The Deputy's Redemption
A Texas lawman risks his future to protect a woman from his past in USA TODAY bestselling author Delores Fossen’s latest Sweetwater Ranch book.The woman fleeing a cold-blooded killer is no stranger to Deputy Colt McKinnon. Fourteen years ago, Elise Nichols was the love of his life. Now she’s back in Sweetwater Springs–to be the star witness in an upcoming murder trial that could tear the Texas lawman’s family apart.With her explosive revelations certain to rock the town, Elise didn’t expect to be welcomed home with open arms. Certainly not by the cowboy with the badge who once meant everything to her. But after being run off the road and shot at, she has no choice but to trust him. Even more dangerous is the desire that’s reigniting, making Elise yearn for something she may not live to see.
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Sheâd been attracted to Colt since she was old enough to feel attraction, and apparently that hadnât changed one bit. If anything, that kiss had made it a heck of a lot worse.
Mercy, heâd gotten even better at this since they were teenagers. Not that sheâd expected anything less. With those hot cowboy looks, heâd no doubt had a lot of practice. That thought was something to cool the heat down just a bit.
She definitely didnât want to be another notch on Coltâs bedpost.
Yes, theyâd made out before, but theyâd never gone further. Elise figured it was a good idea if that remained true. And the best way for that to happen was for the kiss to stop.
He pulled back, his gaze snapping to hers, then lowering right back to her mouth. âThat was a mistake.â
Then, he dropped another of those scalding kisses on her mouth. He cursed some more, backed away from her. âAnd itâs also proof of why I need to put you in someone elseâs protective custody.â
DELORES FOSSEN, a USA TODAY bestselling author, has sold over fifty novels with millions of copies of her books in print worldwide. Sheâs received the Booksellersâ Best Award and the RT Reviewersâ Choice Award, and was a finalist for a prestigious RITA>® Award. You can contact the author through her webpage at www.dfossen.net.
Contents
Deputy Colt McKinnon caught the blur of motion from the corner of his eye.
He hit the brakes, not hard, because there was likely some ice on the road, and he pulled his truck to a stop on the gravel shoulder.
There.
He saw it again.
Someone wearing light-colored clothes was darting in and out of the trees. Since it was below freezing and nearly ten at night, it wasnât a good time for someone to be jogging.
Colt took a flashlight from the glove compartment and got out, sliding his hand over the gun in his belt holster, and he tried to pick through the darkness to see what was going on. Thankfully, there was a full moon, and he got another glimpse of the person.
A woman.
She was running and not just an ordinary run, either. She was in a full sprint as if her life depended on it.
Colt hurried down the embankment toward her to see if anything or anybody was chasing her. There were coyotes in the woods, but heâd never heard of a pack going after a human. However, before he could see much of anything else, the woman ducked behind a tree.
âI have a gun!â she shouted.
Ah, hell.
He instantly recognized the voice. Elise Nichols. A voice he darn sure didnât want to hear at all, much less her yelling about having a gun.
Her house was a good five miles from here, definitely not close by enough for her to be on foot. So what in the Sam Hill was she doing running in the woods in the middle of the night?
âItâs meâColt,â he said, just in case she thought he was a stranger.
âI know exactly who you are.â Her voice was loud but very shaky. âAnd I have a gun.â
âSo do I,â he snarled, and Colt drew it to prove his point.
Colt hadnât exactly expected a warm, friendly greeting from Elise, but he hadnât thought she was to the point of threatening to do him bodily harm.
âWhat the heck are you running from?â he asked.
She didnât jump to answer. The only sounds were the February wind rattling through the bare tree branches and his heartbeat pumping like pistons in his ears.
âIâm running from you,â she finally answered.
Colt jerked back his shoulders. That sure wasnât the answer heâd been expecting. Nor did it make a lick of sense.
âIâm a deputy sheriff of Sweetwater Springs,â he reminded Elise just in case she was drunk or had gone off the deep end and couldnât remember what was common knowledge around these parts.
And he reminded her also because her comment riled him.
âPeople generally donât feel the need to run from me,â he added with a syrupy sweetness that she would know wasnât the least bit genuine.
âTheyâd run if you were trying to kill them.â
He tried not to let his mouth drop open, but it was close. âAnd you think thatâs what Iâm trying to do to you?â
âI know you are. You ran me off the road about fifteen minutes ago.â
He glanced around, didnât see another vehicle. But there was a road not too far away, and it would have been the one Elise would likely take to get to and from her place located just outside town. It was possible someone had sideswiped her and maybe sheâd hit her head during the collision. That was the only explanation he could think of for a fish story like that one.
âCome out so I can see you,â Colt told her, âand Iâll drive you to the hospital.â
She didnât answer.
Didnât move, either.
