“Stubborn? Me?”

Jason stepped inside and pushed the door shut. “You’re the most hardheaded woman I’ve ever met. And pushy, too.”

“Pushy!”

“Yeah, pushy. You keep sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong and isn’t wanted.”

Amanda drew herself up to her greatest height, though it was woefully short of his. “Somebody on this mountain wrote that letter to me, Mr. Kruger. Somebody wants brides up here. You’d better face that fact.”

He pointed his finger at her. “I can tell you this, Miss Pierce, when I find out who wrote that letter, I’m going to fire that man so fast, he won’t know what hit him.”

“Oh! You pigheaded man!” Amanda jerked her chin. “Don’t worry. I’m leaving for good. I won’t be back, and you’ll never hear from me again. You’ll have your precious mountain all to yourself. I hope it keeps you warm at night…!

Dear Reader,

The perfect complement to a hot summer day is a cool drink, some time off your feet and a good romance novel. And we have four terrific stories this month for you to choose from!

We are delighted with the return of Judith Stacy, who is known for her satisfying, often humorous, Americana romances. She has outdone herself with The Blushing Bride, a darling tale set in the mountains of California. When Amanda Pierce, who runs a matrimonial service, receives a letter from the owner of a logging company looking for a mail-order bride, she travels to his mountain determined to match not one but several of her brides with the lonely loggers. What she doesn’t count on is being “felled” herself—by the handsome boss!

In Jake’s Angel, by newcomer Nicole Foster, an embittered—and wounded—Texas Ranger on the trail of a notorious outlaw winds up in a small New Mexican town and is healed, emotionally and physically, by a beautiful widow. Jillian Hart brings us a wonderful Medieval, Malcolm’s Honor, in which a ruthless knight discovers a lasting passion for the feisty noblewoman he is forced to marry.

And don’t miss Lady of Lyonsbridge, the emotional sequel to Lord of Lyonsbridge by Ana Seymour. In the latest novel, a marriage-shy heiress falls for an honorable knight who comes to her estate on his way to pay a kidnapped king’s ransom.

Enjoy! And come back again next month for four more choices of the best in historical romance.

Sincerely,

Tracy Farrell

Senior Editor

The Blushing Bride

Judith Stacy

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Available from Harlequin Historicals and JUDITH STACY

Outlaw Love #360

The Marriage Mishap #382

The Heart of a Hero #444

The Dreammaker #486

Written in the Heart #500

The Blushing Bride #521

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 Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter One

California, 1886

Was it too late to run?

Amanda Pierce eyed the freight wagon and its driver across the street from her hotel, and considered turning tail and heading back to San Francisco. Back to clean sheets. Back to gentlemen of good breeding. Back home.

She drew in a deep breath and glimpsed her reflection in the cracked mirror in the corner of the hotel lobby. Blue gown, matching hat set in dark curls, kid shoes. She looked completely out of place in this wide-open, raucous little town of Beaumont at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Back in San Francisco this had seemed like a good idea, but now…

Amanda watched her reflection in the mirror and forced herself to square her shoulders and stand a little straighter. True, she wasn’t well-traveled. She wasn’t wise to the ways of the world. But she was twenty-four years old, with enough good sense to accomplish this difficult trip and keep herself safe in the process. Didn’t that count for something? Of course it did.

Fortified now, Amanda ventured onto the boardwalk, careful to avoid the miners and loggers who passed, men in soiled work clothes with unkempt beards. She eyed the freight wagon from the Kruger Brothers’ Lumber and Milling Company across the street. It was the reason she’d come to Beaumont and spent two days in the hotel, watching for its arrival.

Now it was here. Amanda pushed her chin a little higher, drawing up her courage. She could do this. She had to.

That thought carried Amanda across the dirt street, darting between teams of horses and mules, and big rumbling wagons.

“Excuse me, sir?” she called to the driver as she reached the safety of the boardwalk.

His back was to her as he oversaw the loading of supplies into the Kruger wagon. A bear of a man, he wore stained buckskins and a slouch hat yanked down over his unruly gray hair.

Amanda ventured closer. “Sir? Excuse me?”

He half turned, squinting hard at her. “You talking to me, lady?”

Up close his face was like cracked leather, dried and hardened by the elements—at least, the portion of his face Amanda could see above his tangled beard.

“Are you Mr. Harper?” she asked. “Mr. Samuel Harper?”

His eyes narrowed. “Who wants to know?”

She gripped her handbag tighter. “I’m Miss Amanda Pierce, from San Francisco.”

“Yeah, that’s me, all right,” he said, and hitched up his trousers. “’Cept ain’t nobody called me Samuel since last time I was at Sunday services, and I don’t rightly recall just how long ago that was. I go by Shady.”

Amanda hoped he’d been given that nickname because of an affection for leafy trees and not as a testament to his character.

“Mr. Harper, I’m seeking—”

“Call me Shady.”

Amanda managed a small smile. “Yes, certainly…Shady. As I was saying, I need transportation to the Kruger Brothers’ Lumber and Milling Company, and was told you could provide that.”

Shady reared back and eyed her up and down. “You want to go up to the camp?”

“Yes,” Amanda said.

“Up on the mountain?”

“Well, yes,” she said.

“And you want me to take you up there?”

“I was informed there was no other reliable transportation.” Amanda pulled a dog-eared envelope from her handbag. “Mr. Kruger assured me of your honesty, and instructed me to wait at the hotel until you arrived in town, then ride up to the lumber camp with you.”

“Yeah, I make a run up and down the mountain every couple of days.” Shady stroked his long, ragged beard. “It was Jason Kruger that sent for you?”

“Yes,” Amanda said. “He’s expecting me.”

“You?”

She drew in a little breath. “Yes, Mr. Harper, I—”

“Shady.”

“Shady.” Amanda cleared her throat and pressed the envelope closer toward him. “It’s all right here in his instructions.”

“And you’re sure it was Jason Kruger that sent for you?” he asked. “’Cause, now, there’s two of them, you know. There’s Jason and there’s Ethan. They’re brothers.”

Amanda pressed her lips together and waved toward the Kruger Brothers’ Lumber and Milling Company sign painted on the freight wagon in big red letters.

“Yes, I’m aware they’re brothers.”

“Now, Jason, he’s the oldest one, but not by much, as I hear tell,” Shady said. “He’s the one what runs things up on the mountain, you know.”

“I do know that Mr.—Shady,” Amanda said. “I have business with Mr. Kruger. He wrote and asked me to come here.”

“Business, huh?” Shady shrugged and turned back to the wagon. “Well, okay by me, I reckon. I’ll be pulling out of here pretty quick so as to get back to the camp before dark.”

“I’ll get my bag from the hotel,” Amanda said.

Shady turned to her once more. “If’n you’re real sure you want to meet up with Jason Kruger, that is.”

Amanda’s stomach twisted into a knot as the old man squinted at her, and again she was tempted—very tempted—to head for home.

“I’m sure,” Amanda said.

She’d come too far to turn back now.

“What’s wrong now?”

Jason Kruger pulled his boots from the corner of his desk and rocked forward in his chair. He’d just finished his supper and didn’t like the intrusion of one of his men into his office at the end of the day.

The Spartan room wasn’t much to look at with its rough-hewn walls, a couple of desks and cupboards, and a potbellied stove in the corner, but Jason liked the solitude after a hard day’s work. He wanted to look over his new journals, not deal with this man again.

“What is it, Duncan?” Jason asked. “Spit it out.”

The thin, wiry man lingering at the door pulled off his hat and twisted it in his hands.

“Well, boss, I’m sorry to be a bother to you, but….” Duncan shifted from one foot to the other. “Well, my Gladys is having problems with that Polly Minton, and well, this time I—”

Jason cursed and came to his feet. “I told you not to bring your wife here in the first place.”

“Well, yeah, I know, but—”

“No women in camp. That’s my rule. I told you.”

“Yes, sir, and I appreciate you making an exception ’cause she’s my wife, and all, but—”

“Trouble.” Jason cursed again. “Women are nothing but trouble. They don’t belong here. I’ve got no use for women in a logging camp.”

Duncan twisted his hat tighter in his hands. “Yes, boss, I know that, and I’m beholden to you, but—”

“I told you when you brought her here that you were responsible for her,” Jason said. “I want no part of it. You got problems, you handle them.”

“Yes, sir, I know you said that, but, well…” Duncan ventured closer to the desk. “My Gladys and Polly Minton are fighting something fierce. I tried to settle it, I swear I did, but Polly’s took it into her head that Gladys stole from her and they’ve been going at it all day now. You got to help me, Mr. Kruger, you got to.”

Jason fumed silently, staring at the little man. Duncan was a good worker, nimble and surefooted in his job herding the great logs down the river to the millpond. He’d been loyal too. Turnover in the logging camps was high, but Duncan had stuck around. The only trouble he’d ever caused was bringing his wife here with him.

And now she’d been accused of stealing. Jason wouldn’t tolerate theft in the camp. He needed order and discipline among his crew to bring down the giant redwoods and Douglas firs, get them out of the rugged mountains, run them through the sawmill and send them off to market.

He couldn’t let a theft go unpunished. Female or not, he needed to put a stop to this.

Jason blew out his breath, tapping off some of his anger.

“All right, Duncan, I’ll take care of it,” he said.

“I’m beholden to you, boss, I am.” Duncan eased out the door. “I’ll go get my Gladys. That Miz Minton is here, too. I’ll fetch them both. They’re right outside.”

