KING OF HEARTS
By: Pat Pritchard

ISBN: 0-8217-7255-4
Pub Date : Aug-02
Publisher: Kensington Books
Imprint : Zebra
Format : Paperback
Line: Ballad

Playing For Keeps
After he gambled away his share of the family ranch, Wade McCord left Colorado and his past behind. Now a U.S Marshall, he's pulled the dangerous assignment of tracking down a notorious outlaw gang. Posing as a gambler at a stagecoach stop, Wade plans to smoke out his quarry. But he never counted on his burning desire for strong-willed Lottie Hammond, a woman who may be in league with the outlaws. Wade knows Lottie has secrets, especially when he sees the way she looks at the two orphan children she's raising. But he also knows that the time has come for him to gamble his heart on what matters most: the promise of love with Lottie.

CHAPTER ONE

Damn and damn again! Wade fanned his cards out and then cursed some more. The only thing he hated more than playing poker was losing at poker. Even when he did so by choice.

And of all nights, Lady Luck had picked this one to show up. Making matters worse, she'd just offered him a gift, and he was going to throw it right back in her face. He could only hope that the lady in question didn't hold grudges--at least not for long. With no small regret, he plucked the pair of queens he'd been dealt and threw them facedown on the table.

"I'll take two."

Drawing a careful breath, Wade picked up their replacements and added them to the other three cards in his hand. When he slowly spread them out, two tens stared him in the face. Added to the pair of deuces that had escorted the queens, he could very well win the hand. Shit.

"I fold."

It wasn't hard to feign disgust as he tossed the small pile onto the table and waited for the others to play out the round. Ignoring Lady Luck's generosity was bound to cause him grief. Everyone, Wade included, knew she was both fickle and vengeful. He'd learned that lesson firsthand years ago when he lost both his ranch and the woman he loved in a poker game. Cal Preston, the gambler who'd won them both, had forced him to learn how to court Lady Luck and win. He'd called it a matter of survival. However, the price for this evening's work could very well be Wade's life. With grim determination, he set about losing every dime he had.

A few hours later, Wade staggered out of the saloon, deliberately stumbling into a couple of cowboys who were just arriving. They gave him a not-so-gentle shove to help him on his way. On the whole, his act was a convincing one, if he did say so himself. Hell, he even smelled like a drunk, down on his luck and reeking of cheap whiskey.

Whistling an off-key rendition of the song the piano player had been hammering out with enthusiasm but no real talent, Wade wandered in the direction of the local stage office. He didn't have the money for a ticket, but that wasn't going to stop him from catching a ride to his planned destination. He paused long enough to look up at the night sky and immediately wished he hadn't A falling star flashed and burned out in a single breath. As his eyes followed its path, old memories immediately cluttered his thoughts, hurting as much as they always had. In his mind's eye, he pictured Lily standing on the front porch of their house.

She used to send her heart's wishes soaring with the stars as they flew across the night sky. With her dark eyes squeezed tightly shut, she'd murmur some small request. Afterwards, she always laughed at herself for being silly. But he'd never laughed.

He drew a calming breath. Considering how happy Lily was these days, the old superstition had definitely worked for her. But wishing on a star of any kind hadn't helped Wade at all, not once, no matter how many times he'd tried. He knew that for a fact because if the stars had ever smiled down on him, he would be the one who Lily had married. And he would have been the one to give her the baby she was due to have in a few weeks.

It took some effort to shove that idea back into the shadowed comers of his mind. He'd been down that road too many times, and nothing ever changed. Seven years ago Lily had married Cal Preston, and Wade had lost everything that had ever mattered to him. Before that, it had been just Wade and Lily struggling together to build a life, but then a turn of a card changed everything for them both.

She'd begged and pleaded with him not to leave the ranch they owned jointly, but the friendship she offered him was worse than her not caring at all. It had been a long time since he'd let anyone close enough to cause him that kind of pain.

And it would be a cold day in hell before he would again. It was time to get moving again before anyone took too much notice of him. Staggering and mumbling to himself, he wended his way down the street.

Once he'd made sure that no one was watching, he slipped off his drunk act as easily as he would shed a shirt. Moving quickly, he followed the shadows around to the back of the building, where the horses and stagecoaches were stabled. He already knew which coach would leave for the Oklahoma Territory at first light.

He'd hidden his saddlebags in a convenient pile of hay behind the barn the night before. After retrieving them, he checked the contents to make sure that nothing had been touched. Satisfied that his guns, spare shirts, and badge were fight where they should be, he tossed his few belongings into the stagecoach and climbed in after them.

With luck, the driver wouldn't know how many people he was supposed to be taking with him in the morning. Wade's boss had promised that the fight people would be bribed into turning a blind eye to an extra passenger. Even though the plan seemed sound, there was always the chance something would go wrong. If so, he'd deal with it.

Tomorrow and its problems would come soon enough. For now, he settled into the far comer of the backseat and willed himself to sleep. With luck, he wouldn't dream.

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RT K.I.S.S.(es) Award for August, 2002. -
"Tough and tender, a gambler and a lawman, Wade McCord is truly a KING OF HEARTS and he'll steal yours in this western by Patricia Pritchard" - RT Bookclub

"4 Stars! - ...
Pat Pritchard brings a fresh approach to a fast-paced and realistic western by creating engaging characters and taking a villain, Bardell, and turning him into a hero you'll adore. The conflict between the lovers is real and as powerful as their desire, while it's easy to be pulled into their dilemma over where to place their loyalties. Ms. Pritchard has a bright future ahead." - Kathe Robin, Romantic Times Magazine

"4 Stars! -
KING OF HEARTS is a tender romance with the perfect blend of spice, charming characters and gunfights. Between the bad guys and the rapidly developing relationship between Wade and Lottie, I had a hard time putting the book down. The children, Rose and Jack, do a bang up job of adding to the romantic tension, as every time Wade and Lottie think they are alone, one of the two kids has a habit of popping up... If you enjoy character driven romances...KING OF HEARTS is a great addition to your reading pile. Grab a copy and enjoy!" - Tracy Farnsworth, The Romance Readers Connection

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