---
title: "Best Diana Palmer Quotes"
description: "Diana Palmer is an American romance novelist. Browse 107 Diana Palmer quotes."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b131/author-diana-palmer-4730.jpg"
---

![Portrait of Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b131/author-diana-palmer-4730.jpg)

# Diana Palmer

(1946)   Journalist   United States

 **107** quotes in **280** categories

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Diana Palmer is a journalist from the United States, best known for *Lawless*.

## Quick Facts About Diana Palmer

Born December 11, 1946

Nationality United States

Profession Journalist

Notable works Lawless

## About Diana Palmer

Diana Palmer is an American romance novelist.

##  Quotes by Diana Palmer · Page 2

> [Women are the cradles of life. What sort of man tries to break a cradle (Marc)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/women-are-the-cradles-of-life-what-sort-of-man-tries-to-break-a/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ad/diana-palmer-4730_break_women-are-the-cradles-of-life-what-sort_2367112.png)

> [“Women are the cradles of life. What sort of man tries to break a cradle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/women-are-the-cradles-of-life-what-sort-of-man-tries-to-break-a-cradle/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0d/diana-palmer-4730_cradle_women-are-the-cradles-of-life-what-sort_2924371.png)

> [College was an experience I'll always cherish. Now I fund a scholarship at my alma mater in my late father's name-he'd laugh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/college-was-an-experience-i-ll-always-cherish-now-i-fund-a/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Alma mater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alma-mater/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/diana-palmer-4730_alma-mater_college-was-an-experience-i-ll-always-ch_2353382.png)

> [“He laughed. He had a similar appliance in his truck, a Lo-Jack, and where it was installed nobody knew. “I get it.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/he-laughed-he-had-a-similar-appliance-in-his-truck-a-lo-jack-and/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Good man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-man/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed7/diana-palmer-4730_good-man_he-laughed-he-had-a-similar-appliance-in_901872.png)

> [“What a curse, to want only one person.” He drew her into his arms and kissed her again, hungrily. “What a glorious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/what-a-curse-to-want-only-one-person-he-drew-her-into-his-arms-and/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8da/diana-palmer-4730_gaze_what-a-curse-to-want-only-one-person-he_1705160.jpg)

> [“Tate opened another beer. He was glad he had several. He held up the beer to his image in the mirror. “To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/tate-opened-another-beer-he-was-glad-he-had-several-he-held-up-the/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9e/diana-palmer-4730_beer-image_tate-opened-another-beer-he-was-glad-he_1537710.png)

> [“Just doing my job,” he replied, and grinned again. Why should Tank suddenly think of a play, with one of the characters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/just-doing-my-job-he-replied-and-grinned-again-why-should-tank/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/819/diana-palmer-4730_business_just-doing-my-job-he-replied-and-grinned_2934198.jpg)

> [“Well, that should do it,” the man replied. “Oh, and I did put a small camera in your office, just to square…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/well-that-should-do-it-the-man-replied-oh-and-i-did-put-a-small/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Camera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camera/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/753/diana-palmer-4730_camera_well-that-should-do-it-the-man-replied-o_871146.png)

> [“Think about what life will be like without me because I've already considered that question. And I've decided that no life at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/think-about-what-life-will-be-like-without-me-because-i-ve-already/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43e/diana-palmer-4730_life_think-about-what-life-will-be-like-witho_2940424.png)

> [“It seemed such a short time ago that Erin had come running toward him, laughing, her black hair like silk around an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/it-seemed-such-a-short-time-ago-that-erin-had-come-running-toward-him/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0c/diana-palmer-4730_black-hair_it-seemed-such-a-short-time-ago-that-eri_1075726.jpg)

> [“Please go away,” she whispered. “Leave me in peace.” He scowled. “Cecily…” “Please, Tate,” she pleaded gently. “Just go home and forget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/please-go-away-she-whispered-leave-me-in-peace-he-scowled-cecily/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f6/diana-palmer-4730_leave_please-go-away-she-whispered-leave-me-in_2596710.png)

> [“I want a son with you,” he said huskily. “I want a houseful of children.” Her eyes sketched his face. “Dark-haired little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/i-want-a-son-with-you-he-said-huskily-i-want-a-houseful-of-children/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0da/diana-palmer-4730_children_i-want-a-son-with-you-he-said-huskily-i_1496520.jpg)

> [“You’re a worse punishment than even he deserves, lady,” she bit off as she turned away from the phone. “I wouldn’t wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/you-re-a-worse-punishment-than-even-he-deserves-lady-she-bit-off-as/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Worst enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst-enemy/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16f/diana-palmer-4730_worst-enemy_you-re-a-worse-punishment-than-even-he-d_1612427.png)

> [“Tate was probably on his way back to the nation’s capitol right now, she thought miserably. He would have protected her, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/tate-was-probably-on-his-way-back-to-the-nation-s-capitol-right-now/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/diana-palmer-4730_love_tate-was-probably-on-his-way-back-to-the_2702814.png)

> [“Seen Tate lately?” Colby asked carelessly. She stiffened. “No.” He looked down at her with a wry grin. “It was a boring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/seen-tate-lately-colby-asked-carelessly-she-stiffened-no-he-looked/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d45/diana-palmer-4730_affair_seen-tate-lately-colby-asked-carelessly_2911265.jpg)

> [“I know he’s had his problems in the past… “He can’t keep his hands off a liquor bottle at the best of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/i-know-he-s-had-his-problems-in-the-past-he-can-t-keep-his-hands-off/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[American history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-history/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/105/diana-palmer-4730_american-history_i-know-he-s-had-his-problems-in-the-past_939990.jpg)

> [“I made decaf,” he said. “Caffeine isn’t good for you.” “Thank you, Mama Lane.” He made a face at her. “Tate and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/i-made-decaf-he-said-caffeine-isn-t-good-for-you-thank-you-mama-lane/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Bad idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-idea/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e71/diana-palmer-4730_bad-idea_i-made-decaf-he-said-caffeine-isn-t-good_1964310.jpg)

> [“That night, while you were asleep, I unbuttoned your pajama jacket and looked at what he’d done to you. Afterward, I drove…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/that-night-while-you-were-asleep-i-unbuttoned-your-pajama-jacket-and/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/267/diana-palmer-4730_black-eyes_that-night-while-you-were-asleep-i-unbut_2771254.png)

> [“Do I get to come in?” he asked. She shrugged and stood aside. “I’m just packing.” “Moving again?” he asked with faint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/do-i-get-to-come-in-he-asked-she-shrugged-and-stood-aside-i-m-just/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/diana-palmer-4730_gaze_do-i-get-to-come-in-he-asked-she-shrugge_1796235.jpg)

> [“Leta will manage. She’s tough. But Tate is going to learn some things that will hurt him badly. I think he should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/leta-will-manage-she-s-tough-but-tate-is-going-to-learn-some-things/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Ray of sunshine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ray-of-sunshine/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41b/diana-palmer-4730_ray-of-sunshine_leta-will-manage-she-s-tough-but-tate-is_276872.jpg)

> [“You need a battle plan,” Matt advised. “I never left the base without detailed reconnaissance and a battle plan. It’s why I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/you-need-a-battle-plan-matt-advised-i-never-left-the-base-without/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Battle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/battle/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03e/diana-palmer-4730_battle_you-need-a-battle-plan-matt-advised-i-ne_168496.jpg)

> [“Tate was sprawled across the bed in his robe early the next morning when the sound of the front door opening penetrated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/tate-was-sprawled-across-the-bed-in-his-robe-early-the-next-morning/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/469/diana-palmer-4730_black-eyes_tate-was-sprawled-across-the-bed-in-his_2582214.jpg)

