A Bride By Summer: The Texas Ranger's Bride / From Best Friend to Bride / Once Upon a Bride

Just now he’d assumed she’d put the brakes on this latest strategy. To his astonishment, it didn’t happen.

Who knew how long the case might go on. Cy did know exactly how his family was going to react when he told them that he and Kellie were pretending to be man and wife. They were worried he’d never get married and continually tried to line him up with a promising match. The party for his sister coming up on Sunday was another excuse for his parents to introduce him to a new woman.

Because of his undercover role as Kellie’s husband, any matchmaking on their part would have to be put on hold. They’d be forced to give up trying to manage his love life while he was still working on her case. Nothing would frustrate them more. Or please him more.In fact he was tempted to take her to the party with him on Sunday.

What was today? Thursday? Was it only last Friday when they’d collided outside the radio station in Bandera? Since she’d come into his world, he’d lost track of time. How could it be that already he couldn’t comprehend his life without her?

With a relieved sigh, he stretched out on the bed and turned on his side facing the wall. His body felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds, but the capture of Denny Denham had done a lot to lighten his mood. He could actually go to sleep knowing that when he woke up, he’d be with Kellie, who wasn’t going anywhere without him. Later today they’d go riding together. He could hardly wait.

The next time he was cognizant of his surroundings, it was four thirty in the afternoon. He’d been sleeping on his stomach. When he turned over, there she was on the couch across from him, curled up with a book. Their eyes met. Hers were smiling.

Uh-oh. “If I snored, don’t tell me about it.”

“It will be my secret. But I want to know who Sylvia is.”

Cy started to chuckle and sat up. “I don’t believe it.”

“Believe what?” She smiled broadly, illuminating his world. “It seems you’ve been carrying around a secret. A little while ago you muttered something like, ‘Dammit. Where are you, Sylvia?’”

He couldn’t hold back his laughter and moved his pillow so she could see his gun. “That is Sylvia.”

She put the book down. “You call your gun Sylvia?”

“Yup. She goes everywhere I go, but sometimes when I’m dreaming, I find myself looking for her.”

Laughter burst out of Kellie. “You gave it a woman’s name. Why not a man’s?”

“That’s an interesting question. I really don’t know.”

“Was Sylvia an old girlfriend?”

“No such luck,” he teased. “When I was a little boy, my father took me to the barbershop in Dripping Springs for my haircuts. The older man had a picture of his wife, who’d died, on the wall. He called her Sylvia. I guess it stuck in my mind to come out later. Some of my colleagues give their weapons a name.”

She nodded. “Just like some pilots name their planes. My grandfather had an old car he called Elvira.”

Curious, he asked, “Did you name all your horses?”

Kellie let out a sigh. “No, but one day I’d love it if Trixie gave birth to a little filly I could name and raise.”

She could have been talking with the same kind of love she would have for her own baby. He wondered what plans she had for the future. “How long do you intend to compete?”

“After the Finals in December, I’m quitting the circuit. It’s a demanding life and I’ve already been in it so long.”

That was news to him. “What will you do?”

“This is a low-cost rental. I’ve been saving all my earnings and plan to buy a small ranch where I can run my own business of training future barrel racers. I have my eye on several properties that have been put out on the market. That way I can be involved with the rodeo, but on the other end.”

He sucked in his breath, marveling over her ambition. “From the amount of fans who flood your website for training tips, I have no doubt you’ll be so busy you’ll have to turn some away.”

“All in good time, I hope.”

Enjoying this too much, Cy sat up and pulled on his cowboy boots before he got to his feet. He stared down at her. “Speaking of your website, I happened to look at your schedule before Montana and noticed you competed in rodeos back east.”

“Yes. As I told you, Sally’s husband, Manny, is a bull rider and we decided to enter those rodeos for points. It was also a fun vacation.”

Cy rubbed the side of his jaw. “Since the stalkers were operating in the East, it occurred to me one of them would have seen you perform, possibly in Virginia or more likely in South Carolina. We know Charleston was one of the murder scenes. Since Walterboro is only forty minutes away, I’m thinking he might have gone to that rodeo and decided you were his next victim.”

“I had the best time in the ratings that night,” she murmured.

“The spotlight was on you. It makes perfect sense. We hope to pinpoint the exact location of their births in one of those two areas. It’s possible they maintained a home there.”

A delicate frown marred her brows. “To think they might have been following me since January...”

“While Dan tracked you all the way until he showed up in Oregon, his brother broke into the files at the WPRA and obtained your cell-phone number. But remember that there’s only one of them now and I’m going to catch him. Excuse me for a minute while I freshen up, then we’ll leave for your parents’ ranch.”

He put the gun in his side-waist holster. After making the bed, he left the living room and went upstairs to the guest bedroom. He shut the door and phoned Vic, who picked up on the second ring. “I wondered when I’d hear from you.”

“I was catching up on some sleep.”

“Which plan did Kellie go with?” Vic had been in on the meeting with TJ.

Cy stopped pacing. “I gave her a choice.”

“And?”

“We’re going to carry on as we have been.”

“In other words she doesn’t want anyone else being her bodyguard. Between you and me, the captain’s worried you’re going to lose your focus.”

His jaw hardened. “Is that what you think, too?”

“It doesn’t matter what I think.”

“The hell it doesn’t!”

“Honestly?” Vic questioned. “I’ve worked with you for three years and trust you with my life. If you think your plan is the best way to keep her safe and catch this predator, I back you all the way.”

“Thanks, Vic. I’m going to need your help.”

“You’ve got it.”

“We’re leaving for her parents’ ranch in a few minutes so she can exercise her horses. The crew will be watching the condo while we’re gone.”

“While you do that I’m going to see if I can get any information out of our prisoner.”

“If he talks, it’ll be lies.”

“Yup. But coming down off his latest fix, he might make a mistake that could be valuable. I’ll catch up with you later. Watch your back, Cy.”