Texas Ranger, Runaway Heiress

No matter what, she wasn’t going to allow the hard-hearted Ranger to recognize her. Unfortunately, Captain Stone crossed the street, eating up the ground with his long swift strides.

“So we meet again,” he murmured as he halted in front of her. Bri refused to speak for fear he would recognize her voice.

Suddenly she saw her fiancé ambling down the boardwalk. If Eaton spotted her in her gray gown, he would spoil her charade. Bri latched on to Hudson, clamped her mouth over his, and pulled him deeper into the alley.

To her dismay, the same sensations that had assailed her the previous night spilled over her again. Hudson’s tantalizing scent, his taste and the feel of his muscular body pressed against her swept Bri into a dizzying universe that defied logical explanation. Hud clamped his hands on her hips, pressing her against his thighs, making her vividly aware of his masculine response. Then his hand glided up to brush the side of her breast, and another flame of desire scorched her….

Texas Ranger, Runaway Heiress

Harlequin®Historical

Praise for Carol Finch

“Carol Finch is known for her lightning-fast, roller-coaster-ride adventure romances that are brimming over with a large cast of characters and dozens of perilous escapades.”

—Romantic Times BOOKreviews

McCavett’s Bride

“For wild adventures, humor and western atmosphere, Finch can’t be beat. She fires off her quick-paced novels with the crack of a rifle and creates the atmosphere of the Wild West through laugh-out-loud dialogue and escapades that keep you smiling.”

—Romantic Times BOOKreviews

The Ranger’s Woman

“Finch delivers her signature humor, along with a big dose of colorful Texas history, in a love and laughter romp.”

—Romantic Times BOOKreviews

Lone Wolf’s Woman

“As always, Finch provides frying-pan-into-the-fire action that keeps the pages flying, then spices up her story with not one, but two romances, sensuality and strong emotions.”

—Romantic Times BOOKreviews

CAROL FINCH

Texas Ranger, Runaway Heiress

Available from Harlequin®Historical and CAROL FINCH

Call of the White Wolf #592

Bounty Hunter’s Bride #635

Oklahoma Bride #686

Texas Bride #711

One Starry Christmas #723

“Home for Christmas”

The Last Honest Outlaw #732

The Ranger’s Woman #748

Lone Wolf’s Woman #778

*The Ranger #805

*Fletcher’s Woman #832

McCavett’s Bride #852

Cooper’s Woman #897

The Bounty Hunter and the Heiress #909

Texas Ranger, Runaway Heiress #927

Silhouette Special Edition

Not Just Another Cowboy #1242

Soul Mates #1320

Harlequin American Romance

Cupid and the Cowboy #1055

Harlequin Duets

Fit To Be Tied #36

A Regular Joe #45

Mr. Predictable #62

The Family Feud #72

*Lonesome Ryder? #81

*Restaurant Romeo #81

*Fit To Be Frisked #105

*Mr. Cool Under Fire #105

DON’T MISS THESE OTHER

NOVELS AVAILABLE NOW:

#928 MARRYING THE CAPTAIN—Carla Kelly

Captain Oliver Worthy is a confirmed bachelor—so falling in love with Eleanor Massie is about the last thing he intends!

But in the turbulence of a national emergency,

Eleanor is everything he needs….

The captain finds the woman of his dreams!

#929 THE VISCOUNT CLAIMS HIS BRIDE—Bronwyn Scott

For years, Valerian Inglemoore lived a double life on the war-torn Continent. Now he has returned, knowing exactly what he wants—the woman he once gave up!

But Philippa Stratten is not the naive debutante he knew, and she’s suspicious of his intentions….

Now the rake battles for love and honor!

#930 HIGH SEAS STOWAWAY—Amanda MCCabe

Meeting Balthazar Grattiano years after their first fateful encounter, Bianca Simonetti finds he has sailed the seas, battled pirates and is captain of his own ship. Bianca is shocked that her old infatuation has deepened to an irresistible sexual attraction….

Enemies become lovers….

