Bodyguards Boxed Set Read online

  The Summit Authors Present:

  Favorite Romance Themes™

  BODYGUARDS

  Five complete novels in one volume

  Meet the Authors:

  Julianne MacLean is a USA Today bestselling author praised by readers and reviewers alike for her “smart, thrilling, sizzling” writing. Her 20 historical romances have been published internationally by three major New York publishers.

  Kathryn Shay is a USA Today bestselling author and has more than 5 million copies in print of her 48 published novels. Her contemporary romances have been serialized in Cosmopolitan magazine and featured in The Wall Street Journal and People magazine.

  Shelly Thacker is a RITA Award finalist and national bestseller who has earned lavish praise from Publishers Weekly, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Detroit Free Press and The Oakland Press for her “innovative, addictive, erotic” historical romances.

  Julie Kenner (aka J. Kenner and J.K. Beck) is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author praised by Publisher’s Weekly for her “flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations.” She has published over 40 novels, novellas and short stories in a variety of genres.

  Patricia Ryan is a RITA Award-winning author known for breaking boundaries with her “fresh, swift and sexy” page-turners that blend romance, history and suspense. Her 28 books have been published in more than 20 countries.

  Samples

  If you downloaded the free sample of this boxed set, you can click below to sample the opening chapter of:

  Taken by the Cowboy by Julianne MacLean

  The Bodyguard by Kathryn Shay

  His Forbidden Touch by Shelly Thacker

  Aphrodite’s Passion by Julie Kenner

  A Burning Touch by Patricia Ryan

  * * *

  Table of Contents

  Taken By The Cowboy by Julianne MacLean “Julianne MacLean's time travel western spells out serious entertainment — the heat between contemporary heroine Jessica Delaney and old school sheriff Truman Wade is palpable!" — RT Book Reviews

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  The Bodyguard by Kathryn Shay

  “A fast-rising star, Kathryn Shay captures our hearts with her vividly appealing lovers whose smoldering romance thrills us to the very last page.” — RT Book Reviews

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  His Forbidden Touch by Shelly Thacker “Shelly Thacker's best book yet! A wonderfully rich historical romance… the adventure is thrilling and the sensuality is breathtakingly erotic.” — TheBestReviews.com

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Aphrodite’s Passion by Julie Kenner “Julie Kenner does it again! This follow-up to the hilarious and amazing Aphrodite’s Kiss is filled with the same sense of fun and originality as the first. Excellent reading! – RT Book Reviews

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Epilogue

  A Burning Touch by Patrica Ryan “Ever a master of characterization and sexual tension, Patricia Ryan creates a sizzling suspense about the thin line between passion and anguish sure to heat up our reading pleasure!” — RT Book Reviews

  Three Years Ago

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Epilogue

  Taken By The Cowboy

  * * *

  By Julianne MacLean

  Prologue

  * * *

  Dodge City, Kansas

  Present day

  JESSICA DELANEY SAT in the waiting room outside the Operating Room, barely able to move, much less comprehend what had just happened to her brother. “How much longer?” she said to her parents. “He’s been in there for two hours.”

  Jessica’s mother blew her nose, while her father sat in silence, squeezing his wife’s hand. “I’m sure they’re doing their best,” he said. “We’ll hear something soon.”

  Jessica rose from her chair and walked to the edge of the waiting room to peer down the long hall at the surgery doors to the O.R. She thought of Gregory lying on the table under the lights, a team of masked surgeons working over him. What were his chances? Did anyone ever survive a bullet wound to the chest?

  Feeling nauseous all of a sudden, she returned to her chair and sat down. She stared at a framed painting on the wall and wished this day had been different. Gregory didn’t deserve to be lying on that table. He was too young, and such a good person.

  At least the gunman was behind bars. The convenience store clerk had noticed the out-of-state license plate just before he called 911.

  An orderly in a white uniform walked by pushing a cart stacked with folded blue hospital gowns. Jessica watched him while he steered the cart onto the elevator. When the doors slid
shut behind him, she thought of Liam, her fiancée.

  Should she call him and tell him they were still waiting for news?

  Jessica chewed on a thumbnail and recalled their conversation hours ago, when she’d called him at work....

  “Liam, something terrible just happened. Can you come with me to Dodge?”