> [“You were just in South Dakota a couple of weeks ago,” he pointed out. “Why didn’t you get it then?” “It wasn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/you-were-just-in-south-dakota-a-couple-of-weeks-ago-he-pointed-out/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/diana-palmer-4730_ask-questions_you-were-just-in-south-dakota-a-couple-o_408904.png)

> [“Tate practically raised you from what I hear. You love him, don’t you?” Her face closed up. “For all the good it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/tate-practically-raised-you-from-what-i-hear-you-love-him-don-t-you/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1c/diana-palmer-4730_gaze_tate-practically-raised-you-from-what-i_3142136.png)

> [“I’m happy here, Tate. I’ll let you know when the baby comes,” she added quietly. “Certainly, you’ll have access to him any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/i-m-happy-here-tate-i-ll-let-you-know-when-the-baby-comes-she-added/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02f/diana-palmer-4730_black-eyes_i-m-happy-here-tate-i-ll-let-you-know-wh_2100313.png)

> [“Tell me!” Cecily insisted later, shaking Colby by both arms. “Cut it out, you’ll dismember me,” Colby said, chuckling. She let go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/tell-me-cecily-insisted-later-shaking-colby-by-both-arms-cut-it-out/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/diana-palmer-4730_gaze_tell-me-cecily-insisted-later-shaking-co_2935534.jpg)

> [“Matt’s housekeeper let him in with a grimace. “I’m harmless today,” Tate assured the woman as she led the way to where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/matt-s-housekeeper-let-him-in-with-a-grimace-i-m-harmless-today-tate/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1f/diana-palmer-4730_education_matt-s-housekeeper-let-him-in-with-a-gri_2157146.png)

> [“I wish you’d told me this before.” “It wouldn’t have changed anything.” “Maybe not. But talking about wounds can help heal them.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/i-wish-you-d-told-me-this-before-it-wouldn-t-have-changed-anything/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c2/diana-palmer-4730_another-woman_i-wish-you-d-told-me-this-before-it-woul_2749498.jpg)

> [“I know I said this before, but it bears repeating. You know Tate won’t like you staying with me.” “I don’t care,”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/i-know-i-said-this-before-but-it-bears-repeating-you-know-tate-won-t/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Bank account](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bank-account/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c1/diana-palmer-4730_bank-account_i-know-i-said-this-before-but-it-bears-r_490048.png)

> [“He got in beside her and impatiently reached for her seat belt, snapping it in place. “You always forget,” he murmured, meeting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/he-got-in-beside-her-and-impatiently-reached-for-her-seat-belt/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84e/diana-palmer-4730_aroused_he-got-in-beside-her-and-impatiently-rea_573781.jpg)

> [“She wasn’t sure when she realized that she wasn’t alone. She’d heard a louder murmur from the crowd outside, but she hadn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/she-wasn-t-sure-when-she-realized-that-she-wasn-t-alone-she-d-heard-a/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/573/diana-palmer-4730_black-eyes_she-wasn-t-sure-when-she-realized-that-s_1093231.jpg)

> [“She realized at once that he expected trouble and that he was used to handling deadly situations. It was the first time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/she-realized-at-once-that-he-expected-trouble-and-that-he-was-used-to/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0b/diana-palmer-4730_first-time_she-realized-at-once-that-he-expected-tr_656044.jpg)

> [“She spotted Matt Holden and her eyes began to twinkle. He was a handsome devil, even at his age. His wife had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/she-spotted-matt-holden-and-her-eyes-began-to-twinkle-he-was-a/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e42/diana-palmer-4730_politics_she-spotted-matt-holden-and-her-eyes-beg_1377969.jpg)

> [“Pierce Hutton gave him a highly amused smile as they went over updated security information from the oil rig in the Caspian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/pierce-hutton-gave-him-a-highly-amused-smile-as-they-went-over/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cd/diana-palmer-4730_black-eyes_pierce-hutton-gave-him-a-highly-amused-s_1520609.jpg)

> [“Colby was quietly shocked to find Tate not only at his door the next morning, but smiling. He was expecting an armed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/colby-was-quietly-shocked-to-find-tate-not-only-at-his-door-the-next/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/diana-palmer-4730_bad-friend_colby-was-quietly-shocked-to-find-tate-n_1300502.png)

> [“The hell of it is that my son, my only child, has to turn out to be,” he added with a return…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/the-hell-of-it-is-that-my-son-my-only-child-has-to-turn-out-to-be-he/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/diana-palmer-4730_black-eyes_the-hell-of-it-is-that-my-son-my-only-ch_1398398.jpg)

> [“Don’t make that mistake again,” he said in a voice so quiet it was barely audible. He looked as if all his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/don-t-make-that-mistake-again-he-said-in-a-voice-so-quiet-it-was/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/diana-palmer-4730_black-eyes_don-t-make-that-mistake-again-he-said-in_898331.jpg)

> [“What happened to you?” she asked. “Bullets hurt,” he said. “It missed the artificial arm by two inches, damn the marksman. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/what-happened-to-you-she-asked-bullets-hurt-he-said-it-missed-the/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0a/diana-palmer-4730_better-now_what-happened-to-you-she-asked-bullets-h_790171.png)

> [“Everything’s fine.” “Except that Cecily’s pregnant,” Matt Holden offered, grinning at Tate’s exasperated glare and Leta’s shocked gasp. “What do you mean,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/everything-s-fine-except-that-cecily-s-pregnant-matt-holden-offered/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37a/diana-palmer-4730_another-man_everything-s-fine-except-that-cecily-s-p_1134077.png)

> [“Leta walked to the door and opened it with a ready smile for Colby Lane. And found herself looking straight into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/leta-walked-to-the-door-and-opened-it-with-a-ready-smile-for-colby/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

[Beautiful woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful-woman/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/458/diana-palmer-4730_beautiful-woman_leta-walked-to-the-door-and-opened-it-wi_243119.jpg)

