Anna J. Stewart - Colton on the Run

Where is Skye Colton?

One womans disappearance rocks Roaring Springs

When he finds a half-dead woman stranded in his barn, rancher Leo Slattery feels his blood run cold. Though she cant remember who she is, she insists someone is trying to kill her. With his strong protective streak, Leo brings her into the fold and helps her heal. As they begin to solve the mystery of Jane Does identity, a would-be killer works to eliminate herforever.

Her blood ran cold.

Spinning lightsred and bluecut through the night.

Fear clamped hard around her throat. The sob that erupted came up from her toes; a chill of terror arcing through her as if shed stuck her finger in a socket. Not that way. Not that ...

Irrational terror shot through her. She spun around, ready to dart across the road, race away in the opposite direction. The sound of squealing brakes, the flash of bright white paint and blinding headlights had her shielding her eyes. The truck skidded to a halt, veering slightly, but not enough. The front bumper grazed her thighs and she jumped back, frozen as she stared through the windshield. The shocked gaze of a teenager stared back at her. Breathing ragged, she backed away.

He shoved his door open, jumped out of the truck. Are you all right? Im so sorry. I didnt see... Hey! Where are you going? I think you might be hurt!

She ran. She ran as fast as she could. Ran away from the truck. Ran across the road and scrambled into the protection of the trees.

Away from the spinning, colored lights she feared more than the night.

* * *

The Coltons of Roaring Springs: Family and true love are under siege

* * *

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Dear Reader,

Long before I became a Harlequin author, I was a voracious reader of nearly every line, but especially the Romantic Suspense line. A few years ago, the impossible dream of writing for them became a reality. This past year, another came true when I was asked to write for the Colton series.

The unexpected is a pretty big theme in Skye Coltons story. But if theres one thing we know about all the Coltons, its that theyve never met a challenge they didnt conquer. Despite her situation, Skye is plowing ahead...just uncertain of whether she wants the life she left behind, or a new one with Leo Slattery.

Local rancher and down-to-the-bones good guy Leo might be the first person to see Skye for who she really is. Their meeting becomes a crossroadsdo they forge ahead together or return to the very different worlds theyre each from? Well, it is a romance novel, so I bet you can guess how it ends. But how they get there? Thats the fun part. I hope you enjoy Leo and Skyes journey as much as I loved writing it.

Happy reading,

Anna J

COLTON ON THE RUN

Anna J. Stewart

Bestselling author Anna J. Stewart was the girl on the playground spinning in circles waiting for her Wonder Woman costume to appear or knotting her hair like Princess Leia. A Stephen King fan from early on, she cant remember a time she wasnt making up stories or had her nose stuck in a book. She currently writes sweet and spicy romances for Harlequin, spends her free time at the movies, at fan conventions or cooking and baking, and spends most every night wrangling her two kittens, Rosie and Sherlock, who love dive-bombing each other from the bed...and other places. Her house may never be the same.

Books by Anna J. Stewart

Harlequin Romantic Suspense

The Coltons of Roaring Springs

Colton on the Run

Honor Bound

Reunited with the P.I.

More Than a Lawman

Gone in the Night

Harlequin Heartwarming

Return of the Blackwell Brothers

The Ranchers Homecoming

Always the Hero

A Dad for Charlie

Recipe for Redemption

The Bad Boy of Butterfly Harbor

Christmas, Actually

The Christmas Wish

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For Kathryn Lye.

For the vote of confidence and the many laughs.

Contents

A thin beam of sunlight streamed against her aching, heavy lids.

She blinked. The simple, ordinary action sent blades of pain slicing through her head. Her stomach churned as bile rose in her throat. She cried out, but the sound barely reached her own ears, caught behind the taut tape stretched across her mouth. Her eyes widened before blurring against the dim light. She tried to tug her arms forward, but they wouldnt move. Her wrists strained against the rough rope wrapped so tight she couldnt feel her fingers.

Her mind cleared, but in stages, slowed by the pain and confusion coursing through her. Her ears buzzed. Her head throbbed. Gray tinged the edge of her vision as she tried to hold on to consciousness.

Something harsh and scratchy scraped against the side of her face as she rolled from her side onto her back. The smell of rotting, moldy hay and old dirt made her choke and lose her breath. Above the ringing in her ears, she heard the chill-inducing scrapings of tiny paws and claws skittering as creatures darted back to their hiding places.

Other than that... She took a deep breath and held it. The world pounded in silence.

Her heart vibrated like a jackhammer against her chest, competing with the earsplitting thudding in her head. Long tendrils of hair caught across her sweaty face and obscured her vision as she winced up at the gaping, worn holes of what must have once been a shed.

She turned her head, scanning the room in the dimming light. Old, warped slats of wood sagged against one another as if about to surrender. Rough, uneven, knotted planks gouged splinters into the sides of her hands, through the fabric of her shirt and deep into the skin on her back as she shifted position. The more she moved, the more every inch of her body ached and burned. Angry, frightened tears she couldnt hold back trailed down her cheeks. She closed her eyes, desperately searching her memory for how shed gotten here. What had happened? Where was she? Who had done this to her?

A new tendril of fear curled up from her toes, twining through her body, choking the air from her lungs.

She didnt know. She had no answers for any of those questions. She had...nothing. A sob escaped her control. Her mind was empty.

Dont cry. She squeezed her eyes tighter until all she could feel was the pain in her head. Cant cry. Crying wont help. Nothing would help except getting out of wherever she was and maybe, hopefully, finding someone to help her.

Help. There was no help to be found here. She had only herself to rely on.

Stop panicking! Giving in to hysteria would only muddle her brain and make it even more difficult to breathe. Breathe. In. Out. In...out.

It took minutes, each passing second echoing in her skull like a sledgehammer against her brain, but she was able to force herself to relax. Muscle by muscle, extremity by extremity. She took a long, shaky breath and turned her head one way, then the other, attempting to get her bearings. A small, square, grime-covered window was situated above a forlorn rider mower with a deflated tire. A table saw, tools and equipment that looked to have been stashed there back at the turn of the century sat against the wall. Ropes, twine and tools hung suspended from rotting cords and blackened or rusted nails. She pushed herself up, dragged her sore legs under her, her bare feet scraping against the raw wood.