Joanna Wayne - Showdown at Shadow Junction

“I don’t know what to say. They’re exquisite. I’ve never owned anything like this, but...”

“Say thank you,” Quaid suggested. “I designed and had them made especially for you.”

She was stunned. Emotionally touched. Light-headed.

“They’re absolutely exquisite, but I really can’t accept...” The emerald began to dance in front of her eyes. Her tongue grew thick, slurring her words.

She reached for the back of a chair to steady herself as the room began to spin. A second later her legs gave way and she crumpled to the floor.

“Jade, what’s wrong?”

She tried to answer but couldn’t form the words. Quaid lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bed. As he laid her down, she felt his hands at her throat.

She closed her eyes and when she opened them, he was floating above her in an opaque mist as if he were being swallowed by the suffocating vapor.

He wasn’t alone. Reggie Lassiter was there, as well. Shadowy figures lurked in the background.

Loud voices. Reggie pointing a gun.

And then it all whirled away in a cloud as dark as midnight.

Chapter Two Contents Cover Excerpt “I think it’s time for the second kiss.” His good judgment vanished as Jade’s arms wrapped around his neck. He captured her lips with his and he was done for. The thrill sent blood rushing to his head, making him dizzy with desire. He leaned against the door frame and pulled her against him as the kiss deepened. Her lips opened and the taste of her rocked his soul. When his lungs ached from lack of air, he held her even tighter, nibbling her lips and then trailing her neck with kisses. Fighting not to explode, he finally came to his senses. She was tipsy, vulnerable, her life mired in uncertainty. A kiss was one thing. But making love would take things to a new level, good or bad, that would leave no room for going back. He couldn’t risk it, not with her life in his hands. Title Page Showdown at Shadow Junction Joanna Wayne www.millsandboon.co.uk About the Author JOANNA WAYNE began her professional writing career in 1994. Now, more than fifty published books later, Joanna has gained a worldwide following with her cutting-edge romantic suspense and Texas family series such as Sons of Troy Ledger and the Big “D” Dads series. Joanna currently resides in a small community north of Houston, Texas, with her husband. You may write to Joanna at PO Box 852, Montgomery, Texas 77356, USA, or connect with her at www.joannawayne.com . Dedication To my family, who keep me grounded; my friends, who keep me entertained and sane; and to my fantastic editor, Denise Zaza, who lets me keep creating Texas ranching families like the Daltons. Love and thanks to all. Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Extract Copyright

R.J. Dalton stepped through the front door, sipped his coffee and stared out over his front lawn. It was getting harder and harder to recognize the place where he’d spent all his life. Almost eight decades.

His daughters-in-law, Hadley and Faith, had spent hours sprucing up the place. New flower beds bordered the freshly painted porch. A dozen or more blooming plants he couldn’t name were tucked in with the morning glories, zinnias, marigolds and petunias. Hanging pots overflowed with geraniums.

Colorful pillows and cushions not only brightened the porch swing and outdoor rockers but made them a lot more comfortable.

He appreciated the effort, but still more often than not, it was flashes of the past that gripped him when he settled in his favorite rocker. The memories ran roughshod through his mind, good and bad, hit and miss, the events in no coherent order.

His short-term memory was even less dependable. Countless times a day he walked from one room to another only to forget why or what he was looking for. Some of that he figured was just old age.

But the gaps in time, the shaky hands and the dizzy spells he chalked up to the inoperable tumor in his brain. The dang thing was growing again, according to his neurosurgeon.

Not that R.J. had any right to complain. The cancer should have killed him over a year ago. Hell, his lifestyle should have killed him long before he got to be an old man.

Boozing. Wild women. Aces up his sleeve. Bar fights. Not that he was proud of his past. It just was what it was and regret couldn’t change it. Wallowing in guilt wouldn’t change it, either, so he didn’t waste his time trying.

He planned to spend his remaining days enjoying the good life he was lucky enough to have now. Four sons—Adam, Leif, Travis and Cannon—all making their homes with their families right here on the Dry Gulch Ranch, though only Cannon and his wife and baby girl, Kimmie, lived in the big house with R.J.

Sons who had no reason to give a damn about R.J., yet they’d forgiven him his sorry parenting. Or at least they were making a stab at it and doing a bang-up job of not following in his footsteps.

R.J. walked over and dropped into the old wooden rocker. The floorboards creaked as he rocked, about the only sound around this morning. Not that he minded the quiet, especially since he knew it wouldn’t last for long.

One or the other of his sons, daughters-in-law or grandchildren were constantly stopping by to check on him. When they couldn’t, they made sure his housekeeper and friend, Mattie Mae, was around to see that he was taken care of.

Only, Mattie Mae was off at her granddaughter’s college graduation this week. Lucky her. It would take a miracle for R.J. to live long enough to see one of his grandchildren graduate from college.

The sound of a car’s engine interrupted R.J.’s reverie. He leaned forward, shielding his eyes from the sun’s glare with his wrinkled right hand as he tried to figure out who was coming down the ranch road.

A surge of warmth washed through him when he recognized the silver Mercedes. Feeling much sprier than he had minutes ago, he stood and walked to the edge of the porch to greet his favorite neighbor.

Carolina Lambert stepped out of the car and started up the walk to meet him. In her early fifties, she was still one of the best-looking women in the county. Rich, smart and a damn good cook, too.

“You’re mighty dressed up to be making neighborly house calls,” he said.

“I’m on my way to Dallas.”

“Got a date?”

“You know better than that. I have a meeting with some of the major donors for my for my Saddle-Up charity.”

“How’s that going?”

“It’s gaining speed. I’m hoping to enlist at least a dozen additional ranchers to join the program this year. It’s truly amazing what a month in the summer spent on a working ranch can do for troubled inner-city kids.”

R.J. smiled. “Always the do-gooder.”

“I’m blessed. It would be a travesty if I didn’t share.”

“So, what brings you to the Dry Gulch this morning? Not that I’m complaining, mind you.”

The smile disappeared from her lips. “Let’s sit,” she said, joining him on the porch.

He spied a brown envelope she was holding in her right hand. “If that’s bad news you’re bringing, I’m not sure I want it.” But he sat back down in his rocker as Carolina settled in the porch swing.

“Have you ever heard of a man named Quaid Vaquero?” she asked.

“No. Should I have?”

“He’s a well-known jewelry designer from Spain.”

“Last piece of jewelry I purchased was this here Timex.” He pushed up the sleeve of his cotton shirt to show her the watch. “Not likely I’d know some wealthy diamond peddler. What about him?”