Blaine's Wager Read online

  Books by Shirleen Davies

  Historical Western Romance Series

  MacLarens of Fire Mountain

  Tougher than the Rest, Book One

  Faster than the Rest, Book Two

  Harder than the Rest, Book Three

  Stronger than the Rest, Book Four

  Deadlier than the Rest, Book Five

  Wilder than the Rest, Book Six

  Redemption Mountain

  Redemption’s Edge, Book One

  Wildfire Creek, Book Two

  Sunrise Ridge, Book Three

  Dixie Moon, Book Four

  Survivor Pass, Book Five

  Promise Trail, Book Six

  Deep River, Book Seven

  Courage Canyon, Book Eight

  Forsaken Falls, Book Nine

  Solitude Gorge, Book Ten

  Rogue Rapids, Book Eleven, Coming next in the series!

  MacLarens of Boundary Mountain

  Colin’s Quest, Book One,

  Brodie’s Gamble, Book Two

  Quinn’s Honor, Book Three

  Sam’s Legacy, Book Four

  Heather’s Choice, Book Five

  Nate’s Destiny, Book Six

  Blaine’s Wager, Book Seven

  Fletcher’s Pride, Book Eight, Coming next in the series!

  Contemporary Romance Series

  MacLarens of Fire Mountain

  Second Summer, Book One

  Hard Landing, Book Two

  One More Day, Book Three

  All Your Nights, Book Four

  Always Love You, Book Five

  Hearts Don’t Lie, Book Six

  No Getting Over You, Book Seven

  ‘Til the Sun Comes Up, Book Eight

  Foolish Heart, Book Nine

  Forever Love, Book Ten, Coming next in the series!

  Peregrine Bay

  Reclaiming Love, Book One, A Novella

  Our Kind of Love, Book Two

  Burnt River

  Shane’s Burden, Book One by Peggy Henderson

  Thorn’s Journey, Book Two by Shirleen Davies

  Aqua’s Achilles, Book Three by Kate Cambridge

  Ashley’s Hope, Book Four by Amelia Adams

  Harpur’s Secret, Book Five by Kay P. Dawson

  Mason’s Rescue, Book Six by Peggy L. Henderson

  Del’s Choice, Book Seven by Shirleen Davies

  Ivy’s Search, Book Eight by Kate Cambridge

  Phoebe’s Fate, Book Nine by Amelia Adams

  Brody’s Shelter, Book Ten by Kay P. Dawson

  Boone’s Surrender, Book Eleven by Shirleen Davies

  Watch for more books in the series!

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  Blaine’s Wager

  MacLarens of Boundary Mountain

  Historical Western Romance Series

  SHIRLEEN DAVIES

  Book Seven in the MacLarens of Boundary Mountain

  Historical Western Romance Series

  Copyright © 2018 by Shirleen Davies

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  For permission requests, contact the publisher.

  Avalanche Ranch Press, LLC

  PO Box 12618

  Prescott, AZ 86304

  Blaine’s Wager is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is wholly coincidental.

  Book design and conversions by Joseph Murray at 3rdplanetpublishing.com

  Cover design by Kim Killion, The Killion Group

  ISBN: 978-1-941786-76-5

  I care about quality, so if you find something in error, please contact me via email at

  [email protected]

  Description

  Blaine’s Wager, Book Seven, MacLarens of Boundary Mountain Historical Western Romance Series

  Blaine MacLaren yearns to be a man his family considers a strong leader. After a lifetime living in his older brother’s shadow, his uncles finally give him the chance he craves—running their new properties near Settlers Valley. Embracing the challenge, he rides away from Circle M with only one regret—leaving the woman he desires more than he cares to admit.

  Lia Jacobs has been running for four years, staying a few towns ahead of the family who plans to drag her home. Landing in Conviction, she believes herself safe, until a wildly handsome man turns her dreams upside down.

  Beginning to trust him and forging a friendship, she starts to think a future, maybe even love, is possible. Then he rides away, leaving her alone with shattered dreams and a bruised heart.

  The days are long, the nights longer as Blaine works to keep the woman he’d left behind from his thoughts. Nothing helps, until a series of threatening events forces him to focus on the ranch and not the throbbing pain in his chest.

  Lia buries herself in her work, forgetting the danger of staying in one place too long. The arrival of those who search for her forces Lia to make a tough decision—one taking her away from a known danger and into the path of another.

  She may have outsmarted those who chase her. But is exchanging one type of threat for another, one endangering her heart, any better?

  Blaine’s Wager, book seven in the MacLarens of Boundary Mountain Historical Western Romance Series, is a stand-alone, full-length novel with an HEA and no cliffhanger.

  Book 1: Colin’s Quest

  Book 2: Brodie’s Gamble

  Book 3: Quinn’s Honor

  Book 4: Sam’s Legacy

  Book 5: Heather’s Choice

  Book 6: Nate’s Destiny

  Book 7: Blaine’s Wager

  Visit my website for a list of characters for each series.

  http://www.shirleendavies.com/character-list.html

  Acknowledgements

  Many thanks to the wonderful members of my Reader Groups. Your support, insights, and suggestions are greatly appreciated. And as always, a huge thank you to my husband who is my greatest fan.

  As always, many thanks to my editor, Kim Young, proofreader, Alicia Carmical, Joseph Murray, who is superb at formatting my books for print and electronic versions, and my cover designer, Kim Killion.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Epilogue

  Books by Shirleen Davies

  Blaine’s Wager

  Chapter One

  Settlers Valley, California

  March 1866

  Blaine knew it was a bad idea from the
beginning.

  Lying flat on his back, he stared up at the hole in the floor of the barn’s loft. Warning bells had sounded in his head the instant he’d put his boot on the sagging planks. He should’ve stepped back, tested the floor by setting one of the bales onto the weakened section.

  Now his head throbbed and back ached to the point he didn’t want to sit up. He could almost picture his cousin, Heather, staring down, calling him an eejit before reaching out a hand to help him up.

  The last had Blaine forcing himself into a seated position, knees drawn up, arms resting over them. Heather and her husband, Caleb, would be arriving any moment to help clean out and repair the barn. Under no circumstances could he let them see him on the ground, covered in a disgusting mixture of manure, hay, and dirt.

  Hearing the sound of approaching horses, Blaine hastened to stand, groaning at the slice of pain in the back of his head. Cursing himself as a fool, he brushed off what he could, spotting his hat several feet away. Grabbing it, he settled it on his head seconds before Caleb and Heather reined up outside the barn doors.

  Heather stared at him a moment, glancing up to see the hole in the loft floor. Shaking her head, she slid to the ground. “Eejit. You couldn’t wait a wee bit for us to get here and help you.” She looked at Caleb. “I told you the lad would do something foolish if we didn’t get here soon.”

  Masking a grin, Caleb dismounted, studying the broken planks. Walking directly under the gaping hole, he shrugged. “Seems we’ll need to replace the entire floor before doing anything else. Do you have the boards?”

  Blaine thought of the stack of old lumber out back. “Not enough. I’ll be needing to make a trip to town once we’ve a list of supplies. Nails, hammer, shovel, broad axe…” His voice faded when he placed fisted hands on his waist and stared up at the splintered planks. “I’d best be getting a wagonload of wood. I’ll need to borrow your wagon, Caleb.”

  “I plan to go to town with you. We’ll stop at our ranch and get it.”

  Heather walked around the barn for the first time since the MacLarens completed the purchase of this ranch, as well as a few other properties not far from Settlers Valley. A few hours’ ride from Conviction, Blaine had been selected as the foreman of the expanded ranch.

  “It’s not a bonny sight.”

  Blaine brushed hay from his shirt, his gaze narrowing as he looked around. “Nae, it isn’t.”

  She rested a hand on her protruding stomach, a grin curving the corners of her mouth. “We’ll have it cleaned up and looking grand in no time.”

  Blaine picked up a broken shovel, tossing it atop the pile of trash in a corner. “Just don’t be working too hard, Heather. You’ve a wee bairn to think about.”

  “Ach. The bairn won’t be coming for months.”

  Caleb dragged a splintered sawhorse across the ground, dropping it in front of Blaine. “I can fix this for you. Maybe some of the tools, as well.” He looked at Heather. “As long as you promise not to overdue yourself. It’s going to take us most of the day to get to town and back.” Walking to her, he placed his hands on her shoulders. “It would be better for you to ride with us as far as our ranch and stay there today. If Blaine agrees, we’ll get supplies and return there for the night. We’ll return early tomorrow morning with everything we need.”

  She looked at her cousin. “We’d be leaving the ranch without anyone here, Blaine.”

  He threw his head back, laughing. “Ah, lass. There’s nothing to take. The house, barn, and bunkhouse are almost falling down. We’ve moved the cattle and horses to your ranch until the ranch hands from Circle M arrive.” Blaine gestured around the open space. “Would you be seeing anything of value?”

  Leaning against Caleb’s shoulder, she shook her head, a wry grin spreading across her face. “Nae. Even the pitchfork is broken. Is the house as bad?”

  Blaine grimaced. “Almost. They took all the furniture, food, and supplies. I’ve been sleeping on my bedroll. The ranch hands are bringing furniture.”

  Walking to the door of the barn, she looked at the other buildings. “Will they be needing to build their own cots for the bunkhouse?”

  Blaine joined her, recalling what he’d seen. “Nae. The bunks are fine. The benches and table are damaged. There’ll be plenty of work for them when they arrive.”

  Caleb moved next to them. “When do you expect them?”

  “This week.” Blaine quirked a brow. “Which isn’t soon enough.”

  Highlander Ranch

  Caleb’s Ranch near Settlers Valley

  “Keeping the boys in jail overnight inconvenienced me more than them.” Nate stabbed another piece of beef, putting it into his mouth.

  Blaine looked between him and his new bride, Geneen, who was as close to him as a sister. “Meaning you weren’t able to ride back to the ranch and your wife.”

