Bucking Bronc Lodge 04 - Cowboy Cop Read online

  THE ONLY WITNESS WAS HIS SON—AND NOW HE’S THE KILLER’S NEXT TARGET

  Miles McGregor had dedicated his life to justice, and with his latest arrest behind bars, the detective finally had more time to spend with his son, Timmy. Then the unthinkable happened—Timmy’s mother was murdered before his eyes. Miles’s only choice was to bring his little boy to the Bucking Bronc Lodge, a ranch where young boys heal….

  Jordan Keys is an expert at rehabilitating children. But when it comes to Miles, she is lost. The sexy detective is harder to reach…and a whole lot less willing to try. Before long, though, a killer comes calling and Jordan witnesses the true power of Miles McGregor. And just how far he’ll go to rescue them from this living nightmare.

  She cleared her throat. “Mr. McGregor?”

  The subtle lift of his shoulders indicated he’d heard her, then he hissed something low and indiscernible between his teeth and slowly turned to face her. Dark brown hair like his son’s, except shaggy and unkempt, framed a face chiseled in stone. His jawbones were high, his face square, his eyes the color of a sunset, brown and orange and gold, rich with color but…dead.

  That was the only word to describe the emptiness she saw there.

  He removed his Stetson, then walked toward her and held out a work-roughened hand that looked strong enough to break rocks. Everything about the man, from his muscular build, his towering height, his broad shoulders and those muscular thighs, screamed of masculinity.

  And a raw sexuality that made her heart begin to flutter.

  But anger also simmered beneath the surface of his calm, anger and something lethal, like a bloodthirsty need for revenge.

  Jordan tried to ignore the fear that rippled through her. Miles McGregor was a dangerous man.

  Rita Herron

  Cowboy Cop

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Award-winning author Rita Herron wrote her first book when she was twelve, but didn’t think real people grew up to be writers. Now she writes so she doesn’t have to get a real job. A former kindergarten teacher and workshop leader, she traded her storytelling to kids for writing romance, and now she writes romantic comedies and romantic suspense. She lives in Georgia with her own romance hero and three kids. She loves to hear from readers, so please write her at P.O. Box 921225, Norcross, GA 30092-1225, or visit her website, www.ritaherron.com.

  Books by Rita Herron

  HARLEQUIN INTRIGUE

  861—MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES*

  892—VOWS OF VENGEANCE*

  918—RETURN TO FALCON RIDGE

  939—LOOK-ALIKE*

  957—FORCE OF THE FALCON

  977—JUSTICE FOR A RANGER

  1006—ANYTHING FOR HIS SON

  1029—UP IN FLAMES*

  1043—UNDER HIS SKIN*

  1063—IN THE FLESH*

  1081—BENEATH THE BADGE

  1097—SILENT NIGHT SANCTUARY‡‡

  1115—PLATINUM COWBOY

  1132—COLLECTING EVIDENCE

  1159—PEEK-A-BOO PROTECTOR

  1174—HIS SECRET CHRISTMAS BABY‡‡

  1192—RAWHIDE RANGER

  1218—UNBREAKABLE BOND‡‡

  1251—BRANDISHING A CROWN

  1284—THE MISSING TWIN†

  1290—HER STOLEN SON†

  1323—CERTIFIED COWBOY**

  1329—COWBOY IN THE EXTREME**

  1336—COWBOY TO THE MAX**

  1390—COWBOY COP**

  *Nighthawk Island

  ‡‡Guardian Angel Investigations

  †Guardian Angel Investigations: Lost and Found

  **Bucking Bronc Lodge

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  Detective Miles McGregor—Miles will do anything to protect his son and make sure the man responsible for the boy’s mother’s death pays.

  Jordan Keys—Guilt-stricken over her younger brother’s death, she’s determined to help Timmy. But she can’t fall for the boy’s father, a handsome Texas cowboy, because he’ll leave her like dust in the wind when the case is solved.

