Love's Sweet Surrender
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LOVE’S SWEET SURRENDER
Sandy Sullivan
ROMANCE
www.BookStrand.com
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A SIREN-BOOKSTRAND TITLE
IMPRINT: Romance
LOVE’S SWEET SURRENDER
Copyright © 2010 by Sandy Sullivan
E-book ISBN: 1-60601-671-7
First E-book Publication: January 2010
Cover design by Jinger Heaston
All cover art and logo copyright © 2010 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
www.BookStrand.com
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I want to say thank you to a few people for making this novel come alive:
Cathy Gehret - You've been the drive behind my success, and I love you dearly. We did it!
Becky Hollada - My youngest child. Thanks for your hard work on the proofing for the original version of this novel. I love you, and you'll make a great editor one day.
Tracy Conne - Thanks for your feedback on this book. You helped tremendously.
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LOVE’S SWEET SURRENDER
SANDY SULLIVAN
Copyright © 2010
My whole life has been a lie.
Her heart twisted in her chest. Why hadn’t they told her? Her parents had kept it a secret for twenty-two years, and if she hadn’t found that all-informative piece of paper, she might never have known. Tears of betrayal sparkled on her lashes as she stared out the window.
The green trees, brown bushes and small towns flew by. Day in and day out she traveled further and further west, but the scenery never changed.
First it was by train, with the black smoke billowing from its stack, trudging along, putting more and more miles between her and the pain in her heart.
Then came the stage with the dust, horse manure and threat of robberies, and now back on the train again.
When she had set out on this journey, she hadn’t really thought about the landscape, the weather or the rough people she might encounter when she reached her destination. All she wanted was to get away from the memories and leave behind the man who no longer wanted her. She understood Edward and Kathleen's reasons behind their decision, but it hadn't made it any easier to accept, and when her fiancé called off the wedding, she couldn't bear the looks of pity she got from former friends.
The scenes out her window began to blur, and tears clouded her vision until she angrily brushed them away. It wouldn’t do any good to continue to cry over what might have been. She would have to live with the fact that she could no longer call Edward and Kathleen her parents. Now she would have Ebook piracy is stealing. It is a federal offense.
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Love’s Sweet Surrender
7
to make it on her own.
And make it I will. I will use everything I have to live
my own life, and damn anyone who stands in my way.
She pulled the crumpled piece of paper from the satchel at her feet and thought of the events that had brought her to the train headed west.
Smoothing the paper out on her lap, she bit her lip and read the words again.
Teacher wanted. Parkville, Texas. House and monthly stipend
for one year commitment. Must be unmarried or widowed, and
of good character.
Two days after Arthur had called off the wedding, she'd found the advertisement in the paper lying on her father's desk. The small town of Parkville's advertisement for a teacher spoke to her, and her heart raced at the prospect of starting over somewhere else. She quickly wrote a letter to the mayor, outlined her qualifications and put it immediately in the post.
Then she waited. She checked the mail every day, but nothing. Two months after sending her letter, she finally received an offer for the job.
Edward and Kathleen were upset, but she had made up her mind. Now she sat on the train chugging west to start her new life in a small Texas town she knew nothing about.
“Ma’am?” The conductor approached her seat. “Are you all right?”
“What?” Caught by surprise, Lily jumped when the man spoke. “I’m sorry. Yes, I’m fine. Just tired, I guess.”
“You’ve been traveling a long time then?”
“Yes, I’m afraid I have.” Lily relaxed against the seat back. “More than a week, but I’m almost there.”
“You let me know if you need anything, ma’am. I’ll come to check on you from time to time.” He tipped his conductor’s hat and moved on down the aisle.
“Thank you.” She turned around in her seat to watch him leave. “What a nice man.”
As the conductor disappeared through the sliding door between the cars, Lily's gaze moved to a figure resting against the back wall. Several times over the last couple of hours, she had found herself peeking at the man, and curiosity rushed through her with each passing glance.
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8
Sandy Sullivan
He had come aboard in Houston with several other passengers, and he had stood out amongst those boarding. His eyes swept the car before he poured his lithe frame into the seat as the chair groaned in protest. He pulled his hat low across his brow and rested his back against the wall. Lily's eyes were riveted to the chambray material stretched over his rippling muscles for several moments while he settled down and appeared to go to sleep.
When she realized she was staring, she spun around and quickly sat in her own seat.
The landscape flew by her window in a blur of color as she settled herself for the remainder of her trip to Parkville. After a moment, she cocked her head as the noise of thundering hooves reached her ear. Shifting slightly in her seat, she peered outside just in time to see a rider
grab
the bar protruding from the side of the rail car before he swung aboard the speeding train.
A moment later, gunshots pinged against metal in the car in front of her as women screamed and men shouted. Lily clutched her purse to her chest and trembled as the noise got closer.
The door flew open, and several men burst into the car with masks over their faces and guns clutched in their hands. They shouted at the
passengers to hand over their purses and wallets, ripping them from their hands when they didn't comply.
One of the bandits approached her and demanded, “The purse, lady.”
“I’ll do no such thing.” Her heart slammed against her ribs when his eyes narrowed over the top of his mask.
“Give me the purse, lady, and I won’t hurt you,” he snarled, pointing the revolver directly at her face.
No longer feeling so bold, Lily held the bag out, and the man grabbed it from her hands. The eyes that were mere slits before twinkled as the gunman tipped his hat and moved on to the other passengers.
All the patrons handed over their possessions to the robbers—all except one.
The man against the back wall was now alert and watching the scene around him, his crystal blue eyes weighing and assessing the situation. The muscles in his arms bunched and rolled, flexing against the long sleeves of his shirt, and a nerve in his jaw jumped, giving away the tension in his body.
Briefly, his gaze swung to Lily, and his frown deepened. Her breath caught Ebook piracy is stealing. It is a federal offense.
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Love’s Sweet Surrender
9
in her throat for a moment when his gaze raked over her before returning to the bandits.
Two of the robbers approached him and demanded, “Hand over the wallet, mister, and no one will get hurt.”
“I don’t think so,” the stranger growled. “You’d best leave with what you’ve collected, and you might just make it out of this car with your life.”
The masked man laughed a full, hearty laugh and turned to his companion. “Do you believe this cowboy? He says we should just leave before we get hurt.” His partner snickered for a moment before turning his attention back to the cowboy. “You’re funny, mister. Now give me the wallet, and I won’t shoot you where you sit.”
In a split second, the cowboy uncoiled from his seat, pulled his gun and fired two shots. Both bandits, their eyes fixed in the blank stare of death, fell to the floor in a rapidly growing pool of blood.
Lily, her jaw slack with astonishment, dropped into her seat with a dull thud as the stranger holstered his gun and approached the two lying on the floor. He grabbed their guns from their hands and relinquished them to a male passenger nearby.
The train came to a shuddering halt on the track causing him to rock back on his heels before he moved toward her.
He paused briefly next to her, and their eyes met for a split second. The pain in his gaze was so deep that her heart ached for him. She blinked, and the look was gone as he tipped his hat and disappeared into the next car.