This book is dedicated to my husband, Ed, and our children Jill, Jon, Christie, Durk, Shawnna and Kurt. And to our grandchildren, Livia, Harleigh, Blake, Kennedy, Dillon and Brooklynn. With much love.

Contents

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 One

Middle of Nowhere, Texas

Late 1870s

Captain Hudson Stone waited impatiently for Texas Ranger Commander Winston Price to finish his conference with Hud’s battalion leader. Winston Price had arrived in camp two days earlier to inspect the troops and assess the situation in West Texas—which had become a breeding ground for trouble the past few months.

When Major John Ketter exited the tent, wearing a carefully blank stare, Hud didn’t know what to expect or why the Ranger commander had singled him out. Hud ducked under the tent flap then nodded a greeting to Commander Price, whose alert brown eyes made a quick inspection of Hud’s tattered attire and the week’s growth of whiskers that he had been too busy to shave.

The commander sank onto the edge of his cot to stretch out his long legs. The former military officer had served, as Hud had, in the Confederate Army. Winston Price was beginning to show his age, although he still was in reasonably good physical condition. He was in his late forties and sported a thick crop of reddish brown hair. A thin mustache and goatee accentuated the commanding features of his face.

“Nice to see you again, Captain Stone.”

“What can I do for you, sir?” Hud was in no mood for idle chitchat. He wanted to be done with this impromptu meeting so he could mount up and focus on his quest to track down a ruthless killer known as Mad Joe Jarvis.

“Your battalion seems to be working effectively in this area, all things considered,” Winston commented as he braced his arms on the cot.

“We have a dedicated troop of Rangers who are trying to keep the lid on this area. Unfortunately, it is becoming more difficult by the week.” Now get to the point, Hud mused impatiently.

“Major Ketter recommended you for the duty I require posthaste,” Winston said, surprising Hud. He reached for the pipe that sat on the crude nightstand then lit it up. “My daughter notified me unexpectedly that she wants to consult with me as soon as possible. Since the governor sent me out here to expect the battalions and report on the extent of the trouble we’ve had in this region I need you for immediate escort detail.”

“Escort detail?” Hud croaked, stunned. “But sir, I—”

Winston flung up his hand as he surged to his feet. Although Winston was six feet tall and sturdy in stature, he had to stare up at Hud, who towered at six foot three inches in his stocking feet and outweighed the commander by at least twenty pounds.

“I asked Major Ketter to recommend his best Ranger for the task and he says you’re it.”

“But I’m leading a search to apprehend the outlaw who killed Speck Horton.”

Just saying Speck’s name aloud sent a wave of grief and frustration pouring over Hud. He and Speck had served in the Confederate Army together and had come to Texas to make a new start. Speck was as close to family as Hud had. The need to avenge Speck’s death tormented his waking hours and haunted his sleep. He didn’t want to be waylaid by escort detail.

“I have been briefed on your search and I am very sorry for your loss.” Winston stared straight at Hud. “I think that might be the other reason Major Ketter recommended you for escort duty. He thinks your vendetta has become too personal and obsessive and that you need a diversion.”

Like hell I do! He didn’t want to play nursemaid to some prissy tenderfoot female who had no business tramping around in an area that was jumping alive with Indian renegades. Occasionally they sneaked from Indian Territory to express dissatisfaction with conditions on the reservations and their outrage over another of the federal government’s broken treaties. Not to mention the problems associated with the influx of white and Mexican outlaw gangs. Plus, ranchers were feuding over water rights, land titles and lease agreements on public lands.

Hud couldn’t imagine why Commander Price would allow his daughter to venture out here. Did the dainty female have her father wrapped around her finger? Price had commanded military troops and state Rangers with ease. Apparently he couldn’t say no to his daughter. And what, Hud would like to know, was so damn important that the princess couldn’t wait until her daddy returned to Austin next month to see her?

“Major Ketter has agreed to let you gather your gear and leave for Fort Griffin within the hour.” Winston paused to blow two lopsided smoke rings in the air. “I don’t want Gabrielle to linger at The Flat longer than necessary. You know what a rowdy place it is.”

