Rancher's Deadly Reunion Read online

  The prodigal cowgirl returns home...and straight into danger

  Introducing the McCall Adventure Ranch miniseries!

  When Piper McCall heads home, she runs smack into ranch hand Brady Summers, the man she left behind. Years later, the sparks between them burn as brightly as ever, but dark secrets—like the identity of his orphaned nephew—linger. And when Piper’s life is threatened, neither she nor Brady will ever be the same again.

  Piper shifted her grip from his chest to his arms, trying to wiggle free of his hold. “I’m good. You can let go.”

  But Brady didn’t.

  After a couple of strained seconds, she glanced up to repeat herself. Maybe he hadn’t heard her in the din and bustle of the airport. When she met his eyes, her voice stuck in her throat. The intensity of his gaze left no question that his thoughts had followed a similar track to hers. Motes of longing swirled through the green depths and tangled with shadows of regret. His mouth looked soft, but his jaw muscles flexed and tightened with restraint. He wanted to kiss her. She recognized that look well, and so did the muscles in her belly that quickened and the nerves in her lips that tingled with the memory of his kisses. How easy it would be to push up on her toes and steal the kiss his eyes promised.

  Instead, she forced her throat to loosen enough to wheeze, “I’m okay. L-let go.”

  Slowly his arm slipped away, even though his stare held hers for several more painful heartbeats.

  * * *

  Be sure to check out another McCall Adventure Ranch story next month!

  * * *

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  Dear Reader,

  Several years ago, I went on a plotting retreat with a few other Harlequin author friends (I’m looking at you, Winnie Griggs, Lenora Worth and Renee Ryan). On this retreat, the McCall Adventure Ranch series was born. (A special thank-you to Renee, who was the first to say the magic words, “How about an adventure ranch?”) Though the finished product bears little resemblance to the ideas tossed around at the retreat, the creative synergy of that retreat launched my enthusiasm for this fun new series set on a ranch near the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

  In this first book, Rancher’s Deadly Reunion, Piper McCall goes home to her family ranch, the Double M, for a family celebration, but finds much more than she ever expected. The family ranch is under attack from a saboteur and is struggling with financial hardships. What’s more, a dangerous stalker has followed Piper to Colorado, and her first love, ranch hand Brady Summers, has a life-changing surprise of his own for Piper. Renewed love, deceit and peril await Piper in Rancher’s Deadly Reunion!

  Oh, and don’t miss the second and third installments of The McCall Adventure Ranch, coming in November and December 2018, when Piper’s brothers each get their turn at romance!

  Happy reading!

  Beth Cornelison

  RANCHER’S DEADLY REUNION

  Beth Cornelison

  Beth Cornelison began working in public relations before pursuing her love of writing romance. She has won numerous honors for her work, including a nomination for the RWA RITA® Award for The Christmas Stranger. She enjoys featuring her cats (or friends’ pets) in her stories and always has another book in the pipeline! She currently lives in Louisiana with her husband, one son and three spoiled cats. Contact her via her website, bethcornelison.com.

  Books by Beth Cornelison

  Harlequin Romantic Suspense

  The McCall Adventure Ranch

  Rancher’s Deadly Reunion

  Cowboy Christmas Rescue

  “Rescuing the Witness”

  Rock-a-Bye Rescue

  “Guarding Eve”

  The Mansfield Brothers

  The Return of Connor Mansfield

  Protecting Her Royal Baby

  The Mansfield Rescue

  Black Ops Rescues

  Soldier’s Pregnancy Protocol

  The Reunion Mission

  Cowboy’s Texas Rescue

  Visit the Author Profile page at

  Harlequin.com for more titles.

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  To Jeffery—you make me proud every day!

  All my love, Mom.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Excerpt from Soldier Bodyguard by Lisa Childs

  Prologue

  Boyd Valley, Colorado

  The loud, frantic pounding on the front door at 1:00 a.m. boded ill. Pam Summers belted her bathrobe around her and started for the door. Her husband followed at a slower, groggier pace, while their four-month-old yellow Lab gamboled around the foyer and barked excitedly. When Pam looked through the peephole and saw who was there, she gasped at the young man’s beleaguered appearance and snatched open the door.

  “Brady? What are you doing here?” Pam studied her brother-in-law’s disheveled clothes, slumped shoulders and bloodshot eyes with concern. His showing up on their doorstep at this late hour was unusual enough to elicit worry, but his appearance as he stood on their stoop spiked her distress through the roof. She clutched the lapels of her terry-cloth robe closed near her throat. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  She heard her husband, Scott, walk up behind her, his slippers scuffing on the hardwood floor of the foyer. “Hey, little brother, what’s—Damn! You look like hell.”

  “Can I come in?” Brady asked, his voice as rough as gravel.

  Nerves jangling, Pam opened the door wider to let Brady into their Boyd Valley, Colorado, home. Kip, the puppy, ran out to the yard, while a warm, late-August breeze, redolent with the scents of cut grass and summer rain, followed Brady in. As for her brother-in-law, Brady reeked of beer and something harder.

