LITMIR.BIZ

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      About the Author

      JOANNA WAYNE was born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, and received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from LSU-Shreveport. She moved to New Orleans in 1984, and it was there that she attended her first writing class and joined her first professional writing organization. Her first novel, Deep in the Bayou, was published in 1994. Now, dozens of published books later, Joanna has made a name for herself on the cutting edge of romantic suspense in both series and single-title novels. She has been on the Waldenbooks bestsellers list for romance and has won many industry awards. She is a popular speaker at writing organizations and local community functions, and has taught creative writing at the University of New Orleans Metropolitan College. She currently resides in a small community forty miles north of Houston, Texas, with her husband. Though she still has many family and emotional ties to Louisiana, she loves living in the Lone Star state. You may write Joanna at PO Box 265, Montgomery, Texas 77356, USA.

      To mothers everywhere who know

      what it means to love a child with all your heart.

      Chapter One

      The moonlit night was made for romance. Alonsa Salatoya stood alone, fighting the salty tears that wet her dark eyes and threatened to make a black sea of her mascara as the newlyweds two-stepped across the portable dance floor. Love was a beautiful thing—while it lasted.

      The night’s hostess, Linney Martin, stepped to her side. “Dani and Marcus make a beautiful couple, don’t they?”

      Alonsa nodded. “They do, and they seem totally in love.”

      “Yep. They were meant for each other.”

      “Something tells me your infamous matchmaking skills had a hand in getting them together.”

      “Not this time. Their relationship sprang from a chance meeting at the Renaissance Festival. Didn’t I tell you that story?”

      “Only part of it.” Alonsa had met the bride and groom on a couple of occasions but didn’t really qualify as a friend. Yet Linney had practically insisted she attend the affair to celebrate their recent wedding. Perhaps because there were so few magnificent parties such as this in the small, rural town of Dobbin, Texas.

      “Their story is fascinating,” Linney said. “I’ll fill you in when we go shopping in Conroe for the fabric to recover those chairs in the guest suite. But speaking of matchmaking, there’s probably one or two nice cowboys here tonight I could introduce you to.”

      That explained the invitation. “I came with a guy,” Alonsa reminded her. “A very charming man.”

      “Your boss, who just happens to be gay,” Linney said.

      “Gay and a magnificent dancer,” Alonsa countered. “In my book that makes him the perfect escort.”

      If you wanted to be exact, she wasn’t his guest tonight. Always the businessman, Esteban had invited a new customer named Keidra Shelton in that capacity. Keidra had recently moved to the Woodlands and wanted an extreme makeover for the interior of her house, a cosmopolitan look that captured the spirit of her new state. Esteban had decided Alonsa was the perfect person to create that.

      He and Keidra had picked up Alonsa and driven her to the party. The woman had talked too much and asked far too many questions about Alonsa’s personal life and how she’d come to live in a small, rural town like Dobbin. Other than that, she was nice enough and Alonsa looked forward to the challenge of creating an interior that worked for her.

      Linney tossed her head, tinkling the diamond earrings that dangled from her earlobes. “Matchmaking and taking advantage of a good situation is one thing, but those women are taking it a tad too far.” She nodded toward the bar that had been set up in a corner of the sprawling white tent.

      Alonsa instantly spotted the women who’d fueled Linney’s ire. The object of their lustful attentions was a man in a black tux and cowboy boots. His dark, thick hair had an unruly bent as he leaned his hard, lean body closer to the attractive redhead who was officially Esteban’s guest for the evening.

      Alonsa didn’t recognize the other two ladies, but one couldn’t have been more than eighteen and the other had to be pushing sixty. Keidra was probably in her early thirties. The man had all the bases covered.

      “Romeo must be new in town. I haven’t seen him around before.”

      “Brand-new. Hawk is Cutter’s latest recruit for the Double M Investigation and Protection Service. He’s living in the cabin on the ranch that Marcus recently vacated.”

      “Hawk? Is that a nickname or a description?”

      Linney laughed. “A bit of both. He was a civilian helicopter pilot before he joined the service and became a SEAL.”

      “So he’s another of Cutter’s Special Ops recruits?”

      “Yes. Infamous, or so I hear. He was awarded several medals. Cutter and Marcus both swear he can not only walk on water but he can take down an enemy a half mile away while he’s doing it.”

      “Yet he looks every inch the dashing cowboy.”

      “There is that. Him I suggest you avoid unless you’re strictly out for a good time.”

      Which was exactly what Linney had told her only days ago that she needed.

      As if on cue, Hawk turned and spotted them staring at him. He smiled and tipped his glass in their direction. Alonsa’s eyes met his and her insides reacted with a surprising quiver. She looked away so fast she grew dizzy.

      It was the champagne, she decided. This was only her second glass but it would be her last drink of the evening. Good time or not, a womanizer in Western boots was the last thing she needed.

      “I’m really glad you came tonight,” Linney said, bringing Alonsa back into the moment. “You need to get out more.”

      “So you’ve told me before, but it’s not like I’m a hermit,” Alonsa protested.

      “I know. You go to work, but other than that, you pretty much stay cooped up inside that ranch house.”

      “A huge ranch house, and I have a three-year-old son to keep me busy. But you’re right. I should get out more. Thanks for inviting me.”

      “So here you are. I’ve been looking all over for you,” Cutter said, joining them and slipping an arm around Linney.

      “Alonsa and I were just watching your friend

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