Annette Broadrick - Callaway Country

Clay Callaway was suddenly facing his biggest challenge—the one woman who haunted his midnight memories. Pam might have gotten the last word all those years ago, but Clay’s heart was forged with steel now. And things would be different this time around.…

Pamela McCall never would have agreed to take on this case if she’d known her partner would be the one man who despised—and secretly aroused—her. She’d loved him long ago, but in one bittersweet moment she’d been forced to let him go. Maybe this time she’d hold on…forever.

Katie Callaway was a model mother, an unforgettable woman—and a killer? Suspicions swirled around the disappearance of her evil ex-husband and fingers were pointing at her! This Callaway damsel needed a man who believed in her.…

Lieutenant Colonel Sam Carruthers always put duty before desire. But no one had ever tempted him with such passion. Could this military hero unravel an intricate revenge scheme and save Katie…the woman he loved?

“Annette Broadrick’s one terrific writer.”

—Award-winning author Diana Palmer

believes in romance and the magic of life. Since 1984, when her first book was published, Annette has shared her view of life and love with readers all over the world.

In addition to being nominated by Romantic Times Magazine as one of the Best New Authors of 1984, she has also won the Romantic Times Magazine Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best in its Series for Heat of the Night, Mystery Lover and Irresistible; the Romantic Times Magazine W.I.S.H. award for her heroes in Strange Enchantment, Marriage Texas Style! and Impromptu Bride; and the Romantic Times Magazine Lifetime Achievement Awards for Series Romance and Series Romantic Fantasy.

Fascinated by the complexities found in all relationships, she continues to write about life and love, joy and fulfillment, and the bountiful gifts that are bestowed upon us as we travel along life’s path. Readers have enjoyed over fifty love stories penned by this talented author. Annette currently lives in the hill country of her native Texas.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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This novel is dedicated to

Dr. L. J. Moore

who gave up a secure position in the business world

to follow her dream.…

WAY TO GO, LINDA!!

Dear Reader,

When my editor suggested that I write a sixth Callaway story, I was curious about the possibilities. Whose story would I tell? My last book in the series, Sons of Texas: Rogues and Ranchers, gave us the story of Cole Callaway’s twin sons, Clint and Cade, as well as one of Cameron’s adopted sons, Matt.

Several fan letters have asked about Cody and his family. Others have been curious about Cole’s daughter, Katie. Eventually I decided to tell two love stories in one—catching readers up on Katie’s life and exploring Cody’s only son, Clay, and his adventure with love.

This, dear reader, was not an easy story to tell. Once Clay and his fiery first love, Pamela McCall, were reluctantly reunited, they became so willful that no one was going to tell them what to do, including me! For an author, when your very own creations assert such independence that you’re simply waiting to see what they’re going to do next…well, it’s frustrating when they back themselves into a corner—and pure magic watching them wriggle their way out.

Thank you for making the SONS OF TEXAS series so popular. I’ve been very touched by your response to the Callaway family.

And now…on with the story.…

Prologue Prologue Racing black clouds streamed across the sky, blotting out the little light that came from the sliver of moon. A moisture-laden silence hung over the small Texas border town, occasionally interrupted by the desultory bark of a bored dog. The narrow streets were empty of traffic. No one stirred outside the tiny houses clustered along the bluff overlooking the Rio Grande, the river that separated Texas from Mexico. A sudden explosion ripped through the somnolent atmosphere, shattering the sleepy peacefulness of the small community. Fire tore through a huge factory-warehouse on the edge of town. Flames colored the night with an orange glow. The people poured out of their homes and raced to see what could be done to save the only business in town, a business that had kept the local population from starving. They soon realized there was nothing they could do but watch the business, along with their futures, go up in billowing clouds of black smoke. At the same time that the factory on the border was destroyed, other explosions occurred—in an office building in downtown Dallas, on an offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, and in an oil equipment warehouse in east Texas. There was only one thing these locations had in common—they were part of Callaway Enterprises, a conglomerate owned and operated by members of the Callaway family. The message was clear. Someone had declared war on the Callaways.

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

Epilogue

Racing black clouds streamed across the sky, blotting out the little light that came from the sliver of moon. A moisture-laden silence hung over the small Texas border town, occasionally interrupted by the desultory bark of a bored dog.

The narrow streets were empty of traffic. No one stirred outside the tiny houses clustered along the bluff overlooking the Rio Grande, the river that separated Texas from Mexico.

A sudden explosion ripped through the somnolent atmosphere, shattering the sleepy peacefulness of the small community. Fire tore through a huge factory-warehouse on the edge of town. Flames colored the night with an orange glow.

The people poured out of their homes and raced to see what could be done to save the only business in town, a business that had kept the local population from starving. They soon realized there was nothing they could do but watch the business, along with their futures, go up in billowing clouds of black smoke.

At the same time that the factory on the border was destroyed, other explosions occurred—in an office building in downtown Dallas, on an offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, and in an oil equipment warehouse in east Texas.