Texas Heat
The Wild, Wild WestIrrepressible tomboy Dory Richards can change a tire faster than any man, yet when it comes to her love life, she's a lost cause. But sexy cowboy Clint Manning has a plan to uncover the woman she really is–and maybe a whole lot more.Wild at HeartEver since she accidentally walked in on rodeo star Ben Anderson in the buff, Jessica Mead can't get the memory of him out of her mind. But is topflight fashion editor Jessica another buckle bunny? Not a chance! Well, maybe just for this weekend…WildfireBig-city reporter Lisa Stevens may have been rejected by hunky rancher Joe Manning five years ago, but she's not about to give up the chase. She's got a point to prove, even if she has to lasso the sexy stubborn cowboy to the bed to make it happen!
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âStep on up, cowboy. I promise not to bite,â Dory said
She winked exaggeratedly at the men, who were lapping up her antics like thirsty dogs at the trough, rather than the kissing booth.
âLooks as if youâre doing just fine without my business,â Clint replied, caught off guard by the realization that he wanted to kiss her. Not a token peck in front of the crowd, but one of those slow wet kisses that made his blood simmer.
The knowledge shook him. When had he started thinking of Dory in those terms?
âChicken,â she taunted, her glittering eyes locked with his as she plucked the tickets from the hand of her next customer.
Clint smiled. Oh, he planned on kissing her, all right. Later. Without an audience.
In fact, if she was willing, he planned on doing a whole lot more than kissing.
Dear Reader,
These past two years have been a time for me to flex my writing skills. Iâve contributed to an anthology with two other authors, written two time travels and this ENCOUNTERS story. Of all the departures from my usual path, I had anticipated that the ENCOUNTERS would have been the easiest. Not so.
What a roller-coaster ride Texas Heat was for me to write. I love ranch settings and fish-out-of-water stories, so no problems there. Iâve written in short format before, so again, no problem with that. The characters themselves are the ones who gave me trouble. It was too hard to let them go.
As different as heroines Dory, Lisa and Jessica are, I totally adored each one from the start. I thought they found the perfect heroes, and I wanted to stay with them on their journeys. And soon youâll meet Kate Manning againâ¦Iâm plotting her story now, and since sheâs best friends with Dory, Lisa and Jessica, I think I just may have to find out what the ladies are up to. Well, time to get back to work.
Enjoy!
Debbi Rawlins
Texas Heat
Debbi Rawlins
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debbi Rawlins lives in central Utah, out in the country, surrounded by woods and deer and wild turkeys. Itâs quite a change for a city girl, who didnât even know where the state of Utah was until four years ago. Of course, unfamiliarity never stopped her. Between her junior and senior years of college she spontaneously left home in Hawaii and bummed around Europe for five weeks by herself. And much to her parentsâ delight, she returned home with only a quarter in her wallet.
Contents
Prologue
THE WILD, WILD WEST
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
WILD AT HEART
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
WILDFIRE
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Epilogue
Prologue
âI THINK THEYâRE HERE,â Maria, the Manningâs longtime housekeeper said as she stopped squeezing lemons and squinted into the sun streaming in through the window.
Excited to see her college friends, Kate Manning yanked off her apron and started out of the large crowded kitchen when she remembered her engagement ring sitting on the windowsill over the sink. She grabbed the one-karat diamond solitaire and smiled wryly at Maria, when the older woman shook her graying head in mock disapproval.
Kate had accepted the ring from her boyfriend of two years a month ago and had already misplaced it three times. No doubt a psychologist would have a field day with that information. Lately, Kate had been wondering herself what lay beneath the uncharacteristic absentmindedness. But not now. She didnât have time to think about anything but the weekendâs festivities. Here at the Sugarloaf, her familyâs ranch, the Fourth of July celebration was a Manning tradition that included neighboring ranches for fifty miles.
She slid the ring onto her finger as she hurried through the sprawling ranch house to fling open the front door. The black Town Car sheâd sent to the Houston airport for her friends pulled into the circular driveway and stopped several feet from the wraparound porch.
Lisa Stevens stepped out of the car first, blond, beautiful, perfect figure, gorgeous hair, flawless skinâ¦she hadnât changed a bit since college. Or maybe Kate didnât notice a difference because Lisa was the only one sheâd seen since theyâd graduated five years ago. A successful Chicago reporter, Lisa had tracked a lead to Dallas, and Kate had met her there for a night out. Naturally, Lisa had gotten her story. The woman could charm the fangs off a rattlesnake.
Dory Richards was right behind her, a direct contrast in torn, faded jeans, a baggy dark T-shirt and black running shoes. She looked as if she hadnât brushed her long brown hair in a week, but then sheâd always looked that way. A perpetual tomboy, even the few times sheâd dated in college, Dory had never bothered with makeup or the latest clothing styles.
From the other side of the car, Jessica Mead rounded the hood of the car. Kate almost didnât recognize her. The woman had totally transformed herself. Oozing sophistication and glamour, her hair was pulled into a fashionable French twist and her tailored sleeveless linen dress obviously hadnât come off the rack. Absurdly high heels made her a good five inches taller than her college days of scruffy jeans and tennis shoes.