“Women.” Jason pulled on the back of his neck and dropped into his chair again. Bad enough dealing with the problems his crew created. Fights, mostly. A shooting every once in a while. Disagreements between his men could be settled quickly. But women…

Jason mumbled another curse.

The office door opened and Polly Minton and Gladys Duncan walked inside. Jason knew them both. He knew everybody in his logging camp and in the tiny town that had sprung up on its outskirts.

They were both big women. Jason was over six feet tall and Gladys could just about look him square in the eye. Polly ran the laundry and had scrubbed up some mighty impressive arm muscles.

Duncan eased between the women, still twisting his hat.

“Now, Mr. Kruger here, he’s agreed to hear you both out,” Duncan said, “and he’s going to settle this thing once and for all.”

Gladys and Polly glared at each other, then turned to Jason.

“All right,” Jason said. “Tell me what happened. You go first, Mrs. Minton.”

Polly Minton squared her shoulders, enjoying her moment.

“I was just doing the neighborly thing, the Christian thing,” Polly said. “I invited Gladys over to my house a few days ago and we sat a spell before I had to get supper going. Then today I dropped by her place—just to be neighborly—and sitting right there on her windowsill, pretty as you please, there it was.”

Jason frowned. “What?”

“She stole it!” Polly said.

“I did no such thing!” Gladys shouted.

“Stole what?” Jason asked.

“Look here. See for yourself. I brought it along for evidence.” Polly pulled back the cloth cover on the small hamper she’d carried into the office with her. She lifted out a half-eaten apple pie.

“I sneaked me a bite of this pie when Gladys wasn’t looking,” Polly said. “It’s my recipe. No two ways about it, Gladys Duncan stole me apple pie recipe!”

“I did no such thing!” Gladys declared.

“A pie recipe?” Jason got to his feet and turned to Duncan. “You’ve got me involved in this over some damn pie recipe?”

Polly gasped. “That recipe has been in my family for generations. It’s a treasure.”

“Some treasure!” Gladys tossed her head.

Jason pointed at Duncan. “I ought to fire you right now.”

He twisted his hat. “But Mr. Kruger—”

“She stole it while my back was turned,” Polly said. “Stole it because she’s jealous of my cooking.”

Gladys planted her hands on her ample hips. “You’re the jealous one. Jealous because everybody loves my roast chicken.” Gladys turned to Jason. “She’s been after my secret ingredients ever since I came here.”

Polly gasped. “That’s a lie!”

“It is not! You’re the jealous one!”

Jason waved his arms. “All right, now, hold it down.”

“It’s my recipe! I tasted my special ingredients the minute it touched my lips! And Gladys stole it from me! Taste it for yourself, Mr. Kruger. You’ll see.” Polly shoved the pie toward him.

“Mr. Kruger doesn’t want to taste your ol’ pie!” Gladys reached for the pie, bumped the plate and jarred it from Polly’s hand. It landed with a thud on Jason’s desk. Apples splattered across his papers, over his shirt and down his trousers.

There was a collective gasp, then a tense silence filled the office. Jason looked down at the gooey pie clinging to his clothing.

“Where’s my gun?” he asked softly.

Polly whimpered. Gladys groaned.

Duncan pushed his way between the two women. “Now, Mr. Kruger, think about what you’re saying. You can’t really shoot these women.”

“I’m not going to shoot them.” Jason lifted his head slowly. “I’m going to shoot you!”

Gladys burst into tears.

“Now, Mr. Kruger, you don’t want to go and do that.” Duncan wrung his hat fitfully.

“Get these women out of here!” Jason pointed toward the door. “I don’t want to see another woman in my camp!”

“But Mr. Kruger—”

“No more women! Ever!”

The office door opened and Shady Harper ambled inside.

“What do you want, Shady?” Jason snarled.

Shady took in the office with squinted eyes. “I brung you back something from town, boss.”

His face brightened. “My package?”

“Naw. Weren’t no mail today.”

Jason’s frown returned. “Leave it outside, Shady.”

“Don’t think I’d better do that.” Shady wiggled his fingers toward the door. “Come on in here.”

A delicate fragrance drifted into the office seconds before a woman stepped inside, bringing a hush to the room and freezing Jason in place.

She blinked up at him with big blue eyes. “Mr. Kruger? I’m Miss Amanda Pierce from San Francisco.”

He scowled at her. “Yeah?”

“I’m here at your request,” she said.

“My request?”

“Yes, Mr. Kruger. Your request for a wife.”

Chapter Two

“A wife!” Jason shouted.

Amanda glanced around the room at the faces staring at her. “Really, Mr. Kruger, there’s no need to raise your voice.”

“A wife?”

She was tired from her long journey and a headache threatened from the bone-rattling trip up the mountain. This Mr. Kruger was testing the limits of her good manners.

“Yes, Mr. Kruger, a—”

“What about my pie recipe?” Polly demanded.

“And what about her accusing me of stealing?” Gladys asked.

Duncan wrung his hat. “Mr. Kruger, you got to settle this once and for all.”

“Now look, all of you,” Jason said, “I don’t—”

“Excuse me, Mr. Kruger.” Amanda leaned closer and lowered her voice. “You’ve spilled a little pie on your shirt.”

The words just hung there for a moment between the two of them.

“Thank you,” he finally said, grinding out the words between clenched teeth as if he hadn’t the least bit of appreciation for her helpful comment.

He turned to the other women. “Now look, I don’t give a damn about whose pie recipe is whose, or who puts what into their roast chicken, or who stole what recipe. None of it amounts to a hill of ants and I don’t want to hear another word about it.”

Polly bristled. “Well!”

“I never….” Gladys put her nose in the air.

“Get out of my office,” Jason said, “all of you. Come back when you’ve got a serious problem.”

Duncan moaned. “But Mr. Kruger…”

“Excuse me, Mr. Kruger?” Amanda said. “If I may say so, what you have here is, indeed, a serious problem.”

For a moment Jason Kruger looked as if he intended to toss her out of his office along with the others, but Amanda stood firm. He couldn’t give her his full attention until the stolen pie recipe was dealt with, and since Jason wasn’t taking it seriously, she would.

“If I may?” Amanda asked Jason.

He threw both hands up. “Have at it, lady.”

Amanda turned to the women. “As I understand it, one of you thinks the other stole your recipe.”

Polly jerked her head toward Gladys. “She stole my apple pie recipe.”

“And she’s after my roast chicken ingredients,” Gladys said.

“A woman works for years perfecting a recipe. She certainly doesn’t want another woman taking it, then passing it along for everyone to use.” Amanda turned to Jason. “Are you following this, Mr. Kruger?”

He threw her a sour look. “Hanging on every word.”

“Good,” Amanda said. “As I see it, there’s but one way to settle this issue. You ladies will exchange your pie and chicken recipes with each other. Only the two of you will have them. That way you can be assured neither recipe will be passed along to anyone else without fearing that your own recipe will then be passed on in retaliation. How does that sound?”

Gladys and Polly looked at each other, then finally nodded their agreement.

Duncan rushed forward and took Amanda’s hand. “Thank you, ma’am, thank you kindly. This here is surely a load off of my mind.”

He escorted the two women out of the office, then stuck his head back in. “Mr. Kruger, that little lady’s going to make you a fine wife. A real fine wife.”

The door closed, bringing a silence more uncomfortable than the shouting match that had gone on earlier. Jason stared at her, and Amanda found herself pulled into his gaze, held there against her will.

He was tall, with black hair and green eyes that unsettled her. He spent his days in the sunshine; it had deepened the color of his face and etched fine lines at his eyes. He worked hard, too. Thick muscles moved against the sleeves of his pale blue shirt. His shoulders were straight, his chest wide, his waist tight, and his—

Amanda pressed her lips together, containing the little gasp that threatened to fill the silent room. Her gaze collided with his and for a flash of a second he looked as naughty as she felt. Her cheeks warmed. What had he been thinking while staring at her?

Jason frowned. “Do you want to tell me just what the hell is going on here, Miss Pierce?”

“Ain’t you even going to invite the lady to sit down?” Shady snorted.

Amanda had forgotten he was in the room. Jason Kruger seemed to take up all the space, breathe up all the air.

Shady dragged a chair across the room and plunked it down in front of Jason’s desk. “Sit yourself down, ma’am.”

Amanda smiled gratefully as she settled into the chair. In the hours she’d spent in the freight wagon with Shady she’d gotten to know him well and decided she liked him. Gruff and hard-edged on the outside, he was a softy inside.

“Thank you, Shady.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Shady looked at Jason. “Miss Pierce here has had a long, rough trip up the mountain. And she’s only here ’cause you went and sent for her.”

Jason lowered himself into the chair behind his desk and pushed his hand through his hair.

“I haven’t been down off this mountain in months, Miss Pierce,” he said. “There’s no way in hell I could have asked you to marry me.”

“She’s got a letter,” Shady said. “A letter writ by you.”

“It’s a request, actually,” Amanda said, and pulled the letter from her handbag. “You see, Mr. Kruger, I’m here from the Becoming Brides Matrimonial Service.”

Shady chuckled. “Well, I’ll be damned—a catalog bride.”

Jason leaned back in his chair. “Are you saying I ordered you?”

“It’s all right here in your letter.”

He snatched it from her hand. His eyes darted back and forth across the page, then cut over to Shady.

