LITMIR.BIZ

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      THE JEFFERSON BROTHERS OF MALFUNCTION JUNCTION

      Mason (38)—Maverick and Mercy’s eldest son—He can’t run away from his own heartache or The Family Problem.

      Frisco Joe (37)—Fell hard for Annabelle Turnberry and has sweet Emmie to show for it. They live in Texas wine country.

      Fannin (36)—Life can’t be better than cozying up with Kelly Stone and his darling twins in Ireland.

      Laredo (35), twin to Tex—Loves Katy Goodnight, North Carolina and being the only brother with a reputation for winning his woman without staying on a bull.

      Tex (35), twin to Laredo—Grower of roses and other plants, Tex fell for Cissy Kisserton and decided her water-bound way of life was best.

      Calhoun (34)—Doesn’t want the family mantle passing to him.

      Ranger (33), twin to Archer—Fell for Hannah Hotchkiss and will never leave the open road without her.

      Archer (33), twin to Ranger—Talking with a faraway woman in Australia by e-mail is better than having a real woman to bother him.

      Crockett (31), twin to Navarro—Paints portraits of nudes, but never wants to see a woman fully clothed in a wedding gown saying, “I do” to him

      Navarro (31), twin to Crockett—Fell for Nina Cakes when he was supposed to be watching her sister, Valentine, who is carrying Last’s child.

      Bandera (27)—Spouts poetry and has moved from Whitman to Frost—anything to keep his mind off the ranch’s troubles.

      Last (26)—The only brother who finds himself expecting a baby with no hope of marrying the mother. Will he ever find the happy ending he always wanted?

      To Lisa and Dean, always. I love you.

      To my gal pals, whose friendship means so much to me: Cryna Palmiere, Riza Majerreis, Donna Opalenik, Jerry Shriver, Latesha Ballard, Amina Rusk, Nicki Flockton, Jennifer, Sally Grabham and KraziKim55!

      And to my editors, who are excellent. Many thanks to Paula Eykelhof and Stacy Boyd, who have great patience and who keep me doing what I love best.

      Contents

      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

      Epilogue

      Chapter One

      Actions speak louder than words. So think your actions over many times.

      —Maverick Jefferson when his boys got caught stealing Shoeshine Johnson’s bus for a road trip because it was the only vehicle all twelve of them could fit into at once.

      “What has to be done,” Navarro Jefferson told his twin, Crockett, as they sat in his truck, “is that one of us should go live in Lonely Hearts Station. As a sort-of mole. To keep an eye on Last’s pregnancy matter before it gets further out of hand.”

      Recently, Last, the youngest Jefferson brother and the family philosophe, had managed to get himself into trouble with a gal of questionable reputation from the wrong side of the beautician tracks.

      Ever since their elder brother Frisco Joe had courted and married a stylist from the Lonely Hearts Salon—and put the Jefferson brothers in the middle of a duel between the Lonely Hearts beauties and their salon rivals, the Never Lonely Cut-n-Gurls—life had not been going well for any of the boys from Union Junction.

      Not for Last, nor for the rest of his brothers.

      Navarro had sort of expected more trouble, but lacking condom sense was not supposed to be in the cards.

      “How would we do that?” Crockett asked. “I think the Never Lonely Cut-n-Gurls would know we were watching their every move.”

      “The only one we need to watch is Valentine,” Navarro told his twin. “You and I could swap out, take turns, and they’d never know the difference. Tag-team girl-watching.”

      Crockett blinked. “Why do I find that appealing in a warped kind of way?” He considered the notion, peering out the truck window toward the Never Lonely Cut-n-Gurls salon. “Or possibly, I find it depressing. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a woman.”

      “Whoa,” Navarro said. “Too much info.”

      “Last says he doesn’t remember anything about that night except that he was drinking some exceptional firewater.”

      “Man, I remember every good night I’ve had with a lady,” Navarro bragged. “Even in my dreams.”

      “More there than not.”

      Navarro pulled his hat low over his eyes without comment.

      “So how do we invade the landscape without raising suspicions? We need to get on the inside of that salon,” Crockett said.

      “Yeah. But bed maneuvers are out. I think there’s enough trouble

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