Josh (38 page)
Authors: R.C. Ryan
She let loose with a stream of oaths that would have withered a seasoned cowboy. That merely reinforced Quinn’s determination to pin her down until her fury ran its course.
In the process, his own anger seemed to intensify. He’d come here to confront a cold-blooded wolf killer. What he’d found was a crazy woman.
“Let me up.” Teeth clenched, she bucked and shuddered with impotent rage.
“Not until…” His breath was coming hard and fast and he found himself having to use every ounce of his strength to keep her pinned. In the process, he became aware of the soft curves beneath the parka, and the fresh, clean evergreen scent of her hair and clothes. “… you agree to give me some answers.”
“Go to hell.”
Damn her. He wanted to end this tussle, but she wasn’t going to make it easy for him. And the longer he lay on top of her, the more aware he became of the woman and less of the enemy he’d come here to confront. “You’re not going to cooperate?”
When she made no response he dug in, using his size and weight to intimidate. “You shot a wolf out there on the trail. I want to know why.”
“A wolf?” She stopped fighting him.
He absorbed a small measure of relief that she seemed to be relenting.
She was clearly out of breath. “What business is this of yours?”
“That wolf is my business.”
He saw her eyes go wide. “This is really about the wolf?”
“What did you think it was about?”
He saw the way she was studying him beneath half-lowered lashes and realized how he must look, hair wild and tangled, his face heavily bearded from his days on the trail.
He decided to take a calculated risk. Moving quickly, he got to his feet and held out a hand.
Ignoring his offer of help, she rolled aside and got her bearings before turning to face him.
Her hand went to the pocket where she’d stowed her pistol but didn’t dip inside, remaining instead where he could see it.
“Let’s start over.” He fought to keep the anger from his voice. “My name is Quinn Conway. I study the life cycle of wolves. I was tracking my pack when the alpha male was shot. I followed the shooter here. Now I want to know why a rancher would kill a wolf that was only hunting food for his pack.”
When she held her silence he arched a brow. “It’s your turn to introduce yourself and say…‘My name is… I shot the wolf because…’ ”
“My name isn’t important, but the wolf is. It was threatening my herd. That’s what wolves do. And what smart ranchers do is shoot them before they can rip open a helpless calf.”
“My wolf was stalking a herd of deer.”
“Your wolf?” She eyed him suspiciously. “I didn’t realize he was a pet.”
“He isn’t. Wasn’t,” Quinn corrected. “He was, in fact, the object of years of scholarly research.”
“Uh-huh.” She shot him a look guaranteed to freeze a man’s heart at a hundred paces. “I wouldn’t know anything about scholarly research, but common sense told me he was about to take out one of my calves. And I got him before he could get to my herd. Now if you don’t mind…” She turned away.
Before she could reach for her rifle Quinn caught her arm. “I don’t believe you. I saw the herd of deer.”
She yanked herself free of his grasp. “I don’t give a damn what you believe. I know what I saw.”
“Prove it.”
Her head came up sharply. “I don’t have to prove anything to you.”
“You already have. The fact that you’re a liar.”
Her eyes narrowed on him. “Look. I don’t care what you call me. I know what I saw.”
But even as she spoke, he could see the wheels turning as she cast a glance at the snow swirling in the darkness just beyond the barn. Neither of them was eager to face the blizzard. But neither of them was willing to concede that fact.
She took in a breath. “You can saddle up the mare over there.”
Without another word she turned away and began saddling the big roan stallion she’d been tending.
Quinn crossed to the other stall and began saddling the spotted mare.
When both horses were saddled and ready, Quinn and the woman moved out single file, into the stinging snow and darkness of night.
Each of them was carrying a rifle.
Neither of them was willing to give an inch until this trek was over.
In Quinn’s mind, it would end with this crazy woman admitting her mistake and apologizing for the wrong she’d done. Not that it would make anything right. The wolf would still be dead and his pack left without a leader. But for Quinn this was all about justice.
Once again he flashed back to that incident in his boyhood. He hadn’t been able to do anything about that female wolf and her pups. But things were different now. This time, he would have the satisfaction of knowing he’d done all he could to persuade at least one angry rancher to give the wolves of this world a fighting chance to survive.
