I’ve always had a weakness for gunfighters. Hen was my
favorite Randolph brother, so I knew I would have fun with
Luke Attmore. He was even more hard-bitten and angry.
Rather than turn his guns to the benefit of the law, Luke
became a professional gunman, hiring out to the highest
bidder. He’s hired to escort Princes Valeria Badenburg to
a ranch in the Arizona Territory. She’s a haughty
aristocrat with a serious misconception of what life in
Arizona is like. He can’t decide whether to scorn her or
help her, so he does both. Not a good way to begin a
loving relationship.
But that’s exactly what Luke doesn’t want.
Valeria didn’t want to come to America. She particularly
didn’t want to come to the West. But when you’re a
princess from a small European country, your marriage has
been arranged by your father, and your family is in exile,
you have few choices.
Valeria didn’t like America. It was too hot, no one
accorded her any respect, and she didn’t understand the
customs. Most of all, she didn’t like Luke Attmore. She
fired him but had to hire him back when she couldn’t find
anyone else who would take the job. But someone was trying
to kill her, and as obnoxious and infuriating as he was,
Luke was her only insurance policy.
But princesses don’t have to be stupid. Valeria realized
if she wanted to learn how to live in this country, Luke
was the best person to teach her. She decided to dog his
heels. No matter where he ran, she would follow. The only
trouble was, before long, she wanted to follow. Luke was
good at escaping killers, even better at escaping women,
but sometimes a man just doesn’t want to run any more.