“You don’t want to talk to me, do you?”
His eyes glittered with challenge, daring her to answer.
“No.” She shook her head. “I don’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because you never seem satisfied with what I say.”
It was enough of the truth for now. She just didn’t add that a part of her was very busy noticing him as a man. She had from the very beginning. And that his physical presence made her suddenly aware of herself as a woman.
She swallowed and added, “And because you never take anything at face value. You always seem to suspect a hidden meaning, an ulterior motive—and you make me…uneasy.” It was a better word than nervous. Or self-conscious.
“Maybe I wouldn’t have to look for hidden meanings if you would talk to me. If I didn’t have to pry out every bit of information you held…!”
Harlequin Historicals is delighted to introduce new author Wendy Douglas
Here is what some of her fellow authors have to say about her debut novel
SHADES OF GRAY
“A heartwarming voice and a story about the power of love.”
—New York Times bestselling author and three-time RITA Award winner Jennifer Greene
“An exquisite love story of hope and healing, and a stunning debut for Ms. Douglas!”
—Romantic Times Career Achievement Award winner
Mary Anne Wilson
#599 THE LOVE MATCH
Deborah Simmons/Deborah Hale/Nicola Cornick
#600 A MARRIAGE BY CHANCE
Carolyn Davidson
#601 MARRYING MISCHIEF
Lyn Stone
Shades of Gray
Wendy Douglas
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Available from Harlequin Historicals and WENDY DOUGLAS
Shades of Gray #602
For Doug
For giving me the time and freedom to finally achieve my dream. For teaching me about the miracles that come from taking chances. And for being my best friend…my very own hero. I love you.
Acknowledgments
This book was a labor of love, a book of my heart. Even so, I could not have written it without the help and support of some amazing people: Alison Hart, who volunteered to read the manuscript and offered unlimited time, advice and understanding. (Thanks, Petunia.) Tracy Green, Cheryl Johnson, Lynda Mikulski and Carolyn Rogers, who brainstormed, listened, read and critiqued my baby with sincere enthusiasm and encouragement. Mary Anne Wilson, who taught me that a hard man is good to find—and knew just the hard men I would need for this book. Dana Stabenow, who made exactly the suggestion I needed, just when I needed it, to find the right ending. Laurie Miller, who generously shared her medical knowledge, particularly with home remedies suitable for the post-Civil War era. My Texas “expert,” Betty Sue Crain, who offered pictures, maps, stories, an exclusive Texas tour in seven whirlwind days, and for cooking dinner—more than once—so I could keep writing. The “Thursday LaMex girls,” Kathy Hafer and Jean Whitley, for proofreading and years of unflagging support. (Margaritas are on me next week!)
Contents
Prologue
Texas, April 1868
He rode damn near to the edge of nowhere before he found it. For days now, the landscape