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The Second Son
Joanna Wayne
Branson, Langley and Ryder: Randolph brothers, family men, larger-than-life Texans. Flesh and blood bind them to each other–and to a mystery baby girl. One is her father…all are her protectors.Sheriff Branson Randolph embodied all that the West was known for: cowboy grit and raw justic. Lacy Gilbraith had never known men like him existed. Even now she had a hard time believing the sheriff was for real. Branson was a man who told the truth and expected others to do the same no matter the consequences. But Lacy was a woman with a bellyful of secrets…She was the only link to the mystery baby, and someone wanted to silence her–forever. But that would never happen while in Branson's protective custody. Lacy's greatest danger lay in losing her heart to the Texas lawman.
Theirs was a need so palpable, it took on an identity of its own
Branson leaned close, his lips inches from hers, his breath warm on her flesh. Her heart raced for a second and then seemed to stop altogether as Branson’s mouth touched hers.
The kiss was intense, almost fierce, as if Branson hated himself for letting it happen. When he finally broke away, he lowered his head, their foreheads touching, their hands clasped, holding on for dear life.
“Damn.” His voice was a rough whisper. “My job is to protect you, not seduce you.”
“Does it matter that I wanted you to kiss me?”
“It matters. It just doesn’t make it right.”
“And do you always do what’s right, Sheriff Branson Randolph?”
“I try.”
“Because of the badge you wear?”
He let go of her hands and took a step back, breaking the physical connection that had held them, but not the emotional one.
“The badge is important to me, Lacy, but this isn’t about the badge or duty or honor. It’s about you. And it’s about a madman who obviously plans to be your assassin. If I get wrapped up in wanting you, then I give the killer the edge. I don’t plan to let that happen.”
A LETTER FROM THE EDITORS AT HARLEQUIN INTRIGUE
We love to receive mail from our readers. It keeps us honest and lets us know how best to meet your needs. Authors find your encouragement a source of unparalleled inspiration.
Therefore, when Joanna Wayne brought to our attention a letter from a regular Harlequin Intrigue reader—among others—regarding her book Family Ties, it was with great appreciation that we had our own editorial instincts confirmed!
Joanna created the Randolph family in that book. Four brothers, all sexy Texas cowboys…but it was oldest brother Dillon who got his girl in that story. Branson, Langley and Ryder hadn’t had that dream fulfilled. And boy did they deserve it.
We asked Joanna to give all of the Randolph brothers their very own happily-ever-after, and to make sure their stories had as much suspense, mystery and romance.
So thank you for your continued support, and remember we are always looking for new ways to excite you and to maintain your loyal readership. We look forward to more letters of encouragement from you.
Harlequin Intrigue is proud to bring you RANDOLPH FAMILY TIES by Joanna Wayne—enjoy!
The Second Son
Joanna Wayne
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joanna Wayne lives with her husband just a few miles from steamy, exciting New Orleans, but her home is the perfect writer’s hideaway. A lazy bayou, complete with graceful herons, colorful wood ducks and an occasional alligator, winds just below her back garden. When not creating tales of spine-tingling suspense and heartwarming romance, she enjoys reading, golfing or playing with her grandchildren, and, of course, researching and plotting out her next novel. Taking the heroine and hero from danger to enduring love and happy-ever-after is all in a day’s work for her, and who could complain about a day like that?
Books by Joanna Wayne
HARLEQUIN INTRIGUE
288—DEEP IN THE BAYOU
339—BEHIND THE MASK
389—EXTREME HEAT
444—FAMILY TIES* (#litres_trial_promo)
471—JODIE’S LITTLE SECRETS
495—ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS
505—LONE STAR LAWMAN
569—THE SECOND SON* (#litres_trial_promo)
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Branson Randolph —Rugged Texas sheriff and part owner of the Burning Pear Ranch. He’ll do whatever he has to in order to keep Lacy Gilbraith safe. He’s not afraid to face a killer, and he’s determined to find out who’s Betsy’s father.
Lacy Gilbraith —She made a bargain she couldn’t keep. Now she’s running from a man who’s determined to get her back.
Betsy—An adorable baby girl who was dropped off at the Randolph family ranch.
Dillon, Langley and Ryder Randolph —Branson’s brothers. They all live by the cowboy code, but can one of them unknowingly be Betsy’s father?
Kate Gilbraith —Lacy’s sister. She’s mixed up in something that may get both her and Lacy killed.
Ricky Carpenter —Kate’s boyfriend. Someone wants him dead.
Charles Castile—A San Antonio attorney. He made a bargain with Lacy and he plans to make sure she keeps her part of it.
Joshua Kincaid—He owns a ranch in Kelman, Texas, but his real money comes from the Kincaid Entertainment Corporation. He appears to know a lot more than he’s willing to tell.
Adam Pascal—He works for Joshua Kincaid and has dated Lacy, but he’s reluctant to cooperate with Branson’s investigation.
