hair. “I have to admit, you’re a lot different than I thought you were back in school.”
Her heart stopped dead in her chest. Doing her best to hide her reaction, she eased her hold on him. This time she was the one who pulled back to look into his face. “What are you talking about? You didn’t even know who I was in college.”
His brows drew together, a quizzical look in his eye. “Sure I did. You used to draw those cartoons for the paper. I used to see you sitting in that quiet nook in the southeast corner of the quad, sketching on your pad.”
Nothing he could have said would have surprised her more. All those years of thinking about him, she’d thought he had no idea she existed. She’d always thought she’d been invisible.
Somehow she found her voice. “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”
He chuckled, lowering his head sheepishly. “Well, I have to admit, I always thought you were kind of intimidating.”
She almost laughed in disbelief. “Me?”
“Sure. You seemed really intense. You were always so serious, always frowning. I can’t remember ever seeing you smile.”
That was because she hadn’t, she reflected. She’d never thought she’d had a reason to.
She’d been protecting herself, guarding herself against the rejection of others by keeping them at bay.
Thinking of it now, she had to smile, nearly shaking her head. In disbelief. In amazement.
So much time wasted, for no better reason than she’d been afraid.
Taking in her expression, he grinned, too. “That’s better.”
And it was, she thought, her smile deepening, the warmth inside her growing as the realization, the certainty, washed over her.
She was done hiding. She was done being afraid.
She was ready for so much more.
Tom looked past her to the still-open door, the sunlight pouring in to fill the hall. “It feels like we’ve been in here forever, doesn’t it? Do you want to go outside for a while?”
He was right. It was time to get out of here. “More than anything.”
Releasing her, he stepped back and held out his hand.
That outstretched palm seemed to offer so much. A chance. A beginning. The world.
Her heart soaring, she placed her palm in his.
“Come on.” With a laugh, he started forward, picking up speed, pulling her with him.
She quickly caught up, matching him step for step, as she raced him, laughing and smiling, into the light of a new day.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt of Ultimate Cowboy by Rita Herron!
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Intrigue story.
You crave excitement! Harlequin Intrigue stories deal in serious suspense, keeping you on the edge of your seat as resourceful, true-to-life women and strong, fearless men fight for survival.
Enjoy six new stories from Harlequin Intrigue every month!
Visit Harlequin.com to find your next great read.
We like you—why not like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Follow us on Twitter: Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
Read our blog for all the latest news on our authors and books: HarlequinBlog.com
Subscribe to our newsletter for special offers, new releases, and more!
Harlequin.com/newsletters
Chapter One
“This special news report just in—an amber alert has been issued for six-year-old Hank Forte. Hank was last seen at the county fair in Amarillo.”
Brody Bloodworth’s heart clenched as a photo of the boy appeared on screen. The little boy had blond hair, was wearing a black T-shirt, jeans and cowboy boots. He could be one of the kids on the BBL, the Bucking Bronc Lodge he had started for needy children.
But he reminded him more of his own little brother, Will, and launched him back seven years ago to the day Will had gone missing.
Not from a county fair but from the rodeo where he was supposed to be watching him.
Self-loathing and guilt suffused him, once again robbing his lungs of air. He understood what the family of that little boy was going through now. The panic. The fear.
The guilt.
If only they’d kept a better eye on him. If only they hadn’t turned their head for a minute.
What was happening to him? Had he just wandered off? Would they find him hiding out or playing somewhere at the fair? Maybe he had fallen asleep in a stall housing one of the animals...
Or had someone taken him? Maybe a desperate woman who’d lost a child and was out of her mind? A child predator who’d do God knows what?
A killer?
The reporter turned the microphone to Hank’s parents, a couple who were huddled together, teary-eyed and frightened. A second later, they began to plead for their son’s return, and the mother broke down into sobs.
Brody