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my secrets yet. Let ’ s get to know each other first. ”
    “ You can ’ t blame a reporter for trying, ” she smiled. “ I understand you own a chain of German bakeries? ”
    “ Yeah, we started Wurzbach Bakery in Fredericksburg and we ’ ve expanded to ten locations around the Hill Country, ” he said. “ Hopefully, we ’ ll cover the whole state before too long. You haven ’ t tasted our apple strudel? ”
    “ No, but I ’ ve heard it ’ s delicious. Next time I ’ m in the area, I ’ ll look for it. ”
    As they moved to the head of the line, Annie ordered a salad, a dish of collard greens, jalapeno cornbread and iced tea.
    “ That cornbread looks amazing, ” he said, looking at the thick slab with a big glob of butter. He asked for it too, along with red beans and rice topped with a sausage.
    They unloaded their trays at a table for two and began to talk above the din of a few dozen animated conversations.
    “ My best friend in the legislature is Jake Satterfield, ” he said. “ You two were engaged a few years ago, right? ”
    “ Yep. I ’ m surprised you know about Jake and me, ” Annie said. “ We broke up, he remarried his ex-wife and had another child. End of the line for us. ”
    “ You probably haven ’ t heard that he and Jeannie separated recently. Second time wasn ’ t exactly the charm for them, ” he said, pausing for her reaction.
    “ Really, ” Annie said as coolly as she could manage after hastily swallowing a lump of cornbread. “ Should I care? ”
    “ Maybe you don ’ t, after all this time, ” Wurzbach said. “ Just thought I ’ d mention it because he speaks so warmly of you. He was the one who told me I should talk to you. ”
    “ Nice of Jake. Tell him hello. ”
    Despite her attempt to play it down, Annie felt excitement deep inside her body. Just thinking of Jake affected her powerfully and that didn ’ t end when she broke up with him three years ago. She tended to find other men pallid in comparison. He ’ d been a wildly electric lover, with a knowing confidence about her needs and wants that she ’ d found in no one else. She still dreamed about having sex with him, reveling in his imagined closeness and waking up desolate.
    “ Sorry, didn ’ t mean to dwell on a sore subject, ” Wurzbach said. “ Jake ’ s told me more than once he should have married you instead of reconciling with Jeannie. ”
    “ He made his choice, ” Annie said. “ But that ’ s another story. Let ’ s not waste your time. Tell me why you ’ re interested in the Nation of Texas. ”
    “ Can you keep this information confidential for the time being? ” He leaned forward and looked at her intently. “ When I ’ m ready to go public, your newspaper can have it first. ”
    She nodded, noting that his smile had vanished. He looked around quickly before lowering his voice, though no one was looking their way.
    “ I ’ m a proud German Texan whose ancestors came to the Hill Country in the 1840s, ” he said. “ Growing up in Fredericksburg, my family ’ s heritage was really important to us, as it is to most people in the area with German ancestors.
    “ About three months ago, I started meeting with business and civic groups about trying to get the state to designate ten counties as German Texas, ” he said. “ A bunch of us have talked about the idea for years, but it was the first time we ’ d gone public with it to the local media. ”
    “ What exactly would that mean? ” Annie asked.
    “ We ’ d get the legislature to do certain things, like requiring signs in German and English and emphasizing German language and cultural education in schools. We ’ d ask for money to help make those things happen. ”
    “ Nothing wrong with that, I guess, ” she said.
    “ We ’ d also revive a lot of traditional clubs with German dancing, shooting and games, ” he said. “ The state ’ s biggest outlay would be for a German Texas museum and cultural center in