The Cowboy’s Forbidden Bride
By Cora Seton
Copyright © 2019 Cora Seton
Kindle Edition
Published by One Acre Press
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Author’s Note
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
Excerpt from Issued to the Bride One Navy SEAL
About the Author
Author’s Note
The Cowboy’s Forbidden Bride is the fifth and final volume in the Turners v. Coopers series. To find out more, look for the rest of the books in the series, including:
The Cowboy’s Secret Bride (Volume 1)
The Cowboy’s Outlaw Bride (Volume 2)
The Cowboy’s Hidden Bride (Volume 3)
The Cowboy’s Stolen Bride (Volume 4)
Also, don’t miss Cora Seton’s Chance Creek series, the Cowboys of Chance Creek, the Heroes of Chance Creek, the Brides of Chance Creek, and the SEALs of Chance Creek:
The Cowboys of Chance Creek Series:
The Cowboy Inherits a Bride (Volume 0)
The Cowboy’s E-Mail Order Bride (Volume 1)
The Cowboy Wins a Bride (Volume 2)
The Cowboy Imports a Bride (Volume 3)
The Cowgirl Ropes a Billionaire (Volume 4)
The Sheriff Catches a Bride (Volume 5)
The Cowboy Lassos a Bride (Volume 6)
The Cowboy Rescues a Bride (Volume 7)
The Cowboy Earns a Bride (Volume 8)
The Cowboy’s Christmas Bride (Volume 9)
The Heroes of Chance Creek Series:
The Navy SEAL’s E-Mail Order Bride (Volume 1)
The Soldier’s E-Mail Order Bride (Volume 2)
The Marine’s E-Mail Order Bride (Volume 3)
The Navy SEAL’s Christmas Bride (Volume 4)
The Airman’s E-Mail Order Bride (Volume 5)
The Brides of Chance Creek Series:
Issued to the Bride One Navy SEAL
Issued to the Bride One Airman
Issued to the Bride One Sniper
Issued to the Bride One Marine
Issued to the Bride One Soldier
Issued to the Bride One Sergeant for Christmas
The SEALs of Chance Creek Series:
A SEAL’s Oath
A SEAL’s Vow
A SEAL’s Pledge
A SEAL’s Consent
A SEAL’s Purpose
A SEAL’s Resolve
A SEAL’s Devotion
A SEAL’s Desire
A SEAL’s Struggle
A SEAL’s Triumph
Visit Cora’s website at www.coraseton.com
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Chapter One
Steel Cooper was sick of hiding. Sick of hanging out with criminals. Sick of playing a part that had no bearing on who he really was or what he wanted from life. Sick of watching everyone else live out loud, unfettered by their pasts or their obligations. He’d spent half his life hiding. More than that, really, if you counted all the years he ran cover for his father’s petty crimes, the way children do when their parents skirt the law.
As he stood in the shadows of a grove of trees that skirted Thorn Hill, spying on his sister’s wedding reception, he vowed that all the secrecy in his life would end soon. He’d finish the job his father, Dale, had started, would catch the killer that had preyed upon Chance Creek, Montana, for far too many years, and would finally—finally—take his place in the sun.
He wasn’t sure when he’d hit the wall. Maybe it was witnessing each of his siblings marry this summer, one after the other, finding a kind of happiness that seemed out of his grasp.
Maybe it was knowing that no one but him even believed the rash of overdose deaths in Silver Falls were anything but accidents. He’d been trying to prove them wrong since he’d come back to town with his family several years ago, and so far he’d made little progress.
Or maybe it was realizing Stella Turner was falling for someone else.
Steel looked over the celebration in front of him. Trees had been festooned with fairy lights. A local band played popular dance tunes. Despite the intense heat that had plagued Chance Creek all summer, it was a perfect night—
For everyone but him.
His chest tightened as Stella danced in the arms of another man. Her dark hair had been caught up into a loose bun for the occasion, tendrils coming free and curling in the heat. He wasn’t close enough to see her hazel eyes, but he had them memorized, like the sweet shape of her face and her tantalizing figure. If his life hadn’t become so damn complicated thirteen years ago, maybe he’d be the one dancing with her. Holding her close. Taking her home.
Getting married—
Steel squashed that thought—hard. He wouldn’t be marrying anyone anytime soon. Certainly not Stella, who worked at the Chance Creek county sheriff’s department fielding calls. She was smart as a whip, cool under pressure, and damned pretty to boot. Much too good for the likes of him—at least the way he was living his life now.
But a man could dream, and he’d been dreaming about Stella since the day he’d come back to town and caught sight of her walking down main street, the girl next door all grown up.
Completely out of his reach.
Since then he’d done his best to stay out of her way, but that was impossible in a small town, especially since her family’s ranch lay across one small creek from his. He saw Stella all the time.
Craved seeing her. Wanted to do a hell of a lot more.
So far he’d managed to keep himself in check, but if he had to watch her in Eric Holden’s arms much longer, he was going to lose control.
It had taken him nearly an hour to creep close enough to the festivities tonight to be able to see them clearly without being seen himself, and he’d only managed it because the hot summer days had convinced Tory and Liam to situate the party among a grove of shade trees on his family’s property. Once the sun set, he’d slipped from tree to tree from the deeper arm of forest that bounded their pastures.
If he was caught, he’d have the excuse of wanting to congratulate his sister, but it would be for the best for all concerned if he wasn’t. Everyone, including his own family, thought he’d returned to Chance Creek to help his siblings on their ranch. Thirteen years ago, when their father’s checkered past had caught up to him and Dale
