by Addison Fox
How did the man manage it?
“Where’s Maggie?”
“She had a date with a sale at the mall.”
He moved in and pulled her close. “And you didn’t want to go?”
“I’m getting used to having some money back in my bank account. I’d like to revel in that glow a bit longer.”
Concern lined his face. “Sutton’s made good on everything that happened at LSP. Your job, your good name and a raise.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist, unable to hold back the truth. “Okay. I admit it, then. I wanted to stay home and spend the afternoon with you.”
The worry faded, replaced with a cocky smile. “Well, then, Ms. Reeves. What did you have in mind?”
“This.”
The kiss had her pulse racing again, a wild thrill ride that she couldn’t imagine ever tiring of.
How things had changed since December. Her lonely, quiet life had vanished and in its place was something more wonderful than she could have ever imagined.
She was in love.
The thought hit so swiftly—and came from a place so deep—it had Bellamy pulling back from the kiss.
Love?
“Bellamy?”
“I... Um... I...” She grasped at the first thing that came to mind. “Do we need to feed Alex?”
“What?” Confusion furrowed a small line between his eyebrows before Donovan glanced toward Alex, who even now lay curled up on the floor, fast asleep. “He’s fine.”
“Good.”
“And he doesn’t eat until six.”
“Right.”
“It’s one.”
“Sure.” Bellamy silently cursed herself for her inability to think on the fly. “Of course.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Sure. I’m fine.” She moved back to the sink and snatching up a dish towel to dry the mugs from earlier.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Something’s wrong. One moment I’m kissing you and the next you’re pulling away like you got burned. What’s wrong?”
She dropped the dish towel as the cup banged against the counter with a discordant thud. “I love you.”
The words were out before she could check them and it was enough to have her holding her breath. Had she really just told him she loved him?
It was stupid and impulsive and about as well thought out as the “let’s feed Alex” line.
“Bellamy.”
The second, urgent use of her name had her looking up, turning to face him. To face the reality of her impulsive words. “Look. Just ignore me. That kiss scrambled my brain and I sort of short-circuited. It’s noth—”
He laid a finger over her lips. “It’s not nothing.”
The soft press of his finger turned tantalizing as he ran the pad over her lower lip. “Believe it or not, I have a few thoughts on this subject you seem hesitant to voice, too. It’s not particularly original but I think it fits in these circumstances.”
“You do?”
“I love you, Bellamy Reeves. I love everything about you. I love that you don’t mind my attitude in the morning before coffee. And I love that you’ve been quietly encouraging me to visit with Sutton and my parents. And I love that you’re mending fences with your sister.”
“Those are good things.”
“They are. And they’re good because I can share them with you.”
Whatever she’d been expecting, a declaration of love was the farthest thing from her mind. “You love me back?”
“I sure do.”
“I love you, Donovan. And I love your furry partner, too.”
“Alex is a lot smarter than me. I think he already figured it all out and has been waiting for the two humans to get on board.”
The heavy thump of a tail had the two of them turning at the same time. The sleeping lump in front of her fridge was wide-awake, his dark eyes full of knowing and endless wisdom.
Bellamy smiled, surprised at how easy it was to believe the dog knew all. “I guess that means he approves.”
As if on cue, Alex leaped up from his favorite spot and jumped up, completing the small circle in Bellamy’s kitchen and pressing eager kisses on both of them.
Bellamy laughed as Donovan tightened his hold.
“Oh yeah,” Donovan whispered against her ear. “He definitely approves.”
* * * * *
If you loved this suspenseful story,
don’t miss these previous books in the
COLTONS OF SHADOW CREEK miniseries:
THE BILLIONAIRE’S COLTON THREAT
by Geri Krotow
MISSION: COLTON JUSTICE
by Jennifer Morey
CAPTURING A COLTON
by C.J. Miller
THE COLTON MARINE
by Lisa Childs
COLD CASE COLTON
by Addison Fox
PREGNANT BY THE COLTON COWBOY
by Lara Lacombe
COLTON UNDERCOVER
by Marie Ferrarella
COLTON’S SECRET SON
by Carla Cassidy
All available now from
Harlequin Romantic Suspense.
Keep reading for an excerpt from DADDY DEFENDER by Janie Crouch.
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Daddy Defender
by Janie Crouch
Chapter One
“Ashton, it means the world to me that you would come here to fix this first thing in the morning.”
