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Chapter One
Texas Ranger Colton Adams packed up his bag quickly. He’d just signed off on most of the report for the Mat Ryan case and as soon as his colleague Storm Cordero walked himself into Colton’s office with the wrap-up from the cyber department, Colton could officially stamp this case closed.
Three weeks of sifting through an entire parole officer’s documents to try to figure out why the hell Ryan had contributed to the aggravated harassment and assault of Aja Everett pushed well beyond his nonexistent patience for paperwork. As far as they could see, there was no rhyme or reason behind it, and Ryan’s partner, Eli Bennett, didn’t seem to be in the sharing mood to help lift the fog.
The twinge of a familiar pinch in his gut made Colton stiffen. That was his overactive brain trying to tell him there was something more. He’d felt it since the start of this case to the finish when Colton’s supervisor, Jackson, put a bullet in Mat Ryan, ending the man’s life. But with no supporting evidence, all he could do was pack his shit and get his happy hips on the road back to Restoration Ranch.
Persistent vibrating in his back pocket had him pulling out his cell and grinning like a fool when he saw Seneca Daniels’s name flash across the screen.
He accepted the call and quickly placed the phone next to his ear. “Evening, pretty lady. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Pleasure. I like that word.” The sultry tone of her voice climbed through the phone and spilled inside his brain, spreading throughout the rest of his body like a wildfire. “How ’bout you get yourself on over here and we examine it more closely?”
Tension tightened every part of his body, including his flesh pressing uncomfortably behind the metal zipper of his jeans. He groaned in response. “Seneca. You can’t talk to me like that when I’m this far away from you and in public.”
Her devilish giggle revealed her lack of concern about his current predicament. In fact, he’d say it was a safe bet she was enjoying herself.
“You still in Austin, cowboy? That’s too far away for what I have planned for you. What are you doing all the way out there anyway?”
He groaned again. Not just because his need for her had his skin feeling tight with desire. Nope, guilt was running a close second. “I promise, I’ll be there as soon as I can. But Sen, as much as I’d like everything the sound of your voice has me wanting, we need to talk.”
“I thought only women said that. Are you trying to let me down easy or something?”
“Never,” he growled more than spoke. From the day he’d met her, he’d wanted nothing more than to press his body against hers and find out what his name on her lips sounded like while he slid inside of her. But there was only one thing standing in the way of that. He was a Texas Ranger, and she didn’t know it.
Thinking about revealing this truth to her caused some of his internal heat to dissipate into the air. How do you tell the woman you’ve been lusting after for the last eight weeks that everything she knows about you was a lie concocted to help you investigate her?
“Colt? You still there?”
The sound of his name snapped him out of his thoughts and made him take a deep breath. He was a son of a bitch for a lot of reasons, but hurting Seneca couldn’t be one of them.
“Darlin’, the one thing you can count on is my desire to get closer to you. There was a lot going on at Restoration that made that difficult. But now, that’s all behind us.”
“But?”
He chuckled. He could picture the raised eyebrow and the no-bullshit slant of her mouth as she said that.
“I just want to be real with you about who I am, Sen. You’ve been through hell and I never want to add to that. So, as much as I wanna leave here and head straight for your place. How about we meet at the diner on Main Street for dinner, instead? Once we get everything out in the open, I promise I’ll take you back home and gladly let you have your way with me, if that’s what you want.”
Her sweet giggle jumped through the phone, lifting his mouth into the broadest grin. “Now, that sounds like a plan, cowboy. Hurry up. I’m hungry for dinner and you.”
A tap on the door, followed by Storm leaning his head into the office, made him mute his phone. “Hargrove wants to see you.”
The bottom in his stomach fell. “He say what for?” Storm’s usual easygoing face was pulled into tight lines as he shook his head. Whatever this was about, Colton was certain it would do two things: piss him off and fuck up his plans with Seneca.
Colton nodded and Storm closed the door. He unmuted the phone and tried to keep his tone light. “Hey, Sen, I gotta take care of one last thing before I can head out to you.” He glanced at his watch quickly before he continued throwing things in his beat-up leather satchel—because he was a cowboy and he refused to carry a briefcase. “I’ll meet you at the diner in two hours. That work for you?”
“Sure does. See you then, sweetness.”
