Praise for New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Brenda Jackson

“Brenda Jackson writes romance that sizzles and characters you fall in love with.”

—New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Lori Foster

“Jackson’s trademark ability to weave multiple characters and side stories together makes shocking truths all the more exciting.”

—Publishers Weekly

“There is no getting away from the sex appeal and charm of Jackson’s Westmoreland family.”

—RT Book Reviews on Feeling the Heat

“Jackson’s characters are wonderful, strong, colorful and hot enough to burn the pages.”

—RT Book Reviews on Westmoreland’s Way

“The kind of sizzling, heart-tugging story

Brenda Jackson is famous for.”

—RT Book Reviews on Spencer’s Forbidden Passion

“This is entertainment at its best.”

—RT Book Reviews on Star of His Heart

Dear Readers,

I introduced Rico Claiborne in my seventh Westmoreland novel, The Chase is On, as the brother to my heroine, Jessica Claiborne. And you met him again in A Durango Affair as the brother of Savannah Claiborne, the heroine in that novel. Your e-mails began pouring in requesting that I write Rico’s story. I put him on my “To Do” list until I thought I had the perfect heroine. Someone who was worthy of his heart.

I found her in Megan Westmoreland.

Texas Wild is Megan and Rico’s story as they join forces in search of information about the patriarch of the Denver Westmorelands, Raphel. Their journey takes them from the mountains of Denver to the plains of Texas where the heat they encounter is blazing and wild—and is mainly for each other.

It’s time to get to know Rico, up close and personal, in a love story that will leave you breathless and tempt you to get wild.

Happy reading!

Brenda Jackson

About the Author

BRENDA JACKSON is a die “heart” romantic who married her childhood sweetheart and still proudly wears the “going steady” ring he gave her when she was fifteen. Because she believes in the power of love, Brenda’s stories always have happy endings. In her real-life love story, Brenda and her husband of forty years live in Jacksonville, Florida, and have two sons.

A New York Times bestselling author of more than seventy-five romance titles, Brenda is a recent retiree who now divides her time between family, writing and traveling with Gerald. You may write to Brenda at PO Box 28267, Jacksonville, Florida 32226, USA, by e-mail at WriterBJackson@aol.com or visit her website, www.brendajackson.net.

Texas Wild

Brenda Jackson

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MILLS & BOON

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To Gerald Jackson, Sr. My one and only. My everything. Happy 40th Anniversary!!

To my readers who asked for Rico Claiborne’s story, Texas Wild is especially for you!

To my Heavenly Father. How Great Thou Art.

Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would increase abundantly.

—Job 8:7

Prologue

A beautiful June day

“OMG, who’s the latecomer to the wedding?”

“Don’t know, but I’m glad he made it to the reception.”

“Look at that body.”

“Look at that walk.”

“He should come with a warning sign that says Extremely Hot.”

Several ladies in the wedding party whispered among themselves, and all eyes were trained on the tall, ultra handsome man who’d approached the group of West more land male cousins across the room. The reception for Micah Westmoreland’s wedding to Kalina Daniels was in full swing on the grounds of Micah Manor, but every female in attendance was looking at one particular male.

The man who’d just arrived.

“For crying out loud, will someone please tell me who he is?” Vickie Morrow, a good friend of Kalina’s, pleaded in a low voice. She looked over at Megan Westmoreland. “Most of the good-looking men here are related to you in some way, so tell us. Is he another Westmoreland cousin?”

Megan was checking out the man just as thoroughly as all the other women were. “No, he’s no kin of mine. I’ve never seen him before,” she said. She hadn’t seen the full view yet, either, just his profile, but even that was impressive—he had handsome features, a deep tan and silky straight hair that brushed against the collar of his suit. He was both well dressed and good-looking.

“Yes, he definitely is one fine specimen of a man and is probably some Hollywood friend of my cousins, since he seems to know them.”

“Well, I want to be around when the introductions are made,” Marla Ford, another friend of Kalina’s, leaned over and whispered in Megan’s ear. “Make that happen.”

Megan laughed. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Hey, don’t look now, ladies, but he’s turned this way and is looking over here,” Marla said. “In fact, Megan, your brother Zane is pointing out one of us to him … and I hope it’s me.” Seconds later, Marla said in a disappointed voice, “It’s you, Megan.”

Marla had to be mistaken. Why would Zane point her out to that man?

“Yeah, look how the hottie is checking you out,” Vickie whispered to Megan. “It’s like the rest of us don’t even exist. Lordy, I do declare. I wish some man would look at me that way.”

Megan met the stranger’s gaze. Everyone was right. He was concentrated solely on her. And the moment their eyes connected, something happened. It was as if heat transmitted from his look was burning her skin, flaming her blood, scorching her all over. She’d never felt anything so powerful in her life.

Instant attraction.

Her heart pounded like crazy, and she shivered as everything and everyone around her seemed to fade into the background … everything except for the sound of the soft music from the orchestra that pulled her and this stranger into a cocoon. It was as if no one existed but the two of them.

Her hand, which was holding a glass of wine, suddenly felt moist, and something fired up within her that had never been lit before. Desire. As potent as it could get. How could a stranger affect her this way? For the first time in her adult life, at the age of twenty-seven, Megan knew what it meant to be attracted to someone in a way that affected all her vital signs.

And, as an anesthesiologist, she knew all about the workings of the human body. But up until now she’d never given much thought to her own body or how it would react to a man. At least, not to how it would react to this particular man … whomever he was. She found her own reaction as interesting as she found it disconcerting.

