Caught in the Act: Book Two: Independence Falls (15 page)

Epilogue

K
A
TIE CARRIED THE
last of the empty platters inside. They’d gone through all the hotdogs and burgers she’d purchased for the occassion. Yesterday, after weeks in a coma, her brother had finally opened his eyes. Josh was a long way from a full recovery. And the doctors still planned to bring in a specialist. But he would recover. The fear that had been hovering over her family and friends had lifted. Eric and Georgia had stepped forward, offering to host a casual, friends and family barbeque to celebrate.

“I’ve been looking for you.” Liam’s arm snaked around her waist, drawing her back to his front. His mouth nuzzled her neck, trailing soft kisses over her jaw. “Are you heading to the hospital?”

“No. Brody said he’d stop by and check on Josh. I saw him this morning,” she said, leaning against him. “I need to go home. Lena asked if she could stay in the apartment over the barn and I agreed. She wants to give Georgia and Eric some space. With Nate visiting his grandmother, Lena felt as if she might be in the way.”

“You told her where to find the key?” His lips touched her ear.

“I did. But I want to check on her. See if she needs anything.”

“She’ll be fine.”

“I don’t know. I saw Chad talking to her earlier with Hero positioned between them. I turned away for a minute, and when I looked back, my brother was covered in beer. As in someone poured it over his head. And I doubt Lena did that. She wouldn’t get that close. Then the next time I saw Chad, he was with another blonde.”

“Honey, I’m sure Lena survived her run-in with your brother. You can quiz her on the details tomorrow. But tonight,” he said, drawing her earlobe between his teeth, then releasing it. “Tonight, I have other plans for you.”

Her pulse sped up. “Maybe a detour . . .”

“Good.” He released her, leaving her missing the full body contact, and took her hand. “I’ll drive. We can come back for your car in the morning.”

Ten minutes later, Liam steered his truck onto the shoulder of the two-lane road. Even shrouded in darkness, Katie recognized this place—the same spot where he’d found her trying to change her tire.

She climbed out, her eyes adjusting to the dark night. Clouds filled the sky, obscuring the stars. There was just enough moonlight to see Liam grab a sleeping bag and backpack.

“I wasn’t expecting an overnight campout,” she said.

Liam handed her a flashlight. “Surprise.”

With the wide beam illuminating the way, she took his hand and headed through the woods to the familiar clearing.

“I should have waited for a starry night,” he said. “But I wanted to come here one last time with you.”

“Last time, huh?” She watched as he spread out the sleeping bags. He set a second bag down, retrieving a bottle of champagne and two plastic cups.

“Yeah. I listed the place for sale, back when I thought you were leaving. I started making plans, hoping you’d still want me to go with you.” He popped the cork and filled the cups. “Here.”

She took it and found a spot on one of the sleeping bags. “Giving up on your dream?”

“Rewriting it.” Liam smiled and sat beside her. “Someone made an offer. It was more than I expected so I took it.”

“Any regrets now that we’re staying?”

He reached out, cupping her jaw, running his thumb over her cheek. “No. We’ll find something else. A place that’s ours, and build our dream home. A barn for your animals. Horses, goats, hogs, whatever you want.”

“Sounds perfect,” she said, turning her mouth and kissing the palm of his hand. “But we already have the land. I’m buying this place. I placed the offer as soon as I decided to sign the contract with Moore Timber.”

“Honey, I’m not selling it to you.”

“I have an accepted offer. That’s as good as a contract. And I trusted you to hold up your end of the bargain. You wouldn’t go back on your word, would you?”

Liam laughed. “If you want it that badly, it’s yours.”

“Ours,” she corrected. “And you know how I want to spend the first night at our dream-home site?”

He took her plastic cup and set it aside before drawing her into his arms and down onto the sleeping bag. “I have an idea.”

She rolled on top of him, straddling his hips. Running her hands up his arms, she interlaced her fingers with his.

Liam smiled up at her. “Are you giving the orders?”

“No orders. Not this time.” She leaned down, brushing her lips over his. “Just love me, Liam.”

“Always, honey. Always.”

