Texas Heat (Stubborn Texas Siblings Book 2) Read online

  About the author

  Faith is a full time author and stay at home wife and mother. She fell in love with the romance genre at a very early age and she’s been addicted to it ever since. She published her first book in 2006 and is proud to have published over 50 since then.

  She loves to hear from her readers and can be emailed at [email protected] or you can add her on Facebook. Her books can all be found at

  www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com or at www.faithloveright.wordpress.com

  Her titles include

  Having It All, Mr. Perfect, Sweet Seduction, The Right Sister’s Bed, Her Sister’s Roommate, Faith & Trust, Coming Home, Accidental Bride, A Forever Kind Of Love, Love Of A Lifetime, Baby Makes Three, Run Away Princess, Her Hero, Amazing Grace, Stubborn Love, A Little Something More, Pregnant By The Prince, Summer Heat, Latin Lover, Hope Springs, Love At First Sight, Answered Prayers, Serendipity: The CEO Meets His Match, Oh Baby!, Staking His Claim, His Brother’s Widow, Smokin’ Hot, Passion Inflames, Redemption, Finding Her Way Home, Finding Hope, Sexy As Sin, Falling For The Cowboy, Forbidden Love, Wish Granted, Sweet Seduction, From Revenge To Romance, Family Ties, Destiny, The Simple Life, Unexpected Bliss, True Love Never Dies, For Better Or Worse, The Gift, Married For All The Wrong Reasons, Their Heart’s Desire, Double The Pleasure, Starting Over, Taken By The Cowboy, Second Chances: Learning To Trust and Baby Mine

  Dedication

  This book is for the people I love best… my family and friends : Pat Ebert, Destiny Ebert, Matthew Covey, Nicole Covey, Dee Peterson, Stephanie Letteer, Sean Letteer, Samantha Combs, Brittany Combs, Jypsy Carlson, Jon Normandin, Craig Covey, Jon Apling and Jeri Normandin. I love you guys!

  Stubborn Texas Siblings Trilogy

  Book one in the trilogy you meet the oldest brother Eric Schmidt – Look for “Baby Mine” available now.

  Book two is Laurie’s story she is the middle child and only girl – “Texas Heat” Book three is Jeff Schmidt’s story. He’s the youngest of the siblings and the most stubborn among them. Watch for his story, coming soon: “Rodeo Daddy”.

  Prelude

  “When are you going to settle down, Travis? I’m not getting any younger, you know… I want Grandbabies before I die.”

  “Ma, how many times have we talked about this? You need to butt out of my love life.” The irritation in his voice was plain as the nose on his face. As much as he loved his mother, there was a reason he’d moved as far away from home as possible.

  Growing up in Wyoming had been wonderful and he’d hated leaving the wide open spaces. Life in a busy city like Louisville had been hard for him to adapt to, but he’d done it. He was a successful Veterinarian and he’d worked with the biggest names in the racing industry.

  His life was good. He saw no need to settle down any time soon just because his mother seemed to want him to. “You don’t need to worry about me, Ma,” he told her in a clipped tone.

  “Yes. I do. You need a good woman in your life, son.”

  “I have one.” “Travis, I do love you… but I don’t count,” his mother scolded.

  “I didn’t mean you,” Travis said, knowing that it was an outright lie, but if it made his mother feel better about the way he lived his life, he was willing to live with the guilt. “I’ve found a wonderful woman, Ma.”

  “Really?” his mother asked skeptically. “Just how serious can it be, since this is the first I’ve heard of this mysterious woman? I want to hear that you’ve got yourself a wife, Travis.”

  “I do,” he said, flinching at the sound of the lie.

  “You got married and didn’t even bother to tell me about it? Just when did this happen?” “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Ma. It all happened really fast. We’ve been a bit busy ever since. It’s been a few months.” He had no idea why he was going to this extent to reassure his mother. It was clear that she was agitated, and he knew that it was due to the fact that she felt left out of his life. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was equally certain that in the end, believing that he was happily married would be good for his mother; he’d back down and tell her that he was joking. Lord only knew that the idea of him settling down with one woman for the rest of his life was a huge joke.