  Timmy McGregor—The only witness to his mother’s murder, but he has no memory of that night….

  Marie Younger—Timmy’s mother died at the hands of the Slasher. But was she as innocent as she seemed?

  Robert Dugan—This smooth-talking businessman was convicted of being the Slasher, but he swears he was set up. Does he want revenge because he was wrongly accused or because Miles pointed out what a monster he is?

  Renee Balwinger—She gave Robert Dugan an alibi for the murder of Timmy’s mother—but is she lying to protect the man, who also happens to be her lover?

  Janet Bridges—Dugan was in love with her, but now she’s missing. Is she helping him, or running from him herself?

  CeeCee Dugan—Dugan’s mother: is she really alive?

  Paul Belsa—He was Marie’s lover. Could he have killed her instead of Dugan?

  Pruitt Ables—What does he have to do with Dugan and the Slasher crimes?

  Contents

  Prologue

  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

  Excerpt

  Prologue

  The verdict was in.

  Perspiration beaded on Detective Miles McGregor’s neck. He hoped to hell it was guilty. Robert Dugan deserved to die.

  He had killed four women so far, brutal stabbings that had left his victims raw and exposed to the elements, suffering as they bled out, alone and frightened.

  The coldhearted bastard.

  Marie’s face flashed in his mind, a reminder that his son’s mother could have been a victim just like these other women.

  Remorse hit him for the way their relationship had soured over time. They’d had a brief affair when he was in between cases a few years ago, and she’d gotten pregnant. He’d offered to marry her, but she hadn’t wanted it. She said he was married to the job.

  That was true. But during this case he’d worried about her. Not because he was in love with her, but he did care, dammit. And his son needed them to be on the same page. To get along.

  He’d make it up to her for not being around the past few months. He’d be the man she wanted. The one she deserved.

  The father his little boy, Timmy, needed.

  He took a deep breath, splashed cold water on his face, then grabbed a paper towel and dried his beard-stubbled face. One look into the mirror and he cursed.

  Damn, he looked like hell.

  He hadn’t slept since this case had started, since he’d seen that first victim’s body. He’d thought catching the maniac would help him rest, but still the images haunted him.

  Only seeing Dugan rot in jail would ease the pain.

  He tossed the paper towel into the trash, strode from the men’s room toward the courtroom, then slipped inside and took a seat on the bench behind the prosecutor. He’d testified, and now he wanted to watch the look on Dugan’s face when he was convicted and sentenced to death row.

  At least he hoped to hell he was convicted. DNA evidence had been iffy, and Dugan had managed to make sure he’d left no witnesses behind, so circumstantial evidence, a partial fingerprint, the profile
from the Behavioral Crime Unit and Miles’s testimony had made the case.

  He wiped his sweaty hands on his pants. It might not be enough.

  A low murmur of voices rippled through the courtroom as the door opened, and the jurors filed in, heads bowed, faces pinched and drawn. Twelve people who held the future of one man in their hands.

  A future that, if he was released, would cost more women their lives.

  Miles had no doubt in his mind about that.

  The bailiff cleared his throat. “All rise for the Honorable Judge Fenton.”

  Everyone stood while the judge entered, then Dugan strode in, his slender face etched with worry in spite of the cool facade he tried to paint as he took his seat.

  The judge pounded the gavel, then asked for the verdict, and the jury foreman stood and handed the bailiff the envelope. The man who’d led the jury was a hard-assed construction worker who Miles had liked on sight because he could tell the man had been raised right, to respect women and see through the fake charms of men like Dugan.

  A real polished smooth talker who had undoubtedly seduced his way into close proximity to his victims and made them feel safe—until he’d slit their throats.

  The soft rustle of clothing and shaky breaths reverberated through the room as the judge opened the envelope and perused its contents. Without batting an eye, he handed the envelope back to the bailiff, who passed it to the foreman.