“Go find Ethan.”

“Sure thing, boss.” Shady headed out the door.

Amanda watched Jason read the letter again, then level his gaze at her across the desk.

“Looks like you came a long way for nothing, Miss Pierce,” he said. “I didn’t write this letter.”

Amanda’s stomach squeezed into a knot. He hadn’t written the letter? She’d come all this way for nothing? Endured the hardships of the trip, spent her carefully budgeted money—for nothing?

Amanda shook her head. “Aren’t you Jason Kruger? Isn’t this the Kruger Brothers’ Lumber and Milling Company?”

“Yes. But I’m telling you, Miss Pierce, I didn’t write this letter. I never even heard of the Becoming Brides Matrimonial Service until just now.”

“But…” Amanda sank back in her chair.

The door opened and a man walked inside. Tall, with dark hair and the same green eyes as Jason, they could only be brothers.

Except that this brother was grinning from ear to ear.

He pulled off his hat and nodded politely to Amanda.

“Pleased to meet you, Miss Pierce. I’m Ethan Kruger,” he said. “Shady just told me he brought you up the mountain today.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Kruger.” Her manners were so deeply ingrained they sustained her even in this time of distress.

Ethan turned to Jason. “So, you sent off for a bride, huh? I should let you do the ordering all the time.”

Jason, unamused, pushed himself to his feet. “I didn’t order a bride.”

Ethan frowned and gestured to Jason’s shirt. “Eating at the trough with the pigs again, Jas?”

He looked down at the apple pie still stuck to his shirt and trousers, mumbled a curse, and headed for the washstand in the corner.

Ethan eased onto the corner of the desk. “Tell me, Miss Pierce, have you two set a date for the blessed event?”

“Just shut your mouth,” Jason said, pointing a dripping finger at his brother. “I’m not marrying her. This is all a mistake. Look at the letter.”

Ethan grinned at Amanda, then picked up the letter and looked it over. “This isn’t your handwriting.”

“I know that.” Jason wiped the last of the apple pie from his clothing and flung the rag into the basin.

“Can’t say that I recognize whose it is.” Ethan shook his head. “Must be some sort of a joke.”

“A joke?” Amanda came to her feet.

Ethan chuckled. “It is sort of funny.”

Funny? Amanda’s temper rose. She’d traveled miles and miles from the safety and security of home to come here—and she wasn’t exactly sure where here was—endured hardships, threats to her personal safety, bad manners and foul smells. And the Kruger brothers thought it was funny?

“Somebody made the whole thing up and forged my name,” Jason said to Ethan.

“Who’d do a thing like that?” Ethan asked.

“I don’t know, but I intend to find out.” Jason walked back to his desk.

Ethan shrugged. “Why don’t you just go ahead and marry her?”

Jason stopped short. “What the hell would I do with a wife?”

“If you have to ask that question, you have been up on this mountain too long,” Ethan said with a grin.

Jason’s gaze came up quickly and landed on Amanda. Her cheeks flushed, taking the edge off her anger and reminding her that she was here on business and she should stick to it, even if these two men wouldn’t.

“Mr. Kruger,” she said. “I believe you’ve misunderstood my intentions here. I only—”

“Look, Miss Pierce,” Jason said. “I’m not looking for a wife now or anytime in the future.”

“If you’d just let me explain.”

“The last thing anybody here needs is a wife,” Jason said.

“But—”

“This is a logging camp,” Jason said. “My men work twelve hours a day, six days a week. It’s dangerous work. Just a few seconds of lost concentration can cost a man his life—or the life of the men he’s working with. I’m not having a bunch of women up here distracting my crew from their job. Nobody here wants a wife.”

“Nobody?”

“Nobody.”

Amanda drew in a deep breath. “I see….”

Bitter disappointment coursed through her. She’d pinned so much on this trip. All the plans she’d made—plans that had kept her going in the past few days—were gone. Along with her high hopes for the future.

Amanda swallowed hard, refusing to let her feelings overwhelm her. She’d come here to find out, to learn, to investigate. Now she had her answer.

She drew in a big breath, pumping up her courage. “Well…I suppose there’s nothing left to do but…leave.”

Ethan poked Jason in the arm. “You could at least tell her you’re sorry she came all the way up here for nothing—on account of you.”

“Oh, yeah.” Jason shifted uncomfortably and turned to Amanda. “Look, Miss Pierce, I really am…sorry…you got dragged up here on some wild-goose chase.”

“No you’re not,” Amanda said, her disappointment turning to anger. She’d had enough of the Kruger Brothers’ Lumber and Milling Company, and enough of the Kruger brothers themselves. Jason had made it abundantly clear that he had no use for her whatsoever, and she was in no mood to be patronized.

“Well, look, Miss Pierce—”

“You’re not the least bit sorry I wasted my time, so don’t pretend otherwise,” Amanda told him. “You, Mr. Kruger, are thoughtless, inconsiderate, and rude. Don’t add lying to your list of faults.”

Amanda put her nose in the air and sailed across the office, then looked back at him. “And you have horrible table manners!”

She gave the door a very unladylike slam on her way out.

Jason and Ethan just stood there staring at the closed door.

“Damn….” Jason mumbled.

Ethan grinned. “Yeah, bedding down with her would—”

“That’s not what I was thinking,” Jason said quickly.

“Like hell you weren’t.”

Jason turned away, pacing the width of the office, refusing to look at his brother.

“What are we going to do with her?” Ethan asked, as he pulled matches from the desk drawer and lit the lanterns on the walls.

Jason spun around. “Do with her? I’m not going to do anything with her.”

“It’s too late to get her down the mountain tonight,” Ethan said. “Shady can’t make that trip in the dark. The trail is dangerous enough in broad daylight.”

“She can’t stay here.”

“What do you want to do, Jas? Give her a candle and a map and tell her to start walking?”

Jason grumbled under his breath. “This is why I don’t want women up here. They’re nothing but trouble.”

“Maybe,” Ethan said. “But she’s here now. We’ve got to do something with her.”

“You’re right. I guess she’ll have to stay.” Jason paced a little more, thinking. “Take her over to Mrs. McGee’s place and see if she’ll put her up for the night.”

“Meg…?”

“There’s no other place for a decent woman to stay.”

“Yeah, I know…but…”

“But what?”

“Nothing.” Ethan shifted from one foot to the other. “I can take her over there…I reckon.”

Outside, Amanda stood on the porch holding on to the rough support column and gazing around at the logging camp. What little she could see of it, at least. When she’d arrived earlier, she had only gotten a vague impression of the camp, and that wasn’t much to go on now that it was dark.

Off in the distance a few windows glowed yellow with lantern light. She made out shadowy silhouettes of buildings and a couple of dark figures passing in front of them. A cool breeze blew. A dog barked somewhere.

If she had good sense she might be frightened, Amanda decided. But right now she was simply too tired, too angry, and too disappointed to feel anything else.

She needed to find Shady Harper and ask him to take her down the mountain tonight. But where was he? The freight wagon she’d arrived in was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Shady. She had no idea where to look for him.

The little cluster of buildings that Shady had called a town was only a short walk east. Maybe he was there. If not, surely she’d find a hotel where she could spend the night. All she had to do was get there without falling over something and killing herself stumbling along in the dark.

Amanda glanced back at the door of Jason Kruger’s office that she had slammed so indignantly moments ago, and decided that she wasn’t desperate enough to ask that man for help—not now or in the foreseeable future.

The door opened just then and he walked out, his tall, wide frame outlined by the lantern light behind him. Amanda’s temper rose again.

His face was in shadows and when he stepped closer Amanda realized it wasn’t Jason, but his brother. Her anger turned to something that for a flicker of a second seemed like disappointment. Amanda pushed it aside quickly. Certainly it couldn’t be that.

“Miss Pierce?” Ethan said. “I’m going to take you some place to stay for the night.”

“That won’t be necessary, Mr. Kruger.”

“Just call me Ethan. It can get kind of confusing around here, otherwise.” He grinned and nodded toward the office. “Besides, I don’t like being mistaken for my brother, if you get my meaning.”

“I do indeed get your meaning.” Amanda glared at the office door, then looked at Ethan. “But your help isn’t necessary. I’m going to have Shady take me back to Beaumont.”

“Not tonight, he can’t.” Ethan shook his head. “Shady can’t make that trip after dark.”

“Then I’ll get a hotel room for the night.”

“There is no hotel.”

“No hotel?” Amanda asked. “But surely—”

“Just do like you’re told.” Jason walked up, his footsteps heavy on the wooden porch. Amanda sensed he’d been standing there, listening…watching.

Anger threaded through her again. “You may be in charge of the logging camp, Mr. Kruger, but you have no say over what I do. Now, I am going to find Shady Harper and arrange for transportation down the mountain tonight.”

“No, you’re not.”

His big hand closed over her elbow. Long fingers exerted just enough pressure to keep her in place. She sensed incredible power in his grip, power barely under control.

Heat rushed up her arm, twined down her throat into the pit of her stomach causing her anger to bloom again.

And it was anger. What else could it be?

Amanda jerked her chin. “I am not your concern, Mr. Kruger.”

He leaned closer. A raw physical energy radiated from him, engulfing Amanda with its potency.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Miss Pierce.” His voice was deep, heavy with authority and determination. “Everything and everybody on this mountain is my concern.”

“Including me?”

He tightened his grip and leaned closer. “Especially you.”

