Carla Cassidy - Rancher Under Cover

He took a step toward her.

Stop it before it starts . But, her feet refused to obey her mind and then his lips were on hers in a hot feather-soft kiss that strangely enough didn’t threaten.

It was only when his arms raised to embrace her that she felt threatened. She pushed against his chest.

“Nothing is going to happen here with me.”

“And why is that?” All trace of that simmering hunger in his eyes was gone, replaced by a still intensity.

She folded her arms in front of her chest and refused to look at him. “Because I don’t like to be touched.”

“Caitlin, look at me.” There was a quiet command in his voice and she found herself obeying, once again gazing at him. “If you don’t like to be touched, then it’s because somebody hasn’t been touching you right.”

Dear Reader,

I was so excited to get to have the opportunity to work on this series with so many other wonderful authors. I was especially excited to have a hero who was an FBI agent masquerading as a cowboy. What better combination could there be in a hero?

I just returned from a writer’s retreat, where I enjoyed spending time with other writers and talking about ideas for new books. It was definitely two days of too much fun, lots of laughter and plenty of creativity flowing.

The weekend left me excited about new heroes and heroines and story ideas to hopefully keep you both on the edge of your seat and with a final sigh of happiness.

Hopefully in Rancher Under Cover you’ll enjoy my red-haired heroine, Caitlin O’Donahue, who has a traumatic secret, and my hero, Rhett Kane, FBI agent working undercover as Randall Kane, a cowboy whose sole objective is to arrest Caitlin’s father, an act he knows will destroy her. When their worlds collide, there will be danger, betrayal and secrets released that will forever change their lives.

Keep reading!

Carla Cassidy

CARLA CASSIDYis an award-winning author who has written over eighty books for Mills & Boon. She won Best Silhouette Romance from RT Book Reviews . In 1998, she won a Career Achievement Award for Best Innovative Series from RT Book Reviews .

Carla believes the only thing better than curling up with a good book to read is sitting down at the computer with a good story to write. She’s looking forward to writing many more books and bringing hours of pleasure to readers.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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To Karen King,

who has taught me that friends can have philosophical

differences, intense debates on writing styles, and still

find joy and comfort in each other. Thanks for being a

good friend and seeing my flaws and liking me anyway!

Caitlin O’Donahue nearly wept in relief as the O’Donahue ranch house came into view. The past two weeks of her life had been the worst kind of nightmare, and all that had kept her going, all that had kept her sane, were thoughts of home.

The large two-story ranch house with its wraparound porch and cheerful white trim instantly filled her with a sense of safety, of security that had been absent from her life over the course of the past couple of weeks.

Coarse male laughter. Big rough hands holding her wrists … her ankles. And pain. The kind of pain and fear no woman should ever have to endure .

She shook her head to banish the terrible memories. She was safe now. She was home and the last thing she wanted to do was dwell on the nightmare she’d so recently escaped.

She parked the car and got out, then walked to the trunk and pulled out her suitcase. Setting the case on the ground, she paused a moment to draw in a deep breath of the sweet California air and allowed her gaze to sweep over the pastures and rolling hills.

It was a beautiful November evening. Horses dotted a distant pasture, grazing peacefully and presenting a pastoral scene. There was a faint breeze and the sinking sun was coloring the western horizon. Caitlin drew in another breath as she continued to peruse the area.

That’s when she saw him, a tall man standing just outside the barn door. Despite the distance she could tell his shoulders were broad beneath the white T-shirt, and his slim hips were encased in worn, tight jeans. His long, shaggy blond hair sparked in the fading autumn sunlight and she knew she’d never seen him before. If she had, she was sure she would have remembered.

It wasn’t unusual for her not to know all the ranch hands that worked on the place. The turnover was huge and they came and went with a regularity she knew her father found frustrating.

Still, she could feel his piercing gaze on her as she carried her suitcase up the stairs to the front door. Of course, Caitlin was fairly accustomed to garnering male stares. You couldn’t have her fiery red hair and an hourglass shape and not have men stare at you. It had never bothered her before, but now she found the male attention a bit upsetting.

She relaxed as she opened the door and stepped into the foyer. “Dad?” she yelled.

Esmeralda, the housekeeper, appeared and with a shriek of happiness hurried toward Caitlin and embraced her in a warm, tight hug.

Caitlin closed her eyes and relaxed even more as the scent of yeast and lavender surrounded her. It was the familiar scent of love. Caitlin’s mother had died when she was three, and Esmeralda had been the mother figure in Caitlin’s life.

She was finally released and Esmeralda stepped back, her black eyes filled with both love and concern. “I’m happy to see you but why are you home now? I thought you’d planned to be with the Doctors Without Borders program much longer.”

“I got homesick.” The lie fell smoothly off her lips. “Where’s Dad?” As much as she adored Esmeralda, she was eager to see her father.

“Gone on business.” Esmeralda linked arms with her. “What a pleasant surprise you are. I’m so happy to see you. The house has been far too quiet since your father left. Come into the kitchen where we can catch up.”

They walked through the great room with its oversize leather couch and love seat, a stone fireplace that was rarely used and a wall full of electronic wonders that her father loved. The room smelled of the cigars he refused to give up and a slight lingering scent of his woodsy cologne.

She was bitterly disappointed that her father wasn’t home. She needed him not just for emotional support, but she also had some hard questions to ask him.

“Where did Dad go on business?” she asked when they’d reached the kitchen. She sat in a chair at the round oak table as Esmeralda went to the cabinet and took down two cups for tea.

“He didn’t say.” Esmeralda’s plump features fell into a frown. “He left over a week ago and said he’d be in touch, but I haven’t heard from him since then.”