Teeth clenched, hands fisted at his sides, Hud nodded his dark head. The Flat was the raucous community that had sprung up at the bottom of the hill below the military fort. Buffalo hunters hauled in their hides for transport by wagon to the Dodge City railhead, where they were shipped to tanneries and millineries in the East. Cattle drovers arrived in town and let off steam by drinking, carousing and firing their six-shooters in the streets before trailing their herds to Dodge City. In addition, card sharks, harlots and all sorts of desperadoes, eager to engage in shootings, knifings and brawls, filled saloons and gaming halls. In short, it was the devil’s playground. Certainly not the place for a sophisticated lady.

“Sir, I’m not telling you anything you don’t know already,” Hud remarked, “but not only is this area dangerous but The Flat is as close to hell as most folks prefer to get. Several men have been killed publicly in showdowns. Then there are the ones who have been strung up by vigilantes. Between the cold-eyed killers, crooked dealers at faro, monte and poker tables and the soldiers who trot down Government Hill to carouse when they’re off duty, that is no place for a dignified lady.”

Plus, Hud had better things to do with his time than pick up a spoiled brat and deliver her to her daddy. Hell! This was the most ridiculous duty anyone had requested of him.

“I am aware of The Flat’s reputation,” Winston acknowledged before he took another long draw on his pipe. “Which is why I want you to leave immediately. I don’t know precisely when Bri’s stagecoach is due to arrive at The Flat. Fortunately her new fiancé is accompanying her.”

Wonderful, now he had to babysit and escort two citified greenhorns across the rugged terrain of the outlaw-infested badlands. Damn it, this unexpected assignment kept getting worse by the minute.

“I will be leaving your battalion this afternoon to inspect another Ranger unit,” Winston reported. Frustration must have shown on Hud’s face because Winston smiled sympathetically and patted him on the shoulder. “I understand your need for revenge, son. I lost several dear friends in the war. But rest assured that you will be back in a few days to resume command of your manhunt. I will assume responsibility for my daughter while she’s here.”

That should be fun, Hud thought sourly. The other men would be bowing and scraping over her and she’d probably soak up the male attention like a sponge. Most likely one adoring fiancé and a doting father wouldn’t be enough to satisfy Miss La-Di-Da Gabrielle Price.

“Bri is a very unique individual,” Winston boasted.

Of course, Winston would say she was unique. He was her father. Either that or sweet little Bri was unique because she had an extra finger on each hand or eyes in the back of her head. Whatever the case, Hud considered her an inconvenience of gigantic proportions.

Winston smiled fondly as a halo of smoke drifted around his head. “As a child she tried to be the son I never had. I called her the little general.”

It took considerable effort for Hud to keep from rolling his eyes. He had a personal and professional crusade driving him. He had vowed to apprehend Speck Horton’s murderer and this ridiculous escort detail was a waste of his valuable time and considerable skills as a Ranger.

“Then Bri blossomed into a woman and men showed up at my doorstep, requesting her company when she came to visit me.”

Hud looked at Winston and tried to imagine his broad forehead and angular features plastered on a female. It was not a particularly appealing image.

He didn’t know for sure but he presumed by Winston’s comment that he and his wife didn’t share the same residence. He wondered if Bri played her mother against her father to get what she wanted. It wouldn’t surprise him one bit.

“Now Bri’s mother has earmarked a young politician for her match and given her stamp of approval. If Bri is coming to ask for my formal blessing then she will have it. If this is what she wants. Bring my daughter to me, safe and sound, Captain Stone.”

The commander’s solemn expression and forceful tone implied “or else…”

“I will never forget the favor. Plus, I will alert the other Ranger battalions I visit about your friend’s killer so they can provide information to aid in your search.”

“Thank you, sir,” Hud said begrudgingly.

Then he wheeled around so Commander Price couldn’t see his scowl. Hud didn’t want to be relieved of his duty of tracking a ruthless killer, just so the commander could have his daughter escorted to him for a formal approval of her politician fiancé.

