Kade: Armed and Dangerous Read online

  Table of Contents

  Book Title

  Copyright

  Acknowledgements

  Beginnings

  Author’s Note

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Epilogue

  Excerpt...Hidden Prey

  Excerpt…Branded For You

  Excerpt…Silk and Spurs

  Also by Cheyenne McCray

  Cheyenne writing as Jaymie Holland

  Cheyenne writing as R.S.Collins

  About Cheyenne

  CHEYENNE MCCRAY

  Kade: Armed and Dangerous

  Copyright © 2015

  Kade: Armed and Dangerous by Cheyenne McCray

  All rights reserved. No part of this e-Book may be reproduced in whole or in part, scanned, photocopied, recorded, distributed in any printed or electronic form, or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without express written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  E-book conversion by Bella Media Management.

  Cover by Scott Carpenter from http://www.pandngraphics.com.

  Published by Cheyenne McCray LLC.

  13-Digit ISBN: 978-1-939778-62-8

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you to all of the Border Patrol agents, ranchers, and residents of southeastern Arizona who aided me in my research. And to my editor, agent, and crit partners—couldn’t do it without you.

  Beginnings

  Kade: Armed and Dangerous was published in print only with St. Martin’s Griffin. Kade has its foundation in a novel titled Wild Borders that I wrote originally for Ellora’s Cave.

  This novel holds a special place in my heart, as it was my first romance. The characters are special to me, as is the location in southeastern Arizona, where I was raised. Even the ranch, where a good portion of the novel takes place, mirrors the ranch I grew up on.

  It is my hope that you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it.

  **Please note: Character names were changed at St. Martin’s request.

  Author’s Note

  When I began research for this novel I was given the utmost courtesy by members of the U.S. Border Patrol. The agency has since been reorganized under the umbrella of Customs and Border Protection within Homeland Security. I enjoyed going on a ride-along as well as interviewing Border Patrol agents.

  Many ranchers and residents of Cochise County in southeastern Arizona were especially accommodating, giving me their views and opinions on the climate of living in a border community and how the situation affected them.

  Many changes have taken place in the world since I originally researched and wrote this novel. Although I have attempted to accommodate as many of these changes as I could, some things have not been addressed.

  I have taken liberties with buildings and locations throughout the towns of Douglas and Bisbee. However, the histories of both Bisbee and Tombstone are well-known and what I included in this book should be fairly accurate.

  In this same corner of Arizona, I grew up on a ranch much like the JL Star. I hope you enjoy your visit to this little part of the world that I’m originally from, a place that I still love to visit from time to time.

  Chapter 1

  Kade Owen dragged his hand over his stubbled face as he settled into the plastic airport seat while waiting to board the plane he’d be taking to Tucson. He was ready to get out of dreary San Francisco, back to Arizona, and home to his son.

  And then catch those damn coyotes, the people-smugglers who’d managed to elude him for far too long. Especially the bastard known as El Torero.

  It was dark outside, a slow drizzle rolling down the large panes of glass, and he was looking forward to Arizona sunshine. He pulled his black Stetson low so that he could observe people around him without being obvious. In his line of work as an Intelligence Agent with the U.S. Border Patrol, people-watching was a necessary skill. But now he was doing it to pass time before his plane was scheduled to depart.

  Hair at Kade’s nape prickled—he had the distinct feeling he was being watched. He looked casually to his left to see a young woman staring at the screen of a small laptop computer. Something in his gut told him she’d been studying him a fraction of a second earlier.

  Kade pushed up the brim of his Stetson and raked his gaze over the woman. She sure was pretty, her shoulder-length hair the golden color of an Arizona sunrise. She had the type of shapely figure he preferred, nicely rounded and sexy as hell.

  From a gap in her pink silk blouse he could see a bit of lace covering her generous breasts, beneath the soft material. His gaze traveled down to those long legs beneath the skirt that hit a couple of inches above her knees. Yeah, she sure had terrific legs, and he’d bet she had a great ass—

  He broke off his appraisal as the woman glanced up and her gaze met his. She had gorgeous eyes, warm and deep brown. The connection between Kade and the woman, for that fraction of time, was tangible. Like she’d lassoed him with that one look. She immediately blushed a pretty shade of pink and looked back at her computer.

  Kade couldn’t help but grin. Damn, she was cute. She might be worth getting to know.

  Well, hell Wasn’t it just last night he’d told his sister, Dara, that he didn’t want a relationship? In the five years since Lorraine’s death, he hadn’t met a single woman he was interested in pursuing. Not one. He’d gone on dates, but few and far between. Yet there he was, fascinated with a stranger in an airport a thousand miles from home.

  “Flight twelve-sixteen with nonstop service to Tucson is now boarding everyone with an A card,” announced a voice over the intercom. This particular airline had “cattle call” boarding with no assigned seats.

