To avert an impending life of servitude, Bethany Cook seeks freedom on a wagon train bound for gold country. Disguised as a young boy she secures work as a travel companion with Thomas Nolan, a rich New Yorker who is on his own quest to distance himself from the nightmare of a fraudulent marriage.
Description:Release Date: April 15th, 2015
To avert an impending life of servitude, Bethany Cook seeks freedom on a wagon train bound for gold country. Disguised as a young boy she secures work as a travel companion with Thomas Nolan, a rich New Yorker who is on his own quest to distance himself from the nightmare of a fraudulent marriage.
A cross-country journey by Thomas’ side proves more difficult than Bethany anticipated when he becomes obsessed with her true identity—the golden haired beauty he shared one night of passion with. Bethany attempts to confess the truth, but a bounty hunter exposes her as a devious woman that lied to Thomas for months for her own evil gain. Her life and her heart now rest in the hands of Thomas, who must decide if he can forgive and marry her or leave her to the fate she’s brought upon herself.
EXCERPT
“Listen. I’m sorry. You obviously had a rough time
growing up, and I don’t blame you for feeling the way you do about drinking.”
Thomas rubbed the back of his neck. “I know you probably don’t believe me, but
I never really drank before. I never wanted to be the man that beat my sister.”
Bethany rolled her eyes at his words.
“Trust me. I’m a man who likes to be in control at
all times. It was just that— ”
“There is always an excuse,” she said under her
breath.
“I know. That girl, though … she did something to
me. Have you ever not wanted to think about someone but that same person haunts
your dreams?” Thomas blew out a long breath. “Of course not.”
“Yes.” The man sitting by her side tied her stomach
in knots and she wanted to hate him more than anything, but the way he gingerly
tended her wounds stirred an ache for him to touch her more. She didn’t want
him, she didn’t want any man controlling her. “I know you believe that woman
are dumb for sticking around when their husbands beat them. You think your
sister had a choice to leave, but you’re wrong. Men do things to control their
wives.”
Thomas retrieved the reins and wrapped them around
the brake. “Perhaps. I can’t do anything about that,
though. Neither can you. All we can do is be better men.” He pinched the bridge
of his nose. “You know the girl … Bethany, right?”
She couldn’t deny it now. Not after being accused of
stealing and saying Bethany gave the stuff to her. How did things get so
confusing? “Yes.”
“Do you know if she’s married?” His voice trailed
off, as did his gaze.
“No.”
He sat up straight, a smile crossing his lips that
screamed danger. “She’s not?”
A lifetime was revealed in that smile—a lifetime of
serving and being abused by a man who would tire of her and turn to the bottle.
He’d already shown the bottle was his friend.
“I … I don’t know.” Tell him she’s married. Tell him he can never have her. The words
wouldn’t flow.
He beat his palm against his head. “Stupid. This is
stupid, Thomas.”
“Do you always talk to yourself?”
“Too often lately.” Thomas sat back and moved his
hat over his eyes and crossed his arms. “If you don’t know, then I’m going to
find out.”
“Why? We’ve got a good thing going. What if she’s
married to a man like Sarah’s husband? A drunk who beats her all the time. You
going to get involved in that?” Bethany needed to stop him from searching for
her. Especially if it meant examining her closer. Since they’d left he’d barely
looked at her, and when he did he commented on her strange ways. No. This
couldn’t happen.
He stiffened and sat up, dropping his hat at his
feet. “I don’t know what I’d do.”
“I know what you’d do. You’d give her hope then turn
the other way because you don’t want to get involved, leaving her to face a
worse beating than before you stepped into her life. Let it be.” Bethany
grabbed the reins, ignoring the sting in her hands, and slapped the rear of the
closest horse, brooking no more conversation. Not when her heart quickened and
her thoughts betrayed her. Not when two little words that would end her life
rolled to the tip of her tongue. I’m
Bethany.
Ciara Knight writes to ‘Defy the Dark’ with her young adult speculative fiction and sweet romance books. Her most recent international best-seller, Pendulum, scored 4 stars from RT Book Reviews, accolades from InD’Tale Magazine and Night Owl Top Pick. Her young adult paranormal series, Battle for Souls, received 5 stars from Paranormal Romance Guild and Night Owl’s Top Pick, among other praises.
When not writing, she enjoys reading all types of fiction. Some great literary influences in her life include Edgar Allen Poe, Shakespeare, Francine Rivers and J K Rowling.
Her first love, besides her family, reading, and writing, is travel. She’s backpacked through Europe, visited orphanages in China, and landed in a helicopter on a glacier in Alaska.
Ciara is extremely sociable and can be found at Facebook,Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, and her website:
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