âI came here to thank you for saving my life.â
âYou told me three months ago.â
âNo, I didnât.â
âYou kissed me. Pretty much said it all. Canât say it was the best kiss Iâve ever had planted on me, but I got what you were meaning by it.â
She narrowed her eyes. âIf Iâd wanted to kiss you in a memorable way, I wouldâve, but I guarantee you I put more emotion into that one kiss than any other Iâve given.â
âWell, isnât that a sorry state of affairs.â
âIâm a good kisser!â
âIf you say so, maâam.â He touched the brim of his hat. âHave a safe drive back to town.â He walked away from her.
Dear Reader,
Anniversary celebrations arenât just for marriages. And as I write this, Iâm marking the anniversary of being offered my first book contract, eighteen years ago. Since then Iâve written thirty-six books. It still amazes me, every single day. The pleasure and privilege of creating a piece of work for others to read never fades.
Creating this particular book has been especially gratifying. Taking an independent Texas cowboy whoâs much happier among stray dogs and horses, and pairing him with a society-born much younger woman was fun and challenging. I love that Garrett Stone is clear about what he wants and doesnât want in life. Even more, I love how Victoria Fortune makes him change his very set mind.
I hope you enjoy taking their journey with them.
Susan Crosby
SUSAN CROSBY believes in the value of setting goals, but also in the magic of making wishes, which often do come trueâas long as she works hard enough. Along lifeâs journey sheâs done a lot of the usual thingsâmarried, had children, attended college a little later than the average co-ed and earned a BA in English. Then she dove off the deep end into a full-time writing career, a wish come true.
Susan enjoys writing about people who take a chance on love, sometimes against all odds. She loves warm, strong heroes and good-hearted, self-reliant heroines, and she will always believe in happily-ever-after.
More can be learned about her at www.susancrosby.com.
âKeep away from those cowboys, theyâre ramblinâ menâ¦â
The lyrics to the country song popped into her head the moment she saw the tall, blue-eyed man striding past her in the terminal of the small and private, but busy, Red Rock, Texas, airport.
He caught her staring, hesitated a second, then winked. Definitely the rambling type and one to stay away from. He touched a finger to his black Stetson and just like that he was gone, the moment over.
Then the tornado hit. That black hat was the last thing she saw before the roof was ripped from above her, the roar of air sucking everything within, including her, pulling her, dragging her. Around her, wood and metal flew and crashed, ricocheted and bounced.
Pain hit first, then panic. She couldnât catch her breath, couldnât fill her lungs enough to scream. Noise. So much noise. Then suddenly no sound at all.
The quiet was almost as frightening. Gradually she heard crying, someone screaming, others calling out.
Her face was pressed against the cold concrete floor. She tried to move but couldnât. The sound of someone running toward her crept into her awareness. A man flattened himself next to her, his face in shadowsâher hero, whoever he was.
âYou okay?â he asked.
âMy legs hurt,â she managed to say, wiggling her toes and feeling them move inside her high-heeled boots, the rubble preventing leg movement.
He sprang up.
She grabbed for him, caught thin air. âDonât leave me. Please, donâtââ
But he didnât leave. Weight was lifted from her, twisted metal, lumber and laminate.
âCan you drag yourself out?â he asked, this giant of a man whoâd single-handedly raised the wreckage. âHurry. Thereâs not much time. You can do it, sweetheart. Try.â
There was nothing to grab. Her useless polished fingernails dug but found no traction. She caught her breath against the unexpected pain of moving and exerted herself a little more, tried to belly crawl like a solider. Just when she thought she was going to be stuck there forever, he gripped her arm and yanked her from under the debris. Her feet cleared the mess a second before it came tumbling down. He scooped her into his strong arms and rushed away as the whole building creaked and moaned.
Panic set in. âMy familyâ¦?â she asked.
He angled his head. âOver there.â
Sheâd just started identifying relatives when part of the building theyâd left crumbled with a final whoomph. If heâd been a minute later, sheâd have been buried alive. She clenched him tighter, too shocked to say anything.
âIâve got you,â the stranger said. âYouâre safe.â
The cowboy, she realized finally. The man whoâd winked at her. She hadnât recognized him without his hat.