She disconnected the line and all he could do was shake his head. Whatever Major Hargrove wanted, Colton promised himself one thing: he wasn’t about to disappoint that sexy-as-all-hell woman by getting bogged down with ranger work.
He threw his bag on his shoulder and thanked God in heaven he was only temporary supervisor for his team. Jackson would be back from medical leave in five weeks and it would no longer be Colton’s job to report directly to Major Hargrove.
“You wanted to see me, Major?” Colton could tell shit was about to go sideways when his supervisor smiled and waved him in. Major Hargrove was a hard-ass of the highest caliber. He was fair, a man who led by example, and Colton respected his leadership greatly. But even though Hargrove was a tough but fair boss, the man didn’t often find reasons to welcome his rangers into his office with a smile. What the fuck did I do now?
“Colton, I know you’re about to head out on leave, so thank you for dropping in on your way out.”
Colton nodded as he sat slowly, waiting for Hargrove to get to the point. “No problem, sir. What can I do for you?”
“How long have you been under my command?”
Colton swallowed as he tried to figure out what could have brought all of this on. After his army career, Colton always followed Ranger regulations to a tee.
“Ten years now.” Colton’s eyes narrowed into slits as he tried to decipher Hargrove’s angle. “Is there something wrong, sir?”
Hargrove shook his head and walked around to the front of his desk, sitting in front of Colton. “Colton, relax. There’s nothing wrong. You haven’t done anything wrong—you never do. You’re one of my best field rangers. You complete every stitch of paperwork you’re supposed to. You follow all the rules and regulations that go along with the job. If more of my rangers followed the rules as well as you, my job would be a breeze.”
Colton cocked his head to the side, giving it a brief nod as he continued to assess Major Hargrove’s motives. “Thank you for the compliment, Major. But something tells me you’re holding back. If you wanted to know how long I’ve been working here, you could’ve just looked it up on my personnel file. What’s going on?”
Hargrove nodded, one corner of his mouth hitched in a halfway smile. “Fair enough, I’ll cut to the chase. You’ve been a field ranger for ten years and have never sought to move up in the ranks. Why is that?”
Colton’s skin suddenly felt tight and uncomfortable on his large, bulky frame. This was not the conversation he wanted to have right now. That was especially true when all he wanted to do was spend his next two weeks off with Seneca. Seneca was fun, and light, and tempting as the day was long. But thinking about leadership, about his past life, that was as far from fun as ice was from a flame.
“Sir, I’m happy doing my job in the field. Not everyone needs a title to feel fulfilled. Sometimes you just want to do your work and go home.”
Hargrove chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re preaching to the choir on that one, son. There are days I’d go back to the field in a heartbeat. But every time I think about that, I think about how many lives I’ve impacted by being a leader in the rangers. You are a born leader, Colton. You may not like it, but you can’t run from it. I’d really like to see you move up in the ranks, take on more responsibility.”
He took a deep breath and slid his hands down his muscled thighs, trying to dry his palms. “What do you have in mind, Major?”
“Captain Johnston is gonna be retiring in the next six to eight weeks.”
“Retiring?” Colton did some mental math and put Johnston somewhere about ten to twelve years older than himself. “He loves this job. He’s really considering retiring?”
Hargrove nodded. “Yeah, his daughter just gave birth to his first grandbaby and, since then, nothing’s more important than spending time with that little one. The problem is, he’s currently heading up the new office we’re opening up in Spicewood. It’s a small, remote town in Hill Country, pretty similar to Fresh Springs. It’s about halfway between Austin and Fresh Springs. I need someone to temporarily head it up until Johnston’s permanent replacement is able to take command. Whoever I choose as interim lead needs to be someone I’m sure will follow the rules. I think that’s you.”
Colton wasn’t sure what to say. He’d worked hard to gain the confidence of his superior over the decade he’d been here. One, because he’d desperately needed the job, and two, because he prided himself on always giving one hundred percent to the job. Too bad his dedication hadn’t paid off during his service in the military.
“Are you sure you want me to replace Johnston? What about Jackson?”
Hargrove took a deep breath and leveled his gaze at Colton, pinning him to the chair. “Your loyalty is admirable. Don’t worry, Jackson isn’t being overlooked. He’s my choice for permanent lead. He has a few more weeks of rehab before he can even be assessed to return to duty, so I need you to go in now and learn the ropes and hold things down until he gets there.”
