Identical Threat

by Tyler Anne Snell

  Her innocent switch could cost her life...

  When Riley Stone stands in for her identical twin sister at Desmond Nash’s party, she’s just doing her a favor. But that night lands Riley in a mysterious tangle of danger. With someone gunning for her twin, Riley turns to the mysterious Desmond, who has experience dealing with abductors. The intrepid cowboy is determined to keep Riley safe...but only together can they figure out a way to survive.

  “I’m so sorry I left—” Desmond started, but the moment he was within arm’s reach, Riley pulled him down to her.

  Their lips crashed together with a smack that echoed. Riley threw her arms around the man’s neck like he was a lifeline and she was on the brink.

  The kiss was hard, but it unfurled something inside of her that she didn’t realize had been there in the first place. Her unexpected weight against him sent them backward to the concrete she realized she’d now despise forever. Her arms around his neck kept his head from connecting with that same floor.

  Riley ended the kiss as quickly as she’d initiated it.

  Then she was lying on top of the man and staring into his eyes.

  “Thank you,” she said, breathless.

  Thank you for not letting a man die because I couldn’t hold on.

  Thank you for not questioning me when I needed you to do something.

  Thank you for coming back.

  IDENTICAL THREAT

  Tyler Anne Snell

  Tyler Anne Snell genuinely loves all genres of the written word. However, she’s realized that she loves books filled with sexual tension and mysteries a little more than the rest. Her stories have a good dose of both. Tyler lives in Alabama with her same-named husband and their mini “lions.” When she isn’t reading or writing, she’s playing video games and working on her blog, Almost There. To follow her shenanigans, visit tylerannesnell.com.

  Books by Tyler Anne Snell

  Harlequin Intrigue

  Winding Road Redemption

  Reining in Trouble

  Credible Alibi

  Identical Threat

  The Protectors of Riker County

  Small-Town Face-Off

  The Deputy’s Witness

  Forgotten Pieces

  Loving Baby

  The Deputy’s Baby

  The Negotiation

  Orion Security

  Private Bodyguard

  Full Force Fatherhood

  Be on the Lookout: Bodyguard

  Suspicious Activities

  Manhunt

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com.

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  Desmond Nash—As one of the Nash triplets who were abducted when they were eight, this charming cowboy has come back to his hometown to put down roots and expand his business. But after a chance encounter places him between a beautiful woman and a dangerous threat, he finds the line between the past and the present has blurred for everyone. Not just him.

  Riley Stone—After a mistake in identity has her in the right place at the wrong time, this twin goes from wanting to blend in to hoping her family can survive whatever danger has followed them into their fresh start. When the mystery seems to be connected to the cowboy with the baby blue eyes, she has to decide to either take on the past or risk their future.

  Jenna Stone—As Riley’s identical twin, she is often mistaken for her sister. Sometimes even by family.

  Declan Nash—Sheriff and the triplets’ older brother, this lawman has to figure out if the person causing trouble is a new threat or a ghost from the past.

  Hartley Stone—Jenna’s toddler son loves his aunt Riley just as much as she loves him.

  Caleb and Madi Nash—The brother and sister who complete the Nash triplets. The detective and innkeeper will do anything to keep their family safe.

  Man in the Suit—He isn’t the first mysterious, well-dressed figure to appear in Overlook, but he certainly seems to be pulling some of the strings this time around.

  This book is for Alaina D. You let me talk about twins before, during and after this book was written like it was normal...and never once complained. Thank you for being a supportive friend during a very frustrating time in my life. I couldn’t have asked for better.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from K-9 Protector by Julie Miller

  Chapter One

  The unmistakable truth was that the woman who had just entered the party wasn’t a local. The very mistakable truth, however, had to do with her intentions for being there in the first place.

  Was she a prospective donor for one of the nonprofits they worked alongside?

  Was she there to ask how the Second Wind Foundation would operate now that it was moving its official headquarters to the town of Overlook, Tennessee?

  Was she a Wildman County reporter?

  Was she there as someone’s date?

  Desmond Nash tried to keep his attention on the small group of guests who had crowded around him like he was some kind of animal on display at the zoo, but it was hard not to keep track of the woman as she split through the party with practiced ease. The descriptor of siren lodged itself in Desmond’s head at the sight of her.

  Long tangles of dark red curls flowed across her shoulders and back, water infused with the very concept of mystery. Her brows matched, thick and sculpted, hooding dark eyes that, even from the distance between her and Desmond, pulled at him. Without the tall heels she wore pushing her height up a few inches, he supposed he would have to tilt his chin down to see into those dark eyes.

  The interest certainly didn’t stop there. The way she carried herself spoke of confidence and grace. Like the rest of the outdoor gala attendees, she was wrapped in a dress meant only for special occasions. Black silk contrasted against her pale and freckled skin, dipping low at the chest and clinging to the curves of her hips.

  Whoever the woman was, she was commanding the outdoor gala just by existing.

  “We’re just so glad you decided to come home, Desmond.”

  His name was what finally broke the trance he’d fallen into looking at the newest guest. Desmond turned to the deep voice of Garfield Taylor, one of the town council members and once a very good friend of Desmond’s father, Michael.

  “You’ve been going nonstop since you started Second Wind,” Garfield continued. “Maybe now since you’re back it’s time you finally slowed down?”

  It was said with a twinkle in his eye and a slight tease in his tone. The older man cut his gaze to where Desmond had just been staring. He grinned. Desmond had been caught gawking at the new arrival. Now he’d given Garfield the perfect excuse to ask what his mother had already been asking without actually saying the exact words.

  When are you going to settle down?

  If Desmond had been one of his brothers—their tact was all but absent when it came to someone trying to pry in
to their personal lives—he would have responded in a saltier manner.

  I’ll slow down when you show me that book of yours you’ve been working on for ten years, he wanted to say.

  Instead Desmond chose a more diplomatic response.

  “Second Wind is just as much a part of my life as this ranch,” he said, pulling up an easy smile. “As long as there are people out there I can help, I don’t think slowing down is an option for me.”

  The group around them started smiling; some laughed; most everyone had a drink in hand. Garfield was grinning but didn’t press the issue. Instead another Overlook local took the floor and, thankfully, kept it to the topic of work. Desmond was prepared to go over Second Wind’s construction schedule for the umpteenth time that night but a slight tug at his elbow gave him an excuse to switch gears. A pair of blue eyes that matched his to a T stared up through long lashes at him.

  “Sorry to interrupt but can I pull you away for a second, Des?”

  Madi knew she could do just that without apologizing. Whereas he was the star of this particular party, Madeline Nash was just as infamous as he was. Being a local was synonymous with knowing every detail about the Nash family.

  Specifically, Desmond, Madi and Caleb.

  It was a fame none had asked for and yet one they couldn’t escape. Even if they moved off the ranch and married into a new last name as Madi had.

  “Sure,” Desmond said. He tipped his Stetson to the group. “Excuse me, folks.”

  Madi led him a few feet away before she spoke, waving at him to follow her as she did. Desmond didn’t need a triplet connection with Madi to know she was headed toward the sweet tea bar. Most of the guests had champagne flutes. Madi Nash was about to have a mason jar of Milo’s.

  “I didn’t really need anything,” she said, eyes on target. “I just felt like you needed a break from that particular crowd. I saw the way Garfield was looking at you. Not to mention Missy. I’m pretty sure she was two seconds from drooling on you.”

  Desmond chuckled.

  “I didn’t notice Missy but I do thank you for the save from Garfield. And talking about the construction again. It’s been the most-asked question of the night other than What’s next for Desmond Nash?”

  It was Madi’s turn to laugh. She slowed as she neared the bar and Desmond couldn’t help but take the atmosphere all in again.

  The outdoor gala had been set up by an event company out of Kilwin, the city next to Overlook. They’d erected giant and, dare he think it, classy tents across the field between the main house on the ranch and the horse stable. They’d taken a field of grass and dirt and somehow made it into a high-class event. Set against the backdrop of mountains, forests and stars and everyone’s tuxes and dresses, it all just seemed to work.

  Desmond was definitely impressed, even more so with the catering staff.

  They were local and they kept up casual conversation with most of the guests as they bustled in and out of the designated food-prep area. Matthew Jenkins bebopped past them with another tray of drinks. He nodded to Desmond and tipped his hat to Madi. It was an interesting contrast to the image Desmond had of the same man but years younger, drunk as a skunk and trying to tip Mr. Elroy’s cow because he saw it in a movie once.

  “Overlook isn’t used to a good kind of excitement,” Madi said, smiling at the attendant in charge of filling the jars with tea. “You, not only coming home, but literally building a three-story structure for Second Wind right here in town is a big deal. If you think you’re going to be able to smile away that type of hype, you’re foolin’ yourself there, cowboy.”

  Madi wasn’t wrong. Overlook was a small town. They got by, sure, but there hadn’t been a new business that had set up shop on the same scale as Second Wind. Construction had roughly two months left, and every time he’d been to the site to see the progress, he’d seen at least two or three bystanders checking it out too.

  Madi also wasn’t wrong about the excitement part either. Overlook had had one heck of a streak of chaos in the last few years. The fact that it had all revolved around the Nash family only threw more fuel on the gossip-and-talk fire.

  “I know, I know,” he conceded. “But it would be nice if they at least shook up the conversation. Dressing up in a suit makes my skin crawl—dodging personal questions only makes matters worse.”

  Madi took her sweet tea with a smile. Desmond once again followed her.

  “You can’t get all hot and bothered about those kinds of questions,” she said, keeping her voice low as they navigated around a pocket of guests next to one of the buffet tables. “They’re all just wondering why the most charming and sweet-talkingist Nash doesn’t have a plus-one dangling on his arm.”

  Desmond sighed. It earned another laugh. “You better find yourself a better answer than annoyance,” Madi continued. “Now that you’re living full-time in Overlook, every single one of Ma’s friends are going to start parading their unattached daughters up Winding Road and right to your front door. And they won’t take any sighs for answers.”

  Desmond thought of the siren. He almost asked if Madi had seen her too when her path led them right to Julian Mercer.

  He was often described by Madi as “a mountain of a man” and the description was apt. Desmond was a tall man and yet he had to tilt his chin up a fraction to stare his brother-in-law in the eyes.

  “Extraction successful,” Madi said, conspiratorially.

  “No casualties?” Julian played along.

  “Other than Missy’s pride? None.”

  Julian looped his arm around Madi and pulled her into his side. He was smiling, just as he always was when Madi was near.

  An ache of loneliness reminded Desmond that he hadn’t had that kind of closeness, or any kind really, in a long time. Second Wind wasn’t just his livelihood, it had become his entire life in the last few years. His late nights were spent with facts and figures, his dinner dates with potential investors and his holidays with ideas of what to do next.

  Moving back to Overlook hadn’t originally been his idea. In fact, it had been the family’s.

  “You need a connection to something outside Second Wind,” his mother had said. “Trees can’t grow without roots. You need to attach somewhere. Why not in Overlook?”

  Now here he was, trying to keep his eye on the professional ball while letting invisible tree roots dig into the ranch ground.

  “You two are a hoot,” Desmond deadpanned. It only made the couple smile wider.

  “We’ll be here all night,” Madi teased. “Available for dinners too.”

  They devolved into playful bickering followed by the appearance of Overlook’s sheriff, the eldest Nash sibling.

  Declan Nash looked even more uncomfortable wearing a suit than Desmond did. He gave them a gruff greeting. He wasn’t one of the triplets but that didn’t mean they weren’t just as close with him as each other. Madi’s brow creased in concern just as Desmond voiced what she was thinking.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Julian, not as well-versed in all of the subtleties of the family yet, tensed. Desmond angled his body so they were in a huddle-like circle.

  Declan sighed. It was his trademark move.

  “It’s nothing but it’s something.”

  Something happened but it wasn’t a big deal. Desmond felt his brow raise.

  “Be more specific and I can agree with you,” Desmond prodded.

  Declan sighed again.

  “I just got back from the construction site. There’s been some vandalism on one of the first-floor exterior walls.”

  Desmond clenched his jaw. Declan continued. “It’s nothing that a little gray paint can’t fix but it’s also nothing you want showing out to the road. Caleb and I were on the way here when the call came in so we went over and covered it with a tarp. That’s why we’re late.”

  �
��What was it?”

  Declan shook his head.

  “Just some idiots being idiots. Nothing you need to deal with right now.”

  “You have security cameras, right?” Julian asked.

  “Interior cameras, but the law office across the street has one pointed at the building. Marty McLinnon works there. He’s actually here at the party. I can go ask him if we can get the footage?”

  Declan took off his cowboy hat and shook his head.

  “Let me go see if I can’t find him. If not, this can wait until tomorrow. Don’t worry.”

  He clapped Desmond on the shoulder and headed off to the tent that housed the most people mingling. Before he could penetrate the main group he was called this way and that by his constituents. Desmond might have been dubbed the “most charming” Nash but as sheriff Declan had his own claim to fame.

  “He didn’t tell me what was put on the wall,” Desmond realized.

  Madi’s gaze went over his shoulder. Her cell phone started to ring as she spoke.

  “There’s Caleb... And this is the babysitter with an update since I’m a neurotic parent.” Madi and Julian moved farther away from the party to take the call as Desmond turned to the last Nash sibling.

  Caleb was half Declan, half Desmond. He was a detective at the sheriff’s department and smart as a whip. Like Declan, his love of law enforcement was ingrained in him. However, like Desmond, he was more inclined to lean on humor and lightheartedness when managing the rest of his life. That separation had become more pronounced after he’d met his wife, Nina. As he scanned the crowed, Desmond knew she was who he was looking for.

  Too bad Desmond was about to bombard him with questions that led straight back to the work side.

  The live band in the main tent started up a slow song that leaned into a piece of piano music. It didn’t pair well with the tension now lining his shoulders. Desmond didn’t care. He had Caleb in his sights, tunnel visioned in.

  Second Wind meant more to him than people seemed to realize. It was a lifeline for some. It was a lifeline for him.