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  “My sister-in-law, if you please,” Jodie corrected him with a grin. “I’ll cook you a nice apple pie for later, Alexander,” she promised.

  “Okay, I do take bribes,” he had to confess. He grinned at her. “But now that we’re married, couldn’t you find something else to call me? Something a little less formal?”

  She thought about it for a minute. “Darling,” she said.

  He looked at her with an odd expression, smiled as if he couldn’t help himself, and made a noise like a tiger. He went out the back door while they were still laughing.

  Jodie moved into her new job with a little apprehension, because of what she’d said to Brody Vance, but he was as genial as if no cross words had ever been spoken between them. Cara Dominguez still hadn’t been heard from or seen, neither had her accomplice. There was still a shipment of drugs missing, that had to be in the warehouse somewhere, but guards and stepped up surveillance assured that the drug dealers couldn’t get near the warehouse to search for it.

  One of Cara’s rivals in the business was arrested in a guns-for-drugs deal in Houston that made national and international headlines. Alexander told Jodie about it just before the wire services broke the story, and assured her that Cara’s organization was going to be next on the list of objectives for his department.

  Meanwhile, Jodie learned the ropes of computer security and went back to school to finish her certification, with Alexander’s blessing. Margie came up to see her while she was arranging a showing of her new designs with a local modeling agency and a department store that Kirry didn’t work for.

  Alexander kept shorter hours and did more delegating of chores, so that he could be at home when Jodie was. They bought a small house on the outskirts of Houston. Margie arranged to help Jodie with the decorating scheme. She was still amazed at the change in her best friend, who was now independent, strong-willed, hardworking and nobody’s door-mat.

  There was still the retro coffeehouse, of course, and one night Jodie had a phone call from the owner, Johnny. She listened, exploded with delight, and ran to tell Alexander the news.

  “The publisher wants to buy my poems!” she exclaimed. “He wants to include them in an anthology of Texas poetry! Isn’t it exciting?”

  “It’s exciting,” he agreed, bending to kiss her warmly. “Now tell the truth. They’re about me, aren’t they?”

  She sighed. “Yes, they’re about you. But I’m afraid this will be the only volume of poetry I ever create.”

  “Really? Why?”

  She nibbled his chin. “Because misery is what makes good poetry. And just between us two,” she added as her fingers went to his shirt buttons, “I’m far too happy to write good poetry ever again.”

  He guided her fingers down his shirt, smiling secretively. “I have plans to keep you that way, too,” he murmured deeply.

  And he did.

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-4231-3

  MAN IN CONTROL

  Copyright © 2003 by Diana Palmer

  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 editorial office, Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.

  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.

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