Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication Date: 10/29/2019
Publication Date: 10/29/2019
Three
runaway brides
Determined
to escape their fates
Flee
West to find freedom that can only be had
in
a cowboy’s arms…
Desperate
to escape an unhappy marriage, Boston socialite Evelyn Perkins flees west in
hopes of losing herself to the dusty frontier. But when her train is boarded by
outlaws, Evelyn is taken for ransom. Despite her terror, Evelyn fears being
returned to her husband more. Refusing to cooperate, she becomes the responsibility
of a man whose steady gaze threatens to pierce her brave façade and reach the
wounded heart within.
Gabriel
Sloan has his orders, but the haunting shadows in the pretty young woman’s eyes
spark an intense protective instinct he can’t deny. Every look, every touch
brings them closer together. He would do anything to protect her, but dangerous
men are on their trail, and soon the two must face Evelyn’s darkest
nightmare—or risk losing the unexpected joy they’ve found forever…
Runaway
Brides Series:
The
Gunslinger's Vow (Book 1)
The
Cowboy's Honor (Book 2)
The
Outlaw’s Heart (Book 3)
Excerpt:
The tall, muscled man who’d stared at
her across the fire was even more intimidating up close. He had expansive
shoulders, thick arms barely contained in his pale-colored cotton shirt, and
powerful legs encased in worn denim. In a graceful economy of muscle and
movement, he folded his large body into a crouch, bringing his face even with
hers.
And what a face it was. Strong and
beautiful in a way she’d never seen before. He had a broad forehead and a long,
straight nose. His jaw was sharply angled, as were his cheekbones, but his mouth
was wide and his lips were soft and full.
But unsmiling.
Startled by his unexpected proximity,
Evelyn flinched when he lifted his hand, realizing belatedly that he held a
canteen and was offering it to her.
He did not react to her obvious fear.
Instead, he remained still—his expression flat as his eyes held hers. “It’s
water,” he said.
His voice matched the rest of
him—richly complex and powerful. Something strange rolled through her at the
sound. Like anticipation of a storm when you hear the rumble of distant
thunder, but warmer.
Her lashes flickered as she glanced
down at the canteen. She was unbelievably thirsty, but how could she trust
anything offered by men who held her captive?
“If you want to survive, you’ll drink
the water and eat the food,” he said quietly. The words were just between them.
Still she did not reach for the canteen. “You want to live?” he asked, raising
a brow.
Evelyn lifted her chin, regaining eye
contact with the man, despite her uncertainty and fear. “Yes, I want to live,”
she replied, surprising herself by the conviction in her words.
With a single, short nod, he extended
the canteen a bit more. “Then drink.”
She lifted her hands to take the
water, but because of the binding rope and her frozen fingers, she couldn’t
grasp it.
Realizing her predicament, he gave a
quiet grunt, then set the canteen on the ground and reached for her wrists. His
large, warm hands surrounded her curled fists. He held them in silence for a
moment—as if his only intention was to share his heat and offer comfort.
Though Evelyn felt the icy stiffness
in her fingers dissipating, she resisted the instinctive desire to accept
anything more. But she didn’t pull away.
And she wasn’t sure why.
“Don’t be scared,” he stated, still in
a private tone. “You won’t be hurt.”
She searched his gaze in the darkness.
She wanted to believe him, but she knew far too well how easily a man could
hide wicked intent. “I am not so naive,” she replied, her voice barely more
than a murmur of sound.
He did nothing to indicate he heard
her reply as he released his hold on her hands and deftly loosened the ropes.
He did not remove them altogether, but he allowed for a bit of freedom to use
her hands more effectively. Then he picked up the canteen and offered it once
again.
Evelyn managed to bring it to her lips
this time and took a few long drinks. The water soothed her throat, but it also
made her very aware of her empty stomach. Lowering the canteen, she offered it
back to the man who remained patiently beside her. Watching her in silence.
His nearness was discomfiting. As were
his size and his quiet manner.
She had no idea what to make of him.
There was strength in him, something his muscled form attested to without
effort, but he displayed not the slightest hint of temper or violence.
Of course, Matthew hadn’t either…until
something set him off.
The outlaw took the canteen, never
shifting his gaze from hers. Not even when the voices around the fire rose
higher in discord.
“Shit,” the young one named Ramsey
exclaimed, frustration clear in his tone. “We can still ransom the woman. I
mean, look at her.”
Evelyn stiffened under the sudden
flood of attention. The man crouched before her was still watching her carefully,
and she feared she might have revealed her trepidation when his brows lowered
over his gaze.
Did she really believe she was better
off with these outlaws than in her husband’s hands?
Yes. Yes, she did. But that didn’t
mean she was not in danger.
He stared at her for a moment longer
before he rose to his feet and walked away without a word, leaving the canteen
on the ground beside her. She couldn’t keep her gaze from following his
powerful form as he melted into the darkness beyond the fire while the others
continued discussing her fate.
She expected to release a breath of
relief at being left alone again, but it didn’t come.
“With her fancy clothes and fine airs,
there’s gotta be someone somewhere who’ll be willing to pay good money to get
her back.”
Evelyn listened to the exchange with
increasing tension. These men were right about one thing. Her husband would no
doubt be willing to pay a small fortune to get her back. But there was nothing
in the world that would convince her to tell them that.
***
Excerpted from The Outlaw’s Heart by Amy
Sandas. © 2019 by Amy Sandas. Used with permission of
the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca,
an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Praise
for Amy Sandas:
“[B]eautifully
written romance that's full of adventure—electric and absorbing.”—Kirkus
for Lord of Lies
“Pure
perfection.”—Romancing the Book for The Untouchable Earl
"Smart and Sexy."—Booklist for Luck
is No Lady
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