Blame It On Texas

Blame It On Texas
Cathy Gillen Thacker

Lewis McCabe fell for Lexie Remington long ago.But as a shy and awkward teenager he thought he had no chance with her. Now he's a successful business owner and ready to romance Lexie, who's back in their hometown of Laramie, Texas. However, Lexie, an image stylist to the stars, thinks Lewis is asking for her professional help.So in order to spend time with the woman of his dreams, Lewis agrees to a makeover. Lexie is determined to see Lewis as just a client, no matter how she's starting to feel. But Lewis has other plans - he wants Lexie to stay in Laramie for good. And he wants a lot more than just a new look. Whatever happens, they can blame it on Texas!

“I don’t want word getting out that I hired you to help me,” Lewis said

Lexie propped her hands on her hips. “Don’t you think that they’re going to figure it out when you start looking a whole lot different after spending concentrated time with me?”

Lewis paused. His lips curved up on either side. “Well, maybe not so much if people thought we were dating and you steered me in another direction, clotheswise or something. If word got out that we were dating, would that be so bad?”

“Yes. You’re a client,” she reminded sternly.

“But people here don’t know that,” he insisted, looking her square in the eye.

“But I do,” Lexie shot back. “And I don’t date clients, Lewis.”

Not anymore. Not since she had found out mixing business and pleasure with a sexy available man was the worst mistake a single woman could make.

Lewis paused to come up with a new strategy. “Then we’ll just have to tell people we’re spending time together because we’re friends.”

Dear Reader,

Figuring out what to wear is something that has stumped us all from time to time. The “look” you eventually end up with usually depends on how and where you spend most of your time. For instance, my office is in my home and I place a premium on comfort, so you’re more likely to find me in jeans, sneakers and a cotton shirt than a dress and heels. Fortunately, no one really cares how a writer is garbed when he or she is writing—people just want to read a good story. Celebrities and CEOs, on the other hand, are held to a different standard.

Globe-trotting former Laramie, Texas, resident Lexie Remington knows this and has made a career of helping clients figure out what kind of image they want to present to the world. Whereas the brilliant—but hopelessly style challenged—computer genius Lewis McCabe is too much of a man’s man to employ anyone to tell him how to dress. And this puts the fun-loving millionaire in a quandary. Lewis wants Lexie’s attention. He won’t get it if he doesn’t at least pretend to respect what she does for a living. So following a small misunderstanding, he inadvertently gets himself in a Texas-sized mess. One his four brothers think is a hoot…

I hope you enjoy BLAME IT ON TEXAS as much as I loved writing it. For more information on this and other books, please visit my Web site at www.cathygillenthacker.com.

Happy reading!

Cathy Gillen Thacker

Blame It on Texas

Cathy Gillen Thacker

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cathy Gillen Thacker married her high school sweetheart and hasn’t had a dull moment since. Why? you ask. Well, there were three kids, various pets, any number of automobiles, several moves across the country, his and her careers and sundry other experiences (some of which were exciting and some of which weren’t). But mostly, there was love and friendship and laughter, and lots of experiences she wouldn’t trade for the world.

This book is for Mary Thacker, for her love and support over the years.

Contents

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 One

A full moon shone and stars twinkled in the velvety sky overhead. It was shaping up to be a beautiful October evening, Lewis McCabe thought, as he strode briskly up the steps of the Remington ranch house. Before he could press the doorbell, the front door opened. Jenna Lockhart Remington stepped across the threshold, the look on her face anything but welcoming. “I know why you’re here,” the elegant older woman said firmly.

“You do?” Lewis McCabe murmured. Darn it, had his four brothers phoned ahead to make his plan public before he put it into action? If so, there was going to be heck to pay, he decided grimly, and then some.

“And although—” Mrs. Remington paused to shrewdly peruse Lewis from head to toe, none of her customary hospitality evident “—I can see your need is dire—”

How could she have known how long it had been since he’d had a date? Lewis thought in irritation. Then again, this was Laramie, Texas, where everyone was family, and nothing stayed secret for long.

“Lexie is here on vacation.”

“Exactly,” Lewis said, glad they were no longer talking at cross purposes. “I figured since your stepdaughter’s in town again I’d use the opportunity to—”

“Take advantage of her kind and generous nature?” Mrs. Remington scolded, clearly annoyed.

Was Mrs. Remington intimating he was a pity date? That Lexie would only go out with him if she felt sorry for him? “I assure you, Mrs. Remington, I have nothing but the utmost respect for Lexie,” he said sincerely, determined to do whatever it took to get an audience with the woman he’d had his eye on for what seemed like forever. “I hold her in highest regard.”

“Which is, of course, exactly why you are here,” Mrs. Remington interrupted. “Because Lexie is so successful.”

Given the fact this conversation had started off on the wrong foot, and had been going down the wrong path ever since, Lewis wasn’t sure what to say to that. “Of course I admire what Lexie has done professionally,” he admitted. “Everyone around here does.” Thanks to her stunning fashion sense, she’d become every bit the celebrity her clients were.

Footsteps sounded in the background. Jake Remington, Lexie’s father, appeared at his wife’s side, his tall, lanky frame filling the doorway. Jake nodded at Lewis. “McCabe.”

“Mr. Remington.” Lewis stuck out his hand. After a moment, Jake shook it. Encouraged, Lewis continued, “I was just telling Mrs. Remington that I—”