The Texas Ranger's Bride. Rebecca Winters

his wife, I go around in a daze. It’s little wonder I’ve been unable to concentrate. Trixie thinks I’m a little crazy, bless her heart. It’s a miracle she puts up with me and knows how to kill the cans in spite of me.

      All of you know I always had a rule that I wouldn’t allow a man to throw me off my game while I was riding the circuit. No distractions for me. No siree. But I hadn’t met my husband when I said that. The second I looked into his eyes, my world changed in an instant. He’s the prince I dreamed about when I was a little girl. He’s the great man I’d hoped to meet while traveling the circuit around this great country of the USA.

      We’ll have a wedding reception after Finals. I’ll post some pictures. You’ll all swoon when you see him!

      PS: Of course I want to win the championship, but winning the love of my husband surpasses all else. I’m the luckiest cowgirl on the planet and grateful for all of you who constantly send me your support. Long live the rodeo!

      Kellie saved the file and pushed the send button. In order to make her blog convincing, she’d had to put her heart into it. But while she waited for his opinion, heat crept into her cheeks. “I just sent you the announcement. While you check it for changes, I’ll get a cola. Would you like one?”

      “Sure. Thanks.”

      “Let me know what you think,” she said and left the room.

      * * *

      CY OPENED THE file and started to read. His heart thudded when he came to the lines “The second I looked into his eyes, my world changed in an instant. He’s bigger than life to me and my hero in more ways than one.” The more he read, the harder his heart pounded.

      “What do you think?” She put a cold can of cola in front of him. “I know it’s probably too much, but I realize this has to convince my readers.”

      He opened his drink and swallowed half of it in one go. “I agree it’s over-the-top, but it sounds like it came from the heart. When that creep reads this, it will push his buttons to the limit. The only correction is to delete Pendleton and put in Glasgow, Montana. That was your event before you left for Oregon. We don’t want him to think his appearance in Pendleton had anything to do with the timing of your marriage.”

      She pulled the laptop in front of her and made the change. “I should have thought of that.” Kellie smiled at him. “That’s why you’re one of the Sons of the Forty! Okay. It’s done.”

      “Go ahead and post it. Now we wait. I wouldn’t be surprised if your fans respond in droves and overload your website.”

      Cy finished off his drink and got up from the table to toss it in the wastebasket. He’d left her phone on the counter and brought it to her. “I checked your phone. The only call you received in the middle of the night came from a throwaway phone and couldn’t be traced. I want you to continue to answer your phone.

      “I’ve set it up with an app so you can record an incoming call. I’ll walk you through this. It’s easy.” He pulled his own cell phone from his shirt pocket. “I’ll call you. After you’ve answered, press Four and it will start recording. Ready?”

      “Yes.”

      He pressed the digit that had programmed her number. She let it ring three times, then clicked on. “Hello?”

      Cy nodded, letting her know to press the number four digit.

      “Hi, Kellie. Did you just get back from Bandera?”

      “I drove in this morning.”

      “How’s Trixie?”

      “She’s at the ranch getting some TLC.”

      “I bet you wish you were with her.”

      “Tomorrow I’ll drive out there and we’ll go for a ride.”

      “Sounds fun. Talk to you later.”

      He held the phone away from his ear. “Now click End Call. The recording is downloaded to your iPhone and displayed on the screen. Tap the recording icon to listen. You can also trim the recording as needed by dragging the edge of the file on the screen.”

      She followed his directions and suddenly they heard their conversation while seeing it at the same time. A natural smile broke out on her lips. Good grief, she was beautiful. “Technology is amazing.”

      “In your case it’s crucial. I want every word recorded when he phones you again.”

      “Do you think he’ll try soon?”

      Cy nodded. “If I don’t miss my guess, he won’t be able to hold back, not after what you’ve put on your blog.”

      “I’m afraid to talk to him.” He noticed her shiver. “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight.”

      “Tell you what. Why don’t you go upstairs and get ready for bed? Then come down here to sleep on the couch for tonight. I’ll be nearby on the other couch. If he calls, I’ll be right here. Try to get him to talk about why he thought you were lying to him. Anything he says could give us a clue about him.”

      “You wouldn’t mind? I’m behaving like a baby.”

      “You’re behaving like a woman who’s being stalked. But I admire you for not giving in to your fear. That’s what he wants. He’s been watching you for a month if not longer and still doesn’t believe you’re married. But the blog entry will force him to reveal himself. The phone allows him a voice connection to you. Keep him on long enough for our voice experts to analyze it.”

      “What do you mean?”

      “Vocal oscillations convey so much about the speaker. But more important, our experts will be able to tell if he’s a Texan. A Texas accent stands apart from the rest of the South in that it has a twist that is a blending of the major features of the Deep South and Upper South.”

      “I didn’t know that.”

      He nodded. “The drawl of the Lower South has more influence in East Texas, while the ‘twang’ of the Upper South has left a greater imprint on West Texas. In South Texas, particularly, the Spanish and Mexican characteristics are heavily combined with that of the others. Once we get a recording of his voice to the experts, they can tell us if he’s from here or another state or region entirely. If we can pinpoint where he’s from, it could be a great help.”

      “Then I’ll try to keep him on the phone. Excuse me while I run upstairs to get ready.”

      “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 sat 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