It would be their last time together for a while, since Jordana and Clint were about to head out for Chicago. Yvette sat back and enjoyed the noisy meal, letting the conversation flow around her full of laughter and warmth. This was the sound of family. And she loved it.
Reese reached under the table for her hand, and she smiled at him as their fingers twined together. He knew how much it meant to her to be part of all of this. He squeezed her hand, and the brand-new engagement ring on her left finger bit into her flesh. She was still getting used to it being there, but it wasn’t coming off again for the rest of her life. They hadn’t set a wedding date yet, but she was thinking about something small, maybe next summer.
Luke and Bridgette spent much of the meal picking Tyler’s and Ashley’s brains about the best places to eat and shop in Wichita, but near the end of supper, Bridgette called for everyone’s attention. Yvette frowned slightly. Was her sister actually blushing?
Bridgette continued, “Luke and I have an announcement to make. You know when he had to go on that buying trip to Las Vegas a few weeks back? I, umm, went with him, and well, we got married while we were in Vegas.”
Yvette squealed along with the other women at the table, and everyone congratulated them warmly.
Luke grinned, abashed, and said, “Now that your family knows we eloped, does this mean I can wear my wedding ring, now?”
Bridgette laughed. “Why? Are you getting tired of sweet old ladies throwing themselves at you?”
“Yes. Yes I am,” he replied fervently.
“While we’re making announcements,” Neil piped up, “Elise and I have a little news. We found out yesterday that we’re expecting twins.”
Yvette’s face hurt from smiling so much, and she and Reese congratulated them warmly. Of course, being Coltons, the clan did razz Neil and Elise thoroughly over who was going to change the most diapers in their household.
Brooks asked from the other end of the table, “Any more announcements while we’re at it?”
Lilly spoke up from the head of the table. “Umm, yes, actually.”
Everyone fell silent and stared at her, startled that she, of all people, apparently had news.
Yvette was even more surprised when Uncle Shep got out of his seat at the foot of the table and walked down its length to stand beside her. But Yvette about fell out of her chair when Lilly reached up and took Shep’s hand in hers and laid her cheek fondly on the back of his hand.
Lily said simply, “Shepherd and I are getting married.”
Dead silence fell over the table.
Yvette stared in slowly dawning joy.
Reese was the first to break the shocked silence. “That’s fantastic. Congratulations to both of you. Here’s to many happy years. You both deserve it.” He raised his beer glass in their direction.
There seemed to be a collective blink and deep breath around the table, and then everyone was talking at once, congratulating Shep and Lilly, and laughing in surprise…and not surprise.
There always had been a certain something between the two of them. Now that Yvette thought back over the years, Lilly had leaned on Shep many times when Fitz had let her down. The same way Yvette, herself, had.
Shep said quietly, “We have one more announcement to make. By rights, we should do this in private first. But as I’ve come to learn, not much of anything stays private in this family for long. You all seem to operate on the theory of one for all and all for one. With that in mind, I’d like to ask all of you to give Yvette your unqualified support.”
Yvette froze. Everyone was looking at her, glancing back and forth between her and Shep. Reese’s hand tightened reassuringly around her fingers, and she was grateful for his silent comfort.
“What’s up?” she croaked.
Lilly said quietly, “Honey, Shepherd and I have something to show you.” She passed a folded piece of paper to Jordana on her left, who passed it to Clint, who passed it to her. Frowning, Yvette unfolded it.
It was a DNA test. A paternity match. She saw the heading on the sheet of paper. Paternity results for Yvette Elizabeth Colton.
What on earth?
She glanced farther down the sheet and stared. Her jaw fell open. She read the sheet again.
Tears filled her eyes as she shoved the sheet of paper blindly at Reese. She stumbled to her feet and headed toward her mother—
—and her father.
She flung her arms around Uncle Shep’s waist and squeezed for all she was worth. “Is it true?” she asked against his chest. “Are you really my father?”
She vaguely heard a collective gasp behind her.
“Yes, sweetie, it is. I’ve suspected for years. But when you were in the hospital after the mugging, I asked your mother for permission to run a DNA test to prove it. Are you okay with this?”
“I’m more than okay with it!” she exclaimed. “I’ve always secretly wished you were my real daddy.” In quick remorse, she looked down at her mother, whose face was streaked with tears. “I mean, Fitz wasn’t an awful parent. It’s just that whenever I really needed a father, Uncle Shep was always there for me.”
“I know, darling,” Lilly said through her tears. “He was always there for me when I needed him most, too. And now he’s going to be part of the family, officially.”
Lilly looked down the table at the other children. “I hope all of you can forgive me. But Shepherd and I felt that Yvette was owed the truth. Your father and I had a complicated marriage, and I was far from perfect, too. I hope you can be happy for Shepherd and me and that you won’t hold this against Yvette. If you want to be angry, be angry at me.”
Jordana was the closest to Lilly and leaped to her feet to wrap Lilly in a tight hug. “I love you, Mom. As long as you’re happy, I’m happy for you.”
The other children rushed forward, and before long, Yvette was smothered in a massive group hug that included a great deal of tears and laughing.
Eventually, she started to feel claustrophobic, and using her small stature to her advantage, wiggled free of the whole gang. Reese was standing right in front of her when she popped clear and he opened his arms in invitation.
Relieved, she stepped into the circle of safety and trust and let him wrap her up in his love.
“Are you okay?” he whispered against her temple.
“More than okay. I might even be that F-word.”
“Just this once, I’m okay if you use it,” he replied humorously.
She gazed up at him in adoration. Her life was truly complete, now, all the voids filled. She had the father she’d always dreamed of, and she had the man she’d always dreamed of. Her family was whole and happy. The Coltons had weathered the storm of the past year and come out stronger and happier than ever. Love had seen them all through crisis and disaster, fear and loss.
“Oh, Reese, I’m fine. Perfectly, wonderfully fine.”
* * * * *
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ISBN-13: 9781488064326
Colton in the Line of Fire
Copyright © 2020 by Harlequin Books S.A.
Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Cindy Dees for her contribution to The Coltons of Kansas miniseries.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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“Maybe your father couldn’t be helped,” Brady said, then looked as if he regretted saying it.
“And maybe I can’t be, either.”
She sensed him move, then felt the gentle touch of a finger under her chin, tilting her head back.
“I don’t believe that,” he said quietly but firmly.
Ashley looked at him, thinking it amazing that a man in his job could have such warm, kind eyes. She remembered the first time she’d looked into them, as he’d pulled her from the car in the moment before it had slid down the mountain. She remembered thinking then that those eyes promised she would be safe, that somehow he would get her out of this.
And he had. At no small risk to himself.
She couldn’t let him risk himself even more.
* * *
Be sure to check out the rest of the books in this miniseries.
Cutter’s Code: A clever and mysterious canine helps a group of secret operatives crack the case
* * *
If you’re on Twitter, tell us what you think of Harlequin Romantic Suspense! #harlequinromsuspense
Dear Reader,
I usually use this space to tell you something about the story, how it came to be or what inspired it, and I will. But as I write this now, my state is in the middle of an extended lockdown for reasons, sadly, the whole world knows. The thing I wanted to make note of, however, is the good news that so many animal shelters are emptying out as people turn to pets to help ease the isolation they feel. I hope every one of them realizes this is what’s been missing in their lives, something that can be provided only by our precious animal friends. And may each of them be the kind of person who will continue to love and care for the creature who has helped them after the crisis is over.
As you can guess from the title, Operation Mountain Recovery is set in…the mountains. I love mountains. I don’t necessarily need to live amid them, but I will always want to be where I can see them, as I am now. Perhaps it comes from being born in flat, flat Iowa—although I was there for only the first six months of my life. When my wonderful editor expressed a wish for a certain type of story, I sat on my deck for a while, looking toward the snow-covered Cascades, and thought. And now you have the result. I hope you enjoy it.
Happy reading!
Justine
Operation Mountain Recovery
Justine Davis
Justine Davis lives on Puget Sound in Washington State, watching big ships and the occasional submarine go by and sharing the neighborhood with assorted wildlife, including a pair of bald eagles, deer, a bear or two, and a tailless raccoon. In the few hours when she’s not planning, plotting or writing her next book, her favorite things are photography, knitting her way through a huge yarn stash and driving her restored 1967 Corvette roadster—top down, of course.
Connect with Justine on her website, justinedavis.com, at Twitter.com/justine_d_davis or on Facebook at Facebook.com/justinedaredavis.
Books by Justine Davis
Harlequin Romantic Suspense
Cutter’s Code
Operation Midnight
Operation Reunion
Operation Blind Date
Operation Unleashed
Operation Power Play
Operation Homecoming
Operation Soldier Next Door
Operation Alpha
Operation Notorious
Operation Hero’s Watch
Operation Second Chance
Operation Mountain Recovery
Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com, or justinedavis.com, for more titles.
Black Beauty wasn’t a typical rescue. A vet bargained with a pet store to sell any unwanted puppies. I stopped at the store, just to look. The black ball of fluff, with white on her chest, her toes and the tip of her tail, an Australian shepherd/black Lab, captured my heart. As a puppy, she liked riding in the stroller while my nephew toddled alongside. Black Beauty was supposed to reach only forty pounds but grew to seventy-five pounds. On our walks, people often commented, “Nice guard dog.”
She was a marshmallow. And smart. When I hid her pills in food, she’d eat the meat, cheese and even peanut butter and spit the pill out, unless it was chunky peanut butter. If I did something wrong, she’d ignore me. She’d bring her rag bone to play tug-of-war as her way of saying all’s forgiven. She was my unofficial therapy dog. Seventeen and a half years she graced my life. She’s been gone almost as long.
Someone asked, “When you reach heaven, what words do you want to hear first?” I should want “Welcome, child,” or “Well done, good and faithful servant.” But the first thing I want to hear is “She’s waited so long for you. She’s right here.” I still miss her, every day.
~Judy
This is the latest in a series of dedications from readers who have shared the pain of the loss of a beloved dog. For more information, visit my website at www.justinedavis.com or Facebook at Facebook.com/justinedaredavis.
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 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
CHAPTER 1
“Are you sure you don’t mind not going somewhere sunny and warm?”
Quinn Foxworth gave his wife a glance and a smile, keeping his attention on the mountain road. “You’re here,” he said. “That’s all the sunny and warm I need.”
Hayley felt the burst of pleasure she always felt when her husband of one year to the day made one of those simple declarations. “We’ve got two weeks. It’s January. Maybe we’ll get snowed in.”
“I can but hope,” Quinn said. “I am a bit nervous, though.”
Hayley blinked. “Nervous? You’re a year too late for that, aren’t you?”
Quinn grinned at her. “Not about us. Never about us. Him
.” He jerked his head toward the back seat, where their dog, Cutter, was snoozing.
Hayley glanced that way. Some people might think it odd that they had brought their dog with them on their first-anniversary trip. But those people didn’t know Cutter. He looked so innocent, lying there with his dark head on his front paws. People tended to focus on his coloring, black head and shoulders transitioning to russet brown over his back and plumed tail. But they soon learned that behind those pretty looks was an uncanny canine brain.
“He was pretty insistent that we were not to leave him behind, wasn’t he?”
“A little too insistent for my peace of mind.”
“I’d like to ask what trouble could he get us into a hundred miles from home, but that’s tempting fate.”
“And this is Cutter.”
At the sound of his name, the dog lifted one eyelid to look at them sleepily, then closed it again.
“Indeed it is,” she said with a grin. As she said it, she sensed the slightest of slips, and instantly the SUV’s speed slowed. She was glad Quinn had spent yesterday afternoon changing over to snow tires in preparation for this trip. “Ice?”
“Just a patch. All it might take on this road, though.”
She might have been worried if anyone other than Quinn was driving, for the road did wind around the side of a mountain, with a precipitous drop-off on the other side. Alex Galanis had warned them it could get tricky in winter when he’d insisted they use his cabin up here. Hayley knew Quinn normally wouldn’t accept for personal benefit such an offer from someone the Foxworth Foundation had helped, but when the entire Northwest team had united to insist they go, he’d given in.
She looked to her left. Coming back this way, on the outer edge of the road, would be an adventure, though. And if—
Cutter was suddenly fully awake and on his feet. His ears were up and focused ahead. She looked but saw nothing moving, nothing but empty road until it turned out of sight to follow the contour of the mountain. But then a low rumbling and an all-too-familiar sound issued from the dog’s throat. Neither growl nor whine, it was somewhere in between the two—and was a signal they’d learned not to ignore.
Harlequin Romantic Suspense December 2020 Box Set Page 48