Linda Warren - The Texan's Secret

Chance’s eyes met hers. “The truth. The honest-to-God truth.”

“Okay. I lied. My real name is Shay Dumont.”

“Why the lie?” His voice was as cool as ice water. But it didn’t keep her from noticing he was heartthrobbing-good-looking. How she wished that they had met before she’d pulled such a stupid stunt.

The truth would hurt too many people. “Listen. I didn’t take anything, so can we please let this drop?”

“No.”

He came for the truth and he wasn’t leaving without it.

“If you don’t tell me why you were trying to rob the Calhouns, I’ll call the constable of High Cotton. He’ll arrest you for attempted robbery.”

Her head jerked up. “You saw me leave and could see that I didn’t take anything. How many times do I have to say that?”

The shattered look on her face twisted his stomach and prompted him to add, “Shay, I mean you no harm, but I have to know why you tried to rob the Calhouns.”

She still remained silent.

“If you’re innocent, I’ll forget the whole thing.”

“But I’m not innocent.”

Dear Reader,

I’m excited to start another series for Harlequin Superromance—The Hardin Boys. These books are loosely connected to The Belles of Texas, so we’re going back to High Cotton briefly for the start of Chance’s story, The Texan’s Secret.

I live in Texas, where oil is king. Some would say football, but that all depends on if you own land. If you do, you’re waiting for the day an oilman will show up wanting to lease your land for oil or gas. It’s a gamble. They might strike a big well or it could be a dry hole. Everyone is usually willing to take that risk.

This series is about three brothers who have roughnecked in the oilfields most of their lives. They don’t plan on keeping the dirty, grimy job forever. They plan to move up the ladder. It happens when Cadde, the older brother, inherits part of an oil company. In the first book, Chance has to decide if he wants to be a cowboy or an oilman. Since his father had been a roughneck, the decision is easy. He heads for Houston to join his brothers.

But first, he has to tell them a secret that has haunted him all his life. Chance’s story revolves around a woman with green eyes, Shay Dumont, who has the biggest secret of all.

So join me in uncovering secrets and finding out if there is a happy-ever-after for Chance and Shay.

With love and thanks,

Linda Warren

P.S. It’s the highlight of my day to hear from readers. You can email me at Lw1508@aol.com or www.facebook.com/authorlindawarren or write me at P.O. Box 5182, Bryan, TX 77805 or visit my website at www.lindawarren.net. Your letters will be answered as soon as possible.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Award-winning, bestselling author Linda Warren has written twenty-six books for the Harlequin Superromance and Harlequin American Romance lines. She grew up in the farming and ranching community of Smetana, Texas, the only girl in a family of boys. She loves to write about Texas, and from time to time scenes and characters from her childhood show up in her books. Linda lives in College Station, Texas, not far from her birthplace, with her husband, Billy, and a menagerie of wild animals, from Canada geese to bobcats. Visit her website at www.lindawarren.net.

I dedicate this book to my patient editor,

Kathleen Scheibling, who stuck with me

during a really rough time.

Thank you!

And to Paula Eykelhof, for just caring.

And to the special angels who were there when

they didn’t have to be:

Diannia, Sondra and LaVal.

And, as always, to my hero, Sonny.

A special thanks to:

James O. Siegert for sharing his knowledge of

oil wells and the industry.

Sarah Schroeder for answering questions

about Houston.

Shelley Utz, hairstylist.

Randy Rychlik, paramedic.

And, Vicki Cowan for her keen eye.

All errors are strictly mine.

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

EPILOGUE

THE FIERCE AFTERNOON WIND whipped through the landscape like an errant child of Mother Nature, set on doing some damage. Heavy, dark clouds from the north threatened rain, a sure sign that the old lady had not finished her wrath of winter.

Chance Hardin hated March.

And all the agonizing memories it stirred.

He shifted uneasily at the kitchen table on the High Five ranch in High Cotton, Texas, and forced his eyes away from the window. Gripping his warm coffee cup, he stared into its murky depths, seeing a night as dark as the brew inside. Through the blackness the emotions of a twelve-year-old boy surfaced—a boy whose world had been shattered by loud voices, screams—and death.

On a miserable March night.

Chance felt his stomach twist into a knot as his brothers waited. He’d been avoiding this conversation for twenty-two years. How much longer could he stall?

“Come on, Chance.” Cadde was putting on the pressure, just like Chance knew he would. It was part of being an older brother. “You know Dad wanted us to work together.”

You didn’t really know him.

“Yeah.” Cisco, his middle brother, nicknamed Kid, joined in. “The oil business is in our blood. We’ve all been involved in the industry. Now, thanks to Roscoe Murdock, Cadde owns a big part of Shilah Oil. Of course, there were strings attached, but that didn’t stop ol’ Cadde.” Kid slapped Cadde on the back and received a knockout glare in return, that didn’t faze him one bit. “Come on, Chance, we can be the bosses, setting the pace and making Shilah Oil one of the best companies in Texas.”

Chance raised his head. “Roscoe’s daughter, Jessie, owns the biggest part, and she’ll be calling the shots.”

He didn’t know why he felt a need to remind his brothers of that, but the whole inheritance thing was a bit of a shock. Not that Cadde hadn’t earned it. He had.

Roscoe had been paranoid about Jessie’s safety ever since his niece had been kidnapped and murdered. After the tragedy he’d had Jessie guarded twenty-four hours a day. Cadde had told Chance that Jessie was seven at the time, and now she had to be close to thirty.

Even though she was a fully grown woman, Roscoe didn’t let up on his protection of Jessie. On his deathbed he’d made a deal with Cadde, who had been his right hand at Shilah. If Cadde married Jessie and promised to protect her, Roscoe would make him CEO of the oil company and sign over a portion of his shares. Roscoe just forgot to mention that his daughter would inherit the biggest part of Shilah Oil, the company Roscoe and his brother, Al, had started in the forties.

Chance had met Jessie a couple of times when he’d visited Cadde in Houston. She was a petite, dark-haired, dark-eyed beauty, and he could see why Cadde had no problem with the arrangement. Not that Chance knew much about it—Cadde’s marriage was his business. He just didn’t figure his brother as the marriage-of-convenience type. Although Cadde would do anything to further his career in the oil industry. It had been his dream since they were kids.