Lawman on a Mission
Former deputy Will Lawson is fighting to regain his reputation—and Mary Stone is his only lead to the bandit who framed him. Now that he’s tracked Mary to Leadville, Colorado, Will needs the proud beauty to reveal her past. Instead, his efforts spark a mighty inconvenient attraction…
Mary’s only real crime is that she once believed an outlaw’s lies. Still, she fears disclosing the truth to Will may land her in jail—and leave her young siblings without protection. Now she must choose between honesty and safeguarding her family. And if Will does clear his own name, can he convince the woman he loves to share it?
“Why do you care what a supposedly bad man is doing with me?”
Will shouldn’t care. It was none of his business if she married Ben or not. And yet, he couldn’t stand idly by.
“You lied to me about severing your connection with him.”
Mary flinched at his words. “I did not. Ben’s visit here tonight surprised me just as much as it did you.”
Actually, Will had noticed that. He’d also noticed how Mary bristled at Ben’s attention. But something wasn’t right with the situation. “Then why did you announce your engagement?”
“Ben announced our engagement.” Mary’s eyes flashed as she emphasized Ben’s name. Will had to admit, Mary had really pretty eyes. Green with flecks of gold, so deep a man could spend hours mining them and still— What was he doing mooning over her? Hadn’t he learned his lesson?
“Why did you go along with it? Why not tell everyone that you’d broken things off with him?”
“Didn’t you hear me try to explain that it was over?” Mary’s voice was littered with the angst of unshed tears. “But I—” She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll figure something out.”
Will took a step closer. “I’ll help you,” he said softly. “Let me help you.”
Danica Favorite loves the adventure of living a creative life. She loves to explore the depths of human nature and follow people on the journey to happily-ever-after. Though the journey is often bumpy, those bumps refine imperfect characters as they live the life God created them for. Oops, that just spoiled the ending of Danica’s stories. Then again, getting there is all the fun. Find her at danicafavorite.com.
Books by Danica Favorite
Love Inspired Historical
Rocky Mountain Dreams
The Lawman’s Redemption
Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles
DANICA FAVORITE
The Lawman’s Redemption
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.
—Proverbs 3:5–6
When I married my husband, I found great riches in his family. Without their support, I could not do half of the things I do, especially when it comes to writing my books. Fred, you are always there for us, and give to us so abundantly, I can’t even begin to express the depth of my gratitude, love and admiration for you. Pat, you didn’t get to see any of this, but thank you. Gloria, you have been such a welcome addition to our family, and you mean the world to us. Ricky, not only do you help me blow stuff up, but you always make me smile. Debbie, thanks for all your support.
Bernard and Teri, you guys have invested so much in our family, and I’m so grateful for all you do. Most importantly, I’m thankful for the family traditions you’ve kept alive so my children will know about their Leadville relatives. And of course, I’m so grateful that you give us free access to the Leadville house whenever we want to go up. Without our time in Leadville, there would be no book.
To the Novaks—you bravely came to America and arrived in Leadville to create a future for your family at a time when life in Leadville couldn’t have been easy. I hope my books honor your spirit.
And to Randy, thank you for introducing me to all of them.
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 Twenty-Five
Epilogue
Dear Reader
Excerpt from Captive on the High Seas by Christina Rich
Chapter One
Leadville, Colorado, 1881
Someone was following her.
Each time Mary Stone looked around or tried checking behind her, she didn’t spot anything unusual. But she was no fool. She’d learned to trust that feeling deep in her gut when she knew something wasn’t quite right. If only she’d accepted her friend Polly’s offer to accompany her on her errand to the mercantile. Selfishly, Mary had wanted just a few minutes to herself, away from her siblings’ squabbles and the work of putting together their new household.
Selfishness never profited anyone. Maybe it wasn’t an exact quote from the Bible, but it had to be in there somewhere. And now Mary was paying for that decision.
Teeming with saloons and miners celebrating the receipt of their wages, the busy street wasn’t an easy place to find refuge. Two blocks ahead was the Rafferty Hotel, a respectable place where they’d stayed when they’d first come to Leadville. If Mary could get there, she could talk to Mrs. Rafferty and see if one of her hired men could escort her the rest of the way home. That was, if she didn’t lose her pursuer first.
A wagon rolled by, kicking up dust and the loose slag that passed for a road. Mary coughed and pressed her nose into her handkerchief. Raucous laughter jolted her further as the doors to a saloon opened and several men lumbered out.
One of the men, having clearly imbibed too much of the drink, grabbed her. “Yer a pretty one, ain’t ya? My ship’s come in at the card table. Maybe you’d like to help me be respectable by marrying me.”
His foul odor stung her nostrils, and as much as she wanted to get away,
