The Brave Pay their Debt (Preview)

Chapter One

Cecily

“Thank you, Belinda, you may go,” Cilla told the maid. The girl finished wiping up the drops of lemonade she’d spilled, then gave a small nod before leaving the pitcher on the table and walking away.

Cilla, Sarah, and Eliza all sat around a small table, cakes and lemonade in front of them as they enjoyed the summer afternoon. It wasn’t too hot today, and with their parasols providing the perfect amount of shade, they weren’t in any hurry to end their chatter.

“Sweet girl. Doesn’t say much, but still, sweet,” Sarah said as she watched the maid disappear around the corner.

“She’s not going to make it far in life if she doesn’t start speaking up,” Cilla said. “I tell you, it’s like talking to a mouse most of the time. I’m glad Father’s not paying her for conversation.”

“She’s new, isn’t she?” Eliza chimed in. “Maybe she just needs to get used to things before she opens up.”

“Not that I want to spend a lot of time talking to the servants anyway,” Cilla said. “Though they do tend to have the most information about what’s going on behind closed doors.”

“Are you talking about what you think your father’s doing about Luther?” Eliza asked.

“I know what Father’s doing, and it’s just infuriating me more and more,” Cilla said. “I don’t know why he thinks this is a good idea. I really don’t have any desire to leave Tennessee, or the ranch either, for that matter. Why send me away?”

“Think about the money you’re going to get!” Sarah replied. “You won’t have to worry about a thing, and when you’re the lady of the house, you’re going to be the one who gets to choose the staff. No more Belinda!”

Cilla laughed. Her friend did have a point, even if it didn’t do much to make her feel better about her upcoming situation. It was just a matter of time before she would be forced to leave for Durango, Texas.

There, she would marry a rich man by the name of Luther—a man her father had decided was perfect for her for the simple fact the man was just as rich as her father was. There was no consideration for her personal feelings or wishes, only what this marriage would bring both families—which was more money.

The plan hadn’t been set in stone yet, per se, but Cilla knew it was going to happen. Her father only cared about wealth, and the more the better. Cilla wasn’t sure how the prospect of her wedding this other man had come about, but she ultimately didn’t care, either. All she knew was that she didn’t want to go through with the marriage, and she had done her best to make that obvious.

She’d already told her father she was adamantly against the idea every time he brought it up, to the point that they’d actually fought about it just a few days before.

It was a conversation that had taken place at the dinner table. Her mother and father were both seated on one end, and she was about halfway down the length of the table to one side.

Her mother, often meek and submissive, had been listening to what her father was saying without adding much of her own thoughts. She’d only nod occasionally and agree to anything he’d throw out, never once stopping him to consider what their daughter may want.

Cilla had done her best not to butt into the conversation herself. She knew her father’s strict rules, and ever since she was a child, she was told to sit quietly at the dinner table and not speak unless spoken to.

The only time she was allowed to converse freely with others at the table was when there was company, and said company included others who were closer to her age. Besides that, she was very much treated like she was still a small child.

All in all, she didn’t mind not having to participate in the conversations around the table, but when they had to do with her, she felt it was her right to at least be able to express her opinion.

She wasn’t like other women her age. She knew there were other heiresses who were content to just marry whomever their parents chose for them, not giving a thought at all to whether they were going to be happy in said marriage.

It was all about money and had nothing to do with feelings in the slightest. Cilla had always felt there was something wrong about that, despite the fact it was the very thing her mother had done when she had married her father.

Though Cilla couldn’t say that her mother appeared to be unhappy, she also wasn’t really happy, either. Her mother just went about her days enjoying the luxury that came with being married to a man so rich, never argued or questioned what her husband said in any way.

Throughout most of the conversation, Cilla merely listened, but when her father made an announcement she couldn’t ignore, she couldn’t help but break her silence.

“I’m telling you, Margaret, the man’s money combined with our own is going to ensure we are some of the richest people in this side of the country!” Her father beamed. “And all with nothing more than a marriage to make it happen! Who knew we would get so lucky?”

“That’s wonderful news, dear,” her mother said, not even looking up from her plate of food. “Seems that Cecily will have security in her life, which is all I want for her.”

“Security. Ease. Luxury. Everything money can buy!” her father said, though Cilla felt that he was talking more about his own benefits than anything he cared about for her. Everything was about status with her father; knowing that she had married someone with as much money as they had meant more to him than anything else at this point.

