Texas Heir

Texas Heir
Linda Warren

Cari Michaels has known for a long time that Reed Preston is the only man for her. Until her boss–the dynamic CEO of a family-owned department store chain–announces his engagement…to another woman. It's just the reality check Cari needs to get over Reed.But when a plane crash strands her in the west Texas desert with the man she loves, she can't hide her feelings. And now they have only each other to depend on for their survival.

“I believe we were meant to be here together.”

His eyes darkened, but he didn’t say anything.

“Out here you’re not my boss. We’re just a man and a woman. Alone. The rest of the world doesn’t exist.”

She was tempting him and any other time, any other place she would know this was wrong. They might not have a tomorrow, so she was taking today.

The right or wrong would come later.

“Oh, Cari.” Reed’s voice was a throaty whisper, his eyes as dark as she’d ever seen them.

She kissed his lips gently, the touch of his beard arousing. “This is here. This is now. I love you and I want you to make love to me.”

Dear Reader,

When I wrote The Christmas Cradle (AR, November 2004) I never thought I’d write spin-off books, but I did—The Cowboy’s Return (AR, February 2006) and Once a Cowboy (AR, February 2007). Then came an idea for another, rather unusual, spin-off story about Cari Michaels and Reed Preston.

Reed is CEO of a family-owned Texas chain of department stores. Cari has worked her way up the corporate ladder to vice president. Somewhere along the way she’s fallen in love with her handsome boss. When Reed announces his engagement, Cari is devastated. After a scheduled trip to an El Paso store, she plans to turn in her resignation. Then the unthinkable happens—the plane crashes in desolate west Texas. They are the only two survivors.

Their dire situation causes Cari and Reed to take a good look at their lives and at each other. Suddenly they can see what’s important to them. But is it real? Or is it something fabricated from the tragedy? You’ll have to keep reading to find out.

This was a difficult story to write, yet I enjoyed it immensely. I hope you do, as well. As the saying goes, hold on, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

With love and thanks,

Linda Warren

P.S. It always brightens my day to hear from readers. You can e-mail me at Lw1508@aol.com or write me at P.O. Box 5182, Bryan, TX 77805 or visit my Web site at www.lindawarren.net or www.myspace.com/authorlindawarren. Your letters will be answered.

Texas Heir

Linda Warren

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Award-winning, bestselling author Linda Warren has written twenty-one books for Harlequin Superromance and Harlequin American Romance. She grew up in the farming and ranching community of Smetana, Texas, the only girl in a family of boys. She loves to write about Texas, and from time to time scenes and characters from her childhood show up in her books. Linda lives in College Station, Texas, not far from her birthplace, with her husband, Billy, and a menagerie of wild animals, from Canada geese to bobcats. Visit her Web site at www.lindawarren.net.

A special thanks to Gary Simmons

for being so generous in sharing his knowledge of

private jets and aircraft. And to Sara Schroeder for

sharing her visit to west Texas. Also, to Jane Pearce

for graciously giving me a Spanish lesson.

And lastly, to Pam Litton, Lee Dewbre,

Linda Stewart, Linda Hermes and

Colleen Thompson for offering help when

I needed it the most. All errors are strictly mine.

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 Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen