The Man from Stone Creek » (Unabridged, 10 CDs, 11 hours)

The daughter of a town marshal, Linda Lael Miller is a New York Times bestselling author of more than sixty historical and contemporary novels that reflect her love of the West. Raised in Northport, Washington, the self-confessed “barn goddess” now lives in Spokane, Washington. Her most recent New York Times bestsellers include McKettrick’s Choice and Secondhand Bride. Dedicated to helping others, Linda personally finances her Linda Lael Miller Scholarships for Women, awarded annually to women seeking to improve their lot in life through education. More information about Linda, her novels and her scholarships is available at www.lindalaelmiller.com.

There was trouble in Haven, Arizona, and Ranger Sam O’Ballivan was determined to sort it all out. Badge and gun hidden, he arrived posing as the new schoolteacher, and his first order of business was to bring the rough ranchers’ children under control. To that end, he called on Maddie Chancelor, the local postmistress, whose younger brother was in firm need of discipline.

Sam wasn’t sure what to expect - but it was definitely not this graceful woman whose prim, proper stance was so at odds with the fire in her eyes. Working undercover to capture a dangerous band of rustlers and train robbers was a job that had always kept him apart from other people. He was a man with his heart firmly in check - until Maddie. Now she was unwittingly tempting him down a path he swore he’d never travel.

Publishers Weekly

Ranger Sam O'Ballivan, working undercover as a schoolteacher to capture a dangerous band of train robbers and rustlers in the tiny border town of Haven, Ariz., finds himself a captive of love in this new crowd pleaser from Miller. Dealing with young troublemaker Terran Chancelor leads Sam to meet Terran's fiercely protective sister, Maddie, postmistress and mercantile store manager, who immediately attracts his attention and raises his ire. Sam's increasing involvement with his students leads him to the brutally powerful Donagher family, which holds Maddie in financial peril and may be hiding participation in the robber gang. When Sam receives a tip that the bandits are set to rob a train at a distant location, he's loathe to respond and leave Maddie and Terran undefended against the volatile Donagher sons. As the plot accelerates, personal tragedies are revealed, the real villains are punished and Maddie and Sam share an into-the-sunset finale-not many surprises, but Miller's prose is smart, and her tough Eastwoodian cowboy cuts a sharp, unexpectedly funny figure in a classroom full of rambunctious frontier kids. (June) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.