New Release Love So Deep by Kathleen Ball #ASMSG

Love So Deep

By Kathleen Ball

New Release

Historical Western Romance

 Banned from the wagon train Samantha Foley wanders through the Colorado Mountains. An early winter storms arrives leaving her at its frozen mercy.
Ruggedly handsome Mountain Man, Patrick McCrery comes to her rescue. Patrick, half white and half Indian, he fits in neither world. He lives a solitary life as a trapper. He certainly does not want to get involved with the beautiful Samantha Foley.
Knowing she is leaving at the first spring thaw, Samantha tries to guard her heart but sometimes her guard slips leaving her totally and utterly in love with her handsome hero. When she is finally left in town at the bottom of the mountain, she can’t help but gaze at the mountain trail wishing with all her heart, Patrick will appear.
Can love shine through distrust, discrimination, and accusations? Only if it’s deep enough. 

Now on Amazon

Kindle Unlimited 

Excerpt

Samantha tried wrapping her scarf around her head, but the weight of the hardened ice kept dragging it down. The naysayers were right, winter came early—very early and with a vengeance. She stared at the pure white snow dotted with Ponderosa pines. Their branches bowed from the snowy burden. She’d doubted her survival the minute they banned her from the wagon train but as she walked away, she grew determined to survive. What a difference a few weeks made. As soon as the storm hit two days ago, her doubts returned.

She took a step and stumbled. The hem of her dress, caked with icy snow, made it hard going. With each step, her feet punched through the snow and sank. Her hands stung from the biting cold. Soon she wouldn’t feel them anymore. She knew the signs of frostbite. Pushing herself upright she struggled on, one exhausting step at a time.

The wind howled and she wanted to cry at its sad song. She’d been on her own for two long weeks now. How she hated the pious women she’d traveled with. The death of her parents left her alone and a woman alone was not allowed on the wagon train. The married women believed she’d entice their husbands. The same women whose children she nursed when they were sick. The hypocrisy ate at her soul.

It was either marry Old Thomas or leave. She refused to marry, calling their bluff. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a bluff. They threw her a sack of food and a canteen of water and left her behind.

Again, she fell face first into the snow. Struggling to rise, she shook her head. Maybe it’d be easier to just lay there and fall into a forever sleep. Her food was long ago eaten and her strength had held out surprisingly long, but now she wasn’t sure it was worth the effort.

A horse nickered and she pushed herself up. Her heart skipped a beat in fright. On the horse sat a huge man covered in animal furs. His rifle lay across his lap.

“Get up,” he said, his voice full of anger.

Samantha pushed and struggled until she stood. This was it. She just hoped her death would be painless. Putting her frigid hands on her hips, she brazenly studied him. His slate blue eyes were full of compassion. He held out his hand. She grasped it and he hauled her up in front of him.

“Let’s get you warm.” He opened his fur coat, pulled her against his warm body, and wrapped them both up. “Where are your people?”

“My people?”

“Yes, do you have a cabin here bouts? You shouldn’t be out here alone. It’s dangerous and in the snow it’s easy to get lost.”

Turning her head, she felt his warm breath against her cheek. His full beard brushed against her. “I’m on my own. I was hoping to find a town.”

He didn’t say anything else as he urged his steed forward. It was slow going in the snow but the horse seemed to know its way. Leaning back against his wide chest, her eyes closed.