The Texan's Business Proposition

The Texan's Business Proposition
Peggy Moreland

It was an assignment she couldn't refuse. Ultracapable assistant Sally Gregg had to take care of her boss for one week. No phones. No computers. No stress. Not an easy task considering Vince Donnelly was a workaholic a tyrant she had little use for outside the office.Then the business tycoon decided seducing his secretary would be the ultimate way to pass the time….

The Texan’s Business Proposition

Peggy Moreland

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

For Justin and Cassie

The best things in life are worth waiting on…

and y’all waited long enough! May love, happiness

and friendship accompany you throughout your lives.

Contents

Prologue (#ub2af8fbd-fe75-5977-a7fd-67fe64c6807c)

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Coming Next Month

Prologue

“In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.”

—José Narosky

September 9, 1971

Preacher lay on his cot, his hands folded behind his head, staring at the shadowed canvas roof overhead. Though it was well past midnight and he was exhausted from a day spent on patrol, sleep evaded him.

From the far distance came the muffled rumble of bombs exploding. Closer was the not-so-muffled sound of snoring.

He shot a frown at the cot next to his and considered giving it a swift kick and telling his bunkmate to turn over…but decided against it. Just because he couldn’t sleep didn’t mean Fast Eddie had to join in his misery.

Fast Eddie. He snorted a laugh at the irony of the nickname. There was nothing fast about Eddie. He talked slow, walked slow. But the nickname assigned him during boot camp had stuck, the same as Preacher’s. Preacher’s real name was Vincent Donnelly, but it had been so long since he’d been called by his given name, he doubted he would respond if he were to hear it now.

The tag wasn’t one he would’ve chosen for himself, but he’d take it any day of the week over “Coward”, which is what some of the guys called him behind his back. He didn’t like the name or what it signified. He wasn’t a coward. He just had a hard time wrapping his mind around killing another human being.

Giving up on sleeping, he rolled from his cot and to his feet, hoping a walk might silence the chatter in his head. Once outside, he paused to look around. At the far end of the camp’s perimeter fencing he saw a shadowed form in the bunker and headed that way, thinking he’d shoot the breeze for a while with whoever was pulling guard duty. As he neared the bunker, he heard the metallic click of a safety being released and called quickly, “It’s me. Preacher.”

He heard another click, indicating the safety was shoved back into place, and released a nervous breath.

“Figured it was you, Preacher.”

Recognizing the deep voice as that of Pops, their team leader, he crossed to the bunker and settled down alongside his friend.

“Quiet night?” he asked.

Pops nodded, his gaze on the tall grasses that spread from the western corner of their camp. “Heard something a while ago. Thought we might have some company, but haven’t seen or heard anything since.”

“Could’ve been an animal. We spotted some wild dogs this afternoon on our way back to camp.”

“Maybe.”

Hearing the doubt in Pops’s voice, Preacher glanced his way. “You think somebody’s out there?”

Pops lifted a shoulder but kept his gaze on the grass beyond the fence. “Safer to think there is than get caught unprepared.”

Preached nodded gravely.

They sat a long moment in silence before Pops slanted a look Preacher’s way. “Still having trouble sleeping?”

Embarrassed by what some might consider a weakness, Preacher ducked his head. “Yeah. Can’t seem to stop the chattering in my head.”

“Chattering?”

“You know. Like two sides of my brain are carrying on a conversation.”

“Have you tried telling them to shut up?”

Chuckling, Preacher shook his head. “Haven’t tried that one yet.”

“Do what I do,” Pops suggested. “When I lay down at night, I close my eyes and picture home, my wife curled up beside me in bed. Relaxes my mind, my soul.”

“Wouldn’t work for me. When I think about home, it just adds more worries to the chatter already going on in my head. Things like is Karen managing okay without me? Has Vince cut his first tooth?”