“I’m not going to marry anyone I don’t want to!” she’d announced.

There was silence at the table for a moment as her father clearly had to recover from her speaking without being spoken to first. Not only that, but he also had to digest the fact that she was declaring she wasn’t going to do as he planned—another thing he didn’t allow in his household. Cilla and her mother were expected to obey her father without question, no matter how they felt about what he had in mind.

“Then you’d better decide you want to marry Luther Jones, because you’re going to be his wife,” her father had stated.

“No, I’m not!” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “And you can’t force me! This is America, and I have the freedom to choose who I want to marry!”

Her father hadn’t said anything. It was clear he didn’t appreciate the fact that she was defying him, but Cilla knew he wasn’t going to let what she’d said change his mind, either.

The way her father operated, once he decided she was going to do something, she was going to do it, whether she did it willingly or whether she did it begrudgingly.

“Cecily, your father only wants what’s best for you.” Her mother tried to smooth over the situation. “He’s chosen a suitor who’s going to take care of you without you ever having to worry about money.”

“I don’t care!” she’d shot back. “I don’t want to move to Texas to marry a stranger!”

“Then what would you propose?” her father asked. “If you’re so adamant that you’re not going to go to Texas, then how are you going to take care of yourself? You aren’t going to stay here and live off the wealth your mother and I have worked so hard to bring together without lifting a finger yourself, that’s for sure.”

“Why can’t I marry someone I love?” she asked. “Someone I choose myself?”

“Do you have someone in mind?” her father asked. “Because I haven’t heard of you speaking of any suitors, and I’ve not seen anyone come calling, either. So, who might you have in mind that’s going to be as good of a match for you as Luther?”

“Maybe I haven’t met him yet,” she commented.

“And you aren’t getting any younger,” her father said.

She bristled at the comment. She was only twenty-two years old, and barely that. There was plenty of time for her to find the man she’d fall in love with and marry. There was no need for her to run off with the first man who was willing to take her hand for money’s sake.

But her father didn’t see things that way. In his mind, she was only getting older. And the older she grew, the less likely it was she was going to find someone acceptable to marry.

She knew that in his mind, if he didn’t marry her off soon, she was going to wind up living off his wealth until she was an old maid—something he simply wouldn’t allow to happen.

“I don’t care,” she said. “I’m not going to marry him. I’ll run away if I have to!”

“Then run away,” her father told her. “Or stay. But I’m telling you, if you aren’t going to go through with the wedding, then I’m going to cut off the funds you’ve grown accustomed to. Let me tell you one thing: You don’t know what it’s like out there, and I do. Once you realize that you have no money to your name and must come up with the means to support yourself on your own, you’ll see that this was for the best. Trust me.”

She’d sat through his speech without saying a word. Though she wanted to prove a point to both her parents and not take another dime from them, she also knew he was right.

She had grown up on this ranch. Her father had been one of the richest men in Tennessee since before Cilla was born, and she had grown up living a life of luxury.

Her mother had hired a governess to raise her, and she had been brought up to be a perfect young lady. Though she had all her manners memorized perfectly, that didn’t change the fact that she didn’t have many practical skills she could use to support herself.

If she were to leave the ranch and make her own way in the world, she didn’t know how she would even start to bring in any sort of money. It wasn’t like she had any formal teaching she could use to find a job, nor had she gone through the schooling needed to take on a role as a governess or teacher.

Not to mention, she didn’t want to take on a job like that. Those jobs were meant for people who weren’t as fortunate as she was. She wasn’t one of the ordinary people in life. She was someone who had money, and she didn’t want to even think about what life would be like if she no longer had that lifestyle.

“Cilla!”

Cilla was brought back to the moment with a start, and she looked around the table at her friends with a sheepish smile on her face. “Sorry, I was just thinking about a conversation I had with my father the other day,” she told them. “I got a little distracted.”

“A little?” Eliza teased her. “You were a million miles away!”

“No, but I will be if my father gets his way and sends me all the way to Texas,” she said with a sigh. “I’m going to hate it. I just know it. I’ve never left Tennessee, and I’ve rarely even left town. I like it here on the ranch, and I don’t want it to come to an end. I don’t want to move away!”

“Did you tell your father this?” Sarah asked.

“He doesn’t care what I want,” she said. “He cares that I secure the money for our family. He knows the marriage is going to make sure that happens, and that’s all he’s been focusing on since this entire thing came to be.”

