Two
brothers…one woman…one final chance for Redemption
Desperate to escape her dark past, Laurel James agrees to wed the
mayor of a small East Texas town. With him, life will be quiet, respectable.
Safe. It should be everything she ever wanted.
And it is. Until Shenandoah rides back into town.
Shenandoah never thought he would find the woman he loved and
lost…and he certainly never dreamed she’d be pledged to his brother. He knows
he should step aside—he has nothing to offer a woman like Laurel James—but the
moment their eyes meet, Shenandoah is lost. He can only find peace in her
arms…but can redemption be more than a dream for a man who has known nothing
but war?
Read an excerpt
“Sit with me, Lil.”
Brodie Yates’ order didn’t come with an alternative.
Bittersweet
memories rose from the ashes. She’d wished to hear those words about a thousand
times. Deep in her heart, an ache throbbed.
“You paid for the
steak, not idle conversation.” Her statement came hard and brittle as she faced
him, trying to forget the man in front of her and that he’d known her as
Lavender Lil.
Brodie reached into
his pocket and flipped a silver dollar onto the table. The heavy coin spun for
a second before clinking to rest with the woman’s profile staring up.
“I’m paying for the
company.”
Laurel’s lips
tightened along with fingernails digging into the soft flesh of her palms. “Who
do you think you are to barge into my life this way?”
“A man no one wants
to know. The devil with a six shooter.” His tone held quiet torture. “Someone
who’s been to heaven and hell and half the stops in between.”
Doubting the
wisdom, she dropped stiffly into the spot Ollie, the café owner, had vacated,
hating the swish of her skirts that floated lazily against his boots. “What
does such a man talk about?”
Damn her voice for
going soft on her. She blamed the glimmer in his eyes...and the smile that
promised sin.
“Pain and regret. Happy
times. Four days in St. Louis. Pecan praline pie that I have on good authority
is the way to your heart. Should I continue?” He asked.
Foreboding swept
her down a winding road. To follow would be inviting back the dark, unwelcome
nightmares she strove daily to forget. The past lay buried beneath more grief
and turmoil than any person should ever have to live with.
Brodie swallowed
and laid down his fork when she didn’t reply. He leaned forward, his intent
clear. Laurel jerked her head aside and drew back. However, such tactics didn’t
deter a man like him.
With a firm grip of
her chin, he forced her to meet the hunger in his smoky gaze. “I recall a
hot-blooded woman on a sultry summer night. The wet eagerness between—”
“Please....”
“That’s what you
said then, too. Begged for more. Pleaded with me to take you with me.”
“Lil died. She
doesn’t exist anymore.” A razor sharp edge flavored harsh reality. He’d left
her in that godforsaken place with never a backward glance.
“You’re mistaken. Lil
is very much alive.” He tapped his leather-vested chest. “She’s in here for
safekeeping.”
With the barest of
fingertips he traced the line of her parted mouth, leaving a scorched path. A
fine sheen of perspiration pooled in the valley between her breasts.
“Kisses sweet as
sun-ripened strawberries. Wonder if you taste the same as I remember.”
“Stop.” Laurel
twisted away and stood. “We can’t.”
He stood and his
caress gentler than dewdrops on an early spring day. She shivered against the
contact of his thumb smoothing away perspiration pooling in the hollow of her
throat then across her wildly beating pulse.
“What’s a woman
like you doing in Redemption? Surely not trying to find salvation.”
“Is that so
ridiculous?”
Brodie’s clear gaze
simmered. “Think a leopard can change his spots?”
“I’m not the person
you thought. Despite choosing to believe me unworthy, I had no control over my
situation back then. I do have that luxury now, however.”
“So you say, Lil.” Brodie’s
lazy drawl scraped across raw nerves, silk over sandpaper. “Time does tell
all.”
Memories tumbled
end over end, colliding with temptation she wasn’t positive she had strength to
resist.
Her head whirled in
tune with a thundering heartbeat as she flew from the dining room of the cafe
into the kitchen. Splashing water from the porcelain bowl beneath the pump, she
cooled her heated cheeks.
