by Barb Han
A Texas reunion turns old rivals into soon-to-be parents
For as long as the O’Briens have run their ranch, their rivals have been the McCabes. So when Ryder O’Brien returns home to his brothers, only one thing can screw things up: getting involved with Faith McCabe. There’s no temptation greater in Texas, and Ryder is about to pay the price for their forbidden fling.
Because just as their passion ignites, Faith up and leaves…only to return five months later, seeking Ryder’s help finding her missing brother—and pregnant with Ryder’s baby. Ryder O’Brien may have held grudges longer than he ought to, but he always does right by his kin. Especially when the woman about to change his life is in danger.
Cattlemen Crime Club
Ryder took a step toward Faith to really look into her eyes.
“You’re pregnant?” he asked, knowing full well that he’d be able to tell if she faltered. She’d never been able to meet his eyes and flat-out lie. Or at least that’s what he’d believed. How much did he really get to know her in the few months they’d spent together? She’d already shocked him once by walking out. And now she’d thrown him the last news he’d expected to hear from her.
“Yes,” she said, plain as day.
“And the child is mine?”
“Yes,” she said with that same certainty.
She wasn’t lying.
“If that’s true—and I need a little time to process that fact—why are you telling me now?”
“Like I said, I need your help and I’ll do whatever it takes to get it,” she said, her gaze a study in determination.
“You know this qualifies as blackmail.”
“Does that mean you’ll help me?” The first spark of hope lit her face.
TEXAS-SIZED
TROUBLE
USA TODAY Bestselling Author
Barb Han
USA TODAY bestselling author Barb Han lives in north Texas with her very own hero-worthy husband, three beautiful children, a spunky golden retriever/standard poodle mix and too many books in her to-read pile. In her downtime, she plays video games and spends much of her time on or around a basketball court. She loves interacting with readers and is grateful for their support. You can reach her at barbhan.com.
Books by Barb Han
Harlequin Intrigue
Cattlemen Crime Club
Stockyard Snatching
Delivering Justice
One Tough Texan
Texas-Sized Trouble
Mason Ridge
Texas Prey
Texas Takedown
Texas Hunt
Texan’s Baby
The Campbells of Creek Bend
Witness Protection
Gut Instinct
Hard Target
Rancher Rescue
Harlequin Intrigue Noir
Atomic Beauty
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CAST OF CHARACTERS
Faith McCabe—A forbidden romance leads to pregnancy, and there’s no way her family would ever accept an O’Brien child. When her half brother turns up missing, she has nowhere to turn but to the man she walked away from, who happens to be her baby’s father. Can she deny her heart in order to protect the man and unborn child she loves?
Ryder O’Brien—This elder twin likes life on the edge. He’s competitive and enjoys having a good time, but after tragically losing his parents, he found more than comfort in a forbidden romance. He’ll set aside his anger to help the woman he can’t seem to forget, but can he risk his heart one more time?
Nicholas Bowden—The half brother Faith is risking her life to find.
Hollister McCabe—How much does he really know about the kidnapping?
Karen McCabe—This wife has endured far too much living with Hollister McCabe. Has she finally snapped?
Celeste Bowden—Nicholas’s mother doesn’t have warm feelings for Hollister McCabe. He got her pregnant fifteen years ago and turned his back on her and the baby. Would she go to any lengths to blackmail him?
The Hattie brothers—Are they behind the kidnapping or just pawns in a twisted game?
Hannah—Is she the mastermind behind the kidnapping or an innocent victim?
Tommy Johnson—The sheriff who grew up at the O’Brien ranch and considers them family.
Many thanks to Allison Lyons and Jill Marsal, the best editor and agent I could hope to have the privilege with which to work.
Brandon and Tori, the two of you make everyday life a joyful adventure. I love you both!
Babe, you are forever the love of my life. Can you believe one of our babies turns eighteen this month?
Jacob, aka Jakey Bear, February used to be a cold, short month until you were born, filling our world with sunshine and warmth. Eighteen years have gone by in a flash, and our journey has been a lot like Texas weather: exciting, full of sunshine and always an adventure! College is close, a job will follow, and no matter how far away you venture, home will always be your soft place to land. We love you!
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
Excerpt from Tough Justice: Countdown (Part 1 of 8) by Carla Cassidy
Excerpt from Eagle Warrior by Jenna Kernan
Chapter One
There was a chill in the air, the promise of a cold front moving in on the last day of winter. Texas weather in early March was unpredictable. Ryder O’Brien walked toward his pickup and saw Faith McCabe leaning against his ride. He didn’t do regret. So why, all of a sudden, was he filled with it as he walked toward her? Those long legs tucked into tan fringed ankle boots. Her white off-the-shoulder dress contrasted against the long chestnut waves cascading over her shoulders, and ended slightly above midthigh. He didn’t want to notice those details about her. Ending their affair and walking away from her hadn’t exactly been a choice. She’d burned him. Thinking about how easy it had been for her to break off their relationship made him frown and stirred residual anger.
