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To Love And Protect
Muriel Jensen
She'll make Christmas magic…in spite of him!In all his years as a cop, Ben Palmer had seen some hard cases. But Corie Ochoa took the cake. There was more hostility in her gorgeous five-foot-one frame than he'd seen in hardened criminals. Not to mention her uncanny knack for getting herself in trouble. But she was his adopted brother's sister, and he was going to help her whether she liked it or not. And clearly, she didn't.Too bad. He hadn't come all the way to Texas to let this infuriating woman off the hook. Every instinct told him there was more to this story…and to her.
She’ll make Christmas magic...in spite of him!
In all his years as a cop, Ben Palmer had seen some hard cases. But Corie Ochoa took the cake. There was more hostility in her gorgeous five-foot-one frame than he’d seen in hardened criminals. Not to mention her uncanny knack for getting herself in trouble. But she was his adopted brother’s sister, and he was going to help her whether she liked it or not. And clearly, she didn’t.
Too bad. He hadn’t come all the way to Texas to let this infuriating woman off the hook. Every instinct told him there was more to this story...and to her.
Ben Palmer? It couldn’t be.
In complete disbelief, she saw him coming toward her, picking up speed as the tree she was hoisting began to fall. Six feet and a couple of inches of darkly gorgeous but self-righteous, self-satisfied male who despised and distrusted her... What was he doing here? As though her life wasn’t already fraught with more problems than she could deal with. He—
She lost her balance completely as he tried but failed to help.
“Corie?” he asked.
She wanted to say something clever, sound flippant, as though it didn’t matter that he was the man she hated and he considered her an incorrigible criminal. “No, I’m the Druid that came with the tree. Of course, it’s me.”
She felt his sigh against her forehead. “I know it’s you. I want to know if you’re okay.”
“No, I’m not okay. I have twelve feet of tree on me and six feet of hateful man.”
Dear Reader (#u2299cc02-bcf3-5cd9-a157-0694e6647440),
I love November. It’s a time for giving thanks, a preparation for the holiday season, a time for family. And that’s what Manning Family Reunion is all about. Jack, from In My Dreams, is determined to put his family back together after most of a lifetime of separation.
To Love and Protect is Corie’s story. She was four years old when the Manning kids were separated, and her life took a much different path from Jack’s. She’s small in stature but big in courage and resourcefulness—with an interesting tendency toward flaunting the rules when necessary.
Ben, Jack’s adopted brother, is all heart. But as a police officer, he has great respect for the rules and serious concerns about Jack’s devotion to his newly discovered sister. Particularly when she presents a threat to their family, and Jack is away on his honeymoon. It’s Ben to the rescue—or is it?
Happy holiday season!
Muriel
HEARTWARMING
To Love and Protect
Muriel Jensen
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
MURIEL JENSEN lives with her husband, Ron, in a simple old Victorian looking down on the Columbia River in Astoria, Oregon. They share the space with a loudmouthed husky mix and two eccentric tabbies. They have three children, eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Their neighborhood is charmed, populated with the kindest and most fun-to-be-around people.
In loving memory of Wayne McVey, who was a wonderful friend to Ron and me, who loved Starbucks, and onion rings, casinos and dinner at Dooger’s. And to Diane McVey, who soldiers on without him. Love you both!
Contents
Cover (#ufb7dcd03-8d9f-54eb-8848-a8dd8687329a)
Back Cover Text (#u1502bc77-8880-50fd-8294-c39163b0e056)
Introduction (#u05c659ad-08e8-5645-abca-0f9051cbad15)
Dear Reader
Title Page (#ua658b4c8-98d7-57dd-a606-09c6ee9bed1d)
About the Author (#u9f82dedf-2339-5490-b29a-99a04cee36a0)
Dedication (#udb9c7df2-fcd2-523d-a3a2-4aa231e156a8)
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
EPILOGUE
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#u2299cc02-bcf3-5cd9-a157-0694e6647440)
“I’M GOING TO wring her pretty ballerina neck,” Ben Palmer told himself as he drove from the airport in McAllen, Texas, to Querida, where his quarry lived. He studied the side of the road for the break in the dry brush he remembered from a couple of weeks ago when he and his brother, Jack, had been here together in search of Jack’s sister. He was glad Elizabeth Corazon Manning Ochoa wasn’t his sister—the little thief! As if her full name wasn’t enough to deal with, her given name was the Spanish word for heart. It should have been whatever the Spanish word was for trouble. “There it is.”
