Standing Outside The Fire

Sara Orwig

It began as an anonymous flirtation.Storm raging, lights flickering, two stranded travelers decided to share uninhibited conversation–but no names–during a stolen encounter. Talking turned into kissing…and the need to know each other's names. In an instant, Boone Devlin and Erin Frye discovered they weren't exactly strangers. And Boone discovered that Erin was a virgin.Only fate could have seen fit to land bachelorhood lovin' Boone in bed with the marriage-minded manager of the Texas ranch he'd inherited and intended to sell. Suddenly, his best-laid plans promised to be the ultimate betrayal. Because Boone was starting to suspect that he and Erin had created a lot more than sparks….

“I Want You, Erin.

And I want you to stay with me this morning if you will.” All amusement vanished from his expression, replaced by so much desire that it took her breath.

Her heart thudded because she knew if she said no now and walked out, he would let her go. She had to make a choice here. All her life she had known what she wanted and didn’t want. She knew now what she really wanted.

She didn’t want to walk away from this man who had turned her world topsy-turvy, the first man in her life to set her heart pounding. The best-looking man she had ever known, as well as the most exciting. He was silent, waiting, letting her make her choice.

On tiptoe, she pulled his head down. With their lips almost touching, she whispered, “Someday, I may regret this moment, but right now it seems perfect.”

Dear Reader,

Yes, we have what you’re looking for at Silhouette Desire. This month, we bring you some of the most anticipated stories…and some of the most exciting new tales we have ever offered.

Yes, New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson is back with Randi McCafferty’s story. You’ve been waiting to discover who fathered Randi’s baby and who was out to kill her, and the incomparable Lisa Jackson answers all your questions and more in Best-Kept Lies. Yes, we have the next installment of DYNASTIES: THE DANFORTHS with Cathleen Galitz’s Cowboy Crescendo. And you can be sure that wild Wyoming rancher Toby Danforth is just as hot as can be. Yes, there is finally another SECRETS! book from Barbara McCauley. She’s back with Miss Pruitt’s Private Life, a scandalous tale of passionate encounters and returning characters you’ve come to know and love.

Yes, Sara Orwig continues her compelling series STALLION PASS: TEXAS KNIGHTS with an outstanding tale of stranded strangers turned secret lovers, in Standing Outside the Fire. Yes, the fabulous Kathie DeNosky is back this month with a scintillating story about a woman desperate to have a Baby at His Convenience. And yes, Bronwyn Jameson is taking us down under as two passionate individuals square off in a battle that soon sweeps them Beyond Control.

Here’s hoping you’ll be saying “Yes, yes, yes” to Silhouette Desire all month…all summer…all year long!

Melissa Jeglinski

Senior Editor

Silhouette Desire

Standing Outside The Fire

Sara Orwig

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

SARA ORWIG

lives in Oklahoma. She has a patient husband who will take her on research trips anywhere from big cities to old forts. She is an avid collector of Western history books. With a master’s degree in English, Sara has written historical romance, mainstream fiction and contemporary romance. Books are beloved treasures that take Sara to magical worlds, and she loves both reading and writing them.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Epilogue

One

“How did this happen to me?” Boone Devlin wondered for the hundredth time as he climbed out of his rental car.

It was an hour from midnight, the seventh of July, and the glistening asphalt parking lot of the swank San Antonio hotel was deserted. Boone strode across it, dodging puddles from the night’s rain.

Summer lightning streaked through the sky and was gone, plunging the Texas night back into darkness.