The Last Mccullen
Could a kidnapping finally lead to the last McCullen finding his way home?If there's one thing Special Agent Ryder Banks hates, it's handcuffing a woman. Tia Jeffries is not a violent person, but her infant son has been abducted – or worse. Determined to find her baby, the pretty single mom agrees to ditch the gun and work undercover with the sexy agent. Posing as a couple desperate to adopt, they find a murky world of baby brokers, scams – and a connection to the McCullens, Ryder's birth family. When bullets start flying, Ryder risks everything to make Tia and her baby his own…
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Could a kidnapping finally lead to the last McCullen finding his way home?
If thereâs one thing Special Agent Ryder Banks hates, itâs handcuffing a woman. Tia Jeffries is not a violent person, but her infant son has been abductedâor worse. Determined to find her baby, the pretty single mom agrees to ditch the gun and work undercover with the sexy agent. Posing as a couple desperate to adopt, they find a murky world of baby brokers, scamsâand a connection to the McCullens, Ryderâs birth family. When bullets start flying, Ryder risks everything to make Tia and her baby his ownâ¦
The Heroes of Horseshoe Creek
âI will find the baby.â And heâd put away whoever had taken the child.
He escorted her through the back to a holding cell. Ryder scanned the space as he followed. Two cells. The other was empty.
At least she wasnât being thrown in with some dangerous derelict.
The cell door closed with a clang. Tia looked small and helpless inside that cell, yet heâd seen the fight in her when sheâd confronted her ex.
âPlease find Jordie,â she whispered in a raw, pained voice. âHeâs just a few days old. Heâ¦needs me.â
Yes, he did.
But Ryder had seen the worst of society on that last case. The head of the ring had seemed like an upstanding citizen. But evil had lurked beneath the surface.
Did Tia deserve to have her son back?
For the life of him, he wanted to believe her. Maybe because no kid should grow up thinking his mother had gotten rid of him, like he had.
USA TODAY bestselling author RITA HERRON wrote her first book when she was twelve but didnât think real people grew up to be writers. Now she writes so she doesnât have to get a real job. A former kindergarten teacher and workshop leader, she traded storytelling to kids for writing romance, and now she writes romantic comedies and romantic suspense. Rita lives in Georgia with her family. She loves to hear from readers, so please visit her website, www.ritaherron.com.
This one is for all the fans of
The Heroes of Horseshoe Creek series who wrote asking for the twinsâ stories!
Contents
Ryder Banks needed a shower, a cold beer and some serious shut-eye.
Three months of deep undercover work had paid off, though. Heâd caught the son-of-a-bitch ringleader of a human trafficking group whoâd been kidnapping and selling teenage girls as sex slaves.
Sick bastard.
He scrubbed a hand over his bleary eyes as he let himself inside his cabin. The musty odor and the dust motes floating in the stale air testified to the fact that he hadnât seen this place in months.
Tired but still wired from the arrest, he grabbed a beer from the fridge, kicked off his shoes and flipped on the news.
âThis is Sheriff Maddox McCullen of Pistol Whip, Wyoming.â The newscaster gestured toward a tall, broad-shouldered man with dark hair. âSheriff McCullen has just arrested the person responsible for three-year-old Tyler Elmoreâs abduction and for the murder of the boyâs mother, Sondra Elmore. Sheriff?â
âThe man we arrested was Jim Jasper, a sheriff himself,â Sheriff McCullen said. âHe confessed to the homicide.â
âWhat about the man who was originally charged with the murder?â The news anchor consulted his notes. âCash Koker, wasnât that his name?â
McCullen nodded. âSheriff Jasper also admitted that he framed Koker, so Koker has been cleared of all charges.â Sheriff McCullen offered a smile. âOn a more personal note, my brothers and I learned that Mr. KokerâCashâis our brother. He and his twin were kidnapped at birth from our family.â
âThat explains the reason his last name isnât McCullen?â
âYes, he was given the name of the foster parent who first took him in.â McCullen paused. âWeâre delighted to reconnect with him. Weâre also searching for Cashâs twin. We hope heâll come forward if heâs watching.â
A photo of Cash Koker flashed onto the screen.
Ryder swallowed hard. Dammit, the man not only resembled the other McCullen brothers with his dark hair, square jaw, big broad shoulders and rugged build, but he looked just like him.
The number for the sheriffâs office flashed onto the screen and Ryder cursed, then hit the off button for the TV.
Maddox McCullen was a damn good actor. The emotions on his face seemed real.
He wanted the world to believe that his twin brothers had been stolen from his family.
But that was a lie.
Ryder knew the truth.
The McCullens had sold those babies.
All for the money to expand their ranch, Horseshoe Creek.
