Slade --

Slade Barlow discovers hiding out at Jill’s corn farm is more rewarding than dealing stud or robbing the Arizona silver mines.

Managing the farm since her pa’s death hasn’t been easy for Jillianne Prescott. The list of repairs is long and money is scarce. To add to her burdens is the deal Ma struck up with the sheriff. In exchange for food and a warm bed, the sheriff sends his prisoners to work the farm. Never one to bother with men, Jillianne is nonetheless thankful for the help, until, one by one, they run off. This latest one won’t be any different. Heavily muscled and full of tomfoolery, she has no doubt he’ll sneak off to Mexico before the sun rises. But when he proves her wrong, and takes it upon himself to find the coyote prowling the farm at night, Jillianne can’t help but admit there’s more to Slade than sinew and tomfoolery.

Be the guest at a necktie social or work at the widow Prescott’s farm? He might be an outlaw, and have a lot of faults, but stupidity isn’t one of them. Slade Barlow will hide out at the farm until tempers cool and then leave Texas for good, have the spread he’s been saving for. But the widow isn’t the frail woman he expected. And her daughter does things to his gut best left ignored. Then again, Jill has an intriguing birthmark. And curves his fingers itch to explore. Sassy and pretty, she’s the type of woman a man marries. Never one to favor a woman’s long list of rules, he’ll keep his distance, track down her coyote, and steal more than one kiss from her.

As part of his incarceration, outlaw Slade Barlow has been placed on work detail at the Prescott farm. Thrown in the calaboose on tenuous charges, he needs to keep his head down and bide his time until he can flee the Widow Prescott and her two daughters, Jillianne and Camille. But he hadn’t counted on his growing feelings for Jill or the fact that someone is stalking their property. As he digs deeper, he comes to realize that he may be more deeply involved in the mystery of Jill’s deceased father and the time the man spent away from the farm than he’d like to be. And, at the end of the day, can he walk away from Jill? This is a solid western romance with great descriptions that will put you right in the time period. Slade is a tormented hero, Jillianne is a kindhearted heroine, and their romance will hold you in its grip until the end. Don’t miss another winner from Ms. Lence!
5 Stars by Kristine McCaffrey

First time I've read Julie Lence but it won't be the last. I really enjoyed her book. Her characters are so real and the writing is excellent.
5 Stars by Petticoat Grandma, Amazon Review

Seems as though I've waited forever for this book and it was worth it. Slade and Jillianne were wonderful characters to get to know and to follow along to their HEA. A little suspense woven in with the romance, kept the story flowing right along. I can't wait to read the next one and trying to guess whose story it will be.
5 Stars, JudyE.

A wonderful, gritty, old west romance with strong, likable characters and a plot that keeps you turning pages. Julie Lence knows her cowboys and how to write great heroes! 
5 Stars, Shanna Hatfield, USA Today Best Selling Author

Great story and great characters. Great sense of the old west time period. Great bonding and development of characters. Easy to like.
5 Stars, Mary Jo Krause

“I’m sorry, darlin’. I’d never hurt you.” He hugged her tight. “I was out prowlin’ for your intru―coyote.

Didn’t see you leave the house. Heard you open the barn door and…” he crushed her closer to his thick chest of muscle.

Cocooned in his arms, feeling his heart beat as erratic as hers, she slid her arms around his waist and held tight to him. Took comfort in the heat of his body seeping through her thin robe and nightgown into her skin. After a spell, her heartbeat eased, but her pulse continued to race. Slade was a big man. She remembered thinking he could crush a body. Or hold a woman tenderly. She couldn’t attest to her first thought, but the second was true. He held her gently, and with care.

Mmmm, she closed her eyes and savored the feel of his sinew. To fall asleep nestled against him and wake up in the same fashion… to taste his kisses and have him bestow on her the same reverence from this afternoon…

She snapped her eyes open, caught him staring down at her. With the aid of the moonlight shining behind her, she noted the stubble along his jaw, but the expression in his gaze was unreadable.

“Your trembles have ceased.” He grinned wickedly. “Let’s disturb them again.”

Without warning, he shifted her to sit upright, rested a large, calloused palm against her cheek and lowered his head, touched his lips to hers. Bright lights exploded behind her eyes. Moisture dampened her palms, and when she kissed him back, her trembles returned. The kind that robbed a girl of breath and made her heart sing. The kind that made her feel special. Wanted.

Excitement over these new sensations shimmied down her spine. But fast on its heels was scorn for her wanton behavior and a sobering truth. She pushed away from him, scrambled off his lap and ran for the door.

“Jill!” His voice cracked like a whip as he grabbed her elbow, halting her escape. “If you don’t like my kiss, say so. You don’t have to run away.”

“I…” she swallowed hard, felt her eyes mist. “Camille’s who you want to kiss. You settle for me because she’s sick.”