Heart of a Texan

by Charlene Sands

  “But you’re not stupid, either.”

  “I’m not too sure about that,” Cooper said, walking in and handing him another beer.

  “Shut the f-up, Coop.”

  Lauren shook her head. “Cooper you’re not helping.”

  His brother plunked down on a chair and faced his wife. “Did you ask him yet?”

  “I haven’t gotten to that,” Lauren answered.

  “Gotten to what?” Jared asked.

  “To asking if you’re in love with Bella. Because Lauren is sure she’s in love with you.”

  “Cooper!” Lauren shot Coop a hot glare.

  “God, you two. Of course I love her. Why else would I be so damn—”

  “Idiotic?” Cooper’s brows lifted.

  “Hurt?” Lauren suggested.

  “Pissed off. Yeah, I’m pissed off, because...damn it. She broke up with me and left.”

  “You didn’t stop her.”

  “How could I? She betrayed me.”

  “That again,” Cooper grumbled.

  “If you really believe she betrayed you, then there’s no sense talking any more about it,” Lauren said. “But if there’s wiggle room inside your head, maybe you should rethink it.”

  That’s all he had been doing lately...thinking. God, he missed Bella and that kid of hers. His house was like a morgue and it’d only been a few days.

  Cooper’s cell phone rang and he answered it. “Hi, Mom.”

  Jared began shaking his head. He didn’t need a tongue-lashing from his mother tonight. But Cooper looked straight at him and smiled. “Yeah, he’s right here.” He tossed him the phone. “Mom wants to talk to you.”

  Jared mouthed a curse at Coop and then answered the phone. He was in for it. His mother wouldn’t mince words. She’d been on his case since the first accident. It didn’t matter that he was a grown man, worth millions, he was still her little boy worthy of a scolding. Crap. He got up from the sofa and walked out of the room. Seeing his brother gloating was too damn much to take right now.

  * * *

  An hour later, after downing two cups of coffee at Coop’s house, Jared drove home at a snail’s pace, needing the time to gather his thoughts. When he pulled into the garage, he cut the engine on his Jeep and sat there. Thinking. Special white-tile flooring and all the tools he’d ever need to work on his cars made this a very special place. His vehicles had all the bells and whistles, the finest money could buy. Though his Harley was being repaired and his Lamborghini was gone, all the rest of his collection shone sterling-bright, beckoning him to take them out.

  Pick me and I’ll give you the thrill of your life.

  His phone rang. It was Blake again, manager of his speedboat race team, and Jared knew what he wanted. It was time to pay the entry fees for the upcoming spring races.

  Jared let the call go to voice mail for the third time today.

  Then an idea popped into his head and he strode over to his hot red Corvette.

  * * *

  Bella finished wrapping Sienna’s final Christmas present and hid it in her bedroom closet. Her daughter understood that Santa would be arriving first thing tomorrow morning, with his special gifts to her, as much as a twenty-three-month-old child could understand. Yet she delighted in the spirit of the holiday, the decorations, the holly and a Christmas tree with lights that changed colors with the click of a remote control.

  Bella and Yvonne baked cookies and fudge with Sienna’s help. Her daughter mostly licked the spoons and grinned like a monkey afterward. Seeing Sienna enjoy herself so much, a tiny bit of holiday cheer seeped into Bella. Things weren’t perfect, but her father had really come around and, for now, she would take it as a small miracle.

  Bella descended the stairs and found her father in the parlor, playing blocks on the floor with Sienna. Yvonne had just come in holding a wrapped Christmas box. “This was just delivered. It’s something for you, Francesca.” She handed her the box.

  “Thanks.”

  She sat on the sofa and turned the box around on all sides, shaking it a bit, curious who had sent it. She lifted the lid carefully and moved the wrapping paper aside. A copy of the Dallas Tribune was inside. She shook her head and lifted it out. “See Page Three” was written diagonally across the front page in big, bold letters.

  “What is this?” she muttered, turning the pages. And then she found the headline: Dallas Tycoon Jared Stone’s Charity Auction.

  She blinked, her hands trembling. She continued to read on.

  “What is it?” Yvonne asked after a few impatient moments.

  “It’s an article about how Jared is auctioning off all his cars and motorcycles and will be developing a new foundation to benefit children’s causes. All of the proceeds of the auction will go to the foundation.”

  Bella continued reading and then she gasped. “Oh!”

  “What is it?” Yvonne asked. Her father’s eyes were on her, too.

  “Jared’s naming the new f-foundation...” Bella choked up, unable to speak for a second. She held back tears. “He’s naming it...Sienna’s Hope.”

  “Sounds like the man’s got some smarts after all,” her father said.

  “That’s...amazing, Francesca.” Yvonne smiled. Then she glanced at Marco and the two seemed to have some secret communication.

  “What?” Bella asked, still shaking.