Chapter Three

“Let me give you a hand, Miss Pierce.”

Ethan’s fingers closed around Amanda’s elbow, steadying her over the uneven terrain. His grip was as strong as his brother’s but not threatening in the least. In fact, Amanda barely noticed it.

But she had certainly noticed Jason when he’d stalked back into his office, leaving his brother to deliver her to a safe place for the night. And that suited Amanda just fine. Jason’s mere presence rankled her.

“You’ll like Mrs. McGee,” Ethan said, holding the lantern higher to light their way. The road was rough and rutted, dangerous in the dark.

Amanda held up her skirt, picking her way along. “You’re certain she won’t mind if I stay the night with her? It’s hardly proper to show up uninvited and ask such a favor. I can pay her, of course.”

“Mrs. McGee could surely use the money, but I doubt she’ll take it,” Ethan said. “She’ll probably just be glad for the company. Meg works hard. Too hard. Sometimes I worry that she’s—”

Amanda dared to take her eyes from the road. Ethan’s expression was unreadable in the dark.

“I gather there aren’t many women up here,” she said.

“Half-dozen or so,” Ethan said.

“Your brother seems most adept at running them off,” Amanda said.

Ethan chuckled. “This is Mrs. McGee’s place.”

They both stood there for a moment gazing at the little wood frame cabin with lantern light shining in one window.

“Aren’t we going to knock?” Amanda asked, when Ethan made no move toward the porch.

“Well, sure, I just…”

Ethan gave himself a little shake and placed the lantern on the steps. He climbed onto the porch, pulled off his hat, slicked back his hair, brushed at his sleeves, and tugged down on his vest. Drawing in a deep breath, Ethan studied the door for a moment, then finally knocked.

It opened and Mrs. McGee stepped into view. Amanda had expected her to resemble the two women she’d met in Jason Kruger’s office, big women capable of weathering life in the rugged logging camp.

But Mrs. McGee was delicate and shapely, about the same age as Amanda. Her blond hair was twisted neatly atop her head, and her dress, while serviceable, was flattering.

“Good evening, Mr. Kruger,” she said.

“Mrs. McGee.” Ethan twisted his hat, then plastered it against his chest. “I, uh, I’m sorry to bother you so late, but I’d like to ask a favor, if I can.”

“What sort of favor?” she asked.

“Well…” Ethan seemed lost for a moment. He looked down at his feet, then back at her. “Well…”

At this rate they’d be standing here all night. Amanda climbed onto the porch. “Mrs. McGee, I’m Miss Amanda Pierce. I’m very sorry to disturb you, but I find myself stranded here on the mountain. Ethan felt I could impose on you for a night’s lodging.”

She turned a warm smile on Ethan. “How thoughtful of you….”

Ethan turned several shades of red. He seemed to stop breathing for a moment, as well.

“I hope it’s not too much to ask, Mrs. McGee,” Amanda said.

“Of course not. And please, call me Meg,” she said.

Ethan nodded toward Amanda. “Miss Pierce was supposed to get married up here, but—”

Meg’s eyes widened. “Married?”

“To Jason.”

Meg smiled broadly at Amanda. “That’s wonderful!”

“It’s all a mistake,” Amanda said. “I’m not marrying anyone.”

“But…” Meg’s shoulders slumped.

“I’ll round up Shady and have him bring your bags over,” Ethan said.

“Thank you very much, Ethan,” Amanda said, and stepped inside the house. “You’ve been very kind.”

Ethan stood there on the porch for a moment, twisting his hat and shuffling his feet.

“Well…’night, Mrs. McGee,” he said.

“Good night, Ethan.” Meg paused for a moment, then closed the door softly.

Amanda was pleased to see that the McGee home looked comfortable and inviting. A big cookstove, a dining table and chairs, and a settee and rocker crowded the little room, decorated with lace doilies and a glowing lamp, all scrubbed clean and neat as a pin. Amanda felt herself relax for the first time since coming up the mountain.

“You must be starved,” Meg said. “Let me get you something.”

“I don’t want to impose on you any further,” Amanda said. “But I am quite hungry.”

Meg smiled. “It’s nothing fancy, just some chicken left from the supper I made for Todd and me.”

“Todd is your husband?” Amanda asked.

Meg stopped suddenly and her face blanched. “No. Todd is my son. My husband is…gone.”

Amanda cringed. Jason Kruger had told her about the dangerous work in the logging camp. She should have been more considerate about asking after Meg’s husband.

“I’m sorry to be so thoughtless,” Amanda said. “Please forgive me, and accept my condolences for your loss.”

Meg shook her head. “My husband isn’t dead. He’s…gone.”

There was surely more to the story than Meg was telling, but it was hardly any of Amanda’s business so she didn’t ask anything else.

Amanda didn’t pry into other peoples’ pasts because she knew—far too well—how hurtful that could be.

She slipped off her gloves and unpinned her hat while Meg moved around the kitchen. A knock sounded at the door, and when Meg answered it, Shady Harper ambled inside carrying Amanda’s two carpetbags and satchel.

“So, when are you and ol’ Jason gittin’ hitched?” Shady asked.

“There will be no wedding,” Amanda said. “It seems Mr. Kruger didn’t write that letter after all.”

Shady squinted hard at her. “And he’s not marrying you? Not doing the right thing by you?”

“You see, Shady, I never intended to marry Mr. Kruger.”

Shady tilted his head. “How’s that?”

She’d tried to explain it to Jason Kruger in his office but he’d refused to listen. She may as well tell somebody in this logging camp.

“I’m the owner of the Becoming Brides Matrimonial Service, not a prospective bride,” Amanda said. “My service is very selective. I don’t accept just any woman as a bride, nor do I blindly fill a request from every man who makes one.”

“So you come up here to have a look-see at Jason, after you got that letter from him asking for a wife?” Shady asked.

“Yes,” she said. “I came to determine if Mr. Kruger would be an acceptable Becoming Brides husband.”

“And you come all the way up here just to find out?” Shady asked.

“No, not entirely.” Amanda paused, reluctant to go into her real reason for being here. She already felt foolish enough in coming this far for nothing. But what damage could it do to talk about it now? She would leave in the morning and never see any of these people again.

“Actually, I’d hoped that other men here in the logging camp would want wives also,” Amanda said.

“That’s a wonderful idea,” Meg said.

“Darn tootin’,” Shady said.

“I didn’t know Mr. Kruger had a rule about not allowing women here. It seems I’ve brought my catalog of brides all the way up here for nothing.” Amanda gestured toward her satchel Shady had placed beside the stone fireplace.

“A catalog?” Shady asked. “Like a mail-order book? With pictures? Of women wanting to get hitched?”

Amanda nodded. “Dozens, actually. I offer brides of varying size, shape, hair color. All are educated and have excellent homemaking skills. Many are proficient in music and art, all sorts of things.”

Shady nodded toward her satchel. “And you got all them women in that book of yourn?”

“And the women are willing to come up here to the mountain to live?” Meg asked.

“Willing and anxious,” Amanda said. “I was disappointed, of course, when Mr. Kruger said no one here was interested in a wife.”

“Jason said that?” Meg asked.

“Yes,” Amanda said. “Several times—and not very pleasantly, I might add.”

“Humph.” Shady snorted and hitched up his trousers.

“There’s nothing left for me to do here,” Amanda said. “I’d like to ask you to take me back down the mountain in the morning, Shady.”

“You’re leaving?” Meg asked. “So soon?”

“I’ve no reason to stay.”

“Maybe if you give Jason time to think it over he’ll change his mind,” Meg said.

Amanda shook her head. “He was adamant about not allowing other women up here, even without knowing I owned the matrimonial service. Can you imagine his reaction if he knew I wanted to bring a large number of brides to his logging camp?”

Jason stood on the porch outside his office soaking up the silence and the peace and solitude of the darkness. During the day the mountain roared with the buzzing of saws in the mill, the horses and oxen straining against their heavy loads, axes splitting wood, and the shouts of his men felling the timber.

At night it was quiet. Peaceful. Jason’s mind could rest and his body could unwind. He treasured this time.

Except that tonight his thoughts hummed like a band saw and his body was wound tight enough to explode.

It was that woman’s fault. That Miss Amanda Pierce. Sashaying into his office with her bustle bobbing and her skirts swaying. Batting her eyelashes at him. Poking her lip out in a pout.

Well, damn if she’d come prancing onto his mountain and change the way he did things. Jason had a business to run. A business he’d fought hard to get started, and fought even harder to keep going. Big things were on the horizon. He didn’t need any distractions.

And Amanda Pierce was definitely a distraction.

Jason leaned his shoulder against the support column and gazed down the road toward town. He could still smell the scent of her lingering in the air. Sweet, delicate. Womanly.

He let his gaze wander to the McGee house. Shady Harper had gone inside a few minutes ago carrying her baggage. The whole house probably smelled like her by now.

The front door opened just then and Shady walked outside. A woman stepped into the doorway, outlined by the lantern light inside. Jason straightened and craned his neck. Was it her? Was it Amanda?

“Damn.”

Jason turned away mumbling a curse into the darkness. Women were a distraction, all right, and he’d just proved it, lurking in the dark, hoping to catch a peek of one. Even if it had been a long time since he’d peeked at a woman—or done anything more pleasurable with one.

He swung around again watching Shady on the porch talking to the woman in the doorway. It was Amanda. He was sure of it now.

