Connor nodded at his cousins as he joined them. “Pierce, you got a minute?”
They walked a few feet away. Connor handed him the telegram.
Pierce’s eyes grew wide. “Damn, they’ve found her. After all this time.”
Connor stood, watching Pierce, deciding how to phrase his thoughts.
“I’m leaving in a few minutes, and I’m going alone.”
Pierce started to protest but Connor stopped him.
“Don’t argue with me. This is my quest. I know you love her, want to find her, but I’m the one who lost her. It’s my fault she’s been missing all these years.”
The pain Pierce saw in his brother’s eyes cut through him. Connor had blamed himself too long, and it had never been his fault. Finding Meggie was the only thing that could bring him peace.
“You have an opportunity in Fire Mountain. I want you to go. I’ll find Meggie and come to you.”
Pierce felt his eyes water—for his brother and for his missing sister. He knew he had to let Connor do this his way. He held out his hand and when his brother took it, he pulled him into a hug. “Swear to me you’ll make it to Fire Mountain,” Pierce said in a low voice.
Connor pulled back. “I swear.”
About the Author
Shirleen Davies began her new series, MacLarens of Fire Mountain, with Tougher than the Rest, the story of the oldest brother, Niall MacLaren. During the day she provides consulting services to small and mid-sized businesses. But her real passion is writing emotionally charged stories of flawed people who find redemption through love and acceptance. She grew up in Southern California and now lives with her husband in a beautiful town in northern Arizona. Between them they are the proud parents of five grown sons.
Shirleen loves to hear from her readers.
Write to her at [email protected]
Visit her at http://www.shirleendavies.com
Check out her blog at http://www.shirleendavies.com/blog
Thank you!
Other books in the MacLarens of Fire Mountain series
by Shirleen Davies
Tougher than the Rest – Book One
“A passionate, fast-paced story set in the untamed western frontier by an exciting new voice in historical romance.”
Niall MacLaren is the oldest of four brothers, and the undisputed leader of the family. A widower, and single father, his focus is on building the MacLaren ranch into the largest and most successful in northern Arizona. He is serious about two things––his responsibility to the family and his future marriage to the wealthy, well-connected widow who will secure his place in the territory’s destiny.
Katherine is determined to live the life she’s dreamed about. With a job waiting for her in the growing town of Los Angeles, California, the young teacher from Philadelphia begins a journey across the United States with only a couple of trunks and her spinster companion. Life is perfect for this adventurous, beautiful young woman, until an accident throws her into the arms of the one man who can destroy it all.
Fighting his growing attraction and strong desire for the beautiful stranger, Niall is more determined than ever to push emotions aside to focus on his goals of wealth and political gain. But looking into the clear, blue eyes of the woman who could ruin everything, Niall discovers he will have to harden his heart and be tougher than he’s ever been in his life…Tougher than the Rest.
Faster than the Rest – Book Two
“Headstrong, brash, confident, and complex, the MacLarens of Fire Mountain will captivate you with strong characters set in the wild and rugged western frontier.”
Handsome, ruthless, young U.S. Marshal Jamie MacLaren had lost everything—his parents, his family connections, and his childhood sweetheart—but now he’s back in Fire Mountain and ready for another chance. Just as he successfully reconnects with his family and starts to rebuild his life, he gets the unexpected and unwanted assignment of rescuing the woman who broke his heart.
Beautiful, wealthy Victoria Wicklin chose money and power over love, but is now fighting for her life—or is she? Who has she become in the seven years since she left Fire Mountain to take up her life in San Francisco? Is she really as innocent as she says?
Marshal MacLaren struggles to learn the truth and do his job, but the past and present lead him in different directions as his heart and brain wage battle. Is Victoria a victim or a villain? Is life offering him another chance, or just another heartbreak?
As Jamie and Victoria struggle to uncover past secrets and come to grips with their shared passion, another danger arises. A life-altering danger that is out of their control and threatens to destroy any chance for a shared future.
Harder than the Rest – Book Three
“They are men you want on your side. Hard, confident, and loyal, the MacLarens of Fire Mountain will seize your attention from the first page.”
Will MacLaren is a hardened, plain-speaking bounty hunter. His life centers on finding men guilty of horrendous crimes and making sure justice is done. There is no place in his world for the carefree attitude he carried years before when a tragic event destroyed his dreams.
Amanda is the daughter of a successful Colorado rancher. Determined and proud, she works hard to prove she is as capable as any man and worthy to be her father’s heir. When a stranger arrives, her independent nature collides with the strong pull toward the handsome ranch hand. But is he what he seems and could his secrets endanger her as well as her family?
The last thing Will needs is to feel passion for another woman. But Amanda elicits feelings he thought were long buried. Can Will’s desire for her change him? Or will the vengeance he seeks against the one man he wants to destroy—a dangerous opponent without a conscious—continue to control his life?
Deadlier than the Rest – Book Five
Book five in the MacLarens of Fire Mountain series is the story of Connor MacLaren. Available Spring 2014.
Second Summer – Book One
MacLarens of Fire Mountain Contemporary Romance Series. Available Spring 2014.
Copyright © 2013 by Shirleen Davies
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.
For permission requests, contact the publisher.
Avalanche Ranch Press, LLC
PO Box 12618
Prescott, AZ 86304
Stronger than the Rest is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used factiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is wholly coincidental.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
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
Epilogue
About the Author
Other books in the MacLarens of Fire Mountain series
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