Table Of Content“A Kiss. That Will Really Seal The Deal.”
Reaching across her to set his glass next to hers, he drew her into his arms and
captured her mouth with his own in a searing kiss.
Seal indeed. The thought, recognizable if fuzzy, floated through Kate’s mind. Or
was it she herself floating?
The sealing kiss went on forever yet ended much too soon. When Hawk drew his
mouth from hers, Kate found herself stretched out on the long couch, Hawk
stretched out next to, or rather practically on top of, her.
How did she get into that position when she didn’t remember moving? How had
Hawk managed the move without her noticing? Did it matter at all?
No. The answer was there, at the forefront of her mind. The only thing that
mattered was she was there with Hawk, secure and safe in his arms.
Dear Reader,
Hello once again. I’m back with another story for you. If you happen to have
read a previous book of mine titled Maverick, you may recognize the hero in this
book as the Maverick’s friend Hawk McKenna. Well, it seems after playing a
minor role in one book, Hawk decided he needed a book of his own. What’s a
poor writer to do but obey her imagination? Besides, I really liked the character
named McKenna my busy little mind came up with.
So here, then, is Hawk’s story about a summer-weary rancher taking a vacation
break in Las Vegas for a little R & R and some female company before winter
sets in. Instead, he finds Kate, a beautiful female with man troubles.
Although I’m writing this letter on a beautiful spring day in May, I know the
holiday season is approaching as you hold this book, which I hope you will buy
and enjoy, in your hands.
Happy holidays to all and to all a good read!
Joan Hohl
JOAN HOHL
IN THE ARMS OF THE RANCHER
Recent Books by Joan Hohl
Silhouette Desire
* Wolfe Waiting #806
* Wolfe Watching #865
* Wolfe Wanting #884
* Wolfe Wedding #973
A Memorable Man #1075
The Dakota Man #1321
A Man Apart #1640
* Maverick #1827
The M.D.’s Mistress #1892
In the Arms of the Rancher #1976
JOAN HOHL
is a bestselling author of more than sixty books. She has received numerous
awards for her work, including a Romance Writers of America Golden
Medallion award. In addition to contemporary romance, this prolific author also
writes historical and time-travel romances. Joan lives in eastern Pennsylvania
with her husband and family.
To:
My new editor, Krista, and her assistant, Shana.
Welcome to my imaginary world!
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Prologue
H
e needed a break, and he was going to take one. Hawk McKenna stood in the
sunlight slanting from the west onto the covered porch that ran the width of his
ranch house, his hand absently resting on the head of the large dog next to him.
Though the sun’s rays were warm, there was a nip in the early October
breeze. It felt good to Hawk after the long, hot, hard but productive and
profitable summer. Yet he knew that before too long, the mild autumn would be
replaced by snowflakes swirling, driven by harsh, bitter cold winds.
When the deep snows came, Hawk knew the work on the ranch would be
just as hard as it had been during the summer. No, he thought, smiling wryly as
he gazed around him at the valley in which his ranch was nestled, the work in
the deep snows of winter entailed numb fingers and toes and being chilled to the
bone. All things considered, he’d rather sweat than freeze.
The idea of what was to come sent a shiver through him. He must be getting
old, Hawk mused, stepping from the porch into the fading sunlight. But as he
was only thirty-six, perhaps it wasn’t so much his age as it was tiredness. Other
than a run into Durango, the city closest to the ranch, for supplies, he hadn’t
been off the property in months.
Nor had he been in any female company in all that time, other than that of
his foreman Jack’s nineteen-year-old daughter and his wrangler Ted’s wife.
Not exactly what Hawk had in mind for female company. Ted’s wife, Carol,
while very nice and pretty, was…well, Ted’s wife. And Jack’s daughter, Brenda,
was even prettier but far too young, and she was becoming a pain in the ass.
A year or so ago, Brenda, who had hung around the ranch every summer
since Jack had come to work for Hawk, had begun trailing behind Hawk. Her
sidelong, supposedly sexy glances were beginning to grate on his nerves.
He wasn’t interested. She was a kid, for cripes’ sake. Not wanting to hurt her
He wasn’t interested. She was a kid, for cripes’ sake. Not wanting to hurt her
feelings, Hawk had tried dropping subtle hints to that effect, to no avail. She had
gone right on with the sly, intimate looks, at moments even deliberately making
physical contact, while making the touches appear accidental.
Frustrated, not knowing what to do other than be brutally honest by telling
her to act her age and knock off her flirting, Hawk had approached Jack about
her behavior. Treading as carefully as if he were negotiating a mine field, Hawk
had asked him what Brenda’s plans were for the future.
“Oh, you know kids,” Jack said, grimacing. “They want everything. They
just can’t decide what in particular.”
Hawk sighed. Not much help there. “It’s over a year since she graduated
high school. I thought she was planning to go on to college?”
“She now says she isn’t sure.” Jack gave him a probing look. “Why? Has she
been making a pest of herself hanging around here?”
Drawing a slow breath, Hawk hedged. “Well…she has been kinda getting
underfoot.”
Jack nodded his understanding. “Yeah, I noticed,” he admitted with a sigh.
“I’ve been meaning to say something to her about it, but you know girls…They
get so dramatic and emotional.”
“Yeah,” Hawk agreed, although he really didn’t know girls, as in kids. He
knew women, knew as well how emotional they could be. He worked hard at
avoiding the dramatic ones.
“I’ll talk to her,” Jack said, heaving a sigh before flashing a grin. “Maybe I
can talk her into spending the winter with her mother, as she always did while
she was still in school.” He chuckled.
Hawk shook his head. Jack and his former wife had not divorced amicably.
Although Brenda had spent only the summers with Jack while she had been in
school, mere days after receiving her diploma, she’d taken off, telling her mother
she wanted to be on her own, free.
Well, Hawk mused, if being on her own and free meant living with her
father while bugging the hell out of him, she had succeeded too well. “You