“That guy’s hot for you, Megan.”

Vickie’s words reminded Megan that she had an audience. Breaking eye contact with the stranger, she glanced over at Vickie, swallowing deeply. “No, he’s not. He doesn’t know me, and I don’t know him.”

“Doesn’t matter who knows who. What just happened between you two is called instant sexual attraction. I felt it. We all did. You would have to be dead not to have felt it. That was some kind of heat emitting between the two of you just now.”

Megan drew in a deep breath when the other women around her nodded and agreed with what Vickie had said. She glanced back over at the stranger. He was still staring and held her gaze until her cousin Riley tapped him on the shoulder to claim his attention. And when Savannah and Jessica, who were married to Megan’s cousins Durango and Chase, respectively, walked up to him, she saw how his face split in a smile before he pulled both women into his arms for a huge hug.

That’s when it hit her just who the stranger was. He was Jessica and Savannah’s brother, the private investigator who lived in Philadelphia, Rico Claiborne. The man Megan had hired a few months ago to probe into her great-grandfather’s past.

Rico Claiborne was glad to see his sisters, but the woman Zane had pointed out to him, the same one who had hired him over the phone a few months ago, was still holding his attention, although he was pretending otherwise.

Dr. Megan Westmoreland.

She had gone back to talking to her friends, not looking his way. That was fine for now since he needed to get his bearings. What in the hell had that been all about? What had made him concentrate solely on her as if all those other women standing with her didn’t exist? There was something about her that made her stand out, even before Zane had told him the one in the pastel pink was his sister Megan.

The woman was hot, and when she had looked at him, every cell in his body had responded to that look. It wasn’t one of those I’m-interested-in-you-too kind of looks. It was one of those looks that questioned the power of what was going on between them. It was quite obvious she was just as confused as he was. Never had he reacted so fiercely to a woman before. And the fact that she was the one who had hired him to research Raphel Westmoreland made things even more complicated.

That had been two months ago. He’d agreed to take the case, but had explained he couldn’t begin until he’d wrapped up the other cases he was working on. She’d understood. Today, he’d figured he could kill two birds with one stone. He’d attend Micah’s wedding and finally get to meet Micah’s cousin Megan. But he hadn’t counted on feeling such a strong attraction to her, one that still had heat thrumming all through him.

His sisters’ husbands, as well as the newlyweds, walked up to join him. And as Rico listened to the conversations swirling around him, he couldn’t help but steal glances over at Megan. He should have known it would be just a matter of time before one of his sisters noticed where his attention had strayed.

“You’ve met Megan, right? I know she hired you to investigate Raphel’s history,” Savannah said with a curious gleam in her eyes. He knew that look. If given the chance she would stick that pretty nose of hers where it didn’t belong.

“No, Megan and I haven’t officially met, although we’ve talked on the phone a number of times,” he said, grabbing a drink off the tray of a passing waiter. He needed it to cool off. Megan Westmoreland was so freaking hot he could feel his toes beginning to burn. “But I know which one she is. Zane pointed her out to me a few minutes ago,” he added, hoping that would appease his sister’s curiosity.

He saw it didn’t when she smiled and said, “Then let me introduce you.”

Rico took a quick sip of his drink. He started to tell Savannah that he would rather be introduced to Megan later, but then decided he might as well get it over with. “All right.”

As his sister led him over to where the group of women stood, all staring at him with interest in their eyes, his gaze was locked on just one. And he knew she felt the strong attraction flowing between them as much as he did. There was no way she could not.

It was a good thing they wouldn’t be working together closely. His job was just to make sure she received periodic updates on how the investigation was going, which was simple enough.

Yes, he decided, as he got closer to her, with the way his entire body was reacting to her, the more distance he put between himself and Megan the better.

One

Three months later

“Dr. Westmoreland, there’s someone here to see you.”

Megan Westmoreland’s brow arched as she glanced at her watch. She was due in surgery in an hour and had hoped to grab a sandwich and a drink from the deli downstairs before then. “Who is it, Grace?” she asked, speaking into the intercom system on her desk. Grace Elsberry was a student in the college’s work-study program and worked part-time as an administrative assistant for the anesthesiology department at the University of Colorado Hospital.

“He’s hot. A Brad Cooper look-alike with a dark tan,” Grace whispered into the phone.

Megan’s breath caught and warm sensations oozed through her bloodstream. She had an idea who her visitor was and braced herself for Grace to confirm her suspicions. “Says his name is Rico Claiborne.” Lowering her voice even more, Grace added, “But I prefer calling him Mr. Yummy … if you know what I mean.”

Yes, she knew exactly what Grace meant. The man was so incredibly handsome he should be arrested for being a menace to society. “Please send Mr. Claiborne in.”

“Send him in? Are you kidding? I will take the pleasure of escorting him into your office, Dr. Westmoreland.”

Megan shook her head. She couldn’t remember the last time Grace had taken the time to escort anyone into her office. The door opened, and Grace, wearing the biggest of grins, escorted Rico Claiborne in. He moved with a masculine grace that exerted power, strength and confidence, and he looked like a model, even while wearing jeans and a pullover sweater.

