Governor Gil Riley Was Going To Be A Father.

Groaning, Suzy dropped her forehead to the arm she’d braced along the edge of the sink. The battering that Gil’s good name would take when news hit the streets that the governor had fathered a baby out of wedlock!

Slowly she raised her head. They can’t find out, she told herself. If anyone learned of this, Gil would be ruined!

She gripped her hands on the edge of the sink and pulled herself shakily to her feet. No one knows, she reminded herself. No one but me. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. And no one will ever know, she promised herself as she went to pack her bags.

Dear Reader,

Welcome to Silhouette Desire, where every month you’ll find six passionate, powerful and provocative romances.

October’s MAN OF THE MONTH is The Taming of Jackson Cade, part of bestselling author BJ James’ MEN OF BELLE TERRE miniseries, in which a tough horse breeder is gentled by a lovely veterinarian. The Texan’s Tiny Secret by Peggy Moreland tells the moving story of a woman in love with the governor of Texas and afraid her scandalous past will hurt him.

The exciting series 20 AMBER COURT continues with Katherine Garbera’s Some Kind of Incredible, in which a secretary teaches her lone-wolf boss to take a chance on love. In Her Boss’s Baby, Cathleen Galitz’s contribution to FORTUNES OF TEXAS: THE LOST HEIRS, a businessman falsely accused of a crime finds help from his faithful assistant and solace in her virginal embrace.

Jacob’s Proposal, the first book in Eileen Wilks’ dynamic new series, TALL, DARK & ELIGIBLE, features a marriage of convenience between a beauty and a devastatingly handsome financier known as the Iceman. And Maureen Child’s popular BACHELOR BATTALION marches on with Last Virgin in California, an opposites-attract romance between a tough, by-the-book marine drill instructor and a free-spirited heroine.

So celebrate the arrival of autumn by indulging yourself with all six of these not-to-be-missed love stories.

Enjoy!

Joan Marlow Golan

Senior Editor, Silhouette Desire

The Texan’s Tiny Secret
Peggy Moreland

PEGGY MORELAND

published her first romance with Silhouette in 1989 and continues to delight readers with stories set in her home state of Texas. Winner of the National Readers’ Choice Award, a nominee for Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award and a finalist for the prestigious RITA Award, Peggy has appeared on the USA Today and Waldenbooks bestseller lists. When not writing, she enjoys spending time at the farm riding her quarter horse, Lo-Jump. She, her husband and three children make their home in Round Rock, Texas. You may write to Peggy at P.O. Box 2453, Round Rock, TX 78680-2453, or e-mail her in care of eHarlequin.com.

For Helen Heilmann, Janelle Shields and Vickie Monroe, Kentuckians who took this displaced Texan under their wings, offering friendship and moral support.

Thanks, ladies!

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

One

Gil Riley considered himself a simple man with simple tastes. He liked his jeans worn, his beer cold and his horses—as well as his women—gentle, but with enough spirit in ’em to make the ride exciting. Though his age placed him in a generation that shunned family values, considered work a four-letter word and embraced the theory “if it feels good, do it,” Gil didn’t quite fit the mold. He honored family second only to God, considered his mother an angel straight from heaven and his father one of the wisest men he’d ever known. He believed a hard day’s work strengthened a man’s character, treated women with the respect he was taught they were due, and never did anything without first weighing the consequences upside down, sideways and backward.

All of which made him wonder how in the hell he’d ended up in an airless room filled with blowhards, suck-ups and women whose mothers had obviously never taught them that a man’s privates were just that. Private.

Duty, he reminded himself as he clasped a hand thrust his way and responded with a “good to see you, too.”

Though the handshake he offered was firm and the sentiment sincere, Gil delivered both without slowing down. He feared if he did, and he was waylaid by one more person wanting a favor or had to dodge another female’s straying hands, he would…

Well, he wasn’t sure what he would do, but, whatever it was, he was sure it would be shocking enough to make the headlines in the morning paper.

With his smile feeling as if it were set in concrete and his tie like a noose around his neck, he set his sights on a possible escape route in the distance. He hadn’t taken more than two steps in that direction when a beefy hand closed around his arm from behind and dragged him to a stop. Struggling to keep his frustration from showing, he turned to find a balding man, shaped like a whisky barrel and about as tall, beaming up at him, a horse-faced young woman hugged up against his side.

“Have you met my niece, Melanie, Governor? My brother Earl’s oldest girl. Visiting here from California.”

Yet another first-lady-of-Texas hopeful, Gil thought wearily. It was all he could do not to cry. Thanks to his bachelor status and his exalted position as governor of the state of Texas, he’d received more propositions in the past year than a prostitute would in a lifetime on the streets.

Though he was tempted to tell Melanie that the rumors flying that he was gay were true, thus stanching any hopes she might have of becoming his first lady, manners and protocol—along with an ingrained sense of honesty—demanded that he extend a hand in greeting instead. “Pleased to meet you, Miss Melanie.”

“Graduated magna cum laude from Stanton last spring,” her uncle added proudly. “Brains and beauty in the same package. A rare find in a woman these days.” The man gave his chin a jerk, setting the loose skin beneath it to flapping and Gil to wondering if he ought to duck. “Yessiree, a rare find.”

Gil eased his hand from the I’m-not-letting-go-until-the-ring’s-on-the-finger grip Melanie had on him. “Yes, it is, isn’t it?” he replied vaguely.

Someone shouted his name from across the room, and Gil pushed his smile a notch higher and lifted a hand in greeting. “If you’ll excuse me,” he said, softening his smile to one of apology for Melanie. “I hope your stay in Texas is a pleasant one.” With a nod to the woman’s uncle, he turned and began to weave his way through the crowd again.

He reached the swinging door he’d spotted earlier and glanced quickly around to make sure no one was looking. Seeing his bodyguard approaching, he slashed a finger across his neck—his signal that he was taking a breather—and pushed his way through the door. Once on the other side he stopped, heaving a sigh of relief, and the door swung back and smacked him on the backside, knocking him a step further into the room. But Gil didn’t mind the whack on his rear, considering it small payment to escape the pressing crowd.

