Lullaby and Goodnight Read online

  “I’m just convinced that the closer we become, the more danger you’ll be in.”

  “What do you mean by danger? You think the kidnapper will threaten us again? Surely he’s off somewhere spending the ransom money, not plotting more evil.”

  “That would be the logical assumption,” Rafe agreed. “I know in my head that the threat to you is over…yet I can’t help feeling that…”

  “That what?” Rhianna prodded. “That I’m still in danger?”

  “I’d feel better if you stayed close by.”

  She smiled at him. “I’m living in your house, lying in your bed. How much closer do you want me?”

  “Let me show you.” He tugged the towel loose from between her breasts and she rolled into his arms….

  Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,

  The holidays are upon us again. This year, remember to give yourself a gift—the gift of great romantic suspense from Harlequin Intrigue!

  In the exciting conclusion to TEXAS CONFIDENTIAL, The Outsider’s Redemption (#593) by Joanna Wayne, Cody Gannon must make a life-and-death decision. Should he trust his fellow agents even though there may be a traitor among their ranks? Or should he trust Sarah Rand, a pregnant single mother-to-be, who may be as deadly as she is beautiful?

  Another of THE SUTTON BABIES is on the way, in Lullaby and Goodnight (#594) by Susan Kearney. When Rafe Sutton learns Rhianna McCloud is about to have his baby, his honor demands that he protect her from a determined and mysterious stalker. But Rafe must also discover the stalker’s connection to the Sutton family—before it’s too late!

  An unlikely partnership is forged in To Die For (#595) by Sharon Green. Tanda Grail is determined to find her brother’s killer. Detective Mike Gerard doesn’t want a woman distracting him while on a case. But when push comes to shove, is it Mike’s desire to catch a killer that propels him, or his desire for Tanda?

  First-time Harlequin Intrigue author Morgan Hayes makes her debut with Tall, Dark and Wanted (#596). Policewoman Molly Sparling refuses to believe Mitch Drake is dead. Her former flame and love of her life is missing from Witness Protection, but her superior tracking skills find him hiding out. While the cop in her wants to bring him in, the woman in her wants him to trust her. But Mitch just plain wants her back….

  Wishing you the happiest of holidays from all of us at Harlequin Intrigue!

  Sincerely,

  Denise O’Sullivan

  Associate Senior Editor

  Harlequin Intrigue

  LULLABY AND GOODNIGHT

  SUSAN KEARNEY

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Susan Kearney used to set herself on fire four times a day; now she does something really hot—she writes romantic suspense. While she no longer performs her signature fire dive, she never runs out of ideas for characters and plots. A business graduate from the University of Michigan, Susan now writes full-time. She resides in a small town outside Tampa, Florida, with her husband and children, and a spoiled Boston terrier. She’s currently plotting her way through her next novel.

  Books by Susan Kearney

  HARLEQUIN INTRIGUE

  340—TARA’S CHILD

  378—A BABY TO LOVE

  410—LULLABY DECEPTION

  428—SWEET DECEPTION

  456—DECEIVING DADDY

  478—PRIORITY MALE

  552—A NIGHT WITHOUT END

  586—CRADLE WILL ROCK*

  590—LITTLE BOYS BLUE*

  594—LULLABY AND GOODNIGHT*

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  Rafe Sutton—Determined to remain a bachelor, torn between his past and his present, he will have to make the most difficult decision of his life.

  Rhianna McCloud—Gutsy, independent and running scared, she turns to Rafe for help. But will Rafe’s involvement cause her to lose her precious baby?

  Hal Stone—A wealthy neighbor who suspiciously profits from the Suttons’ losses.

  Janet Stone—Hal’s wife. A bimbo blonde? Or is she much more than she appears?

  Judge Stewart—An old friend of Senator Sutton. The judge offers help just when Rafe needs it most. Yet are his motives pure?

  Duncan Phillip—A wealthy horse breeder who wants to marry Rhianna. Has he his own reasons for wishing Rhianna harm?

  For Marty and Steve.

