by Cindy Dees
Eventually, the noise of a bar full of cheering bikers intruded upon her consciousness. Heat flooded her cheeks as Tex lifted his mouth away from hers.
Without releasing her, he nodded slowly. "I'm thinking a hand-tooled leather bridle with some fancy silver trim would look just right on you."
"If you ever even think about putting some leather contraption on me…"
The waitress, check in hand, threw up her hands. "Whoa! Too much information! Don't need to be hearin' about your love life in here!"
Kimberly jumped. She hadn't heard the woman approach.
"Honey," the woman continued. "There's a whole slew of reporters outside. You want me to send out the boys to run 'em off?" The waitress hooked a thumb over her shoulder at the row of bikers at the bar.
Kimberly looked up at Tex. "It's your call."
He stared down at her gravely for a moment, and then a slow smile, the one she liked best, spread across his face. "How about if I be the one to announce our engagement since I didn't get to do the asking in the first place?"
She grinned. "Be my guest."
He flipped a bill at the waitress and told her to keep the change. While the woman blew a kiss at him, Tex took her elbow and steered her toward the exit.
"One more thing, darlin'. I'd like us to announce our engagement before you tell the press you're running for Congress. That way I'll be old news first and the press will leave me alone sooner."
"You catch on fast." She laughed.
His grin matched hers. "Have I told you today that I love you?"
"I don't think so," she answered, her heart so full it felt ready to burst right out of her chest.
"Well, I do." He dropped a quick kiss on the end of her nose.
"Glad to hear it," she murmured as they stepped outside and emerged into the rosy glow of the setting sun. Flashbulbs went off and cameras lights flared all around them.
Tex stiffened momentarily beside her and then the muscles in his arm gradually, forcibly, relaxed under her hand.
"Welcome to my war zone," she murmured to him.
He smiled at her for the cameras and said through his teeth, "If you can stand beside me and face a rebel army, I can stand beside you and face the press."
She smiled up at him, her heart shining in her eyes. "You're a brave man."
A reporter shouted out from the crowd, "Who's the guy with you, Miss Stanton?"
Tex's hand came to rest reassuringly over hers.
She answered proudly, "This is my hero. Tex Monroe."
ISBN: 978-1-4268-8098-8
LINE OF FIRE
Copyright © 2003 by Cynthia Dees
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All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
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Table of Contents
CINDY DEES
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
