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Chapter 11.3
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LOVE IN TEXAS Chapter 12
On Tuesday, Shannon regrouped and readied herself to take another run at Nick Carlucci. This time she would wait until he got off work. Assuming he got off about the time school let out, she slept in—clear till nine—and felt like a woman of leisure. Or the lazy bum she’d never had a chance to be.After a lengthy shower, she set out on foot to explore the thriving metropolis of Tribute, Texas, population 2,793. Her first stop, about four blocks down Main from her motel, was a place called Dixie’s Diner. The smell of bacon drew her inside.As she entered and took a booth along the far wall, she wondered if the place took its name from a person, or from the fact that it was located in the South. Her answer came a moment later when her waitress brought her a tall tumbler of ice water and a menu. The waitress’s name, according to the red-and-white plastic tag pinned above her right breast, was Dixie. Mystery solved.After a breakfast guaranteed to test the strength of the button on her sla
LOVE IN TEXAS Chapter 12.1
Nick shuddered to think what the boys would do if they didn’t like him.At times, working at school was a great deal like attending school.“I’ll ask anyway.” Shannon said, drawing his attention back to her.“What’s with the overalls?” She nodded toward his chest, covered by the denim bib of the overalls in question.He slipped his hands behind the bib and tapped his fingers against his chest. “What’s wrong with overalls?” he demanded.“Nothing,” she said quickly. Boy, the man was touchy. “I just wondered why so many people, including you, are wearing them.”“It’s Farmers Day,” he told her.“Oh.” Shannon frowned. “Why?” “What do you mean, why?”Shannon glanced around at the dozens of people, in addition to Carlucci, who were wearing overalls. “I get the connection between farmers and overalls, but why do you have a Farmers Day? What’s the purpose?Local custom? Is the football team called the Tribute Farmers? What?”He almost smiled. “The Tribute Farmers? You’ve got a great imaginatio
LOVE IN TEXAS Chapter 12.2
Nick burst out laughing. Considering what he thought of reporters, and the way he had continually dodged this one for months, he couldn’t believe how good it felt to joke and laugh with her, and had no idea why he was doing it.“How many times,” she said, “did your mother try to fix you up with some girl who sewed her own clothes and had a great personality?”He rolled his eyes. “It was my dad and my brother, but it was more times than I care to count.”“Save us all from our well-meaning families,” she said with a chuckle. “You, too?” he asked.“Oh, yeah. My dad was a cop. A guy had to be pretty sure of himself to knock on my door to pick me up for a date.”“I can imagine. What’s he do now, your dad?” Nick asked.Her smile turned sad. “He died in the line of duty, on 9/11. Same as your dad and brother.”“Ah. Sorry. I didn’t know.”She shook her head. “No reason you should have. Is that why you left New York? Because your dad and brother were gone?”Whatever openness he felt around her
LOVE IN TEXAS Chapter 13
With Tribute being such a small town, it shouldn’t have surprised Nick that the first words out of his aunt’s mouth when he got home were “Well, well, sweetie, you going to tell me who she is?”To her credit, Beverly wasn’t usually a nosy woman, especially for a relative. A female relative, at that. She wasn’t demanding information. She was smiling eagerly, hoping, Nick knew, that he’d finally met someone. As in…Someone.He should have realized that word of a strange woman in town—awoman specifically seeking out Nick—would have arrived home ahead of him. He had not only stood in front of the high school with her, in plainsight of half the town, he’d also introduced her to a trio of big mouths. After that, he had walked her right up to Main Street, for the other half of town to see.Nothing on earth or in the universe traveled faster than the speed of gossip, and he’d provided plenty of grease.And dammit, more people than Aunt Bev were going to wonder whoshe was and what she was do
LOVE IN TEXAS Chapter 13.1
Shannon walked along the granite wall, reading of one heroic deed after another. The most recent event was a man who’d donated his organs and, upon his death, had saved the lives of several people and greatly improved the lives of more.Suddenly she recalled that this was the monument Wade Harrison had erected to honor the organ donor who’d saved his life, as well as other locals who’d made a difference.Shannon turned and found a wooden bench nearby and took a seat, suddenly wanting to talk to Deedra. At this time of day, her best friendwould be at home. Shannon pressed the speed dial button on her cell phone, and a moment later the connection was made.The two friends wasted no breath on small talk. As was their habit, they jumped right into whatever was on their minds.“I thought you’d be home by now,” Deedra complained.“I would be—should be—but this guy is being difficult,” Shannon admitted.“What? You can’t get a guy to talk to you?”“Don’t overdo the I’m so shocked tone,” Shan
LOVE IN TEXAS Chapter 14
The woman was one surprise after another, and Nick was more intrigued by her and interested in her than he would have thought possible.Don’t forget “turned on by” while we’re at it, pal.Not likely, he thought. No way he could forget the hot, sharp attraction, even through all the laughter and surprises.The first surprise had been the tie-dyed T-shirt. She’d gone to some trouble, he’d bet, to come up with that. He doubted she carried one in her suitcase.The pearls were a surprise, too. Pearls and a T-shirt? But she made it work.Surprise number three was that she’d tossed him her car keys. He hadn’t expected that. She was a woman who seemed to know what she wanted and how she planned to get there. Letting someone else take charge, even forsomething so simple as driving them to dinner, didn’t fit with the woman he’d been coming to know.The next surprise was how well she took the news that the restaurant he was taking her to was a few miles out of town. He had expected at least a t
LOVE IN TEXAS Chapter 14.1
“All right. I know I did. What I’m wondering is, how did you know I did? It’s a pretty casual question, did you move here to be near family.Something anyone would ask, if they were curious.” “Something your readers will want to know?”“For right now,” she told him honestly, “it’s what I want to know. What makes you think it’s for any other purpose?”“Your eyes changed.”She blinked. “My eyes changed?”“Your ears grew, all the better to hear me with.”Shannon huffed out a breath. “You’re making fun of me. Never mind. Let’s back up a minute. You said you’d planned to give me a yes or no.”“That’s right.”“So, why didn’t you?”He pulled another rib from the rack on his plate. “Why didn’t I what?”“Oh, man, it’s a good thing I like this brisket too much to throw it at you. You’d try the patience of a saint. Why didn’t you give me a yes or no when I asked if you had family here?”Nick licked a dab of barbecue sauce off the spot between his thumb and forefinger. Slowly. He watched her whil
LOVE IN TEXAS Chapter 14.2
Shannon’s mind and pulse raced nearly as fast as the tires. She felt as if she were standing on the edge of a cliff. It wasn’t the storm that had her on that edge—it was anticipation. Behind her, figuratively speaking, laysameness and familiarity. Safety. Before her, the unknown. And Nick. And maybe, just maybe, excitement like she’d never known.Each time the lightning flashed, it illuminated the interior of the car with an oddly harsh light, throwing Nick’s face in sharp relief, his eyes indeep shadow, the hollows of his cheeks, black slashes. For just a second, in that light, he looked like every fantasy she’d ever had.Did he really want her, or had she misread him?No, he’d wanted her. She’d been sure of that a few minutes ago, so there was no reason to doubt him now. He still wanted her if the rigid set to his jaw and his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel were any indications.“You’re awfully quiet.” She spoke softly, but her voice sounded loud in the car.“So are you,
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