Lillian's fiance convinces the townsfolk to exchange their gold for his worthless bank notes. When he disappears, every eye turns to Lillian. Even her cousin Carl insists she knows where the gold is. Carl is deeply indebted to Kingston, owner of the saloon and small town criminal. When Nick discovers Lillian she's strung up over a mine shaft and the rope is breaking. He saves her, tends to her wounds and teaches her to shoot. When his horse trading deal with Kingston goes bad, Lillian races to save Nick.
EXCERPT
Nick's horse made her way carefully down the mountain, his pack horse following along behind.
He wasn't far from town, and looking forward to a warm bath to wash away the dust of the trip and then a good hot meal. Maybe if he were lucky there'd be a warm and willing woman too. He'd been a long time without a woman.
It was then he saw her. Long golden hair, which caught the rays of the setting sun, lighting those tresses up like a flame. Red-gold hair swinging in a gust of wind.
What the hell?
He blinked twice to clear his head, in case he was seeing some fools gold of a dream.
But when he opened his eyes she was still there, bound by her wrists, suspended over a wide mineshaft; her bare feet tied together at the ankles and her long hair blowing in the wind.
Who had strung her up and why?
He pulled his rifle out and rode closer, his senses on alert. The area appeared to have been abandoned, but he knew you could never trust appearances.
The appaloosa lost her footing briefly and rocks rumbled down the mountain. He tensed, waiting for a sound or for the end of a rifle to appear, but all was silent and still.
He slowly rode closer. The only sounds on the mountain were the wind and the steadier footsteps of his horse.
By the time he reached the woman it was clear there was no one else about.
He swallowed hard, shifted in the saddle as his thoughts shifted.
Damn, she's beautiful. The knots are all wrong. Whoever tied her was no cowboy. If she struggled those knots will only tighten more, hurting her worse.
His fist tightened around the reins.
That's no way to treat a woman.
Her long hair blew in the breeze again. He rode around to the other side. He had yet to see her face.
*****
She heard horses through her dizziness, through a haze of pain. The horses' hooves steadily clopped closer and closer, bringing God only knew what. Her heart began to race.
Dear God, not them again. Please don't let it be them. Not again. I can't take much more. I don't want to die here, today.
The horses stopped and the only other sound was the wind. She could feel eyes upon her.
She didn't want to look, didn't want to open her eyes for fear of what she'd see.
But she forced herself to open them, fought the fear and the dizziness and for one brief moment her gaze met his.
Long enough to see his eyes were like summer lightning, intense and flashing with some dark emotion.
Then her world went black.
"This is a gritty, no-holds-barred story that doesn’t flinch from the truth of what humans can be capable of—both tremendous evil and tremendous good... This is a strong story with strong characters that stay with you. It’s not a warm and fuzzy story, but it’s compelling and truthful. I’m glad I read it, and kudos to the author for not taking the easy road."
"Dangerous Ties by Debra Parmley is truly a ride off into the sunset type, western historical romance... This is a good story with lots of action and chemistry. I think if you like a traditional, historical romance, you will love this book."
"The moment I read the first paragraph I knew this was going to be a great read... I would recommend this to just about anyone. Not too heavy on the "western" front, it would even appeal to romance readers who aren't necessarily fans of westerns. Definitely worth the time!"
"Parmley engages the reader right from the get-go by putting the heroine in a precarious position, forcing them to turn the pages to find out what will happen next. The author's writing style is crisp and easy to read. She uses a good economy of words to paint vivid pictures in the readers mind. The dialogue adds a nice, subtle touch to the authenticity of the story... The story is sweet for romance readers with Nick and Lillian exchanging a kiss or two. Overall, "Dangerous Ties," has the perfect blend of romance and suspense, making this story a great escape to another time and place."
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