  “When? Now? I’m in a meeting. I can’t just skip out.”

  She fought to keep her voice steady. “Gregory’s been shot. He’s on his way to the hospital. I need to go right now, and I’d really like you to come with me.”

  He was silent for a moment. “God, Jessica...is he going to be okay?”

  “I don’t know. That’s why I need to go now—to be with Mom and Dad.”

  “Of course. You should go.”

  “Can’t you come?”

  She heard him sigh heavily on the other end of the line. “It’s a really bad time, Jess. We’ve got clients coming in tonight. It could be a million-dollar deal. If I’m not there, it might cost me my job — and you don’t know what kind of day it’s been for me.” He began to tell her about the mountain of emails and texts he still had to get through.

  Jessica covered her forehead with her hand. She didn’t want to hear the details. Not now.

  She interrupted him. “Look, don’t worry about it. I’ll go alone.”

  “Let me know how he’s doing. Call me later.”

  “Sure.” She hung up without saying goodbye and drove from Topeka to Dodge alone….

  The squeak of the surgery doors swinging open pulled Jessica from her thoughts. She stood up to look down the hall again and saw a doctor in O.R. greens walking toward them. His shirt was drenched in sweat. “Mom, Dad…someone’s coming.”

  Her parents stood up.

  The doctor, who looked to be in his mid-thirties, kept his eyes on Jessica as he walked the length of the hall. A terrible rush of anxiety exploded in her belly as he came to stand before them.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Delaney,” he said, “I’m Doctor Jake Spencer.”

  He shook her father’s hand, while Jessica put her arm around her mother.

  “I’m sorry to tell you this,” the doctor said. “We did everything we could for Gregory, but I’m afraid he didn’t make it.”

  Jessica stared blankly at the doctor, who kept his gaze fixed on hers. His eyes filled with empathy, while hers filled with tears.

  Her parents said nothing for a moment, then her mother let out a sob. “Please, no.”

  The doctor put his hand on her shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Delaney. The wound was deep. The bullet entered his chest and punctured a lung. It lodged in the wall of his aorta. We tried to stop the bleeding and put a graft in place, but it bled too heavily, and we couldn’t stop it. We did all we could do. I massaged his heart to pump it manually, but...I’m very sorry.”

  Jessica’s mother leaned into her husband and buried her sobs in his chest. All Jessica could do was stare at the doctor while she listened to her mother’s weeping and the sound of her own blood rushing through her veins. She still couldn’t believe what the doctor was saying.

  “Will you be all right?” he asked. His voice was caring. Almost shaky. His green eyes were compassionate and sincere. He reached out and touched her shoulder.

  Jessica managed to nod.

  “If you need anything or have any questions,” he continued, “you can contact me at any time.” He handed her his card.

  “Thank you,” she replied.

  He made a move to leave but turned back. He shook his head in frustration. “I’m sorry, Jessica. I did everything in my power to save him. I wish I could have done something to prevent it from happening.”

  His expression was tight with strain, as he bowed his head and walked away.

  Her grief swelled as she stared after the doctor, until the doors to surgery swung closed behind him. She choked back a sob and turned to embrace her parents.

  It wasn’t until many hours later, after they left the hospital and went home to call their friends and relatives, that Jessica wondered how the doctor had known her name.

  Chapter One

  * * *

  One year later

  JESSICA SHIFTED NERVOUSLY in the driver’s seat, her fingers like vice grips around the steering wheel. She’d driven for two hours, slicing through a rain-battered dusk, wishing that she lived closer to Dodge and her parents. If she did, she wouldn’t have to spend so many hours traveling from one city to the other.

  Maybe it was time to move home, she thought, for the tenth time that month. There wasn’t much keeping her in Topeka anymore—not since she broke off her engagement to Liam.

  She was self-employed and could write her fitness column from wherever she pleased. All she needed was a good pair of sneakers for running, her laptop, and wireless Internet at a nearby Starbucks. Her apartment was a sublet. She could give a month’s notice and be out of there in a heartbeat. The change would do her good.

  Not that she wasn’t happy in her work. She loved what she did. There were no problems in that department, but everything else seemed so uncertain and unpredictable.

