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  THE COWBOY’S LAST RIDE

  Once he gets over the shock of finding out he’s a father, Phoenix Rebel is ready to do right by his toddler son. The gorgeous barrel racer he runs into on the circuit could add a much-needed woman’s touch. There’s just one problem. She’s a McCray—a Rebel’s worst enemy.

  Rosemary could gaze into Phoenix’s warm brown eyes forever. And helping the sexy bull rider and his adorable two-year-old has ignited a fierce yearning in Rosie. Somehow she and Phoenix have to find a way to create their own family—even if it means leaving everyone else they love behind…

  Cast of Characters

  Kate Rebel: Matriarch of the Rebel family.

  Falcon: The oldest son—the strong one. Reunited with his wife, Leah, and proud father of Eden and John.

  Egan: The loner. Married to Rachel Hollister, daughter of the man who put him in jail.

  Quincy: The peacemaker. Married to Jenny Walker, his childhood best friend.

  Elias: The fighter. Falls in love with the archenemy of the family’s daughter.

  Paxton: The lover. Never met a woman he couldn’t have, but the woman he wants doesn’t want him.

  Jude: The serious, responsible one. Back together with his first love, Paige Wheeler, and raising their son, Zane.

  Phoenix: The wild one and the youngest. He’s carefree until Child Protective Services says he’s the father of a small boy.

  Abraham (Abe) Rebel: Paternal grandfather.

  Jericho Johnson: Egan’s friend from prison.

  Dear Reader,

  This is the fifth book in the Texas Rebels series. If you’ve read any of the Rebel books, you know they’re about seven brothers dealing with life after their father’s death in the small town of Horseshoe, Texas.

  Phoenix is the youngest and their mother’s favorite. He’s a carefree, fun-loving guy who doesn’t take anything too seriously. Until he finds out he’s the father of a two-year-old boy. Then he grows up quickly. To complicate matters, he does the unthinkable: falls in love with Rosemary (Rosie) McCray Wilcott, the daughter of the family’s archenemy.

  Rosemary has had a difficult life. Her father forced her to marry an abusive man. After she divorces him, the McCray family disowns her. She’s a loner and doesn’t allow anyone in until Phoenix breaks through her defenses. She wants to love Phoenix and his son, but there’s so much standing in their way.

  This was an emotional story to write as Phoenix must fight for the woman he loves. He goes against family and everything he was taught. I had my doubts if there was going to be a happy ending for Phoenix and Rosie. But love has a way of working miracles. I love a story about a man who’s willing to risk it all for the woman he loves and I hope you will, too.

  Until the next Rebel book, with love and thanks,

  Linda

  You can email me at [email protected]; send me a message on Facebook.com/lindawarrenauthor or on Twitter, @texauthor; write me at PO Box 5182, Bryan, TX 77805; or visit my website at lindawarren.net. Your mail and thoughts are deeply appreciated.

  TEXAS REBELS:

  PHOENIX

  Linda Warren

  A two-time RITA® Award–nominated author, Linda Warren has written thirty-eight books for Harlequin and has received the Readers’ Choice Award, the Holt Medallion, the Booksellers’ Best Award, the Book Buyers Best Award, the Golden Quill and the RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Book Award. A native Texan, she is a member of Romance Writers of America and the West Houston chapter. She lives in College Station with her husband and a menagerie of animals, including a Canada goose named Broken Wing. You can learn more about Linda and her books at lindawarren.net.

  Books by Linda Warren

  Harlequin American Romance

  The Cowboy’s Return

  Once a Cowboy

  Texas Heir

  The Sheriff of Horseshoe, Texas

  Her Christmas Hero

  Tomas: Cowboy Homecoming

  One Night in Texas

  A Texas Holiday Miracle

  Texas Rebels

  Texas Rebels: Egan

  Texas Rebels: Falcon

  Texas Rebels: Quincy

  Texas Rebels: Jude

  Visit lindawarren.net for more titles.

  Get rewarded every time you buy a Harlequin ebook!

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  To Christi Hendricks—for organizing

  sixteen years of book signings.

  Acknowledgments

  A special thanks to Vanessa Carmona Hoke

  for taking the time to share her knowledge of

  the Department of Family and Protective Services. And to Carrol Abendroth, barrel racer,

  for discussing the rodeo and barrel racing.

  And to PRCA for all their information.