He turned right onto the narrow, bumpy lane, watching for the Rio Road sign. High weeds lined the path that led to the impoverished little two-block-long downtown. The side with city hall, the post office and the library, all built in traditional Spanish style with arches and red-tiled roofs, looked tidy and well-kept in contrast to the stores and services opposite them and the run-down bed-and-breakfast at the very end. Fall flowers lined the street on the city hall side but the commercial businesses looked as though they struggled to stay alive.
He slowed as he passed the Grill, the café where Corie waitressed. It was the only structure on the block that looked even mildly prosperous. He noticed that her black Ford truck was not in the parking lot. She must have the day off.
Remembering the directions to her home from the last visit, he turned onto Hidalgo Road just beyond downtown.
Two minutes later he pulled the SUV to a stop across from the little house she rented and saw immediately that her truck wasn’t there, either. Maybe she was at Teresa McGinnis’s foster home.
He drove to the property and pulled up to the chain-link fence. A crowd of children played in the front yard. Behind them stood the large hacienda-style home, its faded pink stone a picture of Old West glory.
He knew Corie spent much of her free time helping Teresa, who’d brought her here when she was twelve. He could see the backyard where Corie usually parked but the only vehicle there today was Teresa’s old dark blue Safari van. He hoped she knew where Corie was.
He parked then took a moment to stretch after climbing out of his rental car. The temperature was in the low seventies in this eastern reach of the Rio Grande Valley and he soaked up the sunshine while his usually active muscles protested the long confinement on the plane. When he’d left Oregon this morning it had been thirty-seven degrees. He told himself to relax but he was wound tighter than a spool of cable.
He pushed open the gate and walked up to the house, ignored by all the children but two boys he guessed to be about nine and ten. The younger one was short, sturdily built and appeared to be Hispanic, while the older, taller boy had shaggy, carrot-red hair and blue eyes. He was scrawny but smiling. The boys flanked Ben as he strode up the walk to the house.
“Who are you?” the older boy asked as he ran alongside Ben to keep up. He offered his hand. “I’m Soren.”
Ben stopped to shake hands. “Hi, Soren. I’m Ben.”
Soren indicated his friend. “This is Carlos.”
The boy shook Ben’s hand but didn’t smile. He pointed to three little boys playing with a tether ball. “Those are my brothers.”
“Hi, Carlos. Good to meet you.” Ben started toward the house. “Excuse me, guys. I came to see Teresa.”
Both boys stopped. Soren’s smile faded. “Are you from Corpus Christi?”
Ben stopped, too. “No. I’m from Oregon. Why? Are you expecting someone from Corpus Christi?” Cyrus Tyree of Corpus Christi, Teresa’s landlord, was part of the reason Ben was here.
“No, but somebody came from there and he made Teresa cry,” Soren said. He and Carlos exchanged an angry look. “We’re going to have to go.”
“Go?”
“Live somewhere else. We don’t want to. We want to stay right here.”
Suddenly they were surrounded by the other kids, girls and boys who looked younger than Soren and Carlos. One little girl held a large purse over her arm. Ben guessed they’d overheard the conversation about leaving. They ran along with Ben and his two new friends as they climbed the step to the broken-down veranda. He wished the kids would go back to their play. He liked kids as a rule. Many of his friends had them and he found them amazing. But this trip was about saving Jack’s sister, himself, Jack and his new bride from jail. He didn’t have time for the distraction of soulful eyes and needy little faces.
