The Texas Ranger's Twins

The Texas Ranger's Twins
Tina Leonard

Texas Ranger Dane Morgan wasn't planning to get married any time soon, but he's been lured home by his father's ultimatum: become a family man or forfeit his inheritance.Suddenly, sticking around the family ranch is looking better and better to this roving cowboy…especially when he meets the new live-in housekeeper. Suzy Winterstone will do anything to give her twin toddler daughters a name–except marry Dane Morgan! He wants to play house for a year to appease his father, who longs for grandbabies to spoil in his golden years.But Suzy yearns for the real thing. True Love. While the sassy single mother is as tempting as she is sweet, no Ranger worth his salt can be forced into marriage by a meddling matchmaker! Can he?

At the door of the bedroom, Dane stopped in his tracks

On his bed lay Suzy, her two little angels sleeping soundly beside her…drawing him in with their cherubic faces. Tingles ran over his arms. He allowed himself to give Suzy a thorough once-over.

What the hell was she doing in his room? On his bed?

Dane intended to tell Goldilocks when she awakened that his bed was not “just right” for her.

No. He couldn’t do that. There were three of her family and only one of him.

Dane realized no matter how he fought it, staying at the Morgan ranch for a year with Suzy Winterstone and her girls was not going to be his easiest assignment.

Dear Reader,

I love writing about home, hearth and family. The older my children get, the more home means to me. So I was delighted to be able to write THE MORGAN MEN series, which started with Texas Lullaby (June 2008) and now continues with The Texas Ranger’s Twins. Two more books follow—The Secret Agent’s Surprises (February 2009) and The Triplets’ Rodeo Man (March 2009). These are the stories of four brothers who learn that it’s never too late to go home again.

The Morgan men are estranged from a father they haven't spoken to in years. But the elder Mr. Morgan is particularly clever at luring his boys home—with the promise of an inheritance, and the hope they’ll become family men. Forgiveness is something the Morgan brothers will need to learn—and that’s never an easy lesson! What a wonderful gift it is to discover that forgiveness is possible, and the light of home is always burning.

The Texas Ranger’s Twins also kicks off a year-long celebration of heroes called MEN MADE IN AMERICA. Look for one book a month in 2009 that celebrates a hunky American male and his chosen profession!

Enjoy THE MORGAN MEN and MEN MADE IN AMERICA. See you next month!

Best wishes and much love,

Tina Leonard

Tina Leonard

The Texas Ranger’s Twins

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tina Leonard is the bestselling author of over forty projects, including a popular thirteen-book miniseries for Harlequin American Romance. Her books have made the Waldenbooks, Ingram’s, and Nielsen Book-scan bestseller lists. Tina feels she has been blessed with a fertile imagination and quick typing skills, excellent editors, and a family who loves her career. Born on a military base, she lived in many states before eventually marrying the boy who did her crayon printing for her in the first grade. Tina believes happy endings are a wonderful part of a good life. You can visit her at www.tinaleonard.com.

Many thanks to my family,

who have always made my home a wonderful place

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

Chapter Twenty

Chapter One

“Spare the rod, spoil the child”

—Josiah Morgan on his parenting philosophy of raising four boys on his own

Suzy Winterstone didn’t like the Morgan ranch. It was too big, too isolated and very scary at night. She walked inside the house, feeling chills that weren’t from the January wind. The front door actually creaked when someone opened it, just like in an old movie. She told herself the hinges were cold and hadn’t been used recently, but then she remembered Josiah Morgan had told her he had a farmhand who kept an eye on the property. So the hinges weren’t unused—they were simply spooky.

All of five-foot-five and weighing about a hundred and thirty pounds, Suzy wasn’t prepared to grapple with ghosts. According to Josiah’s letter, a live-in housekeeper was badly needed at the ranch. She needed a job, and she dreamed of employment that would allow her to watch over her children. Here was a golden opportunity to achieve her heart’s desire. Josiah Morgan said she’d be doing him a favor—he’d been very generous to her in the past and this job offer was no exception. Upon hearing that her boyfriend of three years had ended their relationship and had taken off for parts unknown, leaving her high and dry with twin babies, Josiah had set up a trust fund for the girls’ college expenses. She’d felt very fortunate, but Mr. Morgan was known for his generous acts in the town of Union Junction. Some people said the old man was crazy, but most people thought he was kind and grandfatherly, including Suzy.

Suzy had been working as a nurse at the hospital up until her maternity leave and was fortunate to have insurance. She could always go back to nursing, but creaking doors aside, this would be a wonderful place to work for one year. Josiah wanted it kept clean, and he wanted it decorated for every holiday, as if a family lived there. Knowing she had sewing skills, he wanted new drapes made for the house, for which he’d pay her extra. The fabrics he’d chosen were stored somewhere in this cavernous dwelling, but she could select other fabric if she wished—as long as she made the house what Mr. Morgan called “gracious living suitable for grandchildren.”

Suzy walked into a large room with a fireplace, noting the window casements were about eighteen feet high. She went up the stairs, peeking into the cold bedrooms. Lack of human warmth chilled the house, and she could understand why Josiah felt it would be better to have her family living in the house in his absence.

She decided to take the job—and first thing tomorrow, she was oiling the front door.