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  Donovan opened his eyes and stared at her. She almost melted from the inside out. Honest, pure love blazed in his gaze. “Sweetheart, I told your father who I am.”

  “No!” She bolted to her feet. “Why?”

  “Saving you was a two-man job. He needed to be completely focused on getting you out of there. I knew going in I’d have to admit to Carter who I was. I didn’t want the surprise of my confession to rattle your father into making a mistake.”

  “What is he going to do?” Rachel wrung her hands and paced. “What are we going to do?”

  When she paced close enough for him to touch her, he caught her hand and pulled her down to sit beside him. “I promised I’d turn myself in once I knew you were safe.”

  “No! You pretend to still be unconscious when he comes to visit. As soon as you’re well enough to travel, we’ll leave.”

  Donovan pulled her close, draping her across his naked chest. “I can’t, sweetheart. I gave him my word.”

  “Please!” She cried against his shoulder. “Please, don’t leave me.”

  Donovan held her tightly against him. “Don’t cry, sunshine, I can’t stand it when you cry.”

  “Neither can I,” Ethan Hale admitted from the open doorway.

  Rachel scrambled out of her husband’s arm and rounded on her father. “Papa, please, don’t do this.”

  “Rachel, calm yourself.” Ethan stepped into the room and closed the door. He nodded to his son-in-law then leaned against the sleigh footboard of the bed. “I have some questions.”

  Donovan glanced at Rachel then back to her father. “Ask.”

  “How many people know the truth about your identity?”

  “The two of you and Nessa. She always could tell Sullivan and me apart.”

  “Do you think she’s told anyone else?”

  Donovan sat up straighter in bed. “Not on her life.”

  An ember of hope kindled in Rachel’s heart. Was her father doing what she hoped?

  “What about your parents?” her father continued.

  “They’re on their way from Texas.”

  Her father nodded. “Are you planning on telling them the truth?”

  “Yes, as soon as they get home.” Donovan crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m firm on that.”

  “Good, good. Me too.”

  Rachel couldn’t stand it any longer. She had to know exactly what her father was planning. “What are you saying, Papa?”

  “I’m saying, little girl, the infamous outlaw Donnie Langley was shot and killed by Sam Carter, a Pinkerton agent. Unfortunately, Agent Carter was mortally wounded during the shoot out and died hours later of his wounds. I, Sheriff Ethan Hale, witnessed the altercation and will be sending an official notification of the two deaths to the federal authorities first thing tomorrow morning.”

  Rachel squealed as she threw herself into her papa’s arms. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

  “Not so fast. There are still some wrinkles that need to be ironed out.”

  “Like what?” Donovan asked from the bed.

  “Rachel, you cannot speak the name Donovan, even in private, again. It’s too easy to slip around others.”

  “Of course, Papa.” Rachel winked at Donovan. “Sully and I shouldn’t have an issue with that.”

  “And lastly,” her father continued. “I want to be there when you tell Patrick and Emma the truth.”

  “You don’t trust me to do as I promised,” Donovan bit out.

  “It’s not that at all, Sully. I just want to make sure Patrick and Emma understand the consequence of someone discovering our secret.”

  Rachel moved out of her father’s embrace. And made a beeline for Donovan. She crawled into her husband’s arms completely unaffected by her father’s presence. “Sully, do you know what this means?”

  “Of course, my sunshine.” Sully wrapped his arms around her then crushed her to his chest. “It means we can live happily ever after.”

  Rachel barely heard the click of the door closing as she lost herself in their first of many happily-ever-after kisses.

  Epilogue

  Six years later

  “It’s a boy,” Donovan told his three-year-old son as he held Aidan and leaned over the barn stall’s gate to give his son a better look at the new colt.

  Aidan’s eyes grew round in awe as he watched the new colt nurse.

  “Isn’t he beautiful?” Rachel asked, standing beside Donovan.

  Aidan grabbed hold of his daddy’s collar and leaned even farther toward the colt. “Pokey Dot is prutty.”

  Donovan inwardly groaned. The new colt had just been dubbed Pokey Dot because that’s what Aidan had called him. Unfortunately, the name would stick. The kid had his daddy and Grandpa Pat wrapped around his little finger. And the boy knew it. “What if the colt grows up to be the fastest stallion on the Legacy? Pokey wouldn’t be such a good name for him then.”