  “When will I meet this whirlwind wife of yours?” his mother asked; the skepticism was clear in the tone of her frail voice.

  “You do know that I’m a very busy man, Ma … right? It’s the middle of racing season. It’s my busiest time of the year. There’s no way I am going to have the opportunity to get back to Wyoming any time soon. I’m sorry.” “Travis…” she said hesitating before saying anything else.

  “What is it Ma?” he asked, recognizing the fear in her voice.

  “I had a doctor appointment yesterday,” she answered in a quivering voice. “And?” he asked, settling his big body in a chair, wondering what was wrong with his mother. He’s never known her to sound so unsure or worried.

  “They… found something unexpected,” she answered nervously.

  “What did they find?” His voice was shaking now, and he sensed a certain impending doom.

  “I have signs that point to cancer… as well as a brain tumor. It’s inoperable, Trav…” “Oh my God,” he said, closing his eyes, feeling the grief wash over him. “How much time do they say you have, Ma?”

  “They aren’t sure,” she answered. “Please… I’m begging you. I want to meet your wife… I really want to know that there’s a chance I might be a Grandma before I die… But it won’t seem real for me unless I see you’re happy with my own two eyes.”

  “Give me a couple weeks Ma… then somehow I’ll find a way to come home to you.” “And your wife?” she asked hopefully.

  “We’ll have to see what we can do,” he answered, wishing he hadn’t lied to her about having gotten married. When he’d said it, he hadn’t expected to see her again for a good long time. Plenty of time for him to come up with a woman who’d be willing to play the part of his loving wife.

  “I’ll expect both of you here within the month, Travis Robbins, and I won’t take no for an answer. If it will help, you can consider it a dying woman’s last wish.”

  “Yes, Ma,” he said regretfully, knowing that when his mother said things like that, she meant it. There was no arguing with her when she got like this. He’d just have to head that way and figure out what to tell her when he got there. If it meant telling her the sad truth and breaking her heart, then he’d just have to suck it up and do just that… and pray that a broken heart didn’t kill her.

  Chapter 1

  Laurie Schmidt’s head was buried under the hood of a candy apple red soft-top mustang with grease up her elbows when her oldest brother, his wife and his children came into her shop.

  Eric had his arm wrapped proprietarily around Madeline’s heavily pregnant waist with his two year old son, Brian’s hand tucked in his much larger hand. Their daughter, Lillie Rose was standing on her mother’s other side, trying to look mature for a four year old. The sight was adorable and Laurie just wanted to tug her into her arms and hold her forever.

  “Hey, Sis,” Eric said brightly. “Came to see how you were doing, since you haven’t stepped out of your garage lately except for that one stupid date with that idiot drunken biker dude.”

  “Big brother, I do love you; but you seriously need to butt out of my love life.” Madeline chuckled, her hand settling on her belly. “Oh, Laurie, you are always good for a laugh. You should know my husband better than that by now. He’s very protective of those people he loves best.”

  “Yes, well, that’s his biggest fault,” Laurie said grumpily. “I get that his first wif
e died horribly, but that doesn’t mean that I’m going to get myself killed. Honestly, Eric… you and Jeff need to butt out. I spend most of my time here in the garage. I rarely get out with a man. A girl has needs just like you men do, you know.”

  Eric’s jaw ticked and Madeline patted his hand reassuringly. “Your sister isn’t a baby any more, sweetheart.”

  “Maybe not, but when it comes to men, she has no sense whatsoever,” he said through gritted teeth. “I’m right here you know,” Laurie said, laughing, wiping her hands on the rag that was draped over the hood of the car she’d been working on. “You are such a big pain in my ass. Why can’t you just butt out already?”

  When she stretched with her arms over her head and her shirt rode up exposing the ink on her side, Eric grinned. “I didn’t say boo when you got our parent’s names tattooed on your body after they died, did I?” he asked, arching an eyebrow at her, daring her to deny that he’d let her grieve in her own way.

