The Heiress and the Sheriff

Stella Bagwell

The horse that sideswiped Gabrielle Carter's car as she approached the sprawling Fortune ranch left her with a blow to the head and no memory of being Miranda Fortune's daughter. But that doesn't stop the bighearted Texas family from insisting she recuperate at the ranch.Sheriff Wyatt Grayhawk isn't sure what to make of this beautiful interloper. He can't deny his intense attraction, despite his fears that she's a con artist out to claim the Fortune legacy.Hidden in her belongings, Gabrielle has proof that she is the family's long-lost niece. And she's not looking for money–just a family to call her own. But her returning memory and the harsh accusations fired at her by Wyatt leave her angry, hurt and ready to abandon all her dreams…including the sexy sheriff with whom she's fallen in love.

THE TEXAS TATTLER

All the news that’s barely fit to print!

Police Scour Sperm Bank Records

For Mother of Mystery Fortune Heir

A Red Rock “scandal avalanche” hit Texas last month when the results of a DNA test declared millionaire family man Dr. Matthew Fortune the father of a child abandoned and left in the care of his own famous ranching clan. Insider sources confirm that he and wife Claudia have separated.

Amidst the rubble of his marriage, Matthew holds firm to his assertion of marital fidelity and offers only his donation to a California sperm bank while in medical school as possible explanation. Records of sperm bank pregnancies have so far failed to provide a possible mother for the child, Taylor Fortune.

Also on the Fortune front…Ryan Fortune’s money-hungry, estranged wife, Sophia, was spotted in a heated lovers’ quarrel in the very public lobby of the Palace Lights Hotel…but not with her hubby. Looks like Ryan just stumbled upon some fuel for that inferno they’re calling a divorce.

Speaking of fire…the red-hot combustion between fearless man-in-blue Sheriff Wyatt Grayhawk and new-beauty-in-town Gabrielle Carter is sending smoke signals swirling around Red Rock. Too bad the only thing Gabrielle can remember is her name—but everyone’s calling her Grayhawk’s Lady!

About the Author

STELLA BAGWELL

sold her first book to Silhouette in November 1985. More than fifty novels later, she still loves her job and says she isn’t completely content unless she’s writing. Recently, she and her husband of thirty years moved from the hills of Oklahoma to Seadrift, Texas, a sleepy little fishing town located on the coastal bend. Stella says the water, the tropical climate and the seabirds make it a lovely place to let her imagination soar and to put the stories in her head down on paper.

She and her husband have one son, Jason, who lives and teaches high school math in nearby Port Lavaca.

The Heiress and the Sheriff

Stella Bagwell

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

Meet the Fortunes of Texas

Wyatt Grayhawk: The rugged sheriff didn’t trust strangers, especially the young lady who claimed to have no memory and found a haven on the Fortune ranch. But would Wyatt’s mission to uncover Gabrielle’s past be sidetracked by the allure of the mysterious beauty?

Gabrielle Carter: She didn’t know who she was or why she had come to Texas. Although she knew she shouldn’t fall for a man who doubted her intentions, she couldn’t deny the longings of her heart.

Clint Lockhart: He had a lifelong obsession for revenge on the Fortunes and he’d do whatever it took to get a piece of their family empire.

Hannah Cassidy: When Ryan Fortune proposed to Hannah’s mother, Lily, this daughter-of-the-bride decided to plan the perfect Texas wedding. Little did Hannah know that she would soon be meeting the groom of her dreams….

To my family, and all our unforgettable trips to Texas.

There have been many, and hopefully there will be many more.

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

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