“And I’m definitely not sorry we kissed. In fact, I’m hoping we will kiss again.”

Tanner pulled his hands from his pockets and took another step backward. She was killing him with her come-hither gaze and words of encouragement to continue the madness.

“It won’t happen again, Josie. I think we both have enough serious issues going on in our lives. We don’t need to mix in a relationship that will go nowhere and would only complicate things,” he said firmly.

He hated how quickly her smile disappeared and the gold sparkle in her eyes faded, but somebody had to inject cold, hard reality into the crazy conversation.

And the cold, hard reality was that, despite his desire for her, he had no place in his life for a young woman like Josie. She would be a mistake and he wasn’t willing to make that error again. There was no place for any woman in his life.

* * *

We hope you enjoy this dramatic series: The Coltons of Texas: Finding love and buried family secrets in the Lone Star State …

Colton Cowboy
Hideout
Carla Cassidy

www.millsandboon.co.uk

CARLA CASSIDY is an award-winning, New York Times bestselling author who has written more than one hundred and twenty novels for Mills & Boon. In 1995, she won Best Silhouette Romance from RT Book Reviews for Anything for Danny. In 1998, she also won a Career Achievement Award for Best Innovative Series from RT Book Reviews. Carla believes the only thing better than curling up with a good book to read is sitting down at the computer with a good story to write.

Contents

Cover

Introduction

Title Page

About the Author

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

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter 1

She was definitely out of her element. Josie Colton had known that the Colton Valley Ranch just outside of Dallas in Brush Valley was a multibillion-dollar operation, but she hadn’t really processed just how well-off this branch of the family was until now.

The early July sun gleamed on the large black ornate gates with COLTON VALLEY RANCH in gold lettering just in front of her car. Beyond the gates in the distance a white, two-story mansion with one-story wings on either side sprawled across a manicured lawn with a regal grace that screamed of wealth and privilege.

For just a brief moment Josie wanted to back up, turn around and leave. She wasn’t prepared to meet these people who were family, but strangers nevertheless. After seven years in the witness protection plan, she scarcely felt ready to face her own new life of freedom.

She gripped the steering wheel tightly and remembered that all of her siblings were counting on her. She wasn’t here for a social visit; she was here to do a job and she definitely didn’t want to disappoint the family she had been reunited with so recently.

She pulled closer to the gates and noticed a speaker built into the column to her left. She rolled down her window and leaned partway out, the sun already hot despite the fact that it was only eight in the morning. Since it was Monday she hoped she’d arrived early enough that Eldridge Colton hadn’t already left the house for business purposes.

“Hello?” she called.

“May I help you?” a disembodied male voice replied.

“Hmm, I’m Josie Colton and I believe I’m expected.”

The gates opened as if by magic and Josie pulled through. She glanced in her rearview mirror to see them closing behind her.

At least there didn’t appear to be anyone following her. For the past couple of weeks more than once a creepy-crawly feeling had suffused her, making her look over her shoulder for some phantom bogeyman.

“No bogeyman,” she said firmly and shoved the thought out of her head.

When she’d spoken to her distant cousin, Eldridge Colton, the night before, she had told him exactly what she wanted and why she needed his permission to be on his land. He hadn’t hidden a touch of amusement at her request, but had agreed to allow her access to the property.

Now here she was, and despite all she’d been through in her twenty-three years of life, nerves jumped and bubbled in the pit of her stomach.

She parked in the driveway and got out of her car. A light, hot breeze sent her long dark hair flying into unruly disarray and before she rang the doorbell she reached up to smooth the strands.

She was still finger-combing her hair and gathering her nerve when the door opened to reveal a tall, thin older man. Clad in a dark suit, crisp white shirt and gray tie, he sported a gray mustache and a bald head covered with a few thin wisps of gray hair.

“Eldridge?” she ventured tentatively.

“No, ma’am, I’m Aaron Mansfield, the butler.” He opened the door wider to allow her entry. “If you’ll wait here, I’ll see if Mr. Eldridge is available to see you.”

He turned and disappeared down a hallway as Josie gazed around at her surroundings. The huge foyer not only sported gorgeous marble floors, but there were also twin curved staircases that swept down from the second floor and nearly stole her breath away with their grand beauty.

She had been raised in a foster home and was most recently suspected of being a serial killer like her father. After spending seven years in the witness protection program in the small town of Excelsior Springs, Missouri, it would have been easy for her to be overwhelmed and intimidated by the opulence that surrounded her.

But Josie was a survivor and she was on a mission. She’d already been through more difficult times in her life than most people suffered in an entire lifetime. She refused to be cowed by anything or anyone. For the first time ever her family was depending on her to do a job and she didn’t want to blow it. She straightened her shoulders and raised her chin as Aaron Mansfield approached her once again.

“Mr. Eldridge is still sleeping, but his wife, Mrs. Whitney, has agreed to see you in the parlor. Please follow me.”

He led her to a set of ornate double doors off the foyer. He opened them and gestured for her to enter. Josie swallowed a small gasp of surprise as she got her first sight of Eldridge’s wife.

Whitney Colton was clad in an emerald green dressing gown and lounged on a white chaise. Her shoulder-length blond hair was perfectly coiffed and her makeup was impeccable, enhancing her delicate features and bright green eyes. Josie knew Eldridge was seventy-five years old. His wife was at least two decades younger than him.

“Don’t dawdle. Come in,” Whitney said and waved a hand airily toward a nearby chair.

Josie quickly walked across the room to the chair and sank down. “Hello, I’m Josie Colton and I’m here to—”

“I know why you’re here,” Whitney interrupted. “My Dridgey-pooh told me all about you last night after you called him.”

Dridgey-pooh? Josie inwardly groaned.

“It’s so nice to meet a part of the family we don’t know,” Whitney said with a warm smile.

Josie relaxed against the back of the chair. “Thank you. It’s nice to meet you, too. I really appreciate you all allowing me access to your property.”

“Dridgey-pooh said it was okay, so I suppose it’s okay. He told me all about your family. He said your father spent some time here when he was younger.”

“Yes, although it was about twenty years ago or so,” Josie replied.

Whitney leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with a sudden hardness. “Tell me, Josie, how does it feel to be the daughter of an infamous serial killer? Oh, I probably shouldn’t have asked that. It was rude, wasn’t it? Please don’t be upset with me.”

The question might have been rude, but it was obvious the woman wanted an answer. And how on earth did one answer a question like that?

“It’s been rather difficult,” Josie finally replied.

Whitney’s mouth pursed in a slight pout. She was obviously not pleased with the shortness of Josie’s response. Her eyes suddenly widened and she leaned back against the chaise, her perfectly arched eyebrows raised in an unmistakable expression of fear.

“I certainly hope you don’t share any crazy homicidal tendencies with your father.” Her voice was suddenly breathy.

“You don’t have to worry—” Josie didn’t get the entire sentence out of her mouth before Whitney interrupted again.

“I don’t really like the idea of you being here at all, but the very last thing I want is to make you mad at me.”

Josie’s brain ping-ponged in her head with Whitney’s mercurial mood swings. Did the woman have some kind of mental problem? What was her deal? Before she could respond Aaron appeared in the doorway once again.

“Tanner is here to see you.” He no sooner got the words out of his mouth when a tall, blond man in worn tight jeans and a white T-shirt swept past the butler and into the room.

An unexpected butterfly took flight in the pit of Josie’s stomach as he gazed at her with the blue eyes of a cloudless Texas sky.

He gave a curt nod in greeting and then turned to Whitney. “I’m sorry to interrupt but I just wanted to let you know that Clementine birthed her foal early this morning and both are doing well.”

“Thank you, Tanner, and I am so glad you’re here.” She pointed to Josie. “This is Jodie Colton, one of Eldridge’s very distant cousins. She’s here to find a watch or something that is buried on the property. You can see to it that she gets what she needs as quickly as possible.”

There was still a touch of breathless distress in Whitney’s voice and it was obvious by her words that she wanted Josie gone sooner rather than later. So much for the warmth of her initial greeting, Josie thought.

The man walked over to Josie and held out a hand. “I’m Tanner Grange, the ranch foreman.”

Josie rose and shook his hand, the butterfly turning dizzying somersaults at the brief physical contact with his warm, slightly calloused hand. “Hi, I’m Josie Colton and it’s nice to meet you.”

“Jodie... Josie.” Whitney released a musical burst of laughter. “All I know is that it’s a beautiful Monday morning and Eldridge and I have a breakfast to attend downtown, but before I get ready I need my guava-kale smoothie. Tanner, see that Josie gets whatever she needs and let me know when she’s off the property.” She turned on the lounge to face the doorway. “Bettina, bring me my smoothie.”

Her last sentence was screamed and Josie didn’t miss the slight roll of Tanner’s gorgeous eyes. “Shall we?” He gestured toward the door to leave.

With pleasure. Josie didn’t mind getting down to business and putting the dramatic, temperamental Whitney behind her. As Josie followed the hunk out of the parlor, she couldn’t help but notice his slightly faded jeans looked awesome on his taut butt, as did his T-shirt, which was pulled tight across his broad shoulders.

Get a grip. The very last thing she wanted or needed in her life at the moment was any kind of a romantic connection. Besides, Tanner Grange looked old enough and was definitely hot enough to already be married.