Ashton Fitzgerald, top sharpshooter for Omega Sector Critical Response Division’s SWAT team, had his head and half his large torso under the kitchen sink of a condo unit in Masking Ridge, a community just south of Colorado Springs.
He knew Summer Worrall, owner of said sink, didn’t expect much of a response from him, so he just grunted as he put a little more elbow grease into tightening a stripped nut on her piping.
“I don’t know when it started leaking, but it was definitely bad when Chloe got me up this morning.”
As if in agreement, nineteen-month-old Chloe began gurgling in her mother’s arms and clapping loudly. She obviously wanted to be let down onto the floor to play with Ashton, but Summer was keeping her out of the way.
“It’s no problem,�
�� Ashton muttered.
Actually, it was a problem. He was going to be late into Omega Sector’s SWAT training facility. Not that there would be any true harm in that; the team was just running exercises today unless something real came in. But as soon as they realized why Ashton was late—because Summer Worrall thought he was the maintenance man again—they were going to tease him mercilessly.
Again.
They all knew, or at least knew of, Summer and Chloe. Her husband had been killed in a hostage situation gone wrong nearly two years ago. Then she’d been kidnapped by a psychopath eight months ago in another incident involving the Omega Sector’s Critical Response Division, an elite interagency task force with some of the country’s best agents.
So no one on the team actually begrudged Ashton helping out the young widow. What they found so hilarious was the fact that Summer thought he was the handyman for the entire condo complex.
And Ashton could admit he was a pretty mechanically minded guy. Growing up on his parents’ farm in Wyoming had given him a lot of skills with his hands. He could fix most household problems, given the time and tools.
“I think I’ve got this under control,” he said. “It’s nothing big, just some piping that needed to be realigned and tightened.”
“Oh good. I didn’t want to turn a big, formal request in to Joe.”
Joe Matarazzo, the main hostage negotiator at Omega Sector, who also happened to be a billionaire, owned the condos in which Summer and Chloe lived. That’s how this crazy misunderstanding had started in the first place. Summer had needed a handyman and called Joe. Joe had said he’d send someone trustworthy right over.
But then Joe had an emergency with Omega and asked Ashton if he could take care of Summer’s problem. Instead of calling someone, Ashton had just gone over to Summer’s home himself. He’d had no intention of misleading Summer, and had even introduced himself as Joe’s friend.
Evidently she’d taken that to mean Joe’s handyman friend.
When he’d given her his number, telling her to call him if anything else came up, Summer had taken him up on that offer. Eight times in the last few months.
Now Ashton had no idea how to tell her the truth.
And that wasn’t even the worst secret he was keeping from her. He grimaced and worked his way out from under the sink.
“Okay, I think I’ve got it all fixed under here. I just need to turn your water back on in the basement.”
Ashton pulled himself the rest of the way out from under the sink and stood. He smiled at Summer, trying not to let himself be taken aback again by her beauty. Petite, with rich auburn hair, pale skin with freckles dusting her cheeks and nose. It was colder weather now, but Ashton knew from the tank tops she wore in warmer temps that her shoulders were dusted with freckles, also.
But he definitely did not want to be thinking about her bare shoulders or how he’d love to play connect the dots on them with his fingers or—even better—his lips. Summer wouldn’t be interested in any law-enforcement lips after what she’d been through. Especially his.
“Ah-ta!” Little Chloe squealed and threw herself forward from her mother’s arms, reaching for Ashton. He caught her, taking her from Summer and pulling her to his chest.
“Sorry,” Summer murmured.
“Don’t worry about it.” It happened every time he came by. Little Chloe loved to see him. Not able to say the word Ashton, she’d taken to calling him Ah-ta last month.
“Hey, gorgeous.” He smiled at the baby. “You shouldn’t be so quick to jump out of your mama’s arms.”
He knew he wouldn’t be.
Chloe put both her tiny hands on his cheeks. “Ah-ta.”
“Yeah, but I might not always be there to catch you.” He adjusted his tool belt so her little feet didn’t get snagged on anything. The belt didn’t bother him at all. It was quite similar to the SWAT utility belt he wore in other circumstances.
“Ashton, thanks again for making this your first stop. I’m sure you have other places to be. Other units higher on the priority list than mine.”
He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. It was no trouble coming by here.”
Summer’s green eyes filled with distress. “You mean you only came here for me? You’re working out of another complex today? I’m so sorry.”
Ashton never knew what to say, so he said as little as possible. “Yeah, I’m working at another complex today.” That wasn’t technically untrue; the SWAT training facility was definitely another complex. “Don’t worry. I never mind coming by here.”
