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Stone Creek #3
The Rustler
#1 New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller returns to Stone Creek, where secrets have a way of coming to light...
Where does an outlaw go when he's ready to turn straight? For Wyatt Yarbro, reformed rustler and train robber, Stone Creek is his place of redemption. And lovely Sarah Tamlin is the perfect angel to help him clean up his act.
But Sarah keeps a dark secret behind her prim and proper facade, even as her heart is lost to charming, sexy Wyatt. When a vengeful enemy prepares to unleash havoc on their peaceful town, Wyatt and Sarah will discover that they can't hide from the past. To win the fight, they must believe in something they never trusted before--the hope of tomorrow.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2008
223 people are currently reading
1226 people want to read
About the author
Linda Lael Miller
553 books3,219 followersThe daughter of a town marshal, Linda Lael Miller is a #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than 100 historical and contemporary novels, most of which reflect her love of the West. Raised in Northport, Washington, Linda pursued her wanderlust, living in London and Arizona and traveling the world before returning to the state of her birth to settle down on a spacious property outside Spokane.
Linda traces the birth of her writing career to the day when a Northport teacher told her that the stories she was writing were good, that she just might have a future in writing. Later, when she decided to write novels, she endured her share of rejection before she sold Fletcher’s Woman in 1983 to Pocket Books. Since then, Linda has successfully published historicals, contemporaries, paranormals, mysteries and thrillers before coming home, in a literal sense, and concentrating on novels with a Western flavor. For her devotion to her craft, the Romance Writers of America awarded her their prestigious Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
Long a passionate Civil War buff, Linda has studied the era avidly for almost thirty years. She has read literally hundreds of books on the subject, explored numerous battlegrounds and made many visits to her favorite, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where she has witnessed re-enactments of the legendary clash between North and South. Linda explores that turbulent time in The Yankee Widow, a May 7, 2019 MIRA Books hardcover, also available in digital and audiobook formats.
Dedicated to helping others, “The First Lady of the West” personally financed fifteen years of her Linda Lael Miller Scholarships for Women, which she awarded to women 25 years and older who were seeking to improve their lot in life through education. She anticipates that her next charitable endeavors will benefit four-legged critters.
More information about Linda and her novels is available at www.lindalaelmiller.com, on Facebook and from Nancy Berland Public Relations, nancy@nancyberland.com, 405-206-4748.
Linda traces the birth of her writing career to the day when a Northport teacher told her that the stories she was writing were good, that she just might have a future in writing. Later, when she decided to write novels, she endured her share of rejection before she sold Fletcher’s Woman in 1983 to Pocket Books. Since then, Linda has successfully published historicals, contemporaries, paranormals, mysteries and thrillers before coming home, in a literal sense, and concentrating on novels with a Western flavor. For her devotion to her craft, the Romance Writers of America awarded her their prestigious Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
Long a passionate Civil War buff, Linda has studied the era avidly for almost thirty years. She has read literally hundreds of books on the subject, explored numerous battlegrounds and made many visits to her favorite, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where she has witnessed re-enactments of the legendary clash between North and South. Linda explores that turbulent time in The Yankee Widow, a May 7, 2019 MIRA Books hardcover, also available in digital and audiobook formats.
Dedicated to helping others, “The First Lady of the West” personally financed fifteen years of her Linda Lael Miller Scholarships for Women, which she awarded to women 25 years and older who were seeking to improve their lot in life through education. She anticipates that her next charitable endeavors will benefit four-legged critters.
More information about Linda and her novels is available at www.lindalaelmiller.com, on Facebook and from Nancy Berland Public Relations, nancy@nancyberland.com, 405-206-4748.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
November 21, 2008
Rating: 4.5 / 5
The Rustler is the third book in Linda Lael Miller's Stone Creek series. It wasn't my favorite of the series, but I did like this one quite a bit. There's something about this series as a whole that's just really likable. The books in this series can probably be read as stand-alones without any problems, but you get a better feel for the setting and characters if you read the books in order.
This book features Wyatt Yarbro, who is the brother of the hero from the second book in the series. Wyatt, like his brother Rowdy, is considered an outlaw. After doing two years in jail, he goes back to his old ways, rustling cattle. But after a job gone wrong, he decides it isn't the life for him any more and decides to take his brother up on his offer to come to Stone Creek to live.
Not long after arriving, he meets "spinster" Sarah Tamlin, daughter of the local banker. From that one meeting, he tells Rowdy that he's going to marry Sarah. There's just something about her...
But Sarah has secrets that she believes will chase away any man who wants her. That doesn't stop her from falling in love with him. Circumstances keep throwing them together, but other circumstances seem bent on tearing them apart. To make a life together, both must face the mistakes of their pasts.
Like I said already, there's just something about this series, and the way Miller writes it. There's not a lot of action in this book. There's a lot of the mundane, everyday life. But it's a very vibrant tale and despite the slow pace and lack of action, Miller really pulls you into the characters and the life of Stone Creek.
And I'm always a fan of books with heroes that need to be redeemed. Though I wouldn't say Wyatt is a hardcore outlaw, just someone who got caught up in a way of life.
The romance was pretty good, but it's tame book sex-wise. There's hardly any hanky panky in the book. Even so, I thought the relationship build up was good and I enjoyed both characters. My one main complaint would be that near the end, there's a pretty big conflict between the H/H and I thought it was resolved too simply. I thought it needed a bit more working out.
But otherwise, great book. I enjoyed reading about the past characters from the series (all of whom make appearances). It's just a fun, feel-good book to read.
The Rustler is the third book in Linda Lael Miller's Stone Creek series. It wasn't my favorite of the series, but I did like this one quite a bit. There's something about this series as a whole that's just really likable. The books in this series can probably be read as stand-alones without any problems, but you get a better feel for the setting and characters if you read the books in order.
This book features Wyatt Yarbro, who is the brother of the hero from the second book in the series. Wyatt, like his brother Rowdy, is considered an outlaw. After doing two years in jail, he goes back to his old ways, rustling cattle. But after a job gone wrong, he decides it isn't the life for him any more and decides to take his brother up on his offer to come to Stone Creek to live.
Not long after arriving, he meets "spinster" Sarah Tamlin, daughter of the local banker. From that one meeting, he tells Rowdy that he's going to marry Sarah. There's just something about her...
But Sarah has secrets that she believes will chase away any man who wants her. That doesn't stop her from falling in love with him. Circumstances keep throwing them together, but other circumstances seem bent on tearing them apart. To make a life together, both must face the mistakes of their pasts.
Like I said already, there's just something about this series, and the way Miller writes it. There's not a lot of action in this book. There's a lot of the mundane, everyday life. But it's a very vibrant tale and despite the slow pace and lack of action, Miller really pulls you into the characters and the life of Stone Creek.
And I'm always a fan of books with heroes that need to be redeemed. Though I wouldn't say Wyatt is a hardcore outlaw, just someone who got caught up in a way of life.
The romance was pretty good, but it's tame book sex-wise. There's hardly any hanky panky in the book. Even so, I thought the relationship build up was good and I enjoyed both characters. My one main complaint would be that near the end, there's a pretty big conflict between the H/H and I thought it was resolved too simply. I thought it needed a bit more working out.
But otherwise, great book. I enjoyed reading about the past characters from the series (all of whom make appearances). It's just a fun, feel-good book to read.
May 31, 2018
The son of an outlaw, Wyatt followed in his father's footsteps as soon as he was old enough to do so. And after a stint in prison, he goes right back to rustling cattle. But a letter from his brother, now on the straight and narrow, changes the array of possibilities. And a stampede is enough to convince Wyatt to chuck the outlaw's life and give another path a try.
Sarah is running from other things: the truth, mostly. About her father's bouts of dementia, her own growing responsibilities in his financially unstable small-town bank, the visitor who seems to think he can put her out of business, and the boy. The one she knows is her own. Though she has absolutely no legal right to raise him.
A small town banker's daughter. A former outlaw.