He led her back into the foyer, where he stopped and turned to face her. His handsome, chiseled features formed a slight frown across his forehead that did nothing to detract from his attractiveness. “I’m afraid I have no clue exactly what I’m supposed to help you with. Whitney didn’t explain it very well.”

“She was worried about her guava-kale smoothie,” Josie said drily and then bit her tongue. She had no idea what this man thought about his boss and the last thing Josie wanted to do was make a bad impression or alienate the man who had been tasked to help her.

She was relieved when Tanner offered her a wry grin. “Whitney does love her smoothies, among other fairly superficial creature comforts.” His smile fell into a gaze of curiosity. “So, she mentioned something about a buried watch?”

Josie nodded. “My siblings and I were told our father buried a watch here years ago on this property. My father is a second cousin to Eldridge and spent some time here when he was younger. He’s dying now and the watch has sentimental value to him and he’d like to be buried with it, so I’m here to hopefully find it.”

There were a million things Josie didn’t say, like that her father was in prison, convicted of killing nine men and Josie’s own mother. She also didn’t mention that she and her siblings believed the watch might hold a map that could possibly lead to her father’s stash of money from old bank heists he had committed before he went to prison twenty years ago.

“I’m sorry about your father.”

“Thanks,” Josie replied. “He’s been sick for a long time.”

“This is a big spread. Do you have any idea where this watch might be?”

“It’s supposed to be at the base of an old oak tree with some kind of carvings in the trunk and the tree is near a brook or a stream.”

Whitney’s strident voice drifted out to them. “Moira, wake up Eldridge. He needs to get ready for the fund-raising breakfast downtown.”

Tanner frowned. “I think I know that particular tree. It’s in a pasture a bit of a distance away from the house. Do you ride?”

“Ride? You mean like on a horse?” Josie shook her head. “I’m afraid I’ve never had the opportunity.”

“That’s all right. We can take one of the ranch trucks. Shall we?” He gestured toward the front door.

Josie was just about to step outside when a bloodcurdling scream pierced the air.

* * *

Adrenaline pumped through Tanner as he recognized the scream as coming from the housekeeper, Moira. “Excuse me,” he muttered to Josie and turned to race down the hallway toward the master suite.

He was vaguely aware of Aaron, Whitney and the pretty petite Josie following right behind him. Dread coursed through him as he saw Moira standing just outside of the doorway of the bedroom.

She held a trembling finger to her lips and looked every day of her seventy-five years. As she saw Tanner she pointed into the room, horror gripping her features into a tight mask.

At his age, Eldridge wasn’t in the best of health and Tanner’s first thought was that the old man had probably passed away in his sleep.

He flew into the large room and then froze in his tracks in stunned surprise. In an instant his brain registered several things. The window to the gardens was open and the screen had been removed. The lamp on the nightstand was overturned. The covers on the bed appeared to have been dragged off and something that looked like blood was both on the windowsill and on the floor next to the bed.

Eldridge was gone.

“Oh, my God!” Whitney screamed from behind Tanner. “Where is he? What’s happened?” She pushed past Tanner and ran into the adjoining bathroom. “Eldridge honey, where are you?” A wail ensued, letting Tanner know the old man wasn’t there.

Whitney stumbled back into the bedroom, and at the same time Fowler Colton, Eldridge’s eldest son, ran into the room. He was followed by his sister, Alanna.

Bedlam ensued as more of the Colton family appeared on the scene. Zane, Eldridge’s adopted son and head of security, shouted to be heard above Whitney’s hysterical screams.

Within minutes all of Whitney and Eldridge’s children and stepchildren were in the room except one. Aaron held on to his wife, Moira, his eyes misted with tears, and Josie cowered against a wall as if attempting to disappear.

“Everyone out of the room,” Reid Colton yelled above the din. “We need to preserve the evidence.” He attempted to herd everyone back out into the hallway.

“I just called Sheriff Watkins,” Fowler replied. “He’s on his way. In the meantime, I need to take a look around.”

“No, you don’t. You need to get out of here like everyone else,” Reid replied tersely.

“Don’t act like you’re a cop. You just used to be one,” Fowler replied with a raise of his chin. “As I remember, brother, your badge was taken away from you.”

Reid stared menacingly at Fowler and one of his hands tightened into a fist. “Don’t go there, brother.”

“You two, don’t even start,” Whitney cried. She started out of the door and then stopped and stared at Josie. “You! You did this. You brought evil into the house. It’s all your fault. You’re the devil!” She covered her eyes and wept as her daughter Piper placed an arm around her shoulders and quickly led her from the room.

Josie’s hazel eyes were wide and her lower lip began to tremble. Tanner fought the crazy impulse to shelter her with his arm. Instead he motioned for her to follow him out of the bedroom and fought against his worry for the old man he’d looked on like a father.

“Everyone into the parlor,” Fowler instructed. “Sheriff Watkins will want to question everyone when he and his men get here.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for Josie to be in the parlor with Whitney,” Tanner said. “I’ll take her into the dining room and we’ll wait there for the sheriff.”

Josie gave him a grateful glance. He didn’t wait for permission from anyone, but took her by the arm and led her in the opposite direction from the rest of the people. The last thing needed at the moment was Whitney’s histrionics directed toward Josie.

As they walked toward the formal dining room Tanner tried to tamp down his fear for Eldridge. What on earth had happened in that bedroom?

It had been obvious that a struggle had occurred. Had it happened that morning? Sometime in the night? Had the old man been kidnapped? Had he been killed? There hadn’t been a lot of blood to indicate a death, but there had certainly been enough for Tanner to be extremely concerned about Eldridge’s well-being.

The formal dining room was a large room with a table that nearly stretched from one end to the other. Several large candelabras were positioned on a black-and-gold table runner and held fat, white pillar candles.

This was where the large family usually gathered to take their evening meal together. Breakfast and lunch were less formal. He gestured Josie into one of the high-backed chairs and then sank down in the chair next to her.

Josie’s scent wafted toward him, a heady combination of spices mingling with a fresh peach fragrance. He’d experienced a swift kick of physical attraction to her the moment he’d first laid eyes on her. Her long dark hair looked silky, and she might be small and petite, but her body was perfectly proportioned. But at the moment that was the last thing on his mind.

He reached up and rubbed the center of his forehead, where a headache attempted to take hold. Loud voices could still be heard coming from the parlor, where the family and other staff members were gathered together.

“Whatever happened in that bedroom, I’m in no way responsible,” Josie said. Her eyes simmered as she held his gaze. He couldn’t help but notice her eyelashes were lush and long.

“I’m aware of that. I just wish I knew what really did happen.”

“There were so many people. Are all of them family?”

He nodded. “Eldridge had two children, Fowler and Alanna, with his first wife, Darla. When Darla died Eldridge married Whitney, who had two children, Zane and Marceline. Eldridge and Whitney had three children together, Thomas, Piper and Reid. Well, actually, Piper was an orphan who they adopted. The only one who wasn’t in the bedroom a few minutes ago was Marceline.”

“Thank goodness I won’t be here long enough to try to keep them all straight,” Josie replied.

“They all have very distinct personalities, so once you’ve been around them for a short period of time it’s fairly easy to figure out who is who,” he replied. It was easier to focus on the Colton family dynamics rather than his fear for his boss and mentor.

The faint shriek of sirens was audible from somewhere outside, and before they halted their cry, Brianna Nugent flew into the dining room.

Tanner jumped out of his chair at the sight of his young nanny. “Brianna, what are you doing in here? Where are the girls?” A new concern whipped through him. Had something happened to them?

“Peggy said she’d watch them for a few minutes,” Brianna replied and tugged on the end of the thick blond braid that fell forward over her shoulder. “What’s going on? There’s so much negative energy in the air. It’s totally upsetting my chakra.”

Tanner drew in a breath and sought some modicum of patience before replying. “Eldridge is missing. I’m sorry about your chakra, but you really need to get back to the girls.”

“Do you mind if I burn some sage in the nursery to clear away some of the bad energy?”

Tanner stared at her in disbelief. “You are not to burn anything in the nursery ever,” he replied firmly. “Now, I’d appreciate it if you’d get back to the twins. The negative air in here is far worse than any in the staff wing.” As Brianna whirled back out of the room, Tanner sat once again and released a deep sigh.

“You have twin daughters?” Josie asked.

Tanner relaxed a bit. It was impossible to feel too stressed out when he thought about his little girls. “Lily and Leigh—they’re eighteen months old. Brianna is their nanny.”

“So your wife works outside of the home?”

“My ex-wife, and she died a little over a year ago.” He fought against the sense of failure that always tried to take hold of him when he thought of Helen.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Josie replied.

“Thanks.” He leaned forward, tension once again twisting inside of him. “I just hope Brianna doesn’t let her unsettled chakra affect the twins. Kids pick up on grown-ups’ emotions so easily, and the last thing I want is for them to be upset.”

He also knew with a sinking sensation that Brianna, with her slightly crazy new age mentality, was probably going to have to be replaced. Anyone who thought burning sage in the nursery was okay wasn’t the kind of nanny he wanted for his girls.

He shoved the thought aside and looked at Josie once again. “What about you? Are you married? Have children?” Although Josie looked far too young for either, he wanted—needed—some conversation to keep his mind busy until the sheriff or somebody else official came in to speak with them.

“Neither,” she replied.

“Do you have other family?”

“Five brothers and a sister, but my mother died when I was three and we had an absent father, so we were all separated and grew up in different foster-care homes.”

“Foster care can be tough. It must have been especially difficult being separated from your brothers and sister.”

She stared down at the tabletop and traced an imaginary pattern on the wood with her fingertip. “It was, but you know what they say—when you’re handed lemons make lemonade.”

She dropped her hand into her lap and looked up at him again. “By the time I was six there were five other foster kids living in the same house as me. I made them my brothers and sisters and tried to take good care of them. What about you? Do you have other family?”

“It’s just me and my daughters,” he replied.

Eldridge was missing under mysterious circumstances. Josie Colton stirred something inside Tanner that hadn’t been stirred in a long time. Then there was the worry that he probably needed to hire a new nanny...again.

He was almost relieved when Sheriff Troy Watkins appeared in the doorway. “Tanner, I need to ask you both some questions.” The tall, dark-haired lawman pulled a notepad and pen out of his shirt pocket and then looked at Josie, his gray eyes flat and emotionless.

“Josie Colton, I understand you arrived at the ranch just before Eldr—Mr. Colton was found missing. Where were you last night?”

“I was at my apartment in Granite Gulch. I got up early this morning to drive in,” Josie replied. “If they have security cameras around the area, then I’m sure they’ll show you precisely when I arrived here.”

“And you’re one of Mr. Colton’s cousins?” Troy asked.

“We’re third cousins. I’ve never even met him. I just spoke to him on the phone last night. He agreed to let me come here and search for an old watch that belongs to my father.”

Troy turned to look at Tanner. “And what about you, Tanner? Where were you in the hours before Eldridge was found missing?”

“I spent the night in the barn. We had a horse that foaled and I didn’t leave the barn until this morning when I came into the house to speak with Whitney. She introduced me to Josie and here we are. Several of the ranch hands were in and out of the barn all night,” Tanner explained. “They can tell you I was in the barn until this morning.”

“I only planned on being here today,” Josie said.

“Your plans have now changed,” Troy replied flatly. “I don’t want you leaving here until we’ve conducted a more thorough investigation.”

He turned back to look at Tanner. “Whitney told me to tell you to find accommodations for Ms. Colton in the staff wing and to see that she has whatever she needs.”

Tanner stifled a sigh. As if he didn’t already have enough chaos in his brain, he’d now been given a babysitting duty for a very hot young woman whose lower lip trembled slightly. Her eyes had darkened with what suspiciously looked like secrets.

Chapter 2

It was like watching a mystery movie where Josie didn’t know the actors and definitely couldn’t get a grasp on the plot. Eldridge was missing, Whitney thought she was the devil incarnate and the only oddly comforting element in the craziness was the tall, rather stoic man beside her whom she’d met only an hour or so ago.

Evil. You came from evil and that blood runs through your veins. She mentally shook her head to dispel the inner voice that haunted her more often than she wanted to admit.

She’d been grateful that the sheriff hadn’t asked any questions about her father. Her first impulse now was to jump in her car and get out of here as fast as possible, but with the sheriff’s admonition not to leave the property ringing in her ears, that wasn’t an option.

Even though she’d never met Eldridge she was concerned for his safety, but she couldn’t believe she was now under some sort of house arrest until further notice.

“Come on. I’ll show you to the staff quarters,” Tanner said. “Besides, I’m eager to check in on my daughters.”

She followed him out of the dining room and into a labyrinth of hallways that led farther away from the family’s living space.

“The left wing is where Fowler and Alanna live,” he explained as they walked. “In the main house Eldridge and Whitney have the first-floor suite and everyone else has suites on the second floor. This right wing is for some of the staff.”

“None of the children are married?” she asked.

“As far as I know, none of them are even close except maybe Fowler. He’s had a girlfriend forever, but so far they aren’t even engaged yet.”

“Fowler’s the oldest, right?”

Tanner nodded. “He’s the president of Colton Incorporated and a genius at business wheeling and dealing.”

Josie frowned. From what small interaction she’d seen between all of them, Fowler had appeared to be a bit of a pompous jerk.

“Feel free to check on your daughters before you show me to a room,” Josie said as they turned down another long hallway.

He flashed her a grateful smile over his muscled shoulder. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

No, thank you. Oh, she could definitely get used to his beautiful smiles. But, of course, she hoped she wouldn’t be here long enough to get used to anything. Hopefully she’d find the watch and then the sheriff would allow her to go home before the end of the day.

They continued down several more hallways before he stopped in front of a door. “This is my suite,” he said and then opened the door to allow her into a small but inviting living room with a kitchenette area.

The room was decorated in warm earth tones and the brown sofa held not only a couple of yellow throw pillows, but also a plastic baby doll and a little bedraggled stuffed dog. Two high chairs sat side by side on the small square of tiled area just in front of a window next to the refrigerator.

The sound of crying babies drifted out from another room. Josie followed him through the living room, past what was obviously the master bedroom, and another closed door and then into a smaller room where Brianna stood with one twin in her arms and the other one clinging to her legs. The young nanny looked frantic.

Despite their tears, the twins were beautiful, each with blond curls and big blue eyes. One was clad in pink shorts and a pink-flowered top and the other was dressed all in purple.

The room was obviously not only a place for the twins to sleep, but also where they played. A large wooden box rested between the two cribs and was filled with toys, and a miniature table and chairs in bright primary colors was set against one wall.

“What’s going on?” Tanner asked. The little girl in Brianna’s arms reached out to him and he took her from the nanny.

Josie didn’t hesitate. She leaned down and plucked the other twin from Brianna’s legs. “Hi, baby,” she said with a big smile. “Are you Lily or Leigh?”

The beautiful blond-haired girl stopped crying and eyed Josie soberly, and then her rosebud lips curled up into a responding smile.

“You have Lily,” Tanner said. “Lily wears purple and Leigh wears pink to make it easy for people to tell them apart.” He patted Leigh’s back as she sniffled a final little hiccuping sob. “How long have they been crying?” He looked at Brianna.

“Just for a couple of minutes,” she replied and her pointed chin thrust upward defensively. “It’s time for them to go down for their morning nap and they always get a bit crabby around now.”

As if to support Brianna’s claim, Lily yawned and snuggled closer against Josie’s chest. Josie’s heart squeezed with a sharp surge of unexpected emotion.

There had never been much softness in Josie’s life, but her head was now filled with the scent of sweet baby and Lily’s little body warmed not just the front of her blouse, but radiated through the cotton material to heat her heart in a way she’d never felt before.

Tanner gazed at Lily and Josie for a long moment. “If you don’t mind, I’ll just get them settled down in their cribs before we take off.”

“I don’t mind at all,” Josie replied. “Take all the time you need.”

Brianna sat on a tiny chair at a miniature table as Tanner carried Leigh to one of the cribs.

Josie followed his lead and took Lily to the other crib and placed her on the mattress on her tummy. She rubbed Lily’s back and Lily scrubbed at her eyes with a balled fist.

Within minutes both girls were sound asleep and Tanner gestured for Brianna and Josie to follow him out of the nursery and back into the living room.

“Has there been any word about Eldridge?” Brianna asked. Her hand worried the end of her braid with sparkling blue-painted fingernails.

Tanner frowned. “No, nothing, but hopefully the sheriff will have some answers for everyone soon. I’ll check in later this afternoon.” With a nod to Brianna, he then gestured for Josie to follow him out of the suite.

“I’m fairly sure the room next door to mine is empty,” he said. He raked a hand through his hair and appeared distracted.

“Before you show me a room, why don’t we see if I can dig up the watch? Hopefully by that time the mystery of Eldridge’s disappearance will be solved and the sheriff will let me leave and go home,” Josie replied.

She had a feeling the last thing Tanner Grange needed was to babysit her. It had been obvious he was concerned about Eldridge and the additional worry over a nanny who wanted to burn sage in a children’s nursery. He had enough on his plate without her.

“Are you sure?” he asked. “We could get you settled in here before taking off for that tree.”

She shook her head. “Maybe I won’t have to get settled in here at all.”

“All right, then.” He looked slightly relieved.

“I just hate that you have to take the time to show me to that tree.”

“It’s not a problem. In fact, the distraction will be good for me,” he assured her.

Minutes later they were outside in the hot July sun and heading for a black king-cab pickup truck parked by one of the many barns on the property.

“This is some spread,” Josie said as she hurried her steps to keep up with his long strides. As far as the eye could see were pastures and outbuildings.

“It is,” he agreed. “Someday I’d like to have a ranch of my own, although certainly nothing on this scale. It’s my dream to have a place of my own to work, a place my girls can really call home.” They reached the truck. “Why don’t you go ahead and get in and I’ll just grab a shovel from the barn.”

As he disappeared into the building, Josie climbed into the passenger seat. The truck interior smelled like Tanner, a heady combination of clean male and woodsy-scented cologne.

When he came back out of the barn, a black cowboy hat covered his head and he carried a shovel. Once again she couldn’t help but notice his attractiveness. Nothing better than a man in tight jeans and a cowboy hat, she thought.

The last time she’d experienced this kind of strong magnetic tug toward a man had been when she was sixteen years old and had fallen head over heels in love with Michael Evans. Her heart squeezed tight as old memories of her first and only love washed over her.

