Separated from her father for ten years, Charlotte was
determined to leave Boston and travel to Kansas with or without her mother's
permission.
Propriety be damned!
If it wasn't proper for a young girl to travel alone, she would disguise
herself as a boy.
A man was considered lucky if he had a steady job, a roof over his head and an obedient wife.
Ranch foreman Slade Hazard already had two out of the three.
A couple of docile
ladies lived in Swiftwater, Kansas, and would fit his needs nicely. He might
not be in love, but he'd be a faithful husband, a good provider and hopefully,
in due time, a father. Yep, he knew exactly what he wanted, that is, until he
met Charlotte "Charley" Henry.
The train ride to
Cheyenne had gone off without a hitch, just as Charlotte thought it would. The
jaunt on the stage taking her to Swiftwater, Kansas, should be a cinch. Even better, the tall, broad shouldered man
sharing the stagecoach was a dream come true. A pity she couldn't reveal her
true gender to the handsome Slade Hazard, and try a bit of flirting. Then the
stagecoach is held up by a trio of bandits. Slade is determined to keep the
passengers safe, even if he has to threaten the unruly 'boy' with a good
strapping.
Charley's sassy mouth
lands her into trouble and when the truth of her gender is in danger, she has
no choice. She must reveal herself to Slade.
Charlotte had never
been spanked in her entire life, but Slade soon remedies the matter more than
once. Her dream man wouldn't dare take her across his knee, but would she be
content with a man she could run roughshod over?
Slade thought he knew
what he had wanted in a wife, but he actually enjoys sparring with the fiery
redhead. Is it possible to fall in love at first sight? When Charlotte
disappears just as the prisoner is released, more than one man fears for her
safety. But who will find her first?
#spankingromance #historical #western
READ an EXCERPT
Charlotte ‘Charley’, and Slade meet
for the first time. He’s not aware Charley is a girl, but Charlotte is
certainly aware Slade is a man and a handsome one at that. EnjoyJ
Charlotte cast one last glance at the huge platform behind
her. The journey by train had gone off
without a hitch. No one seemed to notice the young boy seated by
himself. Clutching her bag to her chest, she weaved her way through the crowd,
anxiously searching for the stage depot. When she found it, she hurried forward
and paid her passage to Kansas. A man who introduced himself as Smitty took her
bag and threw it on top of the stagecoach. He merely pointed to the small
rickety ladder provided and she slowly climbed aboard. Once she was seated,
another passenger had arrived. He was almost inside when the ladder swayed. Alarmed,
he lunged and landed at Charlotte's feet. She immediately reached out, but he
waved her hand away and climbed onto the seat by himself. Another five minutes
had passed and when no one else showed up to board, Smitty shut the door. They
were on their way to Kansas. Charlotte made herself more comfortable and closed
her eyes.
"Whoa, Smitty, hold up a minute."
Charlotte's eyes shot wide open and she immediately
straightened in her seat, anxious to see to whom that deep, booming voice
outside the coach belonged. Her heart thumped wildly. The door swung open and
she almost burst into a fit of nervous giggles.
Staring was downright rude, but she couldn't keep herself
from ogling the handsome man.
This was the closest she had ever gotten to a real cowboy since
she had been a little girl and she was going to enjoy every minute of it as a
woman. Besides, he probably wouldn't give a hoot if she crossed her eyes and
poked out her tongue.
His barely there nod set her tummy to flutter. He was so tall
he had to hunch down or his head would have surely bumped the top of the coach.
She only had a second to note how his broad shoulders tapered to a lean waist
before he sat down. Denim pants wrapped snugly around muscled thighs and long
legs. Her gaze settled upon his large hands and a tingle started at her toes,
traveled up her legs, shot straight up to her hairline and settled between her
legs. Charlotte clenched her pelvic muscles and it felt as if she had wet
herself. She licked her lips and continued her perusal. There was a hint of a
mustache on his upper lip and his chin sported dark stubble. Tiny lines at the
corner of his eyes gave him a mature appearance and added to his appeal. She
closed her eyes and sighed. She had to admit, he was much better looking than her
dream man. Too bad she had to pretend to be a boy. She would have liked to
practice a little flirting.
* * * * *
Slade grew more annoyed with each passing minute. Surely, the
young brat seated across from him had been schooled in proper behavior. Staring
was rude. Where were the kid's parents?
He was way to young to be traveling by himself. Maybe he was
an orphan. A scrawny orphan at that. A strong wind could easily blow him over
and those effeminate features had to be a curse. Slade had no doubt the poor
kid had been a brunt of many jokes regarding his gender. Slade despised
bullying of any kind. The very idea of the young boy possibly being subjected
to abuse sickened him. Even though the boy irritated him, he'd make sure he
came to no harm on the trip to Swiftwater. After that, the boy was on his own.
Thanks for having me on your blog, today Elodie!
ReplyDelete<3 Mary :)