Colton felt the slight bit of tension in his gut lessen as the major relayed his plan. The idea of leading an entire division on his own dug up long-buried memories he’d spent a lifetime trying to forget.
“Son, I know part of the reason you’re so meticulous about following the rules is because the one time you didn’t, it got you thrown out of the army on your ass. But Colton, I don’t blame you for that. You were put in an unbelievable situation. Even though what you did was technically wrong, I don’t think anyone can blame you for your choices.”
That was a lie. Colton could think of one person who blamed himself for the choices he’d made that had led to him being tossed out of the service—him.
“Colton, I want you to take on the post. When Jackson is promoted and installed as captain, he’s gonna need a second to lean on. I’ve already spoken to him about it. He wants it to be you. Take this assignment as interim commanding officer in Spicewood and you’ll get a bump in rank to lieutenant too.”
Colton nodded. “I’ll think about it. Can I let you know after I come back from leave in two weeks?”
“Sure,” Hargrove replied as he walked back around to his desk chair. “You doing anything fun?”
He sure as hell hoped so. “I’m actually going back to Restoration Ranch to make sure Jackson’s doing okay.” It wasn’t a complete lie, but he knew it wasn’t the complete truth either.
“Tell that lucky son of a bitch I said hi.”
Colton stood and chuckled. “Lucky? The man is recuperating from a gunshot wound.”
“Yeah, in the arms of a beautiful woman I hear can cook like angels sing.”
“I can tell you from firsthand experience that rumor is based in complete fact. It’ll be too late to eat by the time I get there tonight. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to her buttermilk biscuits at breakfast.”
Colton extended his hand to Major Hargrove and the man grabbed it, giving it a strong shake. “The job and the promotion is yours if you want it. In the event you really want it, just keep your head down and follow the rules like you been doing and everything will be fine.”
Colton took a deep breath as he tried to ignore the warning bells going off in the back of his mind. But experience taught him his life was never that easy. “Sir, full disclosure, if this is a PR thing, you might not want me taking this on.”
Hargrove let his hand slip from Colton’s as he searched his face for answers. “I’ve already told you I’m not concerned about your past. You’ve done good work for me. That’s all that matters.”
“Maybe, maybe not. Either way, I think it’s probably important I tell you this anyway.” He straightened his spine and pulled his shoulders back. He needed his boss to know he wasn’t ashamed of anything he was about to say. “I have a personal relationship with Seneca Daniels. I know how some folks in high places are. They might not approve of you promoting a law enforcement agent who has a connection with an ex-con.”
Hargrove squinted and shoved his tongue in the side of his cheek before sitting back down in his chair and leaning back as he gave Colton an exasperated look.
“Exactly when did this personal relationship begin?”
Colton swallowed hard, wondering if he was canceling his career or not. “It was after the Restoration Ranch case was initially closed, when we thought Eli Bennett was solely responsible for the vandalism and the attack on Aja Everett. It wasn’t until nearly a month later when Seneca was poisoned with roofies that we reopened the case.”
Hargrove tapped his pen against his metal desktop while keeping his gaze fixed on Colton. His face was hard to read, but Colton would bet by the straight line of his mouth he wasn’t too thrilled.
“Does she know who you really are?”
“Funny thing, I’m on my way to tell her now. I can’t lie to her anymore. She needs to know the truth.”
Hargrove put the pen down and blew out a long breath between pursed lips. “So your visit to Restoration isn’t entirely about checking in on Jackson, is it?” When Colton shook his head, the major let a slow whistle escape his lips. “Boy, if you don’t have the damnedest luck when it comes to personal relationships and work.” Colton couldn’t help the chuckle that slipped from his lips. Hargrove sure as shit wasn’t lying. He’d hoped the last time his two worlds collided would in fact be the last time. But apparently life had decided once wasn’t enough.
“Colt, you haven’t committed any infractions I can reprimand you for. As long as Ms. Daniels remains a law-abiding citizen, and you don’t actively abet any potential crimes she may commit, who you sleep with is your business. However, I wouldn’t go announcing that to anyone before your promotion takes place. Like I said, keep your head down and do your job and this process should all go smoothly. See you when you return, Colton. Hope you’ll have good news for me when you do.”