Milton Maccabbe —He’s a cantankerous rancher. It’s best not to cross him.
To all the people who enjoyed reading about
the Randolph brothers in Family Ties as much as
I enjoyed writing about them. Thanks for your letters
and requests that we not let them go until we had
a story for each of the brothers.
And, to Wayne, always.
Contents
Chapter One (#u721a2a20-f7f0-530f-a992-e185e62b5d03)
Chapter Two (#uc799a0cf-bc13-527e-9a62-fedc4c4c0325)
Chapter Three (#uc553edcb-d4c3-509e-9692-67841d362492)
Chapter Four (#u41c82b87-b164-537c-b9bb-154adea4d537)
Chapter Five (#u9ef57575-2fc8-5f19-b52f-269c40c8fc15)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One
Burning Pear Ranch
Kelman, Texas
“You have to make a birthday wish, Gramma, before you can blow out the candles.” Four-year-old Petey scooted onto Mary Randolph’s lap as the family’s off-key rendition of “Happy Birthday” drew to a close.
“I don’t know what I’d wish for.” She hugged her grandson close. “I have all of you here with me at the Burning Pear for my sixtieth birthday. What more could a mother want?”
She looked around the room. Her four sons, each so different, but all Randolphs through and through. And Ashley, her one daughter-in-law, but she loved her as much as she could have loved the daughter she’d always wanted but had never had.
She blinked as a misty veil fell over her eyes. The moisture blurred the faces that surrounded her and softened the hard lines of rustic wood, Mexican tile and worn leather that characterized the ranch house where she’d lived all of her adult life.
One lone tear escaped the corner of her eye, and she brushed it away with the back of her hand.
“Do something nice for a woman, and here come the tears. I’ll never understand the gender,” Branson, her second son, said, only half teasing.
“Yeah, and if you sit here teary-eyed too long, the melted wax from the birthday candles is going to be thicker than the icing,” Langley added, relighting one of the candles that had already gone out.
Mary paid them no mind. She was used to her sons’ good-natured ribbing. “Sixty years of living gives a mother the right to a few seconds of melancholy,” she scolded them. “And a little candle wax never hurt anybody.” Her tears went on hold as laughter and echos of “You tell them, Mom,” rippled across the spacious kitchen.
Her youngest son, Ryder, pushed the cake closer to her. “All the same, you better pucker up and blow—before the smoke alarm goes off.”
“You want me to help you, Gramma? I can blow really hard.” Petey wiggled around to face her, the excitement dancing in his dark eyes.
“Of course you can help,” she told him, lifting him so that his knees rested in her lap and he could lean in closer to the beckoning cake.
Ashley Randolph grabbed her ever-ready camcorder and aimed it at Mary, Petey and the cake. Mary smiled, but kept her gaze low. A woman her age didn’t need to have her wrinkles and graying hair preserved for posterity. Besides, she hated to see herself on the TV screen. The woman who smiled back always seemed years older than the one who lived inside her.
“Ready, set, go,” Petey announced. He took a deep breath and blew until the last flicker of a flame died. “We did it, Gramma! Your wish will come true.” He hopped down from her lap. “And now we can eat the cake. Right?”
“Ashley’s chocolate cake, one of the best reasons I know of to grow older,” Dillon Randolph said, giving his wife a hug and tousling the hair of his son as Petey scampered past him to get closer to the cake-cutting operation.
“Thanks to Mother Randolph,” Ashley said, her tinkling laughter brightening the room. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten the way I cooked when I first moved to the Burning Pear.”
“No way!” Langley set a stack of dessert plates on the table at Ashley’s elbow. “That’s the kind of thing follows a man clear to the grave.”
“I can’t believe you said that,” she countered, playfully pointing the tip of the cake knife in his direction. “Even then, you were always sneaking into my cookie jar.”
“Sure. Those sugar cookies were perfect for target practice. Unless you hit them dead center, the bullet wouldn’t even crack them.”
The room burst into laughter again as Ashley sliced a large hunk of cake and placed it onto one of Mary’s flower-patterned dessert plates.
Ashley could take the teasing of her three brothers-in-law with the best of them. She could dish it out, too. The perfect family. It was just too bad Dillon, Ashley and Petey had to live in Austin so much of the time—part of the price of being a state senator.
Still, if Mary really were to be granted a wish tonight, it would be that Jack Randolph was somewhere in heaven looking down on them, that he would see what fine men their four boys had grown into. That he would know how twenty years after his death she still treasured the time they’d had together.
“Who wants ice cream with their cake?” Ashley asked, handing the cake knife and cutting chores over to Dillon.
“What kind of question is that?” Ryder said. “You can’t have birthday cake without ice cream. It’s not American.”
“Worse,” Langley echoed. “It’s not Texan.”
“I’ll get the bowls and spoons,” Mary said, stretching to a standing position.
“You most definitely will not.” Branson left his post by the door to rest his strong hands on her shoulders. “The birthday girl does not wait tables.”