  “Is it Dad? Has something happened to Dad?” Scott asked as his brother staggered to the couch and dropped heavily onto the cushions.

  “Nah, the old man’s fine.” Brady scrubbed a hand over his bleary face.

  Scott frowned and wrinkled his nose. “You’ve been drinking. A lot by the looks and smell of it.”

  “Yeah, so what?”

  “So...getting drunk is Dad’s thing. I thought you knew better.” He paused a beat. “Did you drive here?”

  Brady said nothing and kept his eyes down.

  “Damn it, Brady!” Scott barked, “You’re not even legal yet. But driving while you’re drunk...that’s unacceptable. It’s stupid and dangerous!”

  Brady squeezed his eyes tightly shut and held his head. “I know.”

  Scott huffed his disgust. “You can sleep here tonight and go home tomorrow. Jeez, I thought you had more sense than to—”

  “I asked Piper to marry me.” Brady’s announcement silenced Scott’s tirade.

  Pam settled on the love seat positioned catty-corner to the couch where Brady had slumped, dazed-looking. Scott eased down beside her, placi
ng a warm hand on her knee.

  “I’m guessing from your demeanor that she turned you down,” Scott said.

  “She’s leavin’. Goin’ to Boston for college. Didn’t wanna be tied down to a good-for-nothin’ ranch hand.”

  Pam blinked her surprise. “She said that? She called you good-for-nothing?”

  “Didn’t have to. It’s kinda obvious. I mean, she’s smart. Got a full scholarship to that fancy school out east. All I do is shovel horseshit and rustle cattle.”

  “Being a ranch hand doesn’t make you good-for-nothing, Brady,” Scott said. “This...feeling sorry for yourself bit isn’t like you. I know you really like Piper, but people leave for college all the time.”

  “I don’t really like her. I love her.” Brady gave them a woeful look. “I want to marry her. But she turned me down. Flat. It’s over.”

  Pam’s heart ached for Scott’s younger brother, but she could see Piper McCall’s side, too. “I’m sorry you’ve been hurt, Brady, but Piper’s leaving for college doesn’t have to be the end of your relationship. Give her the space she needs to spread her wings. Eighteen is kinda young to get married. You both have plenty of time to—”

  “What about the baby?” he muttered, his eyes filling with tears. “She thinks I only wanna marry ’cause of the baby. But...I love her. And not just ’cause of the baby like she thinks.”

  Scott exchanged a startled look with Pam, then asked cautiously, “What...baby?”

  “Ours.” He ducked his head and heaved a shuddering sigh. “Mine and Piper’s. She’s pregnant.”

  Something sharp and bitter pierced Pam’s heart. She didn’t want to resent anyone’s pregnancy, but she couldn’t help it. She and Scott had been trying for five years to have a baby—and failing. She worked hard to shove her pain down and focus on the issue at hand. “You...you’re sure? She’s sure?”

  “Pretty sure. We didn’t use protection a few weeks back.” He glanced up with a guilty expression and raised a hand, “Stupid, I know. Don’t lecture me. But we were caught up in the moment and—” He expelled a harsh breath. “She’s been sick. She claimed she just had a stomach bug, but...” Brady shook his head, adding, “And every now and then, she just...puts her hand on her belly. Not her stomach but lower. I don’t even think she realizes she’s doing it, but I noticed. So she finally took a test and... I thought if we got married... I want to do the right thing for the baby.”

  Pam’s stomach knotted, and her thoughts spun off in a hundred directions. Brady and his girlfriend had created a baby together by accident, when she and Scott couldn’t have the one they craved so deeply. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair! She shoved to her feet, putting a hand to her mouth and struggling to hold back the frustrated scream in her throat.

  Scott sent her a worried look. He knew where her mind had gone. He was likely thinking the same thing but had to be brave in front of his brother.

  “Brady, I’m sorry, man. I don’t know what to say.” Scott rubbed his hands on his sleep pants and divided a glance between her and his brother.

  “I thought we had somethin’,” Brady mumbled, his eyes blinking closed for a moment. He was about to pass out from the looks of it. “But she doesn’t care. About me...or my baby...” He swiped at his face. “She can’t get out of town fast enough. Don’t think she wants to keep the baby...it’ll mess up her college plans. That’s all she talks about lately. Goin’ off to that snotty school and leavin’ Boyd Valley in the dust. Leavin’ me in the dust.”

  Scott cast a side look to Pam. “Hon, I think Brady could use some coffee. Do you mind?”

  She clenched her trembling hands, trying to hide their shaking. “I think he’s beyond coffee. I’ll get him a pillow and blanket so he can sleep it off.”

  She pivoted on her heel and stalked out of the living room and down the hall to the linen closet, fighting back tears. Brady had gotten a girl pregnant. Without even trying. By mistake. Pam swallowed hard. What would Piper McCall do with the baby? Keep it? Put it up for adoption? Abort it? Her gut clenched hard, churning with nausea at the idea of Piper getting rid of the baby. Scott’s niece or nephew.

  It wasn’t fair! She swiped at a tear that tickled her cheek. Then stilled.

