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His mission: keep her safe, no matter what...
A Coltons of Roaring Springs thriller
Just as Bree Colton is about to take the local art world by storm, someone is determined to sabotage her success…unless Rylan Bennet can keep her safe. Bree doesn’t want anyone to protect her—not even gorgeous Rylan, whose secrets threaten them both. But can the former soldier win the battle for Bree’s heart and the war against a sinister foe?
Bree’s hands curled into fists. “Take me home, Rylan.”
“We’re going to my ranch—”
“Take. Me. Home.” Although she tried to disguise it, anger, hurt and sorrow quivered in each word.
Rylan must have heard it, too. After a brief sidelong glance in her direction, he checked for oncoming traffic. The road ahead was clear, and he swung the car onto the opposite side of the highway. They completed the return journey in stony silence.
When Rylan halted the vehicle in the Diamond parking lot, he turned to face Bree. “I respect what you must be feeling right now, but I can’t let you risk your personal safety. Someone fired a shot directly over our heads. Because we left the scene fast, I have no way of knowing what happened next. Was that a single incident, or was it an active shooter situation? I have to find out if we were the only target or if other shots were fired.”
Through the fog of her competing emotions, Bree’s initial reaction was fear for his safety. What if the person who fired that shot had intended to kill one, or both, of them? What if he was waiting for their return?
* * *
The Coltons of Roaring Springs:
Family and true love are under siege
* * *
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Dear Reader,
I’m so happy to bring you another Colton story, this time set in the scenic Colorado resort town of Roaring Springs.
I love the dynamics of these epic family dramas and I get wrapped up in the lives of the characters. I’m always waiting impatiently to read the next book in the series!
In this story, the hero, Rylan, is caught in a dilemma from the very first page. He is forced to fight the overpowering attraction he feels toward Bree Colton because he is not being honest with her about his identity. Bree, meanwhile, is being threatened, and the only person who makes her feel safe is Rylan. If she discovers his deception, her trust will be shattered...
Many of you will already know how much I enjoy including animals in my books. Well, this book has a whole host of them! Rylan’s ranch is a sanctuary for a multitude of misfit creatures he has rescued. There’s Merry, the sheep who thinks she’s a dog; Cindy from Finance, the cat who has fostered a brood of orphaned ducklings; Boo, the heartbroken goose... The list goes on.
Although the ranch provides a safe and entertaining place for Bree to escape her fears, danger pursues her. Rylan has sworn to do everything he can to keep her safe, but he’s fighting a hidden and devious opponent.
I’d love to hear from you and find out what you think of Rylan and Bree’s story. You can contact me at:
Chapter 1
Bree Colton had stopped trying to reprogram herself. Some people were larks, others were owls. Larks were cheery rise-and-shine morning people, the sort who started yawning once darkness fell. Owls were the alarm-clock-smashing, dance-till-dawn types. Bree was a night person, at her best between midnight and 4:00 a.m.
Which meant that right now, at eight thirty in the morning, she was having trouble remembering her own name. Over the years, she had developed strategies for dealing with her daybreak intolerance. The first stage was caffeine. Rocket fuel strength, without a trace of cream or sugar. Bree had trained her assistant to keep the coffee coming until she was ready to face the world. Most mornings, it took a long time.
Her other tactic solved two problems. One of her most precious possessions was her digital recorder, which, as well as helping overcome the morning brain fog, was also an aid to coping with her dyslexia.
Every evening, before she left the gallery, she would record the following day’s to-do list. Her first task each morning was to link the recorder up to her laptop, so she could upload her list into her voice-activated diary. Then, of course, she had to get her newly caffeine-fueled body moving and do the things she had planned.
