Charlene Sands - The Texas Renegade Returns

“Our engagement was very special to me …

To us. Those memories were only for us to share.”

Cara’s eyes slid closed. Alex was saying all the right things. “Oh, Alex.”

“I mean it, Cara.”

Cara didn’t know what to say to that. She berated herself for believing him. For thinking that possibly, he was telling the truth this time. The problem was, she didn’t know where fake Alex ended and the real Alex began.

Her silence brought forth his deep sigh. “I can’t change what happened between us, Cara. If I could, I would. But I hope your heart tells you to give us another chance.”

Cara nibbled on her lower lip. “This is very hard for me, Alex.”

Queasiness rocked her belly, but she didn’t think it was Baby del Toro causing the turmoil this time—it was the little one’s father.

* * *

The Texas Renegade Returnsis a Texas Cattleman’s Club: The Missing Mogul novel. Love and scandal meet in Royal, Texas!

www.millsandboon.co.uk

CHARLENE SANDSis a USA TODAY bestselling author of thirty-five romance novels, writing sensual contemporary romances and stories of the Old West. Her books have been honored with a National Readers’ Choice Award, a Cataromance Reviewers’ Choice Award, and she’s a double recipient of the Booksellers’ Best Award. She belongs to the Orange County chapter and the Los Angeles chapter of RWA.

Charlene writes “hunky heroes with heart.” She knows a little something about true romance—she married her high school sweetheart! When not writing, Charlene enjoys sunny Pacific beaches, great coffee, reading books from her favorite authors and spending time with her family. You can find her on Facebook and Twitter. Charlene loves to hear from her readers! You can write her at PO Box 4883, West Hills, CA 91308, USA or sign up for her newsletter for fun blogs and ongoing contests at www.charlenesands.com.

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To my sister Carol … my best friend.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Excerpt

One

“I’m terribly sorry Mr. del Toro, but Miss Windsor is very busy right now. She can’t see you today.”

Alex stared at Cara’s assistant who didn’t sound sorry at all. She sat stiff-shouldered behind her Plexiglas desk in the austere offices of Windsor Energy like a mama bear protecting her cub. She was doing her job, so he couldn’t blame her for that, but that Wicked Witch of the West glare she was giving him had to go.

Now that the truth about his real identity was out, friendly faces in Royal, Texas, were a rare commodity. You’d think he’d sprouted gills and swam with piranha. Old man Windsor had probably alerted his security staff to usher him out of the building on sight. He’d deal with Paul Windsor another time. Today, he’d come for Cara and he wasn’t leaving Windsor Energy without her.

He darted his gaze at Cara’s office door. Dios, he was dying to see her. He had things to tell her that could not wait.

He aimed his best smile straight at the middle-aged assistant. As a boy in Mexico, his natural charm had served him well and he’d learned how to get around his schoolteachers and later, as a young man, he’d perfected the art of persuasion with the opposite sex. Now, the only woman he cared about persuading was Cara Windsor.

“Miss,” he said, verifying the woman’s name by her nameplate, “Miss Potter, you look like a reasonable woman and I would never want you to risk your job, so perhaps you can simply let Miss Windsor know I’m here. Or, I can take it upon myself to open her door unannounced. I don’t think Miss Windsor would appreciate the intrusion and I really don’t want to barge in, but one way or another,” he said, gesturing toward Cara’s door, “I will be seeing her today.” He kept his smile from wavering.

Miss Potter’s shoulders gave an inch. Her eyes begged for understanding. “I’m supposed to call Security if you should ever show up here.”

“You don’t want to do that, do you?”

“No, but Mr. Windsor issued the order. And everyone knows...”

“What do they know?”

Her gaze dipped to the desktop. “That you broke Cara’s heart.”

Ouch! Miss Potter didn’t mince words. This was just a taste of what he was up against.

“I can assure you, I am not going to hurt Cara, so rather than get you in trouble for not doing your job, let us just pretend I didn’t stop by your desk. I will just let myself into her—”

“Gayle? What’s going on here?”

Cara’s lilting voice drifted from the doorway. It smoothed all of his rough edges and calmed him down inside. He pivoted on his heels and turned around.

Seeing Cara’s beautiful face tore him up inside. She had one slender hand on the edge of the door, her body half in, half out of the doorway. The fluorescents shimmered over her straight blond hair and cascaded over her shoulders as smooth as golden honey. Memories came to mind of those soft silky locks teasing over his face as she made love to him right after he’d been released from the hospital.

Today, she wore a business suit of slate-gray, nothing special, nothing noteworthy, but on her, it looked like a Vogue fashion cover. His gaze drifted to her white blouse underneath, clinging to her skin and dipping into the valley between her breasts.

How he missed her.

Her eyes rounded on him and the sparkle in those blue gems faded. Breath rushed out of her like a hiss. “Alex, what are you doing here?” So much for smooth and lilting.

“I came for you.”

She began shaking her head and set her chin firmly. “You can’t be here.”

Gayle Potter rose from her seat. “I’m sorry, Miss Windsor. I tried to stop him.”

“She did. She tried to stop me. But as you know—”

“You’re not stoppable, when you want something.” Her mouth pulled down, sweeping away any welcome on her face.

He had a lot of making up to do.

“It’s okay, Gayle,” she said. “I understand.”

“Should I call S-Security?”

Cara’s chest rose and fell and she sighed. “No, I’ll handle this. If you could excuse us a moment and take your break, I’ll walk Mr. del Toro out.”

He cringed at the bitterness spewing from her lips. He was here to rectify his mistakes, not hurt her anymore.

Gayle darted a worried glance at both of them as she grabbed her bag and scooted out of the office. “Certainly, I’ll be in the lounge if you need me.”

“You shouldn’t even be in this building,” Cara was saying.

“Huh? Oh, what?” He found himself staring and following her every movement. His memories of her didn’t do her justice. He hadn’t seen her for weeks and he’d almost forgotten the blue sparkle in her pretty eyes, like the ocean when first touched by morning sun. He’d almost forgotten the round full shape of her breasts. And legs that made him want to weep when they wrapped around him.