From somewhere he heard a woman’s voice. “The caviar’s on the tray. Get it out there quick. And add more champagne to the fountain. These pigs are swilling it down faster than a drunk would a bottle of rotgut after a week on the wagon.”

Frowning, Gil leaned to peer through a gap between the pots hanging above the long kitchen island. The woman stood before a commercial range on the opposite side, stirring a large pot, her back to him. Balanced on three-inch platform sneakers dyed an iridescent pink and with her white-blond hair anchored on top of her head by a rhinestone clip shaped like a star, she looked to Gil more like a refugee from a punk rock festival than a member of any catering staff.

Before he could make his identity known, she dragged her forearm wearily across her forehead and added, “Better check the supply of champagne glasses while you’re at it. It wouldn’t occur to these morons to simply ask for a refill. Oh-h-h, no-o-o,” she said, sounding more than a little resentful. “They’ve got to grab a fresh glass every time a waiter passes by.”

Finding the woman’s sour disposition a refreshing change from all the saccharine smiles and bogus compliments he’d suffered in the other room, Gil rounded the island. “You could’ve just tapped a keg, set out some plastic cups and saved yourself the hassle.”

She whipped her head around, her gaze slamming into his. He saw the recognition flash in her eyes and prepared himself to graciously accept the apology he was sure she’d offer for mistaking him for one of the caterer’s crew.

To his surprise, instead she turned her back to him and resumed her stirring. “If you’re lost, the party’s on the other side of the door.”

“I’m not lost. I’m hiding.”

She whacked the spoon against the side of the pot, set it aside, then crossed to the refrigerator, wiping her hands on a bib-style apron two sizes too big for her petite frame. “Well, hide someplace else. This kitchen’s small enough without you in here cluttering things up.”

Though her tone was anything but friendly, Gil decided he preferred her porcupine-disposition to the phony graciousness he’d experienced from the political elite gathered in the other room. Crossing to the range, he watched as she opened the refrigerator and stretched to retrieve something from its depths. As she moved, the back of her apron parted, exposing a cute little tush and well-shaped legs covered in leopard-print spandex capris. At the sight, he puckered his lips in a silent, admiring whistle.

When she turned from the refrigerator, he quickly dipped his head over the pot she’d been stirring, pretending interest. His mouth watered at the decadent scent of melted chocolate that rose to tease his taste buds. “Need some help?”

“Yeah, right,” she said dryly, and shouldered him out of her way to add milk to the mixture. “Like the governor of Texas would actually stoop to scullery work.”

Clucking his tongue, Gil shrugged out of his suit jacket and tossed it over a stool. “Just proves you can’t judge a book by its cover…or its title,” he added pointedly, as he loosened his tie. He tucked a dish towel into the waist of his slacks, then plucked the spoon from her hand and tipped his head toward the island. “Why don’t you take that tray of caviar out to the guests before they come in here looking for it and discover my hiding place?”

She snatched the spoon right back. “My staff takes care of the serving,” she informed him coldly, “and I do the cooking.”

Gil lifted his hands and stepped aside, hiding a smile. “Just trying to be helpful.”

“If you want to be helpful, you can get out of my—”

The swinging door banged open behind them and a young woman staggered into the kitchen, weighted down by a large tray of dirty dishes. She angled the tray onto the stainless steel island and blew a weary breath up at her bangs. Bracing a hand against the counter, she lifted a foot to slip her shoe off her heel.

“I swear, Suzy,” she complained, “if you hadn’t promised that I’d get to see the governor up close and personal, I never would’ve agreed to work this gig.” The shoe hit the floor and she moaned pitifully, squeezing her fingers around her aching toes. “No man’s worth this much pain. Not even the governor.”

Another insult hurled his way. Gil couldn’t remember the last time he’d had this much fun. “Are you sure about that?”

The young woman snapped to attention, her gaze meeting his, then quickly ducked behind the island, but not before he saw her cheeks flame. Gil heard her muttered curses and fumbling as she struggled to squeeze her swollen foot back into her shoe. Seconds later she popped back into view.

“S-sorry, Governor,” she stammered, as she smoothed her skirt back over her hips. “I didn’t know you were in here.”

Smiling, he pressed a finger to his lips. “Shh. Don’t tell anyone. I’m hiding.”

“Hiding?” Peering at him curiously, she rounded the island. “From who?”

Gil nodded toward the door. “Them.”

She squinched her nose. “I don’t blame you,” she whispered. “Nothing but a bunch of browners out there.” She wiped her hand on her skirt, then offered it to him along with a wide grin. “Hi. I’m Renee.”

Taking her hand, Gil bowed slightly over it. “Gil Riley, Renee. It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”

“Oh, for pity’s sake,” Suzy muttered, and pushed her way through their joined hands, breaking the contact. She crossed to the island, grabbed the tray of caviar-topped crackers and shoved it at her assistant. “If you’re done with the formal introductions, you can serve these to the browners.”

Renee turned for the door with a long-suffering sigh.

“Remember,” Gil called after her. “Mum’s the word.”

Bracing a hip against the door, Renee tossed him a smile and a wink over her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Governor. Your secret’s safe with me.”

Chuckling, Gil picked up the spoon Suzy had abandoned and began to stir as the door swung shut behind Renee. “Cute girl.”

“Hands off. She’s jail bait.”

Gil shrugged as a timer sounded, and Suzy headed for the oven. “Cute jail bait.”

She shoved a tray of miniature pastry shells onto the countertop next to the range, then snatched the spoon from his hand. “Men,” she grumbled.

Fascinated by this woman, but unsure why, Gil propped a hip against the counter and folded his arms across his chest. “You have something against men?”

“Nothing a mass castration wouldn’t solve.”

He flinched. “Ouch.”

She tipped her head toward a plastic tub filled with utensils. “If you’re staying, make yourself useful and hand me that ladle.”

He retrieved the requested item and passed it to her. “Anything else, boss?”

“Yeah,” she snapped. “Don’t call me boss.”

“What should I call you?”

“Suzy.”

“Suzy…?” he prodded helpfully, hoping she would reveal her last name.

She slanted him a quelling look. “Just Suzy.”

“Okay, Just Suzy. I’m Gil.”