Megan moved from behind her desk to properly greet him. Rico was tall, probably a good six-four, with dark brown hair and a gorgeous pair of hazel eyes. They had talked on the phone a number of times, but they had only met once, three months ago, at her cousin Micah’s wedding. He had made such an impact on her feminine senses that she’d found it hard to stop thinking about him ever since. Now that he had completed that case he’d been working on, hopefully he was ready to start work on hers.

“Rico, good seeing you again,” Megan said, smiling, extending her hand to him. Grace was right, he did look like Brad Cooper, and his interracial features made his skin tone appear as if he’d gotten the perfect tan.

“Good seeing you again as well, Megan,” he said, taking her hand in his.

The warm sensation Megan had felt earlier intensified with the touch of his hand on hers, but she fought to ignore it. “So, what brings you to Denver?”

He placed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “I arrived this morning to appear in court on a case I handled last year, and figured since I was here I’d give you an update. I actually started work on your case a few weeks ago. I don’t like just dropping in like this, but I tried calling you when I first got to town and couldn’t reach you on your cell phone.”

“She was in surgery all morning.”

They both turned to note Grace was still in the room. She stood in the doorway smiling, eyeing Rico up and down with a look of pure female appreciation on her face. Megan wouldn’t have been surprised if Grace started licking her lips.

“Thanks, and that will be all Grace,” Megan said.

Grace actually looked disappointed. “You sure?”

“Yes, I’m positive. I’ll call you if I need you,” Megan said, forcing back a grin.

“Oh, all right.”

It was only when Grace had closed the door behind her that Megan glanced back at Rico to find him staring at her. A shiver of nervousness slithered down her spine. She shouldn’t feel uncomfortable around him. But she had discovered upon meeting Rico that she had a strong attraction to him, something she’d never had for a man before. For the past three months, out of sight had meant out of mind where he was concerned—on her good days. But with him standing in the middle of her office she was forced to remember why she’d been so taken with him at her cousin’s wedding.

The man was hot.

“Would you like to take a seat? This sounds important,” she said, returning to the chair behind her desk, eager to hear what he had to say and just as anxious to downplay the emotional reaction he was causing.

A few years ago, her family had learned that her great-grandfather, Raphel Stern Westmoreland, who they’d assumed was an only child, had actually had a twin brother, Reginald Scott Westmoreland. It all started when an older man living in Atlanta by the name of James Westmoreland—a grandson of Reginald—began genealogy research on his family. His research revealed a connection to the Westmorelands living in Denver—her family. Once that information had been uncovered, her family had begun to wonder what else they didn’t know about their ancestor.

They had discovered that Raphel, at twenty-two, had become the black sheep of the family after running off with the preacher’s wife, never to be heard from again. He had passed through various states, including Texas, Wyoming, Kansas and Nebraska, before settling down in Colorado. It was found that he had taken up with a number of women along the way. Everyone was curious about what happened to those women, since it appeared he had been married to each one of them at some point. If that was true, there were possibly even more Westmorelands out there that Megan and her family didn’t know about. That was why her oldest cousin, Dillon, had taken it upon himself to investigate her great-grandfather’s other wives.

Dillon’s investigation had led him to Gamble, Wyoming, where he’d not only met his future wife, but he’d also found out the first two women connected with Raphel hadn’t been the man’s wives, but were women he had helped out in some way. Since that first investigation, Dillon had married and was the father of one child, with another on the way. With a growing family, he was too busy to chase information about Raphel’s third and fourth wives. Megan had decided to resume the search, which was the reason she had hired Rico, who had, of course, come highly recommended by her brothers and cousins.

Megan watched Rico take a seat, thinking the man was way too sexy for words. She was used to being surrounded by good-looking men. Case in point, her five brothers and slew of cousins were all gorgeous. But there was something about Rico that pulled at her in a way she found most troublesome.

“I think it’s important, and it’s the first break I’ve had,” he responded. “I was finally able to find something on Clarice Riggins.”

A glimmer of hope spread through Megan. Clarice was rumored to have been her great-grandfather’s third wife. Megan leaned forward in her chair. “How? Where?”

“I was able to trace what I’ve pieced together to a small town in Texas, on the other side of Austin, called Forbes.”

“Forbes, Texas?”

“Yes. I plan to leave Thursday morning. I had thought of leaving later today, after this meeting, but your brothers and cousins talked me out of it. They want me to hang out with them for a couple of days.”

Megan wasn’t surprised. Although the Westmorelands were mostly divided among four states—Colorado, Georgia, Montana and Texas—the males in the family usually got together often, either to go hunting, check on the various mutual business interests or just for a poker game getaway. Since Rico was the brother-in-law to two of her cousins, he often joined those trips.

“So you haven’t been able to find out anything about her?” she asked.

“No, not yet, but I did discover something interesting.”

Megan lifted a brow. “What?”

“It’s recorded that she gave birth to a child. We can’t say whether the baby was male or female, but it was a live birth.”

Megan couldn’t stop the flow of excitement that seeped into her veins. If Clarice had given birth, that could mean more Westmoreland cousins out there somewhere. Anyone living in Denver knew how important family was to the Westmorelands.

“That could be big. Really major,” she said, thinking. “Have you mentioned it to anyone else?”

He shook his head, smiling. “No, you’re the one who hired me, so anything I discover I bring to you first.”

She nodded. “Don’t say anything just yet. I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up. You can say you’re going to Texas on a lead, but nothing else for now.”

