Wild Texas Rose
Authors: Jodi Thomas
Tags: #Romance, #General, #Westerns, #Historical, #Fiction
“YOU CAN COUNT ON JODI THOMAS TO GIVE YOU A SATISFYING AND MEMORABLE READ.”
—Catherine Anderson
Praise for
Texas Blue
“Another winner . . . Tension rides high, mixed with humor and kisses more passionate than most full-on love scenes. Fans will be delighted.”
—
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)
“[A] brilliant novel. Each of the characters is independently engaging, complex and lovable. It’s impossible to put this wonderful book down after reading the first sentence.”
—Night Owl Reviews
The Lone Texan
“A real page-turner . . . I haven’t had a chance to read the first two books in this current series, but I enjoyed
The Lone Texan
so much that I intend to remedy this oversight as soon as possible.”
—
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
“Jodi Thomas has woven an interesting tale with characters that are intelligent and passionate about what they think.
The Lone Texan
flows smoothly from beginning to the end.”
—
Night Owl Romance
“The Queen of Texas romance does it again, sweeping readers back to Whispering Mountain for another tale rife with drama, action, and passion. No one makes Texas seem more exciting, romantic, and alive than Thomas. Here’s a surefire hit for Western fans to savor.”
—
Romantic Times
Tall, Dark, and Texan
“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
Jodi Thomas
“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
Titles by Jodi Thomas
JUST DOWN THE ROAD
THE COMFORTS OF HOME
SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY
WELCOME TO HARMONY
REWRITING MONDAY
TWISTED CREEK
***
WILD TEXAS ROSE
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
eSpecials
IN A HEARTBEAT
A HUSBAND FOR HOLLY
W
ild
T
exas
R
ose
Jodi Thomas
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) • Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England • Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) • Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) • Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India • Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) • Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
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.
WILD TEXAS ROSE
A Berkley Book / published by arrangement with the author
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Berkley mass-market edition / August 2012
Copyright © 2012 by Jodi Koumalats.
Excerpt from
Chance of a Lifetime
by Jodi Thomas copyright © 2013 by Jodi Koumalats.
Cover art by Jim Griffin. Cover handlettering by Ron Zinn. Cover design by George Long.
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.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
ISBN: 978-1-101-58134-6
BERKLEY
®
Berkley Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
BERKLEY
®
is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
The “B” design is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Contents
prologue
1876
Texas
A
s the train pulled away from Anderson Glen
Station and headed toward Fort Worth, Rose McMurray folded her gloved hands in her lap and tried to remain perfectly still. She knew she looked the part of a proper young woman, all starched and pressed from her navy traveling suit to her polished boots. No one saw inside her where fears threatened to choke even the shallow breaths she took.
I could do this. I could leave Whispering Mountain Ranch. I could go alone.
Cold January rain tapped on the coach windows drawing her attention, demanding she look out into the moonless night. No lights beyond offered even one last memory of all she knew and loved. The wheels of the train picked up speed, whispering “Beware” in rapid heartbeats.
Smoke rolled past her just beyond the glass, pulling a memory with the same sounds and smells of a nightmare that had haunted her since she’d left Chicago with her mother almost twenty years ago.
Rose couldn’t remember why her mother had packed her and her two sisters up and run for the train that cold night, but even at five years old she’d known they were running for their lives. Something frightening followed them. Something far worse than the unknown they rushed toward.
“Emily, hold Rose’s hand,” their mother had ordered as she carried the baby on her back and a carpetbag atop a small trunk in her arms. “Hold tight, girls, until we’re on the train. Then we’ll be safe. We’ll be away.”
They moved into a river of people at the station. Everyone seemed to be yelling, running, pushing.
Smoke billowed across the platform as Rose saw her mother step onto the train and vanish. She heard Emily scream. Someone shoved them, scattering them as if the girls were no more than dust mites whirling in the frozen air.
Then her big sister let go of her hand and Rose was alone.
In one horrifying moment something shattered inside her, forever scarring across her heart like a razor sharp blade. She screamed and screamed until she felt like her ears were bleeding.
Even when she was safe back in her mother’s arms, Rose couldn’t be comforted. Fear still rocked her thin body.
Now, twenty years later, the memory returned full force like a north wind that had just been waiting around the corner. . . . waiting for a chance to catch her alone once more . . . waiting to frighten her to death.
She’d told herself she was an adult. She could travel through the night to help a friend in need. Only as her home and all those she loved grew farther and farther away, Rose wasn’t sure.
What if she lost control of her world again and this time when fear claimed her, it wouldn’t let go? Would the terror of the night kill her, or was there something more in the darkness waiting to do the job? Waiting unseen to cross out of her dreams.
She sat stone still, her hands clasped tightly in her lap, and counted the seconds until dawn.
