The Rebel and the Lady

Kathryn Albright

Indulge your fantasies of delicious Regency Rakes, fierce Viking warriors and rugged Highlanders. Be swept away into a world of intense passion, lavish settings and romance that burns brightly through the centuriesA woman worth fighting for… Santa Anna’s army marches relentlessly through Texas, forcing Victoria Ruiz to go on the run. Only Victoria is a lady of aristocratic descent. And this is no place for a lady.Jake Dumont is a rebel. A loner. A crack shot. He’s never stayed in one place for long. Never let anyone close – until now… When Jake lays eyes on stunning Victoria he’s rocked to the core.Finally he’s found a woman worth fighting for. But can a rebel gunslinger claim an aristocratic lady as his bride?

?“What do you believe in, then,Mr Dumont? Or are you just asyou seem—a shiftless drifter?”Irritation coloured her face.

He appreciated her passion. With her face flushed and her eyes flashing midnight fire, he appreciated it a whole lot. But the subject was getting more serious than he cared for, reminding him he had a mission to accomplish. Beautiful se?orita or not, he couldn’t forget that.

“I resent being called a drifter on such short acquaintance,” he said. “You know nothing about my plans.”

“Plans?” She shrugged. “I too have those. But what is it you believe in?”

Jake stood, and moved his gaze to Juan, Diego, and then back to rest on hers.

“Se?orita—I believe in staying alive. Other than that? Not a damn thing.”

She rose to her feet, her eyes shooting daggers.

“Then you have no soul, Se?or Dumont.”

His brother had said as much the day he took off. Jake met her angry gaze with a sardonic smile. “I know.”

Author Note

The history of the Alamo has always fascinated me—especially stories of the Mexicans who fought beside the Anglo defenders against their own countrymen. Although my main characters are fictional, there are many real historical figures in this novel. Writing about the Alamo cannot be done without mentioning Travis, Bowie, Crockett, Segu?n—or General Antonio Lоpez de Santa Anna. The part played by Francita Alavez, the young woman in Goliad, is also well-documented. It is with utmost respect that I have included them in my story, keeping as historically accurate as my research allowed. Any errors are completely mine.

I love to hear from my readers. You can reach me at PO Box 606, Rockton, IL 61072, USA, or contact me through my website at www.kathrynalbright.com

Happy Reading!

Kathryn Albright, the daughter of a naval officer and a doll doctor, grew up in San Diego, the setting for this story. Her journey to publication has included graduating from college, writing magazine articles and reading voraciously. She currently resides in the Midwest of America, with her husband and three sons.

A recent novel from Kathryn Albright:

THE ANGEL AND THE OUTLAW

(part of a special volume On Mothering Sunday)

THE REBEL AND THE LADY

Kathryn Albright

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

For my husband Dean,who loves stories of the west as much as I do.

Here’s your western, honey…

Chapter One

January, 1836—Southern Texas Territory

The ground shook.

Victoria Torrez jerked awake from a dreamless sleep and glanced about her room. Nothing was out of place. The full moon shining through her window cast shadows of bare branches on the plaster walls. What had woken her?

She swung her feet onto the tile floor and tiptoed to the window. Nothing moved in the blue moonlight. A heavy frost covered the ground near the hacienda, unusual for this time of year, but then it had been an unusually cold, dry winter. The bats that lived along the Rio Grande had long since flown south. Even the owl that hooted in the ancient oak tree was still.

Too quiet.

Her senses heightened, she moved to the opposite window to search the courtyard.

It came to her then—a steady, rhythmic trembling like thunder in the wake of an approaching storm. Her heart took up the cadence as she held her breath and listened, trying to understand what was happening.

The iron la