Almost Paradise — Barbara Ankrum

THE HERO WORE BLACK

After reading plenty of dime novels on the subject, Grace Turner was convinced that she knew all she needed to about the "Wild West." so when the prim miss arrived in Pair-a-Dice, Texas, to hire someone for a perilous scouting mission, she expected no surprises. But she got one in Reese Donovan, a surly ex-Texas Ranger in no mood for a fool's errand.

Reese wanted nothing more than to sink into an intoxicated oblivion, the heroics of his glory days a distant memory. Then came that plucky Turner woman, all fired up with fanciful notions of rescuing her brother in Mexico. For some insane reason, he was beginning to find the prospect of her company oddly appealing ... and the idea of a happy ending a little less ludicrous every day.