Excerpt Reveal: The Widow's Choice By Hildie McQueen

Comely widow Charlotte Kennedy is in over her head. Between running a huge ranch and keeping a cruel rancher at arms length, she doesn't need the added distraction of romance.

Colter Valley calls to Rafe Preston, who decides to purchase land and settle there. When he accepts a temporary job at a beautiful widow's ranch, he has no idea how much it will impact his plans.

Passion, deception and treachery, blend into a beautiful love story, set in 1860s Montana Territory.

Excerpt:

"Oh!" Charlie scrambled to get off him only to become tangled in her skirts and fall sideways onto the ground, which in turn sent her in a panic that whatever was there would bite her and she climbed back over him.
With wide eyes, she scanned his face. "Are you all right?"
His hat to the side, he looked dazed. His brows came together in a frown and he looked up at her. "There's a rock under my left side, but other than that I'm fine. Do you plan to stay on top of me?"
A shiver ran through her and she wasn't sure if it was the possibility of a snake or of being curled up on top of Rafe Preston. "I am terrified of snakes." Her voice shook. "Is it gone?"
"If it's smart, it's long gone with all the ruckus you raised."
He didn't move except to adjust sideways. Probably off the rock pressed into his back. Finally he lifted his head and looked around. "Snake is gone."
Feeling foolish, she scanned the ground around them to confirm he didn't lie. When she looked to him, he expression was different. Darker almost dangerous. His darkened eyes met hers and she let out a soft gasp. "Oh goodness, I should get off you, shouldn't I?"
He cupped her face with both hands, the touch so gentle, it was difficult to fathom it. "I rather like you just as you are. If it wasn't that we are out in the middle of nowhere and looking rather imprudent, I'd say it's quite pleasant."
Charlie swallowed, her breath hitching. "I suppose it is rather comical." Instead of moving away, she leaned forward and did what she'd dreamed of since the day she'd first seen him. Charlie pressed her lips against his, amazed how soft they were and how easily he responded. Not moving, but only kissing her back with a tenderness that brought tears to her eyes.
So there she remained, perched on a man's chest on the side of a road between her home and Colter Valley. Charlie felt something for the first time in her life. A passion that filled her to brimming. A sensation so amazing she wanted to cling to it forever. Her heart thudded in a fast beat, while her breathing and rush of blood joined the symphony of sensations.