Rita Herron - Warrior Son

Sweat beaded on his brow, and he silently cursed.

He couldn’t do any of those things because as hard as he’d tried not to care about her, he was starting to have feelings for her.

She looked up at him with that sweet, seductive look as they walked into her den, and he gruffly ordered her to go to bed and get some sleep.

Hurt flickered in her eyes, but he assured himself it was for the best. She didn’t argue. She hurried to her bedroom, making him feel like a heel.

Exhaustion tugged at his limbs, and even though he didn’t think he could sleep, he stretched out on Megan’s sofa. He laid his gun by his side just in case of trouble, then closed his eyes.

He could practically hear her whisper his name as if she wanted him to come to her.

Furious with himself, he rolled to his side to face the door, a reminder of the reason he couldn’t leave. Megan was in danger, and he wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

If anyone tried, they’d have to kill him first.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

USA TODAY bestselling author RITA HERRONwrote her first book when she was twelve but didn’t think real people grew up to be writers. Now she writes so she doesn’t have to get a real job. A former nursery school teacher and workshop leader, she traded storytelling to kids for writing romance, and now she writes romantic comedies and romantic suspense. Rita lives in Georgia with her family. She loves to hear from readers, so please visit her website, www.ritaherron.com.

For Sue, a cowboy lover!

Contents

Cover

Introduction He wanted to make love to her. Sweat beaded on his brow, and he silently cursed. He couldn’t do any of those things because as hard as he’d tried not to care about her, he was starting to have feelings for her. She looked up at him with that sweet, seductive look as they walked into her den, and he gruffly ordered her to go to bed and get some sleep. Hurt flickered in her eyes, but he assured himself it was for the best. She didn’t argue. She hurried to her bedroom, making him feel like a heel. Exhaustion tugged at his limbs, and even though he didn’t think he could sleep, he stretched out on Megan’s sofa. He laid his gun by his side just in case of trouble, then closed his eyes. He could practically hear her whisper his name as if she wanted him to come to her. Furious with himself, he rolled to his side to face the door, a reminder of the reason he couldn’t leave. Megan was in danger, and he wouldn’t let anything happen to her. If anyone tried, they’d have to kill him first.

Title Page Warrior Son Rita Herron www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author USA TODAY bestselling author RITA HERRON wrote her first book when she was twelve but didn’t think real people grew up to be writers. Now she writes so she doesn’t have to get a real job. A former nursery school teacher and workshop leader, she traded storytelling to kids for writing romance, and now she writes romantic comedies and romantic suspense. Rita lives in Georgia with her family. She loves to hear from readers, so please visit her website, www.ritaherron.com .

Dedication For Sue, a cowboy lover!

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

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

Deputy Roan Whitefeather didn’t belong on McCullen land.

Yet here he stood at the edge of the party celebrating Ray McCullen’s marriage to Scarlet Lovett like the outsider he was.

Even though he was blood related to the McMullen men. Even though Joe McCullen was also his father.

He was alone. And he would keep it that way.

Maddox, Brett and Ray had no idea that he was their half brother. Hell, he hadn’t known until a few months ago when his mother died and he’d found that damn birth certificate.

And after the trouble the McCullens had this past week—two fires on the ranch—and the bombshell that Joe had a son named Bobby with his mistress, Barbara, Roan would keep the truth about his paternity quiet.

A noise sounded from the hill to the right, and he pivoted, senses honed. Since they still hadn’t apprehended the person responsible for the fires, he had to keep an eye out for trouble. With the entire family in celebratory mode, their guards were down. Which would give anyone with a grudge against the McCullens the perfect opportunity to attack.

Maddox, the town sheriff and Roan’s boss, stepped in front of the group gathered on the lawn by the creek and raised his champagne glass to toast the happy couple.

For a moment envy mushroomed inside him as he watched Ray kiss Scarlet, and the other brothers and their wives congratulating and hugging one another.

They had weathered some storms, but they were one big happy family now.

The only family he’d ever known was his mother and the people on the res.

He didn’t need family or anyone else, he reminded himself.

Still, he’d protect the McCullens because it was his job. And his job was all that mattered to him.

Although questions nagged at him. If Joe McCullen had known about Roan, would he have spent time with him? Would he have brought him to Horseshoe Creek and introduced him to his half brothers?

Or would he have hidden him away like he had his other illegitimate son Bobby Lowman?

The wind blew the trees rustling the leaves, and he scanned the horizon again. The ranch spread for hundreds of miles, livestock and horses roaming the pastures. Joe McCullen had definitely built a legacy here for his sons. And although Ray and Brett had been gone for years, they’d recently returned and planned to help Maddox run the ranch.

Someone didn’t want the McCullens to thrive, though. Someone who might have a grudge against Joe besides his mistress and son, Bobby. For all he knew, the problems could be about the land or the way Joe did business.

Hell, if Maddox, Brett or Ray knew Roan was blood related, they might accuse him of sabotage.

All the more reason to keep quiet about who he was.

And all the more reason to keep his questions about Joe’s death to himself until he found out if there was any substance to his suspicions.

* * *

DR. MEGAN LAIL finished her autopsy report on a man named Morty Burns, a ranch hand who’d been shot and left dead outside Pistol Whip, Wyoming. So far, the police had no idea who’d shot him, but she’d done her job—established time and cause of death and recovered the bullet that had taken the man’s life.

She had been infatuated with dead bodies since her sister’s murder. Not that she enjoyed the morbid side of death, but the bodies told the story.

Just as she’d been driven to know who killed Shelly, family members deserved to know the answers about their loved ones. And it was comforting to know she could help give them closure.

Still, her father had been disappointed in her. He’d raved about Shelly and her beauty, constantly reminding Megan that she hadn’t been graced with extraordinary looks, that she had to use her brain to get anywhere in life. She hadn’t minded that at all. Science had always interested her.

When Shelly had been killed and investigators had converged, she’d realized that the medical examiner was the one who’d discovered the clue that led to the culprit. Sitting at the trial with her father, she’d decided she wanted to be an ME.