Presently, there were fifteen Denver Westmorelands. Twelve males and three females. Megan’s parents, as well as her aunt and uncle, had been killed in a plane crash years ago, leaving Dillon and her oldest brother, Ramsey, in charge. It hadn’t been easy, but now all of the Westmorelands were self-supporting individuals. All of them had graduated from college except for the two youngest—Bane and Bailey. Bane was in the U.S. Navy, and Bailey, who’d fought the idea of any education past high school, was now in college with less than a year to go to get her degree.

There had never been any doubt in Megan’s mind that she would go to college to become an anesthesiologist. She loved her job. She had known this was the career she wanted ever since she’d had her tonsils removed at six and had met the nice man who put her to sleep. He had come by to check on her after the surgery. He’d visited with her, ate ice cream with her and told her all about his job. At the time, she couldn’t even pronounce it, but she’d known that was her calling.

Yet everyone needed a break from their job every once in a while, and she was getting burned out. Budget cuts required doing more with less, and she’d known for a while that it was time she went somewhere to chill. Bailey had left that morning for Charlotte to visit their cousin Quade, his wife Cheyenne and their triplets. Megan had been tempted to go with her, since she had a lot of vacation time that she rarely used. She also thought about going to Montana, where other Westmorelands lived. One nice thing about having a large family so spread out was that you always had somewhere to go.

Suddenly, a thought popped into Megan’s head, and she glanced over at Rico again to find him staring at her. Their gazes held for a moment longer than necessary before she broke eye contact and looked down at the calendar on her desk while releasing a slow breath. For some reason she had a feeling he was on the verge of finding out something major. She wanted to be there when he did. More than anything she wanted to be present when he found out about Clarice’s child. If she was in Denver while he was in Texas, she would go nuts waiting for him to contact her with any information he discovered. Once she’d gotten her thoughts and plans together, she glanced back up at him.

“You’re leaving for Texas in two days, right?”

He lifted a brow. “Yes. That’s my plan.”

Megan leaned back in her chair. “I’ve just made a decision about something.”

“About what?”

Megan smiled. “I’ve decided to go with you.”

Rico figured there were a lot of things in life he didn’t know. But the one thing he did know was that there was no way Megan Westmoreland was going anywhere with him. Being alone with her in this office was bad enough. The thought of them sitting together on a plane or in a car was too close for comfort. It was arousing him just thinking about it.

He was attracted to her big-time and had been from the moment he’d seen her at Micah’s wedding. He had arrived late because of a case he’d been handling and had shown up at the reception just moments before the bride and groom were to leave for their honeymoon. Megan had hired him a month earlier, even though they’d never met in person. Because of that, the first thing Rico did when he arrived at the reception was to ask Zane to point her out.

The moment his and Megan’s gazes locked he had felt desire rush through him to a degree that had never happened before. It had shocked the hell out of him. His gaze had moved over her, taking in every single thing he saw, every inch of what he’d liked. And he’d liked it all. Way too much. From the abundance of dark curls on her head to the creamy smoothness of her mahogany skin, from the shapely body in a bridesmaid gown to the pair of silver stilettos on her feet. She had looked totally beautiful.

At the age of thirty-six, he’d figured he was way too old to be that attracted to any woman. After all, he’d dated quite a few women in his day. And by just looking at Megan, he could tell she was young, that she hadn’t turned thirty yet. But her age hadn’t stopped him from staring and staring and staring … until one of her cousins had reclaimed his attention. But still, he had thought about her more than he should have since then.

“Well, with that settled, I’ll notify my superiors so they can find a replacement for me while I’m gone,” she said, breaking into his thoughts. “There are only a few surgeries scheduled for tomorrow, and I figure we’ll be back in a week or so.”

Evidently she thought that since he hadn’t said anything, he was okay with the idea of her accompanying him to Texas. Boy, was she wrong. “Sorry, Megan, there’s no way I’ll let you come with me. I have a rule about working alone.”

He could tell by the mutinous expression on her face that he was in for a fight. That didn’t bother him. He had two younger sisters to deal with so he knew well how to handle a stubborn female.

“Surely you can break that rule this one time.”

He shook his head. “Sorry, I can’t.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Other than the fact that you prefer working alone, give me another reason I can’t go with you.”

He crossed his arms over his own chest. “I don’t need another reason. Like I said, I work alone.” He did have a reason, but he wouldn’t be sharing it with her. All he had to do was recall what had almost happened the last time he’d worked a case with a woman.

“Why are you being difficult?”

“Why are you?” he countered.

“I’m not,” she said, throwing her head back and gritting out her words. “This is my great-grandfather we’re talking about.”

“I’m fully aware of who he was. You and I talked extensively before I agreed to take on this case, and I recall telling you that I would get you the information you wanted … doing things my way.”

He watched as she began nibbling on her bottom lip. Okay, so now she was remembering. Good. For some reason, he couldn’t stop looking into her eyes, meeting her fiery gaze head on, thinking her eyes resembled two beautiful dark orbs.

“As the client, I demand that you take me,” she said, sharply interrupting his thoughts.

He narrowed his gaze. “You can demand all you want, but you’re not going to Texas with me.”

“And why not?”

“I’ve told you my reasons, now can we move on to something else, please?”

She stood up. “No, we can’t move on to something else.”

He stood, as well. “Now you’re acting like a spoiled child.”

Megan’s jaw dropped. “A spoiled child? I’ve never acted like a spoiled child in my entire life. And as for going to Texas, I will be going since there’s no reason that I shouldn’t.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment. “Okay, there is another reason I won’t take you with me. One that you’d do well to consider,” he said in a calm, barely controlled tone. She had pushed him, and he didn’t like being pushed.

“Fine, let’s hear it,” she snapped furiously.

He placed his hands in the pockets of his jeans, stood with his legs braced apart and leveled his gaze on her when he spoke in a deep, husky voice. “I want you, Megan. Bad. And if you go anywhere with me, I’m going to have you.”

He then turned and walked out of her office.

Shocked, Megan dropped back down in her chair. “Gracious!”

Three surgeries later, back in her office, Megan paced the floor. Although Rico’s parting statement had taken her by surprise, she was still furious. Typical man. Why did they think everything began and ended in the bedroom? So, he was attracted to her. Big deal. Little did he know, but she was attracted to him as well, and she had no qualms about going to Texas with him. For crying out loud, hadn’t he ever heard of self-control?

She was sister to Zane and Derringer and cousin to Riley and Canyon—three were womanizers to the core. And before marrying Lucia, Derringer had all but worn his penis on his sleeve and Zane, Lord help him, wore his anywhere there was a free spot on his body. She couldn’t count the number of times she’d unexpectedly shown up at Zane’s place at the wrong time or how many pairs of panties she’d discovered left behind at Riley’s. And wasn’t it just yesterday she’d seen a woman leave Canyon’s place before dawn?

Besides that, Rico Claiborne honestly thought all he had to do was decide he wanted her and he would have her? Wouldn’t she have some kind of say-so in the matter? Evidently he didn’t think so, which meant he really didn’t know whom he was dealing with. The doctors at the hospital, who thought she was cold and incapable of being seduced, called her “Iceberg Megan.”

So, okay, Rico had thawed her out a little when she’d seen him at the wedding three months ago. And she would admit he’d made her heart flutter upon seeing him today. But he was definitely under a false assumption if he thought all he had to do was snap his fingers, strut that sexy walk and she would automatically fall into any bed with him.

She scowled. The more she thought about it, the madder she got. He should know from all the conversations they’d shared over the phone that this investigation was important to her. Family was everything to her, and if there were other Westmorelands out there, she wanted to know about them. She wanted to be in the thick of things when he uncovered the truth as to where those Westmorelands were and how quickly they could be reached.

Megan moved to the window and looked out. September clouds were settling in, and the forecasters had predicted the first snowfall of the year by the end of the week. But that was fine since she had no intention of being here in Denver when the snow started. Ignoring what Rico had said about her not going to Texas with him, she had cleared her calendar for not only the rest of the week, but also for the next month. She had the vacation time, and if she didn’t use it by the end of the year she would end up losing it anyway.

First, she would go to Texas. And then, before returning to work, she would take off for Australia and spend time with her sister Gemma and her family. Megan enjoyed international travel and recalled the first time she’d left the country to visit her cousin Delaney in the Middle East. That had been quite an enjoyable experience.

But remembering the trip to visit her cousin couldn’t keep her thoughts from shifting back to Rico, and she felt an unwelcoming jolt of desire as she recalled him standing in her office, right in this very spot, and saying what he’d said, without as much as blinking an eye.

If he, for one minute, thought he had the ability to tell her what to do, he had another thought coming. If he was that attracted to her then he needed to put a cap on it. They were adults and would act accordingly. The mere thought that once alone they would tear each other’s clothes off in some sort of heated lust was total rubbish. Although she was attracted to him, she knew how to handle herself. It was going to be hard to keep her hands to herself.

But no matter what, she would.

“You sure I’m not putting you out, Riley? I can certainly get a room at the hotel in town.”

“I won’t hear of it,” Riley Westmoreland said, smiling. “Hell, you’re practically family.”

Rico threw his luggage on the bed, thinking he certainly hadn’t felt like family earlier when he’d been alone with Megan. He still couldn’t get over her wanting to go to Texas with him. Surely she had felt the sexual tension that seemed to surround them whenever they were within a few feet of each other.

“So how are things going with that investigation you’re doing for Megan?” Riley asked, breaking into Rico’s thoughts.

“Fine. In fact, I’m on my way to Texas to poke around a new lead.”

Riley’s brow lifted. “Really? Does Megan know yet?”

“Yes. I met with her at the hospital earlier today.”

Riley chuckled. “I bet she was happy about that. We’re all interested in uncovering the truth about Poppa Raphel, but I honestly think Megan is obsessed with it and has been ever since Dillon and Pam shared those journals with her. Now that Dillon has made Megan the keeper of the journals she is determined to uncover everything. She’s convinced we have more relatives out there somewhere.”

Rico had read those journals and had found them quite interesting. The journals, written by Raphel himself, had documented his early life after splitting from his family.

“And it’s dinner tonight over at the big house. Pam called earlier to make sure I brought you. I hope you’re up for it. You know how testy pregnant women can get at times.”

Rico chuckled. Yes, he knew. In fact, he had noted the number of pregnant women in the Westmoreland family. Enough to look like there was some sort of epidemic. In addition to Pam, Derringer’s wife, Lucia, was expecting and so was Micah’s wife, Kalina. There were a number of Atlanta Westmorelands expecting babies, as well.

Case in point, his own sisters. Jessica was pregnant again, and Savannah had given birth to her second child earlier that year. They were both happily married, and he was happy for them. Even his mother had decided to make another go of marriage, which had surprised him after what she’d gone through with his father. But he liked Brad Richman, and Rico knew Brad truly loved his mother.

“Well, I’ll let you unpack. We’ll leave for Dillon’s place in about an hour. I hope you’re hungry because there will be plenty of food. The women are cooking, and we just show up hungry and ready to eat,” Riley said, laughing.

A half hour later Rico had unpacked all the items he needed. Everything else would remain in his luggage since he would be leaving for Texas the day after tomorrow. Sighing, he rubbed a hand down his face, noting his stubble-roughened jaw. Before he went out anywhere, he definitely needed to shave. And yes, he was hungry since he hadn’t eaten since that morning, but dinner at Dillon’s meant most of the Denver Westmorelands who were in town would be there. That included Megan. Damn. He wasn’t all that sure he was ready to see her again. He was known as a cool and incontrol kind of guy. But those elements of his personality took a flying leap around Megan Westmoreland.

Why did he like the way she said his name? To pronounce it was simple enough, but there was something about the way she said it, in a sultry tone that soothed and aroused.

Getting aroused was the last thing he needed to think about. It had been way too long since he’d had bedroom time with a woman. So he was in far worse shape than he’d realized. Seeing Megan today hadn’t helped matters. The woman was way too beautiful for her own good.

Grabbing his shaving bag off the bed, Rico went into the guest bath that was conveniently connected to his room. Moments later, after lathering his face with shaving cream, he stared into the mirror as he slowly swiped a razor across his face. The familiar actions allowed his mind to wander, right back to Megan.

The first thing he’d noticed when he’d walked into her office was that she’d cut her hair. She still had a lot of curls, but instead of flowing to her shoulders, her hair crowned her face like a cap. He liked the style on her. It gave her a sexier look … not that she needed it.

He could just imagine being wheeled into surgery only to discover she would be the doctor to administer the drug to knock you out. Counting backward while lying flat on your back and staring up into her face would guarantee plenty of hot dreams during whatever surgery you were having.

He jolted when he nicked himself. Damn. He needed to concentrate on shaving and rid his mind of Megan. At least he didn’t have to worry about that foolishness of hers, about wanting to go with him to Texas. He felt certain, with the way her eyes had nearly popped out of the sockets and her jaw had dropped after what he’d said, that she had changed her mind.

He hadn’t wanted to be so blatantly honest with her, but it couldn’t be helped. Like he told her, he preferred working alone. The last time he had taken a woman with him on a case had almost cost him his life. He remembered it like it was yesterday. An FBI sting operation and his female partner had ended up being more hindrance than help. The woman blatantly refused to follow orders.

Granted, there was no real danger involved with Megan’s case per se. In fact, the only danger he could think of was keeping his hands to himself where Megan was concerned. That was a risk he couldn’t afford. And he had felt the need to be blunt and spell it out to her. Now that he had, he was convinced they had an understanding.

He would go to Texas, delve into whatever he could discover about Clarice Riggins and bring his report back to her. Megan was paying him a pretty hefty fee for his services, and he intended to deliver. But he would have to admit that her great-grandfather had covered his tracks well, which made Rico wonder what all the old man had gotten into during his younger days. It didn’t matter, because Rico intended to uncover it all. And like he’d told Megan, Clarice Riggins had given birth, but there was nothing to indicate that she and Raphel had married. It had been a stroke of luck that he’d found anything at all on Clarice, since there had been various spellings of the woman’s name.

He was walking out of the bathroom when his cell phone rang, and he pulled it off the clip. He checked and saw it was a New York number. He had several associates there and couldn’t help wondering which one was calling.

“This is Rico.”

There was a slight pause and then … “Hello, son. This is your father.”

Rico flinched, drew in a sharp breath and fought for control of his anger, which had come quick … as soon as he’d recognized the voice. “You must have the wrong number because I don’t have a father.”

Without giving the man a chance to say anything else, he clicked off the phone. As far as he was concerned, Jeff Claiborne could go to hell. Why on earth would the man be calling Rico after all this time? What had it been? Eighteen years? Rico had been happy with his father being out of sight and out of mind.

To be quite honest, he wished he could wash the man’s memory away completely. He could never forget the lives that man had damaged by his selfishness. No, Jeff Claiborne had no reason to call him. No reason at all.

Two

Megan tried to downplay her nervousness as she continued to cut up the bell pepper and celery for the potato salad. According to Pam, Rico had been invited to dinner and would probably arrive any minute.

“Has Rico found anything out yet?”

Megan glanced over at her cousin-in-law. She liked Pam and thought she was perfect for Dillon. The two women were alone for now. Chloe and Bella had gone to check on the babies, and Lucia, who was in the dining room, was putting icing on the cake.

“Yes, there’s a lead in Texas he’ll follow up on when he leaves here,” Megan said. She didn’t want to mention anything about Clarice. The last thing she wanted to do was get anyone’s hopes up.

“How exciting,” Pam said as she fried the chicken, turning pieces over in the huge skillet every so often. “I’m sure you’re happy about that.”

Megan would be a lot happier if Rico would let her go to Texas with him, but, in a way, she had solved that problem and couldn’t wait to see the expression on his face when he found out how. Chances were, he thought he’d had the last word.

She sighed, knowing if she lived to be a hundred years old she wouldn’t be able to figure out men. Whenever they wanted a woman they assumed a woman would just naturally want them in return. How crazy was that bit of logic?

