This was the fourth house they’d looked at to buy to start their future together, and he had a feeling that this was the one. It was located two short blocks from the café and had everything they needed to build a life and raise a family.
The negative voices in his head had finally been silenced, unable to be heard with the ringing of Trisha’s love in his head, in his heart.
Trisha had also gotten a bit of good news. Detective Eric Kincaid from Chicago had contacted her to let her know that he was reopening both Courtney’s and Trisha’s mother’s murder cases. He’d also told her that a tip had come in that indicated Frank was still in Chicago and had been hiding out with one of his relatives.
Dusty smiled. It wasn’t complete closure, but it was definitely a move in the right direction.
There was so much to do. He had a feeling that Trisha loved this place and that this three-bedroom ranch house with its beautiful yard and country kitchen was going to be the forever home that she’d dreamed of. There would be furniture to buy and a wedding to plan and he wanted it all sooner rather than later.
He was smart enough; he was strong enough to be the man he’d wanted to become. He was a man who deserved Trisha’s love, a man Cooper could admire and adore.
He turned away from the window, eager to rejoin the two people who meant more to him than anyone else in the world, the woman and the little boy who were going to be his forever family.
* * *
Dillon typed the last word on his final report on the Albertson case and then reared back in his chair and frowned. Because the cabin had been located in another town, in another county, it had taken a lot of coordination to get the paperwork ready for the DA in Oklahoma City who would be in charge of prosecuting the case.
Greg had been transferred out of the Bitterroot jail and to the lockup in Oklahoma City to await his trial. Dillon liked it best when his jail was empty.
Although, there was one person he’d love to get behind bars—the person responsible for the skeletal remains that had been found on the Holiday property.
He’d gotten confirmation from the lab that the skull Dusty had fished out of the pond was the missing one from the remains, but for the past several weeks he’d been unable to work the case because of Greg Albertson and his crimes.
Now that issue had been laid to rest and it was time for him to focus once again on the decade-old crime that haunted his sleep.
With each day that passed, despite a lack of any real evidence, he was more and more convinced that the killer was one of the Holiday cowboys. All he had to do now was somehow identify which one of the men was responsible and then prove it.
* * * * *
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ISBN-13: 9781488004889
Cowboy at Arms
Copyright © 2016 by Carla Bracale
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, 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 publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries.
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An abandoned baby in danger brings together the Coltons of Texas in this gripping series
Someone has left a baby on the porch of search and rescue expert Ridge Colton’s log cabin. Who? And why? A loner, Ridge knows nothing about caring for an infant. But when the woman who broke his heart years ago shows up to help, he’s reminded of everything he once almost had.
From a wealthy family, Dr. Darcy Marrow was dissuaded from loving the man whose name meant one thing in town: shame. But with a dangerous thug trying to kidnap the baby, Ridge discovers how far he’ll go to protect the little one, Darcy…and his long-guarded heart.
“Will you be okay on your own with the baby for a minute?” Darcy asked.
Ridge smiled wryly at her concern. “I haven’t broken the baby yet.”
She nodded. “Fair enough. I’ll be right back.”
Ridge waited until Darcy had left, then looked down at the baby in his arms. She slept peacefully, curled up like a little shrimp against his chest.
Her mouth turned up in an impossibly sweet smile, and he felt the weight of responsibility slam down on his shoulders. Even though he wasn’t related to this child and had no idea where she had come from, she was his now.
“I don’t know who left you on my doorstep,” he said softly. “But I promise, I will take care of you.”
It was his calling to take care of the lost—the reason he’d gone into search and rescue in the first place.
He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the soft hair on the top of the baby’s head. “I’ll keep you safe,” he whispered.
* * *
We hope you enjoy this dramatic miniseries:
The Coltons of Texas: Finding love and buried family secrets in the Lone Star State…
* * *
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Dear Reader,
This is my first Colton family book, and I had so much fun writing a story set in their world! I’ve always been fascinated by large families and the relationships between siblings, and Ridge and his brothers and sisters are such great characters—they really came alive for me, and I hope they’ll do the same for you.
This book will always be special to me, because I became a mom for the first time while working on it. Having a newborn of my own made Ridge’s story much more vivid to me, and I had a blast exploring how he loses his heart to an abandoned baby. It’s hard to believe one tiny person can bring a grown man to his knees!
Happy reading!
Lara
COLTON BABY HOMECOMING
Lara Lacombe
Lara Lacombe earned a PhD in microbiology and immunology and worked in several labs across the country before moving into the classroom. Her day job as a college science professor gives her time to pursue her other love—writing fast-paced romantic suspense with smart, nerdy heroines and dangerously attractive heroes. She loves to hear from readers! Find her on the web or contact her at [email protected].
Books by Lara Lacombe
Harlequin Romantic Suspense
The Coltons of Texas
Colton Baby Homecoming
Deadly Contact
Fatal Fallout
Lethal Lies
Killer Exposure
Killer Season
Visit Lara’s Author Profile page at Harlequin.com
or laralacombe.blogspot.com for more titles.
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For A—you are my heart. Thank you for letting me write this book!
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
CHAPTER 1
Ridge Colton climbed behind the wheel of his truck and tried to rub away the gritty, sandpaper feeling from his eyes. He’d been up and at it since before dawn, searching the woods around Granite Gulch with the rest of his team, courtesy of a middle-of-the-night phone call made by a resident. Archie Johansen, a retired school bus driver, had been woken by the sound of footsteps on his porch. A curmudgeon to his core, Archie had grabbed his shotgun and thrown open the door, determined to scare off whoever dared to trespass on his property. As Archie described it, the second he opened his door a dark figure scrambled off his porch and hightailed it for the nearby trees. The old man swore up and down the intruder was carrying a rifle, which had prompted his call to the police. The people of Granite Gulch were normally pretty tough, but with the Alphabet Killer still on the loose, suspicions were running high.
And so Ridge had been dragged from his nice warm bed to comb the area, looking for any signs of an armed and possibly dangerous person skulking around in the woods that surrounded the town.
They hadn’t found anyone, which wasn’t a huge surprise. Secretly, Ridge thought the older man had actually seen an animal snuffling about in search of dinner rather than an armed threat. After all, Archie hadn’t been wearing his glasses at the time, and he hadn’t bothered to turn on his porch light before flinging open the door to do battle. It was hard enough to see in the dark, and Ridge knew from experience that heightened emotions often made people see things that weren’t really there. Still, they couldn’t afford to take any chances. One of these days the Alphabet Killer was going to make a mistake and Ridge wanted to be there to bring him down.
I’ll have to fight the others for the privilege, though, he thought with a small smile. With the exception of his brother Ethan and his youngest sister, Josie, all his siblings had gone into law enforcement and were currently focused on this case. In a way, it was kind of nice they were all working together, even if the circumstances of their reunion were less than ideal. Normal families didn’t need the hunt for a serial killer to bring them together. But then again, their own father had been a serial killer, so normal wasn’t exactly a word that had ever applied to them.
With a sigh, Ridge pushed aside thoughts of his father. Matthew Colton had no place in his life, and he refused to waste energy thinking about the man. It had taken him years to move past his issues with his parentage, and dwelling on a fact that couldn’t be changed wouldn’t do him any good.
A gentle touch on his arm snagged his attention, and he turned to find his partner, Penny, staring up at him with her soulful, dark brown eyes. “I’m okay, girl,” he said, reaching over to scratch behind her ears. Penny, a chocolate Lab, was the best search and rescue dog on the team, and she was always very attuned to Ridge’s moods. In truth, Ridge often felt closer to her than to other people. She didn’t care who his father was, didn’t whisper behind his back or ask awkward questions. She just stayed by his side, a true and loyal friend. She’d melted his heart the moment he’d found her as a lost and abandoned puppy, and he’d do anything for her.
“Ready to head home?” he asked. It had been a long day for her, as well, but she never complained. She let out a soft “ruff” in response, and he started the truck. Keeping one hand on Penny’s head, he idly stroked the velvety softness of her ears as he drove. “How about a bath tonight?” After spending all day in the woods, they both smelled pretty bad, and he needed to check her over for ticks and other unfriendly critters. Might as well kill two birds with one stone.
Her ears pricked forward at the word bath. True to her breed, Penny loved the water. While she’d much rather swim in the lake or splash through a stream, she tolerated a bath and its accompanying shampoo with the long-suffering patience of a martyr.
His mood lifted as he pondered the evening’s activities. First, cleanup for him and Penny. Then he’d build a nice fire so she could warm herself while he threw a steak on the grill. And after dinner, he’d get back to his book. Yes, that sounded like the perfect way to wrap up a disappointing day.
It took about twenty minutes before he turned down the long, single-lane road that led to his cabin. His older sister, Annabel, made no secret of the fact that she thought he was too isolated from everyone, but Ridge liked his solitude. It was peaceful out here with his cabin nestled up to the edge of the woods. And he much preferred the soothing sounds of the forest to the grating noise of town. Even though Granite Gulch wasn’t a huge metropolis like Houston, it was a growing city complete with traffic, construction and plenty of people. He knew it was only a matter of time before the urban sprawl began to creep into his oasis, but Ridge was determined to enjoy the quiet while he still could.
He pulled up next to the cabin and shut off the engine, then opened the door for Penny. She jumped out with a graceful leap, but Ridge could tell by the set of her ears and the look in her eyes she was just as tired as he. A nice, relaxing evening would do them both a world of good.
After grabbing his bag and locking up the truck, he started for the back door. It took him a few steps to realize Penny wasn’t with him. She’d stayed behind, her nose lifted as she sniffed the spring air.
Probably a raccoon, maybe a squirrel, he thought, pausing to watch her. Penny was a highly trained and very skilled search and rescue operator, but she was still a dog. When she was working, she maintained a laser-like, almost unshakable focus, but when she was off duty, she was just as susceptible to the taunting of small woodland creatures as any other dog. He’d give her a few minutes to enjoy herself outside, but then they really needed to get cleaned up.
He expected her to take a quick roll in the grass and rejoin him, but she kept her nose in the air. It was the same behavior she exhibited when she’d found the scent trail of a human, and Ridge felt the skin on the back of his neck tighten. Had someone been near his cabin lately? He had no neighbors for miles around, and there was no reason anyone should have come looking for him today. Why then was Penny acting as if she’d caught a trail?
After what seemed like an eternity, Penny dropped her head and met his gaze. She let out a short, sharp yip and cocked her ears forward, th
e signal she used to let him know she was on to something. Intrigued, Ridge gave her the command she wanted: “Find it.”
She took off, racing around the corner of the house. Ridge followed at a slightly slower pace, but he wasn’t worried about her running away. Penny would stay put once she’d found the source of her interest, and her bark would tell him exactly where she was.
As it turned out, he didn’t have to go far. He rounded the corner of the house just in time to see her jump onto the front porch. She headed straight for the wooden bench that sat overlooking the drive, plopped her butt down on the weathered boards, and began emitting her characteristic “I found it!” bark with all the gusto of an opera singer.
Ridge bounded up the steps and joined her, placing his hand on her head to let her know he was there and she could stop barking. She immediately quieted, but kept her gaze fixed on the floor behind the bench. Ridge leaned forward, squinting into the shadows. The front porch faced east, and the thunderclouds threatening overhead obscured the last rays of the setting sun, making it nearly impossible for him to determine what Penny had discovered. He dug a flashlight out of his bag and flicked on the light, then nearly dropped it when he realized what he was looking at.
“Oh my God,” he breathed, hardly daring to believe his eyes.
One of those big plastic carriers sat on his porch, the kind people used when driving around a baby. There was a blanket draped over the top, so he couldn’t tell if the seat was occupied. But Penny wouldn’t have signaled if the thing was empty...
Ridge reached forward, his heart in his throat. He pushed the covering aside and bit back a curse.
Harlequin Romantic Suspense March 2016 Box Set Page 22