## Diana Palmer by topic

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                        "text": "College was an experience I'll always cherish. Now I fund a scholarship at my alma mater in my late father's name-he'd laugh to know that it's a science scholarship, when I can barely do math! I also fund a nursing scholarship at the Oglala Lakota College in Kyle, South Dakota, in the name of my mother, who was a nurse.",
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                        "text": "“He laughed. He had a similar appliance in his truck, a Lo-Jack, and where it was installed nobody knew. “I get it.” “Good man. If you have any questions or concerns, you can call us, right?” “Right.”",
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                        "text": "“What a curse, to want only one person.” He drew her into his arms and kissed her again, hungrily. “What a glorious blessing, to want only one person and be wanted back, even after thirty-six long years,” he whispered.”",
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                        "text": "“Tate opened another beer. He was glad he had several. He held up the beer to his image in the mirror. “To bastards everywhere!” he said sarcastically, and chugged it down.”",
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                        "text": "“Just doing my job,” he replied, and grinned again. Why should Tank suddenly think of a play, with one of the characters complaining that another character “smiled too much”? Curious, he watched the man climb into a nice, late-model car and drive off. Why wasn’t he in a company truck, like most technicians drove?”",
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                        "text": "“Well, that should do it,” the man replied. “Oh, and I did put a small camera in your office, just to square things up. It’s hidden, so you won’t have to worry about somebody spotting it.”",
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                        "text": "“Think about what life will be like without me because I've already considered that question. And I've decided that no life at all would be better than living without you.”",
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                        "text": "“It seemed such a short time ago that Erin had come running toward him, laughing, her black hair like silk around an elfin face. And he'd melted inside just at the sight of her, gone breathless like a boy with his first real date. It still felt like that, despite her scars, her limp. In his heart, he carried a portrait of her that would withstand all the long, aging years, that would leave her young and unscarred for as long as he lived.”",
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                        "text": "“Please go away,” she whispered. “Leave me in peace.” He scowled. “Cecily…” “Please, Tate,” she pleaded gently. “Just go home and forget that you know where I am. I’ve broken all my ties in Washington, I’ve put it all behind me. It’s just me and the baby now.” “You and the baby and your mythical dead husband,” he shot back. “What do I have to do to get through to you?”",
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                        "text": "“I want a son with you,” he said huskily. “I want a houseful of children.” Her eyes sketched his face. “Dark-haired little boys with green eyes….” He crushed her mouth under his, roughly, hungrily, possessively. “Don’t tempt me,” he said tightly. “I want you like hell.” “I wouldn’t stop you,” she said softly. “Anything you want, Garet. Anything.”",
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                        "text": "“You’re a worse punishment than even he deserves, lady,” she bit off as she turned away from the phone. “I wouldn’t wish you on my worst enemy!” The phone rang again and she picked it up, ready to give Audrey a fierce piece of her mind. But it was a journalist wanting to know if the story in the tabloids was true, about Tate and Cecily being lovers when she was still in school. “It most certainly is not,” she said curtly. “But I’ll tell you what is. Tate Winthrop is marrying Washington socialite Miss Audrey Gannon at Christmas. You can print that, with my blessing!” And she hung up again.”",
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                        "text": "“Tate was probably on his way back to the nation’s capitol right now, she thought miserably. He would have protected her, and her child, but she’d sent him off in a fury. Great going, Cecily, she told herself. What a headline they’ll have now! Former Teenage Love Slave Killed By Vengeful Gambling Syndicate. That would give people something to read with their morning coffee!”",
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                        "text": "“Seen Tate lately?” Colby asked carelessly. She stiffened. “No.” He looked down at her with a wry grin. “It was a boring banquet, anyway. You made all the news shows that night, and I hear one of the bigger late-night television hosts did a monologue about it!” “Go ahead,” she invited with a gesture. “Rub it in.” “I can’t help myself,” he said with an involuntary chuckle. “I believe it’s the first time in American political history that an ex-CIA agent was baptized with a tureen of crab bisque right in the middle of a televised political affair.” Colby had to work hard not to crack a smile. He sipped his coffee instead. Before he met Cecily, he couldn’t have imagined any woman doing that to tall, handsome, elegant Tate Winthrop. “Matt Holden seems to have forgiven you,” he added. She smiled wickedly. “He loved it,” she said. “Just between you and me, he thrives on publicity.” Colby’s dark eyes went to Holden. “You might also have been invited because he likes embarrassing Tate,” he mused. “Talk about natural enemies!”",
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                        "text": "“I know he’s had his problems in the past… “He can’t keep his hands off a liquor bottle at the best of times, and he still hasn’t accepted the loss of his wife!” “I sent him to a therapist over in Baltimore,” she continued. “He’s narrowed his habit down to a six-pack of beer on Saturdays.” “What does he get for a reward?” he asked insolently. She sighed irritably. “Nobody suits you! You don’t even like poor old lonely Senator Holden.” “Like him? Holden?” he asked, aghast. “Good God, he’s the one man in Congress I’d like to burn at the stake! I’d furnish the wood and the matches!” “You and Leta,” she said, shaking her head. “Now, listen carefully. The Lakota didn’t burn people at the stake,” she said firmly. She went on to explain who did, and how, and why. He searched her enthusiastic eyes. “You really do love Native American history, don’t you?” She nodded. “The way your ancestors lived for thousands of years was so logical. They honored the man in the tribe who was the poorest, because he gave away more than the others did. They shared everything. They gave gifts, even to the point of bankrupting themselves. They never hit a little child to discipline it. They accepted even the most blatant differences in people without condemning them.” She glanced at Tate and found him watching her. She smiled self-consciously. “I like your way better.” “Most whites never come close to understanding us, no matter how hard they try.” “I had you and Leta to teach me,” she said simply. “They were wonderful lessons that I learned, here on the reservation. I feel…at peace here. At home. I belong, even though I shouldn’t.” He nodded. “You belong,” he said, and there was a note in his deep voice that she hadn’t heard before. Unexpectedly he caught her small chin and turned her face up to his. He searched her eyes until she felt as if her heart might explode from the excitement of the way he was looking at her. His thumb whispered up to the soft bow of her mouth with its light covering of pale pink lipstick. He caressed the lower lip away from her teeth and scowled as if the feel of it made some sort of confusion in him. He looked straight into her eyes. The moment was almost intimate, and she couldn’t break it. Her lips parted and his thumb pressed against them, hard. “Now, isn’t that interesting?” he said to himself in a low, deep whisper. “Wh…what?” she stammered. His eyes were on her bare throat, where her pulse was hammering wildly. His hand moved down, and he pressed his thumb to the visible throb of the artery there. He could feel himself going taut at the unexpected reaction. It was Oklahoma all over again, when he’d promised himself he wouldn’t ever touch her again. Impulses, he told himself firmly, were stupid and sometimes dangerous. And Cecily was off limits. Period. He pulled his hand back and stood up, grateful that the loose fit of his buckskins hid his physical reaction to her. “Mother’s won a prize,” he said. His voice sounded oddly strained. He forced a nonchalant smile and turned to Cecily. She was visibly shaken. He shouldn’t have looked at her. Her reactions kindled new fires in him.”",
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                        "text": "“I made decaf,” he said. “Caffeine isn’t good for you.” “Thank you, Mama Lane.” He made a face at her. “Tate and I used to share everything. Let him go off in a snit. I’ll share his baby. If he doesn’t come back, I’ll appropriate it, and you.” “That’s one area where all your commando skills will fail, dear man,” she said affectionately. “I like you very much, and you can be baby’s godfather. But I’m raising this child myself.” “Godfather.” He was savoring the word when the toast popped up. “Bad choice of words,” she murmured. “I wouldn’t want to give you any bad ideas. I don’t want my child outfitted in a fedora and a machine gun.” “Commando godfathers are a different breed.” “Black bags and camo gear aren’t much better,” she informed him. “Spoilsport. Where’s your sense of adventure?” “Hanging in the shower trying to dry out.”",