  “Mr. Dugan, please stand for the reading of the verdict,” Judge Fenton said.

  Miles studied Dugan as he buttoned his suit jacket, then Dugan shot him a smug smile and squared his shoulders.

  Judge Fenton gestured toward the foreman and he nodded.

  “On the first count of murder, we find Robert Dugan guilty.”

  Collective sighs of relief filled the room, then heads nodded as the same verdict was handed down for the other three murder charges.

  Miles’s heart pounded as they polled the jury and a unanimous count was confirmed.

  Dugan’s breathing faltered slightly, the only sign he was affected by the verdict, then the judge announced that the sentencing would be delivered in three days. Dugan’s lawyer, a female who looked as if she too had fallen for Dugan’s fake charms, patted his shoulder, mumbling, no doubt, about filing an appeal.

  Then the police stepped forward to escort Dugan back to his cell. The crowd dispersed, hushed voices murmuring about whether or not they agreed with the trial’s outcome, and Miles shook the prosecutor’s hand then stepped into the hallway.

  Cameras flashed, reporters swarmed. Dugan’s attorney tried to shield him, but her client seemed to like the attention.

  In fact, he looked over at Miles and a slow sadistic smile creased his face. Then he mouthed the words You’ll pay.

  Miles’s heart pounded, even as he knew that he was safe for now.

  But if Dugan was ever released, he’d have to watch his back.

  Dugan turned and waved at the crowd, pausing to insist to the press that he was an innocent man. That he’d been framed.

  Bile rose in Miles’s throat, but he ordered himself not to react. Instead, he stepped outside into the muggy Texas air.

  Heat suffused him in a cloud of steam rising from the pavement, and the fact that he hadn’t slept for days intensified his fatigue.

  He’d vowed to make it up to his son and Marie for leaving them for days on end without so much as checking in, for missing Timmy’s birthday and Christmases and the rodeo at the BBL, for being exactly what Marie said he was: married to the job.

  He’d start now. This Christmas he would be there to play Santa for his boy.

  He headed toward his Jeep but his cell phone chirped—his friend from the Bucking Bronc Lodge and fellow detective Mason Blackpaw, who’d worked the Slasher case with him.

  A bad feeling pinched his gut.

  Was Blackpaw calling to congratulate him on the verdict or for another reason?

  He punched the connect button. “You heard the verdict, Mason?”

  “Yeah. But we have a problem.” Blackpaw hissed a sound of disgust that confirmed Miles’s earlier premonition.

  “What?”

  “There was another murder.”

  Miles gritted his teeth at the words he didn’t want to hear.

  “Where? Who?”

  “Another woman, name’s June Kelly.”

  “And?”

  “It’s not good, McGregor. Her throat was slit just like the other four.”

  Miles dropped his head into his hands and cursed. Dammit, no.

  The M.O. was the same as the murders Dugan had just been convicted of.

  Which meant Dugan was either innocent, he had a partner or there was a copycat killer.

  No...he was sure Dugan was guilty.

  But hell, this was bad—even if Dugan was in jail, a killer was still out there hunting....

  Chapter One

  Three months later

  “Dugan is out.”

  Miles’s fingers tightened around his cell phone as he wheeled his SUV around and headed toward the station. “What?”

  His superior, Lieutenant Hammond, didn’t sound happy. “Based on the Kelly woman’s murder and some technicality with the chain of evidence when they’d searched the man’s place, Dugan’s lawyer got his conviction overturned.”

  The past few weeks of tracking down clues and false leads day and night taunted him. He released a string of expletives.

  Hammond cleared his throat. “If we’d found evidence connecting Dugan to a partner, maybe things would have gone differently, but...”

  Hammond let the sentence trail off, but Miles silently finished for him. If he and Mason had found such evidence, Dugan would still be in a cell. And the world would be a safer place.

  But they’d failed.

  The day Dugan’s verdict was read flashed back. Dugan’s threat resounded in his head—you’ll pay.

  “Now that he’s back on the streets—”

  “I know. He’s going to kill again,” Miles said. And he’s probably coming after me.

  His cell phone chirped, and he glanced at the caller ID. Marie’s number.

  Damn, she was probably on his case for working again last night and missing dinner with Timmy. He’d thought he might have found a lead on the copycat, but instead he’d only chased his own tail.

  The phone chirped again.

  You’ll pay.

  Panic suddenly seized him, cutting off his breath. Dammit...what if payback meant coming after his family?

  “I have to go, Hammond.” Sweat beaded on his neck as he connected the call. “Hello?”

  Husky breathing filled the line, then a scream pierced the receiver.

  He clenched the steering wheel with a white-knuckled grip. He had to clear his throat to speak. “Marie?” God, tell me you’re there....

  But the sudden silence sent a chill up his spine.

  “Marie, Timmy?”

  More breathing, this time followed by a husky laugh that sounded sinister, threatening...evil.

  Dear God, no...

  Dugan was at Marie’s house.

  He pressed the accelerator, his heart hammering as he sped around traffic and called for backup. The dispatch officer agreed to send a patrol car right away.

  A convertible nearly cut him off, and Miles slammed on his horn, nearly skimming a truck as he roared around it. Brush and shrubs sailed past, the wheels grinding on gravel as he hugged the side of the country road.

  Images of the dead women from Dugan’s crime scenes flashed in his head, and his stomach churned. No, please, no...Dugan could not be at Marie’s house. He couldn’t kill Marie...not like the other women.

  And Timmy...his son was home today with her.

  The bright Texas sun nearly blinded him as he swerved into the small neighborhood where Marie had bought a house. Christmas decorations glittered, lights twinkled from the neighboring houses, the entryways screaming with festive holiday spirit.

  Somehow they
seemed macabre in the early-morning light.

  He shifted gears, brakes squealing as he rounded a curve and sped down the street. He scanned the neighboring yards, the road, the trees beyond the house, searching for Dugan.

  But everything seemed still. Quiet. A homey little neighborhood to raise a family in.

  Except he had heard that scream.

  His chest squeezed for air, and he slammed on the brakes and skidded up the drive. He threw the Jeep into Park, and held his weapon at the ready as he raced up to the front door.

  Cop instincts kicked in, and he scanned the outside of the house and yard again, but nothing looked amiss. He glanced through the front window, but the den looked normal...toys on the floor, magazines on the table, TV running with cartoons.

  Only the Christmas tree had been tipped over, ornaments scattered across the floor.

  He reached for the doorknob, and the door swung open. His breath lodged in his throat, panic knotting his insides. No sounds of holiday music or Timmy chattering.

  Gripping his weapon tighter, he inched inside, senses honed for signs of an intruder.

  Slowly, he made his way through the den to the kitchen. The Advent calendar glared at him, mocking him with a reminder that Christmas was only a few days away.

  There was a half-empty coffee cup on the counter and an overturned cereal bowl on the table. Milk dripped onto the floor.

  Timmy...God...

  Terror seized him.

  A creaking sound suddenly splintered the air, and he swung around, braced to shoot but he saw nothing. Then another sound came from above, water running...the shower? No, the tub...overflowing...

  He clenched his jaw, then inched toward the staircase, slowly climbing it and listening for an intruder, for Marie, for his son.

  Any sign of life.

  A quick glance into Timmy’s room and it appeared empty. Bed unmade. Toy airplane on the floor. Legos scattered. Stuffed dinosaur on his pillow.

  Where was his son?

  His hand trembled as he bypassed the room and edged toward the bedroom where Marie slept. One look inside, and his heart stopped.

  The lamp was broken on the floor. Pillows tossed on the carpet. The corner chair overturned. Glass shards from the mirror were scattered on the vanity.

 
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