Swearing a blue streak Hud stalked off to gather his gear, saddle his horse and rush off to Fort Griffin to protect the female who should’ve had more sense than to venture to the hellhole in the first place.

While Hud was in town, he might take time to single out one of the harlots and scratch an itch that had gone unattended for more months than he cared to count. He ought to get something pleasurable from this mandatory trip. For sure and certain, chaperoning a pampered princess, whose father could dishonorably discharge him from Ranger service for disobeying a direct order, could destroy his future plans.

Hud glanced into the distance as he crammed his belongings into his saddlebags. He and Speck Horton had planned to build a prosperous ranch on the land grant they were to receive in compensation for their service to the Rangers. Now Speck wouldn’t be around to help Hud make that dream come true.

Still scowling at the unexpected turn of events that interrupted his manhunt, Hud swung into the saddle, turned his back on Angel Mesa—the rugged caprock that dropped into a maze of canyons—and pointed himself toward Fort Griffin. Two hours later, he realized that he hadn’t bothered to ask the commander for a description of his daughter.

“How the hell am I supposed to know who she is or where to find her?” he asked Rambler, the sturdy black gelding he was riding. “Right.” He gave a caustic smirk. “She’ll be the one wearing a diamond-encrusted tiara and who has a wide forehead, straight brown hair and dark eyes like her father.”

Hud had yet to meet Gabrielle—or Bri, the pet name her father used. But he disliked her sight unseen.

Gabrielle Price squirmed restlessly on the hard stagecoach seat and listened to her unwanted fiancé drone his life story to the three male passengers traveling with them to Fort Griffin. She flung Eaton Powell II a disgruntled glance and wished him to be anywhere else but here with her. She hadn’t requested his company on this trip. Indeed, she wanted to come alone but Eaton had insisted on traveling with her. He’d spouted something about protecting her from unscrupulous characters and using the trip to campaign for his next venture as a U.S. Senator.

Bri knew Eaton’s wealthy family had bought him votes to get him elected into Austin’s politics. She couldn’t imagine how many voters he thought he could contact at The Flat and the fort. The community wasn’t known for being public- or civic-minded. But Eaton claimed he wanted to branch out and locate other donors who might fund his campaign.

She wondered if his family had finally objected to his excessive habit of throwing around money and ordered him to find someone else to fund his campaign expenses and his extravagant spending.

Whatever the ulterior reason, Eaton had tagged along, much to her chagrin. She had been stuck on the train and then in a crowded stagecoach with him. So much for this spur-of-the-moment trip that was supposed to take her far away from Eaton.

“My father and brother are bankers in Austin,” Eaton was telling the other passengers when Bri got around to listening. “But I am more interested in serving my state and nation and becoming a spokesman for the common man.”

Bri knew Eaton had no real interest in serving anyone anywhere. His priority was his own ambition.

She turned her head and smirked while Eaton preened and passed around his manufactured smile. He smoothed his dark brown hair into place with an exaggerated gesture of his hand, and called attention to the gaudy rings that sparkled on his long fingers.

Spokesman for the common man? That was laughable. Not only was Eaton an elitist but he was also an exceptional performer. He could tell a convincing story, make all the right noises and sound sincere when the mood suited him. But mostly he was full of hot air and he bored Bri to tears.

She had observed him at his best, worst and all moods in between and had found nothing endearing or appealing about him. Furthermore, she wasn’t naive enough to think he felt any fond affection for her. No, it was her mother’s prestigious family name of Roland and their vast wealth that attracted Eaton. Bri’s mother and Eaton’s aunt hailed from what polite society referred to as two of the “first families” in Texas. They had been lifelong friends and they had machinated this betrothal to promote Eaton’s rise to political stardom.

Essentially Bri was the feather in Eaton’s cap, the merging of one well-heeled family to another. If Bri’s mother had her way—and she did entirely too often—her daughter would become the extension of her own life. A life that hadn’t turned out the way she’d wanted.