“Maybe you can convince him to change his mind somehow,” Eliza suggested. “Though I’m not sure why you would want to. I mean, think about all the money you’re going to have at your disposal. You’re not going to have to worry about a thing! There’s a part of me that’s jealous, I’ll be honest.”

“You can go marry him for me,” Cilla said, and her two friends laughed.

“I’m not sure I want to go down to Texas myself, so I guess I can’t blame you for being scared,” Eliza told her friend. “But anyway, be positive. You’re going to be the lady of the house, which means you’re going to get to do what you want. There’s got to be some good that’s going to come of this.”

Cilla sipped on her lemonade. She wanted to believe her friend. She wanted to be positive about this entire thing, but she didn’t know how that would be possible. She didn’t want to go to Texas, and she knew once she did, she likely wouldn’t be coming back.

There would be little reason for her to leave the ranch she’d be moving to, and she didn’t know how she was going to make new friends to spend her time with. She’d grown up watching her parents spend very little time together, and she had a feeling once she married this Luther, she was going to wind up in the same situation herself.

She had grown up with these two girls, and now that she was leaving, that meant she was going to have to start over trying to make friends with other women. Though she would have the money to hold her head high with the others in society, being among the rich was difficult.

Rich people were competitive, even if everyone had more money than they knew what to do with. Not to mention, she would be expected to live as Luther’s wife, and the mere thought of that sent shivers down her spine.

She didn’t want to be a mother to children she shared with a man she didn’t love—and who she knew didn’t love her in return. She didn’t want to have to be the doting wife who would hang off his arm in the presence of other wealthy couples, either.

Her mother had played that part well in Cilla’s childhood, but Cilla had always felt a little sorry that her mother had to do it. It was more evident to her the older she grew that her mother was acting out of duty rather than love most of the time, and that made Cilla resent the idea of marrying for any reason other than truly loving the other person.

And now, she found herself on the brink of being in the same situation.

This wasn’t the sort of situation that was going to fade with time, either. She was going to marry, which meant she would be spending the rest of her life with this person. She would have to make the best of it or live a life of misery, and she had a feeling that no matter what, she was going to be dealing with the latter.

Her friends had spent the afternoon doing what they could to cheer her up, but she wished the subject of marriage hadn’t been brought up in the first place. Cilla had always wanted more for her life than just winding up a rich man’s wife, and she could see that she had very little control over that.

She might be headstrong, but that only got her so far.

At the end of the day, Cilla knew she had to do what her parents—especially her father—wanted her to do. She could complain about it all she wanted, but she wasn’t going to go against his wishes.

And Cilla was aware her father relished his control over her. He would put up with the attitude she’d give him, but ultimately, he knew she would come around and do things as he wanted.

She was hard on Belinda, but the fact of the matter was, Cilla would never want to live the life Belinda was forced to live.

The thought of service like that made a shudder run down her spine. Cilla would never make it as a maid. She’d never make it if she had to do any manual labor. As much as she hated admitting it, her life really was dependent on who she married—she didn’t have the luxury of falling in love with and marrying someone who had no money.

Her childhood had fled, and she was now being forced into adulthood sooner than she wanted. Her father had chosen someone he felt was right for her, and he’d left her out of the decision-making process entirely.

Now, Cilla had a choice.

She could either go through with the wedding and be who her father expected her to be, or she could resign herself to a life of poverty—a life she wasn’t sure she was able to survive on her own.

Neither sounded like it was a very happy option, she knew that, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it. Like so many other things in life, she had no choice in the matter. Well, no real choice, anyway. She was simply being told what to do and was expected to do it.

That was all there was to it.

Chapter Two

Cecily 

Two days had passed since Cilla had spent the afternoon talking to her friends. It wasn’t uncommon for them to get together several times a week to catch up on gossip and talk about the things going on in their lives, but after the last visit, Cilla wasn’t feeling as cheerful as she normally did.

She knew her friends meant well by telling her it wasn’t so bad that she was going to be marrying Luther, but they didn’t understand the position she was in, either.

They all had a vague idea they were going to wind up marrying some man their parents chose for them. Though times were very much changing in the world, one of the things that had stayed the same for women like them was the fact that they were expected to marry well.

And marrying well meant they were to marry men who were well-to-do. Men who had money. Men who were meant to take care of them financially, so long as they did their part and gave them children in return.

Like most women, Cilla did hope to fall in love, marry, and have a family of her own one day. But she didn’t want it to come about this way. She didn’t want to marry a stranger, and she hated that no one in her life cared about her disdain for the idea.