  “No… you didn’t,” she allowed patiently. “But you sure yelled and screamed when I put the ink on my elbow, and all that is, is a sun.”

  “There was no good reason for it, Laurie. I understand you honoring Mom and Dad the way you did… Dad’s name on your side and Mom’s on your chest was one thing… but a tattoo just because is a whole different matter altogether.” Laurie rolled her eyes not wanting to bring up the fourth tattoo that her brother had yet to notice on her hip. “Was there a reason for your visit, or did you just come by to give me Hell for my life choices?” she asked in a tone that showed her frustration.

  “Not really,” Eric said laughing. “Maddie insisted I make sure you were alright,” he admitted, looking down at his wife with so much love on his face it almost hurt to look at him.

  “I’m fine,” she said, turning back towards the car and looking at the engine again as if dismissing them. “Do me a favor Sis,” Eric said seriously. “The next time a guy flirts with you, before you go out with him… ask yourself if Ma would have approved.”

  She looked up at him and blinked. “If I do that, I’ll end up either never going out again or married within a week.” The words had come out dead pan and it had taken a minute for Eric to figure out whether she was kidding or not.

  “It wouldn’t hurt you know,” he said, looking down at his wife again. “Married life is wonderful. It would do you a world of good, just so long as you’re with a good man and not some bad boy without a job or any life ambition other than to get drunk or laid as often as possible.”

  “If it will make you go away and not send Jeff in as your comedic back up to see that you get your way, I’ll agree to just about anything,” she said, wrapping her arms around her chest, not caring that she was getting grease all over the arms of the half shirt she was wearing.

  “Believe it or not, little sister, I’m not trying to be funny. You know I fought getting tied up in anything that forced me back to life after Victoria died. If it wasn’t for Maddie and Lillie Rose, I’m not sure how pitiful my life would be right now. I just want you to be happy… Really happy,” he clarified, when he saw the anger fill her eyes at the suggestion that she was unhappy in any way with her life.

  Taking the time to count backwards from ten to keep from exploding, Laurie breathed through gritted teeth. After reaching zero, she cleared her throat. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she promised. “Now, if you don’t mind, I really do have to get this engine rebuilt. The customer is coming back to pick it up first thing tomorrow and I still have a ton of work to do on it.”

  Eric nodded his head and pointed his family towards the door. “Take care little sis,” he called, pulling the door closed behind him, leaving her alone. Just her and the tinny sound of her radio playing 80’s rock music. Just the way she liked it.

  “I don’t see what the big deal is,” she grumbled, sticking her head back under the hood of the car and getting back to work. “It’s not as if there are a ton of single men in the area for me to choose between. If he’s so Hell bent on giving someone a hard time for the way they live their lives and who they date, why can’t he go pick on Jeff? Our little brother needs it a Hell of a lot more than I do.”

  “What do I need?” Jeff asked from the doorway. Laurie groaned loudly and called out to him. “To go away and leave me to my work!”

  “No can do, big sis,” he argued, coming to stand beside her, peering in at the engine she had her hands buried in. “I came by to let you know that I’m going to be going out of town for a few days… I heard about a prize bull that’s up for sale. I’m determined to get my practice in while I can with nothing but the best. This time next year, I should be ready to join the local rodeo.”

  “And WHY is it that you felt the need to inform me?” she asked, feeling irritated at her brothers’ constant

  interruptions.

  “Because, I tried getting a hold of Eric and big fat hairy surprise, he’s too tied up to be bothered to answer his phone and I don’t have time to drive all the way out to his ranch. I need to jump on this before someone else gets their hands on that bull. I should be back by Sunday at the latest… just do me a favor and let him know so he doesn’t freak out on me when he can’t find me.”

  “Our brother has a life of his own , a spread, a wife and kids to take care of. Why would he be looking for you?” she asked, trying to concentrate on the delicate procedure she was trying to take care of with her hands.

  “For the same reason why he is forever worried about you,” Jeff answered, laughing. “It’s what Eric does best.” “Fine. If he calls or stops by to ask about you, I’ll tell him that you left town to track down another surly animal who will later try to kill you. He’ll be thrilled,” she said testily.

