Long Way Home by Janis Reams Hudson is the 1st in her Homeward series of f/m probably-contemporary western romances, this installment with apparent suspense elements set in Texas and starring an ex-prisoner and an expectant single mother who bond over their shared farmland, free courtesy of publisher Diversion Books, who are reprinting it from Kensington's Zebra Books imprint's 2001 edition.
The Amazon category tag claims it's Historical, but a quick skim of the opening shows mentions of the Las Vegas strip and video rental stores, so unless the historical era happens to be the 1980s or there's time-travel involved, I think that's probably a misfile. YMMV.
Currently free @
Amazon (available to Canadians & in the
UK) &
iTunes (available to Canadians).
Description
After seven years in prison, Duncan Malone has returned home to Washita, Texas, to reclaim his land that now belongs to strangers. But his homecoming isn’t a warm one; his mother lies in a catatonic state, and the residents of Washita aren’t taking well to a murderer living amongst them.
Franki Taylor is seven-months pregnant, alone, and forced to run her grandfather’s farm as he succumbs to pneumonia. So when Duncan, the farm’s former owner, comes seeking a job, Franki knows she’s in no position to turn him away. Soon, their convenient partnership turns into a budding passion they’re both powerless to resist.
But both Franki and Duncan have an enemy lurking in their midst, determined to destroy not only their love, but their very lives.