Craving a Real Texan--A Western romance

by Charlene Sands

  He touched a wisp of her hair and then gazed deep into her eyes. She was mesmerized, caught up in him, in this beautiful place. A few stars shined above, but it was enough to see the sincerity on his face. Her heart was racing; it hadn’t stopped since the moment he showed up at the guesthouse.

  “Why should you be any different than anyone else?”

  “I should be different because I care deeply about you. I watched all ten episodes of One Last Date.”

  She gasped, her hand going to her mouth. She knew from Lily that he’d watched some of it, but he’d seen every second, every moment of what she’d gone through. “You saw it all? I wish you hadn’t.”

  “I’m glad I did. I saw how you struggled with finding the right man, how much you wanted to find love. You weren’t in it for the fame, to make a name for yourself, like some of the others. I could tell you were authentic. You put yourself out there, and it wasn’t easy. But I was proud of you for sticking up for yourself when you realized you didn’t love Dale, that though you had a lot in common, and he was perfect on paper, you couldn’t see spending the rest of your life with him.”

  “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

  “Sweetheart, how could I blame you for trying to find love over the course of a ten-week television program when I fell in love with you in less than a week over bad rummy games, hot, sweaty hikes and cooking lessons? Harper Dawn, I’m crazy in love with you.”

  “Oh, Cade,” she breathed out softly. “I love you, too. So much.” Tears misted in her eyes. And she touched his face to make sure this was real. “But are you sure you didn’t just fall in love with Dawn by the lake?”

  He grinned. “I fell in love with Dawn and with Harper. Even if I hadn’t seen you on One Last Date, the woman you are today, standing right here in front of me, is the woman I love with my whole heart. I discovered that love can happen in the craziest ways, under unique circumstances. And I wouldn’t change a minute of my time getting to know you.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’ll prove how sure I am, but first...”

  He took her face in his hands and crushed his mouth to hers, kissing her like there was no tomorrow, kissing her like he could devour her. She’d never felt so loved, so incredibly joyous.

  Cade ended the kiss and smiled, a big, wide over-the-moon kind of boyish smile. “C’mon,” he said, taking her hand. He led her down a slope and there, hidden under the arching branches of two trees overlooking the stream, was a table set for two with white linens, flowers and a bottle of champagne in a silver bucket. Cade lit half a dozen small candles, and the table flickered to life. “I wanted to have our own private celebration tonight.”

  “Is this why you insisted we have a talk tonight?”

  “I couldn’t interrupt your work, Harper. I knew how much it meant to you. But I’m selfish enough to want you all to myself. Here in my favorite spot.”

  He pulled out a chair for her, and she sat down. He sat across from her and took her hand in his. Before he could speak, she had to ask, “The last time we were here was when your mom got hurt. Why didn’t you call me after that?”

  “I should have. But it was here that I realized how much I loved you. To be honest, it scared me a little. It wasn’t about Bree anymore. It was about opening myself up again to that strong of an emotion. And Mom was hurt and needed my help, and there was the party. But Harper, sweetheart, I never meant to hurt you. I’m no expert in love, but I know now, you’re the only woman for me.”

  Harper’s eyes went wide, and she held her breath as Cade got down on one knee. “Harper Dawn, I love you more than I can put into words. But know I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy. Will you marry me?”

  It was her deepest wish to marry a man who loved her unconditionally. And Cade had proved that he did. He loved her through lies and deception and was man enough to see the woman she really was. “Cade, I couldn’t be happier than I am right now. Yes, I’ll marry you. I’ll be your wife.”

  He placed his class ring on her finger. “I’ll get you the ring of your dreams,” Cade said, “but for now please accept this ring as my pledge of love.”

  Cade took both of her hands, and they rose together. “I don’t need a new ring,” she said softly, “when I have the man of my dreams right here.”

  Cade kissed her softly this time, sweetly. There was no longer any rush. They were bonded together through true love.

  “What do you say about us building a house together? Right here, and you can design your own kitchen and finish that cookbook you’re working on.”

  “It’ll be a place for us to raise a family, Cade.”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  He kissed her again and then opened the champagne bottle, the cork popping and bubbles spilling out. They toasted to their future, and to Cade being her very own one last date.

  * * *

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  by USA TODAY bestselling author

  Charlene Sands,

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  One

  Zora Abbott sat in the nursery at her brother and sister-in-law’s home, holding her new niece, who was barely a week old.

  Remington Renee Abbott—Blake and Savannah’s baby girl—was the newest addition to their growing family. And Zora was already obsessed.

  Zora smoothed down her niece’s headful of soft, shiny black curls as she stared into the girl’s wide, dark, expressive eyes. She gently tapped Remi’s adorable button nose. Baby girl blinked in response, her mouth opening slightly.

  Remi stared at Zora as if she was both slightly amused and mildly disinterested at the same time.

  Zora glanced over to where Savannah had suddenly appeared in the doorway. “Remi’s facial expressions crack me up. She definitely has her mama’s no-nonsense fierceness.”

  “And her aunt ZoZo’s ability to look right through you and make you question yourself,” Savannah added, smiling.

  “True.” Zora grinned. “You and Blake are going to have your hands full with this one.”

  “I don’t doubt that,” Savannah agreed. “And I hate to break up the lovefest, but your brother asked me to remind you that you need to leave for the airport soon or you’ll miss your flight to Vegas.”

  “I know.” Zora brushed the backs of her fingers against the baby’s rosy cheeks. Remi’s skin was the same soft brown as her mother’s. “I just hate to be away from her for three whole days.”

  “Remi will be right here waiting for her aunt ZoZo when you get back.” Savannah stepped into the room with its mauve-painted walls and straightened the dusty-rose bedding draped across Remi’s crib.

  Zora kissed her young niece’s forehead, then reluctantly handed the baby to her mother. A hint of a smile ghosted over Remi’s little face as her eyes lit up with recognition. Savannah cooed softly in the baby’s ear, then nuzzled her forehead.

  Zora bit back the envy that knotted her gut the tiniest bit. More than anything, she wanted children of her own. A startling realization she’d made nearly two and a half years ago—the moment she’d first held Remi’s older brother, Davis. Zora had been sure it was a hormonal phase. A passing mood she’d get over once she’d had her fill of changing dirty diapers.

  But the feeling hadn’t passed.

  Her desi
re to be a mother grew with each additional child born into their family. Davis. Her cousin Benji’s twins, Beau and Bailey. Now Remi. Each wedding or baby shower she’d attended made her painfully aware of her deepening desire. Made her ache with a sense of loss over something she’d never even had.

  The night after Remi was born, Zora had lain in bed, staring at the ceiling, preoccupied with her growing desire to be a mom. She’d climbed out of bed in the middle of the night, opened her laptop and researched the idea that’d been brewing in her brain for months.

  Who said she needed to wait for Prince Charming to come along to become a mother?

  Zora was the sales VP at their world-renowned family-owned distillery, King’s Finest. Her family was among the wealthiest in the region. She certainly had the financial means to raise a child alone. And her grandfather, parents, brothers, and their significant others were all the village she’d need to raise a child.

  She was days away from her thirty-second birthday. Why should she wait for some phantom husband who might never come along?

  “Everything okay, Zo?” Savannah laid Remi down.

  “Of course.” Zora’s cheeks burned, as if her sister-in-law had been privy to her thoughts. “Going over a few things in my head before the trip.”

  “Well, I’ll go let your brother and nephew know you’ll be ready to leave shortly.” Savannah squeezed her arm. “That’ll give you two a few more minutes.”

  Zora nodded at her sister-in-law gratefully, then returned her attention to her niece, whose heavy eyelids drooped as she drifted off to sleep.

  She glided her fingertips over the signature burned into the wood of the crib. It was a gorgeous original piece, handcrafted by Zora’s longtime best friend—premier furniture maker Dallas Hamilton. The reason for her Las Vegas trip.

  Dallas was being honored with an award for innovation, thanks to a stunning line of furniture he’d designed the previous year. He’d spent months in Thailand working with native furniture artists, studying their designs and learning their craft.

  He’d designed breathtaking pieces that were a marriage of Western and Eastern aesthetics, inspired by intricate Thai designs. And the award-winning collection included pieces designed by native artists.

  Zora couldn’t be happier for her best friend.

  The award presentation in Vegas capped a whirlwind year in which Dallas had graced the cover of high-profile magazines, been asked to design furniture pieces for a growing number of celebrities and done a handful of television interviews.

  Since they were both currently single, he’d invited Zora to Vegas as his plus-one for the award ceremony. Afterward, they would spend their final forty-eight hours in Vegas partying—an early nod to her impending thirty-second birthday.

  It was nothing unusual for them. Dallas had been her plus-one at countless weddings and business or family events. And whenever they were both single, which was far more often than she liked to admit, they vacationed together at least once a year.

  Dal still owned the cabin his grandfather had left him years ago, complete with a workshop where he handcrafted pieces—like Remi’s crib—or developed new designs. It was the workshop where his grandfather had taught him how to make furniture and cabinetry when he was just a little boy. Dallas still considered Magnolia Lake home, but he spent most of the year at various places around the world, opening new showrooms for his company, Hamilton Haus, teaching workshops and being inspired by the unique furniture designs of various cultures.

  Zora tucked the soft blanket beneath her niece’s chin and smoothed down her hair. “Goodbye, sweet pea. Auntie ZoZo will be back soon,” she whispered to the sleeping newborn before slipping out of the room and quietly closing the door behind her.

  Zora hated to leave her niece behind, but she was eager to see Dallas. She’d made an important decision, and she needed to ask a huge favor of him. Her stomach twisted in a knot when she imagined how he would react.

  Copyright © 2021 by Roxanne Ravenel

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  ISBN-13: 9781488070464

  Craving a Real Texan

  Copyright © 2021 by Charlene Swink

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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