Colton Cowboy Jeopardy (Coltons of Mustang Valley)

Chapter 1

“Pick up, pick up,” she chanted under her breath while the phone continued to ring, unanswered. Today was supposed to mark the start of her new career as Mia Graves, real-estate agent. Instead of an easy-breezy morning preparing her first listing, she’d been plunged into a nightmare. They hadn’t covered anything like this in her classes or on the state exam.

Her palms were slick on the steering wheel and she kept checking her rearview mirror as she drove back into Mustang Valley proper. She didn’t think she was being followed. At least she didn’t see any familiar vehicles back there. Yet. Her stomach cramped. This could not be happening.

The call went to voice mail and she used the hands-free option to end the call. Before she could redial, an incoming call came through. As she recognized the number, another surge of panic chilled her skin. She declined the call and tried the babysitter again.

At last Tamara picked up. “It’s Mia,” she said, unable to suppress the quake in her voice. “I’ll be there in five minutes. Please have Silas ready to go.”

Please let Silas still be there. Surely, Tamara wouldn’t have let him go home with anyone else.

“Of course. I just put him down for a nap.”

My son is safe.

“The first morning away is always the biggest hurdle,” Tamara continued in her unflappable way. “Are you okay, Mia?”

“Yes. Yes, I’m fine.” With Tamara’s soothing voice filling the car, she reclaimed a measure of her composure. Tamara and Mia’s mother Dalinda had been as close as sisters, and Mia had always called her Aunt Tammie. When she’d felt overwhelmed and uncertain about childcare options for her new baby boy, Tamara had volunteered to help.

“Just frazzled. A friend invited me to lunch and if it goes well, I might just land a new client,” she improvised. “That brings the tally to two.”

“How exciting!”

“Yes,” Mia agreed, checking her rearview mirror once more. “My friend specifically asked me to bring the baby along.”

“Well, he’s better than a business card, isn’t he?” Tamara chuckled. “I have his things all set for you.”

“You’re a dream, Aunt Tammie. Thank you.”

“Don’t be silly. You’re more than welcome to leave that angel with me anytime. Will I get to spoil him silly tomorrow, too?”

“I’ll, ah, be working from home tomorrow,” she said. Tamara knew her well enough to see right through a blatant lie. She would work from home, just as soon as she figured out where home would be for the next several days. “See you in a minute,” she said, ending the call quickly.

Becoming an independent real-estate agent was supposed to be the ideal, no-brainer and no-limit career decision. She and her father had discussed several options before she’d started her classes. Establishing a base close to home would be better than the extensive travel demanded by her previous work as the manager of her ex-husband’s charitable foundation. Setting her own hours gave her the most flexibility as a single mother and she’d happily daydreamed about days when her son could join her on occasional appointments.

Tears stung Mia’s eyes as a foreign, des

perate fear chased her to Tamara’s neighborhood. Until today, she would have summed up her eight weeks of motherhood as pure joy offset by exhaustion and sharp spikes of worry. What she’d discovered today and the potential fallout reclassified those worries as trivial.

Today had been a test run for her. Her first hours apart from Silas since giving birth should have been a bit of an emotional challenge, not a harrowing ordeal. Resentment shot through her that once again her stepmother, Regina Graves, had ruined a good thing and thrown her life into turmoil.

Mia pulled into the drive and parked the car. Although her heart raced with urgency, she flipped down the visor and checked her reflection in the mirror. If anyone thought to ask Tamara about Mia’s appearance and demeanor today, she wanted her aunt to report that she’d been calm and steady. Unfortunately, she was pale and a bit wild-eyed. Understandable after the vile threats Regina had made against her child, but it would cause Tamara worry and raise questions she couldn’t begin to answer.

Reaching into her purse for her cosmetics bag, she applied a bit of highlighter at the corners of her eyes and a fresh layer of lip gloss. Maybe Tamara would blame the obvious signs of anxiety on her first day away from her baby boy.

She stepped out of the car and walked up the path to the front door. Tamara threw open the door, and seeing that loving, vibrant face almost brought Mia to her knees. She steeled herself. Silas needed her to be strong. Stronger than the threats aimed at him. His arrival had turned the past two months into the best two months of her life. She wouldn’t relinquish that without a fight, no matter what her stepmother tried to do.

“Oh, my girl.” Tamara pulled her into a hug. “The first time out is the worst.”

“It is.” Mia let herself rest for just a moment on that sturdy shoulder, soaking up the heartfelt support. Who knew how long it would be before she’d have anyone’s support again?

Tamara beamed and released her so Mia could come inside. “At least your first client is a pleasure, right? It was so good of your father to let you list and sell his house in the country.” She studied Mia closely. “Did going there today stir up memories? Your mother loved that house.”

“She did,” Mia agreed. “All good memories,” she added because it was expected. And until an hour ago, it was true. All the memories of the country house had been wonderful, from her early childhood to weekends with girlfriends and, eventually, holiday gatherings as a married woman.

“I’d love to stay and tell you everything about this morning,” she said. “But I need to be on time for that lunch meeting.” She picked up the diaper bag Tamara had set in the foyer. “Thank you again.”

“Everything is right there,” Tamara said. “I’ll go tuck him into his car seat.”