Please let me come. I promise I won’t be any trouble.
Not now, darlin’. Can’t, but I’ll be back.
He’d heard nothing
over the roar of his lust. He closed his eyes to her shame. In all fairness, he
never knew they kept her prisoner. By the time she decided to trust him, he’d
waltzed out the door. And left her behind.
The roughness of
her tooth scraped her tongue with the memory of what happened afterward.
Easy footsteps
aroused alarm. A quick pivot found her staring at the man whom she wanted more
than anything on earth.
He approached with
slow, deliberate steps.
“Didn’t get my
dollar’s worth of conversation.”
“I didn’t ask for
or take your money. I owe you nothing.” Laurel backed up until her shoulder
blades flattened against the wall.
“You saying I can’t
pay for favors?” He took a step.
“Yes. I told you
I’m not the same....” A roar began inside her head. She eyed the approaching
storm knowing it was too late for help.
“You saying you
won’t give that little moan like you used to if I touch you?” He progressed two
steps this time.
She licked her
parched lips. Didn’t the man understand? Persisting in this would only awaken
sleeping dogs that had no reason to stir from their slumber.
“Do I dare find out
if will your lips will remain cold and lifeless?” He inched closer, narrowing
the space between them more.
So close. A trickle
of sweat slid down her back soaking the tight waistband. The fragrance of
leather and fresh cut hay meandered up her nose. God help her. His mouth
pressed to hers would rekindle the love she still felt for him. She wasn’t made
of stone...just flesh and blood and more regrets than she could count.
The lazy half-smile
indicated enjoyment. He knew his nearness suffocated her thoughts.
He meant to strip
every shred of her newfound dignity.
He intended to kiss
her.
And perhaps
more? She gasped for air but found
little.
“Convince me. For
old time’s sake.” He reached for a dark curl. “Show me I’m no longer in your
blood and I’ll leave you alone. I dare you.”
A rabbit in a snare
had a more reasonable chance. His hand slipped behind her head. Laurel sagged
weakly against his chest, tired of fighting forbidden attraction. Beneath her
ear, his heart raced, perhaps chased by memories on a fast horse.
“I’ve dreamed of
this for so long.” His breath stirred the hair against her throbbing temple. “I’ve
relived every detail of those nights in my mind. The faint scent of rose water
behind your ears, the tiny pulse in the hollow of your throat. I remember every
whispered endearment.”
“Please...stop. I
don’t—”
His mouth smothered
the plea. Her body betrayed her, responding to desire born from hopeless fear
long ago.
Laurel welcomed the
thrusting tongue and when her breasts ached for his caress, he covered them
with his palms, rolling the nipples to hard peaks. Delicious, shameful thrills
played tag up her spine.
Soft mewling
escaped from somewhere deep inside, a place where lies could not hide. A place
she never thought to revisit in this century.
The arousal bulging
beneath his supple trousers into her soft belly spoke of equal need. Passion
became a raging inferno that threatened to scorch everything in its
path...including her lofty goals of good intentions. Low moans rumbled in his
throat when she wound her fingers in the thickness of his hair.
What she wouldn’t
give to pretend he meant nothing. Simply a man she used to know. Or maybe just
some nameless wanderer who’d ridden into town looking to put food in his belly.
Truth and lies,
pleasure and pain. Seemed she couldn’t have one without plenty of the opposite.
She’d pay any price if he’d up and disappear from life one more time.
But wasn’t the
greater sin in denying he made her feel alive again?
Abruptly, he pushed
away. “Got my answer. You still care for me. Admit it. The fire burns hotter
than ever. Cloak yourself in self-righteous claims that mean nothing but I have
my proof.”
Laurel recoiled,
wishing him into the nearest grave.
“You low-down
double-crosser. I didn’t throw myself into your arms. You came to me. You took
what belongs to your brother.”
The imprint of his touch
lingered on her skin like a hot brand.
