ANOTHER MAN'S WIFE
Historical/Western (erotic)
Available from:
When the stagecoach carrying Federal Marshal Chris McQuade is the
target of an attempted robbery, the handsome Marshal is left alone with a woman
he's been attracted to from the start of the long journey from St. Louis to Wind
River, WY. It isn't until they're forced to go on alone together that he
realizes he's falling in love with the wife of the man he's been sent to bring
to justice. Much to McQuade's surprise, Elizabeth Davis has fallen in love, too,
and her husband is out for revenge after witnessing a much-too-intimate
encounter between his enemy and his wife...
Read an exclusive excerpt:
The sun was sinking rapidly on the western
peaks of the mountains and the color streaked the sky with a splendor unlike
any she’d seen before. She stared, enchanted and enthralled by the fiery
display that crested the snow-capped mountaintops. The orange-gold orb of
heavenly fire gradually dipped behind the ridge of darkening mountains, its
last searching fingers splaying over the tops, turning everything to purple
tinted pink. Chris nudged his horse forward and she followed, caught between
the glory atop the mountains and the magnificence of the man and horse moving ahead
of her.
Less than an hour later they sat in front
of a fire, coffee brewing and filling the night air with its enticing aroma.
They shared some of the hard tack and jerked beef from Tom Caden’s saddlebags,
and Elizabeth
“What exactly do you do, Chris?” She
finally dared ask the question she’d been thinking about from the first time
she’d glimpsed him back in St. Louis
“I’m a Federal Marshal, ma’am,” he said
after considering the query for several heartbeats of time. He eyed her closely
for a few seconds, then posed his own question. “What’s your business in Wind River ?”
She hesitated, and for perhaps the first
time in her life, she was tempted to lie outright to someone she barely knew.
Honesty won out, and she sighed heavily. “I’m supposed to be meeting my
husband,” she admitted, and watched the warmth vanish from his eyes. What
remained was a dark wall of polite civility.
“I didn’t realize you were married,” Chris
commented, once the unexpectedness of her admission passed through his mind and
left him feeling vaguely betrayed.
“I find it difficult to recall myself
sometimes,” she said with hurt in her tone. “Mark and I married almost a year
ago, but he headed west about two months later. I’ve only seen him twice in the
past nine months.” Her eyes focused on the shadowy trees that surrounded them
like sentinels. “I don’t even know why I thought I wanted to be married to
him.”
“Mark Elias Davis is your husband?” Chris asked,
a distinct twist of raw anger roiling in his gut as things coalesced in his
mind. Davis
She turned to look him squarely in the eye
again, and wariness telegraphed from every fiber of her body.
“Yes.”
It was little more than an expulsion of
air, the single word carried to him more as a breath than audible speech.
“How much do you love him, ma’am?”
She winced at the bone-chilling ice in his
voice and the reaction woke a twinge of guilt inside him.
“Why?”
The word trembled between them and Chris
stared at her, drinking in every aspect of her presence as a thirsting man
revels in water.
“He’s the reason I’m here, Elizabeth Arizona
“Wanted,” Elizabeth
She was afraid of the answer. She was more
afraid of not knowing. The lack of anguish she felt told her what her heart had
known for many months, that whatever she’d felt for Mark Davis in the past had
died there. Time and distance had cleared her head of the romantic notions he’d
filled her with when they were engaged and full of dreams to chase.
Chris turned away from her and she reached
out to touch his face, her palm gentle on his cheek as she made him meet her
gaze again. “Please tell me, Chris.”
“He killed a deputy during a bank robbery
in Phoenix
“And they sent you to track him.”
“I was bringing a man to St. Louis
“I see.”
Chris watched her for several moments, saw
the emotions racing across her features as vividly as if she spoke every
thought she was having. Not one of the shifts of expression resembled shock or
surprise, and that made him wonder how much she either knew, or suspected, of
her husband’s activities since coming west.
“This don’t seem to surprise you much,
ma’am.”
She twitched just the slightest bit at the
sound of his voice, and he knew she’d completely forgotten his presence. She
drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, shutting him
out, probably without even realizing she was doing it.
“It doesn’t,” she eventually conceded.
