Rescued by the Colton Cowboy

by Deborah Fletcher Mello

  “Thank you,” she said again, her voice a loud whisper. “I don’t know how I’ll ever pay you back for your kindness.”

  Palmer startled, words caught deep in his chest, his skin burning hot from her touch. “You don’t owe me anything,” he muttered.

  “But I do,” Soledad responded. “You don’t know how much everything you’ve done means to me.”

  Palmer smiled. “You shouldn’t have any problems while I’m gone. Just stay inside, please. Away from the windows. I won’t be gone long.” He pointed toward the guest bedroom. “Lock the door,” he said as she turned, headed for the back of the house.

  He stood watching as she adjusted Lyra against her shoulder and grabbed the laptop. She tossed him one last look as she walked away, the sweetest smile filling her face. Jack followed them, then lay outside the door after Soledad had closed and locked it. Palmer closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He reached for the side of his face and pressed his palm to his cheek, his fingers trembling ever so slightly.

  * * *

  The Coltons of Grave Gulch: Falling in love is

  the most dangerous thing of all...

  * * *

  If you’re on Twitter, tell us what you think of Harlequin Romantic Suspense! #harlequinromsuspense

  Dear Reader,

  What an emotional journey this writing year has been. Although I genuinely love what I do, there have been times when finding the right words to convey a story just wouldn’t come. A year of pandemic has made many things seem impossible. But being a part of the Colton author family and breathing life into Palmer and Soledad’s story has just been the best cure!

  Palmer and Soledad made my heart sing. Seeing them grow and blossom as they find love was simply heartwarming. Their ready-made family as they find themselves parenting little Lyra sometimes seemed impossible, but when it didn’t, it felt all kinds of right.

  Thank you so much for your support. I am humbled by all the love readers continue to show me, my characters and our stories. I know that none of this would be possible without you.

  Until the next time, please take care and may God’s blessings be with you always.

  With much love,

  Deborah Fletcher Mello

  www.DeborahMello.org

  RESCUED BY THE

  COLTON COWBOY

  Deborah Fletcher Mello

  A true Renaissance woman, Deborah Fletcher Mello finds joy in crafting unique story lines and memorable characters. She’s received accolades from several publications, including Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and RT Book Reviews. Born and raised in Connecticut, Deborah now considers home to be wherever the moment moves her.

  Books by Deborah Fletcher Mello

  Harlequin Romantic Suspense

  The Coltons of Grave Gulch

  Rescued by the Colton Cowboy

  To Serve and Seduce

  Seduced by the Badge

  Tempted by the Badge

  Reunited by the Badge

  Stalked by Secrets

  Colton 911: Grand Rapids

  Colton 911: Agent By Her Side

  Harlequin Kimani Romance

  Truly Yours

  Hearts Afire

  Twelve Days of Pleasure

  My Stallion Heart

  Stallion Magic

  Tuscan Heat

  A Stallion’s Touch

  A Pleasing Temptation

  Sweet Stallion

  To Tempt a Stallion

  A Stallion Dream

  Visit the Author Profile page at

  Harlequin.com for more titles.

  To Carly Silver, the best editor in the whole wide world!

  You pushing me out of my comfort zone has made my writing better.

  Your patience with me has been affirming. One day, I’ll get POV right!

  You make me want to keep writing, and for that, I thank you!

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Excerpt from Texas Sheriff’s Deadly Mission by Karen Whiddon

  Chapter 1

  Soledad de la Vega brushed her palms against the front of her bib apron, then reached around her waist to undo the ties that wrapped it around her body. As she pulled the twill garment over her head, she stole a quick glance at the smartwatch on her wrist. It was almost midnight and her stomach did a flip, as if the prosciutto and cheese she’d snacked on earlier might come back up.

  Working in the bakery after closing rarely unnerved Soledad. Downtown Grave Gulch, Michigan—where her business, Dream Bakes, sat—had always felt safe and she had never given any thought to anyone trying to do her or any of her employees harm. Tonight, though, her anxiety was at an all-time high. She took a deep breath to still her nerves.

  She wiped the last remnants of flour from the counter and covered the yeast rolls that needed to rise before going into the oven. She pushed the oversize tray of rolled dough into the center of the table. The morning crew would brush butter across the tops and dust them with sesame and caraway seeds before they baked. Her small staff would hold the bakery down until she returned, and for the first time since starting her own business, Soledad wasn’t sure when that would be.

  The night wasn’t like her usual nights. She wasn’t headed home to Melvin, her overweight tabby cat. There was no plan to finish the book on top of the stack that decorated the nightstand next to her bed, no cup of warm tea to soothe her to sleep. In less than an hour, she would be driving her best friend, Annie, to safety. The two had planned every detail of Annie’s escape from her abusive husband, Gavin, and Soledad was only minutes from rendezvousing to whisk her and her baby girl, Lyra, away.

  She looked at her watch a second time, then reached for the cell phone on the counter behind her. There was no message saying their plans had changed. Making one last sweep of the space to ensure all the ovens were off and the food was put away, she then shut off the lights, exited the building and headed to her car.

  Minutes later, Soledad sat in the cul-de-sac near Annie’s home with her car running and the headlights off. She had pulled past the driveway and was parked under a massive oak tree. The quiet neighborhood was one of the more prestigious in Grave Gulch, and both she and Annie knew that the security officer who patrolled the neighborhood wouldn’t make his next round past the home until twelve thirty. Still, Soledad was praying steadily, every nerve and muscle in her petite body twitching with nervousness. She was scared, everything that could go wrong playing out in her head. Her biggest fear was that Gavin would wake before Annie could sneak out of the house and their window of opportunity would be lost.

  Soledad and Annie had met in high school, the two girls running together on the long-distance track team. They’d been polar opposites, Annie’s blond pixie cut, blue eyes and fair skin contrasting starkly with Soledad’s blue-black strands, black eyes and olive skin tone. Soledad had been bubbly and effervescent, one of the more popular girls, while Annie had been more reserved and studious. But the two had become fast friends, bonding over the sport, their
obsession with boy bands and the soap opera General Hospital.

  After graduation they’d gone on to Grave Gulch Community College together, Annie wanting to pursue a career in medicine and Soledad unsure of what she wanted to do. It had been Annie who’d encouraged her to turn her love for pastries and baked goods into a career. Annie had pushed her to pursue a degree in business management and Annie had been there with her the day she’d opened Dream Bakes.

  Annie had become a nurse practitioner and was considering medical school and pediatric medicine when she’d met Gavin Stone. Gavin, a renowned plastic surgeon fifteen years her senior, had been handsome, charming and obsessed with Annie. So much so that Soledad had gotten a bad feeling about him from the start. He’d been jealous of their friendship, purposely distancing Annie from as many friends and family as he could manage. On their wedding day he’d told Soledad to tell her best friend goodbye, that things would change now that Annie was his. As if Annie were a fragile possession that he planned to tuck away in a drawer far from public view. Soledad had wanted to warn Annie but wasn’t sure what to warn her about. And she’d been happy. So much so that Soledad hadn’t wanted to do anything to spoil her day or put a damper on the future Annie had seen before her. Soledad had kept her concerns to herself, instead making sure Gavin knew that nothing and no one would ever break the bond the two women shared. No matter how hard he tried.

  Gavin’s abuse had started slowly, emotional at first and then turning physical. Annie had been made to quit her job at the hospital, Gavin controlling their finances. He told her what she could and could not do and who she could and could not see. He rarely allowed her out of his sight, and even when he was at the hospital working, he would call with regularity to ensure she was home, abiding by his lengthy list of rules. The name-calling had gone from the occasional nasty slur to spitting rages that left Annie in tears. Open-palmed slaps when she had tried to defend her position or said something he didn’t like became closed-fist punches that had left her bruised and battered. And each time Gavin had hurt Annie, Soledad had been furious.

  With haunting regularity, Annie had cried on Soledad’s shoulders, the weight of her problems feeling like a boulder that neither woman could move. Frustration that there was nothing Soledad could say or do to distance Annie from the situation had been devastating. Soledad’s suggestions to call the police and report him had fallen on deaf ears, Annie petrified that outside help would only make things worse. She’d been devastated when she’d discovered she was pregnant but had hoped the birth of their child would push Gavin to be a better man. Instead, he’d been furious that their first child together would be a girl when he only wanted a son. He’d proclaimed it Annie’s fault, just another in a long list of wrongs he attributed to her.

  Soledad’s apartment and Dream Bakes had become Annie’s sanctuary, the only places where she could run and hide when the abuse became too much. Gavin had tried only once to stall his wife’s lifelong friendship with Soledad. It was one of the few times Annie had openly gone toe-to-toe with him, threatening to publicly expose him if he dared impede their bond. Soledad had stood arm in arm with her, ready to show him a world of hurt to protect her friend. Gavin had backed off, but not before leaving Annie with a black eye and bruised clavicle. But Annie had gone back to being a dutiful wife and Soledad had become her refuge. Too often, Soledad had been angry with the world, that Annie was unable to see herself free of the man, and she’d been riddled with guilt that there wasn’t something more that she herself could do for her friend.

  After the birth of Lyra, Annie had finally agreed to get out of her situation. Soledad knew that the first step was to take Annie as far from her husband as she could run. Therapy and support would follow, and Soledad had put everything in place to ensure as smooth a transition for Annie as she could muster.

  Together, they had dedicated weeks to planning each step, considering every fathomable possibility until every detail of Annie’s escape plan was committed to memory. Once Annie and the baby were safe inside her Toyota Camry, Soledad would drive them both upstate to a shelter for battered women. The drive would take a few hours and put them at the front door. From there, mother and child would be escorted to their new home and Soledad would be sent on her way to worry about her friend from afar. Cell phones were prohibited, but Annie would be able to call Soledad weekly from a private line in her counselor’s office.

  Soledad couldn’t know her friend’s final destination and Annie would be forbidden to disclose her whereabouts, lest she put other sheltered women in danger. Telling anyone of her whereabouts would get Annie evicted from the shelter and the program’s many protections. But more important, Gavin wouldn’t be able to find her until Annie was ready to be found.

  Soledad tapped her hand nervously against her leg, her anxiety beginning to reach peak levels. Annie was ten minutes late. Soledad was tempted to sneak up to the home to peek into the windows, but she didn’t want to risk setting off the sensor lights Gavin had installed around the property. They didn’t have much time before the security car would make its regularly scheduled drive-by. But there had been contingencies for that, too. Soledad just prayed they wouldn’t be necessary.

  Panic was just about to set in when the rear passenger door of her car was thrown open and Annie slid inside. She carried little Lyra against her chest and had a designer baby backpack hoisted over her shoulder. She looked like Soledad felt. Scared!

  “Drive!” Annie ordered as she slammed the door closed. “Go! Now! Drive!”

  Soledad shifted the vehicle into gear and pulled from the makeshift parking space onto the cul-de-sac. Behind her, the Stone family home was suddenly awash with light, looking as if every bulb in every room had come to life. Instinctively knowing that wasn’t a good thing, Soledad turned her eyes to the road, hit the gas and peeled off as if someone were already chasing them.

  * * *

  “We’re going to stay off the main road until we get into the next county,” Soledad said, glancing into her rearview mirror to the back seat. “Hopefully, Gavin will get lost trying to figure out what direction we’re headed.”

  Tears were streaming down Annie’s face. It was one of the few times her friend had allowed her vulnerability to show. She looked lost and frightened.

  Annie shook her head. “He’s going to find us,” she whispered.

  “He’s not,” Soledad said firmly. “We won’t let him. Did you toss your cell phone?”

  Annie nodded. “I left it in the dog food bag.”

  “Then we’re good. Because I wouldn’t put it past him to have some sort of tracking device installed to keep up with you. In thirty minutes, we’ll be far enough away that there’ll be no way he can find you.”

  Annie forced the slightest smile to her face, but Soledad knew her dear friend wasn’t as confident.

  Soledad shifted her gaze back and forth between her side mirrors, her rearview mirror, the back seat and the road. Annie had drifted into thought, nuzzling six-month-old Lyra gently beneath her chin, her arms wrapped protectively around the infant. The little girl was wrapped snugly in a cotton blanket, completely oblivious to the lengths her mother and Soledad would go to keep her safe. It was bliss, and Soledad wished she could be so lucky to know that kind of peace and be as unaware.

  Annie eased the baby into the infant safety seat, latching it securely around the tiny body before tightening her own seat belt.

  They drove in silence for a good little while. The local radio station was playing Shy Carter’s newest release. Soledad bobbed her head in time to the beat, singing along with the song that had risen swiftly to the top of the country charts. The service roads were dark, lights nonexistent. Barely a sliver of moonlight peeked through the cover of clouds. It had also begun to drizzle, the threat of heavy rain preceded by a trickle of moisture that was most annoying. And the rising fog was getting thicker with each passing minute.

 
Annie broke the moment of reverie, her usually poised tone a loud whisper that rippled with tension. “I need you to make me a promise, Soledad.”

  “Anything. You know that,” Soledad responded, shooting her friend a quick glance in the rearview mirror.

  “If anything happens to me, I want you to promise that you’ll take care of Lyra. I need you to keep my baby girl safe.”

  Soledad raised her brows. “Don’t talk like that, Annie. Everything is going to be fine. You’re going to—”

  Annie interrupted her, her voice rising ever so slightly. “Promise me, Soledad. I need you to promise!” Annie’s stoic expression was disconcerting, the determination in her eyes feeling almost final.

  She nodded. “Whatever you need. You know that!” And Soledad meant that with every fiber of her being as the words slipped past her lips. Soledad understood the fear that gripped her bestie because it rippled down the length of her own spine. It felt corporeal, a thick, viscous energy with the stench of doubt and anger wrapped around it. Stepping into the unknown came with its own set of consequences and proved formidable when you had to worry about someone other than yourself. Annie had her daughter, and fearing for herself was nothing compared to fearing for her child. Soledad was scared for them all.

  “I need you to make sure nothing happens to Lyra. That she grows up to be a happy, healthy little girl and a confident young woman. I need you to make sure Gavin doesn’t ever get his hands on her. So, please, promise me. I need you to say it!”

  “I promise, Annie. I would never let anything happen to Lyra. I’d protect her with my own life!”

  “Good,” her friend said. “Because I went to see my attorney this week. I left a letter with him to be opened if something happens to me. It details all of Gavin’s abuses and points at him if I’m killed. It also names you as Lyra’s legal guardian. I’ve left you two insurance policies, also. One that should be put into trust for Lyra’s care. I imagine you’ll have to use the other to fight Gavin if he tries to take Lyra from you. It should be more than enough for legal fees or whatever else you might need.”