The Double Cross (The Spanish Brand Series #1)

By: Carla Kelly

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Synopsis: This “engaging and highly entertaining” tale of romance, love, and lonely hearts is “Carla Kelly at her best” (Carla Neggers, New York Times–bestselling author of Saint’s Gate). The year is 1780. Widower Marco Mondragón is a rancher and livestock brand inspector in the royal Spanish colony of New Mexico, living on the edges of Comanche territory. Each autumn, he takes cattle, wool, and his district’s records of livestock transactions to the governor in Santa Fe. A good man, he is dedicated, conscientious . . . and lonely. On this year’s trip, he meets a young woman named Paloma Vega. Since her parents died in a Comanche raid, Paloma lives under the thumb of relatives who may have stolen her parents’ brand. Marco is intrigued by the case . . . and enticed by the blue-eyed beauty. But while Marco investigates Paloma’s claim, other challenges arise. Unscrupulous rancheros have set in motion events involving the ever-dangerous Comanches, threatening both the uneasy peace of Marco’s jurisdiction and the love he and Paloma have yet to know . . . Set against the rugged terrain of northeastern New Mexico during the decline of Spanish power in the New World, The Double Cross is a story of loss and love regained in “a dangerous land filled with memorable characters” (Diane Farr, author of The Mistletoe Test).