An Excerpt from Badlands Bride

This had been a crazy idea. The thought of her unclothed only twenty feet from him would drive Cooper out of his mind. He shook himself. He was stronger than that. He'd been without a woman too long if the thought of a naked reporter had him tied in knots.

Hallie stayed close, and he let her take his arm to steady and reassure herself in the darkness. "Who's first?" she asked.

"You go first. That way you'll have time to dry while I'm in."

"Okay." They reached the river bank and she laid her things down. "Turn around."

He obeyed and crossed his arms over his chest. He pretended to listen to the wind overhead and the crickets in the grass, but all he heard was the rustle of her baffling clothing, the ripple of water and her quick intake of breath,

"I won't step on anything, will I?"

He imagined her slender body outlined on the river's edge in the moonlight. "This is the cleanest spot. I've cleared away all the stones and sticks."

"I mean something alive."

Water sounded as though she'd stepped farther out. "Like fish?"

"Fish!" she squeaked.

"They'll swim away from you. They wouldn't be so hard to catch if they came right up for a kiss, would they?"

"Turn back, turn back," she ordered, and he realized he'd been inching his chin over his shoulder to speak to her. He stared at the back of the soddies.

"Does your sister-in-law bathe like this?" she asked.

"I'm sure she does."

"God, it's cold."

"Just jump all the way in and get it over."

A second later a splash sounded and her gasp echoed across the water. Cooper chuckled to himself. The girl had pluck.

Water splashed and dripped and rippled and he imagined her washing her hair and body. A thunk sounded on the ground behind him. "What was that?"

"My soap."

"You're done?"

"Not quite." Water splashed again. "This feels wonderful!" The splashing sounds receded.

Cooper didn't like the difference and turned. The crazy woman had swum away from the edge. "Come back here! It's too dangerous out there!"

"I can still reach the bottom."

"All the fish are in the middle!"

She shrieked.

"Grizzly fish!"

"Now I don't believe you."

"Come back or I'll come get you."

"All right, all right." She paddled back toward the bank. "Turn around."

He faced away.

Grass rustled as she climbed the bank behind him. He counted stars while she dried.

"All right," she said finally.

He turned. Her wrapper clung to her damp body. She worked at drying her hair with a length of flannel.

"Now I wait for you?" she asked.

He didn't really want her to see the fiery effect she had on his body. "Sounds fair."

She found a flat stone and seated herself with her back to him. Behind her, Hallie listened to Cooper undress and plunge into the water. Impatiently she worked tangles from her wet hair. No wonder he liked to bathe out here. The water had been invigorating. Swimming naked under the stars had given her a feeling of freedom and wholeness she'd never experienced before.

Her mother would turn purple if she knew.

Unable to resist the temptation, Hallie shifted on the rock and peered behind her. He soaped himself in thigh-high water, the moon illuminating the planes and curves of his muscled body. She'd seen his body that morning and had been too timid to look. Or maybe she hadn't wanted him to see her looking, In any case, she looked now, appreciating how marvelously he was made, wishing the moon was a little brighter or that she was a little closer.

He was a mystery, a marvel of sinew and muscle wrapped in sleek, smooth skin. He was everything she resented and all she envied. How could she find him so fascinating? Why did looking upon him gratify her in some delightful way?

Hallie discovered her breath gusting in tight little pants between her parted lips. She placed her palms over her quivering stomach and forced herself to turn back. Men were men. Water splashed behind her. Weren't they?

She heard him leave the water and approach. He appeared at her side in the scrap of leather he'd worn that morning, his damp flannel toweling slung over his shoulder. Again Hallie marveled at the length of his tangled hair. She offered her comb. "Can we do this again?"

He nodded. With a careful expression he accepted the comb and ran it through the tangles. He handed it back. "Ready?"

She stood and followed him, less closely this time, more aware of him as a man and herself as a woman.

As they climbed the bank, the wind returned and dried their hair. Cooper opened the door and ushered her into the house.

She stopped in the doorway to her room and asked," You never looked?"

He shook his head solemnly. "I never looked."

"You're a real gentlemen, Cooper."

"I try."

"For a savage," she added teasingly.

He raised one brow in unmistakable amusement. Quickly she shut the door. She leaned against the back, closing her eyes and seeing still the moonlit image of his glistening body. "A real gentleman."

Praise for Badlands Bride

"Badlands Bride is an exciting western romance that readers will enjoy immensely. Kudos to Cheryl St.John for bringing the badlands to such life."
****1/2 Affaire de Coeur

"Cheryl St.John creates another warm and entertaining story."
--Margaret Brownley award-winning author of A Touch Of Lace & Ribbons In The Wind

"Ms. St.John gives what discerning readers look for."
*****--Heartland Critiques

"Badlands Bride is a thoroughly enjoyable read...full of warmth, humor and lovable characters. It will keep you smiling long after you've turned the last page."
--Connie Mason, author of Pure Temptation

"Cheryl St.John gives her fans yet another book to treasure. She proves her excellence at handling unique characters, bringing them to life and making us care. The story is original and the pages all but turn themselves as we eagerly race from chapter to chapter."
Highly recommended.
Under The Covers Book Reviews

"Cheryl St.John brings her characters to life. This story is exciting, romantic and full of western charm. Badlands Bride is definitely a keeper!"
--Rawhide & Lace

"Cheryl St.John has honed her talent for blending poignancy, sensuality, humor and delightful characters to a fine pint in Badlands Bride."
**** Romantic Times Magazine

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