The Stafford Collection, Historical Western Romances
Read The Stafford Collection, Historical Western Romances Online
Authors: Lynn Hubbard
© Copyrighted 20
13 by Lemon Press
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
Published by Lemon Press
Cover Design by
Pixalpod.com
RITW Cover Photo by Nolte Lourens - Fotolia.com
RITW
Cover Model: Jeandre Lindeque
Chase the Moon Cover Model: Julian Christian
Introduction By Cindy Smith
I admit like every other woman in the universe, that I was first attracted to the cover, the mysterious man with ripples across his shirtless chest. The book display kind of pulled me in against my will to get a closer look. I then found myself reaching for the novel, “Run into the Wind”, by author Lynn Hubbard.
Page after page, ear marking a few I wanted to read again and again, I found myself entranced by the lives of Sabrina and Brock. Being an avid western reader and a writer myself, I was intrigued with the setting and 1880’s time period, but it was the characters who captured my heart.
Now, I could tell you without a doubt that Lynn Hubbard can write a sizzling romance novel! But this is something you will have to decide for yourself. I suspect you will be like me and from the very first page, you won’t be able to put it down. Aside from the story being well researched historically, Lynn knows how to keep the reader interested, excited and anticipating the next scene. I couldn’t wait to get to the ending!
I was honored when Lynn asked me to write a song about the book! As I placed myself in Sabrina’s shoes to feel her tormented and confused emotions and her need to be wanted and loved, I too, fell in love with Brock. What woman wouldn’t! My intentions were to convey Sabrina’s passion, strength and desires into the lyrics and music I wrote. The song, also titled “Run into The Wind”, was awarded the honor of being the Georgia Country & Gospel Music Association’s 2012 (traditional country) Song of the Year.
“Run into the Wind” is a story of renewal. When situations in our lives come to an abrupt end, we are all fearful of the unknown. This story will grant you a fresh look at a happily-ever-after ‘almost lost’ romance that you will not easily forget. And trust me, you won’t forget the man on the cover either!
Cindy Smith
Author, TIME IN CONTENTION (The Trilogy)
WMA/GCGMA Singer/Songwriter
Run into the Wind, the song, by Cindy Smith
www.cindysmithwesternmusic.com
Still waters lie deep along the shore
Tell me where I’ll go so I won’t hurt no more
Make the memories flows like a river to the sea
I had to
run away
He touches me sending shivers to my soul
I never met a man quite like him before
But what if I’m not what he thinks he sees
Will he
run away
To save my life I run into the wind
I’ll be all right once I learn to love again.
Nobody knows or cares who I really am
Should I
run away ~ or should I run to him
I hold on tight and I run into the wind
I close my eyes and feel his breath upon my skin
He takes me by the hand and I follow him
And we
run away ~ we run into the wind.
We run away....... into the wind......
Run into the WInd
Prologue
She stared intently at the still water, not daring to whisper. A soft breeze blew, spilling several stray strands of her long brown hair into her face. Impatiently she whisked them away as they tickled her nose. She could see shadows through the murky water as she sat on the bank. A flow of bubbles erupted from the depths and she smiled slightly as she saw more, then felt a slight tug on her line. Realizing its mistake the fish flailed around, haplessly trying to get free. Its erratic movements caused the surface of the water to quiver. Patiently she waited just a breath longer, letting the fish tire out a little, as she had been so carefully taught.
“Ha!” she exclaimed into the still morning, as she jubilantly pulled her line out of the water. The large bass dangling from her hook was the biggest one yet.
“Sabrina!” a deep voice growled from nearby, “You’re supposed to be quiet. You just scared away the one near my line.” She looked over at the large ebony-skinned man sprawled next to her in the tall grass at the edge of the river. Although he was only two years older than she was, he was three times her size.
“Oh Samuel, you’re just jealous. Besides we already caught enough fish this morning to practically feed the whole town.”
“Yeah, and you caught most of them,” Samuel grumbled good-naturedly.
“Guess you taught me too well.”
“Guess you’re right. We better be headin’ back before your father starts looking for us. ‘Sides you gotta get ready for the festival,” Samuel said, not bothering to hide his grin.
Sabrina groaned; she hated town functions, mostly because she was forced to dress up, and Samuel, her best friend, was not
allowed to go. She looked down at her mud-soaked britches and sighed. The town was having a dance and a fish fry at the town hall. Since her pa was a Marshall, she had to go.
Reluctantly, they clambered to their feet and pulled up their strings of fish from the water. Sabrina was struggling with her heavy load but Samuel knew better than to offer his help. He tossed his pole over his shoulder and the two headed toward Montgomery, their home. Montgomery was her mother’s maiden name, her father built the beautiful manor and named it after her mother out of devotion.
When Samuel was not working on the ranch he spent much of his free time with Sabrina, and loved her like a sister. His own sister had died from yellow fever years ago, and the only true family he had left was his mother. Samuel’s mother worked for Sabrina’s family also. She and Samuel had a small house set back behind Montgomery. Since Sabrina’s whole family was going into town, the help was given the day off to enjoy the festivities.
Sabrina sighed as she slowly picked her way along the well-worn path through the woods. It was no fair; Samuel wanted to go to the festival but his mother would not allow it, and she didn’t want to go but was forced to go anyway.
So bitter was Sabrina’s mood, she paid no attention to her surroundings even though it was a lovely morning. It had been an especially brutal summer, but the light breeze hinted that fall may come sooner than expected. The two traipsing through the woods were an unusual pair to behold but they both had the same passion for life and adventure, and this, especially, made them compatible.
As they neared the edge of the woods, they started to smell an odd scent. It lingered on the air for an instant and then it was gone. However, its effects were not. The brief whiff of smoke stopped them cold. Alma, Samuel’s mother, would have already had the wood stove up and running by this time, but it was not the sweet scent of the chicory wood that they smelled but something more frightening. Dropping the fish and equipment, they did not dare glance at each other as they quickly made their way up to the top of the knoll. At the peak, Sabrina stopped dead at the horrifying sight. Her home was on fire. She started to run but Samuel caught her and pulled her back down behind the tree line.
She started to fight him at first until she saw what he did: two strange men pulling Lydia, her older sister, from around the back of the house. She was kicking and screaming. Lydia kicked one of the men hard enough to gain her freedom. As she headed in Sabrina's direction, a single shot rang out, dropping her to the ground as the men chasing her caught up.
Sabrina gasped and covered her mouth with her hands to keep from screaming as she watched in horror. Her struggle with Samuel ceased as she sat in silent shock in the bushes. The scene was so surreal. The men seemed to be arguing among themselves. There were five in all, she would later recollect, but right then she did not notice. Her blood had turned to ice as she spotted the other body lying lifeless in the yard. She could make out her mother’s favorite yellow dress, now ruined from the red stain creeping across it; and her heart nearly stopped when she saw her father’s body softly swaying from the grand oak in the front yard. Then her world went black.