She rolled her eyes as she ladled thick chocolate into the shells. “Like I don’t know who you are.”

“Which obviously doesn’t impress you overly much.”

“Why should it?”

He could’ve hugged her for that response alone. “Why, indeed,” he replied, smiling.

The timer sounded again, and before Suzy could stop him, Gil removed another tray of pastry shells from the oven, placed it on a rack to cool, then resumed his position at the counter, watching as she continued to fill the shells.

He had always thought a person’s work habits revealed a lot about their personality and mood, and saw that this little lady was no exception to the rule. She tackled her duties with a confidence and an economy of motion that indicated she was no stranger to a kitchen. Yet he noticed a jerkiness in her movements and a tenseness around her mouth that told him his presence annoyed the hell out of her. She was also independent, he noted, zeroing in on the determined set of her jaw, the stubborn thrust of her chin, which told him that she was a woman who wouldn’t need or want anyone’s assistance…especially, it seemed, his.

But, dang, if she wasn’t a pretty little thing, he thought—if a person took the time to look past the garish makeup and the wild hairdo. Intrigued, he watched her hunch a shoulder to her heat-flushed cheek to brush away a wayward strand of hair and was tempted to help her out by tucking the lock behind her ear. But he refrained from doing so, mindful of her comment about castration and the number of knives within easy reach.

Wondering what had given her such a low opinion of men, he let his gaze drift to her mouth, pursed at the moment in an irresistible blend of annoyance and concentration…and found his thoughts shifting to wonder what she would taste like, what kind of response he could arouse from her if he were to give in to the sudden impulse to kiss her. If all her passions ran as deep and volatile as her temper, he suspected he’d be in for one hell of a ride.

“Do you work for the catering company?” he asked, hoping to discover her identity.

“I am the catering company.”

“Should I be impressed?”

She glanced his way. “Most men are,” she replied, then arched a brow and added, “though it’s seldom my cooking that impresses them.”

“Must be that winning personality of yours.”

“That, too.”

He tossed back his head and laughed, enjoying the verbal sparring. “So what do you do when you’re not catering, Just Suzy?”

“Governor?”

Gil turned to find his bodyguard standing in the doorway. “Yes, Dave?”

“People are starting to notice you’re missing.”

Gil dragged the dish towel from around his waist with a weary sigh, feeling the full weight of his responsibilities settling back on his shoulders. “I’ll be right there.”

Dave touched a finger to his temple, then slipped back through the door as quietly as he’d appeared.

Gil picked up his jacket and shrugged it on. “It was nice meeting you, Just Suzy.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she muttered, busily plunking fresh raspberries on top of each filled tart.

Unable to resist teasing her a little more, he stepped up behind her and leaned to press his lips close to her ear. “If there’s ever anything I can do for you…”

She jerked away, narrowing her eyes at him. “Like what? Washing my dirty dishes? Or did you have something a little more intimate in mind?”

Chuckling, he snugged the knot of his tie between the points of his collar. “Whatever your needs are,” he informed her as he headed for the door, “just give me a shout, and I’m all yours.”

With only a security light to illuminate the dark alleyway where the catering van was parked, Renee hovered at Suzy’s elbow, worrying her thumbnail. “You don’t think the rumors that he’s gay are really true, do you?”

Remembering the governor’s suggestive parting comment, Suzy scowled as she shoved the last crate of glasses into the rear of the van. “Probably.”

Renee’s frown deepened, then she huffed a breath. “Well, I don’t think he is. He just doesn’t look gay, you know?” She sighed dreamily. “Oh, man, did you see his eyes? Paul Newman blue. And that drawl of his. I bet he could turn sex into a three-syllable word.”

Suzy caught the door and stepped back, forcing Renee back, as well. “I thought your relationship with Rusty was exclusive?”

Renee gave her chin a defensive lift. “It is, but there’s no harm in looking.”

Suzy slammed the rear doors with a little more force than necessary. “Yeah, I’ve heard that line before,” she muttered. “But usually delivered by a male caught with lipstick on his collar.” Seeing Renee’s wounded look, she immediately regretted the sharp words and slung an arm around her young employee. “Don’t mind me. I’m just tired.”

Renee’s shoulders drooped wearily beneath Suzy’s arm. “Me, too. Need me to follow you home and help you unload?”

“Nope. I’m leaving everything in the van until morning.”

“You sure?”

Suzy hugged Renee to her side before giving her a push toward the parking lot. “Yeah, I’m sure. Now scoot. And give Rusty a kiss for me,” she called after her.

Renee lifted a hand in farewell. “I will. Good night, Suzy.”

“’Night.”

Suzy watched until Renee was safely inside her car and pulling out onto the street, then headed for the driver’s side of the van, anxious to get to her own home and bed. Catering an event of this size and importance was a physical and mental drain that took her days to recover from. Unfortunately, she didn’t have days. She had a luncheon for the local garden club scheduled for noon the next day. Or rather today, she thought, stifling a groan as she stuck her key into the door lock.

Gravel crunched on the drive behind her, and she froze as a shadow fell over her, blocking the glow from the security light behind her. Silently cursing herself for not asking one of the security guards hired for the party to escort her to her van, she shifted her keys between her fingers and whirled, thrusting out her hand as if she held a weapon

The dark figure—a man she realized, gulping back the scream that rose—skidded to a stop with the blunt end of the key just inches from his chest and shot up his hands.

“Is that thing loaded?”

Though the man’s face remained in shadows, Suzy recognized the voice. The governor. Furious with him for slipping up on her and frightening her, she dropped her arm. “Are you crazy?” she snapped, fisting the keys within her palm. “You could get yourself killed, sneaking up on a person like that.”

He lowered his hands and teased her with a smile. “Would you miss me?”

Scowling, she wrenched open the door. “Get real.”

He caught her elbow, stopping her before she could climb inside. “I’d miss you.”

His voice was low, husky and sounded sincere enough to have her pausing…but only for the length of time it took for her to draw in an angry breath. Jerking free of his grasp, she spun to face him. “You don’t even know me.”

He hooked a hand over the top of the door and smiled down at her, his casual stance irritating her even more. “No, but I’d like to. How about dinner?”

“I’ve already eaten.”

“A drink then.”

“I’m not thirsty.”

He shifted in front of her and pushed his palm against the side of the van, neatly pinning her between himself and the vehicle. He leaned closer and she drew back, wary of the seductive gleam in his eyes.

“Then we’ll skip the preliminaries,” he said in a voice that would melt the lock off a chastity belt, “and go straight to bed. Your place or mine?”

Suzy planted a hand against his chest, stopping his forward movement. “Neither.” She gave him an angry shove. “Now beat it, Romeo, before I start screaming and have every cop in Austin swarming all over the place.”

To her surprise, instead of becoming indignant, as she might have suspected, or using his greater strength to overpower her, he dropped his head back and laughed. Then, before she could duck, he surprised her again by dropping a kiss on her cheek. “I like you, Suzy.”

Grimacing, she dragged the back of her hand across her face. “Yeah. Most men do.”

He took a step back and slipped his hands into his pockets. “I’d like to see you again.”

With room to move now, she climbed into the van and slammed the door. “Not if I see you first,” she muttered as she rammed the key into the ignition. She gunned the engine, ripped the gearshift into drive and sped off, setting the glasses in the rear of the van rattling.

She rolled down her window as she turned onto the street…and would have sworn later that was the governor’s laughter she heard chasing her down the street.

Gil stood before the windows in his office in the Governor’s Mansion, his arms folded across his chest, staring out at the grounds below. Though late-afternoon sunshine spotlighted a neatly tended rose garden, he saw nothing but the scowling face of a flashily dressed, sharp-tongued blonde.

Thoughts and images of the caterer he’d met at the party the weekend before had filled his head all week, making it difficult for him to complete the simplest task and impeding his ability to concentrate on a particular topic for any length of time. Both of which were an oddity for Gil, as he couldn’t remember a single woman in his past who had dominated his thoughts so completely.

Not that he hadn’t had his fair share of female relationships, he reminded himself. He just hadn’t met one like Suzy before.

Just Suzy.

A smile tugged at his lips as he envisioned her again, standing at the side of her van, dressed in those ridiculous-looking pink platform sneakers and leopardprint pants, brandishing her keys at him as if they were a weapon. She probably would have used them, too, if he hadn’t spoken, thus revealing his identity. A hellcat, he thought, silently admiring her spunk.

“Gil? Are you listening to me?”

Startled, he glanced over at his secretary, then offered her a rueful smile. “Sorry, Mary. I guess my mind wandered.”

She closed her day planner with a snap and rose, her lips pursed in disapproval. “And no wonder. You’ve been burning the candle at both ends since the day you took office. You need a vacation. Why don’t you go to the ranch for a couple of days and relax?”

Though a trip to his ranch was appealing, he shook his head. “No rest for the weary. Not right now, at any rate.”

“Well, there’s nothing here that won’t keep until tomorrow.” She headed for the door. “At least go upstairs and put your feet up before you have to go to that meeting tonight.”

“Mary?”

Her hand on the knob, she paused, a brow arched in question. “Yes?”

“Do you know who catered that party last weekend?”

She frowned slightly. “No. Why?”

He lifted a shoulder. “No particular reason.” He dropped a hand to his desktop and shuffled a few papers. “Do you think you could find out for me?”

“Well, yes,” she replied hesitantly, clearly puzzled by the request. “I’m sure I could.”

He lifted his head and gave her a grateful smile. “Do that for me, would you? And give me a call if you’re successful.”

Suzy hadn’t read a newspaper in years, avoided television newscasts like the plague and turned the dial if a news bulletin happened to interrupt the music playing on her favorite radio station. She despised the news, no matter what the format, and considered those who reported it lower than scum.

But her aversion to news and the news media hadn’t prevented her from recognizing the governor of Texas when he’d slipped into the kitchen at the party she’d catered over the weekend. From the moment Gil Riley had tossed his cowboy hat into the ring and announced his intent to run for governor, he had become the most-talked-about man in the state of Texas. Within days of his announcement, his name and picture had appeared on billboards scattered along Texas roadways and on the rear bumpers of every make and model of vehicle, from the beat-up farm truck to the luxury sports car.

A nonpolitician—and a rancher, at that—running for governor was enough of an oddity to grab the attention of the entire populace. He quickly won the hearts of his fellow Texans by promising to represent the common man, especially those in rural areas, and put an end to big business and government taking over the Lone Star State and forcing families from their homes and off the land their ancestors had fought for and labored on for years.

But his platform wasn’t all that caught the voters’ attention. His youth, his Marlboro Man rugged looks and his bachelor status appealed to the masses as much as did his stand on the issues.

Especially to the women.

Throughout the months preceding the election, he was gossiped about and fantasized about in beauty salons, during coffee breaks and at the checkout lines in grocery stores. By the time November rolled around and his landslide victory announced, there wasn’t a single woman in Texas who hadn’t woven a secret dream or two of becoming his first lady.

Even Suzy.

And why not? Suzy asked herself with a defensive sniff. With his slow Texas drawl, his hard, lean body and that you-can-trust-me killer smile of his, the man was a natural woman-magnet. And if the stories told about him were true—which she seriously doubted, since he was, after all, a politician—he had more going for him than just a handsome face and a to-die-for body. He was intelligent and possessed an almost uncanny business sense, with a degree from Texas A&M and a successful cattle operation to substantiate both. And he was a philanthropist, to boot, she remembered hearing somewhere, donating both his time and his money to causes that focused on abused children and troubled teens.

Handsome and with a tender and generous heart. What more could a woman ask for in a man? she asked herself.

Scowling, she rammed her wide-brimmed hat farther down on her head. “One who doesn’t live in a fishbowl,” she reminded herself.

With her knees buried in rich brown dirt, she kept her head down and her gaze focused on the weeds sprouting in her garden, telling herself that she wouldn’t think about Gil Riley anymore. He was a walking, talking nightmare she didn’t need in her life or her head right now or at any time in the future, no matter how attractive she found him.

But in spite of her determination to do otherwise, thoughts and images of the governor continued to drift through her mind as she worked in her garden, just as they had from the moment he’d waltzed into the kitchen at the party she’d catered, catching her unawares with his suggestion that she should’ve tapped a keg, instead of serving flutes of champagne.

