Her Unexpected Hero
Sawyer Buchanon was against hiring Jade Warren. The escalating threats against his familyâs construction businessâand Sawyer in particularâdonât warrant the time and money spent on a private investigator. Even if Jadeâs smart, beautiful and challenging in a way that intrigues him. Jade has personal reasons to mistrust any Buchanonâespecially one as handsome and smooth as Sawyer. But everything sheâs been led to believe about the successful Buchanons crumbles in the face of Sawyerâs decency and sweetness. And the closer Jade gets to Sawyer, the more intense her feelings for him become. Soon the biggest risk sheâll face is having Sawyer steal her heart.
No female was impervious to Sawyer Buchanon.
Except Jade. Even if he had a kind side, and he did, and even if she found him attractiveâand who wouldnât?âhe was a Buchanon. And her maiden name was on his fatherâs naughty list.
He spotted her inside the dim room with the baby and raised both palms in a comical, supplicating gesture.
âWhatâs this? Youâve ditched me for a younger man?â
âHis toothless grin was irresistible.â
Sawyer paused for one second as if her banter caught him off guard. She knew he considered her humorless and cold, which was for the best, but she wasnât always that way.
Crossing the room, Sawyer swooped Ashton into his arms. âYou ready? Whereâs the squirtâs bag?â
She reached for the backpack but Sawyer beat her to it, swung it over his opposite shoulder, and they headed out for the day.
The sight of the man with a baby in his tanned, muscled arms tugged at Jadeâs insides. He was a puzzle she couldnât fit into her tidy mental box.
Dear Reader,
As I finish up the Buchanon series with Sawyerâs story, I hope youâve enjoyed our time together in Gabrielâs Crossing, Texas. Like most families, the Buchanons have their share of troubles but their Christian faith and family loyalty hold them together.
I set the Buchanon series in what is known locally as Texoma or Texoma Land, the Red River border area where Oklahoma and Texas meet. Though many people think of these states as flat, dry plains, Texoma is a beautiful area of forests, lakes, mountains and friendly small towns. If you ever have a chance to visit Texoma in the autumn, the scenery will take your breath away and the warm people will leave you with a smile.
I love to hear from readers. Connect with me at my website www.lindagoodnight.com or on social media. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter so we can stay in touch!
Until my next books, be well and happy.
May God bless you,
LINDA GOODNIGHT, a New York Times bestselling author and winner of a RITA® Award in inspirational fiction, has appeared on the Christian bestseller lists. Her novels have been translated into more than a dozen languages. Active in orphan ministry, Linda enjoys writing fiction that carries a message of hope in a sometimes dark world. She and her husband live in Oklahoma. Visit her website, lindagoodnight.com, for more information.
Out of the same mouth proceed
blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.
âJames 3:10
For my forever friend, Trisha Hayes. Weâve been
through a long journey together over many years and many tears, laughter, music and kids. Always, always, I knew I could lean on you for prayer and love and enduring friendship. And the turquoise jewelry ainât bad either! Love you, sweet lady. This one is for you.
Chapter One
It was now or never. Walk up to that door and knock or drive back to the office and give the case to someone else.
From behind the wheel of her plain white Chevy Cruze, Jade Warren eyed the housing complex next to the smooth green golf course of Gabrielâs Crossing, Texas. She wasnât a bit surprised that Sawyer Buchanon lived in such a nice place. His familyâs construction company had likely built the buff brick townhomes, something she would know if sheâd done her computer homework. But the impulse to immediately drive to the river town and face the dragon had overshadowed her usual rigid work ethic.
Do the job. Do it right. Donât get involved.
Which was exactly why she shouldnât have accepted this assignment.
She was involved. Sheâd been involved for years. Being here, accepting this investigation, made her a traitor.
But frankly she was tired of chasing absconding debtors and deadbeat exes. She wanted a case with meat on the bones, something she could sink her investigating teeth into.
Most of all, she was curious about her family nemeses, the dreaded Buchanons.
To hear her daddy tell it, the Buchanons breathed fire and plotted the demise of anyone they didnât like. And they always won. Sheâd grown up despising a group of people sheâd never met.