THE RANCHER AND THE RENEGADE by Jackson D’Lynne is a thrilling, hot time-travel romance about a woman broken by tragedy, the sexy rancher determined to love her no matter what, and the evil they must destroy to survive. Readers will be captured by the story, enchanted by the romance, and thrilled by the edge of your seat suspense.
If you like the flavor or Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series and the chills of thriller master, Dean Koontz, you’ll love Jackson D’Lynne’s latest offering.
Synopsis
She must triumph over her greatest tragedies to find her deepest love…
When a heartbreaking tragedy rips undercover DEA agent Marisol Sanchez’s life apart she has nothing and no one left. With the cold steel of a Glock 21 in her mouth, she’s resigned to taking her own life. Before she can pull the trigger, a strange power interferes, compelling her to wind a mysterious golden pocket watch--a watch that propels her backward through time to 1856 Texas.
Harvard lawyer turned cattle rancher Tyrence Barrett is in a battle he can’t win as desperadoes raid the settlements along the creek, burning and murdering their way through the land. On a routine inspection of his property, Ty stumbles upon a beautiful migrant woman who seems out of place, completely irresistible, and strangely compelling…
When evil threatens to destroy the ranch, Mari must use her wits and determination to help beat back the raiders who seek to clear the land and claim the water in the creek for themselves. With Ty by her side, Mari must learn to forgive herself, rely on the strength of others, and to love despite the overwhelming fear of loss.
Can a displaced renegade help a Lone Star rancher defend his home against an encroaching evil? Will the time lost Mari give in to the desperate sorrow devouring her heart? Or will Ty show her that a rancher and a renegade can find love and a happily ever after?
Excerpt
She didn’t know how long she’d been unconscious but waking up in strange rooms was becoming a
regular occurrence. Mari sat up and looked around; the room was simply decorated with a bed, a little table beside the door, and a cabinet containing small bottles and rolls of bandages.
“I guess I’m in the medical clinic,” she croaked, her throat burning when the words squeezed by. She ran her fingers over her chin and down her neck to her collar bone. Her skin was tender to the touch and she knew without looking that bruises were forming.
God, I almost died. “You can thank me for your survival.” Perez appeared before her, fully clothed and sporting a cocky expression. “How so?” She husked and threw her legs over the side of the bed. Her boot heels hit the floor and the vibrations awoke her other sore muscles, and they joined with a newborn headache to create a full body throb. She groaned. “Once I saw those men following you, I knew something was up. I sent Ty a mental nudge to go find you, and I put a pinch of urgency in it.”
For the first time since arriving in 1856, Mari was grateful for Perez’s interference. If he hadn’t “nudged” Ty, she’d… Well, she’d probably be the one type of victim she swore she’d never become.
Those men weren’t just hanging around town looking for someone to plunder, they’d come right for her. Someone sent them to find her, attack her, and deliver their message. Too bad those men hadn’t shared more than the littlest information about their boss: he was ruthless and he was interested in her for some reason. Mari couldn’t fathom why anyone would be interested in her. She’d only been there for eight days, and she hadn’t set foot off the ranch until that morning, so how did anyone know about her enough to become interested in her? Suspicion and wariness knit together in her gut.
She rubbed her still sore throat and felt a pang of weariness. She didn’t want to believe that another
complication had arisen to give her the finger. “Who’s to say it isn’t Espada who’s shown a sudden and appalling interest in you? He did seem a little intrigued when you ran out into the fray at the ranch and kissed Ty like he was water and you were hella thirsty.” Perez’s laughing tone held a note of concern and wariness. Despite his flippant attitude, he seemed genuinely worried about her.
Mari swore under her breath. Perez shouldn’t have to worry about her, he should be out, floating around, doing whatever it was he did to move his tasks along. The faster he completed his portion of their plan the sooner she could infiltrate La Rosa Negra’s hideout and put a bullet between Espada’s eyes. Cut the head off the snake, and the body died. Kill Espada and La Rosa Negra would fall apart, right?
Dear God, she hoped so. Neither she nor Perez could think of another solution to rid Laredo of the scourge without innocent people getting hurt. No more innocents would die on her watch, not if there were something she could do to stop it. If Espada was the one behind her attack, what was his motive? What did he gain by attacking and threatening her? The better question was why had he turned his attention to her? Her gut told her there was more to the story of the attack than a man trying to make a point. There was intent there she couldn’t put her finger on. Though she’d spent years training for her DEA assignment, she and her instincts had spent years together before that; her gut never steered her wrong and she was thankful for its forceful voice throughout her years
of service with the undercover drug task force. Her instincts and the twinge in her gut had kept her alive more times than she could count. Too bad she hadn’t always listened to them.