  Kade stood, and he noticed the woman had slipped her laptop into a bag and was already walking toward the gate, giving him a nice view.

  Yeah, she definitely had sexy legs, and she had a great ass.

  Several passengers crowded in front of Kade, so he had to wait awhile longer for his turn to board. When he finally made it onto the plane, he worked his way back. He noticed the pretty blond in a window seat, staring outside, and no one was sitting in the middle seat next to her.

  He took off his Stetson and set it in the overhead compartment. With his big frame, he usually disliked sitting in the middle, but this time it would be just fine. Careful not to bump the woman, he eased into the seat next to her, extended the seat belt, and buckled it.

  A flight attendant helped an elderly lady put her bag into the over-head compartment and then the lad
y sat next to Kade. He nodded to her and said, “Ma’am.”

  The woman’s pale blue eyes held a hint of amusement. “You’re too polite to be a Californian.”

  “Just spent a week in Frisco with my sister and her twins.” He smiled, wishing he’d been able to spend more time with his niece and nephew. If he hadn’t had to go to that briefing in San Diego beforehand, he could’ve taken his son, Trent, to Dara’s with him. He sure missed the kid and looked forward to getting home.

  “I’m visiting my grandchildren in Tucson.” The lady shook her head and sighed. “Hellions, all. Love them, but a weekend is about as much as I can handle. Now those kids could use some lessons in manners.”

  She punctuated her statement with a jab of her fist in the air, then began digging through an enormous purse. “In here somewhere, I have pictures their father sent...”

  Kade held back a grin and glanced at the woman in pink on his other side. Her forehead was pressed to the pane, and she was apparently lost in her thoughts. She sure smelled good. Real good. Like honeysuckle and soap, clean and fresh.

  ***

  The windowpane felt cool against Kelsey’s forehead as she stared into the darkness. She sighed and turned her thoughts back to that gorgeous hunk of man in boots she’d seen in the airport.

  She’d been so embarrassed to find him studying her from beneath his black cowboy hat. What incredible blue eyes he had—and that sexy grin could melt a woman’s soul. Thank goodness he hadn’t noticed her watching him a minute before. As a journalist she’d become a people-watcher, and lord, was that man something to watch.

  Kelsey groaned. What was wrong with her? She had no interest in men after being married to the biggest creep of the century. Thanks to what her father had put her mother through when she was growing up, Kelsey should have known better. She should never have let Davis Johansen’s lies make her believe in happily-ever-afters.

  But as far as that cowboy in the airport, what harm was there in looking? Kind of like window-shopping with no intention of sampling or buying the merchandise.

  She was finally free, finally divorced from Davis.

  “Good riddance, creep,” she grumbled, her breath fogging the pane.

  “Beg pardon?”

  Kelsey jumped at the sound of the husky voice, so close that a shiver sprinted down her spine. As she whirled in the cramped seat, her elbow rammed hard flesh. Heat crept up her neck when she saw the cowboy’s blue eyes wince.

  “I’m so sorry.” Her gaze swept over the tanned face, strong chin, and the chestnut hair that had been hidden under the cowboy hat earlier. “Did I hurt you?”

  The man grabbed his side and grimaced as if in mortal pain. “I’m not sure I’ll live.”

  He winked.

  That familiar flush spread throughout Kelsey, the telltale blush that would redden her face from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes. She offered a half-smile and turned back to the window.

  Lights flashed on the wing and reflected on the wet asphalt, a steady rhythm in time with her throbbing pulse. She watched as a man on the tarmac guided the plane onto the runway. Her heart rate rocketed, her palms slick with sweat. The scar on her upper thigh ached and she rubbed it through her skirt.

  “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you,” the man beside her said, his voice low and disturbingly close.

  A thrill rippled in her belly as she forced herself to face the man. “Not at all.”

  “Kade Owen.” White teeth flashed against tan skin as he smiled and offered his hand.

  Kelsey caught his earthy scent of sun-warmed flesh and apples, and she fought the desire to dry her moist palm on her skirt before his callused hand engulfed hers. His grasp sent tingles throughout her and she quickly pulled away.

  “What’s your name, ma’am?” he said in that slow and sexy voice that sent a shiver straight through her.

  “Oh.” She swallowed, feeling flustered and on edge. “I’m Kelsey. Kelsey Nichols.”

  “Kelsey,” Kade drawled, a slight, almost imperceptible country edge to his voice, and she shivered. “A pretty name for a pretty lady.”

  Just the way he was looking at her, the way he said her name, made her want to squirm in her seat. Good lord. If just talking to this man was making her feel like this, what would it feel like to really be with him?

  Nope. Not going there. She’d had it with men, and that was that.

  The plane started to taxi down the runway, throwing Kelsey into her worst fear. All she could do was close her eyes tight, pray, and try to shove the heart-wrenching memories from her mind. Every muscle in her body tensed, and she gripped the armrests as if the mere act would guide the plane into the air and keep it there.