  Her brother had gone out to buy ice cream after supper one night, and he never saw another sunrise again.

  Jessica had imagined she’d be married by now with a kid on the way, but the man she chose for a husband turned out to be a self-absorbed child, and she was suddenly single again, paying off debt from a honeymoon she had no choice but take alone.

  Yet, she was ever hopeful, waiting for a sign from above, a clue to suggest what she was meant to do with her life. There had to be some greater purpose.

  Should she stay in Topeka, or move home to Dodge to be closer to her parents?

  They weren’t getting any younger and wouldn’t be around forever. If she’d learned anything over the past year, it was to make the most of each and every day, because you never knew when it could all end — just like that — with no warning whatsoever.

  Come on, destiny. Which is it? Topeka or Dodge?

  A flash of lightning and an instantaneous thunderclap caused her to jump in her seat. Rolling her neck to ease the tension in her shoulders, she flexed her fingers on the steering wheel and repositioned her slick palms. The windshield wipers snapped noisily back and forth.

  Another crash of thunder overlapped the last. Counting the seconds to keep her mind occupied, Jessica raked stiff fingers through her hair. She’d just finished a cup of bitter service-station coffee, and now her brain, whirling with caffeine, couldn’t match the lightning with the correct thunderclap.

  Maybe the radio would take her mind off things. She tuned into a fiddling festival, then tapped her thumbs on the steering wheel to “Oh! Susanna.” Other vehicles passed her at dangerous speeds, their tires hissing through puddles on the slick pavement. She glanced impatiently at her watch, wondering how much longer she’d have to fight this storm.

  Ahead of her, a white freight truck lumbered slowly up the incline. Knowing she’d have to pass, she glanced over her shoulder and signaled to cross into the passing lane.

  She barely managed to gain any distance when her car suddenly hydroplaned and began to fishtail. Instinctively, she slammed her red stiletto pump onto the brake, realizing too late what she had done. Her heart pummeled her ribcage as she tried to regain control, but it was no use. The steering wheel was useless as the vehicle spun around in a dizzying circle.

  Oh! Susanna, don’t you cry for me....

  The car whipped around and flipped over, bouncing across the pavement like a child’s toy. The world spun in chaotic circles. Jessica’s head hit the side window. Glass smashed, and steel collapsed like tin all around her.

  Frozen with fear, she felt all her muscles constrict. Please, stop! Get me out of here!

  Lightning split the ashen sky. The car lit up and sizzled with one electrifying pulse after another.

  The light...it was too bright. She couldn’t see. She squeezed her eyes shut.

  All at once, the w
orld became silent except for the echoed thumping of her heart in her ears. There was no pain, only blackness. She felt as if she were floating, detached from everything but the extraordinary quiet, the complete absence of all cares and misgivings. She felt no fear now. Was this death? Maybe she would see her brother....

  Something wet trickled down her forehead and onto her eyelashes.

  The distinct visceral sensation sucked her out of the tranquil beyond, and when her eyes fluttered open, she found herself lying on her back, gazing up at the dusky sky, watching silvery clouds roll and twist and turn in the most fantastic way.

  Then real, conscious thoughts began to form in her brain.

  She’d been in a car accident. She was lying in the grass. Her hair was wet. Was it blood?

  Blinking in panic, she touched her throbbing temples but discovered the wetness was only rain. Relieved, she sat up and realized she was sitting in a puddle of mud. A damp chill rippled up her spine.

  Had she been thrown from the car? She couldn’t remember anything that violent. Of course, she had shut her eyes and blacked out. Or at least she thought that’s what happened.

  With trembling hands, she rose up on her knees and rubbed the side of her neck where the seatbelt had chafed her. Next, she touched her scalp, feeling a gritty, sandy residue. Shattered glass, she realized, as she studied the pads of her fingers. And her head—Good Lord. A bump was already sprouting at her temple.

  Wondering if she had a concussion, she carefully tried to stand. She pressed her hand into the gooey muck to keep her balance and rose to her feet. Her stiletto pumps sank deeper into the puddle, right up to the ankles of her skinny jeans. She noticed that her favorite black belted jacket was ruined. A button was torn off, and the pocket was ripped.

  She glanced around, searching for her car.

  Where was it? And why couldn’t she hear traffic from the road?