Beth Cornelison - Colton's Ranch Refuge

She studied the hard set of his mouth, intrigued. He’d acted almost jealous . The prospect tantalized her.

“Why should they? None of my business.”

“It just seemed like … you were upset. You tensed up.” She smoothed a hand along the taut, corded muscles of his arm, stroking her fingers to his fist to illustrate her point.

He rolled his shoulders as if trying to loosen the tension stringing him tight, then sighed a gush of breath. “All right, yes. It bothers me.”

The corner of her cheek tugged up, and she playfully goaded, “Why?”

He jerked his head toward her. “Why?” he echoed, incredulous. “I—Hell.”

His hazel eyes lasered down at her with breath-stealing intensity, and the air between them sparked and crackled. A low, frustrated growl rumbled from his throat, and a heartbeat later, his mouth descended on hers.

Dear Reader,

Working on continuities is always fun for me, and the Eden Falls Coltons were no exception. What fun it was to put tough guy Gunnar in charge of two energetic toddlers and bring the teasing, but always loving, Colton siblings to life. Imagining Violet’s movie-star lifestyle was fun, too! Paparazzi, script changes, celebrity award shows … ah, the glamor! Yet I knew deep down she was a mother first and a down-to-earth Southern girl at heart.

Another fun twist? I had the pleasure of including my editor’s cats in my story. It seemed the right thing to do, since the wise and wonderful Keyren Gerlach-Burgess created the continuity and loves cats as much as I do. She tells me the chicken theft incident really happened!

The peek into the Amish world was so interesting to me and brought back memories of traveling through Pennsylvania Dutch country with my family when I was a kid. I hope you’ll love Gunnar and Violet’s romance as much as I do, and come back soon for the next installment of the Coltons of Eden Falls!

Happy reading,

Beth Cornelison

Don’t miss the next three books in

THE COLTONS OF EDEN FALLS:

Colton Destiny by Justine Davis

Colton’s Deep Cover by Elle Kennedy

Colton Showdown by Marie Ferrarella

BETH CORNELISONstarted 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 PO Box 5418, Bossier City, LA 71171, or visit her website, www.bethcornelison.com.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

For Keyren—

Thanks for the opportunity to be part of Eden Falls!

Thank you to Jenni Nauright and C.J. Lyons for all your help with Violet’s medical crisis and the proper procedures for Amelia and Derek to take! Any mistakes in this regard are mine.

A chill November breeze buffeted Gunnar Colton’s cheeks and sent a shiver rippling through him. Tension strung Gunnar as tight as a trip wire, and he cast a wary gaze around the downtown Eden Falls street. At first glance, nothing about the scene seemed amiss. Merchants decorated their shop windows for the upcoming holidays, and customers milled about casually enjoying the Saturday afternoon and hunting for early season bargains. Eden Falls was small-town Americana at its best, yet Gunnar couldn’t relax, couldn’t quiet the hum of anxiety buzzing through his veins.

“The cold air is making my nose run,” sixteen-year-old Piper complained.

“Guess you better go chase it then,” Sawyer teased.

Piper slanted her adopted brother a you’re-so-stupid look before turning to Gunnar. “I’m freezing out here.”

“So drink your hot chocolate. It’ll warm you up.” Gunnar curled his hands around his cocoa, soaking up the heat from the ceramic mug, and gave the teenager a patient glance.

She rolled her eyes and flopped back in her chair with a shake of her head.

The weather was too cold for them to be sitting outside, but Sawyer, Piper and Gunnar’s eleven-year-old brother, had specifically requested that they drink their hot chocolate at the café’s sidewalk table. Gunnar hadn’t had the heart to tell Sawyer no, despite his own deeply personal reasons for being uneasy with the outdoor table. He felt exposed on the city street—jumpy, emotionally raw.

He turned his attention to the local street vendors selling holiday arts and crafts, and his mind wandered thousands of miles away… .

The marketplace disintegrated into chaos as debris rained down on the street. Shouts and screams pierced the ringing in his ears as the concussion of the explosion echoed through the street .

“Gunnar? Did you hear me?” Piper asked, giving him a half worried, half exasperated frown.

“I’m sorry. What?”

“Can I go to Très Chic and look at their jeans while you two finish your cocoa?”

He shook his head. “Stay with us. We’ll be done in a minute. Then we’ll go with you.”

Piper and Sawyer sent him matching looks of horror.

“To a girl’s store?”

“Gunnar!”

He divided a look between his youngest siblings, knowing he was totally out of his league—what did an ex-soldier know about raising teenagers?—but determined to reconnect with his family after so many years away. Sawyer had been a baby when Gunnar had enlisted in the army and had left for his first tour of duty in Afghanistan. His brother felt like a stranger. And teenage Piper bore little resemblance to the sweet little sister he’d hugged goodbye eleven years ago.

“Listen, if you’ll—”

The roar of a motorcycle engine yanked Gunnar’s attention away midsentence. He jerked his gaze toward the black sport bike speeding toward them, and ice filled his veins.

The moped sped past them, breaching the security checkpoint and ramming into the crowded marketplace. Sam and Ronnie were on their feet in an instant. “Suicide bomber!”

Gunnar jolted as the bomb in his memory exploded with a deafening blast.

This motorcycle rider wore a backpack. He drove right up onto the sidewalk.

“Get down!” Gunnar grabbed the front of Sawyer’s jacket and yanked him from his chair to the ground. In an instant, he’d shoved Piper to the sidewalk as well and flipped their table on its side to serve as a blast shield—as if the flimsy metal table was any real protection from a half dozen sticks of dynamite or a block of C-4.

With an arm around each of his startled siblings, Gunnar huddled behind the table, bracing for the fireball, the concussion, the chaos. His heart drummed a frantic tattoo against his ribs. Despite the cold, a film of sweat popped out on his forehead. Adrenaline sent a shudder rolling through him.