“What are you doing here?” he ground out.
“I came to see you,” she said, folding her arms like when she was secretly insecure but needed to cover.
“We have nothing to talk about.” He clenched his teeth. He could acknowledge to himself that his words were angry. It had been only a few months since their affair ended. His feelings were still raw. She looked good, though, and that frustrated the hell out of him.
“I do,” she hedged, flashing her eyes at him.
“What’s wrong? None of your other boyfriends around?” Ryder stopped. There was no need to get close enough to see the gold flecks in her honey browns. “You’re wasting your time.”
“I need a favor.” Her right shoulder dipped, another move that gave away her true insecurity at being there. She might be trying to stand tall and come off as confident, but Ryder could still read her despite the show she was putting on.
“Then you’re wasting my time,�
� he said. The last thing he needed was to trust that she was different from her family. He’d taken that bait once and been burned. “Let me save us both the energy. The answer is no.”
Her cool facade broke. “Please, I’m desp—”
“It’s a little late to play the innocent ‘help me’ card, don’t you think?” he shot back, anger replacing any trace of regret. He looked her up and down, not holding back the annoyance in his glare. “You broke off our...whatever we were doing...with a Post-it note. Who even uses those anymore?”
Yeah, he was letting his anger get the best of him. He couldn’t help it. His pride had taken a huge hit. When it came to Faith and the way she’d left things, he couldn’t keep cool.
“I’m sorry about the method, but I only said what we both knew. Anything more than good sex between us would be asking too much,” she said, and he knew she believed that. To say their families had deep-seated bad blood running between them was a lot like saying werewolves turned at a full moon.
“Whatever,” he said as dismissively as he could, given the fact that his pulse pounded and his body seemed keenly aware of hers. Another detail he didn’t want to overthink.
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important, Ryder.” The sound of his name on her tongue made him feel things he didn’t want to. But then everything about Faith stirred up unwanted emotions inside him. She might’ve been right about them not having a future, but they would never know now, not after the way she’d handled things. He could admit to being curious about what she thought he could help her with, though. Hold on. That was exactly the thinking that had gotten him in trouble in the first place.
Faith McCabe had always been off-limits to Ryder, and that was most likely the reason he couldn’t resist sneaking around to spend time with her a few months ago and not because of a real connection. He’d always been a renegade at heart, always bucking the system and insisting on handling his life his own way. But when his and Faith’s relationship had started getting serious and, in his view, interesting, she’d retreated and refused to see or speak to him again. He chalked his current feelings of betrayal up to a bruised ego.
When he’d stepped into the parking lot of the Dusty Trail Bar and Grill and saw her standing there, it was more than muscle memory that had him on edge. Faith still looked good, too good. Her skin was glowing and her hair shone under the lamplight. He couldn’t help but go to that place in his head—the one where she lay in his arms until morning after a long night of making love. And that was about as productive as washing down a jalapeño with gasoline.
“What is it? You miss me?” he asked, trying to goad her into the fight they should’ve had months ago. Not being able to say his piece was probably the reason he’d held on to the hurt this long.
The pinched look she shot him next said she didn’t appreciate the sarcasm.
Her gaze shifted until she was studying the toe of her boot a little too intently. Even now, he couldn’t deny a draw toward Faith, or a need to protect her. But then instincts were as hardwired as attraction.
“I have a half brother who’s gone missing,” she started without looking up, a sign that her confidence had waned.
“And you’re telling me this because?” Ryder asked, not giving an inch, maintaining the intensity of his glare. This was news to him, although with a father like Hollister McCabe anything was possible. The man and Ryder’s father couldn’t have been more opposite, and that was part of the reason they’d clashed when his father was alive. Ryder suppressed a sarcastic laugh. Clashed put their conflict lightly. When McCabe had tried to strong-arm Ryder’s father for a piece of the family land years ago, they’d almost gone toe-to-toe and had been bitter enemies ever since.
“He’s in danger, Ryder. I know he is. He lives two towns over with a mother who hustles drinks at a dive bar and leaves him alone days on end to fend for himself.” She started to walk toward Ryder and then stopped, glancing up pensively.
He didn’t need her moving any closer. Not with the way his pulse pounded already, reminding him of the strength of the attraction he’d once held. So much had changed in the past couple of months, including him. The sobering reality that came with learning his parents had been murdered had made Ryder a different man. After hearing the news, he’d taken leave from the successful transportation company he’d started and returned home to Bluff, Texas. Running tourists back and forth from the airport to various ski resorts in the Denver area was a big change from his life in Texas, and he was ready to take his rightful place alongside his brothers running the family cattle ranch and rifleman’s club, nicknamed the Cattlemen Crime Club. The best perk of running his company had been that he’d spent many days pushing his own limits on the mountain. Coming home had been the right thing to do but didn’t offer the adrenaline rushes he craved. Dating Faith on the side had most likely been an attempt to reclaim some of his renegade ways and blow off steam, he tried to convince himself again. The thought of real feelings developing between an O’Brien and a McCabe had the word avalanche written all over it. That’s exactly what it would be—out of control and devastating to everything it touched.