  “Pokey Dot,” Aidan insisted. The kid wasn’t going to budge.

  He tried one more time to change his son’s mind. “But—”

  Rachel slipped her hand into Donovan’s free hand and squeezed. “Give it up. The boss has spoken.”

  “That his mama?” Aidan asked, seeming to understand he’d won another battle with little effort.

  “Yes,” Rachel answered. She took Aidan’s small hand in hers and kissed his fingers. “Just like I’m your mama.”

  “Pokey Dot wuz his mama,” Aidan lisped.

  Donovan grinned. “Sure does look like it, huh?”

  Aidan straighten in Donovan’s arm still holding onto his daddy’s collar. Then he leaned toward Rachel. “I wuz my mama.”

  She met him halfway and kissed him. “And mama loves you.”

  Aidan turned to Donovan. “I wuz you too.”

  Donovan’s eyes misted as he held his son close to his chest and his wife’s hand in his. “And I love you too.”

  “Do you wuz mama?”

  “Yes, sir, I sure do.”

  Aidan nodded as though giving his blessing to his parents.

  “What’s going on?” Patrick Langley asked as he walked his horse into the barn.

  “Down! Down!” Aidan released the collar he’d been hanging onto and kicked his feet.

  Donovan chuckled as he lowered Aidan to the ground and watched his son run to his grandpa. “I see where I rank around here.”

  Rachel wrapped her arms around Donovan’s waist and giggled, “I still wuz you.”

  Donovan’s heart swelled to near busting at the simple happiness of his life. He smiled and enveloped her into a bone-crushing bear hug. He couldn’t push words passed the emotional lump in his throat.

  “Up! Up!” Aidan insisted when he reached his grandpa. “Want to ride.”

  “I guess King’s got one more turn around the corral in him.” Patrick swept Aidan in his arms, stepped into the stirrup then swung his leg over King’s back. “We’ll meet you two back at the house.”

  As they rode out of the barn, Donovan heard Aidan telling his grandpa about the new colt. “His name is Pokey Dot.”

  Donovan rolled his eyes skyward. “That damn name is going to stick, isn’t it?”

  “Sounds like it.” Rachel wrapped her arms around her husband’s neck. “You of all people should know a name is just a name. What’s important is the heart, strength of character and soul—” she traced her fingertip down his jawline, over his lips, down his neck and lower until her fingernail flicked his nipple through his shirt, “—of the stallion.”

  He trembled as a wave of desire swamped him. “I love you, Sunshine.”

  “Not as much as I love you, Sully Langley.”

  *

  To Continue Reading the Langley Series Click Here!

  Hello Readers,

  I hope you enjoyed Donovan’s and Rachel’s story. Please share your thoughts about Donovan’s Deceit with your friends and family and with others on review sites and social media.

  If you haven’t read the ot
her books in the Langley Legacy saga—you should. They’re wonderful stories of love, passion, and the obstacles that must be overcome before finding true love.

  I’d like to give a special thanks to Kathleen Ball—Finn’s Fortune, Hildie McQueen—Patrick’s Proposal, Peggy McKenzie—Aidan’s Arrangement, Merry Farmer—Heath’s Homecoming and Sylvia McDaniel—Collin’s Challenge. The best group of ladies I’ve ever worked with!

  And of course, you—my readers, thank you for your support and Happy Reading!

  Kathy

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  Courting Emily Worth and not her gentle twin Elizabeth, Randall Thorpe unknowingly proposes to the real Emily—and is ensnared in her trap.

  After marriage, Randall has felt the bite of Emily’s wickedness one too many times. Vengefully he relocates them to America, taking her away from the glitz and glamour of society. In Virginia he discovers his wife has a twin sister, who accompanied him across the Atlantic.

  For More Information, Click Here!

  Also By Kathy Shaw

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  Donovan’s Deceit

  Author Bio

  Kathy Shaw is a female counterpart of a true southern-bred good ol’ boy. Her first love is her family, but her writing comes in a close second. She is multi-published in romance, but is currently working on a zany new mystery series.

  She attributes a goodly amount of her success to her killer critique group and her association with Romance Writers of America. Her husband, however, credits it to her wacky—sometimes warped—sense of humor. But he’s an Aggie, so what does he know?

  The End!