by Aimée Thurlo
Daniel’s phone buzzed, signaling a text message. “It’s the justice of the peace. He’s running ahead of schedule.”
Paul went down the hall and knocked on the closed door. “The judge is going to be early. Fifteen minutes. You ladies okay with that?”
A moment later Kim came out and Rick moved to where she stood. “You look beautiful.”
She looked down at her dark silk slacks and lacy cream blouse. “I’m ready,” she said, running her fingers through her hair.
“It’s not too late to change your mind if you want a fancier wedding.”
“No. This place made you the man you are, and everyone who counts in our lives is here, including my new family. I couldn’t ask for more. It’s perfect.”
Excitement was thick in the air as they gathered outside. It was truly an Indian summer at the moment. The October sun was high in the sky, it was almost seventy degrees and today the canyon was unusually silent. It was almost as if it were holding its breath.
A gentle breeze blew past them as they stood beside the tallest pine, a tiny blue feather from a piñon jay floated by. She caught it in her hand. “Look! How beautiful!”
Rick looked down at it, amazed. “Hosteen Silver had one he carried in his medicine pouch. It’s a symbol of peace and happiness—a powerful omen.”
“You told me once that the good in him is part of Universal Harmony, so in a way, he’s here with you today.”
“I think so, too,” Rick murmured, lifting her hand to his lips and kissing it gently.
The justice of the peace arrived. Climbing down from his oversize pickup, he joined the gathering. “We all here? Everyone ready?”
Seeing Rick nod, he opened a small book and began. “Dearly beloved...”
Memories were made one day at a time, and as Rick looked at his bride, he knew today was just the beginning.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from DELIVERANCE AT CARDWELL RANCH by B.J. Daniels.
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Intrigue story.
You crave excitement! Harlequin Intrigue stories deal in serious romantic suspense, keeping you on the edge of your seat as resourceful, true-to-life women and strong, fearless men fight for survival.
Enjoy six new stories from Harlequin Intrigue every month!
Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!
Other ways to keep in touch:
Harlequin.com/newsletters
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
HarlequinBlog.com
Chapter One
Snow fell in a wall of white, giving Austin Cardwell only glimpses of the winding highway in front of him. He’d already slowed to a crawl as visibility worsened. Now on the radio, he heard that Highway 191 through the Gallatin Canyon—the very one he was on—was closed to all but emergency traffic.
“One-ninety-one from West Yellowstone to Bozeman is closed due to several accidents including a semi rollover that has blocked the highway near Big Sky. Another accident near West Yellowstone has also caused problems there. Travelers are advised to wait out the storm.”
Great, Austin thought with a curse. Wait out the storm where? He hadn’t seen any place to even pull over for miles let alone a gas station or café. He had no choice but to keep going. This was just what this Texas boy needed, he told himself with a curse. He’d be lucky if he reached Cardwell Ranch tonight.
The storm appeared to be getting worse. He couldn’t see more than a few yards in front of the rented SUV’s hood. Earlier he’d gotten a glimpse of the Gallatin River to his left. On his right were steep rock walls as the two-lane highway cut through the canyon. There was nothing but dark, snow-capped pine trees, steep mountain cliffs and the frozen river and snow-slick highway.
“Welcome to the frozen north,” he said under his breath as he fought to see the road ahead—and stay on it. He blamed his brothers—not for the storm, but for his even being here. They had insisted he come to Montana for the grand opening of the first Texas Boys Barbecue joint in Montana. They had postponed the grand opening until he was well enough to come.
Although the opening was to be January 1, his cousin Dana had pleaded with him to spend Christmas at the ranch.
You need to be here, Austin, she’d said. I promise you won’t be sorry.
He growled under his breath now. He hadn’t been back to Montana since his parents divorced and his mother took him and his brothers to Texas to live. He’d been too young to remember much. But he’d found he couldn’t say no to Dana. He’d heard too many good things about her from his brothers.
Also, what choice did he have after missing his brother Tag’s wedding last July?
As he slowed for another tight curve, a gust of wind shook the rented SUV. Snow whirled past his windshield. For an instant, he couldn’t see anything. Worse, he felt as if he was going too fast for the curve. But he was afraid to touch his brakes—the one thing his brother Tag had warned him not to do.
Don’t do anything quickly, Tag had told him. And whatever you do, don’t hit your brakes. You’ll end up in the ditch.
He caught something in his headlights. It took him a moment to realize what he was seeing before his heart took off at a gallop.
A car was upside down in the middle of the highway, its headlights shooting out through the falling snow toward the river, the taillights a dim red against the steep canyon wall. The overturned car had the highway completely blocked.
Copyright © 2014 by Barbara Heinlein
ISBN-13: 9781460343999
Eagle’s Last Stand
Copyright © 2014 by Aimée and David Thurlo
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries.
www.Harlequin.com