Hence, the thrill, a little voice in his head reminded.
“Sounds like a bad situation all around,” he said, not wanting to let anything she had to say twist his emotions. Faith had a way of getting under his skin, and he had no intention of giving her permission to use him again. “Call child welfare and report her.”
“They’ll just take him away, throw him in the system, and I’ll lose track of him. At least now I can watch over him.” She took a tentative step forward and then rubbed her arms like she was trying to stave off the chill. She needed a coat, but it wasn’t Ryder’s place to tell her.
“Whoa. Not so fast.” He held up his hands to stop her from coming any closer in case she decided to play on his weakness for her again. It wouldn’t work. Burn him once, shame on her. Burn him twice, and he deserved everything he got. Ryder knew better than to touch a hot stove twice, and he’d been taught both sayings as a kid. He’d be damned if she threw flames his way a second time. “Tell me why this concerns me, Faith.”
“It doesn’t. Not directly.” She straightened her back and folded her arms across her chest. “He’s a good kid, well, teenager, and he doesn’t deserve the life he was given.”
“Why come to me? Why not ask Trouble for help?” It was a low blow bringing up one of her exes, and Ryder felt the same sensation as a physical punch at thinking about her together with Trouble. Again, Ryder reminded himself that Faith couldn’t be trusted. She’d proved that to him and everyone else in town when she’d shown up with Timmy “Trouble” Hague a week after cutting ties with Ryder and claiming the two were in a relationship. There was nothing worse to Ryder than having his nose rubbed in a breakup. She didn’t stop with Trouble. She’d dated several others like him within a monthlong span. She hadn’t needed to convince Ryder to walk away by parading a new man in front of him every week. The Post-it had done the trick.
“Hear me out, please,” she pleaded, and he was having a difficult time ignoring the fact that her teeth were chattering. He didn’t want to care.
“Step aside. I have plans tonight,” Ryder said, unmoved. Or, at least that was the vibe he was trying to give off. Internally, he was at war. Those residual feelings had a stronghold and he couldn’t afford to let them dig their heels in further, because they were tempting him to give in and agree to help her. He tried to convince himself that being a Texan would make him hardwired to help any woman in trouble and that the pull had nothing to do with the fact that it was Faith.
“Can we go somewhere we can talk?” she asked, her gaze darting around. Was she afraid to be seen with him?
Seriously? After running around with Trouble?
“Like your bedroom?” Ryder scoffed. “Sorry, sweet cheeks. That ship has sailed.”
Her hurt look made him almost wish he hadn’t said that. As far as he was concerned, she didn’t have the right to look pained. It wasn’t her heart that had been stomped all over.
Even so, guilt nipped at him for the low blow, and he half expected her to give up and walk away. He was making sticking around as hard on her as he could without being a complete jerk.
She didn’t budge. She just stood there shivering.
“Spit it out. What do you want from me?” he demanded, not wanting to drag this conversation out more than necessary. He was tired and this was taking a toll. He had plans with a soft pillow. It was late, and work on the ranch started at 5:00 a.m. sharp.
“I need your help finding Nicholas.” Her eyes pleaded.
“You need a coat,” Ryder said.
“What?” She seemed surprised.
“You look cold.” Ryder motioned toward her arms.
“Mine’s in the car,” she said. “And I’ll get it as soon as you agree to help.”
“Can’t you microchip kids these days? Or, better yet, why not just call him and wait for him to get back to you like a normal person?” He put his hand up between them. “Oh, wait, I forgot. You’re not a normal person. I should’ve known a McCabe wouldn’t have time for common sense or following the rules.”
Faith sucked in a burst of air. That comment scored a direct hit. Ryder should feel a sense of satisfaction. He didn’t.
“He’s somewhere hurt or he’s been taken and I’m worried,” she said, recovering. Her gaze locked onto his.
“Take out an ad or check his social media pages. Kids love to broadcast their locations for the world to see.” Besides, Ryder had other, more pressing things to focus on, like bringing justice to the person who’d murdered his parents.
“He’s not that kind of kid and I already checked—” her tone rose in panic before she seemed able to recover and reel it in “—or I wouldn’t be here.” She had that no-other-choice quality to her tone. Again, Ryder had to ask himself why she thought it was a good idea to come to him. He didn’t figure she’d give an honest response. So, she was genuinely concerned about her half brother. Good for her. Maybe it proved she had half a heart in that chest of hers after all. That was about as far as Ryder was willing to go.
