âIâm sorry, Chase,â she whispered.
âShh,â he breathed, and held her. Damn, she was breaking his heart. âWeâve both made mistakes, Mal. I have to take some blame, too. If I hadnât left you back thenâ¦if Iâd stayedâ¦â He wasnât about to tell her that heâd returned, only to find she was al ready married, and all he could do was walk away from her a second time.
Mallory raised her head and looked at him, her green eyes luminous. âNo. I knew all along how much you wanted to be a Ranger. And you are such a good one.â She touched his face and he about lost it. âAnd youâre a good man, too.â
What he was feeling and thinking right now was far from being good. âAnd youâre a good mother.â He couldnât resist her any longer, and touched his mouth to hers.
âChaseâ¦â
âQuiet, Mal. Weâve talked enough.â His mouth closed over hers, and he forgot about everything else but the woman in his arms.
Patricia Thayer has been writing for over twenty years, and has published thirty books with Mills & Boon. Her books have been twice nominated for various awards in the USA, including the National Readersâ Choice Award, the Book Buyersâ Best, and a prestigious RITA® Award. In 1997 NOTHING SHORT OF A MIRACLE won the Romantic Times BOOK Club Reviewersâ Choice Award for Best Special Edition.
Thanks to the understanding men in her lifeâher husband of over thirty-five years, Steve, and her three grown sons and three grandsonsâPat has been able to fulfil her dream of writing. Besides writing romance, she loves to travelâespecially in the west, where she researches her books first hand. You might find her on a ranch in Texas, or on a train to an old mining town in Colorado, and this year youâll find her on an adventure in Scotland. Just so long as she can share it all with her favourite hero, Steve. She loves to hear from readers. You can write to her at PO Box 6251, Anaheim, CA 92816-0251, USA, or check her website at www.patriciathayer.com for upcoming books.
Dear Reader
This is a first for me. Iâve written numerous western stories over the years, and several of the locations were in Texas, but Iâve never written a Texas Ranger as a hero.
I have to admit I was a little intimidated just by their reputation alone. And I wasnât quite sure what exactly their job entailed. Was it more of an honorary position? Did these men, and now women, just walk around wearing white hats and a silver badge?
Then I talked with Carol Mathis, Administrative Technician for Ranger Company E in Midland, Texas. She eagerly answered all my questions about this elite group of 116 lawmen and women. The Rangers have protected the people of Texas since 1823. Their jobs include anything from going after kidnappers and bank robbers to helping find missing people. No job is too small or too large for a Texas Ranger. And, when itâs needed, they still climb on a horse to go after the bad guy.
In my story, TEXAS RANGER TAKES A BRIDE, Chase Landon goes in search of a boy whoâs been kidnapped by escaped convicts. The stakes are raised when he learns the child is his own son. Mallory Hagan, the woman he once loved but walked away from to become a Ranger, never told him of the boy. Now they have to put the past behind them and work together.
Once again, itâs been my privilege to learn about the Rangers. They are truly heroes. Thanks, Carol, for all your help.
Any mistakes in this story are mine and mine alone.
Enjoy
Patricia Thayer
To Helen,
I loved your fierce loyalty to your family and friends,
your joy for life, your bright smile and your special way with words.
And Iâll miss you, my friend.
Gentle Persuader, Helen Haddad,
June 13, 1933âOctober 17, 2007
CHAPTER ONE
SHE HADNâT BEEN ABLE to shake the uneasy feeling.
Mallory Hagan looked out the kitchen window toward the barn and corral area. Still no sign of Buck and Ryan. She trusted her father to take care of her eight-year-old son, but that didnât stop her from worrying.
On the plus side, he was a good rider, and his grandpa had taken him out on the trail many times. Just not overnight.
And never had they been four hours overdue.
Mallory paced the large ranch kitchen and stopped at the wall phone. Unable to stop herself, she picked up the receiver and called her dadâs cell phone. It went right to voice mailâ¦again. They must be in a dead area.
She looked up when the housekeeper, Rosalie, walked into the kitchen. âStill no sign of them?â
Mallory shook her head. âIâm getting concerned.â
âDo you think Buck is checking his watch? No. He has his grandson out there, teaching him the cowboy way of life.â
Over the years the housekeeperâs once rich brown hair had turned salt and pepper. It was pulled back into a no-nonsense ponytail, revealing warm hazel eyes and defined cheekbones. Rosalie Dudley had been the only other female in the house since the death of Malloryâs mother over fifteen years ago. Mallory loved her like a second mother.