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“You were made to be loved, Ruby,” he murmured against her hair. “Let me show you how loving’s meant to be. Let me give you the pleasure you deserve.”
Ruby’s throat tightened. She struggled to reply, but no words would come.
“What is it? Are you afraid of me?”
She shook her head, finding her voice. “It’s not you I’m afraid of. It’s me. All those years of steeling myself against the things he did, the nights of lying there, wondering how he was going to use me next…”
She exhaled raggedly. “What if I’m broken, Ethan? What if I can’t—?”
His kiss lasted just long enough to block her words. “Hush,” he breathed.
The Widowed Bride
Harlequin® Historical #1031—March 2011
Praise for Elizabeth Lane
The Horseman’s Bride
“The Gustavson family has won the hearts of Americana fans seeking a realistic love story. Lane wisely continues in this vein with the latest in her series, in which a fiery young woman meets her match in a mysterious drifter.”
—RT Book Reviews
The Borrowed Bride
“Lane’s pleasing love story brims over with tender touches.”
—RT Book Reviews
His Substitute Bride
“This tender and loving story, spinning off from Lane’s previous Western, showcases her talent for drawing three-dimensional characters and placing them in an exciting time and place.”
—RT Book Reviews
Wyoming Woman
“This credible, now-or-never romance moves with reckless speed through a highly engrossing and compact plot to the kind of happy ending we read romances to enjoy.”
—RT Book Reviews
The Widowed Bride
Elizabeth Lane
MILLS & BOON
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Available from Harlequin® Historical and ELIZABETH LANE
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For my girls
Tanya, Teresa, Tiffany and Olivia
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
Epilogue
Chapter One
Dutchman’s Creek, Colorado
May 1920
The sooty cobweb stretched from the chandelier to the high ceiling, a good four feet out of reach. Lurking near its center was a spider—a monster with long, prickly legs and a body as big as a copper penny.
Ruby