Trouble coming from pretty much every direction.
The Rustler is one of the better novels I have read by Linda Lael Miller. I liked both Wyatt and Sarah. They are both so completely imperfect, it seems rather obvious that they are perfect for each other. And Sarah's family, both her aging father and her illegitimate son, are active and vibrant characters. One can see why Wyatt falls for her whole family.
Sarah is running from other things: the truth, mostly. About her father's bouts of dementia, her own growing responsibilities in his financially unstable small-town bank, the visitor who seems to think he can put her out of business, and the boy. The one she knows is her own. Though she has absolutely no legal right to raise him.
A small town banker's daughter. A former outlaw.
Trouble coming from pretty much every direction.
The Rustler is one of the better novels I have read by Linda Lael Miller. I liked both Wyatt and Sarah. They are both so completely imperfect, it seems rather obvious that they are perfect for each other. And Sarah's family, both her aging father and her illegitimate son, are active and vibrant characters. One can see why Wyatt falls for her whole family.
October 27, 2008
Living through the experience of a cattle stampede, outlaw Wyatt Yarbro realizes he has a second chance a going straight. He leaves behind the gang he was riding with and returns to Stony Creek, Arizona, where his brother Rowdy is sheriff. Rowdy himself is a reformed outlaw, married and happily settled. On his first evening in town, Wyatt meets Sarah Tamlin, daughter of the town's bank owner. Each is immediately taken with the other. Each has their own dark secret. Wyatt is made deputy sheriff when his brother leaves to hunt a vigilante group. And Sarah's ex-lover, Charles Langstreet arrives in Stony Creek with his 10 year old son and threatening to take over the bank. Sarah runs the bank with her father who, unbeknownst to others, is in early stages of dementia. During a robbery, Wyatt shoots down 3 men in self-defense. One of the young men is the brother of Billy Justice, from Wyatt's old gang. The pressure is on: Wyatt's fear of Rowdy finding out his part in a train robbery and knowing Billy Justice will be coming to town seeking revenge. And Sarah trying to find a way to keep Langstreet from taking the bank and revealing her most personal secret that could threaten her relationship with Wyatt. Life in the Old West was hard and gritty, but Ms. Miller always shows there was redemption and happiness for those who never gave up. Her historical westerns leave you cheering the good guys and applauding when the hero and heroine find their happy ending.
July 20, 2012
This was my least favorite of the Stone Creek novels. Not much of a plot and not a very likeable female lead. There were many things that didn't quite make sense either like her fear of their wedding night... um... she was no virgin and had a baby in a relationship that she found quite exciting at the time so her fear of what happens on her wedding night was laughable. The whole back and forth I love him, do I love him? I don't love him, was a bit tiring too. She was supposed to be this strong trail blazing female but fell apart at the drop of a hat. Hopefully the next in the series has a good plot like the first two and unlike this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2008
Ladies....this is a nice beach read with a strong woman and the outlaw that sweeps her off her feet. If you analyzed it you would hate it - but that's why you just spend three hours on a rainy day enjoying it and wishing you didn't.
it's kind of like all those romantic comedies that we watch again and again and again....
it's kind of like all those romantic comedies that we watch again and again and again....
August 28, 2015
it was really good but, here and there a bit boring. And besides I didn't like the ending, with some events a little too opportune ...
Onto the next one
Onto the next one
August 12, 2018
The Rustler was a good book about an former bank robber and a lonely banker's daughter. This banker's daughter Sara had soo many secrets that she had to write them down in a book. The bank robber turner deputy/cattle wrangler Wyatt was just a little rough around the edges but had an heart of gold. This story will make you realize that no matter your situation that love will always find a way and you should listen to your heart instead of town gossip. A great western romance ! I will definitely be rereading this book!
