Page 1 of Wrangling a Wild Texan

Chapter One

Hydroplaninghad always sounded like a thrilling activity. Like parasailing. Or kite surfing. Or hang gliding. And there was nothing Sunshine Brook Whitlock loved more than a good thrill. She enjoyed walking on the wild side and was up for almost anything: cliff jumping, skydiving, and swimming with sharks. The more daredevil, the more she wanted to try it.

But as her Subaru spun out of control on the icy rain-slick highway, Sunny didn’t feel the adrenaline rush of excitement that came with those other thrill-seeking pursuits. She felt the terrifying reality that these could be her last few seconds on the planet Earth.

And seconds weren’t nearly enough time to make up for twenty-four years of orneriness.

She might look like the perfect little ray of sunshine, but beneath her sweet smile and innocent brown eyes was a devious devil who had completely hoodwinked her two brothers . . . and everyone else. Mischievous activities drew her like a bee to honey. Over the years, she had become an expert at not getting caught. But now the jig was up and she’d have to face theheavenly jury. With her record, there was no way she was getting past those pearly white gates.

Which meant she was headed straight to?—

“Hell!” she yelled as her car careened off the highway. A second later, it slammed into a fence post with a jarring impact that had her body jerking forward.

This was it. She was about to pay for her deception and impulsive, irresponsible behavior. Unfortunately, her brothers would have to pay too. Corbin, who had loved and spoiled her all her life. And Jesse, who loved her just as much, even though they had met only a few months earlier. They would both be devastated by her untimely death. That upset her even more than spending the rest of her days as a deep-fried spicy chicken wing.

But just as she resigned herself to The End of her life story, her seatbelt tightened and the airbag deployed, keeping her from flying through the rain-splattered windshield. She sat there for a stunned moment with her lungs pumping and her heart thumping before she glanced out at the miles of cattle-grazing pasture capped by stormy gray skies.

“I’m alive!” she yelled at the top of her lungs. “I’m alive!” She looked up at the roof of her car. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. I promise to do better and not be so impulsive or ir?—”

“Sunshine Whitlock.”

She startled at the authoritative female voice that echoed through the interior of her car. She swallowed hard. Obviously, God wasn’t buying her oath. While she quaked with reverent fear, she also felt vindicated.

She’d always suspected God was a woman.

“This is vehicle assistance,” the voice said.

Or maybe not.

“We were notified that your airbags deployed. Are you okay?”

“Oh!” She laughed with relief. “Yes, I’m fine, but you might want to send—” Before she could finish there was a frantic tapping on her side window. She turned to see a completely drenched and hysterical teenage girl.

“Oh my God!” Sophie Mitchell’s muffled voice came through the glass. “Are you okay? I’m so sorry. I only glanced at my phone for a second. Just a second. I didn’t mean to swerve into your lane. I’m so sorry . . . so, so sorry.” She covered her face with her hands and started sobbing.

Sunny quickly rolled down the window. “Hey, now. I’m fine, honey. Just fine. Are you okay?”

Sophie lowered her hands. The few times Sunny had been around the teenager, she’d noticed Sophie had a heavy hand with makeup. Between the rain and crying, most of that makeup was dripping down her face. Which made Sunny want to hand her a tissue . . . and give her a quick tutorial on makeup application.

“I’m okay,” Sophie sniffed. “But I won’t be for long. My uncle is going to kill me. Kill me!”

Just the mention of Sophie’s uncle had an image popping into Sunny’s head. An image of a man with hair the exact color of the onyx necklace she hadn’t been about to resist buying when she’d been living in Paris and intense eyes the deep amber of expensive French champagne. Those features were accompanied by a movie star handsome face and a hard, muscled body that would send any woman racing for her vibrator. Sunny had gone through numerous AA batteries fantasizing about Sophie’s uncle.

Of course, in her fantasies, he was nice.

In real life, he was a grumpy bumpkin.

“Ms. Whitlock?” The vehicle assistance woman cut into Sunny’s thoughts. “Do we need to send emergency assistance?”

Since the front of her car was wrapped around a fence post and the engine made a strange grinding sound, emergency assistance was definitely needed. But before she could speak, she glanced at Sophie and saw the pleading look in her amber eyes.

It was hard not to sympathize with the girl. Sunny didn’t know the full story of why Sophie was living with her grumpy uncle, but she did know what it felt like to be dumped on some relative who didn’t really want you. She and Corbin had been dumped more times than she could count, which explained all her mischievous behavior. She’d needed an outlet for her hurt and anger.

She couldn’t blame Sophie for needing the same.

She gave her an encouraging smile as she answered the vehicle assistance operator.

“No need to send help. It’s just a little fender bender—something I can turn in

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