Chanceâs eyes met hers. âThe truth. The honest-to-God truth.â
âOkay. I lied. My real name is Shay Dumont.â
âWhy the lie?â His voice was as cool as ice water. But it didnât keep her from noticing he was heartthrobbing-good-looking. How she wished that they had met before sheâd pulled such a stupid stunt.
The truth would hurt too many people. âListen. I didnât take anything, so can we please let this drop?â
âNo.â
He came for the truth and he wasnât leaving without it.
âIf you donât tell me why you were trying to rob the Calhouns, Iâll call the constable of High Cotton. Heâll arrest you for attempted robbery.â
Her head jerked up. âYou saw me leave and could see that I didnât take anything. How many times do I have to say that?â
The shattered look on her face twisted his stomach and prompted him to add, âShay, I mean you no harm, but I have to know why you tried to rob the Calhouns.â
She still remained silent.
âIf youâre innocent, Iâll forget the whole thing.â
âBut Iâm not innocent.â
Dear Reader,
Iâm excited to start another series for Harlequin SuperromanceâThe Hardin Boys. These books are loosely connected to The Belles of Texas, so weâre going back to High Cotton briefly for the start of Chanceâs story, The Texanâs Secret.
I live in Texas, where oil is king. Some would say football, but that all depends on if you own land. If you do, youâre waiting for the day an oilman will show up wanting to lease your land for oil or gas. Itâs a gamble. They might strike a big well or it could be a dry hole. Everyone is usually willing to take that risk.
This series is about three brothers who have roughnecked in the oilfields most of their lives. They donât plan on keeping the dirty, grimy job forever. They plan to move up the ladder. It happens when Cadde, the older brother, inherits part of an oil company. In the first book, Chance has to decide if he wants to be a cowboy or an oilman. Since his father had been a roughneck, the decision is easy. He heads for Houston to join his brothers.
But first, he has to tell them a secret that has haunted him all his life. Chanceâs story revolves around a woman with green eyes, Shay Dumont, who has the biggest secret of all.
So join me in uncovering secrets and finding out if there is a happy-ever-after for Chance and Shay.
With love and thanks,
Linda Warren
P.S. Itâs the highlight of my day to hear from readers. You can email me at [email protected] or www.facebook.com/authorlindawarren or write me at P.O. Box 5182, Bryan, TX 77805 or visit my website at www.lindawarren.net. Your letters will be answered as soon as possible.
Award-winning, bestselling author Linda Warren has written twenty-six books for the Harlequin Superromance and Harlequin American Romance lines. She grew up in the farming and ranching community of Smetana, Texas, the only girl in a family of boys. She loves to write about Texas, and from time to time scenes and characters from her childhood show up in her books. Linda lives in College Station, Texas, not far from her birthplace, with her husband, Billy, and a menagerie of wild animals, from Canada geese to bobcats. Visit her website at www.lindawarren.net.
I dedicate this book to my patient editor,
Kathleen Scheibling, who stuck with me during a really rough time. Thank you!
And to Paula Eykelhof, for just caring.
And to the special angels who were there when
they didnât have to be: Diannia, Sondra and LaVal.
And, as always, to my hero, Sonny.
A special thanks to:
James O. Siegert for sharing his knowledge of
oil wells and the industry.
Sarah Schroeder for answering questions
about Houston.
Shelley Utz, hairstylist.
Randy Rychlik, paramedic.
And, Vicki Cowan for her keen eye.
All errors are strictly mine.
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
EPILOGUE
THE FIERCE AFTERNOON WIND whipped through the landscape like an errant child of Mother Nature, set on doing some damage. Heavy, dark clouds from the north threatened rain, a sure sign that the old lady had not finished her wrath of winter.
Chance Hardin hated March.
And all the agonizing memories it stirred.
He shifted uneasily at the kitchen table on the High Five ranch in High Cotton, Texas, and forced his eyes away from the window. Gripping his warm coffee cup, he stared into its murky depths, seeing a night as dark as the brew inside. Through the blackness the emotions of a twelve-year-old boy surfacedâa boy whose world had been shattered by loud voices, screamsâand death.
On a miserable March night.
Chance felt his stomach twist into a knot as his brothers waited. Heâd been avoiding this conversation for twenty-two years. How much longer could he stall?