September 26, 2018
I love me some hot sexy Alpha Cowboys Linds lael miller always makes every book with steamy hot sexy cowboys and they find their match when they find the women they are meant to be with love all of Linda lael miller books
June 5, 2022
Found this book in a big blind book grab bag from a local used book store. It’s an early 1900 western and sounded exactly like a little steamy hallmark-y type read and I was in the mood for just that. It was fairly fast paced in the beginning, but I did end up skimming through the last 100 pages or so and was able to follow along with everything. A fun, cozy read.
April 28, 2009
Not halfway through the first chapter, I can already tell this is going to be a stinker. Before we even get to know the characters, the main hero/former criminal decides he wants the banker's daughter, nevermind that he only just saw her. Nope, seeing her "assets" was enough. Geez, superficial much? And one of the first thoughts that we get from the girl when she first sees the hero is the staunch, blushing belief that his gaze can see right through her clothes and is watching her take a shower. WUT. Who thinks that??? If a random stranger was leering so much that I could imagine that, I would think he was a disgusting pervert. But no, apparently to the heroine, it's a bit of a turn-on despite all other signs that she's a proper girl, which doesn't bode well as a first impression.
So already in the first chapter, the author has killed all the squee that comes from building an attraction from the ground up. Not that it isn't possible to have the hero have love at first sight; it's just not done in a way that convinces me. The author's characterization of Wyatt Yarbro is that he's a bit of a waffly guy; he wibbles about not liking a cattle rustling situation because of bad vibes he's getting, but he does it anyway. As a recent criminal, he doesn't like the idea of being a deputy of the sheriff, but his brother barely has to brow-beat him into taking the job. He's basically _not_ a guy who is very decisive, or who knows exactly what he wants. So I am not convinced when the author has him sent his sights firmly on Sarah with such unerring decisiveness.
Maybe I'll update again as I read further, but my verdict is mediocre to poor. The premise sounded interesting (criminal-turn-good-guy? Who wouldn't like that?), but it was squandered and killed not even half a chapter in.
ETA: Lame, never-to-finish. I stopped after the author spent excessive amount of time making the guy weepy-eyed over an abused dog to establish his credentials as a sensitive guy, and then manufactured a situation where the girl coos over the dog with him, inbetween too many offhand thoughts of her babe-a-licious bod. And how she totally wants him. Bleh. Sorry, that guy is no where near attractive enough as a character for me to want to read more.
So already in the first chapter, the author has killed all the squee that comes from building an attraction from the ground up. Not that it isn't possible to have the hero have love at first sight; it's just not done in a way that convinces me. The author's characterization of Wyatt Yarbro is that he's a bit of a waffly guy; he wibbles about not liking a cattle rustling situation because of bad vibes he's getting, but he does it anyway. As a recent criminal, he doesn't like the idea of being a deputy of the sheriff, but his brother barely has to brow-beat him into taking the job. He's basically _not_ a guy who is very decisive, or who knows exactly what he wants. So I am not convinced when the author has him sent his sights firmly on Sarah with such unerring decisiveness.
Maybe I'll update again as I read further, but my verdict is mediocre to poor. The premise sounded interesting (criminal-turn-good-guy? Who wouldn't like that?), but it was squandered and killed not even half a chapter in.
ETA: Lame, never-to-finish. I stopped after the author spent excessive amount of time making the guy weepy-eyed over an abused dog to establish his credentials as a sensitive guy, and then manufactured a situation where the girl coos over the dog with him, inbetween too many offhand thoughts of her babe-a-licious bod. And how she totally wants him. Bleh. Sorry, that guy is no where near attractive enough as a character for me to want to read more.
January 7, 2016
Wyatt Yarboro is an outlaw but on one night of rustling cattle he gets the feeling that his gang wants to shoot him. So While the scared cattle stampede Wyatt makes for Stone Creek where he meets Sarah Tamlin the Bankers daughter. So right out he makes his intentions known. Wyatt is going to Marry Sarah but first he has to make an honest way of living. As they get to know each other they meet up with her son Owen and his nasty father Mr. Langstreet. Trouble is sure to follow because of Billy Justice one of Wyatt's former gang members arrive after hearing that his brother is dead. And also because Wyatt is going to marry Sarah in order to take Owen away from his father. See the solution that just drops out of the sky for Sarah and Wyatt in Stone Creek by reading this book and many others by this author.