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                        "text": "“That night, while you were asleep, I unbuttoned your pajama jacket and looked at what he’d done to you. Afterward, I drove back to his house and very nearly killed him. If he hadn’t started crying and begging me to stop, I…” He let out the angry breath. “That was when I realized how I felt about you,” he added, his eyes meeting hers. “A man wants to protect what he considers his own. It started then, that night.” She was surprised by what he was telling her. “You…looked at me?” He nodded. His eyes narrowed. “You had the most beautiful little breasts,” he said roughly. “And they were covered with bruises. I wanted to kiss the bruises, take you into my bed and hold you, just hold you, all night long so that you’d be safe. I didn’t dare give in to the impulse, of course,” he added with the first touch of amusement he’d shown since her arrival. “My mother would have horsewhipped me.” She felt waves of surprised pleasure lance through her body. “I never knew.” “I was always known for my poker face,” he murmured. “But it was sheer agony to be around you. The older you got, the worse it was. It was inevitable that one day I’d go mad and take you.” He sighed. “The most hellish part of the whole thing was knowing that all I had to do was touch you and you’d let me do anything I liked to you.” She traced the mouth of her coffee cup. “I loved you,” she said quietly. “I know.” There was a world of pain in the words. She looked up into his black eyes and saw an answering emotion in them. “You never told me.” “I couldn’t.”",
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                        "text": "“Do I get to come in?” he asked. She shrugged and stood aside. “I’m just packing.” “Moving again?” he asked with faint sarcasm. “You used to be easier to keep track of.” “Because I was living in a nest of spies!” she threw at him, having only recently gleaned that bit of information from Colby. “You got me an apartment surrounded by government agents!” “It was the safest place for you,” he said simply. “Someone was always watching you when I couldn’t.” “I didn’t need watching!” “You did,” he returned, perching on the arm of her big easy chair to stare at her intently. “You never realized it, but you were a constant target for anyone who had a grudge against me. In the end, it was why I gave up government work and got a job in the private sector.” He folded his arms over his broad chest, watching surprise claim her features. “There was a communist agent with a high-powered rifle one day, and a South American gentlemen with an automatic pistol the following week. You were never told about them. But you had two close calls. If you hadn’t been living in a ‘nest of spies,’ I’d have buried you. Funerals are expensive,” he added with a cold smile. She stared at him blankly. “Why didn’t you just send me back to South Dakota?” she asked. “To your stepfather?” he drawled. That was still a sore spot with her, and she was certain that he knew it. But she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of arguing. He seemed to be spoiling for a fight. She turned away to the kitchen. “Want a cup of coffee?” He got up and took her by the shoulders. “I’m sorry,” he said. “That was a low blow.” “Another in a long line of them lately,” she said without meeting his eyes. “I seem to do nothing except rub you the wrong way.” “And you don’t know why?” he asked curtly, letting her go. She moved one shoulder as she went about the business of getting down a cup and saucer. “At a guess, you’re mad at somebody you can’t get to, and I’m the stand-in.” He chuckled. “How do you see through me so easily? Even my mother can’t do that.” If he thought about it, he’d know, she thought miserably.”",
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                        "text": "“Leta will manage. She’s tough. But Tate is going to learn some things that will hurt him badly. I think he should hear it from his mother.” He sighed angrily. “So I called her up on a pay phone and told her I knew everything, and that she should tell Tate the truth before he hears it on the evening news. After thirty-six years of silence, she suddenly became very vocal. She called me a name I won’t repeat, told me what she thought of me and my career and hung up. When I rang back, she wouldn’t pick up the phone.” He ran his hands through his hair. “What do I do?” “Suppose I invite her here to stay with me, for a visit,” she suggested. “Then you can talk to her again…” “There’s no time, Cecily.” He spread his hands on his thighs and a look of torment lined his broad, strong face. “I’m going to have to tell him myself.” She winced. “I’m sorry.” He sighed. “I’m sorry, too. He’s going to hate all of us for a little while, even Leta. I told her that. It made her furious, but it’s the truth. We’re going to have a bad thunderstorm that will last for a few weeks, and then there will be a ray of sunshine.” She smiled. “We may have a tornado instead.”",
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                        "text": "“You need a battle plan,” Matt advised. “I never left the base without detailed reconnaissance and a battle plan. It’s why I came home alive.” Tate chuckled in spite of himself. “She’s a woman, not an enemy stronghold.” “That’s what you think,” Matt said, pointing a spoon in the other man’s direction before he lowered it into his cup. “Most women are enemy strongholds,” he added, with a wicked glance at his smiling wife. “You have to storm the gates properly.” “He knows all about storming gates, apparently,” Leta said with faint sarcasm. “Otherwise, we wouldn’t be expecting a grandchild…” She gasped and looked at Matt. “A grandchild. Our grandchild,” she emphasized with pure joy. Matt glanced at Tate. “That puts a whole new face on things, son,” he said, the word slipping out so naturally that it didn’t even seem to surprise Tate, who smiled through his misery. “You go to Tennessee and tell Cecily she’s marrying you,” Leta instructed her son. “Sure,” Tate said heavily. “After all the trouble I’ve given her in the past weeks, I’m sure she can’t wait to rush down the aisle with me.” “Honey catches more flies than vinegar,” Matt said helpfully. “If I go down there with any honey, I’ll come home wearing bees.” Leta chuckled. “You aren’t going to give up?” Matt asked. Tate shook his head. “I can’t. I have to get to her before Gabrini does, although I’m fairly sure he has no more idea where she really is than I did until today. I just have to find a new approach to get her back home. God knows what.” He sipped more coffee and glanced from one of his parents to the other. He felt as if he belonged, for the first time in his life. It made him warm inside to consider how dear these two people suddenly were to him. His father, he thought, was quite a guy. Not that he was going to say so. The man was far too arrogant already.”",
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                        "text": "“Tate was sprawled across the bed in his robe early the next morning when the sound of the front door opening penetrated his mind. There was an unholy commotion out there and his head was still throbbing, despite a bath, several cups of coffee and a handful of aspirin that had been forced on him the day before by two men he’d thought were his friends. He didn’t want to sober up. He only wanted to forget that Cecily didn’t want him anymore. He dragged himself off the bed and went into the living room, just in time to hear the door close. Cecily and her suitcase were standing with mutual rigidity just inside the front door. She was wearing a dress and boots and a coat and hat, red-faced and muttering words Tate had never heard her use before. He scowled. “How did you get here?” he asked. “Your boss brought me!” she raged. “He and that turncoat Colby Lane and two bodyguards, one of whom was the female counterpart of Ivan the Terrible! They forcibly dressed me and packed me and flew me up here on Mr. Hutton’s Learjet! When I refused to get out of the car, the male bodyguard swept me up and carried me here! I am going to kill people as soon as I get my breath and my wits back, and I am starting with you!” He leaned against the wall, still bleary-eyed and only half awake. She was beautiful with her body gently swollen and her lips pouting and her green eye sin their big-lensed frames glittering at him. She registered after a minute that he wasn’t himself. “What’s the matter with you?” she asked abruptly. He didn’t answer. He put a hand to his head. “You’re drunk!” she exclaimed in shock. “I have been,” he replied in a subdued tone. “For about a week, I think. Pierce and Colby got my landlord to let them in yesterday.” She smiled dimly. “I’d made some threats about what I’d do if he ever let anybody else into my apartment, after he let Audrey in the last time. I guess he believed them, because Colby had to flash his company ID to get in.” He chuckled weakly. “Nothing intimidates the masses like a CIA badge, even if it isn’t current.” “You’ve been drunk?” She moved a little closer into the apartment. “But, Tate, you don’t…you don’t drink,” she said. “I do now. The mother of my child won’t marry me,” he said simply. “I said you could have access…” His black eyes slid over her body like caressing hands. He’d missed her unbearably. Just the sight of her was calming now. “So you did.” Why did the feel guilty, for God’s sake, she wondered. She tried to recapture her former outrage. “I’ve been kidnapped!” “Apparently. Don’t look at me. Until today, I was too stoned to lift my head.” He looked around. “I guess they threw out the beer cans and the pizza boxes,” he murmured. “Pity. I think there was a slice of pizza left.” He sighed. “I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten since yesterday.” “Yesterday!”",
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                        "text": "“You were just in South Dakota a couple of weeks ago,” he pointed out. “Why didn’t you get it then?” “It wasn’t available then.” She brushed back a tiny strand of loose hair. “Don’t cross-examine me, okay? It’s been a long day.” He ran a hand around the back of his neck, under his braid of hair, and stared at her own hair in the tight bun at her nape as she replaced the errant strand. “I thought you took it down at night.” “At bedtime,” she corrected. His eyes narrowed. “Lucky Colby,” he said deliberately. She wasn’t going to give him any rope to hang her with. She just smiled. He glared at her. “He won’t change,” he said flatly. “I don’t care,” she said. “I appreciate all you’ve done for me, Tate, but my private life is my own business, not yours.” “That’s a hell of a way to talk to me.” “That works both ways,” she replied, eyes narrowing. “What gives you the right to ask questions about the men I date?” Her words made him mad. His lips compressed until they made a straight line. He looked like his father when he was angry. He finished his coffee in a tense silence and got to his feet. He glanced at his watch. “I’ve got to go. I just wanted to see how you were.” “You just wanted to see if Colby was here,” she corrected and smiled mirthlessly when he blinked. “You know I don’t approve of Colby,” he told her. “Like I care?” she said. He took a step toward her. His black eyes glittered with conflicting emotions. She aroused him more lately than any woman he’d ever known. Just looking at her sent him over the edge. On some level she recognized the tension in him, the need that he was denying. He was upset about Matt Holden pulling him out of the security work, not because of the money, but rather because it seemed nothing more than spite. Actually Holden was saving them both from a political upheaval because he could have been accused of nepotism. But deeper than that was a frustration because he wanted a woman he couldn’t have. Cecily knew that at some level. He was trying to start a fight. She couldn’t let him. “Colby is a sweet man,” she said gently. “He’s good company and he doesn’t drink around me, ever.” “He’s an alcoholic,” he said quietly, trying to control the anger. “I told you before, he’s in therapy,” she said. “He’s trying, Tate.” “So you expect me not to worry about you? After what my own father put me and my mother through?”",
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                        "text": "“Tate practically raised you from what I hear. You love him, don’t you?” Her face closed up. “For all the good it will ever do me, yes,” she said softly. “He won’t have the excuse of pure Lakota blood much longer,” he advised. “I’m not holding out for miracles anymore,” she vowed. “I’m going to stop wanting what I can never have. From now on, I’ll take what I can get from life and be satisfied with it. Tate will have to find his own way.” “That’s sour grapes,” he observed. “You bet it is. What do you want me to do to help?” “It’s dangerous,” he pointed out, hesitating as he considered her youth. “I don’t know…” “I’m a card-carrying archeologist,” she reminded him. “Haven’t you ever watched an Indiana Jones movies? We’re all like that,” she told him with a wicked grin. “Mild-mannered on the outside and veritable world-tamers inside. I can get a whip and a fedora, too, if you like,” she added.”",
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                        "text": "“I’m happy here, Tate. I’ll let you know when the baby comes,” she added quietly. “Certainly, you’ll have access to him any time you like.” Doors were closing. Walls were going up around her. He clenched his teeth together in impotent fury. “I want you,” he said forcefully, which was not at all what he wanted to say. “I don’t want you,” she replied, lying through her teeth. She wasn’t about to become an obligation again. She even smiled. “Thanks for coming to see about me. I’ll phone Leta when she and Matt come home from Nassau.” “They’re already home,” he said flatly. “I’ve been to make peace with them.” “Have you?” She smiled gently. “I’m glad. I’m so glad. It broke Leta’s heart that you wouldn’t speak to her.” “What do you think it’s going to do to her when she hears that you won’t marry the father of your child?” She gaped at him. “She…knows?” “They both know, Cecily,” he returned. “They were looking forward to making a fuss over you.” He turned toward the door, bristling with hurt pride and rejection. “You can call my mother and tell her yourself that you aren’t coming back. Then you can live here alone in the middle of ‘blizzard country,; and I wish you well.” He turned at the door with his black eyes flashing. “As for me, hell will freeze over before I come near you again!” He went out and slammed the door. Cecily stared after him with her heart in her throat. Why was he so angry that she’d relieved him of any obligations about the baby? He couldn’t want her for herself. If he had, if he’d had any real feeling for her, he’d have married her years ago. It was only the baby. She let the tears rush down her face again with pure misery as she heard the four-wheel drive roar out of the driveway and accelerate down the road. She hoped he didn’t run over anybody. Her hand went to her stomach and she remembered with anguish the look on his face when he’d put his big, strong hand over his child. She’d sent him away for the sake of his own happiness, didn’t he know that? She supposed it was just hurt pride that had caused his outburst. But she wished he hadn’t come. It would be so much harder to live here now that she could see him in this house, in these rooms, and be haunted by the memory of him all over again. He wouldn’t come back. She’d burned her bridges. There was no way to rebuild them.”",
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                        "text": "“Tell me!” Cecily insisted later, shaking Colby by both arms. “Cut it out, you’ll dismember me,” Colby said, chuckling. She let go of the artificial arm and wrapped both hands around the good one. “I want to know. Listen, this is my covert operation. You’re just a stand-in!” “I promised I wouldn’t tell.” “You promised in Lakota. Tell me in English what you promised in Lakota.” He gave in. He did tell her, but not Leta, what was said, but only about the men coming to the reservation soon. “We’ll need the license plate number,” she said. “It can be traced. “Oh, of course,” he said facetiously. “They’ll certainly come here with their own license plate on the car so that everyone knows who they are!” “Damn!” He chuckled at her irritation. He was about to tell her about his alternative method when a big sport utility vehicle came flying down the dirt road and pulled up right in front of Leta’s small house. Tate Winthrop got out, wearing jeans and a buckskin jacket and sunglasses. His thick hair fell around his shoulders and down his back like a straight black silk curtain. Cecily stared at it with curious fascination. In all the years she’d known him, she’d very rarely seen his hair down. “All you need is the war paint,” Colby said in a resigned tone. He turned the uninjured cheek toward the newcomer. “Go ahead. I like matching scars.” Tate took off the dark glasses and looked from Cecily to Colby without smiling. “Holden won’t tell me a damned thing. I want answers.” “Come inside, then,” Cecily replied. “We’re attracting enough attention as it is.”",
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                        "text": "“Matt’s housekeeper let him in with a grimace. “I’m harmless today,” Tate assured the woman as she led the way to where Matt Holden was standing just outside the study door. “Right. You and two odd species of cobra,” Matt murmured sarcastically, glaring at his son from a tanned face. “What do you want, a bruise to match the other one?” Tate held up both hands. “Don’t start,” he said. Matt moved out of the way with reluctance and closed the study door behind them. “Your mother’s gone shopping,” he said. “Good. I don’t want to talk to her just yet.” Matt’s eyebrows levered up. “Oh?” Tate dropped into the wing chair across from the senator’s bulky armchair. “I need some advice.” Matt felt his forehead. “I didn’t think a single malt whiskey was enough to make me hallucinate,” he said to himself. Tate glowered at him. “You’re not one of my favorite people, but you know Cecily a little better than I seem to lately.” “Cecily loves you,” Matt said shortly, dropping into his chair. “That’s not the problem,” Tate said. He leaned forward, his hands clasped loosely between his splayed knees. “Although I seem to have done everything in my power to make her stop.” The older man didn’t speak for a minute or two. “Love doesn’t die that easily,” he said. “Your mother and I are a case in point. We hadn’t seen each other for thirty-six years, but the instant we met again, the years fell away. We were young again, in love again.” “I can’t wait thirty-six years,” Tate stated. He stared at his hands, then he drew in a long breath. “Cecily’s pregnant.” The other man was quiet for so long that Tate lifted his eyes, only to be met with barely contained rage in the older man’s face. “Is it yours?” Matt asked curtly. Tate glowered at him. “What kind of woman do you think Cecily is? Of course it’s mine!” Matt chuckled. He leaned back in the easy chair and indulged the need to look at his son, to find all the differences and all the similarities in that younger version of his face. It pleased him to find so many familiar things. “We look alike,” Tate said, reading the intent scrutiny he was getting. “Funny that I never noticed that before.” Matt smiled. “We didn’t get along very well.” “Both too stubborn and inflexible,” Tate pointed out. “And arrogant.” Tate chuckled dryly. “Maybe.”",