“Mark’s changed a great deal since we met a few years back. Especially since he
came out here. The rare times we’ve seen each other, he’s been restless and
irritable, like he’d rather be anywhere other than with me. I used to think he
was just trying to find a way to tell me he’d met someone else.” She laughed,
irony the only discernible emotion in the sound. “A year ago I wouldn’t have
believed him capable of killing. Now…” She shrugged. “I don’t have the right to
question you or judge him, because it simply doesn’t matter anymore.”
The last words caught him well and truly
off-guard. “A woman has every right to question a man who tells her that the
man she’s married to is a killer.”
“Only if she cares, Mr. McQuade. The last
of my dreams were killed the day Mark gunned down that deputy, he just forgot
to tell me about it.” She looked into the flickering fire flames reflecting
from Chris’s dark eyes, one of the only traces of light in her world at that
moment. “I’m sorry we didn’t have this conversation a lot sooner,” she remarked
bitterly. “I would have known not to continue west, but to go back home.”
He didn’t reply, and she smiled weakly at
him, then rose. “Goodnight, Chris.”
For a long time after she’d fallen asleep, Chris
watched the fire and brooded. It was a pattern that would repeat itself over
the next two nights, until they reached the foothills of the mountains.
A few past reviews:
"4 Stars!...An enjoyable and short western story. Even though it is
predictable in its plot line, I completely enjoyed this book. Chris is extreme
in his alpha attitude and so is Elizabeth as a strong independent woman.
Together these two characters are well developed for a quick story and flow
together well. The sex in this story is hot and passionate, with the love
quickly developed and announced. The action is gut clenching and exciting! I
definitely recommend this story to everyone, especially those who really enjoy
historical westerns."—Vikky Bertling, Just Erotic Romance Reviews
"4 Stars!...An entertaining and sensual historical short story with a few
surprises that is sure to delight many readers. Elizabeth is a truly appealing
character. She's wary of Chris but also compelled by his presence. Although
she's beautiful, she has refreshing qualities for a woman of her times in that
she's strong, opinionated and doesn't mind letting people know. I enjoyed
reading about a heroine who is voluptuous and curvaceous and feels confident.
Chris is a Marshal to die for; he's handsome, tough, and prepared to do all in
his power to save the woman he loves. His passionate and romantic nature is well
hidden beneath the ruthless facade he projects until he meets Elizabeth. From
the first both fight a strong attraction that's simmering between them only to
realize they have never felt this way before. This burning desire between
Elizabeth and Chris culminates in a very fiery explosion and these two lovers
come together in a highly sensual moment, in one of the longest love scenes I've
read. Elizabeth and Chris were meant for each other. It was great seeing their
story unfold and develop."—Aggie, Just Erotic Romance Reviews
"This quick western will charm readers with the typical Wild West
components: outlaws, marshals, and a feisty damsel in distress. But Denyse M.
Bridger has written an anything but typical romance. Her vivid writing makes
Another Man's Wife a delight to read and the love scenes make you wish you were
the damsel in distress. I look forward to reading more from the engaging Denyse
M. Bridger."—Tina Burns, The Road to Romance
"5 Angels!...A wonderful, very sensual romance. Although short, the story
is fully developed and substantial. Chris and Elizabeth are both likable
characters that the reader wants to see happy. The sexual chemistry between them
is palpable. Ms. Bridger's has a talent for writing eloquent, extremely
passionate love scenes. She gets the point across without being too explicit.
She conveys the emotions beautifully, without graphic language. It?s hard to
believe this is Ms. Bridger's first erotic romance. It's definitely an
impressive start. I hope to see many more just like this one!"—Shelley, Fallen
Angel Reviews
"5 Flames!...Ms. Bridger gives the reader a wonderfully vivid setting and
fills it with well-rounded, believable characters. Elizabeth is brave and always
ready to help out. Chris, strong and capable, accepts her help, which is
pleasantly surprising. The love scenes are beautiful and very sensual, but not
as graphic as those seen in other erotic romances. This excellent short story is
a quick, satisfying read, and I highly recommend it."—Renee, Sizzling
Romances
"4 Ribbons!...A great story you'll be sure to enjoy in one sitting. Denyse
M. Bridger knows how to write an erotic and entertaining short story. If you
like historical romance, then Another Man's Wife is for you. The characters are
a big part of any story, and you will love the hero and heroine in this one.
Chris is the kind of hot sexy hero that will leave you breathless, and Elizabeth
is a wonderful heroine."—BJ Deese, Blue Ribbon Reviews
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