Texas Lightning. Gerry Bartlett
Cover Copy
A million-dollar idea. A city girl in the country. And a man who brings out her wild side…
Anna Delaney is thrilled to leave Boston for Austin, Texas, when her small tech company is bought out by a conglomerate. Born into a family of over-protective brothers, this is her chance at true independence—and a name-making professional breakthrough.
Even when gorgeous billionaire rancher King Sanders forms a one-man welcoming committee, Anna insists that she doesn’t need a tour guide—or another bodyguard. But after she narrowly escapes a kidnapping attempt, she can’t say no to King spiriting her away to someplace safe…and very private.
Someone wants the valuable software Anna’s developing, and King is determined to keep her safe until the culprit is caught. The hunky cowboy lights her up brighter than the Lone Star sky at night, but neither one of them is prepared for just how wild Texas can get—and just how hard they’re willing to fight to stay together…
Also by Gerry Bartlett
Texas Pride
Texas Fire
Texas Heat
Table of Contents
Cover Copy
Also by Gerry Bartlett
Dedication
Acknowledgments:
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Teaser Chapter
About the Author
TEXAS LIGHTNING
A Lone Star Suspense
Gerry Bartlett
LYRICAL PRESS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
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Copyright © 2018 by Gerry Bartlett
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First Electronic Edition: October 2018
eISBN-13: 978-1-5161-0715-5
eISBN-10: 1-5161-0715-2
First Print Edition: October 2018
ISBN-13: 978-1-5161-0718-6
ISBN-10: 1-5161-0718-7
Printed in the United States of America
Dedication
For Pattie and David Spradley, who survived a lightning strike in their own truck and have proved that love can last for over fifty years. I love you guys.
Acknowledgments:
Thanks to my awesome editor, Esi Sogah, for steering this ship, my incredible agent, Kim Whalen, for still believing in me after all these years, and my critique group. Nina Bangs and Donna Maloy, you are the epitome of patience. Your help through a hurricane and every other meltdown possible means the world to me.
Chapter One
Someone was watching her. She could feel it. Had since she’d moved to Texas, the so-called land of opportunity. Paranoid much? Maybe, maybe not. She knew what she’d created was valuable. And today she’d finished it. Almost. Just a few more tweaks and… Anyway, it had seemed like a cause for celebration. So she’d come out of her cave to finally explore her new city.
Anna Delaney scanned the vast room around her but couldn’t concentrate. Black dots danced in front of her eyes. Her favorite pink sweater had become her enemy, itchy and so hot she wanted to rip it off and let the world see her in the last clean bra in her underwear drawer. Sweat gathered between her breasts and under her arms. Hello, Austin, didn’t you get the memo? It’s winter!
Swaying where she stood, she dragged in a breath and almost passed out. Would anyone care if she just dropped to the cool marble floor? She’d lay her burning cheeks against it and… Someone grabbed her arm.
“Move aside, make way. Sorry, ma’am.” The deep voice had that Texas twang she was trying to get used to. His grip was firm as he dragged her through the crowd.
What the hell? Anna opened her mouth to scream for help, but nothing came out. Her efforts to jerk loose were feeble. Through a blur she saw a tall man in a suit, boots, and a cowboy hat. Where was he taking her? Why didn’t anyone stop him? He shoved her onto a hard bench, his hand firm on the back of her head as he pushed it between her knees.
“Breathe.” He pulled at her backpack and Anna finally came alive.
“Get your freaking hands off of that!” She sat up and slapped at him, not about to lose the only thing that mattered to her.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” He let go and held out his hands in surrender. “I wasn’t trying to steal your stuff, lady. Just trying to keep you from fainting.”
Too late. She blinked, determined not to give in as the room dipped and swayed. When her vision finally cleared, she looked him over. For a kidnapper, the man wasn’t exactly trying to blend into the tourist crowd. This big guy with broad shoulders would turn heads anywhere. He wore boots of some kind of exotic skin and flashed a gold watch worth more than her fancy computer system. His suit alone cost thousands. Her brother Chance had taught her to recognize expensive threads.
All right, so she believed him—he didn’t need to steal her stuff. She shrugged off her backpack and dropped it into her lap. When the heat got to her again, she swallowed nausea and leaned over, resting her forehead on the leather pack.
“You all right?” He hadn’t left, just sat beside her on the stone bench.
“No.” She took shallow breaths. She hated Texas. Hated the