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                        "text": "“I wish you’d told me this before.” “It wouldn’t have changed anything.” “Maybe not. But talking about wounds can help heal them.” “You don’t talk about yours,” she pointed out. He sat down on the sofa facing her and leaned forward. “But I do,” he said seriously. “I talk to you. I’ve never told anyone else about the way my father treated us. That’s a deeply personal thing. I don’t share it. I can’t share it with anyone but you.” “I’m part of your life,” she said heavily, smoothing her hair back again. “Neither of us can help that. You were my comfort when Mama died, my very salvation when my stepfather hurt me. But I can’t expect you to go on taking care of me. I’m twenty-five years old, Tate. I have to let you go.” “No, you don’t.” He caught her wrists and pulled her closer. He was more solemn than she’d ever seen him. “I’m tired of fighting it. Let’s find out how deep your scars ago. Come to bed with me, Cecily. I know enough to make it easy for you.” She stared at him blankly. “Tate…” She touched his lean cheek hesitantly. He was offering her paradise, if she could face her own demons in bed with him. “This will only make things worse, whatever happens.” “You want me,” he said gently. “And I want you. Let’s get rid of the ghosts. If you can get past the fear, I won’t have anyone else from now on except you. I’ll come to you when I’m happy, when I’m sad, when the world falls on me. I’ll lie in your arms and comfort you when you’re sad, when you’re frightened. You can come to me when you need to be held, when you need me. I’ll cherish you.” “And you’ll make sure I never get pregnant.” His face tautened. “You know how I feel about. I’ve never made a secret of it. I won’t compromise on that issue, ever.” She touched his long hair, thinking how beautiful he was, how beloved. Could she live with only a part of him, watch him leave her one day to marry another woman? If he never knew the truth about his father, he might do that. She couldn’t tell him about Matt Holden, even to insure her own happiness. He glanced at her, puzzled by the expression on her face. “I’ll be careful,” he said. “And very slow. I won’t hurt you, in any way.” “Colby might come back…” He shook his head. “No. He won’t.” He stood up, pulling her with him. He saw the faint indecision in her face. “I won’t ask for more than you can give me,” he said quietly. “If you only want to lie in my arms and be kissed, that’s what we’ll do.” She looked up into his dark eyes and an unsteady sigh passed her lips. “I would give…anything…to let you love me,” she said huskily. “For eight long years…!” His mouth covered the painful words, stilling them.”",
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                        "text": "“I know I said this before, but it bears repeating. You know Tate won’t like you staying with me.” “I don’t care,” she said bitterly. “I don’t tell him where to sleep. It’s none of his business what I do anymore.” He made a rough sound. “Would you like to guess what he’s going to assume if you stay the night in my apartment?” She drew in a long breath. “Okay. I don’t want to cause problems between you, not after all the years you’ve been friends. Take me to a hotel instead.” He hesitated uncharacteristically. “I can take the heat, if you can.” “I don’t know that I can. I’ve got enough turmoil in my life right now. Besides, he’ll look for me at your place. I don’t want to be found for a couple of days, until I can get used to my new situation and make some decisions about my future. I want to see Senator Holden and find another apartment. I can do all that from a hotel.” “Suit yourself.” “Make it a moderately priced one,” she added with graveyard humor. “I’m no longer a woman of means. From now on, I’m going to have to be responsible for my own bills.” “You should have poured the soup in the right lap,” he murmured. “Which was?” “Audrey Gannon’s,” he said curtly. “She had no right to tell you that Tate was your benefactor. She did it for pure spite, to drive a wedge between you and Tate. She’s nothing but trouble. One day Tate is going to be sorry that he ever met her.” “She’s lasted longer than the others.” “You haven’t spent enough time talking to her to know what she’ s like. I have,” he added darkly. “She has enemies, among them an ex-husband who’s living in a duplex because she got his house, his Mercedes, and his Swiss bank account in the divorce settlement.” “So that’s where all those pretty diamonds came from,” she said wickedly. “Her parents had money, too, but they spent most of it before they died in a plane crash. She likes unusual men, they say, and Tate’s unusual.” “She won’t go to the reservation to see Leta,” she commented. “Of course not.” He leaned toward her as he stopped at a traffic light. “It’s a Native American reservation!” She stuck her tongue out at him. “Leta’s worth two of Audrey.” “Three,” he returned. “Okay. I’ll find you a hotel. Then I’m leaving town before Tate comes looking for me!” “You might hang a crab on your front door,” she said, tongue-in-cheek. “It just might ward him off.” “Ha!” She turned her eyes toward the bright lights of the city. She felt cold and alone and a little frightened. But everything would work out. She knew it would. She was a grown woman and she could take care of herself. This was her chance to prove it.”",
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                        "text": "“He got in beside her and impatiently reached for her seat belt, snapping it in place. “You always forget,” he murmured, meeting her eyes. Her breath came uneasily through her lips as she met that level stare and responded helplessly to it. He was handsome and sexy and she loved him more than her own life. She had for years. But it was a hopeless, unreturned adoration that left her unfulfilled. He’d never touched her, not even in the most innocent way. He only looked. “I should close my door to you,” she said huskily. “Refuse to speak to you, refuse to see you, and get on with my life. You’re a constant torment.” Unexpectedly he reached out and touched her soft cheek with just his fingertips. They smoothed down to her full, soft mouth and teased the lower lip away from the upper one. “I’m Lakota,” he said quietly. “You’re white.” “There is,” she said unsteadily, “such a thing as birth control.” His face was very solemn and his eyes were narrow and intent on hers. “And sex is all you want from me, Cecily?” he asked mockingly. “No kids, ever?” It was the most serious conversation they’d ever had. She couldn’t look away from his dark eyes. She wanted him. But she wanted children, too, eventually. Her expression told him so. “No, Cecily,” he continued gently. “Sex isn’t what you want at all. And what you really want, I can’t give you. We have no future together. If I marry one day, it’s important to me that I marry a woman with the same background as my own. And I don’t want to live with a young, and all too innocent, white woman.” “I wouldn’t be innocent if you’d cooperate for an hour,” she muttered outrageously. His dark eyes twinkled. “Under different circumstances, I would,” he said, and there was suddenly something hot and dangerous in the way he looked at her as the smile faded from his chiseled lips, something that made her heart race even faster. “I’d love to strip you and throw you onto a bed and bend you like a willow twig under y body.” “Stop!” she whispered theatrically. “I’ll swoon!” And it wasn’t all acting. His hand slid behind her nape and contracted, dragging her rapt face just under his, so close that she could smell the coffee that clung to his clean breath, so close that her breasts almost touched his jacket. “You’ll tempt me once too often,” he bit off. “This teasing is more dangerous than you realize.” She didn’t reply. She couldn’t. She was throbbing, aroused, sick with desire. In all her life, there had been only this man who made her feel alive, who made her feel passion. Despite the traumatic experience of her teens, she had a fierce physical attraction to Tate that she was incapable of feeling with any other man. She touched his lean cheek with cold fingertips, slid them back, around his neck into the thick mane of long hair that he kept tightly bound-like his own passions. “You could kiss me,” she whispered unsteadily, “just to see how it feels.” He tensed. His mouth poised just above her parted lips. The silence in the car was pregnant, tense, alive with possibilities and anticipation. He looked into her wide, pale, eager green eyes and saw the heat she couldn’t disguise. His own body felt the pressure and warmth of hers and began to swell, against his will. “Tate,” she breathed, pushing upward, toward his mouth, his chiseled, beautiful mouth that promised heaven, promised satisfaction, promised paradise. His dark fingers corded in her hair. They hurt, and she didn’t care. Her whole body ached. “Cecily, you little fool,” he ground out. Her lips parted even more. He was weak. This once, he was weak. She could tempt him. It could happen. She could feel his mouth, taste it, breathe it. She felt him waver. She felt the sharp explosion of his breath against her lips as he let his control slip. His mouth parted and his head bent. She wanted it. Oh, God, she wanted it, wanted it, wanted it…”",