Still, with each passing day, she felt just as lost as she had since she found out she was going to be marrying this man in the first place. She racked her brain for some way out of the situation, but to no avail.

Her only other option was to pack what few possessions her father would allow her to take and leave. He’d made it clear he was only going to give her enough money to stay at the local hotel for a week—besides that, she was entirely on her own.

“I’ll give you that week to realize just how hard it is out there in the world, and you’ll be back. I’m not a dictator. I’ll give you the freedom to choose what you want to do. You either make it out there on your own, or you come back in a week and I’ll let Luther know you’ve come to your senses,” he’d said.

“It’s not coming to my senses if I’m coming back out of sheer need,” she’d protested, but her father just laughed.

“Call it what you want—need might help you realize you don’t always get to pick and choose what you want to do with your life. You’ll realize how hard it is to put food on the table and keep a roof over your head, and you’ll come back downright grateful for a man like Luther who’s willing to take you in,” he’d said.

She hated the thought of it. If she did try to leave and make it on her own, she had a feeling she would come back. But that would be worse, in a way, than just going through with this marriage in the first place.

If she came back, Luther would be able to hold it over her head for the rest of her life. He would be able to act as though he had taken her in as an act of charity, rather than being one of the two men who were actually forcing her into a marriage she didn’t want to be part of.

But her father had made his decision clear. If she wasn’t going to go willingly, then he was more than happy to make her life a living Hell until she came back and did things according to the way he wanted. It only added insult to the injury she was already feeling.

Trying to get her mind off everything, Cilla headed into the library at the far end of the house. She spent a lot of time reading. It was a way she could escape the mundane life she lived, even if she did enjoy the luxury that had been given to her.

When she lost herself in a book, she was able to go anywhere and be anything. And she could do it all in the safety and comfort of home. When she was tired of the adventure or just wanted to get back to life as she knew it, she could put down the book and continue with her day. If she were to leave, that would no longer be an option. And that was, in itself, frustrating.

“Miss?”

A voice cut into Cilla’s thoughts, and she looked up to see Harriet, one of the older maids, looking around the corner into the library.

“Yes? What is it?” she asked. She was always far less annoyed with Harriet than with the younger staff members.

Harriet had been something of a second mother to her, growing up—not as rigid or stern as her governess, and always full of smiles and some sort of treat for her when she did well in her recitations.

“Your father has asked that you join him in the study,” Harriet said.

Cilla groaned. “Right now?”

“I’m afraid so,” Harriet replied. “He had another young man in there with him, and I think he wanted you to meet with that young man before he left.”

“Do you know who he is?” Cilla sat up straighter, wondering if her father had brought Luther here to meet her.

She didn’t want to meet Luther at all, let alone in the safety of her own home. She wouldn’t mind telling him straight to his face that she had no interest in marrying him, though it would likely horrify her father if he’d brought the man to meet her and she turned him down.

On the other hand, Luther wasn’t exactly young.

Her father had said in passing that Luther was near his age, and that was one of the reasons Cilla had been so adamant against marrying him. She didn’t want to be tied to a man old enough to be her father, though her father himself didn’t seem to see any issue with it.

“I’m not sure, miss,” Harriet said. “I just know that your father sent me to fetch you and tell you that he wanted to see you directly. I hope you won’t keep them waiting.”

“Only because it’s you who came to fetch me,” Cilla said with a sigh. “I don’t want you to get a scolding because I took my time in getting there. But I promise you, there’s no one my father has in his study whom I’m too eager to meet.”

“I don’t know, miss,” Harriet said. “You might find you like him. I thought his smile charming myself.”

“Harriet! You are getting bold!” Cilla cried. “Before I know it, the horses themselves are going to be trying to marry me off to someone!”

“Sorry,” Harriet said with a chuckle. “I’m sure you’re quite tired of hearing about marriage at this point.”

“Very,” Cilla admitted. “You’re married. Did you get to marry the man you chose?”

“I’m happy with the man I married,” Harriet said. “Back when we were wed, I can’t rightly say it was my idea so much as the fact that we had mutual need. But love came with time, and I’m happy now.”

“I see,” Cilla said.

She didn’t ask more questions. She knew Harriet had had a hard life, and though she had worked for Cilla’s father for longer than Cilla had been alive, Harriet had worked in all kinds of positions in her life.

