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

“They care about you. It’s a tribute to the wonderful woman you are.”

“Spoken like a biased parent.”

“We love you, Kellie.” His voice sounded gruff with emotion. “Tell that Ranger we can’t thank him enough.”

She looked at Cy’s silhouette in the semidarkness. “He knows how you feel. All I do is thank him.”

“We’re expecting you for

lunch. Good night, honey.”

“You get a good sleep, Dad. Cy is keeping me perfectly safe. Love you.” She hung up the phone and hugged her pillow.

The next time she had cognizance of her surroundings, she heard the phone ringing. Immediately her adrenaline brought her to a sitting position. The second she realized there was no name on the caller ID, she felt bile rise in her throat. Cy had already hunkered down at the coffee table, urging her to pick up and press the recording app.

Her body shook as she reached for the phone. Doing as Cy asked, she clicked on. “Hello?”

“I knew you got home today. How did you like my letter?”

Her eyes closed tightly. “How did you get my phone and address?”

“That was easy as skinning a cat.”

She shuddered. “What do you want? I told you I’m married.”

“I saw what you wrote on your blog. You think I’d believe that crap? You’re a liar!” He shouted the last word.

“You think I’d lie to all my fans and friends? If that’s true, then why do you keep phoning a liar?”

“Because you deserve to be taught a lesson you’ll never forget.”

“Did your girlfriend lie to you?”

“They all lie. When I get through with you, you’ll wish you’d never been born, Kellie girl.”

“My husband’s going to have a lot to say about that.”

“Liar, liar, liar, liar, liar, liar!” The line went dead.

Kellie was trembling so hard she dropped the phone. Cy retrieved it and clicked on the recorded conversation. She’d forgotten to put on the speakerphone. His jaw hardened as he listened to the recording.

“That was rage we heard just now. He’s afraid you might be telling the truth. You handled him perfectly and kept him on long enough to record his voice patterns. I’ll be going into headquarters tomorrow. I’ll drop off the letter at the forensics lab and take your phone to our voice expert to see what he can do with it.”

He checked his watch. “It’s only four in the morning. Why don’t you go up to your bed? If he phones again, I’ll let it ring. You need more sleep.”

“What about you?”

“I’m fine.”

“Even if you aren’t, you’d never tell me. Thank you.” She grabbed her pillow and blanket before going upstairs.

* * *

CY HAD SPOKEN prophetic words. The phone rang every half hour until eight on Tuesday morning. Then it stopped. He made breakfast with the groceries he and Vic had bought yesterday. While he devoured eggs and bacon, he phoned Vic on his phone. His friend answered before the second ring.

“What’s up?”

“The stalker phoned her at four this morning. We were able to get a decent recording. When I’m back in the office, I’ll have the lab analyze it. I’m headed there as soon as she leaves for her parents’ ranch. I assume she’ll be gone most of the day.”