Protecting The Colton Bride

by Elle James

  Then he zipped, buttoned and buckled, ready to get on with the night. Alone in their room.

  Megan was smoothing her hair and adjusting her hem when the driver slammed on the brakes and the limousine’s tires screeched. Without their seat belts on, Megan and Daniel slid off the backseat and dropped to the floor. Then there was a loud crashing of metal on metal. The limousine was tossed to the side, and they were flung with it.

  When all movement stilled, Daniel leaned over Megan. “Are you all right?”

  “I think I am,” she said, touching her hand to her temple. She’d hit something. A long trail of blood oozed down the side of her face.

  “You’re hurt.” Daniel reached for the door and tried to open it. It had been shoved into the interior three or four inches. The other door was worse.

  “Are you two all right back there?” The driver lowered the dividing wall between the front and the back seats.

  “Mrs. Colton was injured.”

  “I’m all right. But can you get us out of here?”

  “Both doors have been damaged. You have two choices. Climb through the window between the front and the back or out through the sunroof, if I can get it to open. The electronics aren’t working exactly right.” A motor whined. The sunroof opened halfway and stopped. After several attempts by the driver, the roof opened.

  “I’ll go first, then help you out.” Daniel pulled himself through the sunroof and reached in to help Megan. The blood on her face made him so angry he could have put his fist through a brick wall.

  Once he had her on the roof, he dropped to the ground and held out his hands to help her, sliding her down his body. Then he hugged her tight. “We’re going to get you to the hospital.”

  “No. I’m fine.” She turned to the driver. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. My seat belt held me, and the air bags deployed. I was more worried about you two.”

  “What happened?” Daniel demanded.

  “It was a hit-and-run. I started through a green light, and a vehicle ran the red and broadsided the limousine, smashing us against a light pole.” The driver ran a hand through his gray hair. “Before I could get a license plate number, he was gone.”

  Several police cars and an ambulance converged on them, blocking traffic on the busy road.

  The police took their statements while the emergency medical technicians did their work. They gave Megan and Daniel a once-over, cleaned up Megan’s wound and advised her to take a ride in the ambulance to see the ER doctor.

  Megan refused. “I really didn’t hit that hard, and I’d like to get to bed sometime tonight.”

  “I think you should let me take you to the hospital,” Daniel said.

  “No,” she said firmly. “Take me to the hotel. I just want a hot shower and a bed.”

  Short of throwing her over his shoulder and forcing her to go the hospital, Daniel had to concede to her wishes. “Okay, but for the record, I don’t like it.”

  “So noted.” Megan leaned against him. “It’s been a long day. Let’s go.”

  What had started as a great evening ended on a disturbing note. Daniel called Ryan to let him know what had happened. Ryan would fill the Reno police in on the information the Tulsa PD had collected on the attempts on Megan’s life.

  When they finally got to bed, Daniel crawled in beside Megan and spooned her body with his. No sexual overtones, just holding her, feeling her body against his.

  “Do you think whoever is trying to hurt me crashed into us tonight?” Megan asked, her fingers resting on his arm dug into his skin, her body trembling.

  “I don’t know.” He tightened his arms around her. “Just to be safe, stay close to me tomorrow.”

  Megan draped her arms over his. For a long moment, silence filled the room.

  “Daniel?” she whispered, her voice quivering.

  “Yes.”

  “If someone is after me, you could be collateral damage. I don’t want you to be hurt.”

  “Sweetheart, it’s a chance I’m willing to take to keep you safe.”

  If the person after Megan was in Reno, tomorrow could be more of a challenge than he or Megan originally thought.

  Perhaps he should check on security services in Reno. It was time to get some help.

  Daniel prayed they’d make it through the following day and return home intact.

  * * *

  When Megan woke the next morning, she stretched out her arm, searching for Daniel’s solid form, only to find an empty bed. On the pillow beside hers, Daniel had left a note explaining he would be back in less than ten minutes with breakfast and coffee.

  She sat up and pressed a hand to her head, hoping to get a handle on a mild headache plus alternating feelings of euphoria and impending doom before Daniel returned.

  If all went well that day, they’d have a deal with Kennedy Farms, and the marriage of convenience would have fully served its purpose.

  Once they sealed the deal with Kennedy Farms, she and Daniel had no reason to stay married. Oh, maybe for a couple of weeks to give the appearance of having at least tried to make it work.

  She’d come up with some excuse, maybe throwing a fit over something stupid as a debutante would do. That way Daniel would save face, and Marshall Kennedy wouldn’t hold their subsequent divorce against Daniel.

  The issue of someone being after her had her equally concerned. Megan didn’t want Daniel to be hurt. Perhaps she should hop on a plane, head back to the Triple Diamond and let her father assign a bodyguard to her. Then she wouldn’t be putting Daniel in harm’s way, and she could start getting over him.

  Megan suspected getting over Daniel would take a very long time.

  Pushing aside all the thoughts that had whirled through her mind and kept her awake most of the night, she dressed for the day in pressed blue jeans, riding boots and a white blouse. She added a filmy turquoise scarf for a splash of color to cheer her up. As she finished running a brush through her hair, the door to the hotel room opened and Daniel entered, balancing two cups of coffee and a pastry bag.

  “You like cream and sugar, right?”

  She smiled, happy that he’d remembered. “I do.”

  “I grabbed a couple of muffins. We meet Marshall in thirty minutes at the arena.”

  “I don’t have to have coffee or a muffin. We can leave now,” she said.

  “No need.”

  They ate at the room’s tiny table with a view of Reno and sipped their coffee, rehashing the discussion with Kennedy the night before.

  When they finished, they brushed their teeth in the bathroom like an old married couple. Megan’s headache had disappeared, but a new ache settled in her chest.

  She stood at the door to their room without reaching for the knob.

  Daniel’s hands descended on her shoulders, and he pulled her back against him. “What’s wrong?”

  “You realize that once we seal the deal with Kennedy, we don’t have to continue being married.”

  Daniel turned her toward him, a frown settling deep on his brow. “We have to stay married for at least six months to fulfill your grandmother’s stipulation or you won’t get the rest of your trust fund until you’re thirty.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t need that money. I only needed the funds we were able to secure to take care of the horses my father is giving me.”

  He shook his head. “I disagree. You need to have that money for emergencies. You have a couple years before you turn thirty.” Daniel smiled. “Tell you what. We can discuss it when we get back to the Lucky C. We’ll come up with a timeline if we need to. For today, we’re Mr. and Mrs. Colton.” He brushed a light kiss over her lips, then bent to seal her mouth with his.

  Megan sank into him, loving the way his tongue tasted fresh from the toothpaste.<
br />
  When he finally raised his head, he stared down at her. “What say you and me skip this meeting? I can think of a dozen other things we could do as newlyweds that don’t involve leaving this room.”

  Megan laughed up at his teasing grin. “I’m in.”

  He took her hand and tugged her back toward the bedroom.

  She started to follow him, but reason kicked in and she dug in her heels. “We can’t miss this meeting.”

  “I don’t need this deal. I can find another breeder.” Daniel pulled her into his arms. “Stay with me today. Forget the crash last night. Forget the meeting with Kennedy.”

  Megan cupped his cheek and leaned up on her toes. “We’ve worked too hard to let this fall through the cracks. If you want to spend the day here with me, let’s take care of business first. Then we can come back to our room and attempt all those dozen things we can do without leaving.”

  Daniel sighed. “You are too smart for my own good.” He gripped her hand in his and opened the door to the room. “Come on, let’s go make a deal. The sooner we do, the sooner we can start celebrating.”

  The first real day of the symposium was packed, especially at the arena, where breeders from all over the country had brought horses they had up for stud or for sale.

  Daniel and Megan wove through the crowd, searching for the Kennedy Farms stalls with the stud Daniel was most interested in using for his breeding stock.

  Daniel nodded toward a group of men gathered around a pen with a black stallion pawing at the sawdust. “There’s Marshall.”

  Megan glanced in the direction Daniel gazed. “He appears to be looking for you. Go on. I’ll catch up in just a moment. I need to visit the ladies’ room.”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  “Don’t be silly.” She batted at him playfully. “You can’t go into the ladies’ room.”

  Daniel frowned. “After what happened last night, I’m not leaving you.”

  “I’ll only be a moment. Go on before you lose him in the crowd.”

  Daniel’s gaze switched from Megan to Marshall and back. “No. I can find him again.”

  “Daniel.” Marshall Kennedy waved at Daniel, ending the argument.

  “I’ll be right back.” Megan slipped through the crowd toward the last sign she’d seen indicating bathrooms.

  A flash of blond hair made her stop short in the hallway and she stared at the back of a woman wearing jeans and a soft pink blouse, her blond hair hanging loose down to the middle of her back. Something about the way she carried herself struck a chord of familiarity in Megan. When she turned to glance out at the arena, Megan got a clear view of her profile and gasped. “Christine?”

  Her cousin ground to a halt and turned toward her. “Megan!” She flung her arms around her and hugged her. “It’s so good to see a familiar face in the crowd.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “When Josh and I get married, we want to start a horse ranch and breed horses. He thought the symposium was a good idea to give us a chance to see what it’s all about and how much is involved.” Christine’s brows rose. “All those years we played at the Triple Diamond, sneaking out to ride, I never knew how much went into the actual operations of a horse-breeding facility.”

  “There is a lot to it,” Megan conceded. “I thought Josh was into real estate.”

  “He is. But he comes across deals on ranches. He thinks it would be a great investment.” Christine glanced over her shoulder. “Are you here with Daniel? Shouldn’t you two be on your honeymoon or back in Oklahoma?”

  “We’d planned on coming to the symposium before we decided to get married. So, here we are.” Megan nodded toward the bathroom. “If you’ll excuse me, I had too much coffee this morning. Maybe we can meet up and talk later.”

  “Sounds good. I can’t wait to let Josh know you two are here.” Christine waved and stood on her toes, searching the crowd.

  Megan left her and entered the ladies’ room. No one else was in the facility. She took care of business and washed her hands. When she turned to the exit, a speck of dust landed in her eye and she blinked. The particle felt like sand, scraping across her cornea.

  Megan didn’t want to keep Daniel waiting and wondering where she was—already, her presence had caused him so many delays and problems. But she couldn’t open her eye without tearing. She leaned toward the mirror and lifted her eyelid with her finger. She couldn’t see the speck so she blinked several times until the irritation cleared.

  With one bloodshot eye, Megan walked out of the restroom, and ran into Josh, Christine’s fiancé. “Josh, I was surprised to see you and Christine here.”

  He gripped her wrist. “No time to talk. Christine told me I could find you here. Daniel’s been injured by Kennedy’s stud. I was sent to get you and take you to the hospital where they’re transporting him.”

  Megan’s heart plummeted to the pit of her belly. “Daniel’s hurt? What happened? Where is he?” She pushed past him and would have run out into the arena, but Josh’s hand held tight.

  “He was kicked in the head. They had an ambulance on standby, and they loaded him up.”

  “So quickly?” Megan tugged her arm, trying to shake loose of Josh’s grip. “I have to go with him.”

  “That’s what I’m telling you. I know which hospital they’re taking him to. Come with me.”

  Her pulse raced through her, her heart thumping against her ribs. Megan nodded. “Okay. Take me there. I have to get to him.”

  “They went out the back way.” Josh held tight to her wrist and half led, half dragged her deeper into the back rooms surrounding the arena.

  Megan’s breath lodged in her throat. After all that had happened in Oklahoma and Vegas, had someone finally succeeded? Her stomach clenched and she hurried alongside Josh. Daniel was injured. God, please don’t let him die.

  Chapter 18

  Daniel stood beside Marshall Kennedy at one of the stock panel pens constructed for Kennedy Farms. Inside, Marshall’s Striker’s Royal Advantage, the black quarter horse stud Daniel had kept his eye on for the past four months, pawed at the sawdust as if impatient to get back to familiar surroundings.

  Daniel had wanted this deal so much, he’d married his assistant to make it happen. In the process, he’d come to realize he’d fallen head over heels in love with the beautiful woman, and his priorities had shifted.

  If this deal didn’t go though...so what? There would be another. But there would not be another Megan.

  Kennedy laid a hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “My driver told me what happened last night. Are you and Megan all right?”

  Daniel turned in the direction Megan had gone, his gaze searching the crowd, hoping she’d emerge. “She got a bump on her head but was too stubborn to rest.”

  Kennedy chuckled. “She’s Frank’s daughter, all right.” He tilted his head toward the stallion. “So, what do you think?”

  Daniel cast a quick glance at the stallion and returned his gaze to the direction Megan should have come from by now. “Mr. Kennedy—”

  “Call me Marshall.” The man stuck his hand out. “So do we have a deal?”

  “He’s exactly what our program needs...” Daniel looked over his shoulder again. “Excuse me, Marshall. I’m worried about my wife. I need to find her. I hope we can finish this discussion later.”

  “Certainly. A pretty lady like Megan needs a man to watch out for her.” The old man waved Daniel away. “Go. We’ll be here all of today and tomorrow.”

  “Thank you,” Daniel called out as he trotted back the way he’d come, searching for the bathrooms.

  “Daniel!” a female voice called out. “There you are.”

  Daniel turned toward the sound and found Megan’s cousin Christine hurrying toward him. “I ran into Megan a few minutes ago a
nd told her we should get together for dinner. Josh has so many questions about horse ranching, and I know you two are the experts.”

  Daniel stared at her, trying to wrap his head around the fact Christine was in Reno. “Why are you here?”

  “Like I told Megan, Josh has considered purchasing a horse ranch. He wants to start a breeding program like you and Megan have.” Christine smiled broadly. “Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Megan and I grew up riding together. It gave us lots in common besides being cousins.”

  Something clicked in Daniel’s head. “Christine, where were you the day before we saw you in California?”

  “I was staying at the Triple Diamond.” She tilted her head. “Why do you ask?”

  “Where did you say Josh was the day before we arrived at the Triple Diamond?”

  “He was out of town on some real estate training trip.”

  Daniel gripped her arms. “Where?”

  “I don’t know.” Her pretty brows descended. “He goes on so many.”

  A lead weight settled in Daniel’s gut as he recalled Megan correcting Ryan about who stood to inherit the Talbot fortune should Megan pass away. Not her husband but the next living Talbot descendant. Christine.

  And Josh was poised to marry the beautiful Christine.

  Daniel demanded, “Where is Josh now?”

  “I don’t know.” Christine stared down at Daniel’s hands on her arms. “I ran into him a minute ago and told him I’d seen Megan. You’re hurting me.”

  Daniel let go of Christine. “Did you tell him where you’d seen her?”

  “Of course. I saw her right here.” Christine pointed toward a sign leading to the ladies’ room. “She was going into the bathroom.”

  Daniel ran for the bathroom and burst through the door. A woman stood at the sink, washing her hands. Her eyes widened and she smiled. “I think you have the wrong bathroom. The men’s room is next door.”

  Daniel slammed through the stalls, finding each one empty. When he came out, he stopped by the woman washing her hands. “Did you see a woman with strawberry blond hair leave this room?”