“Do we have to go now?” a little boy asked. He stood with the group of three Carlos had identified as his brothers. They looked remarkably alike.
Before Ben could reply, a pudgy little girl about eight in glossy black braids said authoritatively, “I think it’s against the law to make us go. Families get to stay together.”
“Oh, yeah?” Soren turned on her. “Where’s your dad?”
The little girl folded her arms, the question apparently compromising her confidence. She answered more quietly, “He’s coming to get me.”
“When, Rosie? You’ve been here six months. Families don’t always get to stay together.”
One of the little boys said, “Maybe he died. Our mom died.”
“He’s not dead!” Rosie’s voice cracked, her eyes a heartbreaking mixture of anger and sorrow. “He’s coming for me.”
Ben stood in the middle of the turbulent little group. He stretched both arms out, prepared to explain that he needed time to talk to Teresa. But the children crowded around him as though his open arms offered shelter. He was speechless for an instant.
“Ah, well...when families don’t get to stay together,” he heard himself say, “you can sometimes make your own family with friends. That happened to my brother, Jack. His mom had to go away for a long time, so he came to live with my parents and me. He’s part of our family now.”
“That’s being adopted,” Rosie said knowledgeably. “But my dad’s coming to get me, so I don’t want to get another family. I want to stay with Teresa until he comes.”
“The man said Teresa can’t stay here.” Carlos’s voice was gentle. If Soren was the leader of this group, Carlos was its chaplain. “We...”
The front door opened and Teresa stood there, a plump toddler in her arms. Roberto, Ben remembered, seemed permanently attached to her. As he had the last time Ben was here, the baby reached for him.
“Hey. You remember me.” He laughed and took the little guy from Teresa, flattered and distracted by his wide smile and eager reach.
“We’re staying right here for now,” Teresa told the children firmly. “And I don’t want anyone talking about going away until we know what’s going to happen.” She focused on one child, then the next, until she’d looked into each of their faces with the determination in hers. It was a matter of presence. As a cop, Ben knew all about that. You had to believe you were invincible so that whoever you were trying to convince believed it, too. She was good.
The kids looked at each other with clear suspicion, but they didn’t seem quite as worried anymore. Soren and Carlos, older and possibly more experienced in such situations, simply walked away, more in the spirit of doing as she asked rather than believing what she said.
Teresa refocused on Ben. She was average in height, in her forties, had short, rough-cut dark hair, wore little makeup and was blessed with good bone structure. The strong, caring woman inside showed through in her dark eyes and her warm smile, making her attractive.
“Ben,” she said, offering her free hand. “How are you? Corie tells me Jack got married and you and she stood up for him and his bride when you took her back with you for Thanksgiving.”
“He did.” Ben smiled at the memory of that morning while Roberto chewed on the collar of his shirt. “He was so happy that Corie was there. I don’t know if anyone else will ever understand how he’s longed to put his family back together.”
Teresa nodded. “I think I do. I deal with broken families on a daily basis. Would you like to come inside? You look angry under that smile and that worries me. Your being here has to have something to do with Corie.”
“Thank you. It does. Do you know where she is?” He didn’t want to bring up what he thought Corie had done. He was pretty sure Teresa didn’t know Corie had stolen Delia Tyree’s jewelry in the first place, much less sabotaged the return of the jewelry he and Jack had orchestrated. “Her truck isn’t at the restaurant or her home.”
“She went to get a tree,” Teresa said.
“A tree?”
“A Christmas tree.”
He frowned. “It’s still November.”
“It’s November 28 and this is a house filled with children. They’ve talked of nothing but Christmas since Halloween.” She laughed at his confusion then turned her head toward the back of the house and the sound of an engine. “There she is now, Ben. What did you want to see her about?”
