Protecting the Colton Bride
A cowboy's marriage of convenience may lead to a deadly honeymoon in the latest from New York Times bestselling author Elle JamesWith his ranch in financial trouble, cowboy Daniel Colton makes the perfect proposal to Megan Talbot–a marriage of convenience to save his business and ensure she receives her inheritance. But spending night after night with the strawberry blonde beauty tests all boundaries of Daniel's self-control. And when a killer targets his new bride, vying for her estate, it sets off all of his protective instincts. Daniel refuses to trade his honeymoon for a funeral. Now it's a race against the clock to track down the culprit and protect the wife who's starting to be so much more to him than just a business partner.
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Meganâs arms slipped around his waist.
âI donât expect you to take on my problems. Youâre my boss, not my fairy godmother.â
Daniel chuckled. âYeah, Iâd look pretty silly in a dress carrying a fairy wand, and Iâm not such a great boss at that.â
âWhy do you say that?â She looked up at him through watery green eyes. âYouâre great.â
âBecause a good boss doesnât go around kissing his employees.â He stared down at her damp cheeks, his belly flipping. âRight now, I want to be a very bad boss.â
Her eyes flared with desire. âHow so?â
âI want to kiss you. Again.â
She sucked in a breath and bit down on that lip before saying, âI told you, I quit. That means youâre not my boss.â
He leaned his forehead against hers and sighed. God, he wanted to kiss her. âIâm not accepting your resignation.â
âYou donât have a choice,â she said, her lips so close.
* * *
Be sure to check out the next books in this series.
The Coltons of Oklahoma: Family secrets always find a way to resurfaceâ¦
New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author ELLE JAMES is a former IT professional and retired army and air force reservist. She writes romantic suspense, mysteries and paranormal romances that keep her readers on the edge of their seats to the very end of every book. When sheâs not at her computer, sheâs traveling to exotic and wonderful places, snow-skiing, boating or riding her four-wheeler, dreaming up new stories. Learn more about Elle James at www.ellejames.com.
This book is dedicated to my father, who left his home in Arkansas to join the US Air Force and gave twenty years of his life to his country. He ultimately followed his heart all the way back home, where he lives today and is happy to stay there. Home was where his heart was, and his heart was in Arkansas. I love you, Dad!
Contents
Daniel Colton swept the brush over Riderâs black coat, comforted by the scent of animal hide, manure and fresh-cut Bermuda. With every swish of the horseâs full black tail, hay dust sparkled in the air, reflecting the afternoon sunlight streaming through the open door of the Lucky C breeding barn.
This was home and there was nowhere else Daniel would rather be.
âAre you about done brushing Rider? Haloâs practically champing at the bit to get outside for her afternoon run.â
Daniel lifted his head and stared over the black quarter horse studâs back at the woman on the other side. She was brushing the beautiful palomino mare, one of Danielâs many successes in his quarter-horse-breeding program at the Lucky C Ranch.
His chest tightened and his breath caught. It wasnât the horse he couldnât take his gaze off. It was the halo effect the sun gave Megan Talbotâs strawberry blond hair. The palominoâs registered name was Angelâs Golden Halo, but the woman deserved the moniker more than the animal. For the first time in the four months since Megan had come to work for him, sheâd worn her hair loose. Normally those long, curly locks were twisted into a braid, pulled back from a face sprinkled lightly with freckles. Some would call them flaws in her pale complexion, but Daniel found each freckle adorable and hard to resist.
A light breeze blew through the door, lifting Meganâs hair, making it dance in the sunshine. The horse shifted nervously and Megan patted her backside. âShh. Weâll leave soon.â She turned and smiled at Daniel with her bright green eyes. âReady to saddle up? I donât know if Halo can wait any longer. Sheâs more hyper than usual.â
Daniel jerked his attention back to his horse, reminding himself that he was the boss, Megan worked for him and he had no business staring at her hair or any other part of her perfectly shaped face or lithe, athletic body.
âLetâs saddle these two.â He was ready to get out of the barn and gallop across the pastures of his fatherâs ranch. Working around the animals, training, feeding and riding, he was more at home than at the big house with the rest of the Coltons.
Big J Colton was the patriarch of the Oklahoma Coltons and the owner of the Lucky C Ranch. As his bastard child, Daniel had grown up with his half brothers and half sister, accepted by everyone except his stepmother, Abra Colton. Because of her antagonism toward him and the fact that Big J had taken in a child who wasnât hers, Daniel had never felt he quite fit in with the others.
Megan was first to the tack room. When she emerged, she carried a blanket. âIs Greta back from Oklahoma City?â she asked.
âNot that Iâve heard. Why do you ask?â
With a shrug, Megan threw the blanket over the mareâs back and followed Colton into the tack room. âI thought I saw her earlier. I might have been seeing things. With a wedding to plan, I doubt she has time to go back and forth between Tulsa and Oklahoma City often.â
