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The Billionaire's Colton Threat
Geri Krotow
Their lives are in danger…and so are their hearts!Their lives are in danger…and so are their hearts!Single, pregnant and nearly bankrupt, Halle Ford makes a deal with a sexy Scottish devil: she'll marry billionaire Alastair Buchanan. Why? For the sake of their baby – conceived after one night of passion – and to save her beloved Bluewood Ranch. They plan to divorce after one year, but fate might just surprise them!But no sooner do the cowgirl and her Scot say ‘I do’, than their livelihoods are threatened. Someone begins sabotaging Halle's ranch, while Alastair's family whiskey empire comes under siege. Drawn together by passion and danger, can the newlyweds protect the family they've both come to cherish?
In the latest The Coltons of Shadow Creek romance, a billionaire and his expectant bride put their lives on the line
Single, pregnant and nearly bankrupt, Halle Ford makes a deal with a sexy Scottish devil: she’ll marry billionaire Alastair Buchanan. Why? For the sake of their baby—conceived after one night of passion—and to save her beloved Bluewood Ranch. They plan to divorce after one year, but their burgeoning Lone Star love might just surprise them!
But no sooner do the cowgirl and her Scotsman say, “I do,” than their very livelihoods are threatened. Someone begins sabotaging Halle’s ranch, while Alastair’s family whiskey empire comes under siege. Drawn together by passion and danger, can the newlyweds protect the family they’ve both come to cherish?
“Are you sure you want to take on another full-time job on top of the ranch? With a new baby?”
“That’s the question, isn’t it?”
“That’s part of what brought me here, Halle.”
She grabbed a napkin from the acrylic holder on the table and wiped her eyes, then blew her nose. Alastair made a note to order the finest linen handkerchiefs for her, with the Scottish thistle embroidered on them. Her hands were long, her fingers graceful. Would their child have her hands?
Her long, shuddering breath emphasized her ramrod-straight posture. He was certain she was made of steel. She rested her sharp whiskey eyes on him.
“Go on.”
“Marry me, Halle. For the sake of our child, marry me.”
* * *
The Coltons of Shadow Creek:
Only family can keep you safe...
The Billionaire’s Colton Threat
Geri Krotow
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Former naval intelligence officer and US Naval Academy graduate GERI KROTOW draws inspiration from the global situations she’s experienced. Geri loves to hear from her readers. You can email her via her website and blog, www.gerikrotow.com (http://www.gerikrotow.com).
To my fearless agent,
Emily Sylvan Kim—thank you
for your belief in me.
Contents
Cover (#uad3ac290-d125-58d7-8ed9-f626ea00dbb4)
Back Cover Text (#uf43d2856-2075-5b1d-a9fe-365d6bbf144f)
Introduction (#uee304cff-7d65-592a-ac60-eba3c0075e93)
Title Page (#u9779219c-8484-5c8b-bcb2-867c1a99c886)
About the Author (#u584c2830-16fb-5733-b615-6247ac3112df)
Dedication (#u3788316f-25bf-57aa-9d0e-fdbe80e80198)
Chapter 1 (#u1d97a73a-6c3e-53ef-8196-1ce2ae8cb1a5)
Chapter 2 (#udad8c04a-d929-5812-a2bd-637286befe45)
Chapter 3 (#u888e59fa-881a-5654-99a8-e29a8a24d5b6)
Chapter 4 (#u1bc0556d-6568-56d9-9d96-3bdf950982d7)
Chapter 5 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 6 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 7 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 8 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 9 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 10 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 11 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 12 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 13 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 14 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 15 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 16 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 17 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 18 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 19 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 20 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 21 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 22 (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 1 (#ufa5afa86-4257-5471-a829-c4717a8cdf5d)
Halle Ford allowed her gaze to soak in the hill country that surrounded her family ranch. She’d been fortunate to travel around the country and world, but her heart always remained in Shadow Creek, Texas. Bluewood Ranch appealed to her inner cowgirl more than her slick corporate CPA job in Austin ever had. She leaned on the fence and sipped her morning cup of coffee, relishing this private time, her version of meditation. The split cedar logs that circled the paddock were as familiar as her father’s hug had been. As long as she didn’t think about how much he’d spent on the fancy fencing before he’d died. An eastern spotted lizard was on the top of the fence, sunning himself in the late summer sunshine. “Hey, little guy.” He ignored her, stretching his neck and displaying his brilliant green skin covered with flamboyant spots to his advantage.
