Books like The Wildcatter by Peggy Nicholson

Penniless wildcatter Miguel Heydt has come seeking his fortune -- oil -- on Suntop land. But the cranky old owner of the Colorado ranch will tolerate no mineral exploration on his spread, so Miguel hires on with the ranch's haying crew and explores for oil at night. Until a secret contract the rancher proposes is too tempting for Miguel to resist. In exchange for unlimited drilling rights, he's to marry the old man's daughter, Risa, and produce the male heir Ben craves. Miguel woos, wins, beds, and then weds Risa -- falls in love with her, too. But minutes after the wedding, she finds out what he did and she flees. Eleven years later, Risa and Miguel meet at Suntop once more, and the fire between them is still there. But how can she trust him again? A man who'd marry her for drilling rights...a man who'd trade his own son for an oil well?

First publish date: June 1, 2002