McKettrick's Pride. Linda Miller Lael
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A classic tale of cowboys staking claim to their land—and the women they love…
The only wide-open space Rance McKettrick wants to see in his future is his hometown in his rearview mirror. The down-to-earth ex-rancher is determined to make a fresh start with his two young daughters—and leave his heartbreaking loss and family’s corporation far behind. He sure doesn’t need Indian Rock’s free-spirited new bookstore owner, Echo Wells, confusing his choices…and raising memories he’d rather forget. But her straightforward honesty and reluctance to trust is challenging everything Rance thought he knew about himself. And when their irresistible attraction puts their hearts on the line, Rance and Echo must come to grips with who they really are in order to find a once-in-a-lifetime happiness.
Praise for the novels of #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Linda Lael Miller
“Linda Lael Miller creates vibrant characters and stories I defy you to forget.”
—#1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber
“Miller’s masterful ability to create living, breathing characters never flags, even in the case of Echo’s dog, Avalon; combined with a taut story line and vivid prose, Miller’s romance won’t disappoint.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review, on McKettrick’s Pride
“With sizzling, fairy-tale romance, tender tears, and a bit of magic, the pages of this book turn swiftly and leave us feeling a special joy mixed with sadness that we have to close the book at the end. McKettrick’s Pride is a Perfect 10 and a keeper!”
—Romance Reviews Today
“Once again, Miller has created a wonderful dynamic between two very different characters.”
—Armchairinterviews.com on McKettrick’s Pride
“The book incorporates humor with a nice caring look into family and getting over the past. It has its hot spots for sure, romance too, and makes you smile all the way through.”
—Bookloons.com on The Creed Legacy
“If you like cowboys, romance, and great adventure, then you’ll love Linda Lael Miller’s work!”
—Sharon Galligar Chance, Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews, on Creed’s Honor
“Bestselling author Linda Lael Miller delivers another Creed generation of hot, handsome men with hearts of gold in her new Creed trilogy…. No one can resist a rugged cowboy, and Linda Lael Miller is a brilliant genius when it comes to creating irresistible Westerners.”
—Single Titles on A Creed in Stone Creek
McKettrick’s Pride
Linda Lael Miller
My Dear Readers,
First I brought you back to the Triple M ranch with Jesse McKettrick and Cheyenne in McKettrick’s Luck. Now, in McKettrick’s Pride, let’s go back and revisit Rance McKettrick and the mysterious new bookstore owner, Echo Wells. If ever there were two people who weren’t meant for each other…
Rance is stubborn, handsome, practical and every bit as proud as his ancestor Rafe McKettrick. A widower with two small daughters and a consuming interest in the family conglomerate, McKettrickCo, Rance is all business. Echo, on the other hand, is a dreamer, with a heart as big as Arizona itself. She rescues a stray dog, drives a hot-pink Volkswagen and secretly runs an online love-spell business. Folks around Indian Rock start feeling the heat right away!
And speaking of feeling the heat, you won’t want to miss out on the final tale featuring these McKettrick men. Be sure to look for Keegan and Molly’s story, McKettrick’s Heart, from HQN Books in May!
With love,
To Sally and Jim Lang, with love
Contents
CHAPTER ONE
THE DOG, FUR SOAKED, MATTED and muddy, sat forlornly on the rain-slicked pavement, next to Echo Wells’s custom-painted hot-pink Volkswagen bug. Echo, rushing from the truck-stop restaurant with the remains of her supper in a take-out box, in hopes of not getting too wet before she reached her car, stopped cold.
“I do not need a dog,” she told the universe, tilting back her head and letting the drizzle wash away the last tired traces of her makeup.
The dog whimpered. It was a large creature, of indeterminate color and breed. A slight indentation around its neck revealed that it had once worn a collar, and its ribs showed. One forepaw bore the brownish stain of old blood.
“Oh, hell,” Echo said. She glanced around the parking lot, empty except for a few semitrucks and an ancient RV, but there was no one in sight, no one conveniently searching for a missing pet.
The dog had obviously been on its own for days, if not weeks—or even months.
Just imagining the loneliness, fear and deprivation the poor thing must have experienced made Echo shudder and opened a gaping chasm of sympathy within her.
The canine wayfarer had either been dropped off—there was a special place in hell, in Echo’s opinion, for people who abandoned helpless animals—or it had gotten away somehow, while its owners were gassing up at the pumps or inside the restaurant having a meal.
“I just had this car detailed,” Echo told the dog. The bug was her only vanity, a reckless indulgence with psychological implications she didn’t care to examine too closely.
The animal whimpered