Tapped a keg.

A smile twitched at her lips at the memory. But the smile slowly melted when a pair of cowboy boots moved into her line of vision only inches from her hand.

It can’t be, she told herself, staring in horror at the tips of the custom-made boots.

“You’re hard as hell to track down, you know it?”

It not only could be, she realized, recognizing the governor’s distinctive drawl, it was. She forced a swallow, then was careful to fix a frown on her face before looking up. “What are you doing here? Hiding out again?”

“No. I came to see you.”

His smile was as warm and guileless as the sunshine that beamed down on her face. But it was wasted on Suzy. She’d learned long ago not to trust a man’s smile or be fooled by one’s charm. She sank back on her heels and narrowed her eyes at him. “Why?”

He lifted a shoulder. “No reason. Was just in the neighborhood and thought I’d drop by and say hello.”

She rocked forward, planted a gloved hand against the ground and started pulling weeds again. “Okay. You’ve said it. Now beat it, before I call the cops and have you arrested for trespassing.”

Instead of leaving, as she’d hoped, he hunkered down opposite her, braced an arm on his thigh and dipped his head down to look at her. “Have I done something to offend you?”

She crawled to the next plant, refusing to look at him. “You’re still breathing, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, and obviously that doesn’t please you.” He duck-walked to keep pace with her. “But what I want to know is why?”

With a frustrated huff, she fell back on her heels. “Is there a law that says every woman in the state has to drop at your feet and pant when you say heel?”

A slow grin spread across his face. “No. But if that’s what it takes to get you to agree to go out with me, I’ll see what I can do to push a bill through Congress to that effect.”

She rolled her eyes and leaned to snatch at a weed. “Don’t waste your time.” He closed a hand over hers, stilling her movements, and she jerked up her head to glare at him.

“Look,” he said patiently. “All I’m asking for is a little of your time. A chance to get to know you, and for you to get to know me. Now, that’s not too much to ask, is it?”

“Suzy? Is that you, dear?”

She groaned at the sound of her neighbor’s warbling voice coming from the other side of the privacy fence. “Yes, it’s me, Mrs. Woodley!”

“Are you all right, dear? I thought I heard a man’s voice.”

She snatched her hand from beneath Gil’s. “Nosy busybody,” she muttered, then raised her voice, “Yes, I’m fine, Mrs. Woodley. Just visiting with a—” she glanced at Gil and curled her lip in a snarl “—friend.”

“Who, dear?”

Hissing a breath through her teeth, she scrambled to her feet and grabbed Gil’s hand, tugging him to his feet, as well. “No one you know, Mrs. Woodley!” Dragging Gil behind her, she ran for the house. “I’m going inside now, Mrs. Woodley,” she yelled. “Talk to you later.”

Before the woman could respond, Suzy yanked Gil inside the house and slammed and locked the door behind them. Ripping off her hat and gloves, she tossed them onto the table as she raced to the window that faced her neighbor’s house.

Gil chuckled as he watched her jerk down the shade. “I take it Mrs. Woodley is a bit like Gladys Kravitz.”

She snorted as she darted past him to pull down the shade over the window above the kitchen sink. “Worse. And if she finds out the governor’s at my house, she’ll be on the phone telling all her friends. Wouldn’t surprise me if she herded them all over to ask for your autograph.”

He lifted a shoulder. “I’d be happy to give all your neighbors my autograph.”

She sent him a withering look as she headed down a hall.

Shaking his head, Gil followed. “Are you going to pull every shade in the house?”

“You’re darn right I am.” In the living room she dropped a knee onto the sofa and stretched to grab the shade that partially covered the window behind it. She froze, then leaned over the back of the sofa to peer outside. “Oh, no,” she moaned.

Gil crossed to stand behind her, stooping to see what had disturbed her. “What is it?”

She grabbed the string and jerked down the shade. “Not what. Who!”

Not having seen anything out of the ordinary, he straightened. “Who, then?”

She pushed from the sofa and stood, wringing her hands as she stared at the front door, as if she expected it to burst open at any moment. “Reporters.”

“Reporters?” Gil moved to the end of the sofa and lifted the shade a fraction to peer outside. He glanced over his shoulder. “You mean those guys in that black sedan across the street?”

She gulped, then nodded.

He laughed and dropped the shade. “They aren’t reporters. They’re my bodyguards. Although Dave acts like an overprotective father at times.”

“Are you sure?”

“Sure I’m sure.” He opened the door and shouted. “Hey, Dave! Show this lady your ID.”

The man behind the wheel lifted a hip, pulled out his wallet and flipped it open. Sunshine glinted off a silver badge he held out the open window. Gil glanced over at Suzy who had joined him at the door. “Satisfied?”

“They go everywhere you go?”

“Yeah,” he said as he closed the door. “Well, not everywhere,” he amended. “I am allowed to go to the rest room alone.”

Suzy glanced up in surprise, then sputtered a laugh when she saw the teasing in his eyes. “Well, it’s good to know that at least some things in life are still sacred.”

“Do that again.”

Her laughter dried up in her throat as she watched the amusement in his eyes soften to wonder. She took a nervous step back. “Do what?”

“Laugh.” He caught her arm and turned her around to face him, holding her in place by her elbows. “I like the sound of it.”

Heat from his hands radiated up her arms, setting off warning bells in her head. Though she knew she should send him packing, she found she couldn’t move. But it wasn’t his strength that held her in place, though she could feel the power in the hands that gripped her. It was something in his eyes. A warmth. A gentleness. And something in his voice. Warmth again. And a huskiness that made her toes curl inside her tennis shoes.

He touched a finger to the corner of her eye, and a slight smile curved his mouth. “And I like what it does to your face. It softens your features. Makes you seem friendlier, more approachable.”

He drew the tips of his fingers along her cheek, and a shiver chased down her spine. “What…are you doing?”

“Touching you. Is that okay?”

Before she could reply, he placed a thumb against her lips and smoothed it along the crease. Another shiver chased down her spine as he slipped his hand around to cup the back of her neck. Her eyes riveted on his, her pulse thrumming, she watched the blue in his eyes darken, turn molten.