  Nate swallowed, his lips twisting in disgust. “I didn’t sleep at all. The boys couldn’t keep their mouths shut, and the cot in the last jail cell is horrible. Something else to replace.”

  “Why?” Caleb asked. “They’re mostly used for prisoners, right?”

  “True, but there’ll be times when either George or I will have to stay overnight.”

  Caleb cocked his head to the side. “George? Do you mean the young man who helped Colt guard the gold wagon?”

  “The same. He didn’t want to work for Leland Nettles at the Acorn Mine anymore, and I needed a deputy. He started this morning.”

  Geneen shot a pleased look at Heather. “Nate gave him the use of his room at Mrs. Keach’s boardinghouse. There shouldn’t be many nights when Nate will have to stay in town.”

  Caleb pushed his empty plate away. “With the previous sheriff gone, most of the crime seems to have disappeared.”

  Nate nodded. “No one knew the full extent of his crimes until the man’s death.”

  A wicked gleam appeared in Heather’s eyes. “Mrs. Keach told me it should’ve come a long time ago. She wishes she’d been the one to do it.”

  Geneen bit her lower lip to hide her amusement, glancing at Nate.

  “Mrs. Keach has an opinion on everything, Heather.” Crossing his arms, Nate leaned back in his chair. “She’s got a heart of gold, but I wouldn’t want to cross her.”

  Nate had gotten to know the older widow who owned the boardinghouse while he lived in town and worked for Marcus Kamm, the blacksmith. Ignoring the fact the woman created as much gossip as she passed along, Nate found her to be loyal, honorable, and one of the best cooks around.

  “The last time I was in town, she was in the general store, telling Mr. Beall how she shot a man for trying to slip out without paying for room and board. Got him right in the, well…in his buttocks.” Geneen put a hand over her mouth to stifle the giggles.

  Heather didn’t bother to hide her delight, bursting into laughter. “She is a bonny woman.”

  Watching the joy on the women’s faces, the corners of Nate’s eyes crinkled. Shifting, he looked at Blaine, noticing the distant expression on his face, realizing how quiet his friend had been. Lowering his voice, he leaned toward him.

  “Are you thinking of the young lady in Conviction?”

  Blaine jerked to attention. “What do you mean?”

  Nate shrugged. “Brodie sent me a telegram about a group of rustlers who might be headed this way. He also said a lady named Lia asked about you.”

  Staring at his empty plate, Blaine shifted in his seat, feeling a strong urge to get up and leave. “She’s a lass I met before moving up here. Sweet and…” A hint of a smile curved his lips as an image of Permilia Jacobs entered his mind.

  “Bonny?” Nate prodded.

  His features softened. “Aye. Quite bonny.” Pushing his chair away from the table, Blaine stood. “You lasses have done enough for one day. I’ll help with the dishes tonight.”

  Heather shook her head. “Nae, Blaine. You’ve a long day ahead of you tomorrow and I’ve a long way to go before I’m too big to help in the kitchen
.” She glanced at Caleb. “I’ll bring coffee to you in the study.”

  “Blaine’s right. You’ve done enough.” Caleb stood, putting an arm around her waist. “I can see you’re tired. The boys and I will clean up tonight. You and Geneen head upstairs. We won’t be down here long.” Kissing her forehead, he spun her toward the stairs. “Just stay awake until I get up there.”

  Looking over her shoulder, Heather shot him a wicked smile. “Ah, lad, you know I’ll wait for you.”

  Blaine listened to their banter, so much like his older brother, Colin, and his wife, Sarah. It was the way of the MacLaren family. Their homes had always been full of love and mischief, loyalty and laughter. Hearing their teasing never bothered him before. Tonight, he felt a stab of melancholy, which troubled him more than a little bit.

  “Goodnight to you, Heather.”

  She stopped next to Geneen, who’d just hugged Nate. “Goodnight to you, too, Blaine. I’ll be seeing you in the morning. Oh, and thank you for cleaning the kitchen.”

  Chuckling, he shook his head. “Don’t be getting used to it, lass. And don’t be running back downstairs if you hear anything break.”

  Crossing her arms, she glared at him in mock anger. “Don’t you be making me mad, Blaine. Even in my condition, I’d still take you.”

  A wide grin slashed across his face, his hands raising in defense. “And I’ve no doubt you’d whip me good.”

  Caleb clasped him on the shoulder. “Enough, you two.” Turning him around, he shoved Blaine toward the kitchen, winking at Heather.

  Nate watched the women walk up the stairs, heads together, whispering in the way he’d become accustomed to seeing. Stacking the dirty dishes, he drew in a deep breath, looking into the open kitchen door.

  He’d never seen Blaine show any emotion about a woman outside the family. Never heard of him holding an interest in any female. Colin had once said ranching was his brother’s only love. Everyone had said the same about Quinn, until Emma changed his mind.

  Nate thought of the woman in Brodie’s message, wondering if there was more to it than Blaine wanted to admit. If so, he felt a stab of discomfort for his friend. Nate knew what it was like to be separated from the woman you cared about, believing no way existed for you to ever come together.