Once an Outlaw »

To the lawman, she was the greatest danger of all....

Did he steal her heart — or did she give it away?

A newcomer to Forlorn Valley, Emily Spoon vowed never to lose her family or her land again. Here was the future. Uncle Jake and the boys could go straight. She could set up her own dressmaking business. But her dreams for a fresh start turned to dust when a stranger accosted her, demanding to know the whereabouts of the Spoon gang.

Heaven help her, Emily had never seen a man so handsome. Only later did she learn his name: Clint Barclay, the sheriff who’d destroyed her family — and now threatened her resolute heart....

Clint Barclay rode off, unable to forget the rifle-toting, icy-tongued beauty from a family of outlaws. Emily Spoon swore they’d gone straight, but Clint knew better — he’d jailed the Spoons before and knew he’d do it again....

Then one stunning, burning kiss at a dance changed everything. Suddenly Clint realized that he’d found the only woman he’d ever really wanted — but he couldn’t have her ... not unless he was willing to sleep with the enemy for the rest of his life....

Publishers Weekly

The second in a trilogy about the Barclay brothers, Gregory's latest Western-set romance (after Rough Wrangler, Tender Kisses) breathes a fuller life into the sub-genre. Seven years ago, Sheriff Clint Barclay put the Spoon Gang, notorious for robbing stagecoaches, behind bars, but now Jake Spoon and his sons have laid claim to a ranch in Forlorn Valley, Co., ostensibly looking for a fresh start. Doubtful of their intentions, Clint pays the family a surprise visit, only to come face to face with Jake's attractive and fiercely loyal niece, Emily. She has been under her uncle's care since her parents died many years ago, and she's confident that Jake has only the best intentions. Nevertheless, her hopes of being accepted by the community pale when Clint demands to see a deed to the property and persists in pestering her kin. The story escalates with fast-paced action, romance and several surprises as the fiery attraction between Clint and Emily hits fever pitch and Emily begins to suspect that her family may be hiding something from her. At the same time, she strives to build up her own dressmaking business and to protect a friend's son from an abusive ex. Realistic dialogue grounds the reader in this era, but it is Gregory's sensitive characterizations that will drive a herd of new readers to pick up this heartfelt family drama. (Dec. 11) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.