“I’m going to kiss you, Suzy,” he said quietly.

Even as he offered the warning, he was lowering his face to hers.

And Suzy, God help her, was pushing to her toes to meet him halfway.

Two

Suzy knew one thing for sure.

Gil Riley sure as heck wasn’t gay.

No man could kiss a woman like this and be anything but totally heterosexual. She couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move.

Well, maybe she could move, she decided belatedly and lifted her arms to loop them around his neck. The change in position brought him a step closer, his chest chafing against her breasts, his arms winding around her waist. With a skill that sent her blood racing, he teased her lips apart with gentle flicks of his tongue.

And forced her to add a new item to the governor’s already lengthy résumé: master seducer.

He’s good, she thought, giving herself up to the sensual rock of his mouth over hers, the erotic play of his tongue. Maybe too good, she thought with a shiver. Mesmerized by the pillowed softness of his lips, the commanding pressure of his mouth, she was only distantly aware of him sliding his hands from her waist to splay them across her buttocks. But when he tugged her up against him, she forgot about his mouth and the seductive lure of his lips, her attention snagged by the hard column of the erection nudging her abdomen. Alarm bells clanged in her head.

What are you doing! What is he doing! You don’t need this kind of trouble. Get rid of him. Tell him to get lost. Toss him out the door on his ear!

She intended to heed the warnings. She really did! And would have, if he hadn’t, at that moment, dug his fingers into her buttocks and lifted her, dragging her body up the length of his, until their groins were flush, their mouths perfectly aligned. With her held tightly against him, he deepened the kiss, softened it, then deepened it again, sending her pulse tripping, her mind reeling…and her good intentions skipping straight down the proverbial road to hell.

As he spun the kiss out, his tongue tangling with hers in an erotic dance for dominance, she lost all sense of time, all sense of place, all sense of self. She felt as if she were caught in the eye of one of Texas’s famous twisters, her body battered by a constant barrage of sensations and emotions, her mind stripped bare of all thought and reason.

She wanted this man, she realized with a suddenness that made her heart stumble a beat. More than she’d ever wanted any man before, she wanted Gil Riley. But even as her mind registered this need, he tightened his arms around her, all but squeezing what was left of the breath from her lungs. A groan rose from deep in his throat, and she sensed the regret in the sound, felt it as he eased his hold on her and let her slide back down his body, tasted it as he slowly dragged his mouth from hers.

Weakened, she braced her hands against his chest and drew in a shaky breath, telling herself that it was her imagination, that his kiss hadn’t held the power, the perfection that her mind insisted on attributing to it. But when she opened her eyes and met his gaze, saw the heat there, the same surprise and passion that clouded her own, she knew she was in trouble.

He touched a finger to the moisture he’d left on her lips, and a smile curved one side of his mouth. “You’re one hell of a kisser, Just Suzy.”

And so was he, she thought, gulping. Before she gave in to the temptation to throw herself back into his arms for a second go at him, she inhaled deeply, drawing in the oxygen she needed to clear her head, steady her pulse and ease from his embrace. “You’re not too shabby a kisser, yourself, guv.”

He laughed and the masculine sound filled the room and vibrated through her, filling her with an unexpected sense of longing and regret she couldn’t even begin to explain.

“I like you, Suzy.”

Because she was afraid that she was beginning to like him, too, she turned away. “So you’ve said.”

“My life isn’t my own right now, but I’d like to spend what free time I can manage with you.”

She closed her eyes, digging deep for the strength, the flippancy she needed to send him on his way. Plucking a pillow from the sofa, she slapped a hand against it, fluffing it. “Sorry, guv, but my dance card is pretty full.”

“There’s a private reception Friday night to dedicate a new children’s wing at one of the local hospitals. Will you go with me?”

She dropped the pillow back to the sofa and turned, a brow arched in question. “This Friday?” At his nod, she lifted her hands. “Sorry. I’ve already got plans.”

He stared at her a moment, as if weighing the truth in her refusal, then slipped his fingers into his shirt pocket and pulled out a small envelope. “If your plans should change, this will get you in the door.” He dropped the invitation onto the coffee table, then touched a finger to his temple, his smile returning. “See you around, Suzy.”

“What’s this?”

Suzy glanced over her shoulder and swallowed a groan when she saw the card Renee was holding. Wishing she’d tossed the invitation into the garbage, as she’d intended, she turned back to the sink and continued to wash strawberries. “Some stupid reception for a new wing at a hospital.”

“Are you going?”

“No.”

“Why not? Everybody who is anybody is going. I read about it in Paul Skinner’s gossip column. Even the governor will be there.”

“So?”

“So go! Rub elbows with the rich and famous. Play Cinderella for a night.”

Suzy snorted a laugh. “Yeah, right. Like I have any aspirations of being Cinderella.”

Renee picked up the colander filled with freshly washed strawberries. “Oh, come on, Suz. Every girl dreams of being Cinderella at least once in her life.”

Suzy followed Renee to the island, drying her hands on her apron’s skirt. She picked up a knife and selected a strawberry from the colander as she settled onto a stool beside her assistant. “Not me. I quit believing in fairy tales a long time ago.”

“Bull hockey.”

Lifting a brow, Suzy turned to level a look on Renee. “I beg your pardon?”

Renee ignored her and continued to slice strawberries. “Every girl dreams of being Cinderella and meeting her own Prince Charming. Even you,” she said, and stubbornly met Suzy’s gaze.

Huffing a breath, Suzy resumed her coring. “Even if what you said were true, and it’s not,” she added, slanting Renee a warning look, “I certainly wouldn’t find my Prince Charming at a hospital wing dedication.” She sputtered a laugh. “Imagine me attending a reception with a bunch of snooty old do-gooders.”

“Everyone there isn’t going to be old and snooty. Remember? The governor’s going and he’s definitely not old. And he’s not snooty, either. In fact, I think he’s about as down-to-earth and friendly as any person could possibly be. And if there is such a man as Prince Charming,” she added, “Gil Riley certainly fits the bill.”