  “There’s another gift waiting for you and Sienna outside.”

  Emotions roiled in the pit of her stomach. “There is?”

  “Yes, and it’s pretty cold out there, so put on your coats and hurry.”

  “What’s going on?” Obviously it was something Yvonne and Marco were privy to.

  “Christmas comes early sometimes,” Yvonne said, ushering her into her coat while her father put on Sienna’s quilted jacket.

  They nearly shoved her out the front door. She glanced back and Yvonne grinned and shut the door in her face. Bella took Sienna’s hand. “Apparently, little one, there’s a surprise waiting for us out here.”

  She climbed down the steps and walked along the path leading to the front gate.

  Outside her father’s house stood a living, breathing Jared Stone next to a pearl-white SUV.

  Her heart pounding in her ears, she absorbed the sight of him. Oh, how she’d missed him. Before she could utter a word, Sienna let go of her hand. “Tared!” She raced toward him and lifted her arms. “Up.”

  “Hello, little angel.” He picked her up and kissed her cheek. It was a solid sight, the two of them together. It seemed so right.

  Bella walked up to him. “Jared?”

  He set Sienna down and immediately came closer to graze her cheek with the palm of his hand. It was cold outside, yet the contact sizzled, warming her up inside. Was she silly to hope?

  “God, you’re beautiful. I’ve missed you like crazy, Bella.”

  “I’ve missed you, too. But what are you doing here?”

  “I came for you,” he said as naturally as breathing. “I realized once you left, nothing much mattered to me. I don’t need to catch up to life. Or race toward it. I need a life. With you.”

  “So...you’ve forgiven me for lying to you?” This was all so unbelievable. More than she could’ve ever imagined, but she had to ask.

  “Let’s say I understand why you did it now, Bella. I can’t fault you for wanting to protect little Sienna. I just wish you’d trusted me.”

  “Oh, Jared. If I could do it all over again, I would. I know the kind of man you are. You would’ve protected us. And what you did, naming your foundation after Sienna, just about destroyed me. It was incredible and thoughtful. It means so much to me.”

  He took her hand and held it tight. “I’m glad it made you happy. That’s all I want to do. I love you, Bella. You are my angel. No matter what, I don’t want to live without yo
u. I’ve given up my race cars for this. There’s a car seat already installed.”

  Tears rimmed her eyes as she gazed at the SUV. “There is?”

  He nodded.

  “And you won’t be sorry later?” she asked.

  “No, never. I’ve realized how that part of my life is over, Bella. I’m gonna live my life in the present and not try to outrace the future. I swear to you. I only want you and Sienna in my life. The two of you are all I need. I called and explained that to your father and his wife. I think they know I only want your happiness.”

  Jared and her father had spoken? She was a little stunned. “And Father...agreed?”

  “He wasn’t thrilled, but yes, in the end, he wants what’s best for you.”

  “I love you, Jared. And you’re all I need, too.”

  “You do? You love me?” He grinned, a daring, blue-eyed pirate’s grin. How could she have ever thought of living without this man?

  “Will you come home to the ranch with me, Bella? Be my wife?”

  “You’re asking me to marry you?”

  He nodded. “Will you, Bella?”

  Joy consumed her. She had no doubts anymore. “Jared, yes. Yes. I’ll be your wife.”

  His mouth came down on hers in a fiery all-consuming kiss and she moaned from the sheer pleasure. Oh, how she’d missed him. How she couldn’t wait to marry him.

  “Best Christmas present ever,” he whispered and then lifted Sienna up again, the three of them huddling together.

  “For me, too,” she said, squeezing him tight.

  He pulled away slightly to look into her eyes. “Bella, I don’t want you to give up on your dreams. If you want to write a cookbook or open a restaurant, I’ll support your decision.”

  “You will?” She beamed inside. Jared would always be by her side. And she wanted to do both, but not right now. Now she just wanted to go home to Stone Ridge. “You mean you’ll still let me experiment on you with my new recipes?”

  “Are you kidding? Secretly meeting up with the Midnight Contessa is the favorite part of my day. I look forward to it.”

  She laughed. “Me, too.”

  Those late-night encounters with Jared were scorching hot. She couldn’t wait until they could be together that way again, meshing their bodies, melding their minds, making incredible love.

  “Promise me one thing, Bella. You’ll always be my own personal chef.”

  “Always, my love.”

  It would be an easy promise to keep.

  * * * * *

  If you liked this story of an alpha hero tamed by love—and a baby—

  don’t miss the next

  Billionaires and Babies story:

  Keeping Secrets

  by Fiona Brand

  Available September 2018!

