Calder Pride (39 page)

Authors: Janet Dailey

BOOK: Calder Pride

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But Cat was with him. She sat on the hard, dusty ground and she had taken his head onto her lap and her hands now tugged at his shirt. She looked down, her eyes a shimmering green. This close to her, Logan noticed the length of her lashes, the curve of her cheek, and the grimly determined set to her mouth, something willful and steel-proud about her expression. Her breasts were against his head so that he felt the quick and frantic beat of her heart.

“Logan, please don’t die,” she said with a sob in her voice. “I love you too much. Please.”

“No.” He had to fight for the breath to speak, his mouth curving in a weak smile as he tried to get out the words. “I’m…okay. The vest…” He slid a hand up his stomach and fingered the hole in his shirt. “No…blood, Cat.”

He heard her gasp, then her lips came down, hot and firm on him. A tear fell onto his cheek. His hand came up, fingers touching her face, feeling the other tears that were there. She caught it and pressed it to her face, eyes closing in happiness.

“When you fell, I thought—” She couldn’t finish it.

“Close range like that…the bullet packs…a wallop.” Logan tried to sit up, but every muscle in his chest protested the attempt. He looked at the man lying on the ground. “Rollie?”

“I think he’s dead.” She glanced briefly at the body.

“Help me up,” he said with a grimace. “Quint will be worried.”

“He found you?” Propping and lifting, Cat got him to his feet.

“More or less.” He leaned on her, his mouth crooking in a small smile that sent her heart tripping over itself.

Emotions trembled through her—relief, fear, love—most of all, love. He was safe, and Quint was safe. At the moment, nothing else mattered. Cat wrapped both arms around him, content to simply hold him and feel his solidness and strength.

Below them, Logan saw Garcia and the long-awaited backup moving in, approaching the house trailer and the sobbing woman with caution. The ordeal was over. There would be time enough later to count up the toll—and to tell Cat about her uncle.

But right now, Logan wanted only one thing—to hold both his wife and his son in his arms.

The future is before you
,

The ones you love at your side
.

You’ll walk this land together

And you’ll do it with Calder pride
.

About the Author

J
ANET
D
AILEY
is the author of more than ninety novels. She lives with her husband, Bill, in Branson, Missouri.

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RAVES
FOR JANET DAILEY AND
CALDER PRIDE

“Dailey has written a tale as clearly branded with her imprimatur as the herd on the Triple C Ranch is branded with the Calders’ C’s. By turns an old-fashioned western and a thoroughly modern romance, this update on the Calder family shows Dailey gamely back on the horse and riding well.”

Publishers Weekly

“Entertaining. Fans of the series will find it comforting to return to the Triple C Ranch in Montana to pick up the family saga, which Dailey has done well to keep alive.”

Cleveland Plain Dealer

“An epic tale, an intimate romance.”

Vero Beach
(FL)
Islander

“Ms. Dailey [has been called] ‘queen of the Western romance’ and this book proves it.”

Dallas Morning News

“One of the writers who pioneered modern romance fiction.”

Tuba World

“A master storyteller of romantic tales, Dailey weaves all the ‘musts’ together to create the perfect love story.”

Leisure
magazine

“Dailey is a smooth, experienced romance writer.”

Arizona Daily Star

“[Ms. Dailey]…has had ample practice in tugging at heartstrings while creating suspense. It’s a sure fire combination.”

Cape Codder

“Janet Dailey’s mastery of sweeping romance, divided by loyalties, and searing passion has made her one of the bestselling authors of all time.”

Lanier County (GA) News

ALSO BY JANET DAILEY

Illusions

Legacies

The Proud and the Free

Tangled Vines

Aspen Gold

Masquerade

Rivals

Heiress

The Great Alone

The Glory Game

The Pride of Hannah Wade

Silver Wings, Santiago Blue

Calder Born, Calder Bred

Stands a Calder Man

This Calder Range

This Calder Sky

Night Way

Ride the Thunder

The Rogue

Touch the Wind

Copyright

This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

CALDER PRIDE
. Copyright © 1999 by Janet Dailey. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, 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 HarperCollins e-books.

ePub edition April 2007 ISBN 9780061739866

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