  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

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from Courted by the Cowboy by Sasha Summers

  Prologue

  My name is Kate Rebel. I married John Rebel when I was eighteen years old and then bore him seven sons. We worked the family ranch, which John later inherited. We put everything we had into buying more land so our sons would have a legacy. We didn’t have much, but we had love.

  The McCray Ranch borders Rebel Ranch on the east and the McCrays have forever been a thorn in my family’s side. They’ve cut our fences, dammed up creeks to limit our water supply and shot one of our prize bulls. Ezra McCray threatened to shoot our sons if he caught them jumping his fences again. We tried to keep our boys away, but they are boys—young and wild.

  One day Jude and Phoenix, two of our youngest, were out riding together. When John heard shots, he immediately went to find his boys. They lay on the ground, blood oozing from their heads. Ezra McCray was astride a horse twenty yards away with a rifle in his hand. John drew his gun and fired, killing Ezra instantly. Both boys survived with only minor wounds. Since my husband was protecting his children, he didn’t spend even one night in jail. This escalated the feud that still goes on today.

  The man I knew as my husband died that day. He couldn’t live with what he’d done and started to drink heavily. I had to take over the ranch and the raising of our boys. John died ten years later. We’ve all been affected by the tragedy, especially my sons.

  They are grown men now and deal in different ways with the pain of losing their father. One day I pray my boys will be able to put this behind them and live healthy, normal lives with women who will love them the way I loved their father.

  Chapter One

  Phoenix: the youngest son—the fun-loving one.

  The cowboy’s last ride.

  Phoenix Rebel had been called a lot of things, but he’d never been called daddy. Yet the lady sitting on his mother’s leather sectional with the grim reaper-like expression and thick wire-rimmed glasses seemed determined to pin that label on him.

  He scooted forward in his chair, trying to pay attention and look like a mature adult because his mother was sitting right there staring at him. If there was anything he hated, it was having to account to his mother for his misdeeds.

  Before any profound words could leave his throat, Ms. Hen
shaw removed an iPad from her briefcase and laid it on the coffee table, pushing it toward him with one long finger. She tapped the screen. A photo of a young woman appeared.

  “This is Valerie Green. Are you sure you don’t know her?”

  He studied the pretty, blue-eyed blonde. She looked vaguely familiar, but he’d seen girls like that all over the country as he traveled the rodeo circuit. How was he supposed to remember this one?

  “She’s from Denver, Colorado,” Ms. Henshaw added.

  That triggered his memory. “Yeah, I met Valerie at a rodeo almost three years ago, I think. I’m not clear on the time. We hooked up for a wild weekend after the rodeo.”

  Ms. Henshaw’s gray eyes skewered him above her glasses. “Hooked up? Is that your way of saying you slept with her?”

  Again, Phoenix was very aware his mother was listening to every word. He was a grown man, and she knew the lifestyle he and his brother Paxton lived on the circuit. Although Paxton’s life was much more colorful than his. The thought of his brother reminded him he had to be on the road in ten minutes, so he’d better get this over with.

  For a moment he considered this might all be a joke. Maybe his buddies were getting him back for the times he’d played tricks on them. But one look at the grim reaper’s expression and Phoenix knew the woman had never cracked a joke in her whole life.

  This was serious.

  “Yeah.” That was the honest truth. In front of his mother. And it didn’t hurt a bit.

  The woman touched the screen again, and the face of a little boy popped up. Phoenix stared at the brown hair and the big brown eyes, and recognition tugged at his heart.

  “That’s Jake. He’s Valerie’s son and twenty-five months old.”

  Phoenix raised his eyes to stare into her steely grays. “You said you’re looking for the father. I’m not the father.”

  In response, she touched the iPad again, and a document filled the screen. “This is a birth certificate, and if you look closely you’ll see that you are listed as the father.”

  Oh, crap! There it was in black and white. “I spent a weekend with the woman almost three years ago. She liked rodeo cowboys and followed the circuit. If she was pregnant with my child, I’m sure she would have found a way to get in touch with me.”

  “If you’re not the father, why do you think she would put your name on the birth certificate?”

  Phoenix shrugged. “I have no idea.” He rubbed his hands together, not wanting to appear callous. “What’s happened to Valerie that you’re now looking for the father?” The woman hadn’t given any details, and he was curious.

  Ms. Henshaw picked up the iPad and placed it on her lap. “I’m coordinