Taken, Not Spurred (Lone Star Burn) by Ruth Cardello Page B

opened the door to Tony’s house, and headed upstairs. Instead of going to her room, she went to his and placed her notebook on his pillow.
    He’d read her notebook earlier when he should have respected her privacy.
    It would serve him right to read this.
    Back in the hallway, Sarah leaned against Tony’s closed door. She had no idea how he’d react to her latest entry.
    But a woman can hope.
    She pushed away from the door and decided she’d have to find something to distract herself with while she waited for Tony to come home or she’d lose her mind.
    Maybe it’s time to call my brother. He’s not going to be happy when he finds out that I’m not at Lucy’s house, but I’ll tell him I needed to stay for research purposes.
    Sarah chuckled to herself as she descended the stairs. I’m not a sex-crazed woman chasing a fantasy night with a cowboy. I’m an author researching my first novel.
    She stopped at the mirror at the bottom of the stairs and blushed at the burning desire evident in her eyes. I should try to look cool and unattainable, but all I can think i s . . .
    Bring on the research.
    Sarah squared her shoulders and headed into the living room to call Charlie. She picked up the phone and dialed quickly. I’m an adult. He’s my brother, not my keeper. He’ll understand.
    “Charles Dery, please.”
    “I’ll put you right through,” his secretary said, so cheerfully Sarah wanted to smack her.
    “Hello?” The male voice was crisp and impatient.
    This trip was all about finding her voice—in her writing and in her life. She cleared her throat and said, “Charlie, it’s Sarah.”
    “It’s about time you called.” His voice boomed through the line. “Mom and Dad are worried sick. You were supposed to call when you got there. What happened yesterday? We called Lucy and she said you’re not staying with her.”
    “It turned out that I couldn’t stay there.”
    “She said you’re at someone else’s ranch? I didn’t know you knew anyone else down there.”
    “You don’t know everything about me,” Sarah said defiantly. Thank God. She covered her mouth with a shaky hand. A nervous laugh escaped. I can barely justify this to myself; Charlie would never understand.
    The hiss of his angrily indrawn breath was more evidence that she was correct to keep some aspects of this trip to herself.
    “Who the hell is Anthony Carlton?” he demanded.
    “Who?” Sarah asked lamely. How does he know about Tony?
    “You must know him since you’re calling from his phone.”
    Shit. Why didn’t I block caller ID?
    “I’m fine, Charlie. You can tell Mom and Dad to relax. This trip is the best thing I’ve done in a long time. I’m actually writing again.”
    He made some noncommittal sound that spoke volumes about his disapproval. “Where is this ranch?”
    Please, please do not come here. Sarah reluctantly gave him the information. She knew him well enough to know that he wasn’t going to let her hang up without it.
    She wanted to tell him more about what she was doing there and how everything about Texas was healing her, but talking about that would mean mentioning the past—and that had always been taboo.
    Does he still blame me? Is that why he doesn’t believe I’m capable of making the simplest decisions on my own?
    Maybe I don’t deserve this second chance, but I’m going for it, anyway. In Texas, I don’t have to be who I’ve always been. I don’t have to apologize for what I failed to be. Here, I’m simply me. Just a woman on a journey.
    How do I make my brother see that?
    “Charlie, I need this. I know you don’t understand it, but can you give me time?”
    If you do, I may even find the courage to tell you the truth.
    “I should fly down ther e . . . ”
    Sarah held her breath.
    “But I won’t.”
    “Thank you.”
    A flash of movement behind Sarah made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.
    “I sure hope you know what you’re doing,” Charlie said.
    Me, too, Sarah