She and Michael had been achingly young and full of silly dreams—dreams that had been unable to last under the harshness of her reality.

Her thoughts returned to the here and now and the man who had instantly sparked something inside of her. Tanner Grange had a tough road ahead of him as a single parent. How tragic that he’d lost his ex-wife so young, leaving him as the sole parent to those two beautiful girls.

The shovel clanged noisily as he placed it in the pickup bed and then he got in behind the wheel.

“Your daughters are darling,” she said as he started the engine and took off.

“Thanks. They’re my entire life.” He frowned. “And finding a good nanny for them has been almost impossible. Brianna is the fourth one I’ve hired in the past six months or so.”

“What was wrong with the first three?” Josie asked curiously. She was eager to talk about anything but the fact that there were still several official vehicles parked at the house, indicating that the investigation was ongoing.

“The first woman was too impatient. She snapped at the girls constantly. The second lost one of the twins at the petting zoo we have here on the property, and the one before Brianna thought it was perfectly okay to strap the girls into the chairs at their little table with belts whenever they misbehaved.” His jaw tensed. “I know the girls can be a handful, but no way will I tolerate that kind of discipline.”

Josie was horrified that anyone would think it was okay to tie up a child anywhere. “That’s appalling, but Brianna seems nice enough.”

His muscles relaxed a bit. “She’s kind to the girls, although I think she gets overwhelmed easily and her chakra is constantly getting out of joint, so there’s no telling how long she’ll hang around.” He shot her a quick glance. “You seem like you’re good with children.”

A small laugh escaped her. “Other than when I was mothering the little ones in foster care, I’ve never had an opportunity to be around any before today.”

“Then I guess that makes you a natural,” he replied.

Josie stared out the passenger window and considered his words. Was she a natural with children? She had no idea what she was good at or where she was going. Until a month ago she hadn’t believed she had any kind of a future at all.

At the moment her future held only the need to find the watch and take it back to Granite Gulch so she and her siblings could take it to her father in prison.

She only hoped Eldridge Colton didn’t wind up murdered. She’d had more than enough of murder and mayhem to last the rest of her life.

She glanced at Tanner once again. His attention was directed out the window, but a pulse had begun working in his jaw again. She fought against a crazy impulse to lean over and stroke away the knot of tension. “You’re worried about Eldridge,” she ventured.

He flashed another gaze at her from his amazing blue eyes. “I am. He’s a character, and he definitely has enough kids of his own, along with Whitney’s kids that he adopted, but he’s always treated me as a sort of adopted son.

“I lost my parents in a car accident when I was twenty-two and Eldridge hired me on here and helped fill that void. I was honored when he made me foreman four years ago. I wasn’t sure I was ready to take on the responsibility, but he assured me that I was the man he wanted for the job. I care about him deeply.” His masculine voice cracked.

“I hope he’s found safe and sound,” she replied, although she already feared the worst for Eldridge. There was no question that there had been a struggle and there had been blood. Definitely not a good thing.

“There seemed to be a lot of tension between everyone,” she said, breaking the silence that had momentarily risen up between them. “For a minute I thought two of the men were going to have a fistfight.”

“Fowler and Reid,” he replied. “They don’t get along very well. I guess family dynamics can be complicated.”

Nobody knew that better than Josie. Her family dynamics had been strange for almost all of her life.

She focused her attention out the window once again as the truck rumbled over rough terrain. They’d left the smoother pasture behind and were headed toward a heavily wooded area.

A burst of anxiety filled her. The last thing she wanted or needed was to become embroiled in a kidnapping or a murder. She’d believed that all evil was finally behind her and she’d never have to think about anyone’s murder again. She just hoped by the time she dug up the watch, the mystery at the mansion would be solved and she could go back to Granite Gulch and figure out who she really was and what she wanted from life.

* * *

Tanner had a hundred worries on his mind, but in the relatively small confines of the pickup cab his main focus was now on the woman seated next to him.

Something about Josie Colton reminded him that he wasn’t just a single father of twin daughters, but he was also a healthy man who had felt alone long before his wife, Helen, had walked out on him.

He cast a quick glance at Josie. The sleeveless blue button-up blouse she wore enhanced the rich darkness of her thick hair and showcased a trim waist and the thrust of her breasts. Although she was short, her legs appeared long and shapely beneath the bottom of the jean shorts she wore.

His fingers tingled with the desire to curl into the silky strands of her long hair. He wondered if her hazel eyes would turn more green or blue or gold when in the midst of a passionate encounter.

He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. What was wrong with him? What in the heck was he thinking? He was in his midthirties and she looked barely legal. Besides, she was here to dig up an old watch and then she’d be on her way. Apparently the trauma of the morning had his brain firing nonsense in his head.

He was grateful when they reached the area where the truck could no longer travel over the heavily wooded landscape. “We’ll have to go on foot from here,” he said. He shut off the engine and unfastened his seat belt while she did the same.

“Is it far?” she asked.

“About a five-minute walk,” he replied. At least out here the air smelled of trees and nature instead of spices and peaches and Josie.

He frowned down at her pink-polished toenails that peeked out of flimsy-looking gold-trimmed white sandals. “Are you going to be able to walk okay in those?”

She flashed him a cheeky grin. “Women can walk in any footwear, including four-inch heels when necessary. Just lead the way.”

He grabbed the shovel from the pickup bed and then, with her trailing just behind him, he forged ahead into the thick woods.

Other than the faint trickle of the brook that ran through this area and an occasional rustle of a rabbit or another small animal racing to find cover, a pleasant quietness reigned. It was especially pleasant after the utter chaos in the house.

He was grateful Josie didn’t feel the need to fill the relative silence with meaningless chatter. He needed some time to clear his head and calm his racing thoughts.

Sheriff Troy Watkins certainly didn’t have to go far to look for suspects in Eldridge’s case. All he had to do was look at the family and he’d find plenty of people who had motive to want to do harm to the old man.

Would a ransom call come in? Would a note be received demanding money for the return of Eldridge? Had a business rival gone over the deep end and sought revenge? Hopefully Troy would be able to figure it out quickly and get Eldridge home safe and sound.

He glanced over his shoulder and stopped in his tracks as he realized Josie had fallen slightly behind. “Sorry,” she said with a smile. “My legs aren’t as long as yours.”

“No problem,” he replied and tried to ignore how her beautiful smile warmed something in his stomach that hadn’t been warmed for a very long time. “It’s not too far now.” She stepped up beside him and once again he was taunted by her inviting scent.

“This watch must really be important to your father for you to go to all this trouble,” he said. Here in the shade provided by the trees overhead, her eyes gleamed gold-green.

“He wants to be buried with it and my siblings thought it was important to try to get it for him.”

“Are your siblings all younger than you?” he asked.

“No, I’m the youngest.” Her gaze shot ahead, as if eager to get the job done.

And why wouldn’t she be in a hurry? He was sure the last thing she wanted to do was spend any more time in his company. She probably thought he was an old fogy. Hell, he was an old fogy who wanted only peace and stability for his daughters.

He had no desire to hang out in a bar or go dancing at the latest hot spot. He’d rather play on the floor with his daughters than do much of anything else.

They moved ahead and the small stream appeared next to them, babbling musically over the small rocks in its path. Josie threw a glance over her shoulder and then stumbled over an exposed tree root.

He reached out and grabbed her firmly by the upper arm to steady her. Sensory overload instantly threatened to dizzy his head. Beneath the grasp of his hand her skin was warm and soft. A strand of her hair flew across his cheek, a tease of silkiness that caused tightness in his gut.

Once she was stable, he dropped his grip on her and took a step back. “Thanks,” she said, her voice slightly husky.

He gave her a curt nod and once again they walked on. “There it is.” He pointed ahead to an ancient oak that rose up majestically next to the stream. The trunk was huge and marred by a series of old carvings dug deep within the wood.

Tension wafted from Josie. “It’s just like my father described—the tree, the carvings and the creek.”

“Did he tell you what the carvings meant?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m not even sure he’s the one who made them.”

“Then let’s see if we can dig up an old watch,” he replied.

They hadn’t quite reached the front of the tree when a man stepped out from behind it, a gun in his hand.

Josie released a sharp yelp of surprise and Tanner tightened his grip on the shovel. What in the hell was going on? Did this man have something to do with whatever had happened to Eldridge?

“Josie Colton,” he said, his thin lips twisting into a sneer. “I knew if I tailed you long enough you’d lead me to the watch. I’ve been watching you for days.”

“Who are you?” Josie asked.

“That’s for me to know and you not to find out,” he replied. “Now, about that watch...”

“What watch?” she replied. “I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her voice held a tremor that belied her calm demeanor.

Tanner didn’t move a muscle although his brain fired off in a dozen different directions. The man had called her by name, so this obviously had nothing to do with Eldridge.

Why would a man with a gun know about a watch wanted for sentimental reasons? What hadn’t Josie told him? Was it possible to unarm the man without anyone getting hurt?

“Don’t play dumb with me, girly.” The man raised a hand to sweep a lank of oily dark hair out of his eyes. “Your daddy spent years in prison bragging about how he was going to be buried with that cheap watch and then nobody would ever find the map to all the money from those old bank heists.” He took a step toward them. “Now, tell me where that watch is. I want that map.”

Adrenaline pumped through Tanner. He certainly didn’t know anything about old bank robberies, but a sick danger snapped in the air.