About the Author

After several years on the other side of the publishing industry, S
ARA
J
ANE
S
TONE
bid good-bye to her sales career to pursue her dream—writing romance novels. Sara Jane currently resides in Brooklyn, New York, with her very supportive real-life hero, two lively young children, and a lazy Burmese cat. Visit her online at www.sarajanestone.com, or find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SaraJaneStone.

Join Sara Jane’s newsletter to receive new release information, news about contests, giveaways, and more! To subscribe, visit www.sarajanestone.com and look for her newsletter sign-up form.

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Also by Sara Jane Stone

Full Exposure

Command Performance

Give in to your impulses . . .

Read on for a sneak peek at eight brand-new

e-book original tales of romance from Avon Books.

Available now wherever e-books are sold.

THE COWBOY AND THE ANGEL

By T. J. Kline

FINDING MISS McFARLAND

T
HE
W
ALLFLOWER
W
EDDING
S
ERIES

By Vivienne Lorret

TAKE THE KEY AND LOCK HER UP

By Lena Diaz

DYLAN’S REDEMPTION

B
OOK
T
HREE:
T
HE
M
C
B
RIDES

By Jennifer Ryan

SINFUL REWARDS 1

A
B
ILLIONAI
RES AND
B
IKERS
N
OVEL
LA

By Cynthia Sax

WHATEVER IT TAKES

A
T
RUST
N
O
O
NE
N
OVEL

By Dixie Lee Brown

HARD TO HOLD ON TO

A
H
ARD
I
NK
N
OVELLA

By Laura Kaye

KISS ME, CAPTAIN

A
F
RENCH
K
ISS
N
OVEL

By Gwen Jones

An Excerpt from

by T. J. Kline

From author T. J. Kline comes the stunning follow-up to
Rodeo Queen
. Reporter Angela McCallister needs the scoop of her career in order to save her father from the bad decisions that have depleted their savings. When the opportunity to spend a week at the Findley Brothers ranch arises, she sees a chance to get a behind-the-scenes scoop on rodeo. That certainly doesn’t include kissing the devastatingly handsome and charming cowboy Derek Chandler, who insists on calling her “Angel.”

“A
ngela, call on line three.”

“Can’t you just handle it, Joe? I don’t have time for this B.S.” It was probably just another stupid mom calling, hoping Angela would feature her daughter’s viral video in some feel-good news story. When was she ever going to get her break and find some hard-hitting news?

“They asked for you.”

Angela sighed. Maybe if she left them listening to that horrible elevator music long enough, they’d hang up. Joe edged closer to her desk.

“Just pick up the damn phone and see what they want.”

“Fine.” She glared at him as she punched the button. The look she gave him belied the sweet tone of her voice. “Angela McCallister, how can I help you?”

Joe leaned against her cubical wall, listening to her part of the conversation. She waved at him irritably. It wasn’t always easy when your boss was your oldest friend, and ex-boyfriend. He quirked a brow at her.

Go away,
she mouthed.

“Are you really looking for new stories?”

She assumed the male voice on the line was talking about the calls the station ran at the ends of several news programs asking for stories of interest. Most of them wound up in her mental “ignore” file, but once in a while she’d found one worth pursuing.

“We’re always looking for events and stories of interest to our local viewers.” She rolled her eyes, reciting the words Joe had taught her early on in her career as a reporter. She was tired of pretending any of this sucking up was getting her anywhere. Viewers only saw her as a pretty face.

“I have a lead that might interest you.” She didn’t answer, waiting for the caller to elaborate. “There’s a rodeo coming to town, and they are full of animal cruelty and abuse.”

This didn’t sound like a feel-good piece. The caller had her attention now. “Do you have proof?”

The voice gave a bitter laugh, sounding vaguely familiar. “Have you ever seen a rodeo? Electric prods, cinches wrapped around genitals, sharp objects placed under saddles to get horses to buck . . . it’s all there.”

She listened as the caller detailed several incidents at nearby rodeos where animals had to be euthanized due to injuries. Angela arched a brow, taking notes as the man gave her several websites she could research that backed the accusations.

“Can I contact you for more information?” She heard him hemming. “You don’t have to give me your name. Maybe just a phone number or an email address where I can reach you?” The caller gave her both. “Do you mind if I ask one more question—why me?”

“Because you seem like you care about animal rights. That story you did about the stray kittens and the way you found them a home, it really showed who you were inside.”

Angela barely remembered the story other than that Joe had forced it on her when she’d asked for one about a local politician sleeping with his secretary, reminding her that viewers saw her as their small-town sweetheart. She’d found herself reporting about a litter of stray kittens, smiling at the animal shelter as families adopted their favorites, and Jennifer Michaels had broken the infidelity story and was now anchoring at a station in Los Angeles. She was tired of this innocent, girl-next-door act.

“I’ll see what I can do,” she promised, deciding how to best pitch this story to Joe and whether it would be worth it at all.

An Excerpt from

The Wallflower Wedding Series

by Vivienne Lorret

Delany McFarland is on the hunt for a husband—preferably one who needs her embarrassingly large dowry more than a dutiful wife. Griffin Croft hasn’t been able to get Miss McFarland out of his mind, but now that she’s determined to hand over her fortune to a rake, Griffin knows he must step in. Yet when his noble intentions flee in a moment of unexpected passion, his true course becomes clear: tame Delaney’s wild heart and save her from a fate worse than death . . . a life without love.

S
he
had
been purposely avoiding him.

Griffin clasped his hands behind his back and began to pace around her in a circle. “Do you have spies informing you on my whereabouts at all times, or only for social gatherings?”

Miss McFarland watched his movements for a moment, but then she pursed those pink lips and smoothed the front of her cream gown. “I do what I must to avoid being seen at the same function with you. Until recently, I imagined we shared this unspoken agreement.”

“Rumormongers rarely remember innocent bystanders.”

She scoffed. “How nice for you.”

“Yes, and until recently, I was under the impression that I came and went of my own accord. That my decisions were mine alone. Instead, I learn that every choice I make falls under your scrutiny.” He was more agitated than angered. Not to mention intrigued and unaccountably aroused by her admission. During a season packed full of social engagements, she must require daily reports of his activities. Which begged the question, how often did she think of him? “Shall I quiz you on how I take my tea? Or if my valet prefers to tie my cravat into a barrel knot or horse collar?”

“I do not know, nor do I care, how you take your tea, Mr. Croft,” she said, and he clenched his teeth to keep from asking her to say it once more. “However, since I am something of an expert on fashion, I’d say that the elegant fall of the mail coach knot you’re wearing this evening suits the structure of your face. The sapphire pin could make one imagine that your eyes are blue—”

“But you know differently.”

Her cheeks went pink before she drew in a breath and settled her hand over her middle. Before he could stop the thought, he wondered whether she was experiencing the
fluttering
his sister had mentioned.

“You are determined to be disagreeable. I have made my attempts at civility, but now I am quite through with you. If you’ll excuse me . . .” She started forward to leave.

He blocked her path, unable to forget what he’d heard when he first arrived. “I cannot let you go without a dire warning for your own benefit.”

“If this is in regard to what you overheard—when you were eavesdropping on a
private matter
—I won’t hear it.”

He doubted she would listen to him if he meant to warn her about a great hole in the earth directly in her path either, but his conscience demanded he speak the words nonetheless. “Montwood is a desperate man, and you have put yourself in his power.”

Her eyes flashed. “
That
is where you are wrong. I am the one with the fortune, ergo the one with the power.”

How little she knew of men. “And what of your reputation?”

Her laugh did nothing to amuse him. “What I have left of my reputation will remain unscathed. He is not interested in my person. He only needs my fortune. In addition, as a second son, he does not require an heir; therefore, our living apart should not cause a problem with his family. And should he need
companionship
, he is free to find it elsewhere, so long as he’s discreet.”

“You sell yourself so easily, believing your worth is nothing more than your father’s account ledger,” he growled, his temper getting the better of him. He’d never lost control of it before, but for some reason this tested his limits. If
he
could see she was more than a sum of wealth, then
she
should damn well put a higher value on herself. “If you were my sister, I’d lock you in a convent for the rest of your days.”

