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The Lone Texan
Lass Small
MAN of the MonthTHE KEEPERS OF TEXAS MR. SEPTEMBER The Stubbornest Cowboy: Tom Keeper, youngest son of a proud family, and dead set against falling in love… again! His Sweetest Temptation: Shy Ellen Simpson could be just the little lady to tempt the ornery Texan into marriage. Tom Keeper could single-handedly tame a wild stallion, but get him near a woman… !The most eligible bachelor in west Texas had happily hung up his marriage hat, until sweet Ellen set foot on Keeper land. The prim beauty claimed men were out for only one thing. But Tom was determined to show Ellen that even the romance-wary could enjoy that "one thing" and still dream of a future… together!MAN OF THE MONTH: This sexy Keeper of Texas is Lass Small's 50th Silhouette hero! 50th book
Celebrate Lass Small’s 50th title for Silhouette Books with another unforgettable story in her series: (#ub7d157d2-bc7b-5cef-8d27-0eef02ed4d9b)Letter to Reader (#u5716431d-fbda-519d-8d64-16784e086769)Title Page (#u236c9e85-8a51-50ef-a7c5-e87f386052d8)About the Author (#u8dbf8110-b604-58a2-bdc3-4c2cabb479d8)Letter to Reader (#u58403356-222d-54f5-b41c-e15c6f2e29d0)Chapter One (#ua23a58c6-92ef-5ba9-a5a6-8199878e9a8c)Chapter Two (#u86206cd4-1e1a-55c3-9616-0505ac3564d7)Chapter Three (#u025d6495-f0a5-5767-8d70-e0db016381c2)Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
Celebrate Lass Small’s 50th title for Silhouette Books with another unforgettable story in her series:
Every book’s a keeper in this sexy saga of
untamable Texas men and the stubborn beauties
who lasso their hearts.
You met sweet-talkin’ Rip and his lovely lady Lu in
TAKEN BY A TEXAN
(Desire #1137)
And who could forget the wonderful romance
between Andrew and JoAnn in
THE HARD-TO-TAME TEXAN
(Desire #1148)
Now that infamous bachelor Tom Keeper finally
gets his own chance at romance in
THE LONE TEXAN
But will bright-eyed beauty Ellen be the girl to
change his mind about love and marriage? Read on
to find out...and read a personal message from
author Lass Small herself!
Dear Reader,
This month, Silhouette Desire is celebrating milestones, miniseries—and, of course, sensual, emotional and compelling love stories. Every book is a treasured keeper in Lass Small’s miniseries THE KEEPERS OF Texas, but this month, the continuation of this wonderful series about the Keeper family marks a milestone for Lass—the publication of her 50th book for Silhouette with The Lone Texan, also our MAN OF THE MONTH selection!
Desire is also proud to present the launch of two brandnew miniseries. First, let us introduce you to THE RULEBREAKERS, Leanne Banks’s fabulous new series about three strong and sexy heroes. Book one is Millionaire Dad—and it’s a story you won’t want to miss. Next, meet the first of a few good men and women in uniform in the passion-filled new series BACHELOR BATTALION, by Maureen Child. The first installment, The Littlest Marine, will utterly delight you.
Continuing this month is the next book in Peggy Moreland’s series Texas BRIDES about the captivating McCloud sisters, A Sparkle in the Cowboy’s Eyes. And rounding out the month are two wonderful novels—Miranda’s Outlaw by Katherine Garbera, and The Texas Ranger and the Tempting Twin by Pamela Ingrahm.
I hope you enjoy all six of Silhouette Desire’s love stories this month—and every month.
Regards,
Melissa Senate
Senior Editor Silhouette Books
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 5X3
The Lone Texan
Lass Small
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
LASS SMALL finds living on this planet at this time a fascinating experience. People are amazing. She thinks that to be a teller of tales of people, places and things is absolutely marvelous.
Dear Reader,
This is a milestone for me in that Silhouette is celebrating my 50th book published by them. It is a marvel.
I was always told that I should write. My mother and my teachers all commented on that. Instead, I got married and had kids. It wasn’t until our third was twelve that I went back to art school.
In the early ’80s everybody was scrambling for publication, because suddenly all of the publishing houses were launching romances. Home with a little boy, idle, I was already writing short stories and novels. And being turned down.
Finally, I published several books with another house. Then I was asked to write a book for Silhouette. I was surprised. I said, “You’ve turned down five of my books.” And that editor replied, “We’ve matured.”
Now, how could anyone ignore that kind of response? I laughed, and she had me.
All of the publishers have been very kind to me, and I salute them all. Of course, Silhouette Books is now my publishing home. I don’t know how they manage to find such kind editors. My current editor is Melissa Jeglinski. She is another jewel.
Obviously, my mother and my teachers were right all along. I was fortunate to be where I was, at the time the opportunity was open, and I’ve been especially fortunate in editors. It has been a pleasure.
With writer’s love,
One
On the Keeper ranch in northwest Texas, the problem with the senior Mrs. Keeper was that she could never really, actually abandon anybody. She simply could not quit, give up or let any of them go, for crying out loud.
That was why she spent so much time...enduring people. She was so earnest that the most recalcitrant person finally just gave up and relaxed and allowed her to—well, actually, she reprogrammed their brains.
It wasn’t easy.
However, no person who landed at the Keeper place in northwest Texas ever left there for good.
That immediately gives an observer the sound of a closing tomb like in an Egyptian pyramid. And one considers the dead pharaoh and the trapped, live wives and servants who were sealed inside the tomb with the corpse.