It would only make sense that she would marry out of need, and if Cilla had to guess, that need was likely financial. But she also knew the difference would be that Harriet would likely have married out of need to make ends meet, whereas Cilla was going to wed for the sake of keeping her parents rich.

It was different, but then, in other ways, it was also the same.

Still, Cilla had met Harriet’s husband a couple times in the past, and she’d always thought that Harriet had seemed quite happy with the man. Maybe if she herself gave it a chance, she could find herself happy with Luther.

Maybe.

The thought was gone by the time Cilla reached her father’s study, and she stepped in without bothering to politely knock first.

“You wished to see me?” she asked her father, ignoring the young man who stood in the room. She’d given him a brief glance when she entered and was immediately struck with how handsome he was.

Tall, dark, weathered—from being out under the sun, she was sure—and muscular. He had scruff growing on his face, telling her he hadn’t shaved in the past few days, but it was likely he shaved somewhat regularly.

Many of the young men she saw in the area had full beards, men who worked hard and spent more time out under the sun than they did caring about what their faces looked like. Clearly not what this young man did.

At the same time, he was far too young to be the man she was supposed to marry in the near future. He had to be closer to her age than her father’s, though she would guess that he was still ten years older than herself.

“I did, but you ought to knock before you welcome yourself into a room. You know that,” her father scolded her.

“Sorry, but I thought you wanted me,” she said, letting herself be rude in front of the stranger. “Harriet said you sent for me, and she hoped I wouldn’t leave you waiting, so here I am.”

“Still, it only takes but a second for you to knock on the door. If I knew you were going to step right in, I would have had her bring you back here herself. She would have had the decency to announce you, at least.” He shook his head. “You’re going to have to keep these things in mind when you get to Texas.”

She rolled her eyes. Her father knew she didn’t want to go, and each time he brought it up, she wanted to point out he was forcing this on her and she didn’t care about how she was viewed while she was there. She didn’t care to impress Luther—no matter what she did, he was going to treat her with the same indifference as her father treated her mother at any rate.

“This is Cecily, my daughter. You’ll find her a bit headstrong, but she’s a sweet girl, and she’s not going to give you any trouble along the way. Quite the opposite, in fact, I’m concerned with how naïve she is; she’s going to wind up finding herself in more trouble than she knows.” Her father turned to the young man, who gave her a nod.

“Cecily, this is Emmett Martin. I’ve hired him to escort you to Texas to be with Luther. He’s had experience of being a guard in the past, and I have full confidence he will be able to keep you safe on the trip,” her father said to her.

“It’s nice to meet you, miss,” Emmett said. “You don’t have to worry about a thing.”

“I’m not, Mr. Martin,” she replied flippantly. “Except for the fact I don’t even want to go to Texas in the first place. I’m sorry my father has chosen to make you his mule in this, taking me somewhere I don’t want to go. Trust me, this will be a long trip for you and me both.”

“I’ve been on some pretty difficult excursions before,” Emmett said, “so I’m not worried about this one. You might even find you enjoy yourself. And please, call me Emmett.”

“Not a chance,” Cilla told him, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “I told you, I don’t want to go, and if there’s any way I can figure out how to get out of this, I’m doing it!”

“You had your chance to do that, and you haven’t,” her father reminded her. “Now, I went to the trouble of hiring this young man to escort you safely to Texas, and I trust you’re not going to make his work any harder than it’s already going to be.”

“Is that all you wanted from me?” Cilla asked. “I was in the middle of doing something myself, and if you only wanted me to meet him, I’ve done it.”

“That is all. Unless you have any questions for him yourself.”

“I do not.” She gave Emmett another look over her shoulder. “Unless he has a way to get me out of this without me winding up on the streets.”

“I take my job seriously, and I’m going to ensure you make it to Texas safely,” he replied. “I don’t intend to get involved in any of your personal matters, but I do offer all the services I can along the way.”

“Quite professional. I like that,” her father said. “Cilla, you might learn a thing or two about etiquette along the way. I know you were brought up better than you’re behaving now, and I’m proud to see that this young man isn’t going to react in kind.”

It was obvious to Cilla that her father meant to embarrass her with this statement. It was true, she had been outright rude to the visitor, and though she ought to be embarrassed by her behavior, she wasn’t.

Perhaps it was the fact that her father wanted her to be that made her double down on her feelings. She didn’t know, but then, she didn’t care, either.