Maybe Ethan was right. Maybe he had been up on this mountain too long.

Amanda was a good-looking woman. All the right curves in all the right places. Done up proper, begging to be undone. A tight little package waiting to be opened.

He’d like to unravel that package, and take his time doing it. Slow, easy, until he’d—

Jason snorted another curse and pushed himself off the porch, angry at his thoughts and his body’s reaction to them.

What the hell was he thinking? He didn’t need or want a woman in his life. Especially this one, full of vinegar and sass, calling him names and insulting him to his face, right in his own office. Miss Amanda Pierce would be gone in the morning, and good riddance to her.

Jason stalked down the road away from his office. He was going home. He’d get a good night’s sleep and set his mind back on work. He was expecting a package, and if Shady brought it up from Beaumont tomorrow he had to be ready to deal with it. He needed to keep his mind on business.

But a fragrance tickled Jason’s nose, stopping him in his track. He turned, his gaze drawn once again to the McGee house just as Amanda stepped back inside. Jason stood there a moment longer staring at the closed door, sniffing the air for the scent of her.

“Hellfire….”

Jason stalked away.

The gray of dawn seeped into the house as Amanda opened her eyes to the little room she’d slept in. She’d fallen asleep as soon as her head had hit the feather pillow last night, then awakened this morning to the smell of something delicious cooking in the kitchen—and the certain knowledge that she wasn’t in her own bed at home in San Francisco.

Amanda lay on the smooth cotton sheets for a few minutes, thinking. Here she was in a strange bed, a strange house, a strange place. The well-ordered life she’d left behind in San Francisco over a week ago seemed very dear to her right now.

Her father had been a successful merchant, and had left Amanda and her mother financially comfortable upon his death. But her mother wasn’t very wise in business and it hadn’t taken long before most of the money was gone.

Her mother was gone now, too. Amanda had used what money was left to start her Becoming Brides Matrimonial Service. The business filled several of the empty spots in her life.

Amanda pushed back the coverlet and sat up. The air in the little house was cool. She rose and dressed quickly.

Meg stood at the cookstove and Todd, her son, sat at the table. Amanda had seen the boy last night when Meg had roused him out of his bed and given it to Amanda. Todd was eight years old with blond hair, like his mother. His looks came from his father, Amanda guessed. His father who was…gone.

“Good morning,” Meg said, and smiled. “You’re just in time.”

“Can I help?” Amanda asked.

“No, thanks, all done.” Meg turned a pan of scrambled eggs into a bowl and set it on the table alongside a stack of biscuits. “Sit down.”

Todd dug in before Amanda and Meg got seated and finished before they got started.

“Can I go outside, Mama?” Todd asked.

“Yes, but don’t go far,” Meg said. “And don’t go near the mill.”

Todd rolled his eyes as if he’d heard those instructions before and darted out the front door. Amanda watched him go, watched the love in Meg’s gaze follow the boy outside.

“He’s a sweet child,” Amanda said.

Meg’s smile faded. “It’s been hard for him since his father…left.”

“Is he away on business?” Amanda asked.

“No.” Meg sipped her coffee.

“Sorry,” Amanda said. “I didn’t mean to pry.”

Meg sighed. “The whole mountain knows, so I suppose there’s no reason you shouldn’t. I woke one morning to find a note from Gerald saying he couldn’t live here any longer. He was moving on. He was sorry that he couldn’t take Todd and me with him, but he had to go find his own way.”

“And he left? Just like that?”

“Gerald was never the stable type,” Meg said. “We always moved from place to place, job to job.”

“That’s how you ended up here?”

“Gerald started a business in town. It failed. He tried again, then again, never with much luck. Then finally, he simply left.”

“How awful.”

“Yes, it was awful at first.” Meg managed a smile. “But Todd and I have a roof over our heads and I find enough work to keep us fed. We’re doing all right.”

“Why don’t you leave?”

“I have no family now, except for Todd,” Meg said. “Where would I go?”

“Do you like living here?” Amanda asked. She managed to keep from sounding judgmental. Though the mountain was foreign to her, that didn’t mean others wouldn’t like it.

“Yes,” Meg said, “but it is a little lonely without other women around.”

“Thanks to Mr. Kruger,” Amanda grumbled.

“Jason let Duncan’s wife come here because he was injured in an accident a few months back and she nursed him back to health. There’s no doctor in camp, you know. The few other women who live here work in town.”

“Does Mr. Kruger own the town as well?”

“The land under the town, but not the businesses,” Meg said. “He has a lot of influence over what goes on there. Why shouldn’t he? He owns the mountain.”

Amanda’s eyes widened. “He owns it?”

“Yes, he does.”

Amanda sat back, disturbed, but not knowing why exactly. There was something very powerful about a man who owned an entire mountain.

“The rules he has,” Meg said, “like no drinking and no smoking in camp, are for the safety and wellbeing of the loggers. He’s very concerned about his men. Jason is actually a very good boss.”

“You’ll forgive me if I differ with you on that.”

Meg smiled. “I’ve heard about other logging and milling companies from the men who work here. Most of them pay in script and the only place to shop is the company store, where prices are ridiculously high. Sometimes when the lumber market isn’t good, the owners refuse to redeem the script. The crews are stuck with no money and no way to get any. All they can do is keep working for the same owner.”

“That’s terrible,” Amanda said.

Meg nodded. “But Jason pays his crew in cash. Since he doesn’t own any of the businesses in town, his men can shop wherever they want.”

Amanda pushed her plate aside. “Still, to be so controlling….”

“Jason’s no saint,” Meg said. “But he is fair. That’s why I think you should go to him again this morning and explain about your plan to bring brides up here.”

Amanda remembered the look on Jason Kruger’s face last night and shook her head. “He seemed adamant.”

“But it’s a wonderful idea. You’ve come this far, Amanda, you can’t just leave without giving it one more try,” Meg said. “All the women here would be so grateful.”

Amanda mulled it over. She had come a long way and she deserved another chance. Maybe Jason would see things differently in the light of day. Once he heard her plan he might welcome the idea of brides on his mountain, as long as he didn’t have to marry one of them himself.

She’d been so determined, so anxious when she left San Francisco. Making the difficult trip, waiting in Beaumont two long days hadn’t deterred her. Even the rough trip up the mountain wasn’t enough to make her lose the enthusiasm for her plan. Nothing was, except meeting Jason Kruger.

Something about that man unsettled her. What was it?

Amanda didn’t want to think too hard on that notion. “All right,” she said. “I’ll give it another try.”

She rose from the table filled with determination and purpose once again. She’d talk to Jason Kruger.

What could he do but say no?

Chapter Four

The gray dawn clung to the treetops as Amanda left Meg McGee’s house carrying her satchel and her hopes for the future, in search of Jason Kruger.

It didn’t seem quite fair that her dreams hinged on that particular man. Amanda had run the Becoming Brides Matrimonial Service for a little more than a year and she had plans for her business, for herself.

And for her prospective brides. They’d come to her with hopes and dreams of their own. A family, a husband, children, a home. All were things she could provide, with the right contacts.

Amanda picked her way along the rutted road. No, being dependent on the whim of Jason Kruger for her success and the happiness of her brides was not desirable at all. But at the moment, she had no choice.

What Amanda hadn’t seen last night when she arrived in the dark took her by surprise as she made her way down the road. The logging camp and town had been quite literally carved out of the mountain. A wall of thick trees towering two hundred feet in the air surrounded a large clearing. Inside lay the town, which was behind Amanda as she headed west, and in front of her was the logging camp. Off to her right was the sawmill and millpond.

The bone-rattling road that had brought her up from Beaumont last night separated the camp from the town, then continued on, winding its way up the mountain. The bunkhouse, storehouse and cookhouse lay ahead of her in the heart of the camp. A few smaller buildings were scattered between them, including barns and animal pens where horses and oxen stood, waiting to start their day of toil.

Across the road was Jason Kruger’s office. A house sat behind it; she guessed it belonged to the Kruger brothers. Absently, Amanda wondered what it looked like inside. Probably not one doily or lace cloth in the place.

There was wood everywhere. Amanda had never seen so much wood. Wooden houses, wooden shingles, wooden furniture. Stumps, slivers and shavings of wood, broken boards, sawdust. The air smelled of trees, sweet sawdust and sap.

The camp had the feel of hasty construction about it, as if it had been thrown together out of necessity in a rush to get on to more important matters.

No one was out at this hour. Meg had told Amanda she would find the men in the cookhouse before heading up the mountain for the day. Jason would be there, too.

A rumble of voices drew Amanda to the large building Meg had described. Delicious scents drifted on the air. Amanda paused outside the door, straightened her skirt and touched her hand to her hat. While the other women she’d met in camp dressed more simply, Amanda was here to conduct business, and it was important that her appearance reflect that.

She started inside, then stopped. She wasn’t all that anxious to meet Jason Kruger again.

Or was she?

He’d been on her mind all morning, even before Meg had suggested she talk with him again. She remembered last night and how irritating he’d been. How demanding. How arrogant.

How she’d called him those terrible names.

Amanda wasn’t all that experienced at business, but it probably wasn’t good to call your prospective customer thoughtless, inconsiderate and rude, and still expect him to do business with you. Even if he deserved to be called all those names.

As Jason Kruger did.