Well, with Mina Keeper, it wasn’t that way. Not at all. It was just that Mrs. John Keeper, Sr., couldn’t allow a misdirected human to be rejected. In her mind, everyone could be straightened out and made logical. Sure.
Mina Keeper was picky. Everybody has their own little quirks. First, Mina learned in which direction was their own stance. Everybody has one. Most of those she monitored were hostile or self-protective.
Off the big dining room was a small, private dining room. It was there that Mina had lunch with the individual ones, subtly directing their table manners. To her, table manners were prime.
Oddly enough, one of her current isolated lunch partners was her own son, Tom. He’d been turned down by women so many times, by then, that he’d decided to be a loner. He was silent and somewhat bitter.
Tom was the version of always a groomsman, never the groom. He’d just stood up with yet another pair who were married. The married couple included Andrew Parsons, a man who had been lost in time; and JoAnn Murray who had—almost—abandoned the time laggard.
Andrew, the time laggard, had a sister, Lu, who was living in one of the houses on the ranch with one of the ranch pilots, Rip. Mrs. Keeper was sure no young woman should live in sin. The fact that Lu was living on the Keeper land, with Rip, was another weight on Mina Keeper’s shoulders.
In their bedroom, John Keeper told his wife, Mina, “It’s their business.”
And Mina said rather woefully, “They’re so young.”
“They’re old enough to decide their own lives. They are deciding if they match.”
She turned her head and smiled at her husband on his back, sideways across their bed. “We did that.”
“Hush. The walls have ears!”
She laughed in her throat in the way a woman does when a man pleases her, and—
Well, that finished that mind-irritating subject—for a while.
It was several busy days later when an old friend from school, Jenny Little Drew, called Mina Keeper. They laughed and gossiped and exchanged memories, then Jenny mentioned, “Remember Maggie Williams Simpson? Her woebegone daughter, Ellen, needs a place to heal.”
“Physical?”
“Everything.”
“Uh-h-h...”
“Ellen is not dangerous. She’s just silent and wants to be alone.”
Mina Keeper gasped, “Out here?”
“I’ve always considered the Keeper Place as a haven.”
Mina mentioned with some stridence, “I’ve always thought you were a little strange.”
Jenny was very serious and said into the telephone, “Ellen needs a haven in which to heal.”
“What happened to her?”
“A man abandoned her some time ago when he found she was...with child. She lost the baby. Two losses. Him and then the baby. It was too much.”
“The bastard.”
Jenny was silent a blink. “Why...I’d never realized you knew that word.”
Mina replied with some lack of endurance, “I know them all. Send her to us. We’ll see if we can help.”
In a wavering voice, Jenny said softly, “Ahhh. Thank you. I—hoped—you—could—”
Stridently, Mina warned, “Don’t you dare bawl on me. I can’t survive something like that!”
Jenny’s laugh then was water logged.
The odd guest, Ellen Simpson, arrived three days later! She was like a mouse in a houseful of cats. Under a wide-brimmed hat, her hair was dark and rolled into a severe knot at the back of her head.
At least Ellen hadn’t shaved her head, but she was withdrawn and silent so that she wouldn’t be noticed.
Greeting Ellen, Mina sent a rather strong negative thought to her old school chum Jenny who had very recently become an ex-friend. Unfortunately, Jenny was the kind who never noticed she’d been rejected and abandoned.
Mina smiled gently and said to Ellen, “We are so pleased you could come visit. We have just the room for you.” Mrs. Keeper grinned and lifted her eyebrows as she added, “The crew was delighted to straighten the room. I do hope it’s something you like. If not, we have other choices.”
“It’ll be fine. Mother is especially pleased you invited me here.”
Ellen wasn’t? Mina smiled. To her the woman-child even looked like a reject. Mina said, “Let’s see if you like the room’s view. If you’d prefer another view, we’ll find you another room.”
That gave the guest a reason to see the room and to look outside. Mina always did that to reluctant guests. The choice gave them more liberty and control. She’d had reluctant guests who’d moved immediately, and eventually moved back into the original room.
Mina Keeper acted as if she had the whole day to visit and consider rooms. Ellen didn’t remove her hat for some time. She was hiding? Mina was glad that she knew the circumstances of Ellen. At least that allowed Mina to understand the withdrawn young woman.
Gradually, gradually, Mina began to understand this woman who’d been rejected by a man she most probably loved. A woman who had also lost her child. Here was a suffering woman who didn’t know how to cope with her losses. And Mina wondered how she was to help Ellen?
Mina looked at the sundered girl-woman and her emotions wanted to hold the raw, vulnerable girl and cry with her.
Perhaps at a later time.
Mina showed Ellen the house in a lazy, easy manner. They walked slowly so that the very thin Ellen wouldn’t be totally exhausted. They had morning tea, but she gave Ellen milk.
A clue was that Ellen drank some of the milk slowly and didn’t appear to even know what she did was guided by her upbringing of courtesy. Someone had given her a tea, she’d had milk handed to her and she did not reject it but had courteously sipped it so as not to embarrass the hostess.
Ellen was given a square cookie that was loaded with good foods and laced with raisins and nuts. She actually ate one. It took a while.
How strange it was to Mina that she watched and waited for a guest to actually eat something, when all her years she’d been overwhelmed with hungry people who talked as they ate.
This guest was mostly silent.
Ellen looked at the things Mina mentioned and indicated, but she had no comment.
It was obvious that Ellen’s mother had raised her to be courteous. She endured. How long could Mina keep Ellen by her side? When would Ellen ask to go to her room?
