That book never sold, but her second one, Tender Touch, became a Golden Heart finalist and earned her an agent. Soon after, she signed a three book contract with Kensington Books. Five of Charlene's western historical romances were published between 1994 and 1999: Taming Jenna, Tender Touch (1994 Golden Heart Finalist under the title Brianna), Forever Mine (1996 Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer's Choice Award Nominee and Affaire de Coeur Reader/Writer Poll finalist), To Have and To Hold Affaire de Coeur Reader/Writer Poll finalist); and writing as Rachel Summers, The Scent of Roses. Forever Mine and Tender Touch are available as e-books and after January 24, To Have and To Hold will be as well. When not writing, Charlene loves to travel, crochet, needlepoint, research genealogy, scrapbook, and dye Ukrainian eggs.
ABOUT THE BOOK
A
woman without a prayer…
A
widow with two children, Tempest Whitney had to mortgage everything to repay
the money her husband had stolen. But even as she struggles to hold onto her
Utah homestead, a scheming rancher buys up her debts, demanding she either get
off his land or marry him. Then a dark-haired stranger shows up, claiming to be
her dead husband…
A
man without a past….
Buck
Maddux spent two years in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. Now a death bed
promise has brought him to Tempest’s dugout. A man without roots, he doesn’t
plan to stay—or to feel so fiercely protective of this feisty beauty he saves
from a forced marriage. Suddenly, Buck yearns for a home, a family, a lasting
love. But what can he offer Tempest? The surprising answer lies in the
forbidden canyons of an ancient Anasazi tribe, where fortune and danger
await—along with a passion more precious than gold…
AN EXCERPT
"Think you
could put down the gun?" He eyed the rifle with amusement and chagrin.
"This might take a while and your arms are like to get tired."
"Don't
think for a second, just because I’m a woman, that I can’t shoot this rifle,”
she drawled. "I hate when men jump to such conclusions. Makes me so angry
I start shaking and that makes my trigger finger jittery, if you know what I
mean."
Buck knew. A
jittery trigger finger meant he might get shot for no reason. He eyed her
speculatively. She wasn’t much bigger than a colt; no problem for a man his
size to handle. “I doubt you’d enjoy where they'd put you for shooting a man,”
he said, smiling to hide his growing irritation.
"Nobody
goes to jail for self-defense. Especially a woman. You going to state your business
or not?"
"Are you
Tempest Whitney?"
"What's it
to you?"
He sighed.
"Name's Buck Maddux. I ran onto your husband two years ago. He was gut
shot and bleeding bad —"
“Maddux!” Her
head snapped up and her finger tightened on the trigger. “You yellow-bellied
son of a coyote. How dare you come here? Didn’t you cause enough grief robbing
that stage and getting my husband killed? Get off my property before I fill you
with lead the way the posse did Skeet."
He threw up his
hands as she stepped closer. "Easy, ma'am, I didn't come here to get you
all upset."
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