Winning Over the Wrangler. Linda Ford

      A Cowboy without a Name

      The only thing Brand Duggan’s outlaw kin ever gave him was an undeserved reputation. Once he’s through breaking horses, he’ll leave Eden Valley. Staying means risk—and heartache. And he has no business falling for a refined English miss like Sybil Bannerman.

      The rugged cowboy who rescues her from a stampede is just the kind of man Sybil Bannerman’s editor wants her to write about. Yet she has no idea how big a secret Brand Duggan carries, until her life is threatened. Despite the evidence against him, Sybil can’t walk away—for the man who lassoed her heart is the one she’ll love forever….

      Cowboys of Eden Valley: Forging a future in Canada’s west country

      “Brand, who are you?”

      The words sprang forth unbidden but Sybil ached to know.

      He grunted, and any welcome she might have imagined in his eyes disappeared into a stone-hard look. “Exactly what you see. A cowboy with a horse and a dog.”

      “But you must have a name besides Brand. You must be more than that.”

      His eyes grew harder, colder, if that were possible, and she shivered.

      He might have well said, “Goodbye, this conversation is over.”

      She had enough for her story.

      He was known only as Cowboy. He never did give a last name before he rode into the sunset. He didn’t welcome any questions about his true identity. But he was the best bronc buster in the territory. A reputation well earned.

      It began when he was ten…

      But she wasn’t satisfied.

      She wanted to know what caused the pain she had glimpsed before he pulled his hat lower.

      LINDA FORD

      lives on a ranch in Alberta, Canada. Growing up on the prairie and learning to notice the small details it hides gave her an appreciation for watching God at work in His creation. Her upbringing also included being taught to trust God in everything and through everything—a theme that resonates in her stories. Threads of another part of her life are found in her stories—her concern for children and their future. She and her husband raised fourteen children—four homemade, ten adopted. She currently shares her home and life with her husband, a grown son, a live-in paraplegic client and a continual (and welcome) stream of kids, kids-in-law, grandkids and assorted friends and relatives.

      Winning Over the Wrangler

      Linda Ford

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      MILLS & BOON

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      The Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden.

      —Isaiah 58:11

      Prejudice comes in many forms. It can be against the color of your skin, your heritage or, as it is in this story, your family reputation. Although I will name no names, this book is dedicated to those of my children who deal with prejudice. May you find grace and strength in those kinds of situations, and may you know the assurance of both God’s love and the love of your family.

      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

       Epilogue

       Dear Reader

       Questions for Discussion

       Excerpt

      Chapter One

      Eden Valley Ranch, September 1882

      Stampede!

      Brand knew what was happening before it took place. He saw the horses press against the corral gate, frightened by something beyond his vision. It could have been anything from a stalking cougar to a tumbling tumbleweed. Wouldn’t take much to alarm a bunch of wild mustangs. Wood creaked. The gate wouldn’t hold under the pressure of frightened horses.

      Brand’s fists tightened so hard on the reins his knuckles cracked. His heart squeezed his blood out in a flash flood.

      He would shout a warning to those along the fence, tell them to stand back. But he barely had control of the horse under him, which until a few minutes ago had never been ridden.

      The gate snapped. The horses reared and screamed and pushed at each other, as frightened by the noise of the breaking fence as they had