Ann Voss Peterson: Legally Binding

And she needed him. She circled his neck with her arms, pulling him closer, deeper into the kiss. Her thighs brushed against his.

What he wouldn’t give to carry her to bed and run his hands over every inch of her smooth skin. He stepped farther into the apartment, pulling her with him. Something crunched under his boot.

Bart drew back from the kiss and looked down. A smattering of letters and a mail-order catalog were strewn across the floor. A battered answering machine lay on the tile, its plastic casing in shards.

What was he thinking? Lindsey had been attacked here tonight. She could have been hurt. She could have been killed. She needed him, all right. But not to kiss her, not to make love to her. She needed him to keep her safe.

He looked up, peering into her intense blue eyes. “Pack your things.”

“My things.”

“You’re moving out to the ranch. With me.”

Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,

As you make travel plans for the summer, don’t forget to pack along this month’s exciting new Harlequin Intrigue books!

The notion of being able to rewrite history has always been fascinating, so be sure to check out Secret Passage by Amanda Stevens. In this wildly innovative third installment in QUANTUM MEN, supersoldier Zac Riley must complete a vital mission, but his long-lost love is on a crucial mission of her own! Opposites combust in Wanted Woman by B.J. Daniels, which pits a beautiful daredevil on the run against a fiercely protective deputy sheriff—the next book in CASCADES CONCEALED.

Julie Miller revisits THE TAYLOR CLAN when one of Kansas City’s finest infiltrates a crime boss’s compound and finds himself under the dangerous spell of an aristocratic beauty. Will he be the Last Man Standing? And in Legally Binding by Ann Voss Peterson—the second sizzling story in our female-driven in-line continuity SHOTGUN SALLYS—a reformed bad boy rancher needs the help of the best female legal eagle in Texas to clear him of murder!

Who can resist those COWBOY COPS? In our latest offering in our Western-themed promotion, Adrianne Lee tantalizes with Denim Detective. This gripping family-in-jeopardy tale has a small-town sheriff riding to the rescue, but he’s about to learn one doozy of a secret…. And finally this month you are cordially invited to partake in Her Royal Bodyguard by Joyce Sullivan, an enchanting mystery about a commoner who discovers she’s a betrothed princess and teams up with an enigmatic bodyguard who vows to protect her from evildoers.

Enjoy our fabulous lineup this month!

Sincerely,

Denise O’Sullivan

Senior Editor, Harlequin Intrigue

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Ever since she was a little girl making her own books out of construction paper, Ann Voss Peterson wanted to write. So when it came time to choose a major at the University of Wisconsin, creative writing was her only choice. Of course, writing wasn’t a practical choice—one needs to earn a living. So Ann found jobs ranging from proofreading legal transcripts to working with quarter horses to washing windows. But no matter how she earned her paycheck, she continued to write the type of stories that captured her heart and imagination—romantic suspense. Ann lives near Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband, her two young sons, her Border collie and her quarter horse mare. Ann loves to hear from readers. E-mail her at ann@annvosspeterson.com or visit her Web site at annvosspeterson.com.

Lindsey Wellington—Eager to prove Bart Rawlins innocent, she jumps at the chance to defend him in court.

Bart Rawlins—After waking up with blood on his hands, a murder charge against him and no memory of the night before, Bart needs Lindsey to prove his innocence.

Jebediah Rawlins—When Bart’s uncle winds up dead, and old family feud points to Bart as the prime suspect.

Hurley Zeller—What kind of grudge does the deputy have against Bart?

Gary Tuttle—Does the foreman at the Four Aces Ranch know more than he’s letting on?

Kenny Rawlins—Could Bart’s cousin have killed his own father for his inheritance?

Brandy Carmichael—Who is the mystery blonde?

Paul Lambert—Lindsey’s boss has faith in her. Is it well-founded?

Donald Church—The wills and trusts attorney may know all the Rawlins family secrets, but he’s keeping them to himself.

Nancy Wilks—Does the office administrator of Lambert & Church know more than she should about the firm’s clients?

Beatrice Jensen—The geriatric nurse has a secret of her own.

Shotgun Sally—The legendary frontierswoman influences the lives of Kelly, Lindsey and Cara in their quest for the truth!

To Denise O’Sullivan, Lynda Curnyn and Allison Lyons.

Thanks for inviting me to Mustang Valley.

To Susan Kearney and Linda O. Johnston.

Thanks for exploring Mustang Valley with me.

And a special thanks to Jack, Sandy, Kevin and Troy Jones

for introducing me to the state of Texas

all those years ago!

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

Epilogue

Bart Rawlins forced one eye open. Late-morning sun slanted through his bedroom window, blinding him. Pain, sharper than his old Buck knife, drilled into his skull. He gripped the edge of the mattress and willed the room to stop spinning.

He hadn’t had that much to drink at Wade Lansing’s Hit ’Em Again Saloon last night, had he? Not enough to warrant a hangover like this.

He remembered hitching a ride to the bar with Gary Tuttle, his foreman at the Four Aces Ranch. Remembered wolfing down some of Wade’s famous chili and throwing back a few beers. Not enough to make his head feel like it was about to explode. Not enough to make his mouth taste like an animal had crawled in and died.

Damn, but he was too old for this. At thirty-five, he always thought he would be settled down with a woman he loved, raising sons and daughters to take over the Four Aces Ranch. Instead he was lying in bed with his boots on and a hangover powerful enough to split his skull.

He raised a hand to his forehead. His fingers felt sticky on his skin. Sticky and moist and smelled like—

His eyes flew open and he jerked up off the mattress. Head throbbing, he stared at his splayed fingers. Something brown coated his hands and had settled into the creases of work-worn skin. The same rusty-brown flecked his Wranglers.

Blood.

What the hell? Had he gotten drunk and picked a fight? Was a well-aimed punch responsible for his throbbing head?