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Gabriel's Heart
Madeline George
He'd Set His Sights On Vengeance, But Was Blindsided By Love Or lust. Or something mighty powerful. Whatever it was, Gabriel Hart felt pulled toward Trina McCabe, a feisty miss with the prettiest pout in the West. But he'd be damned if he'd let her sass and charms sidetrack him from getting his just revenge!A man with a mission, a man with a past, Gabriel Hart made Trina McCabe's pulse pound in echo to their train's thundering roar. Now, if only the former lawman could see how much he needed her, they'd be on board the Paradise Express!
Table of Contents
Cover Page (#u8529f45d-2aaf-5ded-a2f5-18ea6d136755)
Excerpt (#u3285673d-c882-5e94-8474-60eed4e5a98c)
Dear Reader (#u74f33bc0-9605-5eb2-8e9b-3597d9f64aec)
Title Page (#u28e02ece-7a18-53bb-abae-0cbe89e882f2)
About the Author (#u1e0e4cc1-c157-5e21-a365-d44fb56ecb3e)
Dedication (#ufb802ced-f63a-53d9-9044-294b5a707905)
Prologue (#ubcfa95dc-989b-5464-a7d2-d392325853cd)
Chapter One (#u7667b887-6be7-5dd4-ac3e-c8f645214867)
Chapter Two (#ub0512051-d001-588d-907b-badae7de64d2)
Chapter Three (#ube9827e7-7f17-5469-8351-3f517fdea917)
Chapter Four (#u68522db6-3235-5bb1-85ca-77e90ed535ee)
Chapter Five (#u659aa1cb-4b57-59f1-98c4-2745a7a77e89)
Chapter Six (#ubd5d6ac0-8e21-5485-acc2-a6fcd9fbe594)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nineteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-One (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Two (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Three (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
“Do that again.”
He put his hand on the back of her neck and tilted her head back so he could see her better. He found her hat pin, pulled it out and lifted the hat from her head, then pitched it onto the chair with his.
She knew she should struggle and protest So why didn’t she? Kissing Mr. Hart would be dull and tedious. Totally forgettable. Wouldn’t it? Her loosened hair seemed to be flying everywhere. “Do what again?”
“Stick out your bottom lip. Pout.”
“I don’t under—”
“Just do it.”
With a gulp and a deep breath, Trina stuck out her bottom lip.
Gabriel sucked that pouty lip into his mouth and felt her shudder from the crown of her head to, he suspected, her dainty little toes. If she was going to slap his face and report his behavior to Papa, she’d do it now…
Dear Reader,
March is the time of spring, of growth, and the budding of things to come. Like these four never-before-published authors that we selected for our annual March Madness Promotion. These fresh new voices in historical romance are bound to be tomorrow’s stars!
Among this year’s choices for the month is The Maiden and the Warrior by Jacqueline Navin, a heartrending medieval tale about a fierce warrior who is saved from the demons that haunt him when he marries the widow of the man who sold him into slavery. Goodness also prevails in Gabriel’s Heart by Madeline George. In this flirty Western, an ex-sheriff uses a feisty socialite to exact revenge, but ends up falling in love with her first!
Last Chance Bride by Jillian Hart is a touching portrayal of a lonely spinster-turned-mail-order-bride who shows an embittered widower the true meaning of love on the rugged Montana frontier. And don’t miss A Duke Deceived by Cheryl Bolen, a Regency story about a handsome duke whose hasty marriage to a penniless noblewoman is tested by her secret deeds.
Whatever your tastes in reading, you’ll be sure to find a romantic journey back to the past between the covers of a Harlequin Historical.
Sincerely,
Tracy Farrell, Senior Editor
Please address questions and book requests to:
Silhouette Reader Service
U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269
Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A SX3
Gabriel’s Heart
Madeline George
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
MADELINE GEORGE,
a country girl through and through, is a native Texan who found her Texas drawl a perfect basis for writing Western historical romance. A former elementary school teacher, she now loves the freedom of traveling with her husband—and writing partner—in their travel trailer, doing research for new books.
If you’d like to receive her newsletter, Madeline’s Heart, and notices of upcoming releases, the author would appreciate hearing from you. Please write to her: Madeline George, P.O. Box 543, Rising Star, Texas 76471.
This book is dedicated to my husband, Chuck, forever and always my dearest love.
Prologue (#ulink_2f887e1d-eb23-5f59-a3b8-1eca574618cb)
August 1881
Gabriel Hart spied the cabin when he crested the hill. No sign of Hannah anywhere. He frowned. She usually heard him coming and hurried to meet him.
He grinned. Napping. Had to be it. Now that they were expecting a baby in a few months, she had to rest more often.
When he passed the well and saw the bucket spilled, the dipper in the dust, Gabriel’s gut tightened and his blood raced. Something wasn’t right The house and yard were too quiet. Too empty.
He stepped down from his horse, let the reins drop and reached for the Colt on his hip—but he’d waited too long.
A flash. Thunder in the still afternoon.
The first bullet tore a ragged hole in his right wrist Pain jolted through his gun hand.
Another flash. More thunder.
The second bullet gouged into his side and lodged beneath his left lung. Fire spread through his chest like a bolt of lightning, taking his breath away.
Gabriel dropped to his knees and glared at the man who’d just shot him. Otis Blackburn. The bastard was holding Hannah the same way he’d hold a rag doll.
“Gabriel…”
Her bruised face, and her clothes, torn and bloody, told him what had happened.
“Hannah!”
A knife. Sunlight flashed off the blade as it ripped her throat. Her scream slashed through Gabriel like a dagger. Blood soaked into her dress, draining her life away.
Hatred gave Gabriel the strength to stand. If only he’d gotten home a little sooner. Five minutes earlier, and this snake of a man, this waste of skin he thought he’d put away forever, would be bleeding out his life in place of the woman who made Gabriel’s life complete. The woman who carried his child.
Hannah’s brown eyes glazed over and her bruised, bleeding lips mouthed Gabriel’s name as she sank to the ground at his feet.
Otis Blackburn laughed while Hannah died.
The hammer clicked back. “I won’t kill you, Hart. I want you to live at least ten more years. I want you to know what it’s like to be in prison all those days and nights. In prison in your own body.” He took aim at Gabriel’s right knee.
With his last strength Gabriel lunged at the filthy murderer and drove his head into Blackburn’s gut. The gun fired into thin air. Gabriel pounded his good fist into Blackburn’s face and gouged at his eyes until he felt blood trickle between his fingers.
Blackburn smashed the butt of his gun into Gabriel’s temple.
Gabriel sank into the dust, pain burning through him.
“Adiós, lawman.” Blackburn mounted and rode off toward the ridge.
Gabriel dragged himself forward until he could touch Hannah’s limp hand. Already cold. He balled his left hand into a fist and raised it to the vanishing image of the killer.
“Someday, Blackburn, I’ll find you. You’ll die. So help me, God. You’ll beg to die.”
Chapter One (#ulink_b9d2a4ae-c09a-586b-8c27-fe193725248b)
October 1882
“Geoffrey, I have to get to the depot. The train won’t wait for us if we’re late.”
“But, Katrina, I have something really important to tell you. To give you, actually.”
Trina McCabe thrust one of her brown leather traveling bags at Geoffrey Monroe in an attempt to budge him from the spot in the hall outside her bedroom door. He’d arrived at the ranch half an hour ago, but she hadn’t spoken to him until just now. She wasn’t ready to talk to Geoffrey yet. She knew the thing he had to show her was an engagement ring, but she wasn’t ready to address that subject To be truthful, she didn’t know if she’d ever be ready to discuss it. So she’d made him wait, hoping he’d get the idea she was too busy to talk today. But it hadn’t worked. Couldn’t he take a hint just once?
In the looking glass above her chiffonier, her cheeks seemed a trifle pale. She touched the tips of two fingers to her tongue, then scrubbed at one of the pink roses on the wallpaper. With a few practiced strokes she transferred the pink dye to her cheeks. Satisfied, she straightened her blue feathered hat.
“Please listen, Katrina. Aren’t you curious to see what I brought you?” Geoffrey shined the toe of one boot on the back of his freshly pressed nankeen trousers, then straightened his vest nervously. “Can’t you stand still?”
“No, I can’t. Papa will be calling any minute now that it’s time to—”
Amos McCabe bellowed from downstairs. “Trina! We’re leaving right now. Are you coming or not?”
“I’m coming, Papa!” Trina called back. “Now, Geoffrey, there’ll be worlds of time to talk once I’m back from Silver Falls. Come for supper then. I promise I’ll listen to every word you say.” Every dull and tedious word, she wanted to add, but Geoffrey was, after all, her beau. Wasn’t he?
Geoffrey grabbed her bag and reached for the valise, but Trina beat him to it. For some reason, demonstrating her independence seemed terribly important Geoffrey clutched the bag as though it contained silver or gold.
“You shouldn’t be carrying heavy things, Katrina.” Geoffrey grabbed the valise from her hand. “I’ll carry this, too. Maybe I ought to go with you to Silver Falls.”
