Wedding at Rocking S Ranch Read online

  Can a widow in the Wild West...

  ...find wedded bliss again?

  When Cassandra Stewart fulfills her husband’s dying wish by visiting the ranch he loved, she plans to sell it. But then she meets his best friend. As aloof, ruggedly handsome Wolf shows Cassandra the value of life in the prairies, tenderness begins to grow from their shared pain into something more... Maybe there’s a future for her at the Rocking S Ranch after all...

  “A fast-paced, sensual and delightful read about lovers torn apart by duty and reunited by destiny.”

  —RT Book Reviews on The Gunslinger and the Heiress

  “Fans of western and marriage-of-convenience romances have it all in this pleasant, quick-paced love story.”

  —RT Book Reviews on Texas Wedding For Their Baby’s Sake

  Tingles raced up Cassandra’s arm. The odor of the cleaning oil, leather and something completely male filled her senses.

  She tried to concentrate on Wolf’s instructions, tried to follow them. Had he felt anything? He continued teaching her how to load the pistol’s two-barrel chambers, apparently unaffected.

  She could feel his warmth radiating off him in the quiet interior of the stable. He reached around her from her back and his hands closed over hers to adjust her hold on the weapon. The gun was cold against her skin, but his hands were warm—the skin of his palms calloused from hard work. His breath on her neck did crazy things to her senses. Everywhere they touched—hands, arms, shoulders—was on fire. Her heart raced in her chest.

  She looked up at his familiar face, so close to hers. He stopped talking. He might have stopped breathing.

  Author Note

  Lauri Robinson and I have loved writing this series set in Oak Grove, Kansas. The town and its inhabitants have become so real to me that I wish I could go there and visit them in real life! I am confident that all of them will find their happy-ever-after.

  The heroine in this story, Cassandra, is a woman whose joy of life has been snuffed out by circumstances beyond her control. This is her journey back to herself and finding her inner strength again.

  The hero in Wedding at Rocking S Ranch is my type of hero. A strong, independent yet caring man. Raymond Wolf was inspired by a strong, tough and yet gentle hero in my own life—my father.

  I hope you enjoy their story.

  Happy reading!

  KATHRYN ALBRIGHT

  Wedding at Rocking S Ranch

  Kathryn Albright writes American-set historical romance for Harlequin. From her first breath, she has had a passion for stories that celebrate the goodness in people. She combines her love of history and her love of story to write novels of inspiration, endurance and hope. Visit her at kathrynalbright.com and on Facebook.

  Books by Kathryn Albright

  Harlequin Historical

  The Rebel and the Lady

  Texas Wedding for Their Baby’s Sake

  Wild West Christmas

  “Dance with a Cowboy”

  Western Spring Weddings

  “His Springtime Bride”

  Oak Grove

  Mail-Order Brides of Oak Grove

  “Taming the Runaway Bride”

  The Prairie Doctor’s Bride

  Wedding at Rocking S Ranch

  Heroes of San Diego

  The Angel and the Outlaw

  The Gunslinger and the Heiress

  Familiar Stranger in Clear Springs

  Christmas Kiss from the Sheriff

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com.

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  Dedicated to my father, who has championed my writing career from the beginning and who, when I was barely up to his knee, introduced me to a love of stories with his amazing tales of a young girl and her flying horse.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Excerpt from The Captain Claims His Lady by Annie Burrows

  Prologue

  Oak Grove, Kansas, 1878

  Raymond Wolf rammed the oil-soaked cloth down the rifle’s barrel for one last coating, making sure the path was smooth and slippery without any catches. It had to be perfect if it was to be his best friend’s wedding present.

  The long swab pressed against the farthest end of the shaft, and at the same moment, something squeezed in Wolf’s chest. An invisible weight descended, as if the very air pressed down on him. Maybe he had been working too hard. He’d had that large order to finish for Dodge City last week, which demanded all of his time. This was the first chance he’d had to work on Doug’s rifle.

  The sensation grew stronger. Doug’s face filled his mind. He set the rifle barrel on his workbench and clutched the turquoise stone at his neck. The small workshop, the snow falling outside the front window, all faded away into a gray mist. Then his friend’s face faded too. Something had happened.

  “Wolf?” Jackson Miller spoke from the doorway, breaking into the strange fog. Miller stepped inside quickly, followed by another man—a stranger—and shut the door. “Got a man here looking for you.”

  Wolf released his grip on the stone and struggled to shake off the premonition. He stood and backed away from his work area, staring at the hammer, trigger guard and bow drill that lay on the table. Absent only a moment ago, now the strong scent of oil and varnish filled the air once more.

  Miller stepped farther into the room and removed his flat cap. “Are you all right?”

  Wolf looked up, still slightly dazed. “Miller,” he said, acknowledging his neighbor.

  Then his thoughts cleared, and he noticed the short, pudgy man in a gray suit peering around Miller’s shoulder. Wolf wiped the oil from his hands on an old rag and slowly removed his shop apron, hanging it from its neck loop on the peg beside the window. He turned back to the two men. “What can I do for you?”

  “Raymond Wolf?” the stranger asked, his gaze dubious.

  Outsiders always took a moment to adjust to his looks. Confusion happened first, quickly followed by suspicion, and then the lingering unspoken question: Why wasn’t he on a reservation with the rest of his tribe? And more than that—was he dangerous? Wolf counted it ironic that along with his appearance, the profession he had fallen into—gunsmithing—also made them nervous. It was ironic and, if he was truthful, satisfying.

  “Excuse me. My name is Franklin Masters. I...uh...have some unfortunate news regarding an acquaintance of yours. A Mr. Douglas Stewart.”