Colton's Covert Baby

by Lara Lacombe

  “I’m at the airport,” Mason said. “I need to get away for a while. Sort some things out.”

  She tightened her grip on the phone, alarmed at his words. She’d already lost her sister; was she going to lose her brother, as well? “Where are you headed?”

  “Away,” he said shortly.

  “But...” She cast about for something to say, something to convince him to stay in town. He needed to be around family right now, to know that they all still loved and supported him. “What about your work on the film festival? You can’t just leave Phoebe and Skye and Aunt Mara in the lurch!”

  “I’m not. Seth is going to take over for me. I already told Phoebe.”

  Molly recognized the name—Seth was one of the managers at The Lodge. He seemed nice enough, but his inclusion at the last minute must have heightened Aunt Mara’s stress level.

  “What about Elaine? You’re just going to leave her?”

  “I’m not abandoning her,” he said, an edge to his voice. “She’s at the state psychiatric hospital, for crying out loud. They’ll take care of her while I’m gone.”

  “I wish you wouldn’t do this,” Molly said. “Mom and Dad will be here today. Don’t you want to see them?”

  “I have to get away,” Mason said softly. “My life is in shambles right now. I need to figure out how to put it back together.”

  “Okay,” she said simply. “Just know that I love you, and I’ll be here to help you when you’re ready to come home.”

  “Thanks. I needed to hear that.” He sighed. “I’ve got to go. They’re boarding my flight.”

  “Have a safe trip.”

  “Thanks. Take care of yourself, Mols. And the baby, too.”

  He hung up before she could respond. Molly set the phone on the coffee table and remained on the couch, processing this latest development.

  She closed her eyes, seeing Max’s face. It would be nice to talk to him about Mason, tell him what was going on. He’d know just what to say to make her feel better, and Furbert would press himself against her side until she was so busy paying attention to him she’d forget to be worried.

  Her hand hovered over the phone, but she pulled it back. She couldn’t call up Max every time she was upset. She needed to find new ways of dealing with her feelings, so that when he went back to his old life she wasn’t left out in the cold.

  Searching for a distraction, she picked up the remote and turned on the television. Maybe there was something mindless on. She flipped through the channels, pausing when she saw Max’s face.

  He’s on the news, she realized, leaning forward. But why?

  A reporter was asking him questions about her abduction and his role in her rescue. “How do you know the victim, Molly Gilford?”

  “Molly and I have been seeing each other for a little over two years now,” Max said easily.

  Molly blinked, surprised to hear him publicly acknowledge their relationship.

  “And is it true you’re expecting your first child together?”

  “Yes, that’s correct. I’m very excited about it.”

  Molly placed her hand on her belly, recalling the tender look on his face as he’d told their daughter he loved her.

  The woman smiled. “I can imagine. You said earlier you’re planning to move to Roaring Springs. Will you be able to manage your charity, K-9 Cadets, from here?”

  “I’m not too worried about that,” Max replied. “You see, I’m stepping down as managing director of K-9 Cadets. I want to focus on Molly and our family, and while I love my work, it simply takes up too much time. I’ll be staying on as a consultant, but the actual day-to-day job of running the organization will fall to my replacement.”

  The reporter made another remark, but Molly didn’t hear what the woman said. She was too stunned by Max’s announcement to pay attention to anything else.

  He was resigning from K-9 Cadets? And moving here?

  She shook her head, hardly daring to believe it. But he’d just confessed, on television, that he wanted to focus on their family.

  It was a hell of a statement.

  Suddenly, his voice echoed in her head. I’m going to prove to you I meant every word I said here tonight.

  And so he had.

  Max had rearranged his life to make sure he’d have time for her and the baby. He’d turned his world upside down, then done the equivalent of shouting the news from the rooftops. It was a big, bold, unmistakable gesture on his part. Not something he could easily reverse or undo. No, these changes were the kind that would stick.

  Molly grabbed the phone, needing to hear his voice. To know this was real, not just some strange hallucination on her part.

  He answered on the first ring. “Molly?”

  “You said for me to call you when I was ready to see you again. I’m ready now.”

  She heard the gust of his breath over the line. “That’s good,” he said, chuckling softly. “Because I’m in your driveway.”

  “You are?” She walked to the front door and stepped onto the porch. Sure enough, Max’s rental car was sitting in front of her house. “Are you going to come in?”

  He climbed out of the car, followed by Furbert. He walked up to the porch steps, phone still at his ear. “I wasn’t going to bother you. I was just coming to see the baby.” He gave her a wink, then reached out, touching her belly gently with his free hand.

  “She’ll be happy to hear your voice again.”

