Read an excerpt from Rancher's Dream by B. J. Daniels
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A bride becomes a target in New York Times bestselling author B.J. Daniels’s latest can’t-miss suspense
Tragedy sent Deidre “Drey” Hunter running from rancher Hawk Cahill and into the arms of a sleek businessman who promised her a new life. But dreams of Manhattan days and cosmopolitan nights shatter when he brings her back to an ultramodern paradise in her hometown of Gilt Edge—and vanishes on their wedding night.
Taunted by seclusion and silence, Drey starts to doubt everything…including her sanity. Only Hawk, the stubborn cowboy from her school days, believes the threats are real and that someone is ready to kill. But is he willing to forgive the past if it means ending her nightmare?
Excerpt
She’d wanted her best friend, Lillie Cahill, to be her matron of honor, but she’d known Lillie would decline. I’ll be at your wedding. I’ll support you to the death, but I can’t do that to my brother. I would feel as if I was betraying Hawk. I hope you understand.
Of course Drey had understood. Lillie was like a sister to her after all the years Drey had spent on the Cahill Ranch when she was dating Hawk. When the two of them had been so madly in love that everyone had expected they would be the ones marrying today.
You’ve made a terrible mistake. But it was too late to have second thoughts. She’d been telling herself that from the moment Ethan had sent out the announcement about their engagement before he’d even officially asked her to marry him.
“I thought you loved surprises,” he’d said.
She had no idea where he’d gotten that idea.
“Maybe this will make it up to you.” He’d reached into his pocket, produced the small velvet jewelry box and opened it. Light caught the impressive diamond, almost blinding her. She’d told herself this was every young woman’s dream. A handsome, rich businessman wanted to marry her.
“Do you like it?” he’d asked impatiently.
She’d nodded as he’d slipped it onto her finger. It was beautiful, if a little tight on her finger. He’d promised to have it resized. And yet it had nagged at her, him running the engagement announcement in her hometown paper without telling her.
“What’s the big deal?” he’d demanded when she’d said something about it. “I thought you’d want your friends to know.” It hadn’t been her friends he’d wanted to know about the engagement. He’d wanted Hawk Cahill to see it, which made her regret telling Ethan about her first love.
As she now stared at the house growing larger and larger as he drove nearer, she felt sicker. The rooflines rose at odd angles as the house backed up against the mountainside in what appeared to be six levels of glass and rock and old timbers. The front was all glass, behind it darkness. She got the crazy feeling that the house was watching them approach and that it wasn’t happy.
Ethan swore under his breath and looked back down the mountain.
“What is it?” she asked, turning in her seat. A set of headlights slowly disappeared down the county road below them on the mountain.
“Nothing,” he said, but he kept glancing in his rearview mirror until they came around a bend and could no longer see the road below them. “Mountain Crest,” he said, his voice filling with pride as he let go of her hand to motion toward the ultramodern structure. “So what do you think?” he asked when she didn’t respond. Couldn’t respond.
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About the Author
NYT and USA Today Bestselling author B.J. Daniels was born in Texas but moved with her family to Montana at the age of five. Her first home was a cabin in the Gallatin Canyon and later a lake house on Hebgen Lake outside of West Yellowstone.
Most of her books are set in Montana, a place she loves. She lives now in a unique part of the state with her husband and three Springer Spaniels.
When she isn’t writing, she loves to play tennis, boat, camp, quilt and snowboard. There is nothing she enjoys more than curling up with a good book.
