The Cowboy's Secret Family

The Cowboy's Secret Family
Judy Duarte

Escape or die trying… No. 1 international bestseller Jeffery Deaver returns with a stunning new thriller – the first in an exciting series featuring enigmatic investigator Colter Shaw. ‘Masterful storytelling — The Never Game is Deaver’s most riveting, most twisty, most unputdownable novel yet’ Karin Slaughter A student kidnapped from the park. Nineteen-year-old Sophie disappears one summer afternoon. She wakes up to find herself locked inside a derelict warehouse, surrounded by five objects. If she uses them wisely, she will escape her prison. Otherwise she will die. An investigator running out of time. Sophie’s distraught father calls in the one man who can help find his daughter: unique investigator Colter Shaw. Raised in the wilderness by survivalist parents, he is an expert tracker with a forensic mind trained to solve the most challenging cases. But this will be a test even for him. A killer playing a dangerous game. Soon a blogger called Henry is abducted – left to die in the dark heart of a remote forest – and the whole case gets turned on its head. Because this killer isn’t following the rules; he’s changing them. One murder at a time… ‘No one in the world does this kind of thing better than Deaver’ Lee Child Deaver’s most riveting, most twisty, most unputdownable novel yet’ Karin Slaughter ‘Deaver grips from the very first line and never lets up’ Peter James ‘The very definition of a page-turner’ Ian Rankin ‘Lightning-fast and loaded with twists’ Harlan Coben ‘With The Never Game you know you are in the hands of a master’ Peter Robinson

Star-crossed teenage lovers finally reunite for a second chance

Losing Miranda broke Matt Grimes’s heart—and kept him from knowledge of his impending fatherhood. Now Miranda Contreras has returned to Rocking Chair, Texas—with their eight-year-old daughter. In search of safe haven, this runaway bride needs to regroup. Matt should be angry! What other secrets is Miranda keeping? But all he sees is a chance to be the family they were meant to be.

Since 2002, USA TODAY bestselling author JUDY DUARTE has written over forty books for Mills & Boon, earned two RITA® Award nominations, won two Maggie Awards and received a National Readers’ Choice Award. When she’s not cooped up in her writing cave, she enjoys travelling with her husband and spending quali-ty time with her grandchildren. You can learn more about Judy and her books on her website, judyduarte.com (http://www.judyduarte.com), or at Facebook.com/judyduartenovelist (http://www.Facebook.com/judyduartenovelist)

Also by Judy Duarte (#uebdb2155-79e0-5d8b-95c4-7f6be9b559b7)

Roping in the Cowgirl

The Bronc Rider’s Baby

A Cowboy Family Christmas

The Soldier’s Twin Surprise

The Lawman’s Convenient Family

Wed by Fortune

From Fortune to Family Man

No Ordinary Fortune

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk).

The Cowboy’s Secret Family

Judy Duarte

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

ISBN: 978-1-474-09118-3

THE COWBOY’S SECRET FAMILY

© 2019 Judy Duarte

Published in Great Britain 2019

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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

To “Honey” Colwell,

my fur grandchild and the inspiration for

Sweetie Pie, the rescued stray dog in

The Cowboy’s Secret Family. No matter how many times Honey gets sprayed by Eau de Stink, she’s determined to catch the rascally skunk that prowls the neighbourhood at night. Maybe next time, Honey.

And to Jeff and Sarah Colwell.

Thank you for the opportunity to spend a

special summer with Emalee and Katie, my

two granddaughters, and a barnyard menagerie

consisting of one overly protective shepherd mix,

six free-range chickens, two 4-H lambs and a

couple of horses. Love you, guys!

Contents

Cover (#uda61b72d-7d24-5d3c-b659-890892521c0f)

Back Cover Text (#ud8907c37-d81f-5937-9bd6-1f8db80fbfb3)

About the Author (#u894d28f4-e2a0-5da2-ac6a-f8237a220be7)

Booklist (#uae03f413-54d6-51dd-812b-5c9caa2783f0)

Title Page (#uf24c8703-b3f5-5919-ad72-f365d444fb9f)

Copyright (#uff88c6e6-ac80-5986-9e9e-a447794b815d)

Dedication (#u706f9990-0703-5e64-82cb-3b99da0959ce)

Chapter One (#uba259806-2848-57d8-8364-06a420433647)

Chapter Two (#u3373c864-b12a-5dba-a1fa-447398ccb307)

Chapter Three (#u0c50a879-b914-50b1-96c6-c62d75e16f2b)