An expectant motherâs protection is a cowboyâs promise in Elle Jamesâs Covert Cowboys, Inc. miniseries
Thorn Drennan stares death in the face when heâs nearly shot by a ranch trespasser. But this is no ordinary trespasser. Pregnant and running for her life, Sophia Carranza has crossed the Mexican border, leaving a trail of ruthless enemies behind.
Sophiaâs protection is Thornâs first assignment as an undercover agent and he senses trouble. Inexplicably drawn to Sophiaâs beauty and fighting spirit, Thorn fears his growing desire for Sophia could jeopardize the mission. And when Sophiaâs captors finally catch up to them, will Thorn trade his own life for another?
Thorn recognized the strength it had taken for her to come this far and her fierce desire to provide a better life for her baby, but he also knew how vulnerable she was.
As much as he wanted to have Hank reassign him so that he didnât have to dig his own emotional grave deeper, he was stuck. Heâd gone way past being able to hand her off to someone else. So far past, that all he wanted was to hold her in his arms and keep her safe from anyone who wanted to hurt her.
âI can leave. You donât have to help me.â Her fingers dug into his shirt, belying her suggested solution.
âYou know damn well I canât let you leave.â Thorn pulled her into his arms, crushing her mouth with his. He dragged her body close to his, melding them together in an embrace far more flammable than a lit match to a stack of dry tinder.
A Golden Heart Award winner for Best Paranormal Romance in 2004, ELLE JAMES started writing when her sister issued a Y2K challenge to write a romance novel. She has managed a full-time job and raised three wonderful children, and she and her husband even tried their hands at ranching exotic birds (ostriches, emus and rheas) in the Texas Hill Country. Ask her, and sheâll tell you what itâs like to go toe-to-toe with an angry three-hundred-and-fifty-pound bird! After leaving her successful career in information technology management, Elle is now pursuing her writing fulltime. Elle loves to hear from fans. You can contact her at [email protected] or visit her website at www.ellejames.com.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Thorn DrennanâUndercover agent for Covert Cowboys, Inc. battling guilt over the deaths of his wife and unborn child.
Sophia CarranzaâOn the run from her abusive ex-fiancé, a drug-cartel leader with connections on both sides of the border.
Hank DerringerâBillionaire willing to take the fight for justice into his own hands by setting up CCIâCovert Cowboys, Inc.
Antonio MartinezâOne of the leaders of la Familia Diablos drug cartel.
Grant LehmannâFBI regional director and old friend of Hankâs.
Scott WaldenâForman of the Raging Bull Ranch.
Cara Jo SmithsonâPretty single woman who owns the diner in Wild Oak Canyon.
Pj FranksâHankâs grown daughter.
Brandon PendleyâHank Derringerâs computer guru.
Zach AdamsâFormer FBI special agent tortured and broken by Los Lobos cartel.
Jacie KosartâBig Elk Ranch big game hunting trail guide desperate to find her twin sister.
Ben HardingâFormer cop with the Austin police department.
Kate LangsdonâInherited the Flying K Ranch from the father sheâd never known. Husband killed in Afghanistan a month before their daughter was born. Just looking to provide a safe home for her little girl.
Chuck BoltonâWounded soldier returning to Wild Oak Canyon to join Hank Derringerâs team, Covert Cowboys, Inc.
This book is dedicated to my husband, whose love
and support helped clear my schedule to write!
Chapter One
Elena Sophia Carranza gunned the throttle to make it up the steep, rocky slope, doing her best to keep up with Hector. Thank God heâd taken the precious extra time to train her on how to ride a dirt bike in rough terrain. There was no more treacherous landscape than the border crossing between Mexico and the United States leading into the Big Bend National Park.
âYou can do this, Señorita Elena, but you must be brave,â Hector had insisted when theyâd set off on their desperate escape. âOnce we leave, we cannot return.â
Sheâd known that from the start. Her ex-fiancé, Antonio, would not stop until he found her. And if he did catch her, there would be the devil to pay.
Squeezing Hectorâs hand, sheâd whispered, âYou must call me Sophia from now on. Elena no longer exists.â
âSÃ,â heâd agreed before mounting his bike and taking off.
It was imperative Sophia commit to her goal, or sheâd die. Others had risked too much to help her break out of the compound. Hector had risked his life and his future to get her this far. The least she could do was hold up her end by keeping pace with him, not going so slow as to put them both in jeopardy. They had come across the United States border without being detected thus far. Now all they had to do was find help.