Garnets and Gypsies

She has a secret that if found out, would ruin her life. The gypsy beauty intrigues him and he wants to protect her. Will they learn to trust each other before it’s too late?
Justina Watson is hiding from her past, and becoming a gypsy is the perfect disguise for someone who is on the run. But her calm life becomes jumbled when she helps an injured stranger. Knowing he is a lawman, she doesn’t dare get too close… but her lonely heart wants more.
When Grey Hamilton becomes lost on his journey back home, he stumbles into a gypsy's camp and meets a beautiful woman who captures his interest immediately. His Texas Ranger training made him suspicious of her… but he knows she is in danger, and she has a hold of his heart. Which feeling will he trust?
Will they find love - or will danger lurk in the shadows and make it impossible to find happiness?

Low-hanging tree branches scratched her face as she ran through the forest as though the devil were chasing her. Although perhaps he was Satan himself in disguise.
Her chest tightened with each step, and it became harder to breathe, but she wouldn’t stop. She didn’t dare. Getting far away from the town of her nightmares was her only chance of survival.

She dashed around another tree, wishing they would hide her better. Perhaps then she would stop for a moment. Until then, she must keep going. She must put her nightmares and the people from her past where they belong – far away from her.

It had been eight weeks since she left that dismal place. Two months of looking over her shoulder in every new town, wondering if they knew why she was running. If they watched for her to let her guard down and capture her, she wouldn’t give them a chance.

Then two days ago, she saw him. Immediately, she knew why he was in Wyoming. He was looking for her. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of finding her.

If only she knew how he had tracked her down. She had made certain to change into a different disguise before entering a new town. When meeting new people, she used another name. Each time, she told them a different story about why she was an unmarried woman traveling by herself. She grew weary of trying to come up with excuses. However, telling them the truth was out of the question. Nobody would understand.

The toe of her worn-out boot caught on something, and she tripped, landing on the ground. Thankfully, her hands met the ground before anything else, but her palms and knees stung, nonetheless. The carpetbag she’d been carrying that held her only belongings landed next to her.

Her gaze immediately landed on her left hand. The pinky finger would always be mangled, and the burn scar would never disappear. If only she could remove the memories that had caused her so much pain. But she was determined to hide the scars of her life, just as she tried to hide her hand. Yet, the bandage she had wrapped around her hand two days ago had been lost during her getaway. She wouldn’t worry about bandaging it again until she settled in a new place. Of course, that wouldn’t happen if that man was still after her. He’d toss her in jail and wait for the hangman’s noose if he captured her.

Grumbling, she climbed to her feet again, clutching the carpetbag as she rose. She was not going to hang for someone else’s crime, which meant she must keep running and hiding.

She pushed the unkempt hair out of her face and continued to run. Her legs were weak from exertion, and her body was weak from having no food. She feared that she would reach a point where she couldn’t go on.

If she had been a religious woman, now would be the time for her to kneel and pray as though her life depended on it – because it did. However, she didn’t believe in God. And even if there was a God, he hadn’t been in her life. There was only one person she could rely on, and that was herself.

Something shiny touched her vision, and she squinted. Not far away was a river. The increasing sunset lit the water, bringing forth the glow. The sight was breathtaking as the mountains' reflections mirrored in the water.

Her stomach grumbled with relief. She would be able to drink from the river and fish for her next meal. But what was even better than that was the resemblance of a growing town nearby. She would change her disguise before entering the small town and hopefully hide from the man searching for her.