  Contents

  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

  Prologue

  In Rhianna McCloud’s hands rested the fate of her unborn child. The power to save and protect. Or the power to make a deadly mistake.

  She vowed not to panic as she once again checked her truck’s rearview mirror. Rhianna swung in a left-hand turn toward Denver, hoping city streets and eyewitnesses might deter her pursuer. She prayed her leaky radiator would hold out, that her rear tire wouldn’t go flat again, that she wouldn’t take a wrong turn and end up trapped and isolated on a country road. Or run out of gas.

  The white Jaguar remained in relentless pursuit, but at a distance, never moving close enough for Rhianna to see the driver or make out the license plate. She had no idea who was driving that car. No idea who had broken into her place, gone through her belongings. But the invasion of her privacy had to end. The stalking had to end.

  Jumpy nerves couldn’t be good for the baby. She took one hand off the steering wheel and gently massaged her swollen stomach. Two more weeks. Two more weeks until her due date. The baby kicked, and the familiar thump reassured Rhianna. She had to be strong for her baby.

  Rafe Sutton’s baby.

  She replaced her hand on the wheel. Ignored the fear shimmying down her spine. Ignored her stomach tight against the seat belt. She resisted the urge to jam the pedal to the metal. Her old pickup wasn’t up for a road race, and her reflexes weren’t as good as before her pregnancy.

  She wished for a cell phone or at least a CB radio to call for help, but those were luxuries this single mother-to-be couldn’t afford. But her brain still worked, revving into overdrive at the danger.

  While her truck sucked gas with an appetite as insatiable as a pregnant woman’s, she still believed she could make another three miles.

  Rhianna caught a red light. Wished she had time to check her map. She had driven to Denver on a shopping errand and didn’t come here often, preferring the clean air of the mountains, the slower pace in the country and the companionship of friends and neighbors she’d known for years.

  She turned right, and at the sight of a police station, let out a tense sigh. “It’s okay, baby, we’re going to make it.”

  But she’d spoken too soon. Her truck gurgled once and died. Desperate, Rhianna tried to restart the engine. But the gas gauge read empty.

  One glance in the rearview mirror and her heart rate doubled. The white Jaguar had pulled over behind her. Sun glinted off the window, and she still couldn’t see her pursuer.

  Eight and a half months pregnant she might be, but Rhianna refused to sit like a rabbit snared in a trap. Releasing her seat belt, she opened the truck’s door.

  And prepared to run for her life.

  Chapter One

  “Daniel McCloud’s on the phone, Rafe. He says it’s urgent.”

  After a moment’s hesitation, Rafe Sutton nodded to the ranch hand, tossed a curry brush into a bucket and wiped his hands on a towel. “I’ll be right there.”

 
Daniel McCloud. Rhianna’s father. Rafe had been trying to get her out of his mind for the last eight and a half months. Just when he’d thought he’d succeeded, her father called. Rafe hadn’t talked to any of the McClouds since the night of that party. An event that came back to him now with stunning clarity.

  That night, he had removed his Stetson hat, strode through the McClouds’ front door and raked his hand through his hair so he didn’t look as though he’d just blown in with the tumbleweeds. Even before he’d accepted a whiskey from Daniel McCloud, his host, and whetted his parched throat even as he nodded hello to several acquaintances, Rafe searched the crowded living room for a glimpse of Rhianna McCloud. He gazed over the familiar faces of the movers and shakers of the horse world, curious to see how the pesky sixteen-year-old of his memories had grown up.

  A decade ago, Rhianna and her father had worked on the Sutton ranch. She’d been different from the other girls who’d been impressed with the Sutton name and fortune. She’d been coltish and slender and independent as hell. Although her teenage crush on Rafe had been unmistakable, he’d instinctively known that she’d been more interested in the way he treated his horses than in how much money they’d bring at auction. Rhianna’s flirtations had flattered his twenty-two-year-old ego. But he’d never been tempted to steal a kiss; high school sophomores weren’t his style.

  In the decade since he’d last seen Rhianna, Rafe’s tastes hadn’t changed much. He typically kept company with sophisticated, slender gals who wanted a good time and no commitments. Gals who didn’t cause a fuss when his roving eye moved on to the next conquest.