A look of deadly menace radiated outward from the gunman’s dark, beady eyes. The gun was steady in his hands and Tanner’s chest constricted.

He tightened his grip on the shovel, calculated the distance between himself and the gunman’s arm and then he swung. The end of the shovel connected. The gun fell from the man’s grasp, but not before he fired off a shot.

The woods exploded with sound—the boom of the gun, a flutter of bird wings overhead as they flew out of the treetops and Josie’s scream of unmistakable pain.

Chapter 3

Pain seared through Josie’s upper arm. She grasped it and warm blood seeped through her fingers. At the same time the man picked up his gun from the ground and then turned and ran, quickly disappearing into the thicket.

Tanner dropped the shovel and his hat fell off his head as he raced to her side. Josie’s brain fogged with shock and the stinging agony of her injury.

“Here, take this.” Tanner quickly pulled his T-shirt over his head, exposing lean muscle and taut abs. He thrust the shirt into her hand. “Press it against your wound. We need to get back to the truck and get you some medical help.” His urgent tone cleared some of the fog from Josie’s head.

Help. Yes, she needed help, although some of the excruciating sting had already started to abate. Still, she’d been shot. She’d been shot! The thought momentarily weakened her knees.

Tanner bent down and grabbed the shovel and his hat. Then with narrowed eyes he scanned the area. “Let’s get out of here,” he said urgently.

As they headed back to the truck Tanner remained vigilant, looking both behind them and around the trees surrounding them even though his shovel would be of little use against another flying bullet.

They didn’t speak and Josie heard nothing to indicate they were being tracked, but then she hadn’t heard anything before the man had leaped out from behind the oak tree.

The back of her throat threatened to close off and tremors filled her as a chill gripped her very soul. Jeez, she’d been shot. The creepy-crawly feeling she’d had for the last couple of weeks of somebody following her hadn’t just been her imagination. There had been somebody following her...watching her.

Who was the man? Where had he come from? Apparently he’d followed her all the way from Granite Gulch and she hadn’t even known it.

She stumbled across the ground, inwardly screaming. Once again her father was responsible for chaos and danger...a danger she’d brought here to Tanner.

What if he’d been shot? What if he’d been killed? His daughters would have probably wound up in foster care, and the foster-care system had been responsible for Josie needing to go into the witness protection program for so many years.

Who was the man? The question played over and over again in her mind. Was he one of her father’s old buddies? How had he known she would lead him to the watch? If Tanner hadn’t attacked first, would the man have shot them both if she hadn’t produced the watch? Oh, God, what a mess.

By the time they reached the truck, her frantic heartbeat had begun to slow. Tanner helped her into the passenger seat and then he got behind the wheel and started the engine with a roar.

“Are you losing a lot of blood? Are you keeping pressure on the wound? Do you feel like you’re going to pass out?” The questions fired out of him as the truck bumped across the land at what felt like a breakneck speed.

“No, I’m not going to pass out.” She pulled the T-shirt away from her arm. Blood. Bright red blood, but not as much as she’d expected. “I think the bullet just grazed me.” She returned pressure on the wound.

“Hopefully Troy is still at the house. We need to report this.”

“No!” She straightened up in the seat and shot him a frantic glance. “Please, don’t do that.” He cast her a quick frown and she continued, “He can’t do anything about this. I’ll explain everything to you when we get back to the house. Just please don’t get the sheriff involved in this.”

He made no reply.

The drive back to the house seemed to take forever. Tears pressed hot behind her eyes. The tears weren’t for her. She never cried for herself.

The emotion was the result of the close call they’d just had and because Tanner could have been killed because of her. He was just an innocent bystander thrust into the disaster of her life. He had nothing to do with her, her father, the watch or the danger that had come out of nowhere.

When they reached the house Tanner parked next to the barn where they’d originally started from, and they both got out of the vehicle.

“Let’s get you into my suite, where I can take a look at your arm and see if you need real medical care,” he said.

Thankfully they managed to make it to his suite without encountering anyone else. Once there he unlocked the door and gestured her inside.

Brianna stepped out of the nursery, took one look at the bloody T-shirt Josie held against her upper arm and turned pale. “Oh, my God, what’s happened? How did she get hurt? Did you hurt her?”

“No, I didn’t hurt her,” Tanner replied with exasperation in his voice. “Brianna, take the girls to the dining room for lunch,” he added curtly.

Lunch? Was it just now noon? It felt as if an entire lifetime had passed since she’d pulled up to the front gates to meet Eldridge and his family.

Tanner led her through the master bedroom and into an adjoining bathroom, where he motioned her to have a seat on the commode. He disappeared for a moment and then returned wearing a navy blue short-sleeved pullover shirt.

She sank down, her body once again trembling uncontrollably. Tanner gently pulled the T-shirt from her grasp and released a sigh of obvious relief. “It’s already stopped bleeding and I don’t think there’s a bullet in your arm.” He tossed the shirt to the floor and then bent down beneath the sink and retrieved a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and some cotton balls.

“This might hurt a bit,” he said and then began to clean the wound.

She closed her eyes and winced as he carefully cleaned the area. Instead of focusing on the pain, she concentrated on the outdoorsy, wonderful scent of him and the tenderness of his touch.

“Thank God it’s not worse,” he said softly, his breath warm on the side of her face. “You were right—it’s just a graze.”

She opened her eyes to look at him. “You could have been killed and it would have been all my fault.”

“I could have gotten you killed with my kung-fu-fighting imitation,” he replied drily. He stepped back from her and grabbed a large bandage and some antibiotic cream.

“You saved my life,” she replied. Tears once again blurred her vision as she thought of the moment the man had jumped out with his gun pointed at them.

Tanner’s sensual lips thinned and he gently rubbed the antibiotic cream on her and then covered the bullet graze with the bandage. Once finished he stepped back from her and held her gaze. “And now you’re going to tell me exactly why an armed man would follow you here and want a watch that has only sentimental value to your dying father. Is your father really dying or was that just a lie?”

She would have liked to take offense at his sharp, skeptical tone, but she knew it was more than warranted after what had just happened. “My father really is dying and he told all of us kids that he wanted the watch for sentimental reasons, but we suspect the watch is more than just a simple keepsake.”

The musical laughter of a toddler drifted from the nursery, sending a new wave of horror through Josie. She gazed up at him and once again her vision blurred slightly by impending tears. “For the past couple of weeks I’ve had the feeling that somebody was following me, but I chalked it up to my overactive imagination. I didn’t know I was bringing danger here. I can’t believe I might have gotten you killed. I could have been responsible for your daughters becoming orphans.”

“But that didn’t happen. Come on. Let’s get out of here and go into the living room, where we can talk more comfortably.” He held out a hand and after a moment of hesitation she grabbed it and allowed him to pull her up from the commode.

They returned to the living room, where he gestured for her to sit on the sofa and he sat in a nearby chair. Brianna appeared pushing a two-seat stroller with the twins jabbering happily.

Tanner didn’t speak until Brianna and the girls had left the suite for lunch. “Do you need something cold to drink? Or maybe a cup of hot tea?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No, I’m fine.” She touched the bandage over the throbbing gunshot graze. “Thank you for cleaning me up.”

He nodded and held her gaze intently. “Now, tell me—why shouldn’t we report this to the sheriff?”

* * *

Her pale features appeared haunted and she grimaced slightly, whether at his question or because of the wound in her shoulder, he didn’t know.

“It’s kind of a long story,” she finally said.

He leaned back in the chair. “We have all afternoon.” He was determined to get answers from her no matter how long it took. After what they’d just been through she definitely owed him some answers.

She held his gaze for a long moment and then focused on some undefinable point just over his shoulder. “Have you heard about the Alphabet Killer?”

“I didn’t follow the case closely, but I read something about a serial killer who drew a red bull’s-eye on victims’ foreheads.” Why was she bringing up a heinous case like that? If he remembered right, it had been solved in the last month or so and the killer was now behind bars.

She nodded. “The woman who was finally captured as the killer, Regina Willard, murdered women with long dark hair and marked them with the bull’s-eye. Her victims’ names were Anna, Brittany and Celia and others following the pattern, so she earned the nickname of the Alphabet Killer.”

“Okay, but what does that have to do with you?” Had she been marked as a victim? Josie had long dark hair and the killer had been working her way down the alphabet with the first names of her victims. Was Josie on Regina Willard’s radar for when she got to the letter J?

“I was a suspect in the case.”

He stared at her for several long moments, wondering if perhaps he’d misheard what she’d just said. “A suspect?” he finally said. “Why on earth would the authorities think you might be the killer?”

Once again her gaze drifted to someplace just behind him and she shifted positions on the sofa, then released a deep sigh. “The red bull’s-eye on the forehead was the same MO as another serial killer who was at work in and around Granite Gulch over twenty years ago. That man murdered nine men and one woman, my mother. His name is Matthew Colton. He’s my father.” This time when her gaze met his, her eyes were filled with a deep weariness.

A small wave of shock whispered through Tanner. He focused on keeping his features carefully schooled in neutrality. “I’ve worked here for the Coltons for years and never heard them mention your father or his crimes.”

“I only met these Coltons for a brief moment, but they don’t strike me as the kind of people who would want to gossip about or ever acknowledge my father’s existence,” she replied ruefully. “In any case, I’m certainly not eager to have Sheriff Watkins find out about all of this with Eldridge missing. It will only confuse things for him because whatever happened to Eldridge has nothing to do with me or my father and what happened at that tree.”

