Cardwell Christmas Crime Scene
A conman’s daughter takes refuge with the family she never knew she had in New York Times bestseller B.J. Daniels’s latest addition to the Cardwell family saga.Dee Anna Justice had thought that her convict father was her only living relative. Now Walter Justice, fearing for his daughter’s safety, urges her to seek out her cousins in Montana. Calling in a decades-old debt, he also enlists private investigator Beau Tanner to protect her.Despite their fiery attraction, she resents the bodyguard her dad foists on her. Trust doesn't come easy to DJ. But the warm, embracing family she finds at Cardwell ranch just might begin to soften her suspicious nature, and learning to trust the sexy PI may be the key to saving her life.
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A conmanâs daughter takes refuge with the family she never knew she had in New York Times bestseller B.J. Danielsâs latest addition to the Cardwell family saga.
Dee Anna Justice had thought that her convict father was her only living relative. Now Walter Justice, fearing for his daughterâs safety, urges her to seek out her cousins in Montana. Calling in a decades-old debt, he also enlists private investigator Beau Tanner to protect her.
Despite their fiery attraction, she resents the bodyguard her dad foists on her. Trust doesnât come easy to DJ. But the warm, embracing family she finds at Cardwell ranch just might begin to soften her suspicious nature, and learning to trust the sexy PI may be the key to saving her life.
âWhat was that?â
DJ began brushing the snow off her backside. âA kiss. Apparently itâs been a while for you, as well,â Beau said. He began helping her brush off the snow.
âI can do it myself,â she snapped. She wanted to tell him that sheâd only kissed him back because heâd taken her by surprise. But he didnât give her a chance to lie.
âDonât look so shocked. It was just a kiss, right? It wasnât like either of us felt anything.â
âI was asking why you thought you could get away with kissing me like that. Or was that part of the bargain you made with my father?â She hoped he caught the sarcasm.
âI was merely doing my job protecting you. Since the one thing your father didnât make clear is who Iâm protecting you from. As for the kiss, it just seemed like a good idea. It wonât happen again.â
âYouâre right about that, because I donât need your so-called protection.â
B.J. DANIELS is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author. She wrote her first book after a career as an award-winning newspaper journalist and author of thirty-seven published short stories. She lives in Montana with her husband, Parker, and three springer spaniels. When not writing, she quilts, boats and plays tennis. Contact her at www.bjdaniels.com, on Facebook or on Twitter, @bjdanielsauthor.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Beau TannerâThe cowboy private investigator made a promise years ago, and he never goes back on his promises.
Dee Anna JusticeâDJâs life began to unravel the moment she realized someone had been in her apartmentâand left her a âpresentââ¦
Marietta PisaniâShe would do anything to protect her family.
Carlotta Pisani Justice GianniâHer deathbed confession changed everything.
Roger DouglasâThe attorney had his own reasons for wanting the Pisani legacy upheld.
Ester BrownâThe loyal housekeeper couldnât keep the family secrets any longer.
Walter JusticeâHe kept the truth from his daughter to protect her from the family she knew nothing about.
Zinnia JamesonâShe lost the love of her life when Walter married someone else.
With utmost appreciation I dedicate this Cardwell book
to Kimberly Rocha, the craziest, most loving, generous, truly beautiful fan Iâve yet to meet.
Contents
DJ Justice opened the door to her apartment and froze. Nothing looked out of place and yet she took a step back. Her gaze went to the lock. There were scratches around the keyhole. The lock set was one of the first things sheâd replaced when sheâd rented the apartment.
She eased her hand into the large leather hobo bag that she always carried. Her palm fit smoothly around the grip of the weapon, loaded and ready to fire, as she slowly pushed open the door.
The apartment was small and sparsely furnished. She never stayed anywhere long, so she collected nothing of value that couldnât fit into one suitcase. Spending years on the run as a child, sheâd had to leave places in the middle of the night with only minutes to pack.
But that had changed over the past few years. Sheâd just begun to feel...safe. She liked her job, felt content here. She should have known it couldnât last.
The door creaked open wider at the touch of her finger, and she quickly scanned the living area. Moving deeper into the apartment, she stepped to the open bathroom door and glanced in. Nothing amiss. At a glance she could see the bathtub, sink and toilet as well as the mirror on the medicine cabinet. The shower door was clear glass. Nothing behind it.
That left just the bedroom. As she stepped soundlessly toward it, she wanted to be wrong. And yet she knew someone had been here. But why break in unless he or she planned to take something?
Or leave something?
Like the time sheâd found the bloody hatchet on the fire escape right outside her window when she was eleven. That message had been for her father, the blood from a chicken, heâd told her. Or maybe it hadnât even been blood, heâd said. As if she hadnât seen his fear. As if they hadnât thrown everything they owned into suitcases and escaped in the middle of the night.
