This Loving Land - Dorothy Garlock [0]
THIS
LOVINGLAND
A Time Warner Company
THIS LOVING LAND. Copyright © 1981 by Dorothy Garlock. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.
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A Time Warner Company
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ISBN: 978-0-7595-2248-0
First eBook Edition: April 2001
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
“YOU BELONG TO ME NOW.”
Slater’s eyes were suddenly like dark glowing coals. They met Summer’s. Hers were startled. He had said “belong to me.” And she could see he meant it. Suddenly, something had changed. Forever. They both knew it.
Slater took the mug from her hand. Then his arm went around her and she was so firmly held against him that she could feel the hard bones and muscles of his body thrusting through her thin cotton dress. The intimacy of that contact sent waves of surprise and pleasure through her. Strange, tempestuous feelings threatened to swamp her, and she struggled desperately to keep her head.
His lips touched the side of her neck and his hand moved up and down her back, the wild beat of her heart against his. “Do I frighten you?” His lips were against her cheek.
“No.” It was scarcely more than a whisper. Her brain commanded her to fight free of him, but her senses ignored the order . . .
“The counterpart to Louis L’Amour in the genre of women’s romance set in the frontier West, Ms. Garlock does not disappoint any of her fans!”
—Heartland Critiques
“For those who like their romances emotionally complex and brimful of grit, Garlock holds the reins masterfully.”
—Publishers Weekly
Books by Dorothy Garlock
Almost Eden
Annie Lash
Dream River
Forever Victoria
A Gentle Giving
Glorious Dawn
Homeplace
Lonesome River
Love and Cherish
Midnight Blue
Nightrose
Restless Wind
Ribbon in the Sky
River of Tomorrow
Sins of Summer
Tenderness
Wayward Wind
Wild Sweet Wilderness
Wind of Promise
Yesteryear
Published by
WARNER BOOKS
TO LINDY
Be proud of yourself. You are truly a beautiful person, with a special kind of courage.
MOM
McLean’s Keep, the Rocking S Ranch and all the characters in this book exist only in my imagination, with the exception of the Kuykendall family—my ancestors—who came to Texas with Stephen F. Austin in 1823 and helped establish San Felipe, the first Anglo-American settlement.
The town of Hamilton Valley, later named Burnet, is not to be confused with the present-day town of Hamilton, county seat of Hamilton County, which is to the north of Burnet County and was established in 1858.
DOROTHY GARLOCK
THIS
LOVINGLAND
Prologue
“Sam! Sam . . . !” The girl in the loose, homespun garment ran down the oak-shadowed path, jumped lightly over a fallen branch and threw herself into the man’s arms. Closing her eyes tightly, she knew she was blushing with the thrill that leaped through her at the feel of his muscular, pulsing body pressed closely against hers.
“Ye looney lass!” He held her away from him. “And how many times must I be a tellin’ ye not to run and leap like a frog? Ach, but ye’ll be a fallin’ and a hurtin’ y’rself . . . or the bairn.” The voice was rough and masculine and musical with its strong Scottish accent.
“Sam,” she murmured urgently, “I’m so happy! I’m so happy I’m scared, Sam.”
“Scared?” he murmured against her ear.
“I’m scared something terrible will happen. This has been the most wonderful summer of my life, Sam. It’s been