She's a great lawyer up against a tough system in the 1800s. She has no room in her life for love . . .

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WHAT IT'S ABOUT: (SCROLL DOWN TO READ AN EXCERPT)
A woman with too much knowledge was at risk for insanity. Their fragile mind couldnāt handle it. Thatās what Lil had been told when she went against convention and became an attorney. The 1800s had fewer women lawyers than women doctors. Her pride knew no bounds when she hung her shingleāL.M. Wentfield, Attorney At Law.
A woman with too much knowledge was at risk for insanity. Their fragile mind couldnāt handle it. Thatās what Lil had been told when she went against convention and became an attorney. The 1800s had fewer women lawyers than women doctors. Her pride knew no bounds when she hung her shingleāL.M. Wentfield, Attorney At Law.
Drew was a struggling cattle rancher, building a fledging Hereford empire. He was working toward that goal when he was accused of rustling and faced possible hanging. He needed a lawyerāa good oneāa man. Chesterfield had one lawyerāa new oneāL.M. Wentfield. He wasnāt prepared for a beautiful blonde with a sharp tongue and fiercely won independence.
Lil had no homemaking abilities. Her love was the law. And if the thoughts of the gray-eyed cowboy, who had the audacity to refuse her legal help stayed in her mind, sheād push them aside. She had nothing to offer a rancher . Even her wealth wouldnāt be considered an asset to a prideful man. And Drew Jackson was proud. So proud, he knew he couldnāt ask a woman of Lilās stature to share his lifeābut he wanted toāfrom the moment heād stolen that first kiss.
DeANN SMALLWOOD AUTHOR BIO:
I live in Colorado with my husband and my two Yorkie kid dogs: Stormy, four pounds, and Eli, six pounds. Iām a native of Colorado, but Iāve lived several years in Wyoming and Montana. I draw from these beautiful states for most of my books. My Western Historical Romances are: Montana Star, Sapphire Blue, Unconquerable Callie, One Shingle To Hang, and Wyoming Heather and One Shingle To Hang. Tears In The Wind is a contemporary romance. Then I changed genres from my beloved romances and wrote, under the pen name of D. M. Woods, my first suspense/thriller: Death Crosses The Finish Line. The second book in this ādeathā series, Death Is A Habit, came out January 8, 2014. I am currently working on the third book in the ādeathā series, Death Walks C Dock. I am also working on another Western Historical Romance, Montana Man. It features the characters readers came to know and love in Montana Star. Truly, I mean it when I say my greatest pleasure next to writing is having my books read and enjoyed. There are many more stories just waiting to be written
I live in Colorado with my husband and my two Yorkie kid dogs: Stormy, four pounds, and Eli, six pounds. Iām a native of Colorado, but Iāve lived several years in Wyoming and Montana. I draw from these beautiful states for most of my books. My Western Historical Romances are: Montana Star, Sapphire Blue, Unconquerable Callie, One Shingle To Hang, and Wyoming Heather and One Shingle To Hang. Tears In The Wind is a contemporary romance. Then I changed genres from my beloved romances and wrote, under the pen name of D. M. Woods, my first suspense/thriller: Death Crosses The Finish Line. The second book in this ādeathā series, Death Is A Habit, came out January 8, 2014. I am currently working on the third book in the ādeathā series, Death Walks C Dock. I am also working on another Western Historical Romance, Montana Man. It features the characters readers came to know and love in Montana Star. Truly, I mean it when I say my greatest pleasure next to writing is having my books read and enjoyed. There are many more stories just waiting to be written
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EXCERPT:
Everyone knew Lil Wentfield would never marry. What man would want her? She was too old, too set in her ways, and too damned opinionated. Granted, she was a real beauty, if you could get past all the other flaws. Long blonde hair, equally long legs, sparkling blue eyes, flawless skin, with just a hint of a European ancestor in the coloring. And lips, well to call them kissable would be doing them an injustice.
Everyone knew Lil Wentfield would never marry. What man would want her? She was too old, too set in her ways, and too damned opinionated. Granted, she was a real beauty, if you could get past all the other flaws. Long blonde hair, equally long legs, sparkling blue eyes, flawless skin, with just a hint of a European ancestor in the coloring. And lips, well to call them kissable would be doing them an injustice.
But spinster she was, with her hair coiled into a tight knot at the nape of her neck, as tight as the expression habitually worn on her lovely face. Wire rimmed glasses perched on her small nose, obscured flashes of emotion in those beautiful eyes. Except when it came to outrage. Then her eyes snapped, her spine stiffened, her chin raised, and she peered disdainfully at the offender.
