Their lips were only an inch apart, distracting Cy from his duty to protect her.
All that registered was Kellieâs warmth and beauty, seducing him into wanting a taste of her. It was wrong to give in to his desire, but heâd passed a threshold where chemistry had taken over. He could no more stop what was happening than he could prevent himself from being swept into a vortex.
When his mouth closed over hers, he heard a small moan, then she was giving him access as if she couldnât stop herself either. For a minute he forgot everything while the wonder of her response took hold. One kiss became another and another until it all merged into a growing need that set them on fire.
Heâd never known this kind of ecstasy before. Maybe it was because of the danger surrounding them that the experience of holding and kissing her had surpassed any pleasure heâd known.
REBECCA WINTERS, whose family of four children has now swelled to include five beautiful grandchildren, lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the land of the Rocky Mountains. With canyons and high alpine meadows full of wildflowers, she never runs out of places to explore. They, plus her favorite vacation spots in Europe, often end up as backgrounds for her romance novels, because writing is her passion, along with her family and church.
Rebecca loves to hear from readers. If you wish to e-mail her, please visit her website, www.cleanromances.com.
Chapter One
âThis is Tammy White and youâre listening to Hill Country Cowboy Radio broadcasting from Bandera, Texas, the Cowboy Capital of the World!
âOh boy, have we got a lineup for you on this Labor Day weekend, including the star of the Bandera Rodeo, Kellie Parrish from Austin, Texas, our stateâs hopeful to win the National Barrel Racing Championship in Las Vegas come December. Sheâll be our guest in the second segment of our show.
âNow hear this. All you cowgirls out there, listen up and hold on to your Stetsons because we have some jaw-dropping, gorgeous, bronco-busting, homegrown cowboys in studio. But thatâs not the best part. Theyâre four of our famous, legendary Texas Rangers, the pride of the great state of Texas! Iâve asked my buddy Mel from the fire department to be on hand in case I go into cardiac arrest. Itâs not every day Iâm surrounded by such hunky men. Theyâre not only easy on the eyes, but they wear the star and put their lives on the line every day to protect us.
âWelcome, gentlemen. How come weâre so lucky that four of you were willing to be interviewed? Judging by the way you were laughing when you came into the booth, does it mean youâre good friends both on and off duty?â
The men all looked at Cy. Their captain in the Austin office had asked him to be the spokesman for this interview. None of them wanted to do it, but the boss insisted it was important for the Rangers to have a positive public presence. Cy had to cowboy up.
âYup. The four of us share a very unique bond.â
âWe want to hear all about it, but first why donât you introduce yourselves and tell us where youâre from?â
âSure. Iâm Cyril Vance and call Dripping Springs home.â Kit took his turn next. âRanger Miles Saunders from Marble Falls.â Vic followed. âRanger Stephen Malone. I grew up in Blanco.â Cy nodded to Luckey on the other side of Vic. âIâm Ranger James Davis from Austin.â
âLadies, itâs too bad this isnât television! Youâd eat your hearts out if you were sitting where I am. Through the Hill Country grapevine the station learned that a lot of Rangers are in Bandera to help celebrate Jack Hays Days. Youâll see them riding their horses in tomorrow morningâs parade. It would be hard to believe that anyone in the state of Texas doesnât know the name Jack Hays. But just in case you donât, we want to hear from you why the name of Jack Hays stirs the hearts of every Texan, particularly those of the Rangers.â
âIâll take this,â Vic volunteered. âWhen Sam Houston was reelected to the presidency in December 1841, he recognized the effectiveness of the Rangers. And on January 29, 1842, he approved a law that officially provided for a company of mounted men to âact as Rangers.â As a result, 150 Rangers under Captain John Coffee âJackâ Hays were assigned to protect the southern and western portions of the Texas frontier. Houstonâs foresight in this decision proved successful in helping to repel the Mexican invasions of 1842, as well as shielding the white settlers against Indian attacks over the next three years.â
Vic turned to Kit. âYou tell the rest.â
âBe happy to. Jack Hays was responsible for improving the quality of recruitments and initiating tough training programs for the new Rangers, as well as initiating an esprit de corps within his command.