He barked a laugh. “I
didn’t notice any resistance. Your body remembers a lover’s touch. The supposed
fresh start and tender feelings you claim for my brother? Fact remains, they’re nothing but smoke and
mirrors, darlin’.”
Get TEXAS REDEMPTION
Amazon: https://amzn.com/149264644X
Meet Linda
Linda is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her interest in reading and history came very early, so it was no surprise when she began writing western historical romances. She resides in the Texas Panhandle on land the American Indian and Comancheros once roamed, where ghosts from the past lurk around every corner. Humble roots and the love of family have become focal points of each book she writes.
Where did you get the idea
for this story?
I was still a brand new writer when I got the idea. This is
actually the first story I wrote that had any structure and depth and I wrote it
before I published my first novel which was Knight on the Texas Plains in 2001.
So I had a lot to learn and I knew it. I attended a Romance Writers of America
Conference in the mid-1990s and sat in on a workshop about how to create
heroines that spring to life. I can’t tell you the speaker’s name. All I can
say is that she talked about how to make a heroine out of anyone no matter
their social status or past. The information she gave that day taught me so
much and I was scribbling as fast as I could. Sitting in that room with writers
around me, Laurel James was born. I went home so excited and wrote the book.
But publishers back then shied away from the subject of prostitution unless the
heroine was a cook, a maid, or kept the books. Since Laurel was actively
involved in the business I had no luck selling it until 2005.
Can you tell us about the
hero and heroine?
Some pre-story: Laurel was kidnapped at the age of fifteen and
taken to a brothel St. Louis. The Civil War was just beginning at that time.
She dreamed of escape but each time she tried, they caught her and the
punishment became more severe. After she was there a while, she met a Rebel spy
who went by the name of Shenandoah. They fell in love but were separated by
war.
Fast forward to the book: Laurel escaped the brothel with the help
of the woman who cooked for the girls. They make their way to the small town of
Redemption, Texas where they open a café. Laurel catches the mayor/banker’s eye
and they become engaged. Though she doesn’t love him, he offers her
respectability and a chance to wash off the sins of her past. Only Shenandoah
rides into town. He’s Brodie Yates, the mayor’s brother and he threatens to
destroy everything she’s worked for. He’s being chased by the army to stand trial
for his activity as a spy. But there’s no denying their love and trouble
follows.
If you could interview one
person in history who would it be?
The lady gambler – Lottie Deno. She was such an interesting
woman—bold, brash, and she went after what she wanted. Lottie was born on a
Southern plantation and had everything she wanted. Her father taught her to
play poker and she became amazingly skilled. After his sudden death, she saw
poker as the way to provide for her mother and siblings. Lottie traveled across
Texas, establishing quite a name for herself in the rough saloons. She played
with all the greats—Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and so many others. She married
only once to Frank Thurmond and lived to a ripe old age of 99. I’d love to sit
down with her and ask what that was like. I’m sure she had a million stories to
tell. Coincidentally, Miss Kitty who ran the saloon in the TV western Gunsmoke
was based on Lottie Deno.
How is it working with hot
guys all day?
Well, you know it’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it. I really
enjoy creating men that readers would love to cuddle up with. But’s it’s not
ALL fun and games. Sometimes we butt heads and I have to lay down the law. It’s
hard because they wink and give me that sexy, lop-sided grin that stops my
heart and I forget what I was going to say. The hardest part is keeping their
clothes on them. My gosh! I get no writing done with them parading around in
front of me wearing only a sinful grin. But seriously, it’s the best job in the
whole world.
What is the first thing
you do when you finish writing a book?
Breathe a big sigh of relief. Until I type The End, I never know
what I have. I go out to dinner with friends to celebrate and that’s always
fun. Then the next day, I clean off my desk and get ready to start the next
adventure.
Find out more and connect with Linda:
Website: http://lindabroday.com/
Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/lindabrodayauthor
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lbroday
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Linda-Broday/e/B001JRXWB2
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lindabroday1/
READER QUESTION:
How many pages do you give a book to draw you into the story—only a few, a first chapter or further?
