Blame it on Texas Read Free Page A

better, I think. Your dad is planning to move back here at the end of the summer."
    Katie looked up with an expectant expression. "Would you drive me out there?"
     
     

CHAPTER TWO
     
    "I can't believe I let myself be talked into this." Megan held the steering wheel with both hands, fighting the wind that threatened to push her small car off the road. "If your Aunt Carol hadn't insisted, I'd be home watching NCIS tonight."
    Katie sat forward in the seat, excitement turning her face a rosy pink as she pointed out familiar landmarks. "You can watch it at Grandpa's. We're almost there."
    "Thank God. I don't think I could drive another mile in this wind. My hands hurt, my head hurts, my butt's numb, and I haven't seen anything besides red dirt and tumbleweeds for miles." Megan loved every bit of the countryside, in spite of her complaints. Not a skyscraper or traffic jam in sight. Nothing but wide-open spaces and intriguing small towns.
    Katie studied the map Megan had drawn from Carol's detailed instructions, then watched the passing road signs as Megan drove slowly down the main street of Morris Springs.
    An old brick courthouse dominated the center of town, with carefully tended shops lining the square around it. Two old men sat on a wrought-iron bench on the courthouse lawn, a checkerboard between them. Women chatted as they walked into a two-story teahouse that doubled as a bed and breakfast.
    Several pickup trucks were parked in front of the Prairie Dog Café, their tires crusted with red dirt, sacks of feed filling the beds. A gleaming white gazebo dominated one corner of the square, and children played tag as parents watched from the shaded benches. Antique stores and a library lined the opposite street.
    It was one of the warmest, most inviting towns she'd ever visited. It looked like a place you could be proud to call home.
    "Turn here!" Katie yelled, sitting on the edge of her seat. Megan told her to put her seat belt back on and made a right turn, away from the picturesque town.
    ***
    Katie opened the car door and hopped out before Megan could put the car in park, then ran headlong into the arms of the tall, dark-haired man who stepped out onto the wide front porch of the ranch-style brick house. Megan sat in the car and stared.
    This was Logan Tanner? Carol's brother? Carol was short and pixie-faced, cute but not a classic beauty with her medium brown hair and freckles. Megan had expected Logan to be a slightly taller version of her friend. Instead he was over six feet tall and gorgeous, with skin bronzed from the sun. His jaw was square, strong, and maybe a tad stubborn, judging by the tilt of his chin as he held his daughter at arm's length.
    Megan's heart did a funny flip-flop in her chest. She'd heard a lot about Logan from Carol during their four years as undergraduates at A&M, but her friend hadn't mentioned that her brother looked so darned good.
    Carol stepped outside and wrapped her arms around Katie. Logan slid an arm around her waist and the other around his daughter, then they all turned to look at Megan.
    She didn't want to step into their family reunion. She'd wait in the car for a bit, then…. She sighed when Katie ran back to the car with Carol right behind her and urged Megan to get out. "Come on. I want you to meet my dad."
    When Megan finally managed to peel her sweaty legs off the vinyl seat and climb out, Carol laughed and embraced her in a tight hug. "It's so good to see you. Has it really been three whole years?"
    Megan hugged her back, then hissed in her ear. "Why didn't you tell me your brother is gorgeous? My clothes are all wrinkled, I'm hot and sweaty, and my makeup disappeared somewhere around Abilene. I'm so embarrassed."
    Carol held her at arm's length and looked her over. "You look fine. Besides, when we were roommates, he was married." After a moment's thought, she grinned and added, "He isn't now."
    Logan strode toward Megan and stuck his hand out. She wiped her sore, damp palms