Protecting The Colton Bride. Elle James

      “I understand, Mr. Kennedy.”

      “I want to know my horses are being bred and cared for by a fine, upstanding family. Good family is just as important, if not more so, than money. From what I’ve learned about the Coltons, there are a few skeletons in the closets. You being one of them.”

      Daniel bit down on his tongue to keep from telling Kennedy that people couldn’t always choose their lineage like people could choose a horse’s bloodline. “I’m as much a part of the Colton family as any of my siblings, and I’m just as proud of my Cherokee blood.” Realizing he was coming across too strong, Daniel drew in a calming breath and continued. “If my heritage will be a sticking point in this deal, perhaps this conversation is over.”

      “Whoa, young man. I didn’t say your bloodline was at fault.”

      “Then what is it you need from me to convince you the horses produced from your lines will be well cared for?”

      “I want you to convince me the Coltons are the right family to invest in. I’m speaking at the annual Symposium on Equine Reproduction a week from now in Reno, Nevada. I want you to attend that symposium. I’ll be there with members of my family. If at that time I feel that the Coltons are worth the risk, we can discuss the details of the sale. Are you still interested?”

      “Yes, sir,” Daniel said, not really understanding how meeting Kennedy at a symposium would change the man’s mind if he’d already made his decision. “I’ll be there.”

      “Good.” Marshall Kennedy ended the call, leaving Daniel no closer to knowing whether he’d get the semen he wanted to take his breeding program to the next level. With one of his mares down and no guarantee she’d pull through, and his assistant likely quitting, he wondered if it was too soon to take this step. He’d be gambling a great deal of Colton money on a dream. Not all of the Colton brothers were in agreement on taking this project forward. Big J liked a family consensus before funding was released.

      The bright spot in the mess of the past few days was that Kennedy hadn’t said no. He hadn’t said yes. But there still was hope.

      He stepped out of the office and returned to the stall, where Megan sat in the dying light beside Halo, stroking the animal’s neck. The horse didn’t look any better, and Daniel wasn’t sure she’d live to see the sunrise.

      Too many strange things had happened on the ranch in the past few months. The main house had been robbed and his father’s wife, Abra, had been attacked and left in a coma. Now someone had tried to kill one of his prize mares.

      Daniel wasn’t ready to give up on Halo, yet. And he still had to come up with a solution to Megan’s problem or he’d lose her, too.

      Megan smiled over her shoulder at him. “I kept Sleek from eating your sandwich.”

      The barn cat sat beside Megan, licking its paws. The stray had been an asset to the ranch and kept the mouse population down.

      The sun had dipped below the horizon while Daniel talked on the phone with Kennedy. With his world tilted on its axis, Daniel wasn’t sure what the next day would bring or how to keep everything he’d worked for from falling apart.

      “You can go home. I’ll stay with Halo,” he said to Megan.

      She shook her head. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather stay. I know it doesn’t make sense, but I feel like it’s my fault Halo’s in the shape she’s in.”

      “Unless you purposely poisoned her, I don’t see how it could be your fault.”

      “I should have realized something was terribly wrong with her and dealt with her immediately.” She scratched behind the horse’s ear. “Then you wouldn’t be as sick as you are now, would you, baby?” Her tone was soothing, and Halo’s ears twitched.

      “We wouldn’t have known anything sooner,” Daniel said. “The lab had to make that determination. It wasn’t until this morning that she went downhill.”

      “Still, I was the last one to ride her.”

      “Stop.” Daniel held up a hand. “We’ll both stay with her.”

      She gave him a crooked smile. “Thanks. I’d like that.”

      He left her in the stall and went about the task of feeding the other animals. When he returned to the stall, he carried several clean horse blankets and a section of hay. He spread out the hay on the ground.

      Megan took one of the blankets from him, laid it over the hay and sat on one side of it, patting the spot next to her. “Sit and eat your supper.”

      Daniel sat and took the sandwich from Megan. When their hands touched, a spark of electricity shot up his arm, reminding him of that kiss and the subsequent dreams that had plagued his sleep the night before. At least if he stayed awake all night with Halo, he wouldn’t be dreaming of lying naked with Megan.

      “Was that Marshall Kennedy on the phone?” Megan gave him a half smile. “Sorry, I overheard a little.”

      Daniel chewed on a bite of deli meat, mentally going over his conversation with Kennedy. Megan had been with him when he’d researched the studs and breeders. She knew as well as he did what they needed at the Lucky C to make it a world-class operation, and she deserved to know the outcome of that conversation, even if she did quit in two days’ time. “Yes.”

      “Well?” She leaned forward on her knees, her green eyes bright in the soft glow from the overhead lighting. “Is he going to deal with us or not?”

      Daniel shook his head. “Jury’s still out.”

      “Then why bother calling you?” She sat back, her excitement replaced by a frown. “Either he’s going to sell to you or he’s not.”

      “It’s like I told Brett and Jack. The man has a thing about family. He looks at the lineage of the horses, but he’s concerned about the family raising those horses.”

      “Then it should be a slam dunk. The Coltons are well respected as ranchers not only in Oklahoma but also across the United States.”

      “Ranching cattle. But we’re new at horse breeding and not as well proven. That’s not what he’s concerned about, though. He wants to know his horses are going to a good family.”

      “Again, the Coltons are well respected. What could he be concerned about?”

      “He’s specifically worried about me. He called me a skeleton in the Colton closet. From what I’ve learned, the Kennedys are socially elite and proud of their status.”

      “Sounds like my parents. They would hate to have me mess up their standing by marrying beneath me.” Megan shivered. “I’ve met too many of their social picks.” She snorted. “No thanks. Do you think that’s what’s holding the Kennedys back?”

      Daniel nodded. “I’m the stick in the man’s craw. The bastard son of a Colton, and a Cherokee to boot.”

      Megan’s face reddened and her eyes flashed. “Is he refusing to sell to you because you’re half-Cherokee?”

      “He didn’t say that, but I’m betting he’s not comfortable selling to the bastard son. I don’t have the social status of a Kennedy.”

      “Daniel, you’re just as much a Colton as any of your siblings.”

      “Not according to my stepmother.”

      “Abra is a bitter old woman who doesn’t even like her own children. She’s more interested in social status than love and family.” Megan clapped a hand over her mouth and then sat back. “Sorry. I couldn’t stop myself. I’ve seen how she treats you and your brothers and wanted to tell her what I thought about that. How can a woman dislike her own children?”

      “It doesn’t matter, and it doesn’t bother me anymore.” Not since he’d moved out of the main house. He didn’t come into contact