There was nothing she could do but continue on. Talk to Jason, present her plan, and hope for the best. Though he’d probably be less than happy to see her again, Amanda consoled herself with the thought that the worst he could do was say no. He certainly wouldn’t toss her over his shoulder, lash her to the wagon, and send the team careening down his mountain, back to Beaumont.

Amanda shifted her satchel from one hand to the other. Her future lay inside this cookhouse, in the hands of Jason Kruger. She drew in a deep breath and walked inside.

Rows of long tables holding platters of food filled the room. Men crowded the benches eating from tin plates, drinking steaming coffee from tin cups. The cook, a round-bellied man in a soiled apron, stood in the corner. The men kept their heads down, eating and talking while young boys, the cook’s helpers, scurried down the aisles refilling cups, bringing more platters of food.

Amanda raised on tiptoes looking over the sea of bobbing heads. There must have been fifty men here and she wasn’t sure how she’d find Jason among them.

A man seated at the table nearest Amanda noticed her. He did a double take, elbowed the man beside him, and pointed.

That man looked, then the one seated beside him looked, until the whole table was staring. Their hands stilled halfway to their mouths.

The table beside those men noticed Amanda, then the next table, and the next.

Silence crossed the cookhouse like ripples in a pond. No metal forks clicked against tin plates. No coffee slurped from cups. The cook’s helpers stopped between the tables. The room froze in reverent silence.

Fifty faces turned to Amanda. Fifty pairs of eyes widened. Fifty jaws sagged.

The thought that she was glad she’d dressed for the moment skittered through Amanda’s head.

Across the room, in the far corner, one man rose from the table. Tall. Wide chest. Straight shoulders.

Thoughtless, inconsiderate, rude.

Handsome.

Jason Kruger.

Amanda’s heart sped up urging her to run. Toward him, or away from him? She wasn’t sure.

Jason charged across the room frowning and scowling even more than last night. For an instant Amanda wondered if she’d been wrong. Might he do something worse than simply say no? Being lashed to a wagon careening down the mountain didn’t seem outside of the realm of possibility at the moment.

Jason stopped in front of her, towering over her, crowding her. His glare gave off heat. It ensnared Amanda, refusing to let her back away.

She gazed up at his hard, angry face. “Good morning, Mr. Kruger.”

“What the hell are you—”

Jason stopped and glanced back at the men sitting like fifty statues at the tables. He lowered his voice.

“What are you doing in here?”

“I have a business proposition to discuss with you, Mr. Kruger.”

He nodded toward the door. “Get outside.”

Amanda’s spine stiffened and her chin went up. “Mr. Kruger, I will not be ordered about like a servant.”

Jason pressed his lips together, holding in his simmering anger. “Miss Pierce, would you kindly step outside? Before you get yourself mauled by fifty men?”

Amanda peeked around Jason at the men staring at her. “They seem harmless to me.”

“Some of these men haven’t laid eyes on a woman like you in months.”

“A woman like me?” Amanda asked. “And what sort of woman would that be?”

Jason faltered. His angry expression collapsed as his gaze raked her from head to toe. His lips twitched as if he wanted to spit out a mouthful of words, but he held them in.

“Would you just go outside?” Jason glared down at her. “Please?”

The morning sunlight crept over the treetops as Amanda stepped out of the cookhouse. Before she could pause, Jason clamped onto her elbow and propelled her across the road. The chatter inside the cookhouse started up again.

Jason stared at her and tugged down on his hat brim, bringing it lower over his eyes.

“Look, Miss Pierce, I haven’t got a lot of time. I’ve got a business to run. I’m sorry you got hauled up here for nothing, but I’m not going to marry you and that’s all there is to it.”

“As it happens, Mr. Kruger, I have no desire to marry you,” Amanda said.

He looked offended now. “How’s that?”

“As you said last night, the letter I received was a mistake,” Amanda said. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t work out a mutually beneficial arrangement.”

“You don’t want to marry me, but you think we could work out some sort of arrangement?” Jason looked hard at her and dragged the back of his hand across his mouth. His lips twitched again. “What, exactly, did you have in mind, Miss Pierce?”

“I think my services are exactly what you need, Mr. Kruger.”

He shifted from one foot to the other. “Your services?”

“Yes,” Amanda said. “Your logging camp is a long way from Beaumont and even there you’ll find few women to choose from. The proper kind of woman, if you get my meaning.”

He scratched his chin. “I think I do.”

“Life up here on the mountain must get very lonely at times. The work is hard. A certain amount of comfort in the evening would go a long way toward making life more enjoyable. Wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Kruger?”

He nodded. “Oh, yeah. I’d agree with that, all right.”

Amanda had rehearsed her sales pitch on the way from Meg’s house this morning hoping Jason would go along with her idea to bring brides onto his mountain. And he seemed to be quite taken with the idea, so much so that he was starting to perspire.

“Perhaps we should go into your office and get down to business?” she asked.

“Now?” His eyes widened. “Right now? You and me? In my office? Now?”

“If you’re not too busy, that is.”

“Too busy?”

Voices carried across the road as the loggers streamed out of the cookhouse. The men filed past, some tipping their hats to Amanda, some simply staring.

Amanda lifted her satchel. “Should I approach the men now while they’re assembled? I have pictures.”

“Pictures?” Jason reeled back.

“Certainly,” she said. “Or would you like to go into your office first? Send for your brother, perhaps?”

His eyes widened. “My brother?”

She gazed up at him. “Wouldn’t you like to have him involved in this with us?”

Jason looked horrified. “Miss Pierce, what the hell are you talking about?”

“Brides.”

“Brides!”

“Yes, brides.”

Gracious, was this man soft in the head? How much more plain could she say it?

“I’m the owner of the Becoming Brides Matrimonial Service, Mr. Kruger. That’s why I came here in the first place.”

He pulled off his hat and dragged his sleeve over his forehead. “That’s what this is all about? Bringing brides up here?”

“Certainly. What did you think I meant?”

“Well—” Jason ran his finger around his shirt collar. “Never mind what I thought.”

Jason yanked on his hat again. “So you’re saying you didn’t come up here thinking I was going to marry you?”

“No, not me personally,” Amanda explained. “In fact, under normal circumstances I would have disregarded your request for a Becoming Bride immediately.”

His lines in his forehead deepened. “Are you saying I’m not good enough for your brides?”

“Well, Mr. Kruger, we do have standards,” Amanda said. “But when I read how miserably alone you were, you sounded so pathetic I had to come up and investigate.”

Jason pointed his finger at her. “It wasn’t me that wrote that letter.”

“Last night you made it abundantly clear that you weren’t interested in a bride for yourself, and I do understand your rule about no women in the camp,” Amanda said. “But I couldn’t leave this morning without discussing it once more with you.”

Jason sighed impatiently. “Look, Miss Pierce, I have a business to run and I don’t have time to—”

“I have a business to run also, Mr. Kruger,” Amanda said. “The happiness of my potential brides is my business. I don’t understand why you won’t at least give my idea some consideration. It’s not like it wouldn’t benefit you as well.”

“And just how is this supposed to benefit me?” He folded his arms across his chest, challenging her.

“Several ways. First of all—”

Amanda stopped as she noticed the loggers milling around the cookhouse door staring at her in silence. Jason saw them also.

“Let’s talk inside.” Jason caught her elbow and steered her toward his office.

Inside, Amanda dropped her satchel by the door. The room seemed smaller than it had last night. Quieter. More secluded. Jason seemed taller, wider, more rugged. She suddenly became conscious of the dress she wore, how it fit snug against her breasts, the fabric clinging to her skin.

“Sit down?” Jason asked.

The blustery anger she’d seen in him moments ago was gone now. He tossed his hat aside and gestured to the chair she’d sat in last night.

She sat, and he eased himself into his chair behind his desk, leaned back and steepled his fingers in front of him.

“You were about to tell me all the reasons I needed brides on my mountain, Miss Pierce.”

His intense gaze riveted her to her chair, making it difficult to breathe. Amanda gave herself a mental shake. This was her chance. Her future—and that of her brides—depended on the outcome of this conversation.

Amanda drew herself up a little straighter in the chair.

“First of all, Mr. Kruger, there’s the stability of your crew,” she said. “Married men are more stable, therefore, you’d have less turnover among your men. It’s more difficult for a man to pick up and move if he’s got a wife and a home to take with him, so he’d be more likely to stay put.”

Except for Gerald McGee, who’d left Meg and Todd with only a goodbye letter. Amanda didn’t want Jason bringing up that example so she pushed on.

“Then there’s the safety issue,” Amanda said. “I’m sure it’s of concern to you when your men have time off. How safety conscious can they be returning from Beaumont after several days of drinking and—”

Amanda clamped her lips together. Goodness, she’d almost said the word aloud.

Jason’s eyebrows raised. “And what?”

He watched her like a cat studying a cornered mouse. Amanda clung to her dignity, refusing to let her cheeks flood with color.

“Another reason brides would—”

“Hold on a minute,” Jason said. “You were talking about safety. Days of drinking and…what?”

He was enjoying her discomfort. It showed in his eyes, plain as day. Amanda drew herself up with what she hoped was regal aplomb.

“Socializing,” she said.

“Socializing?”

Jason Kruger knew what she meant, what she’d nearly said aloud. He was toying with her for his own pleasure, and Amanda was tired of it.

“Yes, Mr. Kruger. Socializing. Mindless socializing. Days and days on end of nothing but thoughtless, incoherent, continuous socializing. Hour after hour of—”

“All right, I got it.” Jason sat forward suddenly and squirmed in his chair.

