When newly widowed Hattie Rommel chooses a second husband, she doesn’t expect him to fulfill her most secret dreams. She just wants him to take her to Oregon.
Emmet Lachlan marries Hattie with the understanding that he will be free to leave her behind, once she is safely in Oregon. He is a wandering man, not a settling-down farmer. Then an old trapper bequeaths them a map to a valley where gold lies on the ground for the taking.
While Emmet and Hattie gather the gold, they also discover each other. Even lost in love's magic, they both know it cannot last. An attack by murderous renegades, forces them to flee across untamed mountains to the hidden valley Hattie calls Cherry Vale. In the home she's always longed for, Emmet discovers a peace he's never sought. But soon they must resume their interrupted journey. Can Hattie leave the only place that's ever felt like home? And if she does, will Emmet give up looking for what's on the far side of the hill?
Excerpt
Great God, but it was cold! The inside of his nose was dry and raw, as if the very air held sharp, cutting ice crystals. He squinted, afraid that his eyeballs would freeze. Even in the high mountains where he and Buffalo had spent the winter two years ago, he had never felt cold like this.
The crusted snow held his weight, creaking and groaning under his feet. He went first to the corral, slipped between the poles. The horses and cattle were in the far end where young cottonwoods and willows formed a dense thicket which provided shelter from the elements. They were huddled together, heads hanging, mingled breaths crystallizing around nostrils and on muzzles. He moved among them, giving a pat here, a scratch there, a word to each.
It was only then he realized how well he could see. The sliver of moon he'd noticed as he came in for supper was long gone, but there was still a paleness about the night. He looked up. And caught his breath.
The sky was alive. Great streamers of red and yellow reached past the zenith. Even as he watched, another ribbon of brilliant crimson arched overhead, cutting through the blackness, dimming the stars. The mountains behind the cabin loomed in shadowy silhouette, looking as if they were afire with leaping, arctic flames.
Heedless now of the cold, he returned to the cabin and went inside. "Wake up, Hattie," he said as soon as he was kneeling beside her bunk. "I've something to show you."
She came awake immediately. "What? Is something wrong?"
"No," he soothed. "Nothing's wrong. Just put this on." He held out his bearskin coat. "Come outside with me for a few minutes."
Moving clumsily, not entirely awake, she did as she was told. At Buff's questioning grunt, Emmet said, "Northern lights," and the old man subsided back into his blankets with another grunt.
Emmet put on Hattie's heavy wool coat before he led her outside. It wasn't as warm, but it would do for him. She needed the warmth of his fur more than he did. "Shut your eyes," he told her, opening the door. "I'll lead you."
Following him, unquestioning, Hattie's perfect trust reminded Emmet again of the responsibility he had assumed.
He led her away from the cabin, away from the corral and the cottonwoods. When they were well clear of anything that would occlude their view, he turned her to face north and said, "Now. Open your eyes and look up."
"Oh! Oh, it's so beautiful!" Her face, rosy in the cold light, was filled with wonderment. Emmet wanted to kiss her.
Wrapping his arms around her from behind, Emmet murmured, "Don't want you to get cold." She made a small sound. Of protest?
No, for she snuggled back into his embrace.
She smelled of woodsmoke as they all did, cooped up for so long inside the cabin. But underneath was a faint, lingering scent of lilac.
A vision bloomed in Emmet's mind. A woman, naked in the moonlight, her wet skin gleaming. Arms lifted, full breasts crowned by erect nipples, a patch of shadow at the apex of her thighs. Thus he'd first seen her. Thus he'd first wanted her.
He leaned his head against hers, still wanting her, aching with need of her. Knowing there could be no appeasing that need tonight.
Professional Reviews
Gail L. Jenner, Sime~Gen
Newly-widowed and faced with the dilemma of choosing a husband in order to be allowed to continue on to Oregon in Colonel Whitehead's wagon train, Hattie Rommel selects a stranger, Emmet Lachlan, as her mate. Clearly outlining her proposal as 'in name only,' she convinces Emmet to marry her 'just until they reach Oregon.' But the journey soon turns into a personal journey for both Emmet and Hattie.
While Emmet, after saving Hattie's life declares, "I did what I had to do," the reader quickly recognizes the mountain man's growing desire for more than a casual relationship. But honor-bound, he places his own needs behind Hattie's, so that when, because of the extent of Hattie's injuries, the two are voted off the train, Emmet doesn't think twice about what he must do to protect his new wife.
It isn't long before Hattie also realizes she's with child. As the last vestige of her marriage to Karl Rommel, however, it becomes the gentle reminder that Hattie can never be more than Emmet's temporary wife. Add to the mix Karl Rommel's lost gold and Hattie's own growing love for the aloof and heroic Emmet, and the reader has all the elements of an emotionally-charged story.
Ms. Glad has written a sensually tantalizing tale, one of survival and discovery. It is a story sure to please historical romance readers. 4 Stars
Gloria Kruenegel, Sensual Romance
Glad has such a way with words! She paints a picture of the West as it was so many lives ago and brings it alive in living color! While describing the rugged terrain and the less than ideal weather of the mountains, Ms. Glad deals with the prejudices, greed, and hatred faced by so many in a way that will open many hearts. This is a must read for all romance lovers. Truly a wonderful read!
Dive into an enchanting adventure! This light-hearted romance will transport you to 17th-century Scotland, where a free-spirited 21st-century heroine brings love & laughter to a stressed-out laird's life - with a little help from the Fae!