  Scott’s niece or nephew. His blood relation. An idea began to form, like a tickling at the nape of her neck. The tingling spread over her scalp as the idea grew stronger. Her heart thrashed in her chest, resolve solidifying.

  She jolted when Scott touched her shoulder. “He’s out.”

  “I want the baby,” she said, barely a breath.

  “I know. It’s crazy. It’s cruel fate that he—”

  She spun to face her husband. “No. I want that baby. Brady’s baby is your family. If she’s planning to give it up or is thinking she’ll get rid of it...”

  “Pam?”

  She was starting to hyperventilate. Grabbing the front of her husband’s T-shirt, she met his gaze with a pleading look. “We can call George in the morning. He has all kind of connections with adoption agencies around the country. I bet he knows people in Boston. That’s who she’d contact, right?”

  “Pam—”

  She shook the fistful of his shirt. “Listen! Surely with this kind of head start, George can alert his people, find out what she plans to do with the baby, find out if she plans to give it away and pull whatever strings he has to to get the baby for us.”

  Scott didn’t say anything for a moment, his expression sad but thoughtful. “If Brady knew we had his child, he’d—”

  She shook her head vehemently. “No. We can’t tell Brady. Piper can’t know it’s us trying to adopt. It’ll be our secret. A closed adoption. If they knew it was their baby, it would be too hard, too complicated.”

  Scott wiped the tears she hadn’t even realized she’d shed from her cheeks and kissed her forehead. “I know how much you’re hurting, how much you want a baby. But I don’t see how this would work. We’ll adopt another—”

  “It can work. We’ll explain everything to George, and he’ll make it work. He’s the best adoption attorney out there. I know he can do this.”

  Scott was shaking his head, and she released him with a shove. “So you won’t even try? We’re talking about your niece or nephew! This was meant to be. I feel it!”

  Scott ducked his head, his breathing heavy and quick. When he lifted his chin again and met her gaze, a spark of determination lit his eyes. “All right. I’ll call George in the morning.”

  Chapter 1

  Seven years later

  Piper was leaving town. Ken Grainger watched the evidence play out on his computer screen. Thanks to the tracking program he’d installed on her computer on a weekend when the accounting office was abandoned, he could see everything she did on her work computer. Getting access to her personal laptop had been a bit harder, but he’d rather enjoyed the challenge. He was even able to access her laptop camera and watch her in her apartment. Well, as far as the camera angle allowed. But he’d caught a few glimpses of her walking through her living room in her towel last week, and he was still enjoying the fantasies that peek created for him.

  He shoveled another spoonful of cereal in his mouth, then wiped dribbles of milk from his chin with his sleeve. He chewed and followed the movement of her cursor as she booked her flight for Denver.

  Ken frowned. He knew she was from Colorado, but she typically didn’t go back to her family’s ranch except at Christmas and for a brief visit around Mother’s Day. An October visit was unusual, and this break from her normal pattern didn’t sit well with him. Why was she going now? What was he missing?

  He grumbled a curse under his breath. He had to find a way to hack her new cell phone. He was missing so much valuable information by not being party to her texts and phone calls. Putting that kind of hacking in place would take a little more planning. Cunning.

  He grinned as sh
e typed in her credit card number to purchase the airline ticket. Challenge accepted. Piper was worth the effort and the expense involved. He would convince her, some way, that they were soul mates, destined to be together, and anyone who interfered with that destiny would pay the price.

  Like Ron Sandburg had.

  The dirtwad had tried to move in on his turf and had regretted it. He’d overheard Piper tell Elaine in the break room that the way Ron stared at her from his cubicle gave Piper the creeps. So after he’d seen Ron hitting on Piper at the coffee shop in the lobby of the office building, he’d made sure Ron Sandburg left Piper alone. Permanently.

  The look of confusion in Ron’s eyes, the instant of fear when Ron had known he was about to die, had been sweet payoff. A well-centered push on Ron’s chest as he’d topped the long flight of stairs in his apartment building...and any threat Ron had posed to his plans with Piper went tumbling down.

  Ken grinned to himself, relishing that victory.

  Yes, he would come up with a way to add her new phone to his surveillance, he vowed as he hit Print Screen to make a hard copy of her flight schedule. He’d remedy this gap in his surveillance as soon as feasible.

  But how? She kept her damn cell on her person all the time while she was at the office. He’d tried before to steal a peek at it, but she carried it in the pocket of the cardigan she wore year-round because the management kept the temperature of the office set to arctic.

  Turning to his second screen, he navigated to the airline’s reservation page and booked himself a ticket to Denver on the flight arriving just before Piper’s. He wanted to be in place at the Denver airport to observe her arrival. Who would pick her up? Where would she go after arriving? The family ranch or a hotel?

  He sloshed another bite of cereal into his mouth, irritated that he didn’t know the nature of her trip. Had someone died? Was this a business meeting? He dismissed the idea of this trip being work-related with a brisk shake of his head. Surely if this was company travel, he’d have heard about it in staff meetings or seen something come through her work email. If he could—