Malachi Hawkins left his home to move west as soon as he was old enough. Running from a family secret that he can never escape, he takes a job on the ranch of an old family friend, Lee Rose.<br><br>The first night he's there, he meets Christian Rose, Lee's foster daughter, a young woman of mixed Comanche blood. They call her a savage and treat her like the family slave, but Mal doesn't see a savage at all. He sees a woman of unbelievable strength -- and a kindred spirit.<br><br>But his secret is bound to catch up with him, and when it does, it could destroy both of them forever ...

Maybe I'm Amazed

“Come with me to the store,” Christian said, while the second hymn swirled around them.


Mal realized he would have to be content with stealing those few minutes with her. He didn’t even quite understand why he was greedy for every second, every soft word, every short glance. Perhaps he just wanted to know her, the way nobody else bothered to know her. Or perhaps he felt like he already knew her, somehow. It was hard to tell, and his head was beginning to spin in the heat of the church. Sunlight slanted through the narrow windows, providing a spotlight for the dance specks of dust floating through the air.


Chapter 9