Kimberly Raye – The Braddock Boys: Colton (страница 1)

Praise for Kimberly Raye’s Love at First Bite miniseries

“If you love cowboys and vampires, then Kimberly Raye’s Love at First Bite series is for you.”

—The Romanorum

“Let’s just put this out there … the sex was hot, incredibly hot. Dare I say Blazin’ hot.”

—Bite Club on The Braddock Boys: Travis

“Kimberly Raye’s A Body to Die For is fun and sexy, filled with sensual details, secrets and heartwarming characters—as well as humor in the most unexpected places.” —RT Book Reviews

“Dead Sexy by Kimberly Raye is funny and exciting—with great sex, characters and plot twists.”

—RT Book Reviews

“A laugh-out-loud, sexy, heartwarming story and a wonderful heroine.”

—RT Book Reviews on Drop Dead Gorgeous

“I loved the sexual tension.”

—Night Owl Reviews on The Braddock Boys: Brent

About the Author

USA TODAY bestselling author KIMBERLY RAYE started her first novel in high school and has been writing ever since. To date, she’s published more than fifty-eight novels, two of them prestigious RITA^® Award nominees. She’s also been nominated by RT Book Reviews for several Reviewers’ Choice awards, as well as a career achievement award. Kim lives deep in the heart of the Texas Hill Country with her husband and their young children. She’s an avid reader who loves Diet Dr Pepper, Facebook, chocolate and alpha males. Kim also loves to hear from readers. You can visit her online at www.kimberlyraye.com or follow her on Twitter.

Dear Reader,

I’m thrilled to be back with the latest and final installment in the sexy BRADDOCK BOYS series! It’s Colton Braddock’s turn, and believe me, he’s more than ready. Once the brave, courageous leader of the most notorious Confederate raiding group during the Civil War, Colton is now a vampire tormented by his past. He’s spent over one hundred and fifty years blaming himself for the massacre that killed his son and destroyed his home. No more. He now knows who the real killer is and he’s determined to have his revenge once and for all.

His plans are side-tracked, however, when he meets Shelly Lancaster, a strong-willed deputy sheriff with her own agenda. Shelly is tired of reading about hot, mind-blowing sex. She wants to experience it for herself, and so she’s on a manhunt to find the perfect partner. When Colton walks into the Skull Creek Sheriff’s Office, she knows in an instant that he’s just the cowboy for the job.

I hope you’ve enjoyed riding along with the Braddock Boys these past few books. While I’m saying goodbye to Skull Creek and my beloved cowboy vampires for now, I’ll be back in 2013 with a new series featuring the small town of Lost Gun and a trio of wickedly hot brothers named after the most notorious outlaws to ever blaze through Texas!

I love to hear from readers. You can visit me online at www.kimberlyraye.com or write to me c/o Harlequin Books, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Toronto, ON M3B 3K9, Canada, or connect with me on Facebook.

Much love from deep in the heart!

Kimberly Raye

The Braddock Boys: Colton

Kimberly Raye

www.millsandboon.co.uk

This book is dedicated to all of the wonderful

readers who love the Braddock Boys as much as I do.

You make writing the best job in the world!

1

IT WAS OFFICIALLY the worst moment of her romantic life.

Shelly Lancaster read the singles ad printed in yesterday’s edition of the Skull Creek Gazette and the Red Bull she’d guzzled at lunch churned in her stomach.

SWF seeks single, adventurous, incredibly sexy male for hot, mind-blowing sex (no serious relationship wanted). One night only. Instant chemistry a must. For a really good time, email: shellylancaster@skullcreeksheriff.com.

WTF?

Her chest tightened and the air rushed from her lungs. No. No, no, no, no, no!

Why had she gone to all the trouble of setting up an anonymous email account—hookmeup@hotmail.com—when no one had even bothered to use it?

Panic bolted through her and she fought for a breath. At least now she understood why her Monday had been straight out of an episode of the Twilight Zone.

She should have known something was up. She’d felt the familiar twinge in her gut yesterday. That instinct telling her that something was about to happen.

Something bad. Really bad.

She’d assumed it had something to do with the new prisoner that had been delivered on Saturday. The entire office was on pins and needles because of Jimmy Holbrook. At only twenty-three, he’d built quite a reputation for prison escapes. He’d waltzed out of all four of the facilities where he’d been housed and the Texas Rangers were determined he wouldn’t walk out of number five. Hence the transfer to a maximum security prison in El Paso. But in the rush to get him under lock and key at an adequate facility, there had been a few mistakes with his transfer paperwork. Which meant that Jimmy was currently locked up in a back cell awaiting an armed escort to take him the last leg of his trip. Until the paperwork got sorted out, he and the Texas Ranger parked outside his cell were stuck right here in Skull Creek. Hence the churning in her stomach.

Or so she’d thought.

She eyeballed the extra-large container of chocolate body paint sitting on the corner of her desk, a big red bow sitting on top. Justin Wellborn, one of the hottest cowboys to ever two-step across the floor down at the local dance hall, had dropped off the stuff just ten minutes ago and asked her to go back to his place tonight. Before that had been Will Freeman who’d brought a basket of scented massage oils. Kip Walker had come bearing edible underwear and some guy she hardly knew, who worked down at the Dairy Freeze, had shown up with fuzzy zebra-print handcuffs.

They’d all wanted one thing.

Because they thought she wanted one thing.

Because the ad that was supposed to protect her identity and list only an anonymous email address had printed the real deal, complete with her name.

Her name.

This was not happening.

“Big plans tonight?” Sheriff Matt Keller’s voice slid into her head and scrambled her thoughts.

She slapped the newspaper closed and whirled. “Just the usual,” she blurted, scrambling for a semi-plausible explanation. Anything better than the truth. All she had planned was a glass of wine, a hot bubble bath and a few hours curled up on the couch, watching Bud & Sissy fall madly in love in Urban Cowboy. “I’ll probably clean my gun or watch whatever game’s on ESPN.”

“Must be some game.” His gaze slid past her to the risqué gifts sitting atop her desk.

“This?” She waved a hand and played on the off chance that Matt had yet to see the personals. “This stuff is for a friend of mine.” Her brain raced. “It’s for her, um, party. A bachelorette party.” Hey, it sounded better than what was really happening. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your number-one deputy is sexually frustrated and trying to break a three-year fast.

Ugh. Matt had enough to worry about. On top of Holbrook, the town’s annual chili cook-off and roping festival started in less than three days. That meant parking issues, drunken festival-goers and lots of litter. She didn’t want to add hormonal female to the list.

He eyed the items one more time and smiled. “Good for you. It’s nice to see you’re having a little fun.”

His choice of words punched a nerve and she stiffened. Shelly recalled going to bed hungry one too many nights because her mother had been too busy having fun to bother making dinner or earning a steady paycheck. Fun had its price and it wasn’t one she was willing to pay. She liked having food in her refrigerator and money in the bank and, even more, peace of mind.

“I’m just collecting the stuff,” she blurted, sweeping an arm across the desk and stuffing it all into her top drawer. “I’m not actually going to the party. I’m on duty.” She slammed the drawer shut. “So, um, what time does your flight leave in the morning?” she asked, effectively changing the subject.

“Seven a.m.” He glanced at his watch as if he’d just remembered something. “Hells bells, I need to get out of here. I promised Shay we’d have a candlelit dinner to kick off tomorrow’s trip.”

Which was why Shelly was in this mess in the first place.

Instead of worrying about Holbrook or the chili cook-off, Matt was leaving everything to Shelly and running off on a romantic getaway with his new wife.

The man had fallen head over boot heels and was now living the proverbial happily-ever-after. That coupled with the fact that Shelly’s younger sister had just spent the past six months planning the biggest wedding the town had ever seen, had forced Shelly to re-evaluate her own love life.

Or lack of one.

She was twenty-nine years old. She’d never been married. No kids. No pets. She spent most Saturday evenings either on duty or catching up on paperwork, determined to make something of herself. To be the best. To be someone.

Anyone other than the timid little girl who’d hidden under the bed while her mother had spent her nights down at the local honky-tonk. Shelly had been so scared back then. So helpless.