Gabriel’s Bride by Kallista Dane

Gabriel thought his life was over – until a raven-haired Indian maiden broke into his cabin and stole his heart.
Since Annabelle died, every day had been a struggle – and every night a torment. When he staggered home after a rattlesnake bite and found a dark-haired beauty tending his fire, Gabriel thought the creature’s venom had driven him mad. Made him conjure up the specter of his beloved wife.
Asila was no ghost. A Cherokee Medicine woman, she hid in the forest to evade the soldiers who rounded up her tribe and forced them to march to the barren plains of the Oklahoma Territory. She’d never have set foot in his cabin if it hadn’t been for her niece. Fearing her youngest child wouldn’t survive the Trail of Tears, Asila’s sister hid the toddler in a cave before the soldiers dragged her away. When Asila found her the little one was burning up with the Fever. She needed Asila’s medicine to keep her alive – and Asila needed the settler’s fire to brew it.
She never planned to stay. But the pain on Gabriel’s face told her he needed her healing skills as much as the child did.
When he recovers, Gabriel is determined to turn her and the child over to the authorities. Right after he delivers a firm spanking for breaking into his home. But the scantily-clad female draped across his lap awakens dark hungers in him. And the innocent little girl asleep in his cabin reminds him of the children he longed to have.
Gabriel decides he’ll teach the uncivilized Indian how to behave like a proper lady before sending her away, even if it means taking a hairbrush to her bottom. But he discovers his beliefs about Asila and her culture have been wrong and it is he who has much to learn from her.
Over time, Gabriel earns Asila’s respect and his powerful handsome body stirs her passion. She vows to tear down the walls he’s built around his heart and set him free to love again.
Can Gabriel overcome his grief and seize the chance for happiness Fate delivered to his door?