Miss McFarland stepped forward and pressed the tip of her manicured finger in between the buttons of his waistcoat. “I am
not
your sister, Mr. Croft. And thank the heavens for that gift, too. I can barely stand to be in the same room with you. You make it impossible to breathe, let alone think. Neither my lungs nor my stomach recalls how to function. Not only that, but you cause this terrible crackling sensation beneath my skin, and it feels like I’m about to catch fire.” Her lips parted, and her small bosom rose and fell with each breath. “I do believe I loathe you to the very core of your being, Mr. Croft.”

Somewhere between the first
Mis-ter-Croft
and the last, he’d lost all sense.

Because in the very next moment, he gripped her shoulders, hauled her against him, and crushed his mouth to hers.

An Excerpt from

by Lena Diaz

As a trained assassin for EXIT Inc—a top-secret mercenary group—Devlin “Devil” Buchanan isn’t afraid to take justice into his own hands. But with EXIT Inc closing in and several women’s lives on the line, Detective Emily O’Malley and Devlin must work together to find the missing women and clear both their names before time runs out . . . and their key to freedom is thrown away.

“I
want to talk to you about what you do at EXIT.”

“No.”

She blinked. “No?” Her cell phone beeped. She grabbed it impatiently and took the call. A few seconds later she shoved the phone back in her pocket. “Tuck’s outside. The SWAT team is set up and ready to cover us in case those two yokels decide to start shooting again. The area is secure. Let’s go.” She headed toward the door.

“Wait.”

She turned, her brows raised in question.

He braced his legs in a wide stance and crossed his arms. “If I’m not under arrest, there’s no reason for me to go to the police station.”

Her mouth firmed into a tight line. “You’re not under arrest only if you agree to the deal I offered. The man who killed Shannon Garrett and the unidentified victims in that basement is holding at least two other women right now, doing God only knows what to them. All I’m asking is that you answer some questions to help me find them, so I can save their lives. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

Of course it did. But he also knew Kelly Parker, and anyone with her, couldn’t be saved by Emily and her fellow cops. It was becoming increasingly clear that Kelly was the bait in a trap to catch
him
. The killer would keep her alive, maybe even provide proof of life at some point, to lure Devlin to wherever she was being held. Did he care about her suffering? Absolutely. Which meant he had to come up with a plan to save her without charging full steam ahead and getting himself killed. Because once the killer eliminated his main prey—Devlin—he’d have no reason to keep either of the women alive.

He braced himself for his next lie. If Emily thought he was bad to supposedly get a woman pregnant and abandon her, she was going to despise him after this next one.

“Finding and saving those women is your job,” he said. “I have other things to do that are a lot more fun than sitting in an interrogation room.”

The shocked, disgusted look that crossed her face was no worse than the way he felt inside. Like a jerk, and a damn coward. But if sacrificing his pride kept her safe, so be it. He had to get outside and offer himself as bait to lead his enemies away from the diner before she went out the front. He strode past her to the bathroom door.

“Stop, Devlin, or I’ll shoot.”

He slowly turned around. Seeing his sexy little detective pointing a gun at him again seemed every kind of wrong, especially when his blood was still raging from the hot kiss they’d just shared.

“Seriously?” he said, faking shock. “You’re drawing on an unarmed man?
Again
? What will Drier say about that? Or Alex? I smell a lawsuit.”

She stomped her foot in frustration.

The urge to laugh at her childish action had him clenching his teeth. She was the perfect blend of innocence, naiveté, and just plain stubbornness. Before he did something they’d both regret—like kissing her again—he slipped out of the bathroom.

A quick side trip through the kitchen too quickly for anyone to even question his presence, and he was down the back hallway, standing at the rear exit. Now all he had to do was make it to some kind of cover—without getting shot—and lead Cougar and his handler away from Emily, all without a weapon of his own to return fire.

Simple. No problem.
He shook his head and cursed his decision to go to the police station this morning. Then again, if he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have gotten to kiss Emily. If he were killed in the next few minutes, at least he’d die with that intoxicating memory still lingering on his lips.