Amanda drew in a breath, calming herself, focusing her thoughts. “Next, there’s the financial matters.”

Jason rose from his chair and stalked across the room. He flung the window open wide. Amanda was glad. The room had grown awfully hot. He kept his back to her and didn’t say anything, so she continued on.

“As I understand it, you own the mountain. Married couples will need a place to live. You can lease or sell homesites to them. The town will expand, offering another opportunity to profit from your land. And, of course, all of this will create a local market for your lumber.”

He stood with his back to her for a long time, gazing out the window.

Amanda stood. “Mr. Kruger, have you heard one word I’ve said?”

He looked back over his shoulder. “Every word. And the answer is still no.”

She crossed the room and stopped behind him. “I’ve just given you several excellent reasons why brides would be of great benefit to your logging camp. I don’t understand why—”

“Then I’ll tell you why.” Jason swung around. “If I let women up here, first thing you know there will be lines at the barber shop. Men will ask to be let off early to take a bath.”

“What’s so wrong with that?”

“Next thing you know, they get married. Then curtains start going up in the windows. When my men ought to be resting up for the next day’s work, they’re busy fixing things up, making them look pretty.”

Amanda rolled her eyes. “Well, we certainly wouldn’t want that to happen.”

Jason edged closer. “Then my crews aren’t concentrating on their jobs because their women are mad at them. Or because they’re anxious to get home. Either way, my men aren’t thinking about work.”

Amanda felt heat roll off of Jason. It soaked into her.

He leaned his head down. “And a year from now I’ll have babies up here because of all the socializing going on.”

Amanda’s cheeks flamed. How dare he say such a thing to her? She should have slapped his face. And she would have if she hadn’t been so hopelessly caught in the molten aura he gave off.

He came nearer. She wanted to back away—should back away. Then his mouth clamped over hers, and she wanted desperately to stay right where she was.

Jason looped his arm around her waist and pressed himself against her. Heat flamed between them. His lips moved against hers, plying, wanting, asking. He splayed his hand over her back.

A thousand explosions pierced her body. She’d never been kissed before—not like this. Never been touched as Jason touched her now. It wasn’t proper. It certainly wasn’t dignified.

But it was wonderful.

Amanda swayed against Jason. She grabbed his shoulders to keep from falling and parted her lips ever so slightly.

He slipped inside her at once, tasting her, exploring her. Luring her, tempting her until she did the same.

A groan rattled in his mouth as Amanda pressed deep, matching his movements. He pulled her tighter against him.

Amanda was lost in the feel of him, the taste of him. Hopelessly lost in the decadent moment of their mouths blending together.

Until he suddenly yanked his mouth from her and looked up.

A voice intruded into the fog clouding Amanda’s mind. She turned. Ethan stood in the open doorway.

Chapter Five

Ethan froze in midstride. “Uh…sorry.” He backed outside and closed the door.

Jason clung to Amanda, holding her against him. She was soft and warm. She smelled better than anything on his entire mountain. He didn’t want to let her go.

Her lips were wet and her cheeks pink. He’d done that to her. Done it and enjoyed it.

Her eyes were wide with embarrassment. He’d done that, too.

Jason eased his grip on her. She looked so vulnerable, so confounded, that he wanted to keep her in his arms and hold her, comfort her, and make everything all right for her.

But she pushed away from him, drew herself upright, and spun away. She rushed to the door, then stopped, as if unsure which was more embarrassing—going outside and confronting Ethan, or staying inside with him.

“Miss Pierce, wait—”

His words spurred her into action. Amanda yanked open the door and fled, leaving Jason staring after her.

“Dammit….”

Jason raked his hands through his hair and stared at the still open door. He wanted to go after her. He wanted her back. He wanted to hold her, and smell her, and kiss her, and…

And what? Jason grumbled another curse into the quiet office. He knew what he wanted to do. His body had already made it perfectly clear.

The office door opened wider and Ethan stepped inside. “Did you and Miss Pierce kiss and make up? Or just kiss?”

Jason cursed again and waved toward the door Amanda had just disappeared through. “That’s another reason I don’t want women up here.”

Ethan pushed the door closed and dropped into the chair in front of the desk. “Have you something against kissing all of a sudden?”

Jason glared at him. “No.”

“Then what the hell are you talking about?”

“Women gussied up in city clothes, all proper and dignified, getting flustered by a simple kiss,” Jason said. “What kind of wife would that be?”

Ethan grinned. “In the case of Amanda Pierce, a pretty good one.”

Jason cursed again.

“She’s got spirit,” Ethan said. “Determination, drive. If you ask me—”

“Nobody asked you.” Jason grabbed his hat off his desk and stalked to the door. “We’ve got work to do.”

“Jason, hold up a minute.” Ethan rose from the chair. “You work harder than any man on this mountain. You ought to take some time off, go down to Beaumont for a few days.”

“I’ve got a business to run.”

Ethan touched his shoulder. “Working yourself into the ground isn’t going to make up for Pa.”

“That’s not what I’m doing,” Jason said. He stalked outside, slamming the door behind him.

Bad enough that he’d gone and kissed Amanda Pierce, that she’d set his body on fire and sent his mind churning. Ethan didn’t have to bring up their father as well.

Jason stood on the porch of the office looking at his logging camp, his mountain. He’d bought it with his own money. He’d designed the layout of the camp and put the crew together. He’d built it himself and he was proud of it.

Ethan had come along later with the idea for the sawmill and put up the money for the new equipment. Since then they’d worked together, planned together.

For most of their lives, wherever Jason went, Ethan was seldom far behind. Ethan was only a year younger. They were closer than most brothers. That suited Jason just fine because the rest of the family was scattered. They drifted in and out of his life with an occasional letter. Thanks to their Ma and Pa.

Jason didn’t like being reminded of their father. And he sure as hell didn’t need to be reminded of how long it had been since he’d left his mountain. Miss Amanda Pierce and her kiss had done that—with predictable results.

Jason walked off the porch. He needed to get his mind on work, and off Miss Amanda Pierce. She was leaving today, anyway. And good riddance to her. Her and her brides…her sweet smell…her kiss.

Jason hiked to the skid road that led up the mountain. To his surprise he found his crew congregated there loaded down with their axes, saws, canteens and cans of pitch. The bull whackers had two teams of sixteen oxen harnessed, ready to head up the mountain. But they were all standing around talking when they should have been working already.

“What’s going on?” Jason demanded. His first thought was that there’d been an accident, someone had gotten hurt. But the men were too noisy for anything serious to have happened.

Buck Johansen, a big round-chested man, made his way from the center of the gathering. Buck was in charge of the lumberjacks. He was the boss logger, the bull of the woods, who ran the daily operation on the mountain. It was his responsibility to decide which trees to fell, how they should fall, and where cuts for logs should be made once the trees were down. There could be only one bull of the woods, and Buck was it.

“There’s talk going around,” Buck said, stopping in front of Jason. “Talk about you getting married.”

Jason’s gaze landed squarely on Duncan in the center of the crew and knew where that piece of gossip had come from.

“I’m not getting married,” Jason barked.

“But what about that pretty little lady in your office last night?” Duncan called out. “We all saw her this morning at breakfast.”

“Get to work, all of you,” Jason said, “before I dock you a day’s pay.”

A grumble went through the men, but they turned and headed up the mountain.

Buck Johansen stayed behind. “Some of the men were wondering—”

Jason cursed. “If you can’t keep these men’s minds on work I’ll find somebody who can.”

Buck just looked at him, and Jason regretted his words. Buck was one of the best, and Jason counted himself lucky to have him on his mountain. He shouldn’t have lashed out at Buck when it was really himself he was mad at.

“Look,” Jason said, softening his stance, “I’ve got no time for this kind of problem.”

Buck nodded his understanding, then gestured toward the crew hiking up the mountain. “I know. But I’ve got these men who are wondering what’s going on around here.”

“Nothing’s going on.”

“Some say maybe you ought to get married,” Buck said. “Take the edge off.”

Jason bit back a retort, then looked away because he couldn’t disagree with Buck.

“I’ve got a lot on my mind,” Jason said. “This deal I’m waiting to hear on, for one.”

“There’s been deals before.”

Jason pulled on his neck. “Keep the men working. Keep their minds on their jobs. I don’t want anybody getting hurt today.”

Buck hesitated a moment, then nodded and headed up the road behind the men.

Most days Jason would have gone up with them. Today, though, he stood where he was, looking at the towering trees, feeling the early morning sun on his face, and decided not to go up yet. He had some business to attend to in camp.

Jason hiked over to the sawmill. Work was underway on the logs that had come down from the two sections of the mountain his men were working. About half floated down river to the millpond, and the rest were dragged down the skid road by teams of oxen.

Just outside the sawmill, a conveyor belt brought logs out of the millpond with the help of the river pigs, the sure-footed loggers who leapt from log to log guiding them and breaking up jams.

Inside the sawmill a steam engine powered the band saw that cut through the massive logs. Two men rode the carriage back and forth, holding the log in place with a series of levers. Another crew of men stacked the cut lumber and prepared it for shipment down the mountain.

Ethan was busy overseeing the work. Jason waved to him. They walked outside, away from the relentless whine of the saw.

“Talk to Shady before he heads down to Beaumont today,” Jason said. “Be sure he checks the mail while he’s there.”

