Husband and Wife Reunion
She' s the last person Luke expected to seeJust why is Julianna staying at his father' s ranch? Luke has come to Sante Fe to mend fences with his dad and lie low until the political fury over his current police investigation calms down. He' s definitely not there to share memories of the good old days with his ex-wife.It' s difficult for Julianna to remember when it had been good between her and Luke. And being close to the strong, handsome man she once loved unconditionally is too much. Either Luke leaves or she does.Except Julianna has nowhere to go. She needs to hide out at Abe' s ranch to get her job done. Because nothing, not even anonymous death threats, will stop her. But if Luke finds out about the threats, he' s never going to leave….
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With one quick twist, he shoved her face against the wall
âMove and youâre history,â the intruder said, pulling Juliannaâs hands behind her.
That voice. She knew that voice.
Swiftly, big deft hands patted her down, moving under her arms, sliding around to her breasts, then down between her legs, at which she felt a familiar pull low in her stomach. He clicked on the light and yanked her around.
His eyes went wide. âJules?â
Five years and he still looked the same. Same cobalt-blue eyes that crinkled around the corners whether he was smiling or not, the same lean, hard features that said he was a manâs manâa man with a purposeâand always in control. Qualities she once thought sexy and desirable.
He was so close she felt his heat. His familiar scent made her blood rush. And if the look in his eyes was any indication, he felt the same. But then, lack of desire had never been their problem. In the end, desire hadnât helped the marriage. She hated what theyâd done to each other in the year before the divorce.
Things that would stay with them forever.
Dear Reader,
Iâm delighted to bring you another COLD CASES: L.A. novel and again delve into the inner world of law enforcementâa world thatâs always intrigued me. While career choices took me in another direction, I did enroll in my cityâs civilian police academy. Little did I know that the six-week class would spark the idea for this miniseries.
Husband and Wife Reunion is the last book in the series, but it seems perfect to end with Lukeâs story. Itâs about second chances, and donât we all wish we could do some things over? But even when given the opportunity we donât always make the best choices. I believe true character is revealed by the choices we make when our personal risks are the greatest. Detective Luke Coltrane is a man who has hit rock bottom. Heâs lost his son and his wife, alienated most of the people he loves, and it nearly cost him his job. But heâs on the mend and determined to put his life in order, starting with his relationship with his father. But he never expected to run into his ex-wife, Julianna, back home in Santa Fe. Thatâs one fence he knows he canât mend. To do that, heâd have to take the greatest risk of allâ¦and open his heart to love.
Luke and Julianna have been through a terrible tragedy. In order to find love and commitment again, they must overcome nearly insurmountable odds. I didnât know until I wrote the end of this book whether theyâd be able to do it or not. Iâm happy with the outcome and hope you enjoy Luke and Juliannaâs story.
I always like hearing from readers. You can write me at P.O. Box 2292, Mesa, AZ 85214, or e-mail me at [email protected]. For upcoming books and other fun stuff, visit my Web site at www.LindaStyle.com and www.superauthors.com.
May all your dreams come true,
Linda Style
For Courtney and Connor,
You are the stars that light up my life. I love you both.
My sincere thanks and appreciation to all the people who
contributed to the research for this book, and all the books in the COLD CASES: L.A. miniseriesâthe professionals with the Los Angeles Police Department, the city of Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and the Orange County RWA members who so generously shared their expertise about the City of Angels. Many thanks to my editor, Victoria Curran, for her guidance and uncanny ability to see the essence of a story. Since this is a work of fiction, Iâve taken some liberties with facts where needed. Any errors are solely mine.
CONTENTS
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
EPILOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
âYOU CROSSED THE LINE. Youâre going to regret it.â
Julianna Chevalair listened to the distorted digitalized voice, heard a click and then the dial tone droned in her ear.
She swallowed around the tightness in her throat, closed her eyes and waited for the next message. The recorder had indicated there were three.
âIf you donât stop, Iâm going to stop you.â
Her heart raced. Sheâd ignored the callerâs earlier e-mails warning her to stop writing the story, and the second installment was about to run in the magazineâs next issue.
A moment later, the next call started. As she listened, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. A chill ran up her spine. Hands shaking, she clicked off in the middle of the message.
How had he gotten her number?
The Achillesâ Heel received dozens of crank calls, letters and even more e-mail messages from readers who didnât like some of its stories. But this was new. Sheâd never received a phone call at home before. And the two e-mails sheâd gotten prior to leaving San Francisco had definite threatening undertones.
It creeped her out and sheâd jumped at Abeâs kind invitation to stay at his ranch outside Santa Fe. Now the decision seemed even more right. No one knew where she was, not even her editor. Her ex-father-in-lawâs ranch was the last place anyone would expect her to go.
