Jodi Thomas

Table of Contents

 

 

PRAISE FOR

“A cornucopia of elements that keeps the reader absorbed in the story.”

—
OnceUponARomance.net

 

“Extremely powerful and gripping writing. It’s full of passionate moments, hidden secrets, and likable characters.”

—
Roundtable Reviews

 

“Ms. Thomas has such a gift for creating memorable and witty characters who . . . become friends of our hearts. She writes with such intimacy.”

 

“Jodi Thomas takes her readers on an emotional roller-coaster ride.”

—
Rundpinne

 

 

 

“The characters are delightful, and a subplot about mysterious fires balances the sweet stories about being and becoming family.”

—
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)

 

“Local color . . . fraught with interpersonal conflict and a suspenseful arson subplot.”

—
Booklist

 

“I’m afraid I’m just like Reagan, never wanting to leave Harmony, Texas, and its colorful characters.”

—
TwoLips Reviews

 

“An extremely delightful and enjoyable book to read.”

—
Rundpinne

 

 

 

 

“A real page-turner.”

—
The Romance Reader

 

“To say I enjoyed Jodi Thomas’s
The Lone Texan
would be an understatement. No one writes better Westerns than she.”

—
TwoLips Reviews

 

“Intelligent and passionate.”

—
Night Owl Romance

 

“The Queen of Texas romance does it again . . . rife with drama, action, and passion. No one makes Texas seem more exciting, romantic, and alive than Thomas. Here’s a surefi re hit for Western fans to savor.”

—
Romantic Times
(★★★★★)

 

 

 

“A gripping, emotional read . . . [I] was left wondering why I haven’t read more historical romances set in the American West.”

—
All About Romance

 

“Wonderfully written, romantic, and delightful.”

—
The Romance Reader

 

“An enjoyable read from start to finish. I read the book over the holidays and found myself stealing away at odd moments from the family in order to sneak in a chapter or two.”

—
Reading Romance Books

 

“I loved these characters. I cared about them throughout their hardships, and cheered for them when they found their happiness. Her descriptive passages are silky smooth, her dialogue is believable, and she puts the reader right in the middle of the open plains of Texas so you can almost hear the grass rustle in the wind.”

—
Ezine Articles

 

 

PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF

 

 

“One of my favorites.”

—Debbie Macomber

 

“Packs a powerful emotional punch . . . [Thomas’s] latest Western historical romance highlights the author’s talent for creating genuinely real characters . . . Exceptional.”

—
Booklist

 

“Jodi Thomas is a masterful storyteller. She grabs your attention on the first page, captures your heart, and then makes you sad when it is time to bid her wonderful characters farewell.”

—Catherine Anderson

 

“Fantastic . . . A keeper! . . . A beautiful story about unexpected love. An exceptional storyteller, Thomas has found the perfect venue for her talent, which is as big—and as awe-inspiring—as Texas. Her emotionally moving stories are the kind you want to go on forever.”

—
Romantic Times

 

“Jodi Thomas’s Whispering Mountain Series is the perfect blend of rough and tumble cowboys, and women who command their respect and love. The reader has only to turn a page to find themselves in waist-high grass with a gentle breeze, and a majestic view of the mountains that surround the ranch. I am ready to saddle up and take a ride!”

—
Coffee Time Romance

 

“A fun read.”

—
Fresh Fiction

SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY
WELCOME TO HARMONY
REWRITING MONDAY
TWISTED CREEK

TEXAS BLUE
THE LONE TEXAN
TALL, DARK, AND TEXAN
TEXAS PRINCESS
TEXAS RAIN
THE TEXAN’S REWARD
A TEXAN’S LUCK
WHEN A TEXAN GAMBLES
THE TEXAN’S WAGER
TO WED IN TEXAS
TO KISS A TEXAN
THE TENDER TEXAN
PRAIRIE SONG
THE TEXAN AND THE LADY
TO TAME A TEXAN’S HEART
FOREVER IN TEXAS
TEXAS LOVE SONG
TWO TEXAS HEARTS
THE TEXAN’S TOUCH
TWILIGHT IN TEXAS
THE TEXAN’S DREAM

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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

 

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

 

THE TENDER TEXAN

Copyright © 1991 by Jodi Koumalats.

 

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

BERKLEY SENSATION
^®
is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
The “B” design is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

PRINTING HISTORY
Diamond mass-market edition /August 1991
Berkley Sensation trade paperback edition / November 2011

 

ISBN : 978-1-101-54582-9

 

 

TEXAS, 1846

 

A
s she walked away from the German camp, Anna pulled her wool hood lower and faced the bitter wind blowing in toward the Galveston coastline. In front of her, the raging waves slammed into the shore as though angry at having lost the small band of immigrants to the land.

“You’ve claimed your share of us,” Anna whispered to the crashing water as she fought back tears. There was no time to cry—no time even to consider what she was about to do. The child she carried inside her made all other choices impossible.

Glancing inland at the setting sun, Anna focused on her goal: the campfire of the cattlemen. She was Anna Marie Meyer, of Bie-brich on the Rhine, Germany, widow of William Meyer, and tonight for the first time she would be the master of her own fate.

The rain-soaked ground sucked at Anna’s boots, fighting her progress. She had no idea whether the cattlemen were driving a herd to or from the port of Galveston, but she was thankful they’d camped within sight. Their fire was her final ray of hope in a foreign and hostile world as she moved toward them on her pilgrimage . . .  fighting the wind . . .  fighting the dark, twisting path . . .  fighting her fear.