Second-Chance Bride
Though she came west in her wedding dress, Deborah Frazier isn’t looking for a groom. She fled St. Louis to escape marrying a man she didn’t love. In Cowboy Creek, she’s found shelter, friends and a job. All that’s now in jeopardy, thanks to a handsome newcomer.
Undercover Pinkerton agent Adam Halloway is hunting for his family’s greatest enemy. The pretty baker at the boardinghouse is certainly hiding something—but is she an accomplice to a criminal? As evidence against Deborah piles up, can Adam trust his heart and make Deborah a bride at last?
KAREN KIRST was born and raised in east Tennessee near the Great Smoky Mountains. She’s a lifelong lover of books, but it wasn’t until after college that she had the grand idea to write one herself. Now she divides her time between being a wife, homeschooling mom and romance writer. Her favorite pastimes are reading, visiting tearooms and watching romantic comedies.
Return to Cowboy Creek
Romancing the Runaway Bride
Cowboy Creek
Bride by Arrangement
Smoky Mountain Matches
The Reluctant Outlaw
The Bridal Swap
The Gift of Family
“Smoky Mountain Christmas”
His Mountain Miss
The Husband Hunt
Married by Christmas
From Boss to Bridegroom
The Bachelor’s Homecoming
Reclaiming His Past
The Sheriff’s Christmas Twins
Wed by Necessity
The Engagement Charade
A Lawman for Christmas
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk
Romancing the Runaway Bride
Karen Kirst
ISBN: 978-1-474-08443-7
ROMANCING THE RUNAWAY BRIDE
© 2018 Harlequin Books S.A.
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
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Version: 2020-03-02
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“You arrived in your wedding clothes,” he said softly.
“You have the uncanny ability to question me as if I’m on trial. Were you ever a lawyer, Mr. Draper?”
“I apologize for pressing you. It’s none of my business. Although, I will say I understand the locals’ frustration. You’re beautiful, intelligent and talented. Any man with a scrap of sense would make a bid for your attention.”
His praise emboldened her. “You haven’t.”
Adam’s lips parted. His eyes thrummed with emotion quickly squelched. After clearing his throat, he said,
“I’m not yet in that stage of my life. There are matters that take precedence over any desire to wed and produce heirs.”
“What sort of matters? Your ranches?”
“My ranches...” His brows drew together. “Oh, yes. My business obligations are many.”
“So you’ve never come close to falling in love?”
He fell silent. Deborah felt as though she were swimming in that endless brown gaze as the air between them thinned. Why had she asked such a foolish question?
* * *
Return to Cowboy Creek: A bride train delivers the promise of new love and family to a Kansas boomtown
The Rancher Inherits a Family—
Cheryl St.John, April 2018
His Substitute Mail-Order Bride—
Sherri Shackelford, May 2018
Romancing the Runaway Bride—
Karen Kirst, June 2018
Thank you for taking the time to read my book. I hope you enjoyed returning to Cowboy Creek and our heroines and heroes—familiar and new—as much as I did. Adam and Deborah’s love story was such fun to explore. Some fictitious couples give me more trouble than others. Not so the detective and the runaway bride! These two took an almost instant liking to each other, so I was glad to