  At least until it was time to land.

  “You all right?”

  Kelsey heard his voice but refused to open her eyes. Not until they were safely at cruising altitude.

  Kade Owen’s hand closed around hers, and he gave her fingers a comforting squeeze. The stranger’s touch startled her, but not enough to make her look at him or speak a word. It surprised her how his warm grasp calmed her nerves, if only for a few minutes.

  As the craft lifted, her chest tightened, and her breath rasped out in shallow huffs. The rumble of the plane, the roar of the engines, the smell of burning fuel, the pause in the air-conditioning, the way pressure clamped down on her head... she hated it all.

  Ten morbid thoughts later, she felt the plane level out, and in a rush, she released the breath she’d been holding. “I knew I should have driven,” she muttered.

  The man gave a low laugh. “All the way to Tucson from San Francisco?”

  Kelsey opened one eye and peeked at him. “Yes.”

  “Don’t you know flying is safer than driving?” He smiled, and she opened her other eye.

  She sighed and allowed her muscles to relax. “Yeah. Right.”

  “If it makes you feel better, I’m a pilot.”

  “It doesn’t.” Sensation was coming back into Kelsey’s limbs, and she brushed a wisp of hair behind her ear. “You can let go of my hand now.”

  “Sure.” A spark of mischief lit his blue eyes. But he didn’t move.

  “What’ll you two have to drink?” the flight attendant asked before Kelsey had a chance to tell Kade exactly what she would do if he didn’t release her.

  “I’ll have orange juice,” he said, and turned to Kelsey. “What’ll you have, darlin’?”

  She’d darlin’ him in a minute.

  Kelsey asked the attendant for a diet soda. After the woman had taken their drink orders and moved to the next row, Kade said, “That stuff’ll kill you.”

  “When I get my drink, it’s going in your lap if you don’t release my hand, cowboy.” She gave him a dangerous smile. One that could leave no doubt she intended to follow through with her threat.

  “I give up.” He raised his hands in mock self-defense, coming within a breath of hitting the woman on the other side of him. He was truly too big for the seat, his broad shoulders and chest spanning the width.

  “Excuse me,” he said to the elderly woman, who patted his knee and then returned to showing a stack of photographs to the man across the aisle.

  Kelsey reached up to open the air vent, then punched the button for the reading light. Yes, the cowboy was definitely too handsome for his own good.

  While she dug in her laptop bag, she felt the intensity of Kade’s presence but avoided looking at him. Where was it? Ah, there. She withdrew the slim laptop computer and slipped on her gold-rimmed reading glasses.

  Theresa had loved the idea of the immigration feature. It would be the most comprehensive feature Kelsey had written, and she intended to make it the best series of articles any reporter had done on the subject of illegal immigration along the Mexican border.

  Kelsey was looking forward to the experience with desperate enthusiasm. What better way to distance herself from Davis and all the bad memories?

  “What’re you working on?” Kade a
sked as she began jotting down questions for her feature. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

  “I’m a journalist.” She shifted her attention from her notepad to the cowboy. “I’m making a few notes for an article I’m writing.”

  “For a newspaper?” He looked genuinely interested, and Kelsey found herself warming to his friendliness.

  “I write for ‘City by the Bay’.” She rustled in her bag, pulled out a copy, and handed it to him. “It’s a San Francisco-based magazine that primarily carries local-interest stories, but occasionally runs features on national topics.”

  Kade’s fingers brushed hers as he took the magazine. Kelsey caught her breath at the tingle that skittered within her at the contact. Her eyes cut to his, to see if he’d noticed, but he seemed intent on flipping through the magazine.

  “That’s the current issue.” She pulled off her glasses and slid them back into their case. “I wrote a feature on single parenting. My pseudonym is Kale C. Nichols.”

  He cocked an eyebrow and his gaze met hers. “You’re a single parent?”

  “My editor assigned the story.” Her smile faltered. “I don’t have any children. But I wish I did.”

  Before Kade could ask her anything more personal, she said, “So, what do you do?”

  “Law enforcement,” he replied with a shrug.

  Surprised, Kelsey blinked. “And here I thought you were a cowboy.”

  He smiled. “Grew up on a ranch, but following in my folks’ footsteps never appealed to me. As a kid I always wanted to be the good guy tracking down the bad guys.”

  “I’ll just bet.” Her mouth quirked as she imagined him on a white horse, tracking down desperados.

  Lightning flashed outside the plane and her heart dropped. She turned away from Kade to glance out the window. Another flash illuminated the swirling mass of a thunderstorm.

  The plane bucked and dropped, then leveled out, shooting her stomach straight to her toes. She gasped and clutched the armrests, her heart pounding so fast she thought it would jump out of her chest and the cowboy next to her could lasso it.

  ***

  When Kelsey had looked to the window, Kade took the opportunity to study her. What was it about the woman that interested him, more than anyone else he’d met?