  “Laurie,” he groaned moodily.

  “Just get out of here, little brother,” she warned. “I’ve got work to do.”

  “See ya! And wish me luck!” he called jubilantly as he walked out the door, letting it slam behind him. Laurie sighed and went back to work on the car. At least she had both of their visits out of the way. Now, she should be able to get serious about fixing this car so she could hopefully head home at a decent hour for a change. One could only hope. Contrary to her brother’s opinions, she really did have a life outside of the garage. Just not much of one as far as romance went. Most men couldn’t see past the grease and her tom girl personality to notice that she was even female. The ones that did had a tendency to have only one thing on their minds and any woman with boobs would do. It was a sad dilemma, but it was one she’d come to grips with.

  Chapter 2

  Travis had been on the road for so long now; it felt like he’d spent years staring at black top and long stretches of desert. The dry Texas heat was killing him as he looked around him. Nothing but dried, cracked earth, cactus and the occasional tumble weed as far as the eye could see on either side of the freeway. He hadn’t even seen an exit for too many miles to count.

  His poor Mustang sputtered and the engine gave a bang a shudder and then it quit altogether. Travis sighed and jumped out, pushing it to the side of the road. He looked around and groaned. There wasn’t a sign of life anywhere. He looked up at the sky, shielding his eyes against the bright sun. It was the middle of the day. Where was everyone?

  Sweat beaded his brow and he reached up to wipe it away with his shirt sleeve. He was sweltering. His fingers shook as he unbuttoned the shirt and shucked it into the back seat of his car. At this rate, he’d end up fried to death on the side of the deserted freeway before he was rescued.

  Sighing heavily, he headed towards the car, praying he could get the airconditioner to work while he made a call for a tow truck. With any luck, there would be a good mechanic close by that could get him back up and running … the sooner, the better.

  Regretfully, his car wouldn’t allow him to turn on the airconditioning any more than it would turn over for him, but thankfully, his cell phone miraculously had signal and he was able to Google a nearby towing service. The man who’d
answered had assured him that he would be hooked up and headed to the nearest town within a half hour.

  Travis decided as he hung up that he’d believe it when he saw it. If a tow truck could get to him that quick, they must already be parked in the middle of the desert, because there was no way a town … even a small one, was anywhere near this Hell hole. He’d heard that there was a town called Hell in Arizona, but this was Texas. It wasn’t supposed to be that bad here.

  He was sitting in the driver’s seat of his car, fanning his face with his Stetson when the tow truck pulled up beside him twenty minutes later. At first, Travis was sure it had to be a mirage. It seemed impossible that anyone could have gotten to him that quickly. Not unless the truck had grown wings and flown. No matter how much he blinked, the truck remained and the grizzled burly man who was hitching the front end of his car to the truck seemed real enough.

  Travis climbed out of the car and plopped his hat back on his head to shield his eyes from the hot summer sun. “You sure got here fast,” he said watching the man move to activate the machinery that pulled his car up onto the flatbed trailer.

  The man offered him a toothless grin and nodded at him. “Don’t get many calls … Mechanic in town does a right fine job, keepin’ everybody’s rigs running great, so when an out of town call comes in, I’m usually free to jump right on it.”

  “Yeah? Think there’s any chance they could fit my car in? I’m in kind of a hurry to get back on the road…” The old man nodded his head and then motioned towards his truck. “Hop in and buckle up. We’ll be hittin’ the road in a few, and I’ll take you right to the shop. If anyone can git ya up and runnin’ in a jiffy, I reckon that’d be the place to go.”

  When Travis climbed into the cab of the tow truck, he was hit with an icy cold blast of air and he sighed in relief as he pulled the door closed behind him. The old coot was a bit back water and Travis didn’t have the highest hopes for anyone in whatever town he was being taken to, but a raving review like the one the old man had given their mechanic gave Travis hope. With any luck, he’d be back on the road and on his way to his mother within a day … two at the most. Then his only problem would be explaining the lack of the wife he’d made up.