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                        "text": "“She wasn’t sure when she realized that she wasn’t alone. She’d heard a louder murmur from the crowd outside, but she hadn’t connected it with the door opening. She looked over her shoulder and saw Tate standing against the back wall. He was wearing one of those Armani suits that looked so splendid on his lithe build, and he had his trenchcoat over one arm. He was leaning back, glaring at the ceremony. Something was different about him, but Cecily couldn’t think what. It wasn’t the vivid bruise high up on his cheek where Matt had hit him. But it was something…Then it dawned on her. His hair was cut short, like her own. He glared at her. Cecily wasn’t going to cower in her seat and let him think she was afraid to face him. Mindful of the solemnity of the occasion, she got up and joined Tate by the door. “So you actually came. Bruises and all,” she whispered with a faintly mocking smile, eyeing the very prominent green-and-yellow patch on his jaw that Matt Holden had put there. He looked down at her from turbulent black eyes. He didn’t reply for a minute while he studied her, taking in the differences in her appearance, too. His eyes narrowed on her short hair. She thought his eyelids flinched, but it might have been the light. His eyes went back to the ceremony. He didn’t say another word. He didn’t really need to. He’d cut his hair. In his culture-the one that part of him still belonged to-cutting the hair was a sign of grief. She could feel the way it was hurting him to know that the people he loved most in the world had lied to him. She wanted to tell him that the pain would ease day by day, that it was better to know the truth than go through life living a lie. She wanted to tell him that having a foot in two cultures wasn’t the end of the world. But he stood there like a painted stone statue, his jaw so tense that the muscles in it were noticeable. He refused to acknowledge her presence at all. “Congratulations on your engagement, by the way,” she said without a trace of bitterness in her tone. “I’m very happy for you.” His eyes met hers evenly. “That isn’t what you told the press,” he said in a cold undertone. “I’m amazed that you’d go to such lengths to get back at me.” “What lengths?” she asked. “Planting that story in the tabloids,” he returned. “I could hate you for that.” The teenage sex slave story, she guessed. She glared back at him. “And I could hate you, for believing I would do something so underhanded,” she returned. He scowled down at her. The anger he felt was almost tangible. She’d sold him out in every way possible and now she’d embarrassed him publicly, again, first by confessing to the media that she’d been his teenage lover-a load of bull if ever there was one. Then she’d compounded it by adding that he was marrying Audrey at Christmas. He wondered how she could be so vindictive. Audrey was sticking to him like glue and she’d told everyone about the wedding. Not that many people hadn’t read it already in the papers. He felt sick all over. He wouldn’t have Audrey at any price. Not that he was about to confess that to Cecily now, after she’d sold him out. He started to speak, but he thought better of it, and turned his angry eyes back toward the couple at the altar. After a minute, Cecily turned and went back to her seat. She didn’t look at him again.”",
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                        "text": "“She realized at once that he expected trouble and that he was used to handling deadly situations. It was the first time she’d actually seen him do it, despite their long history. It gave her a new, adult perspective on his lifestyle. No wonder he couldn’t settle down and become a family man. She’d been crazy to expect it, even in her fantasies. He was used to danger and he enjoyed the challenges it presented. It would be like housing a tiger in an apartment. She sighed as she saw the last tattered dream of a future with him going up in smoke. Tate looked through the tiny peephole and took his hand away from the pistol. He glanced at Cecily with an expression she couldn’t define before he abruptly opened the door. Colby Lane walked in, eyebrows raised, new scars on his face and bone weariness making new lines in it. “Colby!” Cecily exclaimed with exaggerated delight. “Welcome home!” Tate’s face contracted as if he’d been hit. Colby noticed that, and smiled at Cecily. “Am I interrupting something?” he asked, looking from one tense face to the other. “No,” Tate said coolly as he reholstered his pistol. “We were discussing security options, but if you’re going to be around, they won’t be necessary.” “What?” “I’m fairly certain that the gambling syndicate tried to kill her,” Tate said somberly, nodding toward Cecily. “A car almost ran her down in her own parking lot. She ended up in the hospital. And decided not to tell anyone about it,” he added with a vicious glare in her direction. “Way to go, Cecily,” Colby said glumly. “You could have ended up floating in the Potomac. I told you before I left to be careful. Didn’t you listen?” She shot him a glare. “I’m not an idiot. I can call 911,” she said, insulted. Colby was still staring at Tate. “You’ve cut your hair.” “I got tired of braids,” came the short reply. “I have to get back to work. If you need me, I’ll be around.” He paused at the doorway. “Keep an eye on her,” Tate told Colby. “She takes risks.” “I don’t need a big strong man to look out for me. I can keep myself out of trouble, thank you very much,” she informed Tate. He gave her a long, pained last look and closed the door behind him. As he walked down the staircase from her apartment, he couldn’t shake off the way she looked and acted. Something was definitely wrong with her, and he was going to find out what.”",
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                        "text": "“She spotted Matt Holden and her eyes began to twinkle. He was a handsome devil, even at his age. His wife had died the year before, and the husky black-eyed politician with his glimmering silver hair and elegant broad-shouldered physique was now on every widow’s list of eligible. Even now, two lovely elderly society dames were attacking from both sides with expensive perfume and daring cleavage. At least one of them should have worn something high-necked, she mused, with her collarbone and skinny neck so prominent. Another pair of eyes followed her amused gaze. “Doesn’t it remind you of shark attacks?” a pleasant voice murmured in her ear. She jumped, and looked up at her companion for the evening. “Good grief, Colby, you scared me out of a year’s growth!” she burst out with a helpless laugh.”",
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                        "text": "“Pierce Hutton gave him a highly amused smile as they went over updated security information from the oil rig in the Caspian Sea. “So you’ve finally decided to do something about Cecily,” Peirce murmured. “It’s about time. I was beginning to get used to that permanent scowl.” Tate glanced at him wryly. “I thought I was doing a great job of keeping her at arm’s length. She’s pregnant, now, of course,” he volunteered. The older man chuckled helplessly. “So much for keeping her at arm’s length. When’s the wedding?” Tate’s smile faded. “That’s premature. She ran. I finally tracked her down, but now I have to convince her that I want to get married without having her think it’s only because of the baby.” “I don’t envy you the job,” Pierce replied, his black eyes twinkling. “I had my own rocky road to marriage, if you recall.” “How’s the baby these days?” he asked. Pierce laughed with wholehearted delight. “We watch him instead of television. I never expected fatherhood to make such changes in me, in my life.” He shook his head, with a faraway look claiming his eyes. “Sometimes I’m afraid it’s all a dream and I’ll wake up alone.” He shifted, embarrassed. “You can have the time off. But who’s going to handle your job while you’re gone?” “I thought I’d get you to put Colby Lane on the payroll.” He held up his hand when Pierce looked thunderous. “He’s stopped drinking,” he hold him. “Cecily got him into therapy. He’s not the man he was.” “You’re sure of that?” Pierce wanted to know. Tate smiled. “I’m sure. “Okay. But if he ever throws a punch at me again, he’ll be smiling on the inside of his mouth!” Tate chuckled. “Fair enough. I’ll give him a call before I leave town.”",
