Long, Tall Texans: Connal

Book excerpt: One widower's marriage of convenience might turn into something more in New York Timesbestselling author Diana Palmer's Long, Tall Texans: Connal, originally published asConnal in 1990. For just about as long as she can remember, Penelope Mathews has worshipped the elusive C.C. Tremayne from afar. The gorgeous but aloof loner doesn't want anything to do withher—or, in fact, with any woman since his wife's tragic death years before. But one nightchanges everything, when, trying to protect C.C. from landing in trouble, Pepi seeksrefuge in a wedding chapel—and emerges as Mrs. Connal Cade Tremayne! When C.C. realizes what happened, he's outraged and plans to end their “arrangement”immediately. Yet the more time he spends with his beautiful new bride, the more herealizes he doesn't want their marriage to end….