Mother is not going to get her way in this instance, Bri promised herself resolutely. At twenty-three, Bri was old enough to make her own decisions and accept an engagement proposal, if and when she wanted to. She had to convince her father to side with her and to stand against his estranged wife. Besides, Bri couldn’t possibly plan a wedding while she was accompanying her father on his inspection of Ranger battalions in West Texas, now could she?

The thought of a grand adventure in the great outdoors filled Bri with excitement and anticipation. She thrilled at the prospect of leaving behind polite society and its obsessive preoccupation with her unusual interests and activities.

Bri stared across the countryside, marveling at the broad river valley flanked by rolling hills that were covered with mesquite and oak trees. Pecans and elms lined the creeks that tumbled into the river. Nothing would please her more than to rent a horse and explore this scenic wilderness.

“Tell me, gentleman, what are your opinions of the large ranchers who are objecting to our government’s insistence that they pay rent on the public lands where their cattle and horse herds are grazing without restriction?” Eaton asked.

Bri wanted to express her view about bullying cattle barons. They objected to small ranchers nesting near their domain and using water sources and rangeland that had been designated for public use. Of course, Eaton didn’t want her to have an opinion on anything. She was supposed to be window dressing for the upstart politician.

She tuned out Eaton, who had interrupted one of the passengers to express his opinion of favoring large ranchers over nesters. Instead, she poked her head out the window to survey The Flat. It was rumored to be one of the four wildest towns in the West. The community was a cultural paradox that not only boasted upstanding storeowners and farmers, but also harbored outlaws, harlots and gamblers.

It looked as if The Flat did indeed have a motley frontier population, she noted as she studied the individuals who were striding down the boardwalks. The place had sprung up at the base of Government Hill and the streets were lined with dozens of businesses. She spotted two freight offices, a large general store, three cafés, a telegraph office and a newspaper office. She also noticed two banks, a theater, gaming halls, saloons, a livery stable and a row of bordellos that seemed to be doing a thriving business an hour before sundown. Bri could only imagine how prosperous the dens of ill repute became after dark, when more of their potential clients were off work and on the prowl.

Bri perked up when she noticed the sign announcing the last performance of a traveling repertory company. Several men and woman milled around the redbrick theater, singing ditties and sporting costumes and props to entice attendance. The actors drew considerable attention, Eaton’s included. He came to point like a hunting dog when he spotted four young women flitting around in tight-fitting costumes.

Womanizer, she mused as she watched Eaton’s hawkish gaze rove over each woman’s physique.

Here was yet another reason Bri refused to spend her life shackled to this blowhard politician whose sexual appetite was whispered about in drawing rooms. Bri knew loyalty and fidelity weren’t among Eaton’s virtues—if in fact, he had any at all. She couldn’t think of one off the top of her head. But then he’d been getting on her nerves all day so it was hard to think past his annoying faults to find his redeeming qualities.

As the stagecoach halted beside the clapboard depot, Bri caught a whiff of a foul odor. She glanced sideways to see the oversized piles of buffalo skins and the unkempt men who wandered around the hide yard that sat on the edge of town.

“Ah, here we are,” Eaton said unnecessarily. He leaned close to add, “Honestly, Gabrielle, why must you wear these plain traveling clothes? You look like a sodbuster’s wife, not a future senator’s fiancée. You can afford to dress like a princess and you should.”

“I have no intention of soiling my best clothes in dusty stagecoaches. I don’t believe in flaunting family money,” she declared.

His gaze narrowed reproachfully. “I must remind you that your unfashionable appearance reflects badly on me. We are in the public eye because I’m running for office. You need to dress the part and keep up appearances for my sake.”

She cocked her head at him then stared pointedly at the three shabbily dressed men who climbed down from the coach. “I thought you wanted to represent the common man.”

“Represent them, yes. Become one of them? Hardly, my dear.” He flicked his wrist, urging her to step out of the coach by herself so he could make his grand entrance into the street. “Please find something flashy to complement my wardrobe before you venture out this evening.”

Grateful to escape the narrow confines of the coach—and Eaton—Bri practically launched herself through the door.