“He’s not at the ranch, either,” Mr. Burleson said then.
“Mr. Wagner?” she asked, even though she knew that was exactly who Stafford Burleson meant.
“Yes.”
“Where is he?”
He shrugged. “Texas. Mexico.”
Marie couldn’t deny a quick flash of relief as it washed over her. Maybe she wouldn’t have to face the marriage issue right away. She and the children could get settled in and …
“For how long?” she asked.
His gaze never left the road. “Can’t rightly say. Could be next spring before he gets back.”
“Next spring?”
Panic overtook any sense of relief. Her funds were almost gone. The children would starve to death by then, unless … She shivered at the thought, but unfortunately Stafford was her only hope.
Something in his eyes, the way they shimmered, had her mouth going dry, her nerves tingling as though a storm was approaching. Maybe there was another option.
“Who lives at Mr. Wagner’s ranch in his absence?”
“Me.”
Welcome to THE WRONG COWBOY. If any of you have read THE COWBOY WHO CAUGHT HER EYE, Marie was the woman on the train with all the children. From the moment I typed that minor reference I knew I had to write her story.
In doing so, I was also provided with the opportunity to incorporate an inanimate object that used to drive me crazy into one of my books. Our previous home had a wood stove that I could build a fire in blindfolded. Then we moved into this house and I encountered the stove from—well, you know … That stove and I battled … I have a scar from when the door mysteriously swung shut, hitting me on the head. Mysteriously because I was the only one at home. I am glad to say that stove never got the better of me—not completely—before we replaced it years ago.
Unfortunately the stove Marie encounters does best her—but everything happens for a reason.
I hope you enjoy meeting Marie, Stafford and all the children who eventually provide Marie with the family she’s always wanted.
The Wrong
Cowboy
Lauri Robinson
MILLS & BOON
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To my wonderful friend Jean.
Thanks for the lunch dates, the brainstorming, and the research trips.
LAURI ROBINSON’s chosen genre to write is Western historical romance. When asked why, she says, ‘Because I know I wasn’t the only girl who wanted to grow up and marry Little Joe Cartwright.’
With a degree in early childhood education, Lauri has spent decades working in the non-profit field and claims once-upon-a-time and happily-ever-after romance novels have always been a form of stress relief. When her husband suggested she write one she took the challenge, and has loved every minute of the journey.
Lauri lives in rural Minnesota, where she and her husband spend every spare moment with their three grown sons and four grandchildren. She works part-time, volunteers for several organisations, and is a diehard Elvis and NASCAR fan. Her favourite getaway location is the woods of northern Minnesota, on the land homesteaded by her great-grandfather.
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