The Cowboy and the Lady

Diana Palmer

At sprawling Casa Verde, old flames still burn…Seven years ago Amanda Carson watched her affluent, well-respected family lose both face and fortune. Then her childhood crush–ice-cold cowboy Jace Whitehall–made her an offer she had to refuse. Now Amanda has returned to Casa Verde, Jace's luxurious home. And Jace isn't about to let her forget who she is or what she's lost.Yet beneath their heated words, something simmers, waiting. For what once drove Amanda from this land may be the one thing that can make her stay.

At sprawling Casa Verde, old flames still burn…

Seven years ago Amanda Carson watched her affluent, well-respected family lose both face and fortune. Then her childhood crush—ice-cold cowboy Jace Whitehall—made her an offer she had to refuse. Now Amanda has returned to Casa Verde, Jace’s luxurious home. And Jace isn’t about to let her forget who she is or what she’s lost.

Yet beneath their heated words, something simmers, waiting. For what once drove Amanda from this land may be the one thing that can make her stay.

Praise for New York Times bestselling authorDiana Palmer

“Nobody does it better.”

—New York Times bestselling author Linda Howard

“Palmer’s talent for character development and ability to fuse heartwarming romance with nail-biting suspense shine in Outsider.” —Booklist

“Diana Palmer is a mesmerizing storyteller who captures the essence of what a romance should be.”

—Affaire de Coeur

“The dialogue is charming, the characters likable and the sex sizzling.”

—Publishers Weekly on Once in Paris

“No one beats this author for sensual anticipation.”

—Rave Reviews

“A love story that is pure and enjoyable.”

—Romantic Times BOOKreviews on Lord of the Desert

“Palmer knows how to make the sparks fly…. Heartwarming.”

—Publishers Weekly on Renegade

The Cowboy and the Lady

The Mills & Boon Famous Firsts Collection™

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

Diana Palmer

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

To Frances Thompson and family

Dear Reader,

It is so interesting to look back at The Cowboy and the Lady, first published in 1982. It was written, however, in 1981, a momentous year in my life. Our son, Blayne, was just a year old. I was still working as a full-time newspaper reporter, on call twenty-four hours a day and writing books at night after I got off work. My husband, James, was working at a clothing manufacturing company. We drove a ten-year-old car, had very little money, lived in a rented house and watched the baby as much as we watched television for entertainment.

Twenty-seven years later Blayne is married and his wife, Christina, is expecting their first child. We are living in a home we own, not rent, and the car in the driveway is a very fast new Jaguar. I still work full-time, and have no plans to retire, ever. Like Mills & Boon Books, I seem to have the gift of endurance.

Mills & Boon is now sixty years old. I myself am also into my sixth decade. I am still filled with wonder when I think about the wonderful job I have—one I would gladly do for nothing.

I owe this to a lot of people: my husband and son, who put up with a lot of cold dinners; and my best friend, Ann, without whom I would never have sent off that first manuscript. To my extraordinary editor, Tara Gavin, and my agent Maureen Walters. And last but never least, my loyal readers who are very much a part of my life. They are my family. So is Mills & Boon and its amazing staff. All of us together, writers and others, make up this wonderful company, which has never lost its special touch as the oasis of pure romance in the world.

Congratulations, Mills & Boon, on your Diamond Anniversary. I hope that you, and I, will continue to warm the hearts of women around the world with love stories that never go out of style. And thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me a job in the first place.

With all best wishes to our readers everywhere,

Diana Palmer

Table of Contents

Chapter One (#u756c10e8-26d7-56e5-8b14-7a1e41b203f4)

Chapter Two (#u671ac525-3d13-5