Where authors give you the inside scoop!
Dear Reader,
When my daughter-in-law Patty came home from her first hike of the Grand Canyon, she was high on the beauty and majesty of the mountains for months. Since then, it has become her annual pilgrimage—one that fuels her dreams, and feeds my writer’s imagination. I’ve wanted to create a character with the same passion for the mountains that Patty has for a long time, someone who experiences the same awe, freedom, and peace that she does just by being in eyesight of them. And with JOSH, I think I finally have.
Josh Conway, the hero of the second book in my Wyoming Sky series, is truly a hero in every sense of the word. He’s a man who rescues people who’ve lost their way on the mountain he loves in all kinds of weather. There’s just something about a guy who would risk his own safety, his very life, to help others, that is so appealing to me. To add to Josh’s appeal, he’s a hard-working rancher and a sexy cowboy—an irresistible combination. Not to mention that he loves a challenge.
Enter Sierra Moore. Sierra is a photographer who comes to the Grand Tetons in Wyoming to shoot photographs of a storm. At least that’s what she’ll admit to. But there’s a mystery behind that beautiful smile. She’s come to the mountains to disappear for a while, and being
rescued—even if it is by a ruggedly handsome cowboy—is the last thing she needs or wants.
But when danger rears its ugly head, and Sierra’s life is threatened, she and Josh must call on every bit of strength and courage they possess in order to survive. Yet an even greater test of their strength will be the courage to commit to a lifetime together.
I hope you enjoy JOSH!
Dear Reader,
Wow! I’m so excited that my first historical romance with Grand Central Publishing has hit the shelves (and the e-waves!). I hope you enjoy reading SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED as much as I enjoyed writing it. Not only is this my first book for GCP, it’s also the first book in my very first series, the Sons of Sin. Perhaps I should smash a bottle of champagne over my copy of SEVEN NIGHTS to launch it in appropriate style.
Hmm, having second thoughts here. Much better, I’ve decided, to read the book and drink the champagne!
Do you like fairytale romance? I love stories based on Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty or some other mythical
hero or heroine. SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED is a dyed-in-the-wool Beauty and the Beast re-telling. To me, this is the ultimate romantic fairytale. The hero starts out as a monster, but when he falls in love, the fragments of goodness in his tortured soul multiply until he becomes a gallant prince (or, in this case, a viscount, but who’s counting?). Beauty and the Beast is at heart about the transformative power of true love—what more powerful theme for a romance writer to explore?
Jonas Merrick, the Beast in SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED, is a scarred recluse who has learned through hard and painful experience to mistrust a hostile world. When the book opens, he’s a rogue indeed. But meeting our heroine conspires to turn him into a genuine, if at first reluctant, hero worthy of his blissfully happy ending.
Another thing I love about Beauty and the Beast is that the heroine is more proactive than some other mythological girls. For a start, she stays awake throughout! Like Beauty, Sidonie Forsythe places herself in the Beast’s power to save someone she loves, her reckless older sister, Roberta. Sidonie’s dread when she meets brooding, enigmatic Jonas Merrick swiftly turns to fascination—but even as they fall in love, Sidonie’s secret threatens to destroy Jonas and any chance of happiness for this Regency Beauty and the Beast.
I adore high-stakes stories where I wonder if the lovers can ever overcome what seem to be insurmountable barriers between them. In SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED, Jonas and Sidonie have to triumph over the bitter legacy of the past and conquer present dangers to achieve their happily-ever-after. Definitely major learning curves for our hero and heroine!
This story is a journey from darkness to light, and it allowed me to play with so many classic romance themes.
Redemption. A touch of the gothic. The steadfast, courageous heroine. The dark, tormented hero. The clash of two powerful personalities as they resist overwhelming passion. Secrets and revelations. Self-sacrifice and risk. Revenge and justice. You know, all the big stuff!
If you’d like to find out more about SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED and the Sons of Sin series, please visit my website:
www.annacampbell.info
. And in the meantime, happy reading!
Best wishes,
