Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch - B.J. Daniels [1]
1030—CLASSIFIED CHRISTMAS†
1053—MATCHMAKING WITH A MISSION†
1059—SECOND CHANCE COWBOY†
1083—MONTANA ROYALTY†
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Dana Cardwell—Her two great loves were her family ranch and Hud Savage. She'd already lost one and now, just when she was about to lose the other, a body was found in the old homestead well.
Marshal Hud Savage—He was back in town determined to find out who had set him up so he lost not only his former deputy job—but also the woman he loved.
Rupert Milligan—The aging coroner thought he'd seen it all—until he climbed down into the old dry well to retrieve the body.
Ginger Adams—Right till the end, she thought that love could conquer all. Unfortunately, she was dead wrong.
Lanny Rankin—The lawyer had always wanted Dana. But how far would he go to have her?
Judge Raymond Randolph—Was the judge's death just a robbery gone wrong, or had the judge become too much of a liability because of what he knew?
Kitty Randolph—The widow had buried herself in charity work to forget her husband's murder five years ago. But the discovery of the body in the well brought it all back.
Jordan Cardwell—He needed money badly if he hoped to keep his lifestyle—and his young, gorgeous, unemployed, former model wife.
Clay Cardwell—He tried to stay out of the family politics, but if he could get his share of the ranch he could live his secret dream.
Stacy Cardwell—The divorcée had a secret that was eating her alive.
Brick Savage—The former marshal was loved and hated—especially by Judge Raymond Randolph. But his son Hud couldn't really believe he was a murderer, could he?
Look for B.J. Daniels's next books from Harlequin Intrigue!
SHOTGUN BRIDE
Whitehorse, Montana: The Corbetts
April 2009
HUNTING DOWN THE HORSEMAN
Whitehorse, Montana: The Corbetts
May 2009
BIG SKY DYNASTY
Whitehorse, Montana: The Corbetts
June 2009
SMOKIN' SIX-SHOOTER
Whitehorse, Montana: The Corbetts
September 2009
ONE HOT FORTY-FIVE
Whitehorse, Montana: The Corbetts
December 2009
Harlequin Intrigue…because the best part of every great romance is the mystery
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
Prologue
Seventeen years earlier
The fall knocked the air out of her. She'd landed badly, one leg bent under her. On the way down, she'd hit her head and the skin on her arms and legs was scraped raw.
Stunned, she tried to get to her feet in the darkness of the tight, confined space. She'd lost both shoes, her body ached and her left hand was in terrible pain, her fingers definitely broken.
She managed to get herself upright in the pitch blackness of the hole. Bracing herself on the cold earth around her, she looked up, still dazed.
Above her, she could see a pale circle of starlit sky. She started to open her mouth to call out when she heard him stumble to the edge of the old dry well and fall to his knees. His shadow silhouetted over part of the opening.
She stared up at him in confusion. He hadn't meant to push her. He'd just been angry with her. He wouldn't hurt her. Not on purpose.
The beam of a flashlight suddenly blinded her. "Help me."
He made a sound, an eerie, low-keening wail like a wounded animal. "You're alive?"
His words pierced her heart like a cold blade. He'd thought the fall would kill her? Hoped it would?
The flashlight went out. She heard him stumble to his feet and knew he was still standing looking down at her. She could see his shadow etched against the night sky. She felt dizzy and sick, still too stunned by what had happened.
His shadow disappeared. She could see the circle of dim light above her again. She listened, knowing he hadn't left. He wouldn't leave her. He was just upset, afraid she would tell.
If she pleaded with him the way she had the other times, he would forgive her. He'd tried to break it off before, but he'd always come back to her. He loved her.
She stared up until,