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An Excerpt From: TOUCH OF MAGIC
Copyright © DESIREE HOLT, 2008
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing,
Inc.
Zach
Brennan. Here, on her ranch. How could life be so cruel?
His stood
in front of her now, tilting his hat back just enough so she could see the
glint of light in his coffee-colored eyes. His skin was tanned as if he
spent a great deal of time outdoors and there were fine networks of lines
at the corners of his eyes and his mouth.
His
mouth!
She
had to focus on something else, because all she could remember was the last
time they’d been together and the wonderful things that mouth had done to
her body.
Maddie
wondered if he was still riding the rodeo circuit. Like a nail poking into
an open sore, she’d kept up with his career until she couldn‘t stand it
anymore. She knew all the silver buckles he’d won, all the grand prizes.
Not to mention, she was sure, the adoration of dozens of buckle bunnies.
That had been her last sight of him, twenty-five years old and a walking
bottle of testosterone, surrounded by rodeo groupies in the beer tent,
ignoring her last-ditch effort to talk to him, winking at her as he leaned
in to kiss the brunette hanging on one arm.
“Hello,
Maddie.” His voice was like aged whiskey—smooth
as silk but burning its way into her body. “Ty said you’d be the first one
to arrive.”
Ty
Blackwell, Zach’s friend and her older sister Liza’s lover years ago, was
handling the estate of her parents. But just what did Zach have to do with
that?
She
had to swallow twice before she could get words out in something
approaching a normal tone. “I was sorry to hear about your mom.”
Pain
slashed through his eyes, darkening them. “Yeah. That was a bad scene.”
“I
heard your dad sold your place and moved to Colorado
to live with your brother.”
Zach
gave a brief nod. “He was pretty lonely after Mom died.”
Maddie
screwed up her courage. It was now or never. “What are you doing here?”
A hint
of a grin kicked up one corner of his mouth. “I guess that gets it right to
the point, doesn’t it?”
“I
don’t see any point in beating around the bush. Where’s
Jack Grady and the rest of the hands? What’s going on here?”
“Grady
got kicked by the new bull your daddy had just bought about a week before
the accident. At his age that’s not such a good thing. His doctor thinks he
might not be able to come back to work.”
Maddie
wet her lips. “That still doesn’t answer the rest of my questions.”
“The hands
are out taking care of business. I’m here because Ty needed someone to run
the ranch until you and your sisters sign the papers to sell it.”
Maddie
felt as if a giant fist had just punched her in the stomach. “Sell the
ranch,” she managed to get out. Well, she hadn’t told Ty about her decision
yet. Or her sisters. She supposed she should be grateful he hadn’t left the
ranch to its own devices.
“Yes.
I understand that’s what y’all plan to do.” He moved closer to her so their
bodies were almost touching. His hand reached out to cup her cheek, his
thumb lightly stroking the skin. “I’ve missed you, darlin’.
More than you can possibly know.”
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