Ugh. Now he sounded like he was about to ask her out for a date. He was sure she’d shut that down real quick.
“I-I just mean...” He trailed off. Was he actually stuttering now? She must think he was a complete moron.
She touched him on the arm. “I understand and I truly appreciate it.” She reached over and tickled Chloe. “This little wiggle worm does too. She always loves to see you.”
“I’ll just take her downstairs with me to turn the water back on. Is that okay?” Chloe was currently playing with his ears. Pulling on them with her surprisingly strong little fingers.
“Sure,” Summer smiled. “Give my arms a break for a few minutes. I’ll put this stuff back under the sink.”
Ashton turned with the baby and began walking down to the basement. He knew where it was from a hot-water-heater problem a few months before. As a matter of fact, for a newer condo, this place tended to have a lot of issues. But he definitely wouldn’t complain.
It gave him a chance to see Summer. Even if it was as the handyman.
Little Chloe began jabbering to him in her baby language, laughing as he bounced her as he went down the stairs. He didn’t know why the little girl liked him so much, but he would take it while he could.
Someday she would find out Ashton was the reason her dad had died. Then neither she nor her mom would want anything to do with him.
* * *
SUMMER LOVED HEARING her daughter squeal with delight as Ashton took her down the stairs. She felt safe leaving Chloe with Ashton. Not only had he proven over and over again that he was patient and gentle with her, Joe Matarazzo—one of Summer’s closest friends—had vouched personally for Ashton.
Joe had first sent Ashton over when she’d had a garbage disposal problem a few months ago. She’d somehow found multiple reasons for him to come back since. He must think she was completely useless around the house. But he never seemed to mind coming over to help with whatever she needed.
So Summer kept calling. And Ashton kept showing up.
With his tall, gorgeous body and thick brown hair. Muscular arms that stretched the sleeves of his T-shirts.
She had to admit, she didn’t mind the view whenever he was here.
She hadn’t gone so far as to actually break anything herself to get him to come over, but she’d never tried to fix even the smallest problem when it occurred. Since the unit was really bigger than she and Chloe needed—three bedrooms, two different levels, plus a basement—there did seem to be a lot of different things she could call him for.
Summer began putting back the cleaning supplies she’d moved out of the way before Ashton had arrived. Ashton barely ever talked while he was there. At least, not to Summer. She could hear him keeping up a steady stream of conversation with Chloe, but the most Summer got were short, direct sentences. He was shy and a little bit awkward. Unbelievable in a man with his looks.
Not that Summer would know what to do if the man could get a full sentence out and began to really talk to her. Then she’d be the one stuttering.
So she kept her one-sided attraction to herself. She was sure she wasn’t really his type. She didn’t know what that type may be, but it was probably someone more into things he was into...
Like being quiet.
She knocked her head softly against the sink cabinet door. She didn’t really know anything about Ashton. She knew some basics—that he’d been raised on his parents’ farm, that he still went out to Wyoming to see them as often as he could. She knew he was kind and gentle with her daughter and always polite to her. But she had no idea what he was into, what he liked. Only knew he tended to be reserved. A man of few words.
And that he had a face, hair and biceps to die for.
She would’ve totally given up on any possibility of anything ever happening between them if she didn’t catch him looking at her with heat in his eyes every once in a while. Like he felt the same attraction she did but couldn’t seem to move on it. He never moved on it.
Maybe because he was too shy.
Or maybe she’d just imagined those looks.
She put a stack of sponges where they belonged before closing the cabinet and resting her head against the wood. It had been too long since Tyler died. Too long since she’d had a man’s attention focused on her. And as much as she’d like that focus to be from Ashton, she didn’t see that happening any time soon.
“Okay, got your water turned back on and everything should be great.”
As she stood back up, Summer couldn’t help but notice his shirt had gotten a little damp, probably while he’d been under the sink, and clung to his midsection, showing off the perfectly defined abs underneath.
Weren’t plumbers and maintenance guys supposed to have beer bellies and ill-fitting pants? She may not know what Ashton did on his time off, but it definitely wasn’t sitting around watching TV and drinking beer, that was for sure.
And then she noticed how he kept Chloe up high in his arms so her little legs wouldn’t get damp from his shirt.
And darn it if that wasn’t almost as sexy.
“Ashton, thank you again for coming by. Especially since you weren’t planning to work in our complex this morning.”
He looked a little sheepish, she had no idea why. Chloe reached for her. “Ma-ma.”