by Regan Black
A mysterious visitor at the door...
Can danger be far behind?
Quarter Horse breeder Fox Colton is a loner by nature. So when an anonymous infant appears on his doorstep, he reluctantly takes in the baby—and new assistant Kelsey Lauder. As he grows to cherish his unexpected family, Fox works to track down Baby John Doe’s real parents. But when secrets from Fox’s own past are unearthed, he could find himself alone again, just as he’s come to love the new people in his life.
“Were you often a therapist for your family clients?” Fox asked.
“Only the smart ones,” Kelsey replied.
The sassy smile on her lips tempted him like nothing else. His palm was on her arm and he was leaning in before he caught himself. At the last minute, he brushed a kiss on the baby’s head and retreated to his desk.
He was too comfortable around her. It was as if he’d been caught in a happy-family web that grew stronger with every passing day. With any luck, she had no idea where his thoughts had led or how desperately he was trying to tamp down his desire for her.
They were employer and employee. Colleagues. She was already an asset to the business and that would only be more valuable with time. He couldn’t screw that up, or risk everything he’d worked for to explore this physical attraction.
* * *
The Coltons of Roaring Springs:
Family and true love are under siege
* * *
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Dear Reader,
Colorado is a beautiful and rugged part of the world and has always been one of my favorite places. In Roaring Springs, renowned horse breeder Fox Colton has built his ideal life and a prosperous business at the Crooked C Ranch. He thrives on the long hours, the hard work and the solitude.
Until someone leaves a baby boy on his doorstep.
His solitude shattered, Fox is overwhelmed by all the things he doesn’t know about caring for a baby. Thankfully, Kelsey Lauder, the equine geneticist he’d planned to hire as his new assistant, is also an expert with babies and children. Determined to find the baby’s true father, they embark on a search that turns everything Fox thought he knew about his past and himself inside out.
With all the trouble brewing in and around Roaring Springs these days, Fox and Kelsey have their hands full balancing the baby and long-buried secrets with new desires and increasing danger. I hope you enjoy their story.
Live the adventure!
Regan Black
COLTON FAMILY SHOWDOWN
Regan Black
Regan Black, a USA TODAY bestselling author, writes award-winning, action-packed novels featuring kick-butt heroines and the sexy heroes who fall in love with them. Raised in the Midwest and California, she and her family, along with their adopted greyhound, two arrogant cats and a quirky finch, reside in the South Carolina Lowcountry, where the rich blend of legend, romance and history fuels her imagination.
Books by Regan Black
Harlequin Romantic Suspense
The Coltons of Roaring Springs
Colton Family Showdown
The Riley Code
A Soldier’s Honor
Escape Club Heroes
Safe in His Sight
A Stranger She Can Trust
Protecting Her Secret Son
Braving the Heat
The Coltons of Shadow Creek
Killer Colton Christmas
“Special Agent Cowboy”
The Coltons of Red Ridge
Colton P.I. Protector
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With big thanks and warm hugs to the whole team at Harlequin Romantic Suspense for inviting me into the Colton world and making me feel like part of the family.
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
Excerpt from Colton 911: Deadly Texas Reunion by Beth Cornelison
Chapter 1
Evening was going toward dark and Fox Colton whistled as he pulled up to the big red barn that meant everything to him. The home he needed and the work he loved under one classic metal roof. He’d never tire of that sense of accomplishment. He’d made something out of nothing with more than forty good acres of the Crooked C ranch. A prime opportunity had become a thriving horse-breeding business.
There were days when it seemed too good to be true.
Against the deepening sky, the barn stood out in silhouette. Fox was weary, but in a way that filled him with immense satisfaction. It had been a long couple of days making sure things ran smoothly on both his brother’s side of the ranch and his own. Wyatt was rightly preoccupied with his wife, Bailey, as she delivered their new son, Hudson Earl Colton.
Once he’d finished the ranch work last night, he’d gone to the hospital and waited with the rest of the family, trying to cover his uneasiness with quiet confidence that his sister-in-law and the baby would be just fine. Turned out having been on hand for his mares through countless foals didn’t actually make waiting for a new niece or nephew less stressful. But seeing the stars in Wyatt’s eyes as he held his son made being there worth it.
Fox picked up his phone, intending to give his brother a text update on the day’s activities at the ranch before he went inside. There were a slew of emails waiting for his attention and as soon as he dipped a toe into that water, he’d be sunk for the night. It was one of the best perks of loving his work.
Instead, when he opened the messaging app, he found another baby picture from the proud daddy. Fox chuckled. He could hardly blame Wyatt. The newborn was unquestionably adorable. He sent back a quick aww in reply and then added the ranch update. The recent challenges of a murder victim, a dead bull and a barn fire on the Crooked C had left Wyatt and Fox, along with their hired crew and the Roaring Springs law enforcement, on high alert for anything out of the ordinary.
Pocketing his phone, Fox hopped out of the truck and started for the house. He had a thick burger on his mind for dinner, after a shower and a change of clothes. Inside the door, he pulled off his work boots and ducked into the office for his laptop. He could clear out his email in-box while the meat cooked.
A sticky note on the laptop keyboard caught his attention, and he sat down at his desk, scolding himself for forgetting. He quickly confirmed an interview appointment for tomorrow afternoon with an equine geneticist.
Fox wasn’t particularly in the market for an assistant, though business was booming and he was fielding inquiries from other ranchers looking for bloodstock advice. He leaned back in the chair and stretched his arms overhead, rereading the original query. Maybe it was time to think about expanding. Kelsey Lauder had presented a compelling argument for creating the position and her résumé in equine research impressed him. It never hurt business to extend a cou
rtesy and frankly, he was eager to talk with someone who understood both the science and artistry of horse breeding.
Last season he’d lost three foals to premature delivery, well below the average considering the number of mares he’d bred. Risk of the job, of course, but it was never pleasant for the herd or the crew. Each time, they’d sent off the standard lab tests and worked through each layer of cleanup protocols and herd management. With breeding season done and the herd settled for fall, now was the time to dive deeper into the genetic material if he hoped to find something helpful there. Would Miss Lauder be interested in that sort of research?
His stomach rumbled loudly and Fox realized he’d spent nearly two hours at his desk and still needed that shower and dinner. Closing his laptop, he headed upstairs.
The two-bedroom house he’d built into the second story of the barn was simple and functional and suited him to a tee. When he looked around, he imagined his mom, Dana, beaming with pride at the relaxed and lived-in style. It was certainly easier to conjure that image after his little sister Sloane’s recent visit. She was the spitting image of their mom, though she had no real recollection of their parents. He and his sister had been raised as Coltons, formally adopted by Russ and Mara, Dana’s older sister, after a car crash left them orphans when they were young. Sloane only remembered their second family and there were times when her simpler memories made Fox a little jealous.
Leaving the laptop on the kitchen table, he went straight for the bathroom. He dumped his dirty clothes in the hamper and stepped into the shower, letting the hot spray wash the workday down the drain. Feeling better, he went to his room and pulled on flannel pants and a long-sleeved T-shirt.
Checking the clock, he decided it was too late for a heavy meal, so he heated up a bowl of leftover vegetable soup and sat down to finish clearing his email before turning in for the night. He fell down a rabbit hole of research, reading through a comprehensive report on an herbal supplement found to ease the adverse symptoms of hormonal swings in broodmares.
The sound of a car engine nearby brought him back with a start. He ignored it. A few of the ranch hands had active social lives. As long as the work was done well, the crew could do as they pleased with their personal time. With a sigh, he realized it was after midnight and the horses needed him fresh in a few hours. He switched over from his emails to the breeding log for this season and confirmed which mares were slated for pregnancy verification tests this week.
At last, he closed the laptop and called it a day. Everything else would have to wait until morning. He turned out the lights in the kitchen and padded through the dark hallway to his bedroom.
His head barely touched the pillow when he heard tires on the gravel drive. That car was too close to be headed to the bunkhouse. Fox froze, listening as he reached for his cell phone. After the trouble of the previous months, he couldn’t help being on edge.
When he’d remodeled and repurposed the barn, he’d added a low porch to the front door. One of the wood planks on the second step had been squeaky from the start and when he heard that sound, he was up and out of bed.
Any of the ranch hands would’ve called to let him know about a problem, not just shown up. Phone in hand, he sprinted for the stairs and the front door, grabbing his shotgun on the way. He’d defend his property and let the sheriff sort it out later.
When Fox opened the door, the car was a blur in the night, driving away without headlights. Odds were good the driver would hit a tree or slide off into a ditch, making the sheriff’s work easier. He started out the door, shotgun to his shoulder, and nearly tripped over a bulky object on his welcome mat.
A bag. A baby’s diaper bag. He only recognized the gear because he’d seen plenty of it while Wyatt and Bailey prepared for their son. Next to that was a baby carrier, complete with a sleeping baby, the pacifier loose in his mouth.
Fox flipped the safety and lowered the shotgun. “What the hell?”
The baby gave a start, arms and legs going stiff and his eyes popping open to stare at Fox. His little mouth tugged the pacifier back in tight.
Fox looked around, dumbfounded. “Ha, ha,” he said. He had no idea why anyone would use a real baby in a prank, much less to prank him, but he was ready for the stunt to be over. “You got me,” he called a little louder.
No reply.
He rubbed one bare foot against his calf. Prank or not, the night was too cold to stand out here without warmer clothing.
“You can’t be here,” he said to the baby. The infant was bundled up, but he couldn’t just leave it out here. “You’re not mine.”
The baby didn’t care about Fox’s denial.
He hauled both baby and bag inside, out of the chill. The diaper bag and car seat contraption were in shades of blue, decorated with airplanes, trucks and trains in various bright colors.
“Safe bet is you’re a boy.” This wasn’t one of his foals, so it wasn’t his job to confirm or deny the fact. “You’re not mine,” he repeated. No way had he fathered a baby without knowing. Hell, he hadn’t even been with a woman in over a year. That was a hard fact to face, even in the privacy of his own head. So who would dump a child on his doorstep? “Are you Wyatt’s?” he wondered.
Naturally, the baby didn’t answer, just kept staring up at him. Fox studied the tiny face, unable to see any obvious resemblance between the baby and anyone he knew.
He’d just seen Wyatt’s newborn. This little guy was too big to be brand-new. Weren’t people supposed to abandon newborns at fire stations or orphanages? How old was the baby? And how had he wound up on Fox’s doorstep? He called the bunkhouse, but no one there had seen any vehicles that didn’t belong to the Crooked C.
“Whoever you belong to, you can’t stay here.” Fox had no intention of having fatherhood forced on him. Considering his troubled childhood, he’d ruled it out way back in college. Possibly even before that. Not that the baby cared.
He locked the front door again and started upstairs. Should he leave the little guy alone? His sister would know. He pulled out his phone and started to call and remembered she was out of town with her family. Checking the straps, Fox decided the baby was secure in the seat. It would only take him a minute to change. “Wait here.” He darted up the stairs, found a pair of jeans and came back to find the baby, eyes wide, calmly taking in the change of scenery.
What did babies see?
He knew how and when horses developed vision, but he’d never bothered to think about the same growth and development in humans.
He sat on the bench next to the door and pulled on his boots. “Come on.” He picked up the car seat. “Oof, you’ve got some heft. Good for you.” Slinging the diaper bag over his shoulder, he picked up his keys. “The police will know what to do with you.”
Tucking the diaper bag behind the front passenger seat, he wrestled the car seat into place in the back, securing it with the seat belt. He didn’t think he had it quite right, but it should do for the short, careful drive into town.
The baby was quiet on the ride and seemed happy enough when Fox carried him, seat and all, into the police department looking for his cousin, Sheriff Trey Colton. If this was a prank, someone was about to get busted.
“Is Trey around?” he asked the officer manning the front desk.
“Come on back, Fox.” Trey waved him into his office, then did a double take when he saw what his cousin was carrying. “Whoa. Who’s this?”
“That’s what I’d like to know.” Fox set the carrier on the sheriff’s desk and the diaper bag in the chair. “I found him on my porch.”
“When?”
“Less than half an hour ago. I loaded him up and came straight here.”
“Why?”
Why? Fox gawked at Trey. His cousin was clearly overtired if he couldn’t come to his own conclusions on that score. “So you could handle it. Bringing him here seemed better
than calling you out to the ranch.”
Eyes trained on the baby, Trey rocked the baby seat. “No one’s reported a missing child.”
“Well, let me be the first,” Fox muttered, planting his hands on his hips. “He isn’t mine.”
The sheriff arched an eyebrow and pinned his cousin with a hard stare. “Why else would he be on your porch?”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” he retorted. “I haven’t been with anyone.” He could feel his cheeks burning with the admission. “Not in a time frame that would have this result.”
He should’ve just had that vasectomy a few years ago after his sister had gotten pregnant. Sure she was happy now, but all her talk of cousins and playdates had terrified him. He was not father material. Fox didn’t expect her to remember that part of their childhood. Better if she didn’t. If only he’d followed through then, he wouldn’t have to endure the judgment on Trey’s face now.
“It’s not my kid,” he insisted.
“He’s a cute little guy.” With a put-upon sigh, Trey unbuckled the baby and lifted him from the seat. “Look for a note,” he told Fox.
Why hadn’t he thought of that? “No note here.”
“Check the diaper bag,” Trey said patiently, cuddling the baby like a pro. That too was empty of anything as helpful as identification or a note. “Was there anything else with him?”
“No.”
“Sounds like you’ve got a real mystery on your hands,” the sheriff said.
“No.” Fox stepped back. “You do. He isn’t my kid. I can’t keep him.” Just the thought of having a child in his care made his palms sweat. “I can’t keep him,” he repeated.
The baby wriggled in Trey’s arms, making happy gurgling sounds that made the sheriff smile. “Your front doorstep isn’t exactly well-known or easy to get to,” he said.
“Oh, my.” Deputy Sheriff Daria Bloom walked in. “What a sweet face.”
Was everyone on the graveyard shift tonight? With her athletic grace, striking features and golden-brown eyes framed by a cap of short dark hair, she always struck Fox as more of a model than a law enforcement officer. Of course, her real career choice was more than evident since she’d taken the lead on the Avalanche Killer case.