  Max began to climb the stairs, stopping when they were at eye level. “I missed you,” he whispered, shoving his phone into his pocket.

  “I missed you, too,” she admitted.

  He leaned in to kiss her, but she held up her hand. “Is it true?”

  “Is what true?”

  “I just saw you on the news. You’re really stepping down as managing director?”

  He nodded. “I am. The search is on for my replacement.”

  She examined his face, looking for any hint of regret. But his soft green eyes held only warmth as he stared back at her.

  “And you’re moving here, too?”

  Another nod. “That’s the plan.”

  “Where are you going to live?”

  He tilted his head to the side. “See, that’s the thing. I was kind of hoping you could help me with that.” A boyish grin spread across his face.

  Molly couldn’t help but smile in return. “I think I can do that. But I have some conditions.”

  “Oh? Name them.” He leaned in, pressing his mouth to hers.

  She indulged in the kiss for a moment, then pulled back. “Rule number one—always use a coaster.”

  Max kissed her again. “Okay,” he said against her lips.

  “Rule number two—put the toilet seat down when you’re done.”

  He pulled her close, lifting his hand to trace the curve of her cheek. “I can do that.”

  Molly shivered as sparks of sensation raced down her limbs to settle low in her belly. “And rule number three—don’t ever leave.”

  Max smiled as he wrapped his arms around her. “That won’t be a problem, I promise you. I love you, Molly. I’m never letting you go again.”

  His words triggered a flood of joy in her chest. “I love you, too, Max.” She pressed her forehead against his, sharing his breath. “I think in some way I always have.”

  “I do look my best when I’m fresh from the shower,” he drawled.

  Molly threw back her head and laughed. “Let’s test that theory, shall we?” She took his hand and led him across the porch.

  “I’ll go wherever you want,” Max said. “As long as you go with me.”

  Molly paused on the threshold. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

  Max dipped his head and kissed her soundly. Then he took her hand and they stepped inside the house.

/>   Together.

  * * *

  Don’t miss the previous volumes in the

  Coltons of Roaring Springs miniseries:

  Colton Cowboy Standoff by Marie Ferrarella

  Colton Under Fire by Cindy Dees

  Colton’s Convenient Bride by Jennifer Morey

  Colton’s Secret Bodyguard by Jane Godman

  A Colton Target by Beverly Long

  Available now from

  Harlequin Romantic Suspense.

  And don’t miss the next

  Coltons of Roaring Springs book,

  Colton’s Mistaken Identity

  by Geri Krotow,

  coming in July 2019!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Special Forces: The Spy by Cindy Dees.

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  Special Forces: The Spy

  by Cindy Dees

  Chapter 1

  Relishing the morning sunshine pouring through her cozy bungalow’s kitchen window, Piper Ford poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table to catch up on current events. Of course, she didn’t bother with newspapers. Instead, she browsed the classified briefing she and her teammates got each day covering every hot spot in the world.

  It was one of the best perks of being a Medusa. She loved knowing the dirt that few besides her all-female Special Forces team had access to. But then, she always had been a poli-sci geek. Even at West Point, she’d reveled in getting into political debates with her classmates and instructors.

  Her cell phone rang and she picked it up. Her next-door neighbor was calling. Susan and her six-year-old son, Jack, had welcomed her warmly to the neighborhood when she bought this place a few months back.

  Piper had a particular fondness for the little boy, and he for her. Jack was a cool kid—funny, curious and smart as heck.

  “Hi, Sus. What’s up?”

  “Hey, Piper. I’m stuck at the hospital. My day replacement called in sick at the last minute, and they can’t find a nurse to sub in. I’m stuck in the ICU pulling a double shift. But my babysitter can’t stay late this morning. Is there any chance you could run Jack over to his school on your way to work?”

  “When does he need to be there?”

  “Eight fifteen.”

  The Medusas had training at nine, but it was only about a twenty-minute drive from the town of Houma, Louisiana, to their classified facility, Training Site Vanessa, usually referred to as the TSV. It was tucked next to the Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge, deep in the bayous of southern Louisiana.

  “Yeah, sure. I can drop him off on my way to work. Will he be ready to go around eight?”

  “He should be. Rosie feeds him breakfast, gets him dressed and packs his lunch. I really am sorry about the last-minute notice. You’re an angel. I owe you one.”

  Piper laughed, “I’m hardly an angel.”

  “Shrimp étouffée? My place, this weekend?” Susan offered.

  “Deal. I’ll bring the wine.”

  Piper dressed in jeans and a casual white oxford shirt, befitting her cover story of being a civilian historian researching pirate activity in this part of southern Louisiana.

  She stuffed the daily intel brief into her backpack, along with her pistol, some basic survival gear she felt naked without and a uniform for running around in the woods with the Medusas. Vietnamese Special Forces instructors were in town this week teaching her and her teammates advanced jungle camouflage and ambush tactics—key skills for Special Forces operators like the Medusas.

  Piper backed her little sports car out of the garage and pulled into the driveway next door. Susie’s salmon pink front door opened and Jack darted out, all restless energy. Piper pushed the passenger door open for him and waved at Rosie, the babysitter, who followed him out the door at a more sedate pace, locking it behind her.

  “Thanks for taking Jack to school!” Rosie called. “I have a doctor’s appointment today in New Orleans, and I’m gonna be late as it is.”

  “No problem!” Piper called back. As Jack tumbled into the car beside her, she admonished, “Buckle your seat belt, squirt.”

  A bolt of envy for Susan and regret for opportunities lost shot through Piper’s gut at the sight of Jack. Longing for a child tugged at her—longing for a family of her own. She’d have thought she would be over the sense of hollow emptiness for the children she would never have by now, given the career she’d picked. But it turned out biological clocks were powerful little bastards.

  It had been a trade-off, and she’d made her choice. She had arguably one of the coolest jobs on the planet. But the sacrifice in return was no time for a private life.

  In point of technical fact, she supposed a personal life was possible. But that would entail finding a man who didn’t mind his partner being a lethally trained special operator, prone to running off at a moment’s notice to who knew where to face who knew what danger.

  The only man besides her boss who even knew the Medusas existed at this point was Captain Beau Lambert, the Medusas’ operations officer. And her teammate, Tessa Wilkes, had that man locked down tight. The two of them were engaged and had set a wedding date next year. They made a great couple. Goo-goo eyes flew thick and fast whenever they were in the same room.

  But that left her without any eligible prospects in the love department.

  “I like riding in your car, Miss Piper.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “’Cuz your car doesn’t have a back seat, and I get to sit in front.”

  “When you get bigger, your mom will let you sit in front with her.”

  “That’s what she says. I’m eatin’ as much as I can so I’ll get big really fast.”

  “Patience, grasshopper. You’ll be all grown-up before you know it. Enjoy being a kid while you can.”

  “Don’t you like being a grown-up?”

  “I do most of the time. But it’s a lot easier being a kid. And more fun.”

  “My mama says you have a super boring job.”

  Piper mentally snorted. If Susan only knew the truth. The poor woman would run screaming from Piper. She smiled serenely. “I like my job.”

  “Lucky dog. I hate school. I suck at it.”

  “You do not. I happen to know you rock at all your subjects.”

  “School’s boring.”

  “Maybe you’re just too smart for the first grade.”

  “Mama says I’m smarter than my teacher.”

  Piper laughed, “I can believe it.”r />
  They pulled up in front of Southdown Elementary School, a dark redbrick building that Piper privately thought looked more like a prison than a school. As Jack jumped out, she called after him, “Have a good day. And behave yourself!”

  He flashed her an impudent grin and dashed inside.

  She made it nearly halfway to the TSV before she happened to glance down and spied a brown paper bag on the floor of the passenger side of the car.

  Rats. Jack had forgotten his lunch.

  If she hit the stoplights exactly right, she had just enough time to zip back to his school, run his lunch inside and make it to the training site on time. The Medusas’ commanding officer, Major Gunnar Torsten, had no sense of humor whatsoever when it came to tardiness.

  Classes had started by the time she got back to the elementary school, and the drop-off area was deserted. Parking quickly, she grabbed Jack’s lunch and hurried inside. To the left of the front door was a large glassed-in office that looked like a reception area lined with institutional, Formica-topped desks. Several women sat at them. A little girl who looked about eight years old stood beside one, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

  Piper stepped inside. “Is this where I drop off a lunch a student has forgotten?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Just a minute.” The gray-haired woman who answered her went back to talking with the child. “Your mom says she’ll be here in ten minutes with your inhaler—” The woman broke off, staring at something behind Piper.

  A flurry of movement in the hallway outside caught Piper’s attention out the corner of her eye. Something—someone—adult-sized had just run past.

  Was there a problem?

  As she turned to take a better look, a man dressed all in black with a black ski mask over his face burst into the office. Piper flipped into combat mode in a millisecond, her senses going on high alert and adrenaline rushing to all her muscles.

  She noted several things at once. The weapon, held across the man’s body, was an AK-47 with an extended mag, and he handled it like he was familiar with it. He was a shade over six feet tall. Athletic in build. Moved fast and silently, rolling from heel to toe with each step. Like a Special Forces operator.