and that was before they’d even wed. Looking into Rebecca’s eyes, Seth knew her love would be true and strong.

      “You are turning out to be a good friend, Seth,” Rebecca said.

      Her gentle smile created a longing in him to take back her hand and never let it go. He told himself that this was a simple reaction from learning that Rebecca had suffered losses much like him.

      He hated the thought that his actions had caused her even more loss. Jesse Cole would have been a good husband to her.

      Once Rebecca learned the truth of the circumstances of Jesse’s death, would she still want to be friends with him?

      RHONDA GIBSON

      lives in New Mexico with her husband, James. She has two children and two beautiful grandchildren. Reading is something she has enjoyed her whole life, and writing stemmed from that love. When she isn’t writing or reading, she enjoys gardening, beading and playing with her dog, Sheba. She speaks at conferences and local writing groups. You can visit her at www.rhondagibson.com, where she enjoys chatting with readers and friends online. Rhonda hopes her writing will entertain, encourage and bring others closer to God.

      The Marshal’s Promise

      Rhonda Gibson

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      Many are the plans in a person’s heart,

      but it is the Lord’s plan that prevails.

      —Proverbs 19:21

      Books are never written alone—friends and family are always supporting the author in various ways. This book is for Kathryn Velarde Baharmi and Janet Lee Barton. Thank you both

      for all that you do for me. You are true sisters—maybe not blood, but definitely sisters.

      James Gibson—

      without you my idea well would surely run dry.

      I love you more than words can express.

      And above all to my Lord and Savior.

      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 Nineteen

       Chapter Twenty

       Chapter Twenty-One

       Chapter Twenty-Two

       Chapter Twenty-Three

       Chapter Twenty-Four

       Chapter Twenty-Five

       Chapter Twenty-Six

       Chapter Twenty-Seven

       Chapter Twenty-Eight

       Chapter Twenty-Nine

       Chapter Thirty

       Epilogue

       Dear Reader

       Questions for Discussion

      Chapter One

      Cottonwood Springs, New Mexico Territory, 1885

      “Please don’t cry, Miss Rebecca.”

       “I’m not crying,” Rebecca Ramsey said, brushing at the tears that had caught her by surprise. “I— I’ve got something in my eye.”

       Grace Miller’s young eyes chided her less-than-honest answer.

       “Yes, I am crying. I shouldn’t have fibbed about it. Please forgive me?” At the child’s smile and nod, Rebecca continued, “It’s just that, I never expected Mr. Cole to be dead.” She’d never met the man she’d been engaged to marry in person, so the tears were more for her and what she’d lost than for Jesse Cole.

       Rebecca tried to ignore the presence of U.S. Marshal Seth Billings, who stood beside