Her father grinned at her, trying to get her to respond with a gentler tone, though it quickly became clear that wasn’t about to happen. Not with the way Cilla felt about this entire situation.

She was even more annoyed. She’d hoped by being surly toward Emmett, he might back out of the plan to be stuck with her on the journey. She didn’t want to go, and she was going to make that clear to anyone who would give her the chance to say it.

But Emmett didn’t seem to be even a little bit bothered by the way she had spoken to him. In fact, he was very polite despite the fact she had been downright rude to him since she walked into the room.

It wasn’t his fault. He was likely someone who was just looking to get paid, and her father was the man with the checkbook. If he was going to pay to get her to Texas, then of course someone who was in the business would take the job.

But that didn’t mean she had to make it easy for him. She didn’t know how much her father would be paying to ensure her safety, but she had already made up her mind that she was going to make sure this man earned every single penny.

“I hope you have a good evening, miss. I’ll see you when I come to pick you up,” Emmett said to her. “I’ll try to make sure the trip is as easy as possible.”

“I don’t care what you do,” Cilla shot back. “The more you stay out of my business, the better!”

Emmett smiled and nodded, and Cilla felt defeated. She wanted to get some sort of reaction out of the guy, but he was so calm, it was like he didn’t care in the slightest how rude she was being.

Though it was out of character for her to behave that way, she almost felt the urge to be even more unreasonable if it meant he was going to respond with more than just his nod and a gentle smile. But with her father in the room ready to scold her over practically everything she had to say, she gave up.

Cilla knew her position, and she quickly made up her mind to only be surly and stubborn with this young man. She didn’t care what he thought of that, and she refused to show any vulnerabilities.

Instead of bidding him good night, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the room. She knew that was also rude, but she didn’t care. She felt she had made her point, and she hoped it would have some sort of impact on that young man. It might not do much for her father, but it might scare off this man’s services.

If that was the case, that would give her a bit more time before she was made to move to Texas. More time to figure out how to get out of this situation without winding up on the street and begging for help.

Cilla was smart, and she knew it. She was determined to figure out a way out of this mess, no matter what she had to do to make it happen.

She wasn’t about to just give up and resign herself to marrying Luther. She didn’t have that ring on her finger yet, and until she did, she had a chance to get out of this. It felt impossible right now, but Cilla wasn’t ready to give up. Not by a long shot.

Still, she had a few more days before she would be in Texas, and that meant she had a few more days to figure out a way to help herself.

Emmett might be working for her father, but she was going to do everything in her power to make it clear to him she wasn’t going to make this an easy trip. She had every intention of getting out of this marriage, if at all possible.

And he’d find that out—the hard way, if necessary.

She’d made up her mind.

And there was no changing it now.

---

“The Brave Pay their Debt” is an Amazon Best-Selling novel, check it out here!

Emmett Martin is a man of few words, but he is also a man with a lot of debt. Coming from a broken home and a family that couldn’t provide anything but trouble, Emmett has spent his whole life trying to catch a break. He’s desperate to pay his dues and finally start his life with a clean slate, and in order to achieve that, he is willing to do anything. Little did he know this would mean he’d have to escort a spunky and spoiled girl to an arranged marriage and make sure that she’ll go through with it… otherwise her father will have him arrested for theft.

When things start getting messy, will Emmett choose to follow his plan or his moral compass?

Cecily Olson has everything she could ever need or possibly want in life until… she doesn’t. When her father informs her she’s moving to a place far away to marry a man she’s never met, her world turns upside down. She has rarely left the family ranch, and facing the unknown scares her more than she could ever dare to admit. When she’s given the choice to marry or make it on her own, she knows she doesn’t really have any choice at all. To make things worse, Cecily will find true love in the eyes of the man who’s escorting her to the demise of her dreams.

Will Cecily accept her fate, or will she realize that it’s only herself she needs to depend on?

Emmett and Cecily were forced to embark together on a journey that would change their lives forever. With every turn they will meet a new hurdle, and just when they realize they’re deep into the uncharted wilderness, they will face a new challenge, the likes of which they never imagined. Will the growing feelings between them help them withstand the dangers in the wild, unmerciful West, or will they be the reason why everything will be in jeopardy?

A pulse-pounding drama, which will make you turn the pages with bated breath until the very last word. A must-read for fans of Western action and romance.

“The Brave Pay their Debt” is a historical adventure novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cliffhangers, only pure unadulterated action.

Get your copy from Amazon!