âJessie, we need to talk.â
Caddeâs deep voice demanded Jessieâs attention.
She looked up, trying to appear as innocent as possible. âAbout what?â
âYou know damn well about what. We spoke last night and you seemed in agreement about the next steps for Shilah Oil.â
âI didnât promise you my vote.â
âOh, no, youâre way too smart for that.â Anger now edged his voice. âDo you get some kind of perverse pleasure out of blocking my every move?â
âActually, no.â
âThen what the hell is it?â He waved a hand around the green-and-white room. âIf the oil company goes under, so will all of this. Why are you keeping Shilah stagnant? Itâs me, isnât it? Youâre not comfortable with me taking over Roscoeâs position so youâre trying to stick it to me every way you can.â
She shook her head. âNo. I think youâre more than qualified to fill Daddyâs shoes.â
âThen what the hell is it, Jessie? What do I have to do to get your support? What do you want?â
âItâs quite simple. I want a baby.â
Dear Reader,
Iâm happy to present you with the second book in The Hardin Boys series. Cadde Hardin and Jessie Murdock are two strong-willed people who know exactly what they want. Cadde has worked years toward one goal: owning an oil company. Jessie wants a family. She has the power to make his dream come true and vice versa. But as we all know, life doesnât come with a blueprint.
As far back as I can remember I wanted to be a nurse. I took all the right courses and worked as a nurseâs aide. My dream was set, but like I said, lifeâs blueprint is different from our own. In college I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and I had to adjust, regroup and create new goals. Today I write happy-ever-after books for Harlequin. Not too bad of an adjustment.
Cadde and Jessie think their goals are set, but they get derailed for a lot of reasons. Through some heartache the two of them learn a hard lessonâlove is not a business arrangement. I have to admit I shed a few tears while writing this book. I have a box of tissues on my desk that is now almost empty.
You know this story has a happy ending, so hang in there. I hope you enjoy The Texanâs Bride. It took a piece of my heart. Please look for the third book in the series, The Texanâs Christmas, Ciscoâs (Kidâs) story, in December.
With love and thanks,
Linda Warren
P.S.âItâs always a pleasure to hear from readers. You can email me at [email protected] or write me at P.O. Box 5182, Bryan, TX 77805. Visit my website at www.lindawarren.net or www.facebook.com/authorlindawarren. I will answer your letters as soon as I can.
RITA>® Award-nominated and award-winning author Linda Warren has written twenty-nine books for Harlequin, including Superromance, American Romance and Everlasting Love. Drawing upon her years of growing up on a farm/ranch in Texas, she writes about sexy heroes, feisty heroines and broken families with an emotional punch, all set against the backdrop of Texas. When sheâs not writing or at the mall, sheâs sitting on her patio with her husband watching the wildlife and plotting her next book. Visit her website at www.LindaWarren.net.
To Jenniferâ¦may all your dreams come true.
I would like to thank the following people
who answered my many questions and made this book possible: Vicki, Jennifer, James O., Phyllis, Lauren, Mark, Laura and Scott. 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
EPILOGUE
CADDE HARDIN ALWAYS THOUGHT heâd eventually get married. He just never dreamed it would be a marriage of convenience.
And a pain in the ass.
âOne of these days Iâm going to wring her damn pretty neck.â
He threw his briefcase onto the desk, scattering piles of folders, and slam-dunked his body into a leather chair, which protested with loud, annoying squeaks. He was so angry he could barely breathe.
How many more times was Jessie, his wife, going to stab him in the back?
His brothers, Ciscoâknown as Kidâand Chance stood in the doorway. âIs it safe to come in?â Kid asked. Cadde nodded.
âWhat the hell happened?â Kid wanted to know. âYou said you had it handled, but once again Jessie shot down your proposal.â
Cadde yanked off his tie. âIâm well aware of that.â For a whole week heâd been telling Jessie how much he needed her vote at Shilah Oilâs next board meeting. The company had to move forward. She had agreed, but evidently sheâd changed her mind, voting against expanding drilling outside of Texas. He could feel his blood pressure rising by the minute.
âWhat did she say when you told her about the proposal?â Chance asked, taking a seat.
Cadde threw the tie onto the desk. âShe said it sounded like something her father, Roscoe, would do. He was always a wildcatter, a risk-taker.â