Lil was like a badger when it came to proving her point and winning an argument. Her mother liked to say Lil was born arguing. What her father liked to say was more colorful and filled with disappointment. His only child compounded being born female, by having a mind of her own. Once Lil made a decision, she planted her feet firmly on the chosen path, and didnāt step off until her goal was accomplished.
Men found her unnerving. Lil Wentfield wouldnāt be any manās ālittle womanā, her place in the home, serving her husband, and mothering children. She was unsettling; not material necessary for being the calming homemaker and acquiescent wife needed to soothe and support a man as he went about his business.
***
A loud knock broke into her thoughts. āCome in,ā she called out.
Nothing happened, then another knock. āPlease, come in,ā she called again.
Getting no response, Lil came around her desk and, with some irritation at the interruption, jerked open the door, nearly toppling the tall man who held the doorknob on the other side. He muttered something under his breath, and tried to regain his balance only to bump into Lil, throwing her off stride. She stumbled backwards and would have fallen if not for the manās quick reaction. He grabbed Lil and, wrapping both arms around, pulled her to him. Then, in a parody of the two-step, he danced her to safety.
Lil felt herself falling, then rescued by two strong arms. Not only was she pulled up short, but she was wrapped tightly against a rock hard chest, her nose buried in the manās damp shirt. A very pleasant smell greeted her nose. The scent of summer rain and witch hazel. She found the masculine odor intoxicating.
Neither moved. Then Lil raised her head and looked into a pair of dancing gray eyes. His arms never relaxed their grip; in fact, they seemed to tighten around her as his mouth twitched, then broke into a smile.
Neither moved. Then Lil raised her head and looked into a pair of dancing gray eyes. His arms never relaxed their grip; in fact, they seemed to tighten around her as his mouth twitched, then broke into a smile.
āDidnāt expect to end up with a beautiful woman in my arms. For a moment there, I expected to land on the rug, Maāam. With you alongside me,ā he added with a chuckle.
He loosened his grip and gently pushed her away from the warmth and safety of his chest. Lil stepped back, feeling as though sheād just had something precious taken from her. She realized her hands still gripped his arms. Like a hot potato, she dropped them and turned away from the manās disturbing presence. Like a fox heading for her den, Lil scurried behind her desk and gratefully lowered her trembling body onto the waiting chair.
With the desk between them, she was once again in charge. āMay I help you?ā she asked coolly, hoping the tremble in her voice went unnoticed. āI called come in not once but twice.ā
āSorry, Maāam. Guess I didnāt hear you. I was just fixing to open the door when you did just that. Are you okay?ā
āYes.ā Lil answered with no desire to elaborate. āIāI appreciate you catching me. Now,ā she hurried away from that topic, āto repeat myself, how may I help you?ā
He smiled, as if knowing her thoughts. Walking over to the desk, he removed his hat and stood with it in his hands. āI apologize for dripping on your floor, but itās raining like helā, uh, like heck out there.ā
Lil tried not to look at how the ends of his eyes crinkled when he smiled. She focused instead on his hair, black and shiny with rain drops glistening on the wavy strands not covered by his hat. She didnāt realize she was staring at him until he shifted from foot to foot.
āMaāam?ā
āYes,ā Lil answered, pulling herself back to reality.
āWhat Iām here for is to see L.M. Wentfield, Attorney At Law.ā He pointed at the window, in the direction of the sign.
Lil nodded. āYes,ā she said again. At this rate, heād think she only had a one word vocabulary.
The man tilted his head to one side. āCould you direct me to L. M. Wentfield, Maāam?ā
āOf course I can. How may I help you?ā
Two small furrows appeared between the manās eyes. He peered closer at her. Perhaps he needed to try another approach.
āMaāam, could I speak with your husband?ā
āThere is no husband,ā Lil said with a hint of asperity.
Lil tried not to look at how the ends of his eyes crinkled when he smiled. She focused instead on his hair, black and shiny with rain drops glistening on the wavy strands not covered by his hat. She didnāt realize she was staring at him until he shifted from foot to foot.
āMaāam?ā
āYes,ā Lil answered, pulling herself back to reality.
āWhat Iām here for is to see L.M. Wentfield, Attorney At Law.ā He pointed at the window, in the direction of the sign.
Lil nodded. āYes,ā she said again. At this rate, heād think she only had a one word vocabulary.
The man tilted his head to one side. āCould you direct me to L. M. Wentfield, Maāam?ā
āOf course I can. How may I help you?ā
Two small furrows appeared between the manās eyes. He peered closer at her. Perhaps he needed to try another approach.
āMaāam, could I speak with your husband?ā
āThere is no husband,ā Lil said with a hint of asperity.
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