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                        "text": "“Colby was quietly shocked to find Tate not only at his door the next morning, but smiling. He was expecting an armed assault following their recent telephone conversation. “I’m here with a job offer.” Colby’s dark eyes narrowed. “Does it come with a cyanide capsule?” he asked warily. Tate clapped the other man on the shoulder. “I’m sorry about the way I’ve treated you. I haven’t been thinking straight. I’m obliged to you for telling me the truth about Cecily.” “You know the baby’s yours, I gather?” Tate nodded. “I’m on my way to Tennessee to bring her home,” he replied. Colby’s eyes twinkled. “Does she know this?” “Not yet. I’m saving it for a surprise.” “I imagine you’re the one who’s going to get the surprise,” Colby informed him. “She’s changed a lot in the past few weeks.” “I noticed.” Tate leaned against the wall near the door. “I’ve got a job for you.” “You want me to go to Tennessee?” Colby murmured dryly. “In your dreams, Lane,” Tate returned. “No, not that. I want you to head up my security force for Pierce Hutton while I’m away.” Colby looked around the room. “Maybe I’m hallucinating.” “You and my father,” Tate muttered, shaking his head. “Listen, I’ve changed.” “Into what?” “Pay attention. It’s a good job. You’ll have regular hours. You can learn to sleep without a gun under your pillow. You won’t lose any more arms.” He added thoughtfully, “I’ve been a bad friend. I was jealous of you.” “But why?” Colby wanted to know. “Cecily is special. I look out for her, period. There’s never been a day since I met her when she wasn’t in love with you, or a time when I didn’t know it.” Tate felt warmth spread through his body at the remark. “I’ve given her hell. She may not feel that way, now.” “You can’t kill love,” Colby said heavily. “I know. I’ve tried.” Tate felt sorry for the man. He didn’t know how to put it into words. Colby shrugged. “Anyway, I’ve learned to live with my ghosts, thanks to that psychologist Cecily pushed me into seeing.” He scowled. “She keeps snakes, can you imagine? I used to see mine crawling out of whiskey bottles, but hers are real.” “Maybe she’s allergic to fur,” Tate pointed out. Colby chuckled. “Who knows. When do I start?” he added. “Today.” He produced a mobile phone and dialed a number. “I’m sending Colby Lane over. He’s my relief while I’m away. If you have any problems, report them to him.” He nodded as the person on the other end of the line replied in the affirmative. He closed up the phone. “Okay, here’s what you need to do…”",
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                        "text": "“The hell of it is that my son, my only child, has to turn out to be,” he added with a return of his old spirit, black eyes flashing, “the one man in Washington, D.C. who hates my guts!” “You weren’t too fond of him, either, if you recall,” she pointed out. He glared at her. “He’s hot-tempered and arrogant and stubborn!” “Look who he gets it from,” she said with a grin. He unlinked his hands as he considered that. “Those can be desirable traits,” he agreed with a faint smile. “Anyway, it’s nice to know I won’t die childless,” he said after a minute. He lifted his eyes to her face. “Leta can’t know any of this. When and if the time comes, I’ll tell her.” “Who’s going to tell him?” she ventured. “You?” he suggested. “In your dreams,” she said with a sweet smile. He stuffed his hands back into his pockets. “We’ll cross that bridge when the river comes over it. You’ll be careful, do you hear me? I’ve invested a lot of time and energy into hijacking you for my museum. Don’t take the slightest risk. If you think you’ve been discovered, get out and take Leta with you.” “She’s afraid to fly,” she pointed out. “She won’t get in an airplane unless it’s an emergency.” “Then I’ll come out and stuff her into a car and drive her to the airport and put her on a plane,” he said firmly. She pursed her lips. He was very like Tate. “I guess you would, at that.”",
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                        "text": "“Don’t make that mistake again,” he said in a voice so quiet it was barely audible. He looked as if all his latent hostilities were waiting for an excuse to turn on her. “If you throw that cup at me, so help me, I’ll carry you over and put you down in the punch bowl!” “You and the CIA, maybe!” Cecily hissed. “Go ahead and try…!” Tate actually took a step toward her just as Colby managed to get between them. “Now, now,” he cautioned. Cecily wasn’t backing down an inch. Neither was Tate. He’d gone from lazy affection and indulgent amusement to bristling antagonism in the space of weeks. Lately he flew into a rage if Cecily’s name was mentioned, but Colby hadn’t told her that. “You have no right to make that kind of insinuation about me,” she said through her teeth. “I don’t get jobs lying on my back, and you know it!” Tate’s black eyes narrowed. He looked formidable, but Cecily wasn’t intimidated by him. She never had been. He glanced at her hands, which were clenched on her cup, and then back to her rigid features. It had infuriated him to be the object of televised ridicule at the political dinner, and Audrey’s comments had only made things worse. He was carrying a grudge. But as he looked at Cecily, he felt an emptiness in his very soul. This woman had been a thorn in his side for years, ever since an impulsive act of compassion had made her his responsibility. In those days, she’d been demure and sweet and dependent on him, and her shy hero worship had been vaguely flattering. Now, she was a fiery, independent woman who didn’t give a damn about his disapproval or, apparently, his company, and she had done everything expect leave town to keep out of his way.”",
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                        "text": "“What happened to you?” she asked. “Bullets hurt,” he said. “It missed the artificial arm by two inches, damn the marksman. I hate people who can’t shoot straight.” “How many this time?” she asked with a smile. “Just one,” he said. “In the shoulder. It’s much better now.” He shook his head. “I’m getting too old for this. I’ve got so many broken bones that I can’t move fast enough anymore.” She smiled wider. “Someday you’ll find a woman who’s worth giving up the danger for.” The smile faded. “You’re like Tate. He loves his work. He probably lives on adrenaline. Funny. I never understood that before. Now suddenly everything is clear. I was living on pipe dreams.” He sighed. “It was more than his heritage that kept him away from you,” he said. “I knew, but I couldn’t explain it to you. Work like ours demands sacrifice. Any loved one can become a hostage. Any relationship can take away the edge we need when we’re under fire. A man with something to lose isn’t a man to send on a potential suicide mission. Take your mind off the objective for one minute, and you’re dead.”",
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                        "text": "“Everything’s fine.” “Except that Cecily’s pregnant,” Matt Holden offered, grinning at Tate’s exasperated glare and Leta’s shocked gasp. “What do you mean, Cecily’s pregnant?” Leta burst out. She hit her son’s arm with her open hand. She hit him again. “You hooligan, how could you! How could you?” Tate defended himself with both arms. “How do you know it was me?” he teased. “Who else could it be?” Leta raged. “Do you think my baby would let another man touch her? Would she jump into bed with any other man in the world except you? Are you crazy?” Tate actually looked sheepish, and there was a new light in his eyes. Matt, after contemplating the two of them for a minute, sauntered off into the general direction of the kitchen, leaving mother and son alone together for the first time since the tempest had started. Tate stuck his hands into his pockets and stared down at his pretty little mother. “If you haven’t finished hitting me, I think there’s a spot or two you missed,” he pointed out, touching his arm and grimacing.”",
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                        "text": "“Leta walked to the door and opened it with a ready smile for Colby Lane. And found herself looking straight into the eye of a man she hadn’t seen face-to-face in thirty-six years. Matt Holden matched her face against his memories of a young, slight, beautiful woman whose eyes loved him every time they looked at him. His heart spun like a cartwheel in his chest. “Cecily said it was Colby,” Leta said unsteadily. “Strange. She phoned me and asked if I was free this evening.” His broad shoulders shrugged and he smiled faintly. “I’m free every evening.” “That doesn’t sound like the life of a playboy widower,” Leta said caustically. “My wife was a vampire,” he said. “She sucked me dry of life and hope. Her drinking wore me down. Her death was a relief for both of us. Do I get to come in?” he added, glancing down the hall. “I’m going to collect dust if I stand out here much longer, and I’m hungry. A sack of McDonald’s hamburgers and fries doesn’t do a lot for me.” “I hear it’s a presidential favorite,” Cecily mused, joining them. “Come in, Senator Holden.” “It was Matt before,” he pointed out. “Or are you trying to butter me up for a bigger donation to the museum?” She shrugged. “Pick a reason.” He looked at Leta, who was uncomfortable. “Well, at least you can’t hang up on me here. You’ll be glad to know that our son isn’t speaking to me. He isn’t speaking to you, either, or so he said,” he added. “I suppose he won’t talk to you?” he added to Cecily. “He said goodbye very finally, after telling me that I was an idiot to think he’d change his mind and want to marry me just because he turned out to have mixed blood,” she said, not relating the shocking intimacy that had prefaced his remarks. “I’ll punch him for that,” Matt said darkly. “Ex-special forces,” Leta spoke up with a faint attempt at humor, nodding toward Matt. “He was in uniform when we went on our first date.” “You wore a white cotton dress with a tiered skirt,” he recalled, “and let your hair down. Hair…” He turned back to Cecily and grimaced. “Good God, what did you do that for?” “Tate likes long hair, that’s what I did it for,” she said, venom in her whole look. “I can’t wait for him to see it, even if I have to settle for sending him a photo!” “I hope you never get mad at me,” Matt said. “Fat chance.”",
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