Before Suzy could argue the point, the doorbell sounded and the telephone rang at the same time. Renee laid down her knife and rose. “I’ll get the door.”

Hoping that by the time her assistant returned to the kitchen, she would have forgotten all about the stupid invitation, Suzy picked up the phone. “Suzy’s Succulent Sensations,” she said into the receiver.

“Suzy?”

She squeezed her eyes shut at the quaver she heard in the familiar voice, recognizing it as a sign her mother was having a bad day. Determined to be cheerful, she tucked the phone between shoulder and ear, reached for the knife again and began to core strawberries. “Hello, Mother. How’re you doing today?”

“Okay…I guess.”

Suzy heard the self-pity in the response, but refused to fall prey to it. “That’s good. Are you planning to work in your garden today?”

“No,” her mother replied in a lifeless voice that threatened to suck Suzy down into an equally despairing mood. “I just don’t have the heart for it today.”

“But it’s a such a beautiful day,” Suzy insisted, knowing from experience that staying inside with the curtains drawn would only darken her mother’s depression more.

“Is it?” her mother replied vaguely. “I hadn’t noticed. Suzy?”

Suzy heard the tears building and tensed. “What is it, Mother? Has something happened?”

“No. No.” She sniffed noisily. “It’s just that last night I dreamed your father—”

Suzy stiffened, curling her fingers around the knife’s handle. “Don’t call him that.”

“I’m sorry, dear. The reverend, then. I dreamed the reverend called and wanted to see us. It seemed so real,” her mother continued, her voice quavering with a mixture of fear and hope.

“You know what the doctor said,” Suzy reminded her sternly. “You’re not to focus on your dreams or to even think about them. You’re supposed to occupy your mind on something else. Do you have any new books to read?”

“No.” Her mother sniffed delicately. “I haven’t felt much like getting out and going to the library.”

“How about a jigsaw puzzle? I’ll bet the new ones I brought you are still in the top of the hall closet.”

There was a slight pause, and Suzy could almost see her mother turning to gaze vacantly at the closet door.

“You brought me puzzles?” Suzy heard her mother ask, as if she’d totally forgotten about Suzy’s visit and her placing the boxes there.

“Would you like for me to come and visit you?” Suzy asked, her concern growing. “I have desserts to make for a party tonight, but I could come later this afternoon, after I’ve delivered them.”

“No, dear. I’ll be all right. I’ll just take down one of the puzzles you brought and work on it today.”

“Good idea, Mother. And go outside for a while,” Suzy begged. “Being out in the sun and fresh air will do you a world of good.”

“Oh, my gosh! Look, Suzy! Roses! Dozens of them!”

Suzy glanced up, her eyes rounding as Renee returned to the kitchen, carrying a huge vase of yellow roses. Dumbfounded, she angled the receiver back in front of her mouth. “Mother, I need to go. I’ll call later this afternoon and check on you, all right?”

“Yes, dear. That would be nice.”

At the click, indicating her mother had hung up, Suzy returned the phone to its base, staring as Renee set the vase of roses opposite her on the island.

“Aren’t they gorgeous?” Renee cried, laughing gaily. “And look! There’s one sunflower tucked right in the middle.” She quickly unpinned the small envelope from the ribbon wrapped around the sunflower’s stem and thrust it at Suzy. “Open it and see who they’re from.”

Fearing she already knew who had sent the roses, Suzy plucked a strawberry from the colander, pretending disinterest. “Probably some grateful hostess we catered a party for.”

“Then you won’t mind if I look.” Without waiting for permission, Renee ripped open the envelope and pulled out the card. She gasped, slapping a hand over her heart. “Oh, my God, Suzy! They’re from the governor!” She lifted her head, her eyes wide, then dropped her gaze to the card again, and read, “‘The roses are standard trying-to-impress-a-woman fare, but the sunflower is simply because it reminded me of your sunny smile. Hope to see you tonight.’”

Her cheeks burning, Suzy snatched the card from Renee’s hand and stuffed it into her apron pocket.

Renee rounded the island, her mouth sagged open. “The governor sent you the invitation to the dedication?”

Suzy lifted a shoulder. “So what if he did? I’m not going.”

“But you have to go!” Renee slid onto a stool, her knees bumping Suzy’s as she spun to face her. “This is the opportunity of a lifetime! A date with the governor, for cripe’s sake! The hunkiest and most lusted-after bachelor in the entire state. You’d be a fool not to go.”

Suzy slipped off her stool, gathering the pile of cut stems into her hands. “Then I’m a fool.” She crossed to the sink and poked the cuttings down the disposal. “Because I’m sure as heck not going anywhere as the governor’s date.”

And she wasn’t going to the dedication as the governor’s date, Suzy assured herself as she stopped inside the hospital’s lobby to tug the strap of a high-heeled sling back over her heel. She was going to the dedication to prove a point…both to herself and Gil Riley.

They were totally unsuitable for each other.

She had known he wasn’t the man for her from the moment she’d seen his picture on a billboard and felt the first flutter of attraction. That realization was confirmed the evening he’d slipped into the kitchen at the party she’d catered and she’d experienced firsthand his particular brand of heart-fluttering charm. And she’d had her nose all but rubbed in their unsuitability when he’d stood in her living room and kissed her senseless.

Yet, in spite of the obviousness of their unsuitability, Gil remained clueless…and persistent. But Suzy was willing to take whatever steps necessary to prove to him what she’d already ascertained, even if it meant possibly exposing herself to the public eye. Prior to going to the dedication, she’d carefully weighed all the dangers and convinced herself that she could conceal her identity from the unsuspecting guests. It was a private party, after all, thus the press wouldn’t be present. Besides, she had chosen a disguise so outlandish, her own mother would have trouble recognizing her!

Straightening, she wiggled her hips to ease the body-hugging spandex fabric of her black micro-mini skirt back into place. She spotted the entrance to the new wing just ahead of her, and a smug smile curved her lips as strains of Mozart’s “Moonlight Sonata” played by a violinist drifted out to her. She could just see the expressions on the faces of the stodgy, stiff-necked guests when she made her entrance. She knew she and Gil Riley were unsuitable…and, before the night was over, so would he.