There was so much Megan didn’t know when it came to men, although she had lived most of her life surrounded by them. Oh, she knew some things, but this man-woman stuff—when it came to wants and desires—just went over her head. Until she’d met Rico, there hadn’t been a man who’d made her give him a second look. Of course, Idris Elba didn’t count.

She lifted her gaze from the vegetables to look over at Pam. Megan knew Pam and Dillon had a pretty good marriage, a real close one. Pam, Chloe, Lucia and Bella were the older sisters she’d never had, and, at the moment, she needed some advice.

“Pam?”

“Hmm?”

“How would you react if a man told you he wanted you?”

Pam glanced her way and smiled. “It depends on who the man is. Had your brother told me that, I would have kicked my fiancé to the curb a lot sooner. The first thing I thought when I saw Dillon was that he was hot.”

That was the same thing Megan had thought when she’d seen Rico. “So you would not have gotten upset had he said he wanted you?”

“Again, it depends on who the man is. If it’s a man I had the hots for, then no, I wouldn’t have gotten upset. Why would I have? That would mean we were of the same accord and could move on to the next phase.”

Megan raised a brow. “The next phase?”

“Yes, the I-want-to-get-to-know-you-better phase.” Pam looked over at her. “So tell me. Was this a hypothetical question or is there a man out there who told you he wants you?”

Megan nervously nibbled on her bottom lip. She must have taken too long to answer because Pam grinned and said, “I guess I got my answer.”

Pam took the last of the chicken out of the skillet, turned off the stove and joined Megan at the table. “Like I said, Megan, the question you should ask yourself is … if he’s someone you want, too. Forget about what he wants for the moment. The question is what do you want?”

Megan sighed. Rico was definitely a looker, a man any woman would want. But what did she really know about him, other than that he was Jessica and Savannah’s older brother, and they thought the world of him?

“He doesn’t want to mix business with pleasure, not that I would have, mind you. Besides, I never told him that I wanted him.”

“Most women don’t tell a man. What they do is send out vibes. Men can pick up on vibes real quick, and depending on what those vibes are, a man might take them as a signal.”

Megan looked perplexed. “I don’t think I sent out anything.”

Pam laughed. “I hate to say this, but Jillian can probably size a man up better than you can. Your brothers and cousins sheltered you too much from the harsh realities of life.” Jillian was Pam’s sister, who was a sophomore in college.

Megan shook her head. “It’s not that they sheltered me, I just never met anyone I was interested in.”

“Until now?”

Megan lifted her chin. “I’m really not interested in him, but I want us to work closer together, and he doesn’t … because he wants me.”

“Well, I’m sure there will be times at the hospital when the two of you will have no choice but to work together.”

Pam thought the person they were discussing was another doctor. Megan wondered what Pam’s reaction would be if she found out the person they were talking about was one of her dinner guests.

Megan heard loud male voices and recognized all of them. One stood out, the sound a deep, husky timbre she’d come to know.

Rico had arrived.

Rico paused in his conversation with Dillon and Ramsey when Megan walked into the room to place a huge bowl on the dining room table. She called out to him. “Hello, Rico.”

“Megan.”

If his gaze was full of male appreciation, it couldn’t be helped. She had changed out of the scrubs he’d seen her in earlier and into a cute V-neck blue pullover sweater and a pair of hip-hugging jeans. She looked both comfortable and beautiful. She had spoken, which was a good indication that he hadn’t offended her by what he’d told her. He was a firm believer that the truth never hurt, but he’d known more than one occasion when it had pissed people off.

“So, you’re on your way to Texas, I hear.” Dillon Westmoreland’s question penetrated Rico’s thoughts.

He looked at Dillon and saw the man’s questioning gaze and knew he’d been caught ogling Megan. Rico’s throat suddenly felt dry, and he took a sip of his wine before answering. “Yes. I might have a new lead. Don’t want to say what it is just yet, until I’m certain it is one.”

Dillon nodded. “I understand, trust me. When I took that time off to track down information on Raphel, it was like putting together pieces of a very complicated puzzle. But that woman,” he said, inclining his head toward Pam when she entered the room, “made it all worthwhile.”

Rico glanced over to where Pam was talking to Megan. He could see how Pam could have made Dillon feel that way. She was a beautiful woman. Rico had heard the story from his sisters, about how Dillon had met Pam while in Wyoming searching for leads on his great-grandfather’s history. Pam had been engaged to marry a man who Dillon had exposed as nothing more than a lying, manipulating, arrogant SOB.

Rico couldn’t help keeping his eye on Megan as her brother Ramsey and her cousins Dillon and Riley carried on conversations around him. Thoughts of her had haunted him ever since they’d met back in June. Even now, he lay awake with thoughts of her on his mind. How could one woman make such an impression on him, he would never know. But like he told her, he wanted her, so it was best that they keep their distance, considering his relationship with the Westmoreland family.

“So when are you leaving, Rico?”

He turned to meet Ramsey Westmoreland’s inquisitive gaze. The man was sharp and, like Dillon, had probably caught Rico eyeing Megan. The hand holding Rico’s wineglass tensed. He liked all the Westmorelands and appreciated how the guys included him in a number of their all-male get-togethers. The last thing he wanted was to lose their friendship because he couldn’t keep his eyes off their sister and cousin.

“I’m leaving on Thursday. Why do you ask?”

Ramsey shrugged. “Just curious.”

Rico couldn’t shake the feeling that the man was more than just curious. He frowned and stared down at his drink. It was either that or risk the wrath of one of the Westmorelands if he continued to stare at Megan, who was busy setting the table.

Dillon spoke up and intruded into Rico’s thoughts when he said, “Pam just gave me the nod that dinner is ready.”

Everyone moved in the direction of the dining room. Rico turned to follow the others, but Ramsey touched his arm. “Wait for a minute.”

Rico nodded. He wondered why Ramsey had detained him. Had Megan gone running to her brother and reported what Rico had said to her earlier? Or was Ramsey about to call him out on the carpet for the interest in Megan that he couldn’t hide? In either of those scenarios, how could he explain his intense desire for Megan when he didn’t understand it himself? He’d wanted women before, but never with this intensity.

When the two of them were left alone, Ramsey turned to him and Rico braced himself for whatever the man had to say. Rico was older brother to two sisters of his own so he knew how protective brothers could be. He hadn’t liked either Chase or Durango in the beginning only because he’d known something was going on between them and his sisters.

Ramsey was silent for a moment, doing nothing more than slowly sipping his wine, so Rico decided to speak up. “Was there something you wanted to discuss with me, Ramsey?” There were a couple of years’ difference in their ages, but at the moment Rico felt like it was a hell of a lot more than that.

“Yes,” Ramsey replied. “It’s about Megan.”

Rico met Ramsey’s gaze. “What about her?”

“Just a warning.”

Rico tensed. “I think I know what you’re going to say.”

Ramsey shook his head, chuckling. “No. I don’t think that you do.”

Rico was confused at Ramsey’s amusement. Hell, maybe he didn’t know after all. “Then how about telling me. What’s the warning regarding Megan?”

Ramsey took another sip of his drink and said, “She’s strong-willed. She has self-control of steel and when she sets her mind to do something, she does it, often without thinking it through. And … if you tell her no, you might as well have said yes.”

Rico was silent for a moment and then asked, “Is there a reason you’re telling me this?”

Ramsey’s mouth curved into a smile. “Yes, and you’ll find out that reason soon enough. Now come on, they won’t start dinner without us.”

Megan tried drowning out all the conversation going on around her. As usual, whenever the Westmorelands got together, they had a lot to talk about.

She was grateful Pam hadn’t figured out the identity of the man they’d been discussing and seated them beside each other. Instead, Rico was sitting at the other end of the table, across from Ramsey and next to Riley. If she had to look at him, it would be quite obvious she was doing so.

Riley said something and everyone chuckled. That gave her an excuse to look down the table. Rico was leaning back against the chair and holding a half-filled glass of wine in his hand, smiling at whatever the joke was about. Why did he have to look so darn irresistible when he smiled?

He must have felt her staring because he shifted his gaze to meet hers. For a moment she forgot to breathe. The intensity of his penetrating stare almost made her lips tremble. Something gripped her stomach in a tight squeeze and sent stirrings all through her nerve endings.

At that moment, one thought resonated through her mind. The same one Pam had reiterated earlier. It doesn’t matter if he wants you. The main question is whether or not you want him.

Megan immediately broke eye contact and breathed in slowly, taking a sip of her wine. She fought to get her mind back on track and regain the senses she’d almost lost just now. She could control this. She had to. Desire and lust were things she didn’t have time for. The only reason she wanted to go to Texas with Rico was to be there when he discovered the truth about Raphel.

Thinking it was time to make her announcement, she picked up her spoon and tapped it lightly against her glass, but loud enough to get everyone’s attention. When all eyes swung her way she smiled and said, “I have an announcement to make. Most of you know I rarely take vacation time, but today I asked for an entire month off, starting tomorrow.”

Surprised gazes stared back at her … except one. She saw a look of suspicion in Rico’s eyes and noted the way his jaw tightened.

“What’s wrong? You’re missing Bailey already and plan to follow her to North Carolina?” her cousin Stern asked, grinning.

Megan returned his grin and shook her head. “Although I miss Bailey, I’m not going to North Carolina.”

“Let me guess. You’re either going to visit Gemma in Australia or Delaney in Tehran,” Chloe said, smiling.

Again Megan shook her head. “Those are on my to-do list for later, but not now,” she said.

When others joined in, trying to guess where she was headed, she held up her hand. “Please, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“It’s a big deal if you’re taking time off. You like working.”

“I don’t like working, but I like the job I do. There is a difference. And to appease everyone’s curiosity, I talked to Clint and Alyssa today, and I’m visiting them in Texas for a while.”

“Texas?”

She glanced down the table at Riley, which allowed her to look at Rico again, as well. He was staring at her, and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to see he wasn’t pleased with her announcement. Too bad, too glad. She couldn’t force him to take her to Texas, but she could certainly go there on her own. “Yes, Riley, I’m going to Texas.”

“When are you leaving?” her brother Zane asked. “I need to, ah, get that box from you before you leave.”

She nodded, seeing the tense expression in Zane’s features. She wondered about the reason for it. She was very much aware that he had a lock box in her hall closet. Although she’d been tempted, she’d never satisfied her curiosity by toying with the lock and looking inside. “That will be fine, Zane. I’m not leaving until Friday.”

She took another quick glance at Rico before resuming dinner. He hadn’t said anything, and it was just as well. There really wasn’t anything he could say. Although they would end up in the same state and within mere miles from each other, they would not be together.

Since he didn’t want her to accompany him, she would do a little investigating on her own.