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  With shaking fingers she slipped the chain off the door and opened it.

  “Hi,” Zane said, looking sheepish and achingly handsome at the same time. He had on dress pants and a white shirt open at the collar.

  Anna swallowed. “Hi,” she croaked. “What…what are you doing here? Did something happen?”

  He looked down at his boots then lifted his gaze to hers. “Can I come in?”

  Her heart thundering in her ears, she stepped back and opened the door wider.

  He walked in and stepped over to the French doors, his back to her. She studied him. His shoulders were tight, his hands were jammed in his pockets.

  Anna closed the door and stood in front of it, won dering why he wasn’t talking. Her brain raced with all the possible reasons he’d come here. Had Leland confessed? Had someone else been killed? Was he missing her as much as she missed him?

  “Nice apartment,” he said without turning around. He jingled the change in his pocket.

  “Thank you…” She had no idea what to say. She’d never seen him like this. Tentative, almost shy.

  “Zane? What is it?”

  He turned, a small wary smile on his face.

  “Why are you here?” She was beginning to be scared. “Is everything all right?”

  “I don’t know.” He shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. “Annie—”

  Her throat tightened. She’d started out hating that he called her Annie. She’d never let anyone call her that. Now she realized that she might have to live the rest of her life with that voice echoing in her ears.

  “I don’t know how to do this,” he continued. “I’ve spent my life striving to be as unlike my father as I possibly could. But I think my real fear was that if I ever made a lifetime commitment to someone, I’d end up breaking it, just like him.”

  Anna stared at him. He was as nervous as a teenage boy on his first date. Despite her effort not to be hopeful, her heart fluttered like a girl with a crush.

  His gaze moved over her face like a caress. Finally he frowned and looked down. “Well, you might want to know that your attacker came in through the bathroom window. We found a footprint on the sill.” He moved toward the door, on his way out of her life.

  She watched him as he walked past her, as his unmistakable scent wafted across her nostrils.

  Her scalp burned with anger. If he thought he could come here and give her some lame excuse for his inability to make a commitment, he was dead wrong.

  “Zane?” She reached out and caught his arm.

  He stopped and angled his head without actually turning to look at her.

  “You came all this way to tell me the murderer came in through the bathroom window?”

  His jaw clenched. “And to make sure you were all right.”

  “I’m just fine. But you could have found that out from your Ranger buddy who escorted me here.” She sucked in courage with a lungful of air.

  “This is not fair. You’re going to make me take the risk, aren’t you? You can face a killer but you can’t handle one relatively small female?”

  He raised his heather-blue eyes to hers, but he didn’t speak. He looked both miserable and hopeful.

  She took a deep breath. “Okay, then.” She took his hands in hers. They were trembling.

  “Zane McKinney, will you—” her breath caught “—marry me?”

  “Marry me?” Zane said at the same time.

  For a few seconds Anna stood there, wondering if what she’d seen and heard was real. She squeezed his hands.

  He smiled at her, a big beautiful smile. “Well?” he said. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

  Unable to speak, she shook her head.

  “Okay, then, what about your answer?” His smile faltered a little.

  She swallowed. “What about yours?”

  He slipped his hands from hers and pulled her close. “I guess this is how it’s going to be. No matter what I do, you’re going to be right there, aren’t you?”

  She grinned, even though her eyes were blurry with tears. “You bet. If we’re in this at all, we’re in it together.”

  He smiled, gazing down at her. “Okay, then, one, two, three—”

  In unison, they said yes.

  ISBN: 978-1-4592-2258-8

  SIX-GUN INVESTIGATION

  Copyright © 2007 by Rickey R. Mallory

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  ® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

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  *Ultimate Agents

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  About the Author

  Books by Mallory Kane

  Cast of Characters

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Copyright