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      Texas-Sized Temptation

      Sara Orwig

      Jake built a fire in the fireplace and then sat beside Caitlin. Close.

      Handing her drink to her, he brushed her hand lightly. The physical contact, while so slight, burned. Soft, warm skin. A startling awareness that increased his desire.

      She smiled at him. “Thank you. We’re having quite a storm. There won’t be any going home the way I came. This kind of downpour gets the river spilling out of its banks.”

      She slanted him a look that was hot. He wondered if it was deliberate. Maybe he shouldn’t be so hasty in getting rid of her.

      While he had no intention of selling any part of the Santerre ranch back to her, how far would she go to try to convince him to do so?

      “We have plenty of room,” he said in a husky voice. “You can stay all night.”

      Dear Reader,

      Our lives are interwoven with our families and as the years pass, no one can predict outcomes. Falling in love involves two people, but their relationship is also affected by the influence of family, which I like to include in my stories.

      Family has always been important in my life, and it is consequential in my books. This time it is the world of Jake Benton, a cowboy CEO, a multi-millionaire mogul who loves his West Texas cattle ranch and a cowboy’s life. He never expects to cross paths with his beautiful neighbor. Their sizzling attraction plays havoc with bitter feelings from generations of feuding between their families.

      Against the backgrounds of Dallas, a West Texas ranch and the French Quarter in New Orleans, the family conflicts give the characters tough choices to make. Each has to cope with events from the past. Caitlin’s tenderhearted care for others propels her into a tempestuous relationship with Jake. Ultimately, Jake makes a life-changing discovery that he hopes will win Caitlin’s heart. Their story begins …

      Sara Orwig

      About the Author

      SARA ORWIG lives in Oklahoma. She has a patient husband who will take her on research trips anywhere from big cities to old forts. She is an avid collector of Western history books. With a master’s degree in English, Sara has written historical romance, mainstream fiction and contemporary romance. Books are beloved treasures that take Sara to magical worlds, and she loves both reading and writing them.

      To David, Susan, Jim, Hannah, Ellen,

      Rachel, Dixie, Joe, Kristine, Cameron, Anne, Brian,

      Colin, Elisabeth, Myles. With many thanks to Maureen.

      One

      Unless the event had been an act of God, when was the last time a life-changing decision had been taken out of his control? Not for years. And he intended to keep it that way.

      Beneath darkening skies in the early October afternoon, Jake Benton drove from the private airstrip toward his ranch. From the moment he had left Dallas for the weekend, he had been happy to put distance between himself and his father, who still meddled in his life. They had once fought over which university Jake would attend; later whether he would work in the family business or not. That had brought the first threat to disinherit him. Now when his dad threatened to disinherit Jake, it was over bigger and more important things. Like the most recent demand to get married within the year.

      Jake shoved thoughts about his quarrel with his father out of mind. He was on his way to his sprawling West Texas ranch, a retreat where he could get away to relax. The only people for miles were ones who worked for him and his brother. As always when he returned to the ranch, he wondered why he didn’t come more often.

      He couldn’t escape the phone or demands of business, but he could cut back on them.

      Jake felt himself relax as the family ranch home that was now his, with its guesthouses, bunkhouse, staff homes, outbuildings, barns, shop, gym and various other structures, appeared in the distance. Irrigated, landscaped yards with beds of brightly colored fall blooms surrounded each house. Jake took in the view, his pleasure over being at the ranch increasing. While clouds hid the sun and thunder rumbled closer at hand, the road divided. Jake took the curve leading to his house. As he turned the corner and drove to the side of the house, he saw someone on his porch. Startled, he stared in surprise. He had a fence and security at the gate leading from the highway. In all the years he had never had any uninvited visitors—until now.

      His first reaction was annoyance that someone had breached his privacy and trespassed. Curiosity replaced aggravation. His trespasser, from a distance, looked like a woman. The closer he approached, the more he could see that she was good-looking.

      As he pulled to a stop only yards from his house, his gaze raked over her. She stood, walked to the steps and halted to watch him.

      Auburn hair piled on her head framed an oval face with prominent cheekbones. Her long legs, encased in pale, slim jeans above Western boots caught his attention. A short leather jacket was cut high, revealing her tiny waist. He was close enough now to experience a skip in his heartbeat.

      His last shred of animosity vanished. Searching his memory for a clue to her identity or reason for her on his porch, he remained at a loss. He couldn’t imagine why she was waiting for him or how she had known he was coming. Intrigued, determined to get answers, he stepped out of the car.

      As his gaze locked with hers, he was startled by a sizzling current of attraction. The chemistry was instant, hot and inviting.

      Whatever she was up to, she was audacious. As he approached her, he felt a defiance coming from her that puzzled him.

      “Welcome home, Jake,” she said in a mellow, quiet voice. In spite of the polite greeting, his sense of a silent challenge increased.

      With his gaze still fastened on hers, he climbed the porch steps until he reached the top. Standing only inches from her, he had intended to intimidate her. Instead, he felt ensnared in huge, crystal-green eyes fringed with sweeping auburn lashes. She was gorgeous and he couldn’t pull his gaze away.

      “I don’t often get surprised, but I am now,” he admitted. “How’d you get past my security at the gate?”

      When a faint smile lifted the corner of her mouth, his attention shifted lower to her full lips. Her mouth made him wonder how it would be to kiss her. Taking a deep breath, he tried to get his thoughts back to his question.

      “You don’t know me, do you?” she asked.

      “No,” he admitted. Even more disturbing, she thought he should know her. He never could have gone out with her without remembering. A woman with fabulous looks was not to be forgotten. “You have the advantage. I suspect I should know you. One thing, we’ve never gone out together,” he said, voicing aloud his thoughts.

      Another faint smile tugged at her mouth. “No, we haven’t,” she said patiently. “And to answer your question, I didn’t pass your security checkpoint. I came across your ranch from the west.”

      “There’s no gate or road from the west,” he said, glancing beyond her at the land that vanished in a long grove of thick oaks he’d had planted as a windbreak. He could picture beyond the oaks, the flat, mesquite-covered land extending miles