Colton eased out of the room and closed the door. He had a lot to think about over these next two weeks and standing in the hall staring into space wasn’t going to help him with anything.
“First things first, Colton,” he mumbled as he finally walked out of the building and headed for his truck in the parking lot. “You’d better pray you can explain things to Seneca well enough that she doesn’t slaughter you. Otherwise, you might not live long enough to make this decision about a promotion.”
Seneca hung up the phone immediately. She sank back into her couch and let her shameless thirst for Colton settle in. Her face muscles were beginning to ache from all the smiling she did whenever she talked to Colton and, quite frankly, she didn’t care.
Only a couple of weeks had passed since he’d last visited her on the ranch. But damn if it didn’t feel like an eternity. Especially after her unexpected poisoning dashed any hopes they’d had of exploring their mutual attraction.
But with all the danger behind them and the clean bill of health her doctors gave her a couple of days ago at her last checkup, Seneca could not wait to lay her eyes and hands on Colton Adams and his sexy ass.
“Are you done daydreaming about Bo yet?” Seneca’s smile slipped as she fixed her gaze on Brooklyn walking into her front door. She gave Brooklyn the usual eye-roll reserved for that specific comparison between Colton and Beauregard “Bo” Duke from The Dukes of Hazzard. Besides, Bo was cute, but he didn’t have shit on the brooding ranch hand who starred in all of Seneca’s naughty dreams as of late.
“You know that’s some real offensive shit on so many levels, right?”
Brooklyn shrugged in response to Seneca’s question. Not bothering with an actual answer, she continued as if Seneca hadn’t asked anything. “I know you don’t officially come back to work for another three days,” Brooklyn continued, “but just so you know, the welcome center is finished and ready to be furnished. I need to know when you want to come in and do your IT thing before I have interior design head in.”
Seneca sighed heavily and cut her eyes in a sharp slant at her former cellmate. “Listen dream-crusher, stop trying to make everyone in the world as miserable as you.”
Brooklyn laughed as Seneca waved her into the cabin. The lovely beauty with the smooth, deep brown skin sat down in the nearby recliner and put her heels up on the coffee table.
“I’m not miserable, just honest. Blocking bullshit just saves me grief later. But judging by that goofy-ass smile on your face, I’d say you’re all for entertaining whatever that cowboy of yours is slinging your way.”
Seneca shrugged. Why deny it? She wasn’t the least bit ashamed of it. “Listen, if that pretty-ass man wants to break my dry spell, I am not about to stop him. You should try finding someone to do the same for you. Sexin’ is guaranteed to better your mood. Ask Aja—she certainly was in a better mood after she started getting a little brown sugar on the regular.”
“Whatever, chick.” Brooklyn sat up and then stood. “Just tell me when you’re going in to do your thing so I can get the welcome center finished.”
“See?” Seneca could see her gleeful voice was rubbing on the last of Brooklyn’s patience. “If you got a little lovin’ your ass wouldn’t be snapping at me about work. After I get some, I promise I’m gonna look out for you and find someone to knock the cobwebs loose for you too.”
Brooklyn rewarded her with a low growl that amused Seneca into genuine laughter. “Fine, be that way. I’ll handle it Monday. Only a few terminals are going in there—it shouldn’t take long.”
With a squint and a nod, Brooklyn got up to leave, but stopped in Seneca’s doorway. She threw a sly smirk in Seneca’s direction. “Even if you’re a pain in my ass, if you’re happy, so am I. Just watch yourself around him, Sen. Anyone that beautiful and charming is hiding something. It could be a wife or a couple of bodies. Either way, don’t get in too deep. You’ve got a lot to lose, so keep it light.”
Momentarily overwhelmed by the slight chink in Brooklyn’s armor, Seneca’s already good mood soared. “I knew you loved me.”
Brooklyn rolled her eyes while simultaneously flipping Seneca the bird. She was impressive like that. Fluent in “Fuck You,” she never wasted an opportunity to practice her linguistics.
Seneca blew her friend an exaggerated kiss accompanied by the requisite amount of juvenile smooching sounds. Brooklyn stopped a second and chuckled before she headed through the doorway, until the metal wind chimes signaled her exit out the front door.
It was good to have friends. Even perpetually grumpy ones like Brooklyn.
A quick glance at her phone’s clock display spurred her to get up and head for her bedroom. She had to see a man about a good time tonight. Being late just wouldn’t do.
Seneca checked her hair and makeup in her rearview mirror for what seemed like the millionth time. She never fussed over her appearance like this, but tonight was the night, and she couldn’t help wanting to be extra cute. Her curly, natural hair was free of its usual cornrows. And if the hair gods kept smiling on her, the Texas heat wouldn’t destroy her trendy braid-out.
She primped for a few minutes more before deciding her cute factor was on point and headed toward the diner. She wasn’t far from the entrance when she heard someone call out. “You sure do clean up well.”
Her muscles locked and halted her stride as a chill passed across the surface of her skin. She didn’t need to turn around to know who was speaking. That voice had terrified her for nearly seven years.
“If I’d known all of this was under your standard-issue orange jumpsuit, I might have demanded other perks from you than your computer skills.”
Sheriff Leroy Hastings finally stepped around and then in front of her. He let his lecherous gaze slide down the length of her, and instantly Seneca wanted a shower.
She fought against her desire to recoil in disgust. Play it cool, Seneca. Stay calm so he doesn’t have a reason to react, a reason to feel threatened, an excuse to take your freedom away.
“Evening, Sheriff.”
His lanky form vibrated with a soundless chuckle. “You look like you’ve got plans. I remember a time when the only plans you had were the ones I gave you. You remember, don’t’cha? Those were the good ole days.”
That wasn’t exactly how she remembered their time together in the state pen when he was the corrections officer in charge of her cellblock. She didn’t refute his delusions. Good sense demanded she remain silent if she wanted to get out of this situation with the least harm.
“Well, I don’t want to keep you from whatever’s waiting on you in the diner, but while I have you here, might as well say what’s on my mind. I’ve run into a bit of a cash flow problem recently. To help that, I’mma need you to resume our previous agreement.”
She shook her head out of reflex as panic flooded her insides, making her body feel two sizes too small. Bad move. She could see anger spark in his eyes. She looked around the dark parking lot for another soul or a way out, but there was none.
“I’ve done my time. You can’t do this to me again. You made me use my hacking skills to steal money for you on the inside. That’s not happening ever again.”
The nonchalant shrug he offered made her blood run cold. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that. I was the law when you were in lockup. Now I’m the law out here. Whatever I say goes. And even your fancy lawyer lady can’t do nothing about that.”
“You can’t do this.” She said the words again to convince herself as much as the sheriff.
“I can do what I want. You think ’cause you out there on that ranch I can’t make things hard for you? For the people you work with? Work for? It really would be a shame to see all that hard work that Everett lady has done go up in smoke.”
His threat made her stomach plummet as if she were on the peak of a roller-coaster track.
“Are you threatening to burn down the ranch?”
He chuckled, putting his morbid humor on display for her.
“I don’t need to go through all of that trouble. Arson is way too messy. But it would be a shame if she couldn’t get the necessary permits required to operate the kind of business she’s trying to open up.”
The chimes on the door of the diner rang out into the night air as a patron opened the door and headed in their direction. Seneca took advantage of the distraction and walked around the sheriff and headed for the door. When her foot touched the bottom step he called out to her.
“I’ll be in touch, Ms. Daniels.” He smiled, tipped his hat, then walked back to his cruiser.
His words made the hairs on her arms stand up at attention, even after he’d pulled out of the parking lot. He might have sounded benign and businesslike. But Seneca saw through his bullshit for what it was: a threat.
She shook herself and headed inside. That man had ruined her life for too many years to give him one moment more of her time than necessary.
She waved at Martha-Jean standing behind the counter. “You want me to set you up right here or you want a booth?”
Seneca glanced around. Save for a man sitting at the other end of the counter, the entire diner was empty. Seneca tipped her head toward the booths behind her. “Is the back booth available? I’m expecting company.”
Martha-Jean nodded and grabbed two menus before walking Seneca to her requested booth. “Let me know when you’re ready to order.”
She smiled and took a relieved breath when she sat down. As much as she enjoyed sitting at the counter and chatting with the waitstaff as they worked, tonight she needed this booth. It would give Colton and her more privacy. But more importantly, it would give her a chance to get herself together after her encounter with Hastings.
“He’s gone. He can’t hurt you anymore. Just focus on tonight.”
End of Excerpt