  Or any of these other

  Billionaires and Babies stories:

  His Accidental Heir by Joanne Rock

  The CEO’s Nanny Affair by Joss Wood

  The Christmas Baby Bonus by USA TODAY

  bestselling author Yvonne Lindsay

  Taming the Texan by Jules Bennett

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  Lone Star Secrets

  by Cat Schield

  One

  Will Sanders blasted through the glass doors of the sheriff’s office and squinted as he emerged into the bright sunlight. The September heat rising off the pavement was nothing compared to the anger boiling inside him. Still no word on Richard Lowell’s whereabouts and, with the manhunt showing no signs of ending any time soon, Will was fed up with the lack of progress.

  The son of the bitch had tried to kill him. Then, while impersonating Will, Rich had taken advantage of four women—that they knew of—robbing them of their money, dignity and leaving two of them pregnant. Lowell had murdered Will’s great friend and trusted confidant, Jason Phillips, stolen millions and continued to roam free. How many more lives was he going to ruin before getting his just deserts?

  Hands shaking with rage, Will ripped the keys from his pocket and hit the button that unlocked his white Land Rover. For a second the color red glazed the landscape around him. Will lost his balance as his left foot caught on an uneven bit of pavement and the stumble cleared his head somewhat. He paused with his hand on the SUV’s hood and sucked in a deep breath. Losing control wasn’t going to help. As reason began to reassert itself, he released the air from his lungs, letting it hiss between his teeth. Another calming inhalation and his vision began to return.

  Since waking up in Mexico with a blinding headache and scattered memories of what had occurred, his emotions had become volatile. Some days when he looked in the mirror, he didn’t recognize himself. Before leaving on that fateful trip with Rich, he’d had everything a man could ask for. And it had taken that huge wakeup call to realize he’d taken his friends, family and good fortune for granted.

  That period was over, he reminded himself again and again, hoping the litany would keep his demons at bay.

  He needed to stay calm because logic and clear thinking would win the day. He couldn’t afford to allow his runaway emotions to lead him to act in ways that would be counterproductive.

  Sliding behind the wheel, he pulled out his phone and queued up his favorite contacts. His heart gave a little bump as Megan’s name appeared at the top of his list. Speaking of letting his emotions drive his actions...

  Things between them had grown strained since they’d shared that explosive night of passion in the aftermath of Jason’s memorial service. They continued to talk a couple times a week, but their conversations veered from anything personal, revolving around the lack of progress in finding Lowell or how Jason’s daughter, Savannah, was doing now that she’d lost her father. Megan loved her seven-year-old niece dearly and tried to spend as much time as possible with the little girl. Will knew it broke her heart whenever Savannah asked for her daddy.

  For about a week now Will had been waiting for Megan to open the door to them finally hashing out what had happened between them, but she was staunchly avoiding the topic. It was as if she wanted to forget it had ever happened. Will hoped that wasn’t the case. It sure wasn’t for him.

  Maybe if he’d treated the encounter differentl
y. Megan deserved to be wooed with expensive dinners and slow seduction. Instead, he’d come at her like a freight train, overwhelmed by the raw, primal need to comfort her as she grieved for her brother. They’d come together in a rush of heat and shared pain before establishing any sort of framework they could build a relationship on.

  That was on him. Will hadn’t been thinking clearly or logically as she’d torn at his clothes and he’d slid his fingers up her thigh. Instead, he’d succumbed to his body’s call. The sensuality of her lithe body as he drove her wild with his mouth or the sounds she made as she came. She’d been glorious in that moment, and reliving it made him want more. Made him want to take her every way his overactive imagination could conceive. Hard up against a wall, gently in the deep tub in his master suite. In the backseat of his car like a couple randy teenagers.

  Blood pooled in his loins as the list grew and he slammed his fist against the steering wheel to distract himself from the beginnings of an erection pressing against his zipper. It didn’t work. Hands shaking with need he closed his eyes and surrendered to the heat burning through him like a wildfire.

  Yet even as his body was battered by desire, Will recognized the need to be cautious as he ventured forward. Just because lust had brought them together in spectacular fashion didn’t mean they could make a lasting relationship work.

  Their situation was beyond complicated. Two strangers who’d been requested by law officials to maintain the legal aspect of their marriage for as long as Rich remained at large. They didn’t live together and, except for occasional phone conversations and encounters among family and friends, hadn’t spent all that much time together.

  Yet each time he saw her, Will grappled with a growing ache to be with her, to have her intimately tangled in his life. A shift in his perception had taken place. He no longer viewed her as merely Jason’s beautiful younger sister, but had started to think in terms of my wife.

  Unfortunately, she wasn’t really his. Not in the way he was coming to want her to be.

  She’d married an imposter, and Will continuously wondered if the sight of his face, so similar to the man who’d stolen his identity, was one she despised. She refused to discuss Rich. No doubt she felt the same humiliation and fury at being tricked that weighed on Will. Would she forever glimpse his face and be reminded of all the terrible things that had happened?