With a wry smile he said, “Don’t let the collar fool you. I’m as low-down as ever.”
“Somehow I doubt that.” As her eyes softened with the caring he remembered from Kansas, she raised her hand as if she wanted to touch him, perhaps to make sure he was real. John avoided her hand with a shrug, but their gazes stayed locked and held tight.
They were left alone in the crowd. Both dressed in black, Abbie and John seemed cold to each other, but he wasn’t fooled. The coals in his kitchen stove had looked dead this morning, but they were banked and smoldering on the inside. If he poked them, they would flare to life. John couldn’t stop himself from remembering that he and Abbie had started a fire in Kansas. All sorts of things had burned between them, including the bedsheets….
Praise for Victoria Bylin
“This is an author who writes with heart, and articulates
well a clear understanding of human feelings and frailties
that readers should totally enjoy.”
—Historical Romance Writers Review
Praise for previous titles
West of Heaven
“The hero, definitely alpha male and code-of-the-west
cowboy, provides wonderful appeal, as does the heroine
and her orientation to family values. This story proves that
love is salvation from death and its worst griefs.”
—Romantic Times
Of Men and Angels
“An uplifting tale of a spiritual woman,
who’s deeply human, and the flawed man she loves.
It’s evident that Ms. Bylin writes from her heart.”
—Old Book Barn Gazette
“Deft handling makes the well-tarnished Jake
a man to admire.”
—Romantic Times
“Of Men and Angels is the perfect title for a perfect book.
The characters are wonderfully human and well rounded,
and the story is an exciting, heartwarming and spiritual
tale with a magnitude of emotion.”
—Romance Reviews Today
DON’T MISS THESE OTHER
TITLES AVAILABLE NOW:
#747 THE VISCOUNT
Lyn Stone
#748 THE RANGER’S WOMAN
Carol Finch
#749 THE BETROTHAL
Terri Brisbin, Joanne Rock and Miranda Jarrett
Abbie’s Outlaw
Victoria Bylin
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.
To Michael… Beloved husband, you are mine!
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
Epilogue
Chapter One
Midas, New Mexico
June 1887
When the Reverend John Leaf saw Abigail Windsor standing at the top of the train steps, dressed in black and shielding her eyes from the noonday sun, he knew that all hell was about to break loose. He’d made a million mistakes in his life and had made amends for all of them—except one. Now that mistake was coming to light in a way he had dreaded for years and deeply feared.
His eyes stayed on Abbie as she scanned the crowd. Lord, he thought, she looked awful in black. The girl he remembered had insisted on wearing pretty colors in spite of the gloom in her life. He remembered her best in a coppery dress that brought out the highlights in her hair. He also remembered her wearing nothing at all, which was a problem for a man who’d sworn off women entirely.
He’d never been inclined toward marriage or children of his own. The Leaf family curse ran thick in his blood, and he’d rather die than pass it on to an unsuspecting child. Certainly not to a
