To Protect His Own

To Protect His Own
Brenda Mott

Tragedy brought them togetherAll Alex wanted was to be left alone on his new ranch so he could have a second chance with his daughter, Hallie–to make a better life for them, far away from the city and the senseless shooting that had changed everything. But he can't turn his back on his neighbor Caitlin Kramer, a woman struggling to recover from her own shattered past. It hardly seems possible that any good can come from so much bad.But for Hallie and for themselves, Alex and Caitlin have to try.

“Maybe you ought to go over there and ask her if she’s Caitlin Kramer.”

But Alex knew it wasn’t a good idea. The woman in the wheelchair at the other table seemed uncomfortable in her surroundings…any fool could see that.

“Nah.” Hallie kept her full attention to her meal, munching fries, wolfing down her huge cheeseburger.

Where did she put it all?

“You want to hit a movie after this?”

The girl shook her head.

Alex hated that his little girl’s innocence had been tainted by a senseless act of violence.

“Gotta pee.” Hallie jumped up and headed for the bathroom.

Inside, she closed herself into one of the two stalls. She waited impatiently for the woman in the next one to hurry up. A few moments later she heard water running as the lady washed her hands for what seemed an eternity.

Come on, come on! Hallie stood quietly, listening for the sound of the door. At last the dryer shut off, the door snicked open, then shut with a soft click.

Hallie closed her eyes and focused. She could do this. It was easy, once you learned how. She raised her fingers to her mouth and felt her stomach begin to heave in a familiar wave of motion. Then she leaned over the toilet, purging herself of everything she’d just eaten.

But not just the food.

Of everything bad that lay like a thick, black poison inside her.

Dear Reader,

Do you ever stop and think about how the course of our lives can change in an instant? I often think about that and wonder “What if?” What if a person made a different choice at one single moment along his or her life’s journey? It fascinates me that one small action can drastically alter everything.

But sometimes the path we take is not by choice. Sometimes it’s by accident, or a seemingly cruel twist of fate. Yet I’ve found that good can come from the proverbial dark cloud. When Caitlin Kramer suffers a severe accident, she’s forced to take a long, hard look at her goals and dreams. At exactly what sort of person she is.

Alex Hunter has traveled a similar path. His main concern is protecting his daughter, and he’ll go to any length to do it, including moving to the small Colorado mountain town of Deer Creek. Little does he know that fate has plans for him. And for Caitlin.

I hope you’ll enjoy the twists and turns of Alex and Caitlin’s journey to true love. Don’t you just love a happy ending?

I enjoy hearing from my readers. You can e-mail me at BrendaMott@hotmail.com (please reference the book title on the subject line). Or stop by my author’s page at the Smoky Mountain Romance Writers Web site at smrw.org or SuperAuthors.com. Happy reading!

Brenda Mott

To Protect His Own

Brenda Mott

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

This book is dedicated to the wonderful women

who made my lifelong dream come true:

my editors, past and present—Paula Eykelhof,

Beverley Sotolov, Kathleen Scheibling, Victoria Curran,

Laura Shin—and my agent, Michelle Grajkowski

of Three Seas Literary Agency.

My thanks go deeper than words can say.

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