Tanner’s brain worked overtime in an attempt to digest all the surprising information coming his way. “But the man in the woods...”

“That was definitely about me and my father.” Her face paled once again. “It’s true that my father is dying. He’s in prison and is deathly ill. It’s also true he requested to be buried with the watch that is supposedly here on the property. He said he wanted it for sentimental reasons, but my brothers and sister believe there is a possibility the watch contains a clue to money stashed someplace from old bank heists my father committed before he went away to prison.”

“Apparently you and your siblings aren’t the only ones who believe that,” he replied. A chill tried to take hold of him as he thought about the moment the man had appeared with the gun. They had been lucky. Things could have gone so very wrong.

She leaned forward. “Tanner, I’m so sorry. The last thing I’d want to do is put you in any danger here.” A strand of her hair fell over her shoulder and she quickly shoved it back behind her ear. “I desperately want that watch, still I’d leave in a hot minute to protect everyone here, but Sheriff Watkins has made that impossible. Right now more than anything I’m afraid for your safety. That man saw me with you and that puts you at risk as well as me.”

“We’ll both be safe around the house. After what happened to Eldridge, Whitney will see to it the security team is on top of their game. However, it’s definitely too dangerous to try to dig up the watch again right now. It’s even possible the man in the woods thinks you already have the watch. Are you sure you don’t want to report this to the sheriff?”

“Positive.” She sat back. “Besides, what could we tell him? I have no idea who the man was or where exactly he came from. I certainly don’t know where he ran off to. I’d say Sheriff Watkins has enough on his plate right now without us adding to it. My oldest brother, Trevor, is an FBI agent. I’ll let him know what’s happened and he can work things from his end to see what he can find out about who else might want the watch.”

Tanner was vaguely surprised to realize he was okay not reporting the incident to Sheriff Watkins. Normally he always tried to play by the rules, but in this particular case she made sense.

“I’ll let the security team know to keep an eye out for any strangers lurking on the property, but I’m sure they’re already doing that. And now we should get you settled into a room.” He rose from the chair and she got up from the sofa.

“I have one bag to get out of my car,” she said as they left his suite. “I only brought it in case it might take more than a day to find the watch.”

It took only a few minutes to retrieve her bag from the car and have her move the vehicle to a parking area just outside of the staff wing. As they accomplished this, Tanner couldn’t help but notice every cowboy in the area now wore their guns on their hips.

Whitney’s son Zane, who was in charge of security on the ranch, would be tearing his hair out knowing somehow somebody had gotten to Eldridge in the master suite of the main house.

A quick phone call to Moira told Tanner two things—the room next to his suite was empty and everyone was still in virtual lockdown until further notice from the sheriff.

He now carried Josie’s pink-flowered bag down the hallway to the small, empty staff room next to his. They hadn’t even stepped inside the room when Brianna appeared pushing the stroller.

“Dada-love! Dada-love,” the twins chanted with excitement at the sight of him.

Despite the happy greetings from his girls, his gut tightened at the pinched expression on Brianna’s face. She stopped the stroller just in front of him and grabbed the end of her braid.

“How did lunch go?” he asked, wondering if perhaps one of the girls had misbehaved and that was the reason for Brianna’s obvious unhappiness.

“They ate fine, they behaved okay, but I can’t do this anymore,” Brianna replied.

“Can’t do what anymore?” he asked, even though he knew the answer and a heavy dread filled his chest.

“I can’t work here anymore. There’s just too much tension and I don’t feel comfortable being here where a kidnapping took place. Everyone was up in arms in the staff dining room and I’m not sure my chakra is ever going to be right again.”

The dread spread through his entire body. “So, are you giving me your two-week notice?” he asked as he set down Josie’s suitcase on the carpeting.

“No, consider this your two-minute notice,” she replied. “I need to get away from all the negative energy before I’m completely sick.”

A wild panic took the place of the dread. Two-minute notice? What in the hell was he supposed to do with that? Before he could even respond Brianna raised her fingers in a familiar sign. “Peace out,” she said and then twirled on her heels and headed back down the hall.

Tanner stared after her and then looked down at his daughters. “Dada-love?” Lily’s lower lip began to tremble and Leigh echoed the cry.

He bent down and grabbed Lily into his arms, grateful when Josie picked up Leigh. He stared at the pretty young woman who held his daughter.

Josie had just confessed to him that she was not only the daughter of a serial killer, but had also been a suspect in a string of heinous murders, and yet as Leigh reached up to grab her nose, a crazy plan formulated in his head.

“How would you like a temporary nanny job?” he asked.

Her eyes widened in obvious surprise. “You’re insane,” she replied. Leigh laughed and clung tighter to her.

“It’s too dangerous for us to go back to that tree for the watch for the next couple of days or so. You mentioned you mothered the other children when you were in foster care. If you’ll play nanny to the girls during the day, then when I think it’s safe enough I’ll take you back to the tree to get the watch.”

Her eyes narrowed. “That sounds suspiciously like blackmail,” she said.

“Really? To me it sounded like the promise of a desperate father. Look, I’ll pay you what I was paying Brianna and I’ll start interviewing somebody for the position immediately. The girls have already taken to you and did I mention I’m desperate?”

“Nose,” Leigh said and once again tried to capture Josie’s nose.

Josie easily dodged the little fingers by turning her head slightly, but her gaze remained locked with his. “Okay,” she said. “You just got yourself a temporary nanny.”

Tanner should have felt a huge relief. He’d always considered himself a decent judge of character. But he’d certainly misjudged his former wife and then a couple of the women he’d hired to watch his girls. He just hoped he wasn’t making another mistake in trusting Josie Colton with his most precious possessions.

Chapter 4

Josie stood and looked out the window from the small bedroom. Instead of getting settled into the guest room next to Tanner’s suite, he’d shown her to the bedroom next to his with an adjoining door into the twins’ nursery.

He’d given her the choice between the two rooms and she’d decided to take this one inside his suite. If she was going to play nanny to the two little girls, then she intended to do the job right and that meant being 100 percent available whenever they needed her. This room just made the most sense.

She didn’t want to think about the fact that a lingering fear still coursed through her and it might have been that fear that had prompted her not to stay in the room next door all alone.

She placed her suitcase on the twin bed and quickly unpacked the few clothes she’d brought with her, then placed them in the chest of drawers. She’d packed for a couple nights’ stay, not knowing what to expect when she got here.

She’d assumed she’d either be treated as a guest and given a room while she was here, or she might need to find a nearby motel to stay in until she could unearth the watch.

She set her toiletries aside for the time being. Tanner had told her to feel free to claim the guest bathroom across the hall from the nursery as her own.

He’d also told her to take her time getting settled in and she could officially start her nanny duties in the morning. At the moment he was entertaining his daughters in the living room.

She’d revealed a lot of her past to Tanner, but not all of it. She hadn’t seen any reason to share with him the crime that had taken place so many years ago, a murder that had eventually forced her into the witness protection plan.

If things went the way they were supposed to, he’d never know about that part of her life. She shook her head ruefully. So far nothing had gone as she’d planned.

She finished unpacking her suitcase, pulled her cell phone from her purse and sat on the edge of the bed that was covered in a sunny yellow spread that matched the bright curtains hanging at the window.

She needed to call her brother Trevor. He would be expecting her to be back in Granite Gulch before nightfall, hopefully with the cursed watch in hand.

It had been only in the last month or so that she’d finally gotten the opportunity to get to know all of her siblings. They’d been separated first by the foster system and then by her fear of bringing danger into their lives.

Most of her siblings had gone into some form of law enforcement in an effort to protect their community from killers like their father. They worked hard to earn respect in the small town of Granite Gulch.

With a deep sigh, she punched the number that would connect her to Trevor. He answered on the second ring. “Are you already home?”

“Not even close,” she replied. “We have a problem. Actually, we have several problems.” She quickly told him about the missing Eldridge and Tanner and the man who had accosted them by the tree.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” His deep voice held concern.

“I’m fine,” she assured him, making an instant decision not to tell her big brother about the gunshot wound. “A little shaken up, but I’m okay. I just wanted to let you know Tanner thinks we shouldn’t go back to dig up the watch for the next couple of days and I’m in lockdown here until the sheriff says I can leave, so I’m not sure exactly when I’ll be back home.”

“Josie, the last thing any of us want is for you to get hurt. Take the time you need to assure you’re safe. Now, tell me what this creep looks like.”

She gave him a description of the gunman and he assured her he would do everything in his power to check out former cell mates and cohorts their father might have had in his years of incarceration.

When Josie finally ended the call she had no grandiose illusions that Trevor would manage to identify the man in the woods. There had been plenty of shady characters in her father’s life. Dark dirty hair and a snarl weren’t great details for Trevor to go on, but they were pretty much all she had.

She reminded herself that despite all the odds, Trevor and his pregnant wife had managed to take down the Alphabet Killer. They had put their own lives at risk, but had managed to get the vicious woman off the streets and into jail, where she belonged.

A smile curved Josie’s lips as she thought of the ceremony she’d attended only the night before. Trevor and his wife, Jocelyn, had renewed their wedding vows and now Trevor was not only a real husband, but also a happy father-to-be.

