“I don’t believe I have ever seen so many women gathered in one place before. There must be thousands.”
Tess tensed. “Wait. How will you find us again if we go inside without you?”
“I could probably spot you in the crowd by your pr… By your hair,” Michael said.
“You were going to say pretty, weren’t you?” She smiled, amused by the way his cheeks grew more ruddy.
“It would be wrong of me to mention such things, Miss Clark.”
That made her laugh softly. “But I would find it delightful if you did. Does that embarrass you, Michael?”
“Of course not.”
He brought the buggy to a halt, then quickly helped her alight. “I’ll find you.”
She knew that her eyes must be twinkling, because she was keenly amused when she shouted back, “And how will you do that, sir?”
Michael paused just long enough to lean down from his perch. “By your beautiful, dark red hair.” Then he flicked the reins and the horse took off.
VALERIE HANSEN
was thirty when she awoke to the presence of the Lord in her life and turned to Jesus. In the years that followed she worked with young children, both in church and secular environments. She also raised a family of her own and played foster mother to a wide assortment of furred and feathered critters.
Married to her high school sweetheart since age seventeen, she now lives in an old farmhouse she and her husband renovated with their own hands. She loves to hike the wooded hills behind the house and reflect on the marvelous turn her life has taken. Not only is she privileged to reside among the loving, accepting folks in the breathtakingly beautiful Ozark mountains of Arkansas, she also gets to share her personal faith by telling the stories of her heart for all of Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired lines.
Life doesn’t get much better than that!
Rescuing the Heiress
Valerie Hansen
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!
Or simply visit
Mills & Boon emails are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life…with your right hand you save me, Lord.
—Psalms 138:7
My husband was a firefighter, my son still is and my daughter also volunteered before she went into nursing.
The men and women in the fire service put their whole hearts into their work and no amount of praise or thanks for their efforts will ever be enough.
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
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Epilogue
Letter to Reader
Questions for Discussion
Chapter One
1906, San Francisco
“We can’t ask Michael to do it. What would your father say if he found out?”
Tess Clark squared her shoulders, lifted her chin and smiled at the personal maid who had also become her friend and confidante. “Of course we can, Annie dear. Father would much rather we be escorted to the meeting by a gentleman than venture out unaccompanied, especially after dark. Besides, your mother’s planning to attend, isn’t she?”
“She said she might. But she lives down by the pavilion. She’s used to being out and about in that neighborhood after dark.” The slim young woman shivered. “It’s no place for a society girl like you.”
“Humph.” Tess shook her head, making her dainty pearl earbobs swing. “Just because my family lives on Nob Hill doesn’t mean I’m that different from other people. I want to support the cause of women’s rights as much as you do.” She pressed her lips into a thin line. “Maybe more so.”
“But…”
Adamant, Tess stood firm. “No arguments. We’re going to the meeting. I intend to hear Maud Younger speak before she goes back to New York, and we may never have a better opportunity.”
“You’re not afraid of what your father will do when he finds out?”
“I didn’t say that,” Tess admitted wryly. “Father can be very forceful at times. He’d certainly be irate if we made the journey alone. That’s why we need a strapping escort like Michael Mahoney.”
Annie covered her mouth with her hand and snickered. “And
