âOur engagement was very special to me â¦
To us. Those memories were only for us to share.â
Caraâs eyes slid closed. Alex was saying all the right things. âOh, Alex.â
âI mean it, Cara.â
Cara didnât know what to say to that. She berated herself for believing him. For thinking that possibly, he was telling the truth this time. The problem was, she didnât know where fake Alex ended and the real Alex began.
Her silence brought forth his deep sigh. âI canât change what happened between us, Cara. If I could, I would. But I hope your heart tells you to give us another chance.â
Cara nibbled on her lower lip. âThis is very hard for me, Alex.â
Queasiness rocked her belly, but she didnât think it was Baby del Toro causing the turmoil this timeâit was the little oneâs father.
* * *
The Texas Renegade Returns is a Texas Cattlemanâs Club: The Missing Mogul novel. Love and scandal meet in Royal, Texas!
CHARLENE SANDS is a USA TODAY bestselling author of thirty-five romance novels, writing sensual contemporary romances and stories of the Old West. Her books have been honored with a National Readersâ Choice Award, a Cataromance Reviewersâ Choice Award, and sheâs a double recipient of the Booksellersâ Best Award. She belongs to the Orange County chapter and the Los Angeles chapter of RWA.
Charlene writes âhunky heroes with heart.â She knows a little something about true romanceâshe married her high school sweetheart! When not writing, Charlene enjoys sunny Pacific beaches, great coffee, reading books from her favorite authors and spending time with her family. You can find her on Facebook and Twitter. Charlene loves to hear from her readers! You can write her at PO Box 4883, West Hills, CA 91308, USA or sign up for her newsletter for fun blogs and ongoing contests at www.charlenesands.com.
One
âIâm terribly sorry Mr. del Toro, but Miss Windsor is very busy right now. She canât see you today.â
Alex stared at Caraâs assistant who didnât sound sorry at all. She sat stiff-shouldered behind her Plexiglas desk in the austere offices of Windsor Energy like a mama bear protecting her cub. She was doing her job, so he couldnât blame her for that, but that Wicked Witch of the West glare she was giving him had to go.
Now that the truth about his real identity was out, friendly faces in Royal, Texas, were a rare commodity. Youâd think heâd sprouted gills and swam with piranha. Old man Windsor had probably alerted his security staff to usher him out of the building on sight. Heâd deal with Paul Windsor another time. Today, heâd come for Cara and he wasnât leaving Windsor Energy without her.
He darted his gaze at Caraâs office door. Dios, he was dying to see her. He had things to tell her that could not wait.
He aimed his best smile straight at the middle-aged assistant. As a boy in Mexico, his natural charm had served him well and heâd learned how to get around his schoolteachers and later, as a young man, heâd perfected the art of persuasion with the opposite sex. Now, the only woman he cared about persuading was Cara Windsor.
âMiss,â he said, verifying the womanâs name by her nameplate, âMiss Potter, you look like a reasonable woman and I would never want you to risk your job, so perhaps you can simply let Miss Windsor know Iâm here. Or, I can take it upon myself to open her door unannounced. I donât think Miss Windsor would appreciate the intrusion and I really donât want to barge in, but one way or another,â he said, gesturing toward Caraâs door, âI will be seeing her today.â He kept his smile from wavering.
Miss Potterâs shoulders gave an inch. Her eyes begged for understanding. âIâm supposed to call Security if you should ever show up here.â
âYou donât want to do that, do you?â
âNo, but Mr. Windsor issued the order. And everyone knows...â
âWhat do they know?â
Her gaze dipped to the desktop. âThat you broke Caraâs heart.â
Ouch! Miss Potter didnât mince words. This was just a taste of what he was up against.
âI can assure you, I am not going to hurt Cara, so rather than get you in trouble for not doing your job, let us just pretend I didnât stop by your desk. I will just let myself into herââ
âGayle? Whatâs going on here?â
Caraâs lilting voice drifted from the doorway. It smoothed all of his rough edges and calmed him down inside. He pivoted on his heels and turned around.
Seeing Caraâs beautiful face tore him up inside. She had one slender hand on the edge of the door, her body half in, half out of the doorway. The fluorescents shimmered over her straight blond hair and cascaded over her shoulders as smooth as golden honey. Memories came to mind of those soft silky locks teasing over his face as she made love to him right after heâd been released from the hospital.