Fitz swung two quick punches—a left, then a right. The boxers met in a clinch. Before the referee could order the men to make a clean break, Maher landed a right on Fitzsimmons’s cheek.
“Foul!” cried Fitz, echoed by the spectators.
“If you do that again,” the referee warned Maher, “I’ll call the fight against you.”
“Let it go,” Fitz said, bouncing back and forth on each foot, jabbing the air to show off his striking range. “I’ll lick him anyway.”
Both men went at each other again, swinging, hitting, missing, swinging again. Maher tried to close in, leading with his left. Fitz stepped aside and lashed out with his powerful right arm, his glove landing solidly on Maher’s chin.
Maher twisted halfway around, then came crashing down.
“One.” He tried to get up.
“Two. Three.” Fitzsimmons returned to his corner.
“Four. Five.” The countdown continued.
“…Ten! You’re out!”
Laney couldn’t hide her astonishment. “All that delay for a fight that didn’t last two minutes. It doesn’t seem worth all the fuss.”
Thomas wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. “Oh, I don’t know. I can think of one delay worth the trouble.”
Laney smiled at the undisputed champion of her heart. “You talking about your saddle?”
“That too,” he whispered, “but sixty-five hours isn’t going to be nearly enough time to get this right. I figure it’s gonna take a lifetime.”
ZEBRA BOOKS are published by
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Compilation copyright © 2010 by Kensington Publishing Corp.
“The Ranger’s Angel” copyright © 2010 by Jodi Thomas
“Undertaking Texas” copyright © 2010 by Linda Broday
“One Woman One Ranger” copyright © 2010 by Phyliss Miranda
“The Perfect Match” copyright © 2010 by DeWanna Pace
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ISBN: 978-1-4201-1937-4
Give Me A Texas Ranger Page 36