“Shady knows we’re looking for that packet from San Bernardino,” Ethan said. “He won’t head home until he’s checked on it.”

“Remind him, just the same.”

“Don’t know if I can.”

Jason’s brows drew together. “He’s left already?”

“Does that bother you?” Ethan grinned. “Maybe you’re sorry to see Miss Pierce leave after all.”

“You see? This is what I’m talking about.” Jason threw out both hands. “A woman—one single woman—shows up in camp and the whole place is thrown into an uproar.”

“Seems like you’re the one in an uproar,” Ethan said. “Everybody else is doing fine.”

Jason grumbled under his breath and stalked away.

There was nothing like a brisk walk to take the edge off of one’s emotions, Amanda decided as she made her way toward town. Particularly a walk over a road as rough as this one, where a lady might easily fall on her bustle and embarrass herself in front of anyone and everyone passing by.

Amanda stopped and caught her breath. Which was worse? Being embarrassed by total strangers, or being embarrassed by the two Kruger brothers?

One of whom she’d kissed. Hard. On the mouth. With her lips opened.

Amanda’s cheeks flamed again, churning up her emotions once more. At this rate she’d have to hike all the way to Beaumont to burn off the sting of that memory. Such wanton behavior. What had possessed her to do such a thing?

Jason Kruger. Amanda was tempted to curse aloud. The words burned her tongue. Jason had caused her to act in such an unladylike fashion.

He was no gentleman, she decided. A gentleman didn’t have big hulking muscles. A rock-hard chest. A hot mouth. A gentleman didn’t lock a lady in his arms and pull their bodies together so that they touched. He didn’t allow a lady to feel his thighs, his belly, his—

Amanda gasped aloud, and plastered her fingers to her lips. She glanced around quickly. A man she didn’t recognize sauntered toward the animal pens on the other side of camp.

Had he seen her? Did he suspect what she’d been thinking? Not to mention what she’d been doing.

Amanda hiked up her skirt and hurried toward town.

She was short-winded by the time she reached Meg’s house and went inside. One of the ways Meg made money to feed herself and Todd was by doing mending for the loggers. She was hard at work sewing on missing buttons, closing ripped seams and patching holes when Amanda sat down on the settee.

“Has Shady come by?” Amanda asked.

Meg lowered the worn shirt. “Does this mean Jason turned you down again?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Even after you explained about your brides?”

Even after she’d kissed him.

Amanda shifted on the settee, anxious to change the subject. “If you won’t let me pay you for a night’s lodging, the least I can do is help with your mending.”

“Don’t be silly,” Meg insisted. “I was glad to have you here. You can’t imagine how lonely this mountain gets without another woman to talk to.”

They spent the next several hours working their way to the bottom of the mending basket. Meg talked nonstop, and Amanda realized that she was indeed lonely for female conversation. Her heart sank a little. Another reason she was sorry to leave with her mission unfulfilled.

“Gracious, it’s late.” Amanda looked out the window and saw that the sun was high overhead now. “I can’t imagine where Shady is.”

“Shady operates on a timetable of his own,” Meg said.

“Maybe I should look for him.” She didn’t want to wait until it was too late to go down the mountain and risk not finding a hotel room in Beaumont.

“The crews will be down from the mountain soon to eat,” Meg said. “The smell of the food will draw Shady out, if nothing else.”

“I think I’ll go look for him,” Amanda said. She pinned her hat in place, and headed out the door.

Though she tried to resist, her gaze turned to Jason’s office just down the road. A strange quivering sensation passed through Amanda. Her lips twitched suddenly at the memory of the kiss they’d shared. Why couldn’t she forget?

Amanda turned quickly and walked the other way.

By the time she reached the barber shop in town, Amanda had decided it was simply this place that made her act so wanton in Jason’s office. The isolation. The wild, rugged mountain. The lack of anything resembling the civility of the city.

After all, what else could it be?

Amanda strolled through the town. It seemed to have grown up on the edge of the logging camp as an afterthought. There was no boardwalk in front of the few businesses that were open. Most of their trade came from the loggers, Amanda guessed, because only a few patrons were on the street.

The town had a temporary feel to it. The buildings looked hastily thrown together with little concern for appearance or appeal. There was debris and clutter outside the stores as if the owners had no one to impress but the loggers, and the loggers weren’t there to be impressed.

It was all so different from the shops she was used to. The magnificent stores, restaurants, the streets crowded with carriages and people. Amanda hadn’t expected this place to look like San Francisco, but still….

After peering into shop windows and down tiny alleyways, Amanda didn’t find Shady. She sighed and headed out of town. Shady knew he had to take her down to Beaumont and would find her soon enough. Maybe Meg was right, that he’d come for her after he’d eaten. She’d get her things together and wait at Meg’s house until he arrived.

A shudder passed through her so violently she stopped dead in her tracks. Her satchel. She’d left her satchel in Jason Kruger’s office.

Amanda pinched the bridge of her nose, thinking hard about what to do. She had to get it back, of course. She couldn’t possibly leave it.

Meg had told her this morning that Jason usually went up to the mountain with the logging crews, so it was probably safe to go to his office and retrieve her satchel. Probably.

Amanda drew in a heavy breath and started walking again. How did she keep ending up in so many awkward situations on this mountain?

Amanda knocked on the closed office door hoping she’d get no response. She glanced around. This part of the camp was nearly deserted during the day. She heard the whine of the sawmill in the distance.

She knocked again, then opened the door and stepped inside. No one was there.

When she’d been in the office before she’d noticed little more than Jason himself. He seemed to take up the entire room.

Now she had a chance to look the place over. Jason’s desk and another one, presumably Ethan’s, sat at right angles, with Jason’s facing the door. Maps and charts were tacked to the wall. Ledgers, papers, more maps and charts were stacked haphazardly on the desktops and on shelves. Sawdust had been tracked across the floor.

The office was still. Amanda walked through the room. She touched the ledgers, flipped one open and saw heavy, straight figures entered in neat columns. She ran her hand over the back of Jason’s chair, felt the smooth grain of the wood. On his desk a technical journal lay open.

For all his faults—and Amanda had counted many—Jason Kruger had to be admired for what he’d accomplished. When she first received the letter requesting one of her brides, the letter she’d thought came from Jason, she’d asked around.

Logging was backbreaking work, she’d learned, requiring tireless energy and strength. New, inventive techniques had to be devised to get the huge trees out of the forests. The size of the trees here in these woods presented problems unheard of by loggers on the east coast. She’d been told that any man who could harvest the big trees in the Sierra Nevada would find fortune greater than the West’s silver and gold.

Amanda sighed in the silent office. Too bad Jason didn’t want to share that wealth with anyone. Or that life. She picked up her satchel where she’d left it beside his desk and headed for the door.

It swung open as she reached for it. The doorway filled with Jason Kruger. Amanda reeled back.

He stopped short, as stunned as she by the unexpected meeting. They both stared. The room shrank again, closing in on Amanda, robbing her of an easy breath.

“I thought you’d gone,” Jason said.

“I—I left my satchel.” She hefted it higher, offering it as evidence that she was still here for a good reason. “And I’ll be leaving shortly.”

He stood in the doorway, blocking her way. “Just as long as you understand that this brides notion is over with.”

“What I understand, Mr. Kruger, is that you’re a stubborn man.” Amanda nearly gasped aloud when she heard the words slip through her lips. Good gracious, she’d called him another name. What came over her when she got around this man?

“Stubborn? Me?” Jason stepped inside and pushed the door shut. “You’re the most hardheaded woman I’ve ever met. And pushy, too.”

“Pushy!”

“Yeah, pushy. You keep sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong and isn’t wanted.”

Amanda drew herself up to her greatest height, though it was woefully short of his. “Somebody on this mountain wrote that letter to me, Mr. Kruger. Somebody wants brides up here. You’d better face that fact.”

He pointed his finger at her. “I can tell you this, Miss Pierce, when I find out who wrote that letter I’m going to fire that man so fast he won’t know what hit him.”

“Oh! You pigheaded man!” Amanda jerked her chin. “Don’t worry. I’m leaving for good. I won’t be back, and you’ll never hear from me again. You’ll have your precious mountain all to yourself. I hope it keeps you warm at night.”

A little mewl slipped from Amanda’s lips as she realized what she’d said. Her gaze locked with Jason’s. He gulped.

They both stood motionless for a long moment, visions of heating up the nights on the mountain spinning between them.

Jason inched forward. Amanda backed up. He had that same fiery look in his eye he’d had earlier when he’d kissed her. Was he going to kiss her again? Should she let him?

Jason stopped. Amanda stepped toward him.

The door burst open behind them and a breathless young man rushed into the room.

“Mr. Kruger! Mr. Kruger!” The tall, skinny boy pressed one hand to his heaving chest.

Jason caught his arm. “What’s wrong with you, boy?”

“My pa…my pa’s the postmaster down in Beaumont. He said you’d been expecting this.” The boy waved a large, rumpled envelope. “He told me to get up the mountain with it right away. I rode fast as I could.”

Jason pulled the envelope from the boy’s hand. “Go get my brother. He’s at the sawmill.”

“Yes, sir.” Chest still heaving, the boy ran out the door.

Jason tore the envelope open and yanked out its contents. He scanned it, then clenched his fist. A smile bloomed on his face. Not a grin or a snicker, but a genuine smile so wide it showed his teeth.

He whirled toward Amanda. “I got it!”

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