Blurb
Trent Anderson is bound and determined to protect his young daughter from the fate of his late wife, refusing to allow her to end up like a bored socialite ruled by wealth and prestige. When his father sends for a woman to take over his daughter's academic training as well as her feminine etiquette, Trent refuses to bow down to his father's wishes.
Until he sees the beautiful and elegant teacher exit the train…
She just might be what his daughter needs--and what he desires.
Still dreaming of independence and self-worth that don't require her to be shackled to any man, Faith Warren denies her attraction to the rugged cowboy--as she dreams of starting her own girls' school. But once she starts falling hard for the Montana rancher, she must decide between what her heart wants and where her convictions guide her. Can she find a way to give her heart to the man who teaches her about home and family, while still holding firm to her beliefs?
Exerpt
Faith Warren heard the clink of the jail cell doors
and prepared herself for the storm about to erupt. Stepping into the waiting
room, her father approached her, his face taut with barely concealed rage. He'd
been angry with her before, but she knew there would be consequences for her
actions today.
He took her by the arm. "Don't say a word
until we're in the carriage."
The door swung open and several reporters from
the Boston Evening Traveler greeted them. "Miss Warren do you think your
father's bank treats women unfairly?"
"Miss Warren, why don't you go to work in
your father's bank?"
"Mr. Warren, what do you think of your
daughter’s involvement in the suffragette movement?"
Her father gripped her elbow almost dragging her
to the waiting carriage. He didn't say a word and she knew from his rigid body,
he was the angriest she'd ever seen him. When they reached the buggy he opened
the door and she crawled in, followed closely by her father.
The driver clicked to the horses and away they
went, with the reporters laughing.
She sighed. She knew better than to say anything.
Long ago, she'd learned that nothing embarrassing or revealing was discussed
when a servant was nearby. She glanced out the window at the passing homes,
knowing her activities with the ladies would be curtailed. Eight long months
and then she could walk out of her family home and hopefully into the school
she hoped to create for young girls.
The carriage turned and came to a halt in the
prosperous neighborhood on Beacon Street. She could see reporters milling
around the front of the house close to the street. The door opened and her
father waited holding out his hand. She had no choice, though she wanted
nothing more than to escape to her room and avoid the confrontation she knew
awaited her.
The reporters were making a mad dash across the
street. "Miss Warren, Miss Warren."
Taking her elbow her father pulled her towards
the steps leading into the house. Reluctantly she followed, feeling like she
was walking to the gallows. Their maid opened the door. "Good evening, Mr.
Warren, Miss Warren."
"Good evening, Bertha," her father
said.
Faith nodded, but kept her lips closed, knowing
what was expected of her.
Not releasing her elbow, he took her straight
into his office and closed the door.
"Sit," he commanded.
She took a seat in the chair across from him as
he went behind his desk. The tick tock of the clock could be heard, but nothing
else as they sat staring at one another.
"If your mother were alive, she'd be quite
disappointed in you."
Faith knew better than to argue, and she didn't
believe his statement. Her mother had been the one who encouraged her not to
define her life by marriage, but rather to learn and grow. And she had in honor
of her mother and then slowly for herself. But she knew better than to argue.
It didn't really matter what she said because her father didn't listen.
"While I'm glad it wasn't my bank you
marched against, but still it's my competitor."
Next weekend they were slated to march against
her father's bank. And she'd known there was no way she could be seen
protesting with the women, so she'd gone this weekend. But she wasn't about to
tell her father his bank was on the schedule.
"Attending college was the worst thing I've
agreed to. Since you graduated, you've become involved in this women's
movement. You've embarrassed the family, my business, and we have reporters in
front of our home. I should have married you off years ago."
He sighed and gazed at her. "In your own
best interests, I'm sending you out of town for a while until this scandal dies
down."
"No," she cried knowing she wasn't
supposed to speak, but unable to stop the word from coming out of her mouth.
He frowned at her. "Silence."
She couldn't be sent away from Boston. She was
working with the ladies to find a location for her to start a boarding school
to teach young women. They were to look at property next week, and when she
received her trust fund in February, she would have the school ready by next
fall. There was much to prepare if she wanted to start on time.
"Your aunt told me that Cal Anderson is
searching for a teacher for his granddaughter, Lilly Anderson. You know the
little girl your cousin had with the rancher from Montana."
Cousin Beth was the girl who should have been her
father's child. She was the one who enjoyed parties and shopping and dancing
the night away. She was the one who flirted with every available man and had
gotten caught in more than one compromising position. Until she'd eloped with
the rancher from Montana shocking them all. A rancher hadn't seemed the right
fit for her.
"I have your train ticket to Sweetwater
Springs, Montana. You're leaving with your aunt Edwina in the morning."
Meet Sylvia McDaniel
Sylvia McDaniel is a best-selling, award-winning author of western historical romance and contemporary romance novels. Known for her sweet, funny, family-oriented romances, Sylvia is the author of The Burnett Brides a historical western series, The Cuvier Widows, a Louisiana historical series, Lipstick and Lead, a western historical series and several short contemporary romances.
Former President of the Dallas Area Romance Authors, a member of the Romance Writers of America®, and a member of Novelists Inc, her novel, A Hero's Heart was a 1996 Golden Heart Finalist. Several other books have placed or won in the San Antonio Romance Authors Contest, LERA Contest, and she was a Golden Network Finalist.
Married for nearly twenty years to her best friend, they have one dachshund that is Queen Supreme Dog in the house and a good-looking, grown son who thinks there's no place like home. She loves gardening, hiking, shopping, knitting and football (Cowboys and Bronco's fan), but not necessarily in that order.
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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/150774.Sylvia_McDaniel
Look for her the first Tuesday of every month at the Plotting Princesses blogspot http://plottingprincesses.blogspot.com/.
You can write to Sylvia at P.O. Box 2542, Coppell, TX 75019 or visit her web site.
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