“What? What is it?” she asked, a bundle of anticipation.
“Dale is locked up behind bars. He has been in custody for days and weeks before that.”
Her eyes went wide. She stepped back, her butt hitting the front of her car. Nowhere to go, he took a menacing step closer and she leaned back, finally understanding the threat he posed.
“I know you hurt Claire. Over and over again, you terrorized her all in some sick attempt to get her out of my life. This has been nothing but your vain attempt to get my attention. Well, you have it.”
She reached up and grasped his shirt in both hands. “Owen, please, I’m sorry.”
“Sorry you got caught.”
“I didn’t do anything,” she pleaded, her eyes filling with tears he ignored. Too good of an actress, he didn’t believe a single tear that slid down her cheek.
“You smell like smoke. I’ll bet we find your skin under Claire’s nails. If that isn’t enough, you’re wearing her engagement ring.” He pointed looked down at the hand fisted in his shirt. “That ring and everything it symbolizes belongs to Claire. I love her. I feel nothing but pity and contempt for you. I will do everything in my power to see you spend the maximum amount of time behind bars for doing this.”
“Maybe, but you won’t have her.”
“Yes, I will.” He turned just enough to give her the perfect view of them loading Claire into the ambulance, Brody beside her, holding her hand.
“No!” Shannon shoved past him, but he grabbed her wrist and held on, until she stopped trying to pull free.
He got right in her face. “I’ll see you spend the rest of your miserable days behind bars. You like pain. I hope you find it every day for the rest of your life without ever feeling any of the pleasure you crave at another’s expense.”
Owen pulled Claire’s ring free and shoved Shannon away, right into Dylan’s hands. Stunned by the move, Dylan had her handcuffed before she knew what was happening. Dylan stuffed her into this patrol car. Pissed off and out of control, she kicked the seat and thrashed against the backrest.
“Stop, or I’ll tase your ass,” he threatened.
Both of them shook their heads when a spark of anticipation lit her eyes.
“There is something truly wrong with that woman,” Dylan said, walking with him to the ambulance.
Brody switched places with him, and Owen sat on the small bench beside Claire, holding her hand. He slipped the ring onto her finger and kissed her palm.
Her eyes fluttered open, and he showed her the ring. “Shannon is on her way to jail. This belongs to you, and so do I. I love you.”
Claire squeezed his hand. He let out a deep sigh and pressed her palm to his cheek as the paramedic watched over Claire and they drove to the hospital. He stayed by her side, and would for the rest of his days.
Epilogue
* * *
OWEN SAT BESIDE Claire’s hospital bed, marveling that ten months after he’d sat beside her like this after the fire she held his baby boy in her arms. Tired after the birth, she still looked radiant when she smiled.
“He’s beautiful,” she said.
“You’re amazing.”
She laughed and reached up to stroke his cheek. “I’m tired, but I can’t stop looking at him.”
“I can’t stop looking at both of you in wonder. I’m so happy, Claire, and so damn lucky to have both of you in my life.” He took her hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing her knuckles above her wedding rings.
The first time he brought Claire home from the hospital, he’d surprised her with the few items that survived the fire that she’d packed in her car. He’d hung the black-and-white photos of Paris in their bedroom. The four sea scenes hung in the bathroom as she’d had them at her house. He put the pretty blue glass bottles on the sunken tub ledge. The other items he’d spread through the downstairs living room and kitchen so that any room she entered, there’d be a piece of her mixed with his.
She cried that day for all she’d lost, but soon wiped the tears and looked to their future and planning their wedding.
They got married two months after she got out of the hospital. A small ceremony in the backyard he’d had landscaped with a stone patio and path to complement the deck. Flowers and shrubs filled in the garden spaces. With the tall, old trees spreading their limbs over everything, the canopy shaded the yard and cocooned them in the quiet peacefulness they found out there together both day and night.
A knock sounded at the door. Brody pushed it open and allowed Dawn, Autumn, and Rain, carrying baby David, into the room before he followed.
Brody finally asked Rain to marry him the night before they moved into their new house. He married her in a quiet family ceremony a month after David arrived. Owen served as best man and Claire stood beside Rain as her matron of honor. Dawn and Autumn were beautiful flower girls at both weddings with little Will serving as the ring bearer.
“Hey, is it a good time for a visit?” Rain asked.
Owen stood and wrapped her in a hug. “Hey, beautiful. It’s a great time to have family around.”
Owen greeted his brother with a hug and a slap on the back. They stood side by side, looking down at their wives sitting next to each other with the two new McBride boys in their arms.
“If they’re anything like us,” Brody said, “We’re in trouble.”
Owen laughed and smiled at his wife. “I’m up for it. Are you?”
“Absolutely.”
Another knock sounded and Dylan stuck his head in. “Mind if we come in?”
“Not at all,” Claire called, showing off the baby to Dawn and Autumn, who stood close to the edge of the bed to get a better look.
Dylan had bought Claire’s old place and built a new house. He and Will had settled in just a week ago. Dylan was busy buying furniture and keeping the peace in town.
Owen gave Will a tickle to the gut, snatched him from Dylan’s arms, and settled him at the foot of the bed next to David under Rain’s watchful eye. He turned back to Dylan and accepted the congratulatory hug. Sticking close, he whispered, “I heard about Mr. Thompson dying this morning.”
“Yeah,” was all Dylan said.
“Did you speak to Brian about Jessie?”
“No. Not yet, but I will. I just hope it’s not too late to find out what really happened to her. If she didn’t leave town on her own, I hope that bastard didn’t take his secrets to the grave.”
Owen hoped so, too. For Dylan’s sake. He gave his cousin a squeeze on the shoulder and propelled him toward Brody to say hello and join the family. He settled on the bed next to Claire, his arm around her shoulders, their baby asleep on her chest.
“So, what’s the newest McBride’s name?” Brody asked.
Claire looked up at him and smiled, letting him say it.
“He’s our Sean Brody McBride.”
“Oh, I love it,” Rain said, tears glistening in her eyes. The girls shared her sentiment. Owen stared at his brother and they exchanged a silent moment of connection. He’d repaid Brody for doing the same. David Owen McBride wiggled at the end of the bed, trying to grab his cousin Will’s fingers.
This is what they’d wanted. Family.
The door opened again and Claire’s parents came in with balloons and flowers. Owen stood to take them and add them to the rest Brody and Dylan had sent earlier. He greeted his in-laws and everyone settled around the room, carrying on conversations and fussing over the babies and Claire. He settled next to her again on the bed, this time placing his sleeping son on his chest. He held him there with one hand, Claire tucked against his side.
A nurse came in to check on her. “Mrs. McBride, can I get you anything?”
Claire glanced around the room at everyone gathered to see her and the baby. She settled back into his side and hugged him and Sean close.
“No. I have everything I need.”
Can’t get enough of Jennifer Ryan’s McBride men?
Good news, the sheriff of Fallbrook
gets his turn next in
DYLAN’S REDEMPTION
Book Three: The McBrides
Coming August 2014
AFTER A HEATED fight with her father, Jessie Thompson fled Fallbrook, vowing never to return. But when her father dies, she reluctantly returns home for the funeral, only to find herself face-to-face with the man who shattered her heart. A man who, for eight years, believed she was dead.
Dylan McBride accepted the position as the new sheriff of Fallbrook, looking for a fresh start. He didn’t expect it to include the woman he’d once loved and thought he’d lost forever.
Even though Dylan’s heart has already grieved for Jessie, he can’t deny the passion that still smolders between them. Can they heal their past and find a second chance at first love?
About the Author
* * *
JENNIFER RYAN writes romantic suspense and contemporary small-town romances featuring strong men and equally resilient women. Her stories are filled with love, friendship, and the happily-ever-after we all hope to find. Jennifer lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and three children. When she isn’t writing a book, she’s reading one.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.
Also by Jennifer Ryan
The Return of Brody McBride
Chasing Morgan
The Right Bride
Lucky Like Us
Saved by the Rancher
Short Stories
“Waiting For You”
(appears in Confessions of a Secret Admirer)
“Can’t Wait”
(appears in All I Want for Christmas Is a Cowboy)
Give in to your impulses . . .
Read on for a sneak peek at two brand-new
e-book original tales of romance from Avon Books.
Available now wherever e-books are sold.
THE RETURN OF BRODY MCBRIDE
BOOK ONE: THE MCBRIDES
By Jennifer Ryan
THE CUPCAKE DIARIES: SPRINKLED WITH KISSES
By Darlene Panzera
An Excerpt from
THE RETURN OF BRODY MCBRIDE
Book One: The McBrides
by Jennifer Ryan
From New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Ryan comes an unforgettable new series about the sexy McBride men of Fallbrook, Colorado. Brody McBride left devastation in his wake when he ran away years ago. Can he return and win back the heart of Rain?
Brody woke with a start and gasped for breath, his hands pressed to his heaving chest, where the bullet had slammed into his bulletproof vest months ago, severely bruising his ribs. Used to sleeping in some of the most hostile places in the world, he took in his surroundings with a quick sweep of his gaze. All safe. Adrenaline racing through his veins, he checked his first instinct and stilled his hand, already reaching beneath the pillow for his gun. He wished he could shake off the nightmare and memories as quickly as he had sleep.
Alert, he now remembered arriving at the old cabin late last night. Clear Water Ranch. He and Owen should rename the place Mud. Nothing pristine about the blood running through his veins. His father had sullied it, along with the McBride name.
Just the thought of being on the ranch again set off a barrage of memories, most of him and Owen running wild. He couldn’t pick one out, or grasp the prevailing feeling that went with them. A mixture of happy and sad times, frightening things better left forgotten but relived in Technicolor nightmares, and anger stored up over years, like a river cutting its path until a deep gorge separated the banks. Instead of spending the last eight years rebuilding bridges, he’d let the gap grow wider.
His stellar military career came with its own kind of horrors—right up until a roadside bomb took out three of his friends and left him wounded, ending his third tour in Afghanistan and his stint with the Army Rangers. He’d stowed them away with the other bad memories.
Two months of rehab under his belt, he’d returned home to pull the tattered pieces of his life together and mend them into something of a happy future. Hell, he’d settle for dull and normal.
He’d have exceptional if he won Rain back.
He’d blown it with her and let love slip through his fingers. Back then, he’d had nothing to offer her. Now, he was a different man, the man she’d always seen inside of him.
Her trail might be cold, but he’d track her, and before she knew it, he’d be hot on her tail. That was exactly where he planned to stay until he convinced her his days as a selfish prick were over. He wanted to put the past behind him, prove to himself and everyone else that he could be a different kind of man than his father was, and find that all-American dream he’d spent years protecting for others. So long as Rain was part of it, he’d find that elusive happiness.
Judging by the sunlight streaming in the windows, early morning was greeting him. A soft breeze filtered up to the loft from what could only be the open door downstairs. Papers rustled, then everything went quiet. Company. His brother had come calling. Time to face his past.
An Excerpt from
THE CUPCAKE DIARIES: SPRINKLED WITH KISSES
by Darlene Panzera
Fans of Debbie Macomber will adore the fifth installment in Darlene Panzera’s sweet Cupcake Diaries series . . . a tale of sand, sun, and summer love!
“How much for the ice cream scoop?” the man beside her asked.
His voice was rich, smooth, with a deep timbre that struck a chord within her, and she cast a reflexive glance in his direction to see if he looked as attractive as he sounded.
Yes, oh yes. The man dressed in bathing trunks and a t-shirt standing less than an arm’s reach away was definitely heart breaker material. His six-foot-four-inch height made her Amazonian five-foot-eleven feel normal. His sandy blond hair and aqua eyes replicated a Ken doll, while his muscular frame exuded the masculinity of a sculpted G.I. Joe.
Did he wear a wedding ring? Her gaze darted toward his left hand. Nope! She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. This guy could be a prime candidate to ask to accompany her to Kim’s wedding if only she could summon the courage to ask him.
Wait, a minute. Not so fast. She needed to get to know him better first. She needed him to ask her on a date.
The handsome guy paid the yard sale owner the amount requested and turned toward her as if sensing her gaze. “The vintage scoop my grandfather gave me broke, and the new ones they make these days just aren’t the same. See how the sides of this scoop dip down to form an elongated oval?”
Her skin prickled with self-awareness, and she wished she’d taken the time to brush her mousy rust-brown hair into at least an attempted semblance of order. Too late now. Her appearance was what it was. She’d just have to try to dazzle him with her personality instead.
No, she feared that wouldn’t work either. But what if she tried to be smart like Andi?
“You must really love ice cream.” Oh no. Did she really just say that? Lame! Incredibly lame.
“I do love ice cream,” he replied. “My grandfather’s homemade blackberry sherbet could make an ice cream enthusiast out of a heat-lovin’ gecko.”
Flirt like Rachel. She smiled—hopefully with nothing stuck in her teeth. “Now you’re making me hungry.”
“For ice cream or lizard?” he teased.
“I was referring to the ice cream. Lizard isn’t on my favorite foods list.”
Okay, good job. Would he take the hint and ask her to accompany him to an ice cream shop? Or a beach picnic? Anywhere but a formal restaurant. She hadn’t dated much in the past but for some reason dinner dates at restaurants never fared well.
A handsome guy like him undoubtedly had a girlfriend. Or several. Maybe that was why he hadn’t responded to her last comment. Maybe taking her out for food was off limits.
A pro when it came to taking precautions, she decided a backup plan was in order and grabbed the half-dozen peanut butter–and-cracker MREs she spotted in a box on the table besi
de them. The military surplus snack was a perfect fit for both her budget and her backpack.
In addition to the Meal, Ready-to-Eat find, she picked up a multi-tool knife, which also included folding mini scissors—as well as a screwdriver, bottle opener, file, and corkscrew.
“Great tool for camping,” the ice cream lover said, still beside her.
She nodded. “A must-have for my backpack.”
“I’m Dave Wright,” he said, smiling.
“Stacey McIntyre.”
“How many miles do you average?”
“Excuse me?”
“Hiking with your backpack,” he clarified.
Did Dave think she was a nature lover like Kim? Or an adventurer like Kate Jones, the kick-butt heroine from the treasured action-adventure novels on her bookshelf? A surge of warm, wishful thinking filled her. If only.
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Excerpt from The Return of Brody McBride copyright © 2014 by Jennifer Ryan.
Excerpt from The Cupcake Diaries: Sprinkled with Kisses copyright © 2014 by Darlene Panzera.
FALLING FOR OWEN. Copyright © 2014 by Jennifer Ryan. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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