Jan Hudson - The Twin

Ben grinned

“You’re a beautiful woman, Sunny Outlaw Payton, both inside and out, and I’m a lucky man to be with you.”

Electricity seemed to crackle and hiss between them as his eyes caressed her face. She had no idea about any long-term relationship with Ben, but she didn’t want to think about that now.

She wanted only to savor tonight.

She wanted to feel the warmth and comfort and passion of a man again.

Of Ben.

Dear Reader,

So many folks who have enjoyed the Outlaw family stories have asked if there aren’t any more Outlaws around. Well, I investigated and, by golly, found that Uncle Butch Cassidy Outlaw, who was a Texas State senator, had a couple of secrets, including twin daughters none of his family knew about. The Twin is the first of two stories about these sisters, who run Chili Witches Café in Austin.

Naturally it’s Sam Bass Outlaw from The Texas Ranger (AR, May 2007) who first meets his cousin Sunny, and, wouldn’t you know, he happens to stop in to have a bowl of chili with another Texas Ranger, Ben McKee. (I’ve told you before that I’m a sucker for tall, handsome Texas Ranger heroes.) Sunny and Ben are perfect together, but even with the senator’s help, it takes a while for them to realize that.

Austin is a wonderful town, laid-back and mellow, and rich in history as the state’s capital. It’s also famous for its music scene, and I’ve added some of that flavor for you to sample, as well.

Now, I’m not allowed to share Chili Witches’ recipe, but for those of you who like Texas chili, the recipe is quite similar to several recent winners of the Terlingua International Chili Championship. TICC 2008 winner Susan Dean’s entry would give you a good approximation. www.chili.org/terlingua.html.

Enjoy!

Jan Hudson

Jan Hudson

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Jan Hudson, a former college psychology teacher, is a RITA ®Award-winning author of thirty books, a crackerjack hypnotist, a dream expert, a blue-ribbon flower arranger and a fairly decent bridge player. Her most memorable experience was riding a camel to visit the Sphinx and climbing the Great Pyramid in Egypt. A native Texan whose ancestors settled in Nacogdoches when Texas was a republic, she loves to write about the variety of colorful characters who populate the Lone Star State, unique individuals who celebrate life with a “howdy” and “y’all come.” Jan and her husband currently reside in Austin, and she loves to hear from readers. E-mail her at JanHudsonBooks@gmail.com.

For my own Ben,

a hero in the making, and

with special thanks to Jan Yonkin,

Tracy Wolff, Lexi Connor and April Kihlstrom

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 Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Ten-thirty on Monday night, and it was past closing time at Texas Chili Witches Café. Sunny Payton closed out the register while the late staff, dressed in their jeans and red Chili Witches T-shirts, bussed the tables and cleaned the kitchen. Coming off a twelve-hour shift, she was bone tired, her feet ached and she was ready to go upstairs and soak in an herbal-scented bath for about a week and a half.

After she stowed the receipts in the office safe, she let her employees out the back door, calling good-night and seeing they all got in their cars safely.

“Jeff, I want to hear that you aced your chem test,” she said to a tall, lanky blond.

He grinned. “You’re as bad as my mama.”

“Worse,” she said, grinning back. “A million times worse.”

Most of the staff were students from the University of Texas, working flex hours to pay for those cars or buy books, which were outrageous these days, even more costly than when she was in school nearly a dozen years ago. The cooks had left earlier, one of the perks of their job. The students came and went, but the cooks and a couple of others were longtime employees. Many of them had worked for her mother and Aunt Min when they ran the place.

Sunny checked the kitchen, then made a last trip through the two dining areas with the scarred, red-topped tables and rough cedar walls filled with Texas memorabilia, funny signs and assorted collectibles. The kitschy wall decor was swapped out occasionally, and the computer and register were state-of-the-art, but not much else had changed for as long as she could remember.

She was reaching for the light switch when she saw him.

Her heart lurched as it always did. He sat at his usual corner table, a cup of coffee near his hand.

“Hello, Senator.”

“Hello, Sunny.” He smiled. “Busy day?”

She nodded and sat down beside him. “Very. We had a little cold snap today, and everybody in Austin was in the mood for chili. It’s supposed to be back up to ninety by the weekend, so things will be manageable again. I haven’t seen you for a while.”

He smiled. “Miss me?”

“I always miss you, Senator.”

“How’s your sister?”

“Cass is settling in and doing well. It’s good to have her home. Now she and I can share the work, and Mom has finally been able to retire completely.”

“That’s good. I’ll have to drop in on Cassidy.”

Sunny laughed. “You do, and you’ll scare the pants off her.”

He smiled. “It’s good to hear you laugh again.”

“Oh, I laugh a lot these days.”

“Glad to hear it. Maybe now you’re ready to meet a special fellow.”

She shook her head. “I already did. Brian. He was special. I don’t need anyone else.” And she didn’t. Brian was the love of her life. When he’d died, a part of her had died, as well.

“Honey, it’s been three years since—”

“Sunny!” her sister yelled from the back.

“Sounds like Cassidy,” the Senator said, tenderness filling his eyes.

“Ignore her.” Sunny absently reached to touch his arm. As usual, her hand only touched the table.

“Your sister is tough to ignore.”

“Who are you talking to?” Cassidy asked as she charged into the room.

“The Senator.”

Cass rolled her eyes. “Oh, gawd! Not that again. I just got home from the play and decided I want a beer.” She walked behind the small bar and grabbed a mug. “Want one?”

“You know I hate beer.”

Cass drew a draft and joined Sunny at the table.

“How was the play?”

“Fantastic!”

“How was the date?”

“Abysmal. He had an ego the size of Texas and a brain the size of Rhode Island. If I ever agree to another blind date, tie me to a chair.”

Sunny laughed and glanced toward the Senator.