Flirting with Texas (Deep in the Heart of Texas) (37 page)

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Authors: Katie Lane

Tags: #Fiction / Romance - Contemporary, #Fiction / Romance - Western, #Fiction / Romance - Erotica

BOOK: Flirting with Texas (Deep in the Heart of Texas)
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From the desk of Jami Alden

Dear Reader,

As I look back on the books I’ve written over the course of my career, I’m struck by two things:

1) I have a very twisted, sinister imagination, if my villains are anything to go by!

2) I love reunion romances.

Now in real life, if you ran into someone who was still hung up on her high school boyfriend and who held on to that person (consciously or not) as the one true love of her life, you might think she had a screw loose. Unless you’ve ended up with your high school or college sweetheart, most of us grow up and look back at those we dated in our youth—hopefully with fondness but sometimes with less affection. But rarely do we find ourselves pining for that boy we went to senior prom with.

So I wondered, why do I love this premise so much in romance? Well, I think I may have figured it out. In real life, for most of us, those early relationships run
their natural course and fizzle out with little more than a whimper and a gasp.

But in romance novels, those relationships that start out with unbridled intensity end with drama and more drama and leave a wagonload of unfinished business for our hero and heroine. It’s that lingering intensity, combined with the weight of unfinished business, that draw our hero and heroine together after so many years. So when they finally find themselves back in the same room together, the attraction is as undeniable as gravity.

When I was coming up with the story for GUILTY AS SIN, I found myself fascinated by the history between my hero, Tommy Ibarra, and my heroine, Kate Beckett. Caught up in the giddy turmoil of first love, they were torn apart amid the most excruciating and tragic circumstances I, as a parent, could ever imagine.

And yet, that intensity and unfinished business lingered. So when they’re brought back together, there’s no force on Earth that can keep them apart. Still, to say their road to true love is a rocky one is a huge understatement. But I hope in the end that you feel as I do. That after everything Tommy and Kate went through, they’ve more than earned their happily ever after.

Happy Reading!

Also by Katie Lane

Deep in the Heart of Texas series

Going Cowboy Crazy

Make Mine a Bad Boy

Small Town Christmas
(anthology)

Catch Me a Cowboy

Trouble in Texas

Hunk for the Holidays

Praise for the Deep in the Heart of Texas Series
TROUBLE IN TEXAS

“This trip to Bramble, Texas, brings a close to the mystery of the Cates Curse with humor, romance, heartwarming affection, and some mighty intriguing characters. Readers are in store for some fine surprises and a glimpse at stories yet to be told.”


RT Book Reviews

“Katie Lane is a talented writer, who can add humor to her pages… Elizabeth and Brant are interesting characters and there is genuine chemistry. However, the real star of this novel is Brant’s brother Beau, and I’m thrilled that he will get his own story.”

—NightOwlReviews.com

“Katie Lane writes books that are hotter than Texas in July, and every reader always prays that they will keep on coming.”

—The Reading Reviewer (MaryGramlich.blogspot.com)

“I really enjoyed reading
Trouble in Texas
… The small town feeling with its grudges, history, and eccentric residents was a blast. I spent a lot of my time giggling and wondering what the henhouse ladies were going to do next… Lane has made me very curious about the previous three books, and I want to know what happens next in this series.”

—TheBookPushers.com

CATCH ME A COWBOY

“4½ stars! A heartwarming return to Bramble, Texas, with many familiar faces. This is an emotional story that will bring the reader to laughter as well as tears and spark a desire to see more of the characters, both new and old, who live here.”


RT Book Reviews

“An absolute hoot!…
Catch Me a Cowboy
is home to a plethora of wacky characters who make this a fun story… A winner!”

—RomRevToday.com

“Rewarding… Perfect for a lazy summer afternoon.”


Publishers Weekly

“This series continues to be a riot of fun. I was laughing out loud and loved the children.”

—SingleTitles.com

MAKE MINE A BAD BOY

“A delightful continuation of
Going Cowboy Crazy
. There’s plenty of humor to entertain the reader, and the people of the town will seem like old friends by the end of this entertaining story.”


RT Book Reviews

“Funny, entertaining, and a sit-back-and-enjoy-yourself kind of tale.”

—RomRevToday.com

“If you’re looking for a romance true to its Texas setting, this is the one for you. I simply couldn’t put it down.”

—TheSeasonforRomance.com

“I absolutely loved Colt! I mean, who doesn’t like a bad boy? Katie Lane is truly a breath of fresh air. Her stories are unique and wonderfully written… Lane, you have me hooked.”

—LushBookReviews.blogspot.com

“Another fun read and just as good as [
Going Cowboy Crazy
]… a perfect example of small town living and the strange charm it has. I really enjoyed reading this one and hope that Katie Lane is writing a third.”

—SaveySpender.com

“It will make you laugh, and then make you sigh contentedly.
Make Mine a Bad Boy
is a highly entertaining ride.”

—RomanceNovelNews.com

GOING COWBOY CRAZY

“Romance, heated exchanges, and misunderstandings, combined with the secondary characters (the whole town of Bramble), who are hilarious… This is the perfect summer read. Katie Lane has a winner on her hands; she is now my new favorite author!”

—TheRomanceReadersConnection.com

“Entertaining… [with] a likable and strong heroine.”


RT Book Reviews

“Ah, I want my own cowboy, tall, dark, and handsome, but alas he is only between the pages of the book, a good book at that. Katie Lane knows how to heat the pages and keep you burning for more. Romance, steamy love scenes, humor, witty conversation with a twang, all help the pages keep turning. I’m looking forward to reading other books written by Katie Lane.”

—BookLoons.com

“An enjoyable romp… a fun, down-home read.”


All About Romance
(LikesBooks.com)

“I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It really reminded me of an early Rachel Gibson… or early Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Faith became a sassy, intriguing heroine… The chemistry between these two ratchets up to white-hot in no time.”

—TheSeasonforRomance.com

“Frequently amusing… The lead couple is a wonderful pairing while the third wheel hopefully gets her own tale.”


Midwest Book Review

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Contents

Title Page

Welcome

Dedication

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

Chapter Twenty-six

Chapter Twenty-seven

Chapter Twenty-eight

Chapter Twenty-nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-one

Chapter Thirty-two

Epilogue

A Preview of
Going Cowboy Crazy

The Dish

Also by Katie Lane

Praise for the Deep in the Heart of Texas Series

Newsletters

Copyright

Copyright

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright © 2013 by Cathleen Smith

Excerpt from
Going Cowboy Crazy
copyright © 2011 by Cathleen Smith

All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at
[email protected]
. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

Forever

Hachette Book Group

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First ebook edition: July 2013

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ISBN: 978-1-4555-1568-4

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