She knew with certainty Trevor would be the kind of wonderful father the Colton children had never had in their lives. He and Jocelyn had a beautiful future before them and Josie couldn’t be happier for her oldest brother.

Her smile fell away. Although Trevor had told her to be smart and play it safe, he’d also told her that Matthew’s health was deteriorating a little more each day, adding a small ticking time bomb to the job of getting the watch to their father before he passed away.

She checked her watch and saw it was just a little before three. Tanner had told her before she’d begun to unpack that dinner was at five thirty and served in the staff dining room.

She kicked off her sandals, stretched out on the sun-kissed bedspread and closed her eyes. She’d gotten up early to make the drive here, and with the traumatic morning events a quick catnap sounded like a great idea.

Closing her eyes, she became aware of the high-pitched giggles of the little girls and Tanner’s deeper, intensely pleasurable voice drifting back from the living room.

A nanny. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever considered a job taking care of children. The truth was she hadn’t thought much about what kind of a job she wanted to get, although she needed to get one pretty quick.

Her nanny job was temporary, she reminded herself. Hopefully this new reality would exist for only a couple of days or so. She’d get the watch and then go back to Granite Gulch and figure out what she intended to do for the rest of her life.

* * *

Blood. There was so much blood. Mommy? Mommy, why is your dress so bloody? The shovel made funny noises as it bit into the hard Texas ground and Josie’s mother stared up unseeing into the late afternoon sun.

Mommy? Mommy, wake up. Look, Mommy, there’s a blue sky on the fence. Why is that funny writing on your forehead? Mommy? Please wake up and smile at me...

Josie came awake with a sharp gasp, for a moment disoriented as to where she was and what was happening. Her breath hitched in her chest as the horror of the nightmare completed its hold on her.

She remained still, allowing the gruesome visions from her sleep to fade as her breathing finally returned to normal. It hadn’t been a crazy nightmare of strange images that made no sense, but it had been memories of the day her mother had been killed and buried by her father.

He’d shot her in the chest and then marked her forehead with a red bull’s-eye. Josie had been with her father when he’d buried her next to a fence near the barn on the old family homestead.

Josie had often played by the old fence, and one day her mother had given her some paint. Josie had splashed blue color on it to make a pretty sky, and it had been that particular reclaimed memory that had solved the mystery as to where her father had buried her mother.

Matthew Colton had played a game with his children, forcing each one of them to visit him in prison, where he gave them clues as to where he’d buried his wife. His final clue had been “blue,” and that had finally jolted loose the old memory in Josie.

It had taken her twenty years to access the memories and now they wouldn’t leave her alone. She was haunted far too often by a three-year-old’s perspective of that terrible day, when her father had dug a shallow grave for her mother near a fence with a splash of blue paint.

Her stomach growled and she sat up and looked at her watch. Almost five. Her catnap had been far longer than she had intended. Her tummy growled again to remind her that she’d missed lunch and had eaten only half an apple that morning for breakfast before she’d hit the road.

She got up from the bed and grabbed her toiletries and her purse, then headed out of the bedroom. She heard no noise from anyplace else in the suite as she went into the guest bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Her upper arm held a dull ache she hoped would be gone by morning. She didn’t even want to think about the close call they’d had.

Sluicing cool water on her face in an effort to fully awaken and leave the dreams behind, she hoped the staff didn’t dress up for dinner. She’d packed only a couple pairs of shorts and a few T-shirts along with a short, sleeveless nightgown.

“It is what it is,” she muttered to her reflection in the mirror. A quick brush through her hair and a dab of lip gloss later, she left the bathroom and frowned at the silence. Had Tanner and the girls left?

She tossed her purse on her bed, then went back through the nursery, walked up the short hall and stepped into the living room. Tanner sat on the sofa thumbing through a magazine. He looked up at her.

“It’s so quiet I thought maybe I was here by myself,” she said and sat in the chair opposite him. “Where are the girls?”

“Peggy, one of the maids, is doing me a favor. She took them for a walk and then she’ll bring them back here and feed them dinner,” he replied. “By that time we should be back from eating.”

“Is she walking them outside?” Josie asked with a touch of alarm.

“No, she’s just taking them down some hallways to give them a little bit of time out of the nursery.”

“Do the girls eat dinner here rather than in the staff dining area?” she asked. “If I’m going on duty tomorrow, then I need to know what their usual schedule is.”

He nodded, his blond hair glinting attractively in a shaft of sunlight that danced through the nearby window. “They get up in the mornings around six thirty and eat breakfast here in the suite. They usually go down for a short morning nap around ten or so. Brianna always took them to the staff dining room for lunch and then they go down for an afternoon nap around two thirty. They eat dinner here in the suite and then it’s bath-and bedtime around seven thirty.”

“And what about your schedule as ranch foreman?” she asked.

“Up and out by six thirty or seven in the mornings and I’m usually back here in time to play with the girls for a little while before their bedtime. On Saturday and Sundays my days are considerably shorter.” He cocked his head, his gaze curious. “What about you? What kind of work do you do back in Granite Gulch?”

“I’m between jobs at the moment,” she replied. She wasn’t prepared to tell him that she’d been out of witness protection for only a month and had yet to figure out what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. She’d worked as a waitress in Missouri while she’d finished up high school and then taken some college courses, but waitressing wasn’t something she wanted to go back to. “Has there been any word on Eldridge while I was napping?”

“No, nothing that I’ve heard. If there is anything new we’ll probably hear it at dinner.” He glanced at his watch and stood. “We can head for the staff dining room. I know you didn’t have a chance to eat lunch. You must be starving.”

As she stood her stomach growled loud enough for him to hear. He grinned, a wonderful flash of straight white teeth and warmth. “Ah, yes. You are starving.”

“Excuse me.” She placed a hand over her rumbling belly as a wave of heat filled her cheeks.

“Come on. Let’s get that noisy animal fed.”

They exited the suite and once again wound through a labyrinth of hallways. “I don’t suppose you want to leave bread crumbs for me so that I can find the staff dining room again,” she asked ruefully. “This place is huge.”

“All you have to remember is to take two rights and two lefts and you’ll wind up in the kitchen area, where the staff dining room is located,” he explained.

Josie’s stomach rumbled yet again as the scent of tangy barbecue filled the air. “At least you won’t starve while you’re here,” Tanner continued. “Bettina Morely, the head cook, makes magic when it comes to all kinds of food.”

Tanner led her through double doors into a room with two long tables. There were already three women and two men seated at one of the tables and they were helping themselves to fill plates from the platters and bowls of food in the center of the table.

Their conversation halted at the sight of Josie and they all stared at her with unabashed curiosity. Tanner made the introductions and then he and Josie sat side by side.

“You picked a fine time to show up here,” Linda, one of the maids, said to Josie. “The whole house is in an uproar.”

“So, I’m assuming there’s no news about Eldridge’s disappearance?” Tanner handed Josie a basket of large sandwich rolls.

“Oh, there’s news and plenty of talk,” Linda replied. She was a slightly plump middle-aged woman. Her brown eyes glittered brightly.

“Ms. Marceline came waltzing in while Sheriff Watkins was here and she refused to answer any of his questions. I heard she even told the sheriff to mind his own business. Nobody knows where she was all night. You know she’s always hated her stepdaddy.”

Becky, another maid with strawberry blond hair, leaned back in her chair and shook her head. “And then there’s the fact that Mr. Fowler had that big fight with Mr. Eldridge last night. It was definitely heated. Most of the staff and the family heard them yelling at each other.”

“What was the fight about?” Tanner asked.

“The usual. He wanted his daddy to retire and name him CEO. They both screamed at each other. I’m surprised you didn’t hear them all the way in your suite,” Becky said.

“And don’t forget Mrs. Whitney,” Linda added. “I heard her alibi was she went into her private media room and watched a TV show and fell asleep with her earbuds in so she didn’t hear anything.” Linda rolled her eyes. “A little convenient, don’t you think?”

“Sheriff Watkins is going to have his hands full with this investigation,” Jeb, one of the ranch hands, replied.

Josie added pulled pork to her bun and it felt as if her brain crashed around in her head. She had a gunshot wound in her arm and a mission to accomplish. However, as she listened to the gossip shooting around the table, she realized this Colton clan was a pit of vipers, one of whom very possibly committed murder.

* * *

Tanner didn’t approve of gossip, but he knew there was nothing he could do to halt the wild speculation that was like an extra side dish served up with the evening meal.

“Everyone knows Mr. Fowler wants his daddy to retire and name him CEO and chairman of the board of Colton Incorporated,” Linda continued. “Last night wasn’t the first time the two had fought about it.” She looked at Tanner. “But that’s not the biggest news of all. Did you hear Mitchell Flunt was taken into custody for more questioning?”

Tanner sat up straighter in his chair in stunned surprise. Mitchell Flunt was a groundskeeper who had been working for the Coltons for years. “Why?”

“Mitchell has been angry ever since he didn’t get the big raise he asked for at the beginning of the year,” Becky said. Her blue eyes grew wider. “And when Sheriff Watkins was interviewing him, he noticed Mitchell had some blood on his work boots. Mitchell said the blood was his own, that he cut himself on a lawn-mower blade, but I guess the sheriff didn’t believe his story. He took Mitchell right into custody.”

“There was blood in the master suite,” Linda said as if to remind everyone of the scene of the crime. “I heard there was tons of blood.”

“Not tons,” Tanner replied. “I saw it and there wasn’t a lot.” He frowned thoughtfully. “But what could Mitchell hope to gain by kidnapping or hurting Eldridge?”

“Might have just been a case of revenge,” Becky said. “People do crazy things when they’re angry, and Mitchell has been ticked off about that raise for months.”

Tanner shook his head. “I just find it hard to believe Mitchell would do something like this because he didn’t get a raise, especially when there are plenty of other people who might have a lot more to gain by Eldridge’s death.”

“It’s going to be hard to know who might gain something from Mr. Eldridge’s death,” Linda said. “You two weren’t around when Hugh Barrington showed up and told the sheriff that Mr. Eldridge left specific instructions, which he updated each year. His will is not to be opened until his death and not without a body. Mr. Barrington got all choked up about everything that’s happened. He was practically sobbing like a baby when he talked to Sheriff Watkins.”

Hugh Barrington had been Eldridge’s attorney for years and Tanner knew the two had shared a close friendship. He wasn’t surprised Hugh was upset by Eldridge’s disappearance.

Would the blood on Mitchell’s boots prove to be Eldridge’s? Or was the groundskeeper innocent and the culprit much closer to Eldridge? Would Eldridge be found someplace alive, or would his dead body turn up? Tanner certainly didn’t envy Troy Watkins’s job of solving the crime.

“Could you please pass me the potato salad?” Josie’s voice suddenly reminded Tanner of her presence beside him.

He grabbed the large bowl in front of him and moved it to where she could serve herself. “I’m sorry. This hasn’t exactly been pleasant dinner conversation for you.”

“It’s all right,” she assured him with one of her gorgeous smiles. “I understand everyone is upset about what’s happened.”

Yes, everyone was upset, but there had also been a touch of glee among the merry maids with their gossip. There was no question the arrogant Fowler and snooty Marceline weren’t favorites among the Colton staff.

Through the years there had also been a lot of speculation as to why an attractive woman like Whitney would marry a man over twenty years her senior. More than one member of the staff believed Whitney to be a gold digger who had married for money, not love.

“Surely we can find something better to talk about while we finish our meal,” he said to everyone around the table.

“And we know your favorite topic of conversation is those little dolls of yours,” Becky said with a smile. “Is Brianna still working out okay? She seemed a little unsettled earlier at lunch.”

“Actually, she quit this afternoon, but Josie has agreed to act as temporary nanny until I can hire somebody else,” Tanner replied.

“That’s nice of you,” Linda said with a speculative look at Josie.

“I’m stuck here until the sheriff tells me I can leave, so I figured I might as well help Tanner out,” Josie replied easily.

“Where are the girls now?” Linda asked.

“With Peggy. You know she’s always willing to step in when I need a little extra help.” Tanner couldn’t help but smile as he thought of the maid who was at least five years past retirement age, but still had a spring in her step and a twinkle in her eyes.

Peggy insisted she’d work for the Coltons until she died. Her husband had passed away three years ago and they’d had no children. Although officially she was still a maid, her time was mostly her own. She lived in one of the staff rooms down the hallway from Tanner and nobody required much work from her.

He relaxed a bit as the conversation remained on the twins and then shifted to the hot weather that showed no sign of breaking.

“That was interesting,” Josie said a half an hour later as the two of them walked back toward his suite.

“A healthy portion of gossip is always part of the staff meals,” he replied.

“It just makes me wonder what gossip might be swirling around about me,” she mused.

“You’ll probably never know.” Certainly he’d suspected that before his wife left him there had been plenty of rumors and speculation about him and the state of their marriage, even though he’d been oblivious to the truth.

“It doesn’t matter to me. I learned to live with gossip a long time ago,” she said.

As the daughter of a serial killer, he couldn’t even begin to guess what she must have endured growing up. The fact that she seemed so well-adjusted only spoke of an inner strength he found admirable.

He also hadn’t forgotten her sole concern after being shot had been for his safety and the welfare of his daughters. Josie Colton might have had a lot of bad breaks in her life, but she appeared to have a good heart. And she smelled like a wonderful dessert and fired more than just a little bit of lust inside him.

He paused with his hand on the doorknob to his suite. “Are you prepared for the chaos of an evening with the twins?”

“Bring it on.” Her eyes shone with a warmth he found far too inviting.

He opened the door, hoping the girls’ presence would tamp down the edge of desire that had unexpectedly welled up inside him.

“Dada-love, home!” Lily squealed from her seat in her high chair.

“Dada-love, home,” Leigh echoed from the high chair next to her sister. Both of their mouths and bibs were smeared with red sauce from the spaghetti meal they were obviously enjoying.

Peggy smiled from her chair between the twins. Strands of her gray hair had sprung loose from the bun at the nape of her neck and a bit of spaghetti sauce clung to the front of her blue-flowered dress.

“You can always be sure of a grand reception when these two see you,” she said.

Tanner smiled. “Hi, Lily-love. Hi, Leigh-love,” he said as he touched the nose of each of the girls. “We’ll see how long the good times last. I imagine when they’re teenagers they won’t always be so happy to see me.”

Peggy got up from her chair and held out an arthritic gnarled hand to Josie. “I’m Peggy Albright, and I know you’re Josie Colton and I understand you’re going to be taking care of these two sweet peas for a while.”

Josie gripped her hand and shook it. “It’s nice to meet you, Peggy. Tanner has told me wonderful things about you.”

A smile lit Peggy’s wrinkled face. “Any man who loves his babies like Tanner does is a good man in my book.” She looked at Josie. “They are sweet little girls and you should find them a real joy to be around.”

“Thanks, Peggy, and I really appreciate you seeing to the girls this evening. I know it’s past time for you to get some dinner.” He looked at Leigh and Lily and then back to the old woman. “I think I can handle things from here.”

Peggy nodded and started toward the door. “There’s leftover spaghetti in the fridge and plenty of applesauce and green beans if they want more, but they both ate like little ranch hands. I think they’re finished because they’re playing with what’s left on their plates instead of eating it.”

“Hand,” Lily said and held up a spaghetti-sauce-covered little hand.

“Spoon,” Josie said and picked up the small spoon on Lily’s tray and handed it to her. Lily laughed, turned to her sister and released a long string of babble. Leigh responded in kind and they both giggled like misbehaving schoolgirls.

Peggy laughed and shook her head, then said her goodbye and went out the door.

“So, which one do we hose off first?” Josie asked in good-natured humor.

A bubble of laughter rose to his lips. It surprised him. He rarely found laughter anymore unless it was at the antics of his daughters. “Maybe we should tag-team them. If you could wipe down Lily and I’ll get Leigh?”

A few minutes later he and Josie were armed with warm washcloths and prepared to attend to the business of cleaning up the twins. “I’ll just warn you—they hate to have their faces washed,” Tanner said.

“No, Dada-love,” Leigh said with a stern look as he approached her.

“We have to wash our faces so we can kiss Daddy,” Josie said brightly.

“Kiss, Dada-love,” Lily replied and raised her face to Josie’s ministrations.

Leigh watched her sister then smiled up at Tanner. Tanner’s heart exploded with love. He would do anything for his children. Since the day Helen had walked out on him—on them—Tanner had vowed his daughters would be his number one priority and he would fill their worlds with as much love and happiness as humanly possible.

He certainly had no desire to marry again; his life was full enough with his two girls. Besides, he’d failed miserably at marriage once, so he wasn’t willing to try it again.

A half an hour later he and Josie sat on the living-room floor helping the girls build block towers. To be more precise, he and Josie built the tall towers and Leigh and Lily took great pleasure in knocking them down.

“Which one is older?” Josie set a blue block on top of his red one.

“Leigh. She’s three minutes older than Lily,” Tanner replied.

“Leigh,” Lily said and threw her arms around her twin’s neck. The two girls toppled over on their backs.

“No, Lee-lee,” Leigh protested and struggled to get back to a sitting position.

“However, Lily is usually the ringleader if there’s any trouble,” Tanner said with an affectionate glance at the little girl in purple.

“Trouble,” Lily echoed with a delightful grin.

Josie laughed, a musical sound Tanner found intensely attractive. “She’s a bundle of trouble and she’s proud of it. It’s sweet how they call you ‘Dada-love’ each time they see you.”

“I didn’t realize how often I said it to them until one day they started saying it to me.” He smiled at the girls. “At some point in time I’m going to have to break it to them that our last name isn’t ‘love.’ But for now they’re my Lily-love and my Leigh-love.” The girls laughed and swatted yet another block tower down to the floor.

They remained on the living-room floor until just after seven, when Tanner got to his feet. “I’m going to get these two into the bathtub and ready for bed. Feel free to make yourself at home in here or relax in your room.”

He needed a little distance from Josie. The last hour had been far too pleasant with her company. It almost felt as if they were a normal family and he knew better than to get caught up in that particular silly fantasy.

He’d learned from Helen that he wasn’t man enough to make a woman happy. He didn’t have what it took to be a life partner. However, even if he were in the market for a woman in his life, he knew with certainty it wouldn’t be the very young, very beautiful Josie Colton.

By eight o’clock the twins were asleep and he went back into the living room, where Josie was curled up in the chair and staring out the window. Twilight was quickly turning into deepening night.

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