The sound of purposeful footsteps pounded in the clinic hallway right before the door to the room
slammed open. Perez vanished only milliseconds before Ty appeared through the doorway.
Mari gasped and stiffened at the sight of the man before her. Usually crowned with a halo of bright
goodness and radiating a glow of laughter, Ty was a man of good-natured charm. The man who strode through the door wasn’t the man she knew—he was a wholly different creature…and her body immediately responded. Ty stalked toward her, his golden face a hard mask of anger, his countenance a blistering violent heat, and his body tightly wound, ready to uncoil and ensnare her in its trap.
He stopped just short of where she stood in the middle of the now-too-small room, his jaw worked and his nostrils flared beneath blue eyes darkened with anger and something she refused to name.
“When you first came into my life, there was something about you that told me you’d turn my life upside down. You confuse me, you twist me inside out, you enrage me, and you make me want things with you I’ve never wanted with anyone else. You’re a mystery, you’re a goddamn fire in my blood, and now you’re a danger to yourself.” Mari could only stare. What was he talking about? He wanted things with her? What things? She took a step back and opened her mouth to respond, but not before Ty silenced her with a punishing glare. “Marisol, what were you thinking taking a walk through town by yourself? I don’t know what life is like where you’re from but in Laredo, beautiful unmarried women are like fresh meat to a pack of coyotes. Of course you were attacked; this town is filled with men who wouldn’t think twice about raping and killing you.” He’d moved closer, his chest mere hairs’ breadth from her suddenly aching breasts, his lips only inches from her face. She could easily lean forward and brush her mouth against his. Would he recoil in surprise, sputter in anger, or devour her as she longed to be devoured? Keep your mind on the words, not the man, Mari, or else you’ll find yourself flat on your back in a country clinic. Her logical killjoy harped.
“Don’t you care what happens to you? How did you end up in that creek? What happened? Did you walk blindly into an attack? Did you let someone rob you and leave you for dead?” Mari couldn’t hold her peace. “That’s not fair, and you damn well know it,” she exploded. When he flinched as if slapped, she paused, startled and confused by his actions. The alarming truth struck her hard, forcing the air from her lungs. Ty had burst into the room and rained anger and insults down on her head…in English. And she’d responded without thinking. His gaze raked over her expression and a humorless smile thinned his lips. “So, the senorita speaks English after all. What’s wrong? Couldn’t keep up the ruse?”
regular occurrence. Mari sat up and looked around; the room was simply decorated with a bed, a little table beside the door, and a cabinet containing small bottles and rolls of bandages.
“I guess I’m in the medical clinic,” she croaked, her throat burning when the words squeezed by. She ran her fingers over her chin and down her neck to her collar bone. Her skin was tender to the touch and she knew without looking that bruises were forming.
God, I almost died. “You can thank me for your survival.” Perez appeared before her, fully clothed and sporting a cocky expression. “How so?” She husked and threw her legs over the side of the bed. Her boot heels hit the floor and the vibrations awoke her other sore muscles, and they joined with a newborn headache to create a full body throb. She groaned. “Once I saw those men following you, I knew something was up. I sent Ty a mental nudge to go find you, and I put a pinch of urgency in it.”
For the first time since arriving in 1856, Mari was grateful for Perez’s interference. If he hadn’t “nudged” Ty, she’d… Well, she’d probably be the one type of victim she swore she’d never become.
Those men weren’t just hanging around town looking for someone to plunder, they’d come right for her. Someone sent them to find her, attack her, and deliver their message. Too bad those men hadn’t shared more than the littlest information about their boss: he was ruthless and he was interested in her for some reason. Mari couldn’t fathom why anyone would be interested in her. She’d only been there for eight days, and she hadn’t set foot off the ranch until that morning, so how did anyone know about her enough to become interested in her? Suspicion and wariness knit together in her gut.
She rubbed her still sore throat and felt a pang of weariness. She didn’t want to believe that another
complication had arisen to give her the finger. “Who’s to say it isn’t Espada who’s shown a sudden and appalling interest in you? He did seem a little intrigued when you ran out into the fray at the ranch and kissed Ty like he was water and you were hella thirsty.” Perez’s laughing tone held a note of concern and wariness. Despite his flippant attitude, he seemed genuinely worried about her.
Mari swore under her breath. Perez shouldn’t have to worry about her, he should be out, floating around, doing whatever it was he did to move his tasks along. The faster he completed his portion of their plan the sooner she could infiltrate La Rosa Negra’s hideout and put a bullet between Espada’s eyes. Cut the head off the snake, and the body died. Kill Espada and La Rosa Negra would fall apart, right?
Dear God, she hoped so. Neither she nor Perez could think of another solution to rid Laredo of the scourge without innocent people getting hurt. No more innocents would die on her watch, not if there were something she could do to stop it. If Espada was the one behind her attack, what was his motive? What did he gain by attacking and threatening her? The better question was why had he turned his attention to her? Her gut told her there was more to the story of the attack than a man trying to make a point. There was intent there she couldn’t put her finger on. Though she’d spent years training for her DEA assignment, she and her instincts had spent years together before that; her gut never steered her wrong and she was thankful for its forceful voice throughout her years
of service with the undercover drug task force. Her instincts and the twinge in her gut had kept her alive more times than she could count. Too bad she hadn’t always listened to them.
The sound of purposeful footsteps pounded in the clinic hallway right before the door to the room
slammed open. Perez vanished only milliseconds before Ty appeared through the doorway.
Mari gasped and stiffened at the sight of the man before her. Usually crowned with a halo of bright
goodness and radiating a glow of laughter, Ty was a man of good-natured charm. The man who strode through the door wasn’t the man she knew—he was a wholly different creature…and her body immediately responded. Ty stalked toward her, his golden face a hard mask of anger, his countenance a blistering violent heat, and his body tightly wound, ready to uncoil and ensnare her in its trap.
He stopped just short of where she stood in the middle of the now-too-small room, his jaw worked and his nostrils flared beneath blue eyes darkened with anger and something she refused to name.
“When you first came into my life, there was something about you that told me you’d turn my life upside down. You confuse me, you twist me inside out, you enrage me, and you make me want things with you I’ve never wanted with anyone else. You’re a mystery, you’re a goddamn fire in my blood, and now you’re a danger to yourself.” Mari could only stare. What was he talking about? He wanted things with her? What things? She took a step back and opened her mouth to respond, but not before Ty silenced her with a punishing glare. “Marisol, what were you thinking taking a walk through town by yourself? I don’t know what life is like where you’re from but in Laredo, beautiful unmarried women are like fresh meat to a pack of coyotes. Of course you were attacked; this town is filled with men who wouldn’t think twice about raping and killing you.” He’d moved closer, his chest mere hairs’ breadth from her suddenly aching breasts, his lips only inches from her face. She could easily lean forward and brush her mouth against his. Would he recoil in surprise, sputter in anger, or devour her as she longed to be devoured? Keep your mind on the words, not the man, Mari, or else you’ll find yourself flat on your back in a country clinic. Her logical killjoy harped.
“Don’t you care what happens to you? How did you end up in that creek? What happened? Did you walk blindly into an attack? Did you let someone rob you and leave you for dead?” Mari couldn’t hold her peace. “That’s not fair, and you damn well know it,” she exploded. When he flinched as if slapped, she paused, startled and confused by his actions. The alarming truth struck her hard, forcing the air from her lungs. Ty had burst into the room and rained anger and insults down on her head…in English. And she’d responded without thinking. His gaze raked over her expression and a humorless smile thinned his lips. “So, the senorita speaks English after all. What’s wrong? Couldn’t keep up the ruse?”
About the Author
Amazon bestselling author Jackson D’Lynne is the alter-ego of a hardworking wife and mother of four, transplanted from California and now stuck in small town Pennsylvania. Always an avid reader, she’s been devouring books since middle school. Nowadays, when she’s not reading, she’s writing time travel romance, paranormal romance, and whatever else the Muse commands. Jackson loves hearing from her fans, so find her on Facebook and Twitter where you can keep up with what’s going on in her career.
This sounds interesting and you don't see diverse time travel romances like ever. ..but I feel like the synopsis not giving me enough so I'm going to be eyeballing reviews for this one. ..keeping on pining on pinterest😊
ReplyDeleteI have it but haven't read it yet. It does look good though.
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