Her Texas Hero

Restoring Romance

Seeking a fresh start, single mom Audra Marshall uproots her family to a home she’s purchased sight unseen. But she hadn’t counted on the house needing major repairs. Enter handsome neighbor Carter Cooper. Fixing houses is Carter’s job, but it turns into more than business when Audra allows him to help her rebuild her home. Carter’s soon falling for the sweet mom and her delightful kids. But Carter’s always been hesitant of opening his heart to love. As the cautious duo work together to transform her home, will they also find a love to last a lifetime?

“You know what they say about the way to a man’s heart.”

She stiffened visibly, and Carter wanted to rope the words he’d just spoken and yank them back into his mouth.

“I should get going,” she said, pulling her van keys from the purse slung over her shoulder.

“Audra,” he said apologetically, knowing she wasn’t looking to be part of any man’s heart. She’d made that pretty clear. Friendship was as far as anything could ever go between them. But he found himself wanting more.

He chose his next words carefully.

“I know what you’ve gone through and understand your need to be guarded. But the truth is, I’d like to move beyond a working relationship where you’re concerned.”

“Carter,” she said in a panicked whisper, “please don’t.”

“Friendship, Audra,” he said determinedly. “That’s all I’m asking for. Like you, I’m not looking for anything more right now,” he added, hoping it would ease her worry. It wasn’t a lie. He knew that there would be no “right now” with her.

But tomorrow, or the day after… Well, that was another story.

KAT BROOKES is an award-winning author and past Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® Award finalist. She is married to her childhood sweetheart and has been blessed with two beautiful daughters. She loves writing stories that can both make you smile and touch your heart. Kat is represented by Michelle Grajkowski with 3 Seas Literary Agency. Read more about Kat and her upcoming releases at katbrookes.com. Email her at [email protected]. Facebook: Kat Brookes.

Her Texas Hero

Kat Brookes

www.millsandboon.co.uk

For if you forgive others their trespasses,

your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

—Matthew 6:14

To my husband, whom I adore. You are my heart.

Thank you for your never-ending love and support, and for showing me that real heroes can be found beyond the pages of fiction.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Epilogue

Dear Reader

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

Carter Cooper grabbed for the ringing cell phone on the truck seat beside him. A quick glance at the screen listed Nathan Cooper as the caller. Swiping his thumb over the answer button, he brought the phone to his ear.

“Missing me already, big brother?”

Nathan snorted. “Hardly. But I am missing the keys to my truck. You got any idea where they might have gotten to?”

A smile quirked at the corners of Carter’s mouth. “Can you describe them to me? Might help jog my memory some.”

“Carter,” Nathan growled impatiently.

“What’s wrong, Nate? You can dish it out, but you can’t take it?” His brother and business partner in Cooper Construction had thought it funny to line the back of Carter’s safety goggles with black shoe polish. Carter glanced up in the rearview mirror where, beneath the mirrored lenses of his sunglasses, the remainder of what he hadn’t been able to scrub off at the job site remained.

“It was Logan’s idea,” his brother grumbled.

“And you executed it.” Their younger brother, Logan, was the real prankster of the family, but he was good at getting others to join in. Or in this instance, pull off the prank for him. The fact that his little brother had gotten Nathan to play along was worth the thick black smudging he was sporting around his eyes. After losing their parents, along with his older brother’s wife, in the tornado that had ripped through their tiny town of Braxton more than a year ago, Nathan seemed to have lost himself, as well. He knew the only thing that kept his big brother from giving up on life, at least as far as Carter was concerned, was Nathan’s beautiful little daughter, Katie. Or as Carter was fond of calling his six-year-old niece—Katydid.

“All right, guilty as charged,” his brother conceded. “Now where are my truck keys?”

“You know that bucket of wall primer...?” Carter teased as he turned off the main road, intending to take a shortcut into town, where he would swing by the hardware store and pick up something to take the remaining shoe polish off his face.

His brother groaned. “Tell me you didn’t.”

“I didn’t,” Carter said with a chuckle. “They’re...” His words trailed off as his attention was drawn to movement outside the open driver’s side window. Just past the wildly overgrown hedgerow that lined the inside of the faded white property fence, a woman lay facedown atop the sagging porch roof of the old abandoned Harris house. At least, the upper half of her did. The rest of her dangled down over the roof’s edge.