Title A Lilli By Any Other Name
Author Virginia Barlow
Genre Historical Western Romance
Publisher The Wild Rose Press
Book Blurb
Disguised as a boy to escape her uncle and his assassins, Rebecca Lillian Van Rassner runs a trapline with her father in the Canadian northwest. Yearning for her old life in New York, love, and a husband, she gives up all hope, until a handsome mounted police officer stumbles upon their cabin. And captures her heart with his mesmerizing blue eyes and heated kisses. Officer Max Calhan patrols the extreme north to bring villains to justice and discovers a wispy boy who transforms into a beautiful woman filled with surprises, secrets, and dangerous relatives. Determined to find the truth, Max discovers there’s more to Lilli than just a name.
Excerpt
“Lifting traps will put muscle on him. The boy is skin and bones.” Their visitor pointed at the map. “Is there anyone along this stretch of the river? I don’t believe someone rode for miles to set a trap for no other reason than to harm you. I’m wondering if whoever is responsible got their directions confused. It’s an easy thing to do if you’re not used to the bush.”
Her uncle would ride to the ends of the earth to annihilate her, and he didn’t have to know a direction. Lilli turned away to stir soup in a large pot over the fire, keeping her chin tilted away from the keen eyes of their visitor. He might not pose a threat at this exact moment, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t. Their lives depended on keeping her identity and her sex a secret. Wondering why he patrolled this far north, she glanced in his direction.
As if he sensed her question, their visitor traced a line on the map. “I’ve had several complaints about missing pelts and tampered trap lines in this area during the past few weeks. I don’t come this far north as a rule and had no idea you were here until I spotted your prints early this morning.” He glanced at Lilli. “I backtracked you to the cabin thinking you might be the thief. Now I know you’re here, I’ll stop by from time to time to make sure you’re doing all right. In the meantime, if the boy runs into trouble while you’re laid up, leave a message for me at Fort Simpson, and I’ll ride back up this way.”
Papa frowned as Lilli set a bowl of steaming hot soup in front of him. “I don’t want you to worry about Willie. I’ll take care of him. I want you to find the bastard who set the trap.” His gaze rested on her face, and she knew he had something to say about her tracks.
Their visitor leaned back in his chair as Lilli set a bowl down in front of him. “Thank you.” She mumbled an appropriate answer and took her seat as far from him as she could. Sitting with her legs spread wide and a scowl on her face, she hoped her concern for Papa didn’t give her away. Time to act like the boy she pretended to be. Sniffing, she cleared her throat and spit into her napkin. Glancing up, she caught the officer’s assessing gaze and swallowed the lump of fear in her throat. She may have made a mistake using her napkin, but she couldn’t spit on the floor. She knew who’d clean it up. Officer Calhan might not be the enemy, but he didn’t need to know the truth, either. Her baggy breeches and shirt hid her curves, and binding flattened her breasts.
Papa’s lover at the fort, Marian Adams, kept her hair cut short like a boy’s. Only four people knew her real identity—Papa, Lilli, Marion Adams, and her daughter, Charlotte.
Rubbing her nose on her sleeve, Lilli tilted back in her chair and slurped her soup. Belching aloud a few minutes later, she resumed her dinner with as much noise as she could and hid her smile of satisfaction when Officer Calhan shook his head in response.
Their visitor glanced at her several times while he and her father talked about the day he hurt his leg. Her gaze fell on the tin can Papa kept close by for his tobacco. When the lawman’s gaze met hers again, she belched, cleared her throat, and spit into the can. That should keep him off her scent.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub)
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-lilli-by-any-other-name-virginia-barlow/1145663830?
Author Biography:
Virginia Barlow has been a dreamer all her life. She loves reading, traveling, and roses. She will dive headfirst into any romance she can get her hands on, although Regency is her first love. The most important thing in her life is family time. When she is not bouncing a grandbaby in her arms or handing out popsicles, she is writing and dreaming up her next love story. She has published fifteen romance novels with another two on the way and has half a dozen more circling inside her head waiting to make their debut.
Social Media Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/virginiabar1031
Website: https://www.virginia-barlow.com