1livlivy
A total shot in the dark but I remember reading this romance paperback I found in my mom's friend's vacation house. The book was probably published in the 80s or 90s, it was already pretty dated when I read it (about 15 years ago). It was the first romance novel I ever read, and haven't been able to locate it since.
I wasn't able to finish the book and what I did read was a long time ago so I am very fuzzy on the plot/details. It was a historical romance that took place on the American Western frontier. The female protagonist (FP) was traveling out west (I think in a covered wagon) with another woman (cousin? friend? Orphan?) and with her brother who had some unspecified developmental disability. They ran into, or were maybe already escorted by the the male protagonist (MP, who's name I THINK started with the letter "C") who offered to protect them on the perilous journey out west. I think he was a kind of gun for hire with a mysterious past. I can't remember why they were going out west, I think the FP father's left her some land or something.
The FP had red hair and this was like a very important part of her "fiery" fiery personality (but I'm sure this doesn't narrow anything down).
I think the FP and MP had sort of an enemies to lover's situation going on, something like she didn't want to admit that they needed any protection crossing the frontier. Her brother's vurnerability, I think, helped influence her choice to accept help.
The main antagonist was this wealthy (criminal? landowner? evil sheriff?) who lived in the frontier town they were traveling to and eventually settled outside of. He was introduced in a brothel where he talked about how he planned to kill the MP. I think the MP swindled him or betrayed him in some way and he was plotting revenge.
There was also this Native character who they ran into at the very beginning who is became obsessed with the FP and followed her to where they settled on the frontier. I have no idea where this plot line went, if he was purely an ominous character or if he served a sort of a fantasy about being ravished (maybe both?)
(Spoiler alert) My memory does not serve me well, but I feel like I remember the MP got cancer or some kind of terminal illness just when the MP and FP finally get together and the FP became determined to have his baby or something before he "died". See I can't remember if this was actually a real plot point or a lie he had to sell to cover up his mysterious past. I almost feel like he did die, or at least the FP thought that he died, but I didn't get this far in the book, I just remember flipped ahead because vacation was almost over. I can't remember if this story was actually tragedy or if just led the reader to believe their love was doomed for dramatic tension.
I also cannot remember if the FP really did get pregnant and have the MP's baby and if she spent the second half of the book raising the child/dealing with the antagonists and dangerous frontier the MP left her behind in (before he returned to the rescue or maybe she fell in love with someone new?)
What I remember most vividly was the cover art, which was in that 80s sort of Zebra/Avon publishing art style (I found a couple of books, "Midnight Slave by Rochelle Wayne, "Destiny" by Rochelle Wayne, and "An Unlikely Outlaw" by Rebecca Wade that all have very similar covers to what I remember) the MP is sort of standing on his knees, shirtless, wearing jeans and boots, I think he had blondish/brownish hair with a very faint mustache, and slightly more on the slim than the usual male character design of that cover art style. He was holding the FP in a period dress. I think there was a covered wagon in the background.
Anyway I thought it would be fun to locate this book again, it was the first romance novel I ever picked up and never finished so I've always wondered what happened. I feel a little crazy because there are a million books that are so similar. If anyone knows what this book might have been, please let me know! Thank you so much for reading all this.
I wasn't able to finish the book and what I did read was a long time ago so I am very fuzzy on the plot/details. It was a historical romance that took place on the American Western frontier. The female protagonist (FP) was traveling out west (I think in a covered wagon) with another woman (cousin? friend? Orphan?) and with her brother who had some unspecified developmental disability. They ran into, or were maybe already escorted by the the male protagonist (MP, who's name I THINK started with the letter "C") who offered to protect them on the perilous journey out west. I think he was a kind of gun for hire with a mysterious past. I can't remember why they were going out west, I think the FP father's left her some land or something.
The FP had red hair and this was like a very important part of her "fiery" fiery personality (but I'm sure this doesn't narrow anything down).
I think the FP and MP had sort of an enemies to lover's situation going on, something like she didn't want to admit that they needed any protection crossing the frontier. Her brother's vurnerability, I think, helped influence her choice to accept help.
The main antagonist was this wealthy (criminal? landowner? evil sheriff?) who lived in the frontier town they were traveling to and eventually settled outside of. He was introduced in a brothel where he talked about how he planned to kill the MP. I think the MP swindled him or betrayed him in some way and he was plotting revenge.
There was also this Native character who they ran into at the very beginning who is became obsessed with the FP and followed her to where they settled on the frontier. I have no idea where this plot line went, if he was purely an ominous character or if he served a sort of a fantasy about being ravished (maybe both?)
(Spoiler alert) My memory does not serve me well, but I feel like I remember the MP got cancer or some kind of terminal illness just when the MP and FP finally get together and the FP became determined to have his baby or something before he "died". See I can't remember if this was actually a real plot point or a lie he had to sell to cover up his mysterious past. I almost feel like he did die, or at least the FP thought that he died, but I didn't get this far in the book, I just remember flipped ahead because vacation was almost over. I can't remember if this story was actually tragedy or if just led the reader to believe their love was doomed for dramatic tension.
I also cannot remember if the FP really did get pregnant and have the MP's baby and if she spent the second half of the book raising the child/dealing with the antagonists and dangerous frontier the MP left her behind in (before he returned to the rescue or maybe she fell in love with someone new?)
What I remember most vividly was the cover art, which was in that 80s sort of Zebra/Avon publishing art style (I found a couple of books, "Midnight Slave by Rochelle Wayne, "Destiny" by Rochelle Wayne, and "An Unlikely Outlaw" by Rebecca Wade that all have very similar covers to what I remember) the MP is sort of standing on his knees, shirtless, wearing jeans and boots, I think he had blondish/brownish hair with a very faint mustache, and slightly more on the slim than the usual male character design of that cover art style. He was holding the FP in a period dress. I think there was a covered wagon in the background.
Anyway I thought it would be fun to locate this book again, it was the first romance novel I ever picked up and never finished so I've always wondered what happened. I feel a little crazy because there are a million books that are so similar. If anyone knows what this book might have been, please let me know! Thank you so much for reading all this.
