by Rita Herron
Could a kidnapping finally lead to the last McCullen finding his way home?
If there’s one thing Special Agent Ryder Banks hates, it’s handcuffing a woman. Tia Jeffries is not a violent person, but her infant son has been abducted—or worse. Determined to find her baby, the pretty single mom agrees to ditch the gun and work undercover with the sexy agent. Posing as a couple desperate to adopt, they find a murky world of baby brokers, scams—and a connection to the McCullens, Ryder’s birth family. When bullets start flying, Ryder risks everything to make Tia and her baby his own…
The Heroes of Horseshoe Creek
“I will find the baby.” And he’d put away whoever had taken the child.
He escorted her through the back to a holding cell. Ryder scanned the space as he followed. Two cells. The other was empty.
At least she wasn’t being thrown in with some dangerous derelict.
The cell door closed with a clang. Tia looked small and helpless inside that cell, yet he’d seen the fight in her when she’d confronted her ex.
“Please find Jordie,” she whispered in a raw, pained voice. “He’s just a few days old. He…needs me.”
Yes, he did.
But Ryder had seen the worst of society on that last case. The head of the ring had seemed like an upstanding citizen. But evil had lurked beneath the surface.
Did Tia deserve to have her son back?
For the life of him, he wanted to believe her. Maybe because no kid should grow up thinking his mother had gotten rid of him, like he had.
THE LAST
McCULLEN
USA TODAY Bestselling Author
Rita Herron
USA TODAY bestselling author Rita Herron wrote her first book when she was twelve but didn’t think real people grew up to be writers. Now she writes so she doesn’t have to get a real job. A former kindergarten teacher and workshop leader, she traded storytelling to kids for writing romance, and now she writes romantic comedies and romantic suspense. Rita lives in Georgia with her family. She loves to hear from readers, so please visit her website, ritaherron.com.
Books by Rita Herron
Harlequin Intrigue
The Heroes of Horseshoe Creek
Lock, Stock and McCullen
McCullen’s Secret Son
Roping Ray McCullen
Warrior Son
The Missing McCullen
The Last McCullen
Bucking Bronc Lodge
Certified Cowboy
Cowboy in the Extreme
Cowboy to the Max
Cowboy Cop
Native Cowboy
Ultimate Cowboy
Cold Case at Camden Crossing
Cold Case at Carlton’s Canyon
Cold Case at Cobra Creek
Cold Case in Cherokee Crossing
Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.
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CAST OF CHARACTERS
Special Agent Ryder Banks—His world is turned upside down when he learns he was born a McCullen. Then he’s thrust into a baby-kidnapping case that strikes a chord eerily similar to his own situation—is someone stealing and selling babies?
Tia Jeffries—When her son, Jordie, is taken, she must turn to Special Agent Banks for help, but she will never trust her heart to another man, especially one as sexy as Ryder.
Darren Hoyt—Tia suspects her ex took the baby to get revenge on her for denying him her inheritance.
Wanda Hanson—She blames Tia for losing her own children. Did she take Tia’s son to get back at her?
Judy Kinley—Tia’s nosy neighbor seems to know everything going on in the neighborhood—did she see who took Jordie?
Vicki Smith aka Kelly Ripples—She’s trying to sneak out of town under a false name—does she have Tia’s son with her?
Bonnie Cone—Did she take Jordie to replace the baby she lost?
Richard Blotter—The male nurse who coached Tia through labor shows great compassion for single mothers. Does he have a secret agenda?
Amy Yost—The young delivery nurse befriended Tia. Is she hiding something?
Frank Frost—This young attorney took over his father’s business, but are the adoptions he’s handling legal?
Hilary Pickens—She will do anything to have a family of her own.
This one is for all the fans of The Heroes of Horseshoe Creek series who wrote asking for the twins’ stories!
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Epilogue
Excerpt from After the Dark by Cynthia Eden
Chapter One
Ryder Banks needed a shower, a cold beer and some serious shut-eye.
Three months of deep undercover work had paid off, though. He’d caught the son-of-a-bitch ringleader of a human trafficking group who’d been kidnapping and selling teenage girls as sex slaves.
Sick bastard.
He scrubbed a hand over his bleary eyes as he let himself inside his cabin. The musty odor and the dust motes floating in the stale air testified to the fact that he hadn’t seen this place in months.
Tired but still wired from the arrest, he grabbed a beer from the fridge, kicked off his shoes and flipped on the news.
“This is Sheriff Maddox McCullen of Pistol Whip, Wyoming.” The newscaster gestured toward a tall, broad-shouldered man with dark hair. “Sheriff McCullen has just arrested the person responsible for three-year-old Tyler Elmore’s abduction and for the murder of the boy’s mother, Sondra Elmore. Sheriff?”
“The man we arrested was Jim Jasper, a sheriff himself,” Sheriff McCullen said. “He confessed to the homicide.”
“What about the man who was originally charged with the murder?” The news anchor consulted his notes. “Cash Koker, wasn’t that his name?”
McCullen nodded. “Sheriff Jasper also admitted that he framed Koker, so Koker has been cleared of all charges.” Sheriff McCullen offered a smile. “On a more personal note, my brothers and I learned that Mr. Koker—Cash—is our brother. He and his twin were kidnapped at birth from our family.”
“That explains the reason his last name isn’t McCullen?”
“Yes, he was given the name of the foster parent who first took him in.” McCullen paused. “We’re delighted to reconnect with him. We’re also searching for Cash’s twin. We hope he’ll come forward if he’s watching.”
A photo of Cash Koker flashed onto the screen.
Ryder swallowed hard. Dammit, the man not only r
esembled the other McCullen brothers with his dark hair, square jaw, big broad shoulders and rugged build, but he looked just like him.
The number for the sheriff’s office flashed onto the screen and Ryder cursed, then hit the off button for the TV.
Maddox McCullen was a damn good actor. The emotions on his face seemed real.
He wanted the world to believe that his twin brothers had been stolen from his family.
But that was a lie.
Ryder knew the truth.
The McCullens had sold those babies.
All for the money to expand their ranch, Horseshoe Creek.
Sure, on the surface, the McCullens looked like model citizens, like a loving family. But that family had dirty little secrets.
Although he’d always known he was adopted, and that his adopted parents, Myra and Troy Banks, loved him, four years ago after Troy died, he’d had a bug to find his birth parents. A little research had led him to the McCullens.
He’d confronted his mother, and she’d broken down and admitted that she’d gotten him through a private adoption. That his birth parents had needed money at the time. She and Troy had wanted a child so badly they’d paid to get custody of Ryder.
A hundred thousand dollars. That’s what he’d been worth.
The Bankses had sacrificed their entire life savings to take him in while the McCullens used the cash to buy more cattle and horses.
But they hadn’t told him about Cash. Did his parents know he had a twin?
If so, why hadn’t they adopted both of them?
Because they couldn’t afford it...
So where had Cash been all these years?
His phone buzzed, and he glanced at the number. His boss, Connor Statham, assistant director of the FBI’s criminal investigative division.
He pressed Connect. “Ryder.”
“Listen, Banks, I know you just came off a major case, but I need you on another one.”
The shower beckoned. So did a bottle of bourbon to stave off the anger eating at him over that news report.
“It’s a missing baby and possible homicide—mother insists someone kidnapped her infant. Soon-to-be ex-husband suggested the mother did something with the child. She thinks he did something to the baby.”
Ryder’s stomach knotted. “She thinks he killed his own child?”
A tense heartbeat passed. “Either that or he sold him.”
Statham’s statement echoed in Ryder’s head as if someone had hit him in the skull with a sledgehammer. The situation hit too close to home. “You think she’s telling the truth?”
“He said, she said. Local deputy who took her statement thinks she’s unstable. He issued an Amber Alert, but so far nothing’s come of it.”
Anger slammed into Ryder. What kind of world was it that people sold their children?
“I want you to investigate, watch her,” Statham said. “If she’s lying and gave the baby to someone or hurt the child, she’ll slip up.”
Ryder downed another sip of his beer. “Text me her name and where she lives.” A second later, the name Tia Jeffries appeared on his screen along with an address.
He hurried to the shower. The bourbon would have to wait. So would the sleep.
If this woman had hurt her baby, she wouldn’t get away with it. And if the father was at fault, he’d throw him in jail and make sure he never saw the light of day again.
* * *
TIA JEFFRIES SLIPPED the Saturday night special from her purse as she parked her minivan outside her ex-husband’s apartment. A low light burned in the bedroom, the outline of a man—Darren—appearing in front of the window.
A woman sidled up behind him, hands reaching around Darren’s naked midriff, her fingers trailing lower to stroke his erection.
Bile rose to Tia’s throat. How many times had she fallen prey to the man’s charms and jumped into bed with him?
Only she’d believed he was marriage material at the time. Father material for the child she’d always wanted.
A baby that would be the beginning of the big family she’d dreamed about having.
The one that would replace the family she’d lost years ago.
Her mother, father and brother were all wiped out in a plane crash when they were on the way to her college graduation.
Her fault.
She would never forgive herself.
If she hadn’t insisted on them attending, they would still be alive.
But the loss of her baby boy, Jordan, was even worse.
Only Jordan wasn’t dead. At least, she didn’t believe he was.
Someone had stolen him from her bedroom while she’d been sleeping. The police had questioned her as if she’d done something with him.
Guilt made her throat clog with tears. She certainly hadn’t hurt Jordan. But she was supposed to protect him. Keep him safe.
Instead she’d been sleeping while he disappeared.
She’d begged the police to find her baby. Had told them that she suspected Darren.
But they hadn’t believed her. Darren was a good old boy. Tight with the mayor’s wife, because he could charm the pants off anyone.
But Darren had lied.
And Tia was going to find out the reason.
Her hands shook as she gripped the handle of the .33. Sweat beaded on her neck and forehead.
The bedroom excitement heated up, Darren and the woman moving together in a frenzied, harried coupling. Sickened at the sight, she closed her eyes to shut out the images.
Anger and bitterness welled inside her. How dare he move on to another woman when he’d left her empty and hollow inside?
When their son was gone?
She forced even, deep breaths in and out to steady the racing of her heart. She hadn’t slept since Jordan had gone missing two days ago.
Damn Darren for not caring about his own son.
Letting her fury drive her, she whipped open her car door, clenched the gun inside the pocket of her black hooded sweatshirt and scanned the area to make sure no one was watching. Except for Darren’s truck and the shiny BMW that must belong to his long-legged lover girl, the parking lot was empty.
Well, hell, except there was a black SUV parked at the corner by some bushes. She studied it for a second, nerves clawing at her.
Thankfully it was empty.
She glanced back at the apartment and saw Darren padding naked to the bathroom. Uncaring that anyone could see them through the window, the woman dressed slowly, drawing out her movements as if she was performing.
If that was the kind of woman Darren wanted, why had he connected with her? Why had he gone to the trouble to act like he cared instead of just leaving their relationship at a one-night stand?
The answer hit her swift and hard. Because he’d wanted access to the money in her charity.
Tia inched up the sidewalk, taking cover in the overgrown bushes as the woman sashayed back through the apartment. Seconds later, Darren’s lover opened the door, wobbling on heels that made Tia dizzy as she hurried to her fancy car and slipped inside.
Adrenaline shot through Tia as the car sped from the parking lot.
The bastard was alone.
She couldn’t survive one more sleepless night without knowing what had happened to her son. At night, she heard his cries, saw his tiny little face looking at her with trust.
Trust she didn’t deserve.
The wind picked up, rattling trees and sending leaves raining down. A cat darted out from behind a cottonwood, startling her, but she bit back a yelp.
She inched her way up the sidewalk to Darren’s apartment door. His was the end unit, shrouded in bushes.
She scanned the parking lot and surrounding area again as she reached for the door. S
atisfied no one was watching, she turned the doorknob.
Shocking that the sleazy girl had actually locked it.
She bit her lip, then pulled the lock-picking tool she’d bought at the pawnshop from her pocket and jimmied the door. It squeaked as she opened it, and she paused, listening for Darren’s footsteps or his voice.
The sound of the shower running soothed her nerves slightly.
A quick glance at the living room confirmed that Darren still hadn’t mastered the art of picking up or cleaning. Dirty dishes filled a sink and clothes littered the sofa. A red bra hung from the end of a chair. The woman who’d just left or another lover?
Not that she cared who he screwed.
She just wanted to know where her son was.
Gripping the gun with both hands, she crept toward the bedroom. The low light burning accentuated the unmade, rumpled bed.
Her legs were trembling, so she sank into the wing chair by the dresser facing the bathroom door, then laid the gun in her lap and wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans.
Seconds dragged into minutes. Tension coiled inside her. Anger made her stomach churn.
But a calmness swept over her as the water kicked off. Tonight she would get some answers.
The shower door slammed in the bathroom. Footsteps sounded. Darren was humming.
A nervous giggle bubbled in her throat.
Darren stepped from the bathroom, wrapping a towel around his waist. His chest and hair were damp, and he was smiling.
When he spotted her, his smile faded.
She lifted the gun and aimed it at his chest. He was going to tell her the truth or she’d kill him.
* * *
RYDER LIFTED HIS binoculars and focused on Darren Hoyt’s apartment, his instincts on full alert as Tia Jeffries confronted the man.
When Ryder first arrived at Tia’s house, she’d been running to her car like she was on a mission. Then she’d tucked that gun inside her purse and his instincts had kicked in.
Dread had knotted his stomach as he’d followed her to Hoyt’s apartment. For a while, she’d sat perusing the parking lot, and he’d thought she might abandon whatever plan she had tonight.
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