The Texas Ranger's Bride (Lone Star Lawmen 1)

“Take your time. We’ve got all night.”

Cy planned to stay in the clothes he was wearing. Tomorrow he’d shower and change while she was out at her parents’ ranch.

While she was upstairs, he s

at down to see if there were any responses to her blog yet. A low whistle escaped when he counted seventy responses already. He scrolled through each one. When he came to the end, he was satisfied none of them was her stalker. It was touching to read how much her fans cared about her and appreciated her help through her online rodeo tips. But they were all excited about her marriage.

He opened up the archives. There were literally hundreds of entries on her blog site. It amazed him. She was definitely a star in her own right and an obvious favorite. He knew she had dozens of awards, but she didn’t keep them here. Probably at the ranch. One thing he knew about her already. There wasn’t a narcissistic bone in her lovely body.

While he read through a few more entries, she padded into the kitchen in bare feet wearing a blue robe. Beneath it she wore pajamas with Texas Longhorns on them. She’d brought down a blanket and pillow.

Cy had to be careful not to stare. “I take it you’re a football fan.”

“These are from my parents last Christmas.”

“My dad gave me a pair of the same pajamas two years ago.” They both laughed.

As she came closer, her smile faded. “Has that lunatic sent a response yet?”

“No. But you now have four hundred hits. Your eager fans want pictures and don’t want to wait until December.”

Without saying anything, Kellie walked into the living room and lay down on the couch, propping up her pillow and covering herself with the blanket. Cy checked his watch. It was ten to eleven. He picked up her cell phone and put it on the coffee table in front of her.

Once he’d made up the hide-a-bed, he went back to the dining room for her laptop. After turning off the overhead lights, he turned on a lamp in the living room and sat down next to it so he could continue to read the responses as they came in.

“When are you going to sleep?”

He liked it that she was concerned enough to ask and flicked her a glance. “Don’t worry about me.”

She sat up. Her disheveled hair gleamed in the soft light. “I don’t know how to begin to thank you for what you’re doing for me.”

“It’s my job.”

“A horrible one,” she said in a shaky voice. “Every day on the news you hear about some stalking victim found in a landfill—”

“Don’t go there.” Cy stopped her cold. “Nothing’s going to happen to you.”

“But who protects you?”

He smiled to himself. “I have a team that backs me up. My buddy Vic, one of the men you saw coming out of the radio station with me, is helping on your case.”

She lay back down. “You’re all remarkable.”

“Save your thanks until after we’ve caught him.”

Chapter Three

Kellie had no doubt he’d get the job done, but Cy Vance was too modest for words. That was part of the charm of the man who was growing on her with every passing second. His rugged profile stood out in the lamplight. He’d stretched out in the chair with his hard-muscled legs crossed at the ankles.

She’d been around cowboys all her life. Some of them were more attractive than others. Some had great builds. Others were loaded with talent in the arena. Still others had engaging personalities. But this Texas Ranger had all of those qualities and more. He’d been put together in such a way no one could compare to him.

Impatient with herself for concentrating on the attractive Ranger, she turned over so she faced the back of the sofa. She needed sleep. Desperately. Knowing he was right across the room from her gave her a sense of comfort she hadn’t felt since her first encounter with the stalker. How unbelievable was it that the Ranger she’d bumped into in Bandera had come into her life at the most precarious moment of her existence?

When her cell phone suddenly rang, she jerked upright. Kellie flung herself around, staring at her phone in terror.

“It’s all right.” Cy’s deep voice was reassuring. “What does the caller ID say?”

She took a shaky breath. “It’s my best friend, Kathie.”