Tucker's Crossing. Marina Adair

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      NO WAY

      This could not be happening. Shelby had waited nine years, eleven months, and twenty-seven days for this moment. She had prepared a speech. Even practiced it once on one of the cows. But all of the words she might have said, had rehearsed in her mind, vanished. Out of the countless scenarios she’d mentally played out, never once in all that time had she imagined that her reunion with Cody Tucker would take place with her as naked as a centerfold, staring down the barrel of a .45.

      She felt her skin flush from toes to cheeks, and up to her other cheeks. Reaching for her robe, she mentally planned her escape. If she was going to do this, she would damn well be dressed.

      “Don’t even think about moving,” Cody said in that sexy drawl that sent all kinds of unwelcome sensations shooting through her body. He tipped the gun toward her robe, cocky as ever. “Not ’til you answer my question.”

      Shelby swallowed back a frustrated scream and resisted the temptation to kick him. Was he serious? She might have been a yes-girl once upon a time, but she’d changed. She was here to settle the past and fight for her future, and that didn’t include being pushed around.

      “Tough,” she said, acutely aware of her nude state. “I’m tired, got a gun pointed at me, and dripping water all over the rug. Just because you’re finally ready to talk doesn’t mean I’m going to stand here naked to let you do it. You hear me?”

      “Oh, I hear . . .” His eyes traveled the entire length of her very exposed body, as if taking detailed notes of the changes since his exodus from her life. “And see you, perfectly.”

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      Tucker’s Crossing

      SWEET PLAINS, TEXAS

      Marina Adair

      KENSINGTON BOOKS

      http://www.kensingtonbooks.com

      All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

      Table of Contents

      NO WAY BOOK YOUR PLACE ON OUR WEBSITE AND MAKE THE READING CONNECTION! Title Page Dedication Acknowledgments Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 FROM THE FAMILY RECIPE BOX OF THE AUTHOR Copyright Page

      To my mom. The day I got “the call,”

      I picked up the phone and dialed,

      only to remember that you weren’t there.

      Miss you and hope I made you proud.

      Patricia Ann Miller, 1942–2011

      Acknowledgments

      Thank you to my incredible agent, Jill Marsal, for never sugar-coating and pushing me to become a better writer. And a big thanks to Alicia Condon, the best editor a girl could hope for.

      A special thanks to my critique partner, Jacee James, who has edited every single thing I have written along the way, including several boring term papers and a tragic set of sonnets. You’re next, K-girl! To Britt Bury, who made me feel like a rock star even when I was just a mommy flashing my pages to anyone willing to look, thank you for your endless nights of edits and never-ending support. To my coven of writers: Elisabeth Barrett, Jules Bernard, Britt Bury, Lori Charles, Andrea Gruidl, Sharron Hamilton, Hannah Jayne, and Alison McKee—next round is on me.

      To my beta readers and friends, thank you for your honest feedback and willingness to read my work, even the ones that didn’t sell: Kamryn Clarke, Jenn Dean, Emily Grube, Barbara Halliday, Meredith Johnson, Victoria Krupitskaya, Tina Nguyen, Gina Paulson, Jann Rigell, Anne Seales, Hazel Sigler—and in memory of Justine Alesna; without your words and smile the world lost some of its sparkle.

      This book would not exist in its current state without my dear friend, fabulous mentor, and fellow Heart Of Dixie fanatic, Hannah Jayne. Not only did you turn me onto trash television (i.e., Dance Moms and PLL), you never doubted what Tucker’s