Standing Outside The Fire. Sara Orwig

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      “I Want You, Erin.

      And I want you to stay with me this morning if you will.” All amusement vanished from his expression, replaced by so much desire that it took her breath.

      Her heart thudded because she knew if she said no now and walked out, he would let her go. She had to make a choice here. All her life she had known what she wanted and didn’t want. She knew now what she really wanted.

      She didn’t want to walk away from this man who had turned her world topsy-turvy, the first man in her life to set her heart pounding. The best-looking man she had ever known, as well as the most exciting. He was silent, waiting, letting her make her choice.

      On tiptoe, she pulled his head down. With their lips almost touching, she whispered, “Someday, I may regret this moment, but right now it seems perfect.”

      Dear Reader,

      Yes, we have what you’re looking for at Silhouette Desire. This month, we bring you some of the most anticipated stories…and some of the most exciting new tales we have ever offered.

      Yes, New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson is back with Randi McCafferty’s story. You’ve been waiting to discover who fathered Randi’s baby and who was out to kill her, and the incomparable Lisa Jackson answers all your questions and more in Best-Kept Lies. Yes, we have the next installment of DYNASTIES: THE DANFORTHS with Cathleen Galitz’s Cowboy Crescendo. And you can be sure that wild Wyoming rancher Toby Danforth is just as hot as can be. Yes, there is finally another SECRETS! book from Barbara McCauley. She’s back with Miss Pruitt’s Private Life, a scandalous tale of passionate encounters and returning characters you’ve come to know and love.

      Yes, Sara Orwig continues her compelling series STALLION PASS: TEXAS KNIGHTS with an outstanding tale of stranded strangers turned secret lovers, in Standing Outside the Fire. Yes, the fabulous Kathie DeNosky is back this month with a scintillating story about a woman desperate to have a Baby at His Convenience. And yes, Bronwyn Jameson is taking us down under as two passionate individuals square off in a battle that soon sweeps them Beyond Control.

      Here’s hoping you’ll be saying “Yes, yes, yes” to Silhouette Desire all month…all summer…all year long!

      Melissa Jeglinski

      Senior Editor

      Silhouette Desire

      MILLS & BOON

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      Standing Outside The Fire

      Sara Orwig

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      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.

      Contents

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Epilogue

      One

      “How did this happen to me?” Boone Devlin wondered for the hundredth time as he climbed out of his rental car.

      It was an hour from midnight, the seventh of July, and the glistening asphalt parking lot of the swank San Antonio hotel was deserted. Boone strode across it, dodging puddles from the night’s rain.

      Summer lightning streaked through the sky and was gone, plunging the Texas night back into darkness. He walked briskly, still in shock over his inheritance of a nationally famous quarter horse ranch and over a million dollars. He was in town to meet the manager of the ranch and to break the news that he intended to sell it. He was interested only in funding his new air charter service. With the money from the sale of the ranch, he could foresee endless possibilities for his business.

      The staccato click of heels caught Boone’s attention, and he caught sight of a shapely female a few yards ahead who hurried toward the hotel. As his gaze ran appreciatively over her form, a man stepped out of the shadows and accosted her.

      Boone couldn’t hear the man’s words, but she shook her head and snapped an emphatic no as she strode past him. The intruder fell into step beside her and continued speaking in a low voice. Abruptly, the woman veered away from him. When she did, the man reached out and grabbed her arm.

      Clenching his fists, Boone sprinted toward them.

      Already the woman had reacted, stomping her heel on the man’s instep. Then, she slapped him hard over the ear and shoved him away.

      “No!” she exclaimed again loudly, and while the man staggered, she rushed into the hotel.

      Boone chuckled, and the man spun around. “What’s so damn funny?” he snarled, starting toward Boone. The guy was ready to take out his anger on someone.

      Boone clenched his fists and spread his feet. “You want some more?” he asked softly. He stood close enough now that he could face the man squarely.

      Lightning flashed, and they stared at each other, eye to eye.

      The man’s chest expanded while he inhaled. Turning, he hurried away, disappearing into the shadows.

      Boone sauntered into the hotel’s elegant, deserted lobby that had leather chairs grouped around polished mahogany tables centered with vases of flowers. He strolled to the desk and checked in. When he went to the elevators, the woman from the parking lot was still there, and they entered the same elevator.

      Boone had only seen her in the dark parking lot. Now, in the bright lights of the elevator, she stole his breath. His gaze skimmed over a figure that was usually found only in men’s dreams. Her emerald-green sleeveless dress revealed lush curves and a tiny waist. Her slender arms had well-toned muscles, and he guessed that she worked out regularly. Especially since that display in the parking lot.

      Her full red lips conjured up his curiosity about how they would taste and feel beneath his own. He glanced at her long, slender fingers and noted she wore no wedding ring. She was looking down, adjusting her purse strap. The thick curtain of silky shoulder-length red hair fell forward, hiding her face. She raised her head and he gazed into the greenest eyes he had ever seen.

      Thickly