The Widowed Bride. Elizabeth Lane

ection>

      

      “You were made to be loved, Ruby,” he murmured against her hair. “Let me show you how loving’s meant to be. Let me give you the pleasure you deserve.”

      Ruby’s throat tightened. She struggled to reply, but no words would come.

      “What is it? Are you afraid of me?”

      She shook her head, finding her voice. “It’s not you I’m afraid of. It’s me. All those years of steeling myself against the things he did, the nights of lying there, wondering how he was going to use me next…”

      She exhaled raggedly. “What if I’m broken, Ethan? What if I can’t—?”

      His kiss lasted just long enough to block her words. “Hush,” he breathed.

      The Widowed Bride

      Harlequin^® Historical #1031—March 2011

      Praise for Elizabeth Lane

      The Horseman’s Bride

      “The Gustavson family has won the hearts of Americana fans seeking a realistic love story. Lane wisely continues in this vein with the latest in her series, in which a fiery young woman meets her match in a mysterious drifter.”

      —RT Book Reviews

      The Borrowed Bride

      “Lane’s pleasing love story brims over with tender touches.”

      —RT Book Reviews

      His Substitute Bride

      “This tender and loving story, spinning off from Lane’s previous Western, showcases her talent for drawing three-dimensional characters and placing them in an exciting time and place.”

      —RT Book Reviews

      Wyoming Woman

      “This credible, now-or-never romance moves with reckless speed through a highly engrossing and compact plot to the kind of happy ending we read romances to enjoy.”

      —RT Book Reviews

      The Widowed Bride

      Elizabeth Lane

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      MILLS & BOON

       Before you start reading, why not sign up?

      Thank you for downloading this Mills & Boon book. If you want to hear about exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions, sign up to our email newsletter today!

       SIGN ME UP!

      Or simply visit

      signup.millsandboon.co.uk

      Mills & Boon emails are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.

      Available from Harlequin^® Historical and ELIZABETH LANE

      Wind River #28

      Birds of Passage #92

      Moonfire #150

      MacKenna’s Promise #216

      Lydia #302

      Apache Fire #436

      Shawnee Bride #492

      Bride on the Run #546

      My Lord Savage #569

      Navajo Sunrise #608

      Christmas Gold #627

      “Jubal’s Gift”

      Wyoming Widow #657

      Wyoming Wildcat #676

      Wyoming Woman #728

      Her Dearest Enemy #754

      Wyoming Wildfire #792

      Stay for Christmas #819

      “Angels in the Snow”

      The Stranger #856

      On the Wings of Love #881

      The Borrowed Bride #920

      His Substitute Bride #939

      Cowboy Christmas #963

      “The Homecoming”

      The Horseman’s Bride #983

      The Widowed Bride #1031

      For my girls

       Tanya, Teresa, Tiffany and Olivia

      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

      Epilogue

      Chapter One

      Dutchman’s Creek, Colorado

       May 1920

      The sooty cobweb stretched from the chandelier to the high ceiling, a good four feet out of reach. Lurking near its center was a spider—a monster with long, prickly legs and a body as big as a copper penny.

      Ruby Denby Rumford glared up at her adversary. She’d always had a mortal dread of spiders, but she couldn’t let this one get the best of her. If she wanted to attract good tenants for her boardinghouse, the place would have to be spotless from floor to ceiling. The spider had to go.

      Circling warily, she plotted her attack. She might be able to reach the web with the broom. But if she knocked the spider loose, it could end up anywhere—in her hair, in her face, down her blouse… Ruby shuddered as she weighed her options. The only way to make sure the creature didn’t land on her would be to capture it first.

      A dusty Mason jar with a lid sat on the kitchen counter. That would do for a trap. But she’d need something to climb on. Ruby sighed as she surveyed the rickety cane chairs that had come with the old boardinghouse. Maybe she should have paid four-fifty for that stepladder at the hardware store. But buying the property had taken almost all her money. Until the rents started coming in, she would need to hoard every cent she had left.

      Moving a chair to the center of the room, she tried standing on the seat; but the spider was still out of reach. She needed something more—that wooden crate in the corner might do. Placed on the chair, it would raise her a good eighteen inches.

      With the crate in place, Ruby retrieved the jar and prepared for battle. She could do this, she lectured herself. A woman who’d fired three bullets into her raging, two-hundred-pound husband at point-blank range should have no trouble facing down a creature the size of her thumb.

      Hollis Rumford had deserved to die. Even the jurors had agreed after they’d heard how Hollis had abused her and threatened worse to their two young daughters. At