  Rafe enjoyed the chase, the hunt, the challenge of dating. He enjoyed the feminine sex’s fascinating scents, their titillating moods, their sparkling eyes when they responded to his flirtations. Yes. He enjoyed women way too much to settle on just one. In this milling crowd of horse people, he spied several interesting prospects.

  Husky laughter warmed him like fine brandy and drew Rafe’s gaze to the terrace. The sight of Rhianna McCloud all grown up rocked Rafe back on his spurs. The fine red hair she’d once worn in a long ponytail was now all fluffed up in long, sexy waves that looked softer than a goose-down pillow and shimmered with fire. Her strapless green dress molded her splendid curves so closely she couldn’t be wearing much under it but her scent. And the animation on her face, her sheer exuberance and the pure welcome in her silky gaze as her eyes met his drew him toward her instantly.

  “Rafe!” With a squeal of feminine delight, Rhianna hurried to him, flung her arms around his neck, aimed a kiss at his cheek.

  As he braced himself for the impact of those lush curves against his chest and closed his arms around her, he suddenly recalled how Rhianna never hid her feelings. Never did things halfway. She blazed her own trail and lived by her own rules, refusing to let anyone trim her wings. And then other memories burst loose as her scent enveloped him in a cloud of enticing jasmine.

  Grinning in delight at her enthusiastic welcome, Rafe gathered her closer and turned his head. Her lips squarely met his. Beneath his fingers, the bare, velvety flesh of her shoulders caused an unexpectedly warm tingle to scald his blood.

  Rhianna pulled back, and for an instant, shock and passion clashed in her deep green eyes. Then she tilted up her chin and winked at him. Suddenly, he was no longer so sure her intentions were purely innocent.

  Before Rafe regained his senses, Rhianna looped her arm through his. “Come out to the barn and I’ll show you…”

  Rafe licked his bottom lip, unable to resist enjoying the taste of white wine and Rhianna’s vanilla-flavored lipstick. His eyes must have hinted at just what he wanted Rhianna to show him in the barn, because she swallowed hard.

  Then her full lips broke into a sunny smile, her voice teasing. “I’ll show you…the foal.”

  “Mind if we tag along?” Judge Stuart’s gruff interruption helped ground Rafe’s thoughts.

  From the moment Rafe had heard Rhianna laugh, he’d forgotten the roomful of party goers. He’d forgotten the influential community of Colorado horse lovers who thrived on Sutton gossip and rumors as much as they did betting on the next horse race. He’d forgotten to keep his devil-may-care, laid-back attitude firmly in place, and hoped no one had noticed his lapse.

  Standing beside him, Judge Stuart wore a black velvet, broomstick pleated shirt with turquoise and silver metallic rickrack. His matching black hat sported a beaded hatband, but Rafe wasn’t fooled by his down home threads, knowing a brilliant mind lurked behind the impassive features. From the shrewd look in Judge Stuart’s keen gaze, Rafe suspected the wily judge might have guessed just how much Rhianna’s welcoming kiss had stunned him. But the judge, a friend of Rafe’s father—the senior, two-term senator of Colorado—merely saluted Rafe with his glass and calmly sipped his spirits.

  Janet and Hal Stone, Thoroughbred breeders and Rafe’s main competition for prime horseflesh, weren’t as discreet. Janet gazed from Rhianna to Rafe, her golden eyes brimming with mischief. “I’m sorry I missed your brother Cameron’s wedding. But perhaps next time, we’ll be in the States.”

  The Stones’ passion for travel sent them on frequent jaunts to Europe, Asia and South America. They might have missed the latest Sutton wedding, but they invariably showed their faces whenever good horseflesh came on the market.

  Hal Stone, a distinguished, gray-haired rancher, always went in for a lot of fancy rigging. Cocky as the king of spades, he set his own style and wore an Armani suit with a diamond belt buckle and monogrammed boots. Not to be outdone, his wife wore a black blouse with lacy sleeves over a lacy black brassiere, a hot pink neckerchief that matched her pink suede boots, and poured-on designer jeans.