August 4, 2017
The Rustler (A Stone Creek Novel) was my first Linda Lael Miller and it will probably be my last. It's a very formulaic tale of a hard-bitten on the outside, but good-guy on the inside cowboy/outlaw who has served time in prison. When Wyatt Yarbro survives a life-threatening situation, he finally chooses to put down roots and find a good woman to build a life with. So, he heads to Stone Creek where his younger brother - also a former outlaw - has already begun to do just that. Immediately, he finds his mate in Sarah Tamlin, the banker's daughter with a dark secret in her past. The story takes us through their romance as well as Sarah's background, which includes her former lover who was probably, potentially, the most interesting character in the book, but who, just when things were getting interesting, is quickly dispatched.
July 30, 2022
Our heroine: Sara Tamlin needs to be saved: the man who took advantage of her as a teenager, comes into her small New Mexico town along with the child he took from her at birth ten years ago; her father, who she works with at the local bank, is getting dementia, and then has a debilitating stroke; realizing there is a lack of muscle at the bank, a crew of bank robbers has decided that now would be a good time to rob the bank; and a handsome ex-robber and cattle rustler has set his sites on marrying her. What's an independent woman to do?
Meanwhile, Wyatt Yarbro fell in love (?) at first sight, when he saw Sara playing the organ in a tent revival church. He is visiting his brother, Sheriff Rowdy Yarbro, and looking for a place to build a life on the straight and narrow. Meanwhile, he gets dragged into being the deputy in charge while Rowdy goes to chase down some vigilantes. During this time, he stops a robbery and the jail gets blown up. He doesn't feel he is being very successful. but he feeling lucky in love with lovely Sara.
I do like these happy ending romances.
Meanwhile, Wyatt Yarbro fell in love (?) at first sight, when he saw Sara playing the organ in a tent revival church. He is visiting his brother, Sheriff Rowdy Yarbro, and looking for a place to build a life on the straight and narrow. Meanwhile, he gets dragged into being the deputy in charge while Rowdy goes to chase down some vigilantes. During this time, he stops a robbery and the jail gets blown up. He doesn't feel he is being very successful. but he feeling lucky in love with lovely Sara.
I do like these happy ending romances.
September 1, 2023
I had this one for awhile because sometimes you really need a good western drama on hand to grab.
I had read this author before, a civil war drama, that was written so well. I figured this one might follow along the same lines.
It definitely has a good setting which is what made me pick of the book in the first place and even the first chapter plunges you into the characters’ storylines really quickly.
However, there are so many characters introduced and the POV kept changing. Maybe it matters to have read the others in the series first, and I didn’t. The hook was easy enough to get a few chapters in, figuring out who Owen was. But I still got bored with the story as a whole.
I got to the end and just felt everything was rushed. The character of Sarah felt wooden and wishy washy. Literally she wasn’t making up her mind fully till the very last paragraph of the story.
2 stars for the idea of this book and no stars because it didn’t succeed well.
I had read this author before, a civil war drama, that was written so well. I figured this one might follow along the same lines.
It definitely has a good setting which is what made me pick of the book in the first place and even the first chapter plunges you into the characters’ storylines really quickly.
However, there are so many characters introduced and the POV kept changing. Maybe it matters to have read the others in the series first, and I didn’t. The hook was easy enough to get a few chapters in, figuring out who Owen was. But I still got bored with the story as a whole.
I got to the end and just felt everything was rushed. The character of Sarah felt wooden and wishy washy. Literally she wasn’t making up her mind fully till the very last paragraph of the story.
2 stars for the idea of this book and no stars because it didn’t succeed well.
April 26, 2020
Returning to those thrilling days of yesteryear... another exciting old time western from Linda Lael Miller, when another Yarbro brother wants to reform and put his rustling and robbing days behind him. Wyatt the oldest comes to Stone Creek to visit two of his younger brothers. He is not sure if he will stay until he sees Sarah Tamlin playing the organ and he is a goner. While he is up front with her from the beginning, telling her about his past and that he wants to court her, she has so many secrets that she has to keep them in a little book to keep all her lies straight. But when she is threaten, Wyatt is there to keep her safe.
As always, wonderful characters and lots of action.
As always, wonderful characters and lots of action.
August 29, 2023
This one was tough to rate. Wyatt really saved the book for me. I thought he was probably the sweetest of the heroes in this series. He was an outlaw with a heart of gold. He struggled with feeling good enough to even deserve Sarah, which he worked his butt off to prove to her. I thought Sarah wasn't good enough for him. I questioned her competence at some points. I don't get why everyone trusted her to run the bank with her father. She seemed far too trusting.
Overall, Sarah was tough to like at times. She wasn't terrible but she didn't help the book. Wyatt was awesome. A good slow burn historic western romance.
Overall, Sarah was tough to like at times. She wasn't terrible but she didn't help the book. Wyatt was awesome. A good slow burn historic western romance.
July 3, 2020
Pretty superficial....but a fun read. Funny how some authors spend several hundred pages building suspense and then seem to wrap it all up in a couple of pages....like this one does....all problems solved at once. Only read this because the COVId-19 has caused me to read everything in the house and all libraries are closed.
January 5, 2023
This 3rd book in the Stone Creek series held my interest even more than the first 2 books. Wyatt (Payton) Rhodes comes to Stone Creek to seek approval of his brother while Sarah Tamlin, assistant to her father at the local bank to keep the bank afloat. They both carry baggage from their past as they search for happiness with each other.
January 26, 2025
3.5
Not enough yearning.
I liked Wyatt a lot, thank goodness.
The conflict is wrapped up way too conveniently
Not enough yearning.
I liked Wyatt a lot, thank goodness.
The conflict is wrapped up way too conveniently
June 6, 2021
Wonderful Series
This is a great series and this book was a winner. Don't like to review the story because you can get that by reading the book but I highly recommend this series. You won't be disappointed.
This is a great series and this book was a winner. Don't like to review the story because you can get that by reading the book but I highly recommend this series. You won't be disappointed.
January 29, 2022
Great read
The saga continues you will so enjoy this story it is filled with love heartbreak and some happy endings and new beginnings so get your cup of tea or cocoa and treat you to a wonderful read
The saga continues you will so enjoy this story it is filled with love heartbreak and some happy endings and new beginnings so get your cup of tea or cocoa and treat you to a wonderful read
September 27, 2023
Wyatt is ready to leave his outlaw days behind and love on the straight and narrow. He goes to Stone Creek to be with his brother.
Sarah is trying to keep her dad's bank going as his health deteriorates.
Together they can survive her son's dad trying to keep them apart.
Sarah is trying to keep her dad's bank going as his health deteriorates.
Together they can survive her son's dad trying to keep them apart.
July 24, 2024
I don't think I've read a wild west historical romance book before. I really liked it, it was everything old timey like Little House but with the heat and drama of dukes and lords type romance books. I do want to get the ones in this series.
April 10, 2025
A Rustler
Another fine reading about the Yarbo men. These men have had a hard life of criminal activities and now are trying to come clean with the women they have fallen in love with..
Another fine reading about the Yarbo men. These men have had a hard life of criminal activities and now are trying to come clean with the women they have fallen in love with..
January 3, 2018
Bagusss..., saya suka cerita wyatt dibandung sam n rowdy walaupun keduanya juga bagus hahahah
July 19, 2018
I forgot how much I love a good old cowboy romance. This one was very good! I’ve read several of Linda Lael Miller’s books in the past, The McKettrick Series was great.
July 21, 2018
Questions
I love Linda’s stories but —- Where did they live, with three houses. What happened to the banks money.
Little details make the difference.
I love Linda’s stories but —- Where did they live, with three houses. What happened to the banks money.
Little details make the difference.
May 4, 2020
Enjoyed reading this book
January 4, 2021
Enjoyed this book
library
July 30, 20215
Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews