Colton 911--Guardian in the Storm

by Carla Cassidy

  * * *

  It had been just a little over a week since Brad had left town and still Simone found herself bursting into tears at unexpected moments during the days and nights. She tried to fight against the depression that challenged her. She kicked herself for losing it so much over a man.

  But he hadn’t just been any man. He’d been her man...the one she’d wanted to build a life with. He’d been the man she’d been waiting her whole life for. She’d somehow believed that when she’d confessed her love for him that he would have taken her in his arms and professed his love for her and they would have figured out some kind of a happily-ever-after. But that hadn’t happened.

  He’d easily walked away from her when she’d believed he truly cared for her. Had she been wrong when she’d thought she’d seen love shining from his eyes? Had she mistaken the caring in his eyes when he thought she wasn’t looking?

  It didn’t matter today. It was the Fourth of July and within minutes she was going to head to her family home for a big barbecue with the whole family.

  It was a day for celebration...for freedom and the love of family and country. After the barbecue there would be a display of fireworks to finish out the night.

  She dressed in a pair of white jeans and a red, white and blue blouse and at four o’clock she left her condo to head to her mother’s home.

  As she drove, she anticipated spending time not only with her sisters, but also with her cousins. It was time they all had some fun together. They were all beginning to heal from the deep wounds the murders had created. After almost seven months, it was time to heal.

  It was amazing to her that once she found out Jared had confessed and Leo was in custody, her nightmares had stopped. Finally, she felt as if her father had gotten the justice he deserved, the justice he’d needed to move on. And she truly believed he was now resting in peace.

  By the time she arrived at the house, things were already in full swing. Three picnic tables covered in red tablecloths had been set up in the common area between the two homes. On top of each picnic table were red, white and blue floral arrangements.

  The air was redolent with the scent of baked beans and potato salad, of deviled eggs and a warm barbecue grill awaiting burgers and other meats.

  January and her fiancé, Sean Stafford, were playing cornhole against Micha and Carly. All of them were laughing as trash talk went back and forth and Jones and Allie provided comic relief from the sidelines.

  Tatum and Cruz stood at the barbecue grill next to Heath and Kylie, the two men arguing about the best barbecue sauce for ribs.

  Meanwhile Simone’s mother and her aunt sat side by side in lawn chairs. Simone walked over and kissed her mother on the cheek and then kissed her aunt Fallon on her forehead.

  “Sit down, honey,” her mother said and gestured to the lawn chair that was still vacant next to her.

  It wasn’t lost on Simone that out of her sisters and her cousins and of course, aside from her mother and aunt, she was the only one here without a significant other. Her heart ached with the absence of Brad, as it had since the moment he’d walked out of her door.

  “Did you make your famous potato salad?” she asked her mother.

  “I did, and your aunt Fallon made the baked beans,” Simone’s mother replied.

  “And Tatum bought several other side dishes from True,” her aunt Fallon said. “Along with dessert.”

  Simone continued to visit with the two older women, grateful to see that a lot of the sorrow that had clung to them had eased away. While she knew the twin sisters would never get over the loss of their husbands, Simone was just grateful to see them moving on.

  She left her chair only when Heath asked her to be his partner in the cornhole game. After several games, she sat at one of the picnic tables as the men began to cook the meats.

  As dinner commenced, there was a lot of laughter. When the meal was almost finished, somebody suggested that they go around the table and tell what they were thankful for.

  “Aunt Fallon, you start,” Simone said, and they all fell silent and looked at Fallon expectantly.

  “I’m happy to announce that I’m looking forward to getting back to our interior design business and Farrah and I are planning a trip to Europe together.”

  All the children clapped and hooted at the news. Simone smiled at her mother proudly. She was so happy that the two sisters could finally breathe again after the tragedy and a trip to Europe was a great way to help the two sisters leave the bad times behind and kick-start their design business.

  “I’ll go next,” Heath said and stood from his seat. “First of all, I want to thank you all for your support in allowing me to be the new, permanent president of Colton Connections. And today I filed for the first patent of my own.”

  Once again, cheers rang out. “Apparently, the apple didn’t fall far from the genetic tree,” Simone said, thinking of her father and uncle’s genius when it came to patents that were often bought for huge chunks of cash, or sent off for developmental application.

  “Me next, me next,” January exclaimed and jumped to her feet. She pulled Sean to stand next to her. “I just want to let you all know that our wedding is going to be moving up...because we’re expecting...twins!”

  Simone and Tatum got up and hugged their sister with excitement. “And so the next generation begins,” Farrah said as she dabbed at happy tears with her napkin.

  “Next,” January said, and she and Sean sat back down.

  Jones stood and cleared his throat. “I’ve named a new manager at the microbrewery. As much as I love you all, I’ve decided to do some traveling with this woman.” He grabbed Allie’s hand and kissed the back of it. “While she’s investigating stories around the country, I’ll be sharing in the adventures with her.”

  It was great to see Jones happy. He’d taken the death of his father very hard, but Simone had a feeling he and Allie had a wonderful future together.

  Then it was Carly’s turn to tell everyone that she and Micha had decided to sell her little bungalow and purchase a home closer to everyone so they could start on building a family.

  Tatum then jumped up from her chair, her eyes sparkling brightly. “Yesterday I signed a fairly lucrative contract with a publisher for my cookbook. And that’s not the only thing that happened yesterday.” She held up her left hand, and on the ring finger was a beautiful diamond ring. “I got a cookbook deal and a fiancé,” she said joyfully.

  Once again, congratulations rang in the air and then everyone turned and looked at Simone expectantly. She smiled and stood, and then to her horror, she promptly burst into tears.

  Much to her embarrassment everyone rallied around her while she insisted she was fine. She tried to convince everyone they were just happy tears because she was so thrilled that everyone had found their special person and had great plans for their futures.

  The porch lights came on against the fall of dusk as they all settled back in for dessert. Farrah and Fallon went inside and came out a few minutes later with strawberry shortcake from True and the housekeeper followed behind them with a huge red, white and blue cake complete with lit baby sparklers.

  They were in the middle of dessert when the housekeeper returned and bent down next to Simone. “There’s somebody here to see you, Miss Simone. He’s waiting in the foyer.”

  Simone excused herself and left the table. Who would be here to see her? Was it possible Wayne, the history professor, was coming to see her in an effort to convince her to go round two with him? He’d called her several times since he’d learned about her ordeal at the cabin. But she definitely had no interest in going there again.

  Or was it possible...? She was afraid to hope. She was afraid to even wish in case she was bitterly disappointed. She stepped into the foyer and saw him. He was turned away from her and staring out the window, but she would have recognized that bro
ad back anywhere.

  Brad. His name fluttered in her head...in her heart. What was he doing here? Did he have something new to discuss with her concerning the case? Something that couldn’t be settled by a phone call?

  “Brad,” she half whispered his name.

  He whirled around at the sound of her voice. “Simone.”

  “What are you doing here? Has something come up with the case?” she asked. The very sight of him caused her love for him to slam into her all over again. She crossed her arms in front of her as if that would defend her against her own emotions where he was concerned.

  “No, I’m not here about the case,” he said. His eyes were dark and unfathomable. “Simone, I’m sorry to interrupt what I’m sure is a family gathering, but it’s important that I speak with you.”

  “About what?” Her heart began to beat an irregular rhythm in her chest.

  “To start with, I want to talk about me.”

  She frowned. “Okay...what about you?” This whole thing seemed odd and surreal. He came here to talk about himself?

  He gazed at some point over her head. “I was sure when I left here that I was doing the right thing. I was sure that the best thing I could do for you was to walk away and let you get on with your life. In my head it was the noble thing to do.”

  He released a small, humorless laugh. “I realized quickly that being noble wasn’t going to work for me. Even though I threw myself back into my work, I couldn’t get you out of my head.”

  His gaze finally met hers. They were a beautiful golden green today, and she wanted nothing more than to fall into their depths, but still she was afraid.

  “Simone, all I can think about is you. I miss laughing with you. I miss talking to you. I know I’m taking a chance on coming here. I’m taking the chance that your mind hasn’t changed about me. And even if it has, I have to speak my truth to you.”

  Her heartbeat quickened, making her feel half-breathless with anticipation. “So, speak your truth,” she said softly. “Tell me why you’re here, Brad.”

  “I’m here because I love you, Simone. I love you more than I’ve ever loved a woman in my life. I can’t imagine my life without you.” The words rushed out of him as he took a step closer to her.

  “I want to marry you, Simone. I want you to have my babies and I want to build a future with you. I want us to grow old together and...”

  He paused as she stepped closer to him and placed her finger over his lips. “Yes,” she said, a tremendous joy filling her heart. “Yes, yes,” she repeated. “Oh, Brad, I want that, too. I love you, Brad, and I can’t imagine wanting a future with any other man but you.”

  “Speaking of our future, I have a few cases I need to finish up in DC, but I’m putting in for a transfer to the Chicago department. I’m hoping to be here full-time in the fall. Will that work for you?”

  “Of course it will. In fact, I’m going to lighten my fall schedule so I’m not teaching as many classes. I want to have plenty of time to spend with my man. Are you really ready to be in a relationship with a nerdy professor?” she asked.

  He laughed. “The sexiest professor I’ve ever known.”

  “If that’s the case, then kiss me, Brad.”

  He pulled her into his arms and crashed his lips to hers in a kiss that stole her breath away, shot tingles through her and tasted of the laughter, the mutual respect and support, and the love they would share for the rest of their lives together.

  She was vaguely aware of fireworks going off outside, but the fireworks going off in her heart, knowing her future was with Brad, were all she needed to be happy.

  * * *

  Don’t miss a new branch of the Chicago Coltons in Marie Ferrarella’s

  Colton 911: Secret Defender,

  available next month from

  Harlequin Romantic Suspense!

  For a sneak peek, keep reading...

  WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS BOOK FROM

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  Colton 911: Secret Defender

  by Marie Ferrarella

  Prologue

  If it wasn’t for the excruciating pain shooting up and down her leg to the point that it was making tears come to her eyes, Nicole Colton would have been utterly furious with herself.

  Of all the stupid things she had done in her life—and there had been at least a number of them over the last fifty-eight years—this definitely took the cake.

  She felt like the pathetic embodiment of that awful commercial she had always felt was created for no other reason than to embarrass and humiliate older people—she steadfastly refused to use the term senior citizen—and make them feel clumsy and utterly inept. The fact that she was here, sprawled out on the floor after inadvertently taking a slip because of a wet spot, was exceeding aggravating.

  Especially since she found that she was unable to pop right back up the way she usually did. The pain was just too excruciating.

  The cutting words I’ve fallen and can’t get up kept echoing through Nicole’s head even as she literally dragged herself across the living room floor until she could grasp onto the side of the sofa. She tried to pull herself up but failed. All but completely drenched in sweat from her effort, Nicole paused, panting hard and trying to regroup as she desperately searched for a second wave of strength.

  “Okay, Nic, you can do this,” she said through clenched teeth, urging herself on even as another sharp wave of pain sliced right through her. “You raised three boys on your own, started your own business, you can certainly get up off the floor on your own.”

  It wasn’t easy.

  Several pain-filled minutes later, Nicole finally managed to get herself up to her knees at the sofa cushion. But rather than stand up, all she could do was get herself into a half-lying position and then roll painfully over, all the while biting her lip to keep the cries from emerging and echoing throughout her large house.

  Breathing hard, Nicole finally managed to get into a sitting position. When she did, she was all but panting from the exertion.

  “Okay, I lied,” she said, her face dripping with perspiration. “I can’t do this.”

  Instead of going away, the pain was multiplying by leaps and bounds, bordering on unbearable. Although she hated the thought, she had to admit that she had definitely broken something. Moreover, she resigned herself to the fact that she was going to have to call someone and ask for help. Something that went against absolutely every fiber of her being.

  But there was no way around it.

  Nicole was sweating profusely now. Admitting to weakness was just not in her makeup. She was the one who went out of her way to hold everything together, the one who worked nonstop and still had time to cheer her sons—both her natural-born son, Aaron, and Aaron’s two stepbrothers, whom she had taken in when they were barely seven and eight—on in their endeavors.

  They were her ex-husband’s sons, whom she had taken in when their mother died and her ex decided that they were dragging him down. She treated them like her own and made certain that these “endeavors” they undertook were of their choosing and not hers.

  Her catering business had taken off. Things were finally going so well—and now this, she thought as a new wave of disgust washed over her.

  Her head began to spin. The pain was becoming much worse.

  She was afraid that if it grew any worse, she was going to wind up babbling incoherently.

  Okay, time to get someone here to help her, as much as she hated the idea. Thank heavens she usually kept her cell phone with her. That had more to do with her catering business than anything else, but right now, Nicole was truly grateful that she had slipped her cell phone
into her pocket this morning.

  Taking a breath to steady herself and to try to keep the pain at bay long enough to make the call, she pressed the keys that would connect her to Aaron’s phone.

  She definitely wasn’t looking forward to this conversation.

  Her oldest son ran a couple of gyms and she quite honestly didn’t expect him to even hear his phone, much less answer it. But to her surprise, Aaron picked up after the fifth ring.

  Just by chance, Aaron Colton was about to make a call when he felt the phone ring in his hand. When he saw the name on the screen, he had a really bad feeling about this.

  His mother never called him when she knew he was working.

  Turning away from the boxing ring, Aaron blocked out all the other noises in the gym as he answered the call.

  “Mom? What’s wrong?”

  More than anything in the world, Nicole Colton hated admitting to weakness. But the pain was making it really difficult to even breathe now.

  Still, she protested, “What...makes...you...think...anything...is...wrong?”

  If he hadn’t thought there was anything wrong before, he did now. The pain he heard in his mother’s voice unnerved him.

  He signaled to his assistant to take over as he quickly made his way to the door. “Tell me where you are, Mom. I’m coming to get you,” he promised.

  Chapter 1

  Damon Colton, the youngest of the three Colton brothers, burst into the hospital surgical waiting area. Accustomed to sizing up any area he walked into at lightning speed, he was able to spot Aaron and Nash within seconds. He made a beeline for his brothers.

  “How is she?” he asked breathlessly before he had even had a chance to reach them.

  “Ornery as ever,” Aaron answered.

  Feeling stiff, Aaron shifted in his seat. He and Nash had been sitting here on the orange plastic sofa, keeping vigil ever since the ambulance had brought Nicole to the hospital. Although things seemed to be going well, neither brother wanted to step away—just in case.