  Hal shook Rafe’s hand and gave him a friendly nod. “The senator sure knows how to throw a wedding. Any chance he’ll have another one soon?”

  Hal’s question might have been ambiguous, but his meaning was explicit. He clearly wanted to know if Rafe intended to marry Rhianna. Had everyone in the damn room seen their kiss? And drawn the wrong conclusions…?

  Rafe gave away none of his annoyance at himself for being caught like a schoolboy. Long practiced in avoiding probing questions, he shrugged lightly. “Couldn’t tell you.” Then he turned to Janet and kissed her lightly on the cheek, knowing his gesture would irritate Hal, who adored his beautiful young wife and jealously guarded her from other men. Served him right for marrying a woman half his age. Although Rafe had to admit that Janet looked glowingly happy, and the pair seemed well suited. Content.

  But not every loving couple led such charmed lives. Rafe had watched his father lose his mother. Seen how devastated his brother Cameron had been after the murder of his first wife. Rafe preferred to take lovely women where he found them and then leave them with happy memories.

  Rhianna had remained silent during the brief exchanges, but she hadn’t removed her arm from his. She seemed satisfied to stare at him fondly and let him make the next move. Before Rafe could decide exactly what that move should be, their group grew again.

  Duncan Phillips, a wealthy horse breeder with a nearby ranch, shook hands with the judge, Hal and Rafe, then bowed to the women, greeting them with genteel European manners that matched his impeccably cut suit, before announcing his real reason for coming over. “Did someone mention a visit to the wonder horse?”

  At Duncan’s appearance, Rhianna held her head higher and leaned just a bit tighter against Rafe’s side. “The foal’s name is Sweetness.”

  “Silly name for a stallion,” Duncan scoffed, without much heat.

  “You buy him and you can change his name,” Judge Stuart muttered.

  Rhianna kept her tone light. “Sweetness isn’t for sale.”

  Hal frowned. “Isn’t this party to whet our interest?”

  “And up the asking price?” Janet added.

  “Exactly right,” Duncan answered, as if he already owned the foal.

  Rhianna’s casual demeanor stiffened ever so slightly, and Rafe wou
ldn’t have noticed the tension radiating through her if he hadn’t been so attuned to her every movement. If she needed protection from Duncan’s sharp tongue, Rafe would oblige. If she wanted to make the handsome millionaire jealous, Rafe could help there, too. He slipped his arm from her elbow, slung it proprietarily over her shoulders and drew her even closer.

  She snuggled against him like a warm puppy. “Duncan, I’m afraid this is just one of those rare times when you’re wrong. This party is a celebration over the McClouds’ good fortune—nothing more. We intend to raise Sweetness ourselves and race him as a two-year-old.”

  Duncan adjusted his cuff link and eyed Rhianna with bitterness. “Good fortune is what you’re calling Destiny, the winningest stallion in history, breaking out of his stall and breeding with your mare?”

  Janet Stone frowned at Duncan. “Are you saying Destiny didn’t leap out of his stall at your ranch when Rhianna stopped by to visit?”

  Duncan shrugged, raising his voice so everyone in the room could hear his accusation. “Isn’t it convenient that Rhianna’s mare just happened to go into heat?”

  Rhianna kept her tone light. “Mares can be unpredictable that way.”

  “And isn’t it convenient that Rhianna left the mare in a stall near Destiny, a champion of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes?”

  “As if I knew you’d brought him home.” Rhianna rolled her eyes at the ceiling, but Rafe could feel the tension radiating from her in heated waves. The old Rhianna would have jabbed the man in the jaw, and Rafe was surprised to discover she’d learned to control her temper.

  Duncan was an idiot. If he couldn’t control his stallion, he had no right to claim a stud fee or to blame Rhianna when nature took its natural course between a randy stallion and a mare in heat.

  Rhianna glared at Duncan, but Rafe felt her trembling with rage. “I placed my mare in the same stall I’d used before. I had no idea the stallion was a mere two doors down. And you know why I came by. To end our relationship.”