The fire that had been smoldering between them flamed to life.
She kissed him, pressing into him, yielding to him. Letting go of whatever trouble waited outside the cabin. In the passion of the kiss, it didnât exist. There was only Johnny.
In the rational part of her brain, she knew none of this made sense. She was kissing Johnny Kreel but she didnât trust him. She didnât even know him.
Familiarâs meow caught her attention.
âHeâs trying to tell us something,â she said as the cat ran to the back door and clawed at it.
As Stephanie opened the door, she saw it. A hooded figure silhouetted against the dawn skyâholding a lead rope on her prized stallion. As the figure brought a whip down across the horseâs back, the stallion reared and bolted.
âBlack Jack!â She started out after the stallion, but Johnnyâs grasp caught and stopped her. He manhandled her back into the relative safety of the cabin. âIâve got toââ
âNo,â he said, cutting her off. âHeâs got a gun. And youâre the one heâs aiming for.â
Dear Reader,
Twenty-five years ago, I walked into a local bookstore in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. One of the salesclerks knew I loved mysteries, and she pointed out a new line of Harlequin booksâone that combined romance and mystery. I was instantly hooked. What could be better? I loved the combination of vivid characters and exciting action so much, I decided to try to write one.
My first Intrigue, The Deadly Breed, involved horses. But when I wrote a book about a black cat detective, Familiar, I realized that Iâd opened the door to unlimited adventures. Familiar and I are very proud to be a part of this landmark 25th anniversary for Harlequin Intrigue.
Happy reading!
Caroline Burnes
Familiar Showdown
Caroline Burnes
For Aleta Boudreaux, who saves and neuters countless cats, making the world a better place for all of us.
Caroline Burnes has written fifteen books in her Fear Familiar series. She has her own black cat, Familiarâs prototype, E. A. Poe, as well as Miss Vesta, Gumbo, Maggie and Chester. All are strays and all have brought love and joy into her life. An advocate for animal rights, Caroline urges all her readers to spay and neuter their pets. Unchecked reproduction causes pain and suffering for hundreds of thousands of innocent animals.
Stephanie Ryanâis following a dream to rescue and train abused horses. Though sheâd planned to create Running Horse Ranch in the wild beauty of South Dakota with her fiancé, the untimely death of Rory Sussex has forced her to go it alone. But beyond the borders of the ranch, forces are aligning that sheâd never imagine.
Johnny Kreelâknows how to âcowboy upâ when it comes to dangerous broncs and flying bullets, but he also has skills not normally found in a cowhand. When he appears at Running Horse Ranch, danger is hot on his heels. Is he there to help Stephanie or merely to weave another web of lies?
Familiarâthe black cat detective, finds himself caught in the middle of a complex lie that brings danger to Stephanie and everyoneâand everythingâclose to her.
Rory Sussexâwas a charismatic pilot who captured Stephanieâs heart and future when he asked her to marry him and build a ranch based on the horse-training principles of Stephanieâs Oglala grandfather. When Rory disappeared in a plane crash in the Darien Jungle, he left behind a surprise that pulls Stephanie into danger.
Rupert Casperâis a neighbor of Stephanieâs and a man whoâs used to having his wayâno matter what the consequences. When a headstrong stallion injures Casper, the horse ends up in Stephanieâs care, and sheâs determined to protect the horse from Casperâs ugly temper. But how far will Casper go to prove his point?
Carlos Diegoâis a known criminal, and his harsh hand touches international events on many levels. But why would a man like Diego take an interest in Stephanie and her horse ranch?
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
October is normally my favorite month. Eleanor, my humanoid, lights the first fire of the season in the library, and I curl up on my favorite green velvet pillow, the one that brings out the color of my eyes. But Iâm not in Washington, D.C., where I belong. Iâm in South Dakota. At the foot of the Black Hills. On a horse ranch of all things. And these arenât even nice horses. These are rogues and outlaws.
The only benefit is that I get to hang with one fine-looking woman. While I feel Stephanie Ryan wastes a whole lot of energy on those bad horses, I have to admit that she looks good in tight jeans, boots and even those chaps. With her long, straight chestnut hair and those dark eyes, she could be some cowboyâs fantasy. And she has a special way with horses. Or at least thatâs what Eleanor says. Sheâs a âgentler.â Thatâs someone who helps troubled horses and makes them safe.