Beth Cornelison - The Coltons of Wyoming

Join the Coltons of Wyoming for a holiday showdown at Dead River Ranch

Deep undercover, Wyoming special agent Slade Kent comes to Dead River Ranch with only one thing in mind: justice. Bent on solving a string of recent crimes, as well as his father’s long-unsolved murder, he won’t let down his guard for anyone. Until beautiful heiress Amanda Colton and her baby are attacked. He’ll do anything to protect them…even put his heart on the line.

Amanda’s done with deception, but the irresistibly mysterious Slade draws her trust. When danger—and uncontained passion—spark, they must both put aside secrets and agendas for survival…and love?

“I want the truth, Slade. I deserve the truth.”

“Right now, and for the foreseeable future, I am your foreman. That is the truth.”

“But that’s not the whole truth. Lies of omission are still lies in my book.”

He quirked an eyebrow, clearly confused. “When did I—”

Amanda jabbed him in the chest with her finger. “So if you are hiding something from me, something about who you are or what’s happening on this ranch or my daughter’s safety or—”

Slade wrapped his hand around the finger poking his chest and hauled her closer. “I would never do anything to put your daughter at risk.” His eyes blazed with conviction. “Let’s get that straight from the start.”

Her mouth dried, and she lost her train of thought until he said, “I’m an agent with the Wyoming Bureau of Investigation.”

The Coltons of Wyoming: Stories of true love, high stakes…and family honor.

Dear Reader,

When I was asked to write the last book for The Coltons of Wyoming, the continuity was pitched to me as “Dallas meets Downton Abbey.” I’d just finished watching the first two seasons of Downton Abbey on DVD and loved, loved, loved it! Write a Downton-esque continuity book? Why, yes! Write a tortured hero who’s an undercover agent working as ranch foreman? Double yes. I was all in.

I had a great time working with the other authors as we hashed out intersecting plotlines, created new characters and shared the magic as this continuity came to life. In this, the final book in the continuity, oldest sister Amanda Colton gets her turn with romance. Amanda has her hands full as a single mother and ranch veterinarian, but knowing someone on the ranch is trying to kidnap her daughter raises the stakes for Amanda to a new level. When handsome and brooding Slade Kent arrives to take over as ranch foreman, Amanda finds an unexpected ally in the fight to keep her daughter, the Colton heir, safe. With Slade’s help, can Amanda finally root out the traitor at Dead River Ranch and put a stop to the terror haunting the Coltons of Wyoming?

Merry Christmas and happy reading!

Beth Cornelison

Colton Christmas Rescue

Beth Cornelison

www.millsandboon.co.uk

BETH CORNELISON

started writing stories as a child when she penned a tale about the adventures of her cat, Ajax. A Georgia native, she received her bachelor’s degree in public relations from the University of Georgia. After working in public relations for a little more than a year, she moved with her husband to Louisiana, where she decided to pursue her love of writing fiction.

Since that first time, Beth has written many more stories of adventure and romantic suspense and has won numerous honors for her work, including a coveted Golden Heart Award in romantic suspense from Romance Writers of America. She is active on the board of directors for the North Louisiana Storytellers and Authors of Romance (NOLA STARS) and loves reading, traveling, Peanuts’ Snoopy and spending downtime with her family.

She writes from her home in Louisiana, where she lives with her husband, one son and two cats who think they are people. Beth loves to hear from her readers. You can write to her at P.O. Box 5418, Bossier City, LA 71171, or visit her website, www.bethcornelison.com.

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To Keyren Gerlach Burgess, who created this continuity and who was my awesome-sauce editor for many books. Best of luck in your future endeavors!

Thanks to Deborah Boyd for allowing me to honor her kitty, Reyna, as Amanda’s cat. Deborah won the chance to have Reyna featured in my book through Brenda Novak’s Annual Auction for the Cure of Diabetes 2012.

Contents

Prologue

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

Epilogue

Excerpt

Prologue

Ten years ago

If he were the kidnapper, how would he have made his getaway? How could someone have gotten off the ranch with a baby, unseen?

Officer Roland Kent of the Dead River, Wyoming, police department moved the beam of his flashlight across the grass and along the fence line at the employee entrance to Dead River Ranch. He mulled over the questions that had stumped the local police for the past twenty years. Intrigued by puzzles and determined to solve the cold case of Cole Colton’s twenty-year-old kidnapping, Roland Kent had volunteered to work on the mystery, even if it had to be on his personal time. His boss, Chief Drucker, was not pleased with Roland’s overtime investigations but couldn’t give him a valid reason why he shouldn’t work on the cold case. Roland had taken that as grudging consent and had begun his after-hours detective work three weeks ago. So far, he’d met nothing but resistance, silence and stone walls from the family and staff at Dead River Ranch, a mystery in its own right. Didn’t the Coltons want their heir found?

Walking closer to the driveway gate, Roland examined the locking mechanism. Had the gate or locks been changed in the past twenty years? This one seemed rather old and rusty. Perhaps if—

“Stop right there or I’ll shoot!” a voice shouted. A bright flashlight swung up to shine directly in Roland’s eyes, blinding him. “What are you doing?”

Roland made out a dark figure, and his attention zeroed in on the weapon aimed at him. He reached for his own weapon. “Don’t shoot! I’m—”

But before he could identify himself, the muzzle of the gun aimed at him flashed. A bullet punched his chest, knocking him backward. Pain exploded in his torso and he struggled to draw a breath. He tried to raise his weapon to defend himself, but his arm hung limply at his side. His legs buckled, and he sank to the grass at the foot of the entry gate.

The dark figure moved closer, and the flashlight beam stayed on his face.

“Officer Kent?” his shooter rasped, clearly frightened by the notion of having shot a cop. “I didn’t realize... I didn’t mean to—”

Roland clutched his chest, felt the warm seep of blood through his shirt. “Can’t...breathe.”

The shooter moved closer, but Roland’s vision was dimming.

Dying...I’m dying. Roland struggled to suck in oxygen. The bullet must have hit his lung.

His thoughts turned to Slade, his only son... I love you, cowboy. I’m proud of you.