Tossing over her shoulder the long tresses of the red wig she’d chosen to wear for the evening, she headed for the entrance.

“Excuse me, miss.”

Suzy stopped and glanced to her right. A prune-faced woman stood at the entry, dressed in a pink slap-me-if-it-isn’t-a-grandmother-of-the-bride silk shantung suit. Suzy arched a brow—the one she’d adhered a rhinestone to its end. “Yes?”

The woman lifted her chin, looking down her nose at Suzy in disapproval. “This is a private party, by invitation only.”

“Yeah, I know.” Hiding a smile, Suzy glanced over the roomful of guests. “I’m supposed to meet my date here.” She caught a glimpse of Gil standing with a group of distinguished-looking men and looking positively mouth watering himself in a black tux and silk crewneck, off-white sweater. “There he is now.” She lifted a hand. “Hey, Governor!” she shouted, waving her hand over her head. “Over here! I forgot my invitation, and this chick won’t let me in.”

Gil glanced her way—as did nearly everyone else in the room. Seeing this as the perfect opportunity to prove her point, Suzy gave the deep vee of her sequined halter top a tug closer to her naval—silently thanked God for double-sided tape—then cocked a hip and crooked her finger.

A hush fell over the room. Even the violinist stopped playing. Though embarrassment burned through her as the crowd openly stared, Suzy kept her expression sulky and her posture slutty, holding her breath while she waited for Gil to turn his back on her, refusing to acknowledge her as an acquaintance, much less as his date. Once he did, she promised herself, she was out of there, point proven.

She watched him murmur something to the men he was standing with, then, to her amazement, he headed her way. Was that a smile twitching at his lips? she thought in dismay. By the time he reached her, he was laughing fully.

The prune-faced woman hovered nearby, wringing her hands. “I’m so sorry, Governor. I tried to tell her the party was by invitation only.”

Gil looked down at Suzy, his eyes filled with amusement. “It’s all right,” he said, and offered her his arm. “She’s my date.”

Suzy slipped her arm through his and, unable to resist, tossed the wide-eyed woman an I-told-you-so smirk as Gil escorted her into the room and toward the buffet table.

“You really know how to make an entrance.”

She looked up at him, all innocence. “An entrance? Me?”

He seared her with a look from the top of her trailer-trash hairdo to the tips of her scarlet-woman painted toenails. His lips quirked in a smile as he returned his gaze to hers. “Yeah, you.” He unwound his arm from hers, picked up a plate from the buffet table and handed it to her, then selected one for himself. “But what I’m wondering is,” he said, as he levered thin slices of smoked salmon onto first her plate, then his, “who you’re trying to fool with that getup.” He glanced her way and arched a brow. “Want to tell me about it?”

This wasn’t going at all as she’d planned, Suzy reflected miserably as she fixed a smile on her face and shook the hand of yet another guest Gil introduced her to. Although she had succeeded in shocking nearly every person at the dedication with her trailer-trash hairdo and slutty outfit, her appearance hadn’t seemed to faze or embarrass Gil at all. In fact, he’d treated her as if she were visiting royalty, insisting upon escorting her around the room and introducing her to what seemed an endless stream of people.

And if she’d had any clue she was going to have to march a country mile at the stupid dedication, she sure as heck wouldn’t have worn these four-inch spiked heels!

Wincing, she braced a hand against his arm and lifted a foot to readjust the high-heeled sandal’s strap, in hopes of easing the ache in her arch.

“Shoes hurting your feet?”

She glanced up, saw the amusement in his eyes and quickly dropped her hand from his arm and her foot to the floor. “No.”

He bit back a smile. “Liar.” He caught her elbow and guided her toward the entrance. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Suzy?”

At the sound of her name, Suzy stopped and turned, dragging Gil to a stop, as well. Her eyes widened when she saw her friend, Penny Thompson, hurrying toward her. “Penny!” she cried in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

Laughing, Penny grabbed her hands. “Me? What are you doing here?”

“I asked first.” Suzy shifted her gaze higher, as a tall, handsome man stepped up beside her friend. “Don’t tell me,” she said dryly. “Let me guess. The Cyber Cowboy is a major contributor.”

Grinning, Erik Thompson, Penny’s new husband and the owner of Cyber Cowboy International, looped an around his wife’s waist. “Okay, I won’t tell you.” He bent to drop a kiss on Suzy’s cheek, then straightened, choking on a laugh as he got a good look at her attire. “I thought girls like you hung out on street corners.”

Batting her eyelashes, Suzy sidled up to him and dragged a finger down the front of his tuxedo shirt. “Why, when all the johns with money are right in here?”

Penny slapped her hand away. “Watch it, sister. He’s taken.”

Laughing, Suzy fluffed her hair. “That’s the kind of man I like best.”

“I’ll have to remember that.”

Having forgotten all about Gil, Suzy shot him a frown as he joined them. “Trust me. It wouldn’t help your case any.”

Chuckling, Erik stuck out a hand. “Hello, Governor. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“Good to see you, too,” Gil returned, then smiled at Penny as he caught her hand between his. “And you must be the woman who knocked Erik off the Most Eligible Bachelor List.” He winked at Erik in approval. “An easy fall to take, when a man has a woman as pretty as this one to come home to.”

Rolling her eyes, Suzy grabbed Gil by the sleeve. “Come on, Governor Smooth, before I’m forced to put on boots to wade through all this BS. Call me, Penny!” she tossed over her shoulder as she dragged Gil away.

When they reached the entrance, a man stepped forward, obviously one of the hosts for the evening.

“You’re not leaving so soon, are you, Governor?”

“Not just yet. I thought I’d show my friend here some of the rooms in the new wing.”

The man spread an arm in welcome. “Please, be our guests.”

With a nod of thanks, Gil led Suzy to a bank of elevators. Once inside and the doors had closed, he dropped to a knee, and reached for her foot.

Startled, she tried to pull away. “What are you doing!”

He managed to slip off the left shoe, then glanced up at her. “Taking off your shoes.”

He shifted to reach for the other, and she shoved at his head, tottering as she tried in vain to angle her foot out of his reach. “If I wanted my shoes off, I’d have taken them off myself.”

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