Running her father’s ranch had always been a far-off dream, but Chancellor Ford’s sudden death in a horrific car crash six months ago had turned her dream into a nightmare. Besides facing the fact that Dad was gone forever, she’d had to come to terms with how he’d been killed. He’d been taken away by a hit-and-run driver, the same woman who’d terrorized Shadow Creek for decades until her imprisonment. Her terror had continued after her escape from prison and until her presumed death six months ago. Thanks to cop-bribing prison-escapee Livia Colton, Halle’s life had been shattered and she had inherited Bluewood Ranch. At present, Bluewood wasn’t faring well financially, much to her heartbreak. Even with her accounting and business acumen that she’d sharpened at that high-powered marketing firm in Austin, she’d been unable to bring the ranch back to life.
Yet. It had only been a little over six months, and the first six weeks or so after the accident didn’t count as far as she was concerned. The shock of Daddy’s death and her transition from an office career to running Bluewood had been tough. The move back to rugged, beautiful Shadow Creek from her well-appointed Austin condominium had been an adjustment in and of itself.
A soft whinny floated on the chilly morning breeze and she smiled as she recognized Elvis. The gelding was a gift from her dear friend Jade Colton. Jade ran Hill Country Farms, an off-track Thoroughbred rehab center. Jade had also sold Halle’s mare Buttercup to her after Chancellor Ford’s sudden death. Jade had known what a new horse would mean to Halle. Buttercup, along with Elvis and the other horses, had kept her from going over the edge after Daddy’s death. Murder was more like it.
Not for the first time she wanted to hurl the blue stone-fired mug at one of the boulders that sat in the makeshift rock garden between the ranch house and paddock. To smash the ceramic into lethal shards, as her heart had been when evil Livia Colton had killed her father. Even after being apparently killed in a freak flash flood right after the accident, Livia still haunted Halle. She wasn’t one for superstition but it was hard to remain practical in the face of such tragedy. More than once Halle wished she could bring Livia back from the dead so that she could confront the murderer. She had destroyed so many dreams in Shadow Creek.
The reminder that she wasn’t the only one who’d had her life torn apart by Livia Colton was little consolation but it did shake her out of the pity party she was brewing. She needed to focus on what she could change and at the moment that meant getting new tours scheduled. Horseback riding classes and pony rides brought in steady income, but nothing increased Bluewood’s revenue as quickly as the overnight tours. Halle loved showing her guests the best trails that wound through Texas Hill Country. Most of her groups were families, and as summer ended, kids were back in school. Her group tours dwindled, making her cash flow as spotty as her lizard buddy.
Her phone vibrated in her back pocket and she ignored it. The house phone was the main business line so she only answered her cell at her convenience. This was her rare quiet time in the day, the one part she kept sacred to herself unless she was on the trail with a ranch guest. After the vibration stopped, a second, shorter vibration informed her there was a voice mail.
“Dang it.” She pulled out the phone and saw that the message was from Jeremy Kincaid, her neighbor and friend. Halle pressed the callback button. Jeremy picked up immediately.
“Good morning, Jeremy.”
“Halle, how’s it going?”
“Right now, out here next to the stables? Great.”
Jeremy chuckled, low and deep. “That’s why we live here, right? Hey, I’m sorry to bug you so early but I’ve got an offer for you.”
“Okay.” She straightened from the fence and turned around, leaning her back against it. It wasn’t a secret that she was having trouble keeping Bluewood afloat, but Jeremy wasn’t about to offer her a pity job, was he?
“Don’t sound so grim. It’s a good thing. I have a friend in town who’s investing in the Austin tech scene, but he knows nothing about the area or Texas. I thought that if he booked a trail ride with you, it would be a perfect immersion experience for him.”
Relief thrummed through her. Jeremy was offering her a new client!
“Of course. When is he thinking of coming to Bluewood? And do you have any idea how long he wants to stay?” She figured a full-day ride would be what a techie business friend of Jeremy Kincaid’s would desire. Since Jeremy was a millionaire and famous in his field, chances were his friend would be successful, too. Longer than a day away from business would be unbearable to a type A techie, no matter how rich. And there wasn’t Wi-Fi on the trail.
“That’s the hitch. He’d like to start tomorrow, and he agreed to three nights, the better part of four days.”
She put her mug of coffee on the fence post and the spotted lizard darted away. “Three nights? Is it just him?” She’d taken out individual clients before, but she made sure they were safe with an indiscreet background check courtesy of Shadow Creek’s local PI, Adeline Kincaid, Jeremy’s new wife. She wasn’t sure one could be done on such short notice, but if anyone could do it for her, especially in these unusual circumstances, it would be Adeline.
“He’s looking at a sizable investment in our area, maybe involving virtual reality. It’s something Shadow Creek and Austin would benefit greatly from. Since we’ve been friends for so long, I suggested he immerse himself in the local culture and start with you.”
Relief that Jeremy knew the man so well allowed for a glimmer of hope. “A four-day trail ride isn’t going to tell him much about Austin.”
“No, but he’ll understand what makes a Texan tick. And I can vouch for him, Halle. He’s safe, the real deal. You don’t have to take an extra ranch hand with you.” Jeremy must have heard the trepidation in her voice. And he knew that paying an extra man to go on the trail would hurt her bottom line.
“You’re not playing matchmaker here, are you, Jeremy?” She kept her tone light.
“Well, you are both around the same age, and both single, but what you do with that is your business.”
They both laughed. Halle had missed the easygoing friendships of the countryside. Austin was a friendly city, but it was still a city. She hadn’t felt as much a part of a community as she did in Shadow Creek.
“There’s one more thing, Halle.” Jeremy sounded pleased, the way he did when he’d introduced Adeline as his wife. As if he’d discovered the secret to happiness and wanted to share it with the world.
“Go ahead.”
“He’s offered to pay extra for the late notice and one-on-one trail time.” Jeremy named a figure that made Halle glad she’d put her coffee mug down or she would have spilled it.
“That’s not necessary.”
“Rule one of business, Halle, is to never undersell your product. Since your expertise and knowledge are the product, one could argue that a place on a Bluewood ride is priceless.”
He was right. Of course he was—he was a millionaire. He hadn’t earned his money because he didn’t understand the basics of business. “Thanks, Jeremy. I’ll expect him tomorrow morning. Better yet, have him call me before sundown so that I can figure out what his riding experience is.”
“He’s not going to have time to call, as we’re heading into Austin for a full day of meetings. He says he’s ridden on and off since he was a kid, and he’s about my size, same age, so you can plan for the camp food and equipment.”
“So he’s never really been on a horse for longer than an hour or two at birthday parties.”
Jeremy’s pause confirmed her suspicions. “He’ll take whatever direction you give him, Halle.”
“Okay, that’s all I need to know. He can sign the injury liability waiver when he shows up. And, Jeremy—thanks for this.” She knew there were other trails and ranch businesses that catered to tourists and Jeremy probably knew all of them. He was doing her a huge favor.
“Hey, it’s the neighborly thing to do. Besides, I wouldn’t trust him with anyone else.”
She wondered what he meant but wasn’t going to pose any questions that could rock this lucrative boat. “I appreciate your confidence in me, Jeremy. Tell Adeline I said ‘hi.’”
“Will do. She’s packing right now or I’d put her on.”
“Taking the family to Disney?” She knew Jeremy loved nothing more than spoiling Adeline and their child.
Jeremy chuckled. “No, but we are going out of the country for a much-needed break. You can always reach me on my cell phone, no matter where I am.”
“Thanks.” She didn’t say it but she’d never bother them while they were on vacation, unless it was life or death.
“And by the way, Halle? Your guest’s name is Alastair Buchanan. Adeline says to tell you he’s safe.” Jeremy ended the call.
Halle shoved the phone into her rear pocket, heat hitting her cheeks as she realized she hadn’t asked the client’s name. Jeremy knew her, so he didn’t think she was careless, but she’d come off exactly how she never wanted to. Desperate. But if Adeline Kincaid said he was safe, he was. The Kincaids were a family of their word. And Adeline knew more than anyone the importance of personal security, after all she’d been through with the son she’d carried for Jeremy and his first wife, Tess, now deceased.
The sad memory of Tess’s death, and the initial suspicion that Livia Colton had been involved, threatened to sabotage the good news Jeremy had just given her. Bluewood had a new client.
Halle grabbed her mug and rolled her shoulders back as she headed toward the ranch house. The best way for her to stop obsessing over her own tragic loss was work, and she had a three-day trail ride to prepare for. She’d be grateful for this, no matter her grief.
* * *
The next morning Halle sprang out of bed an hour before dawn, unable to sleep with the anticipation of a full four-day trail ride galloping through her mind all night. She took her time with her shower and watched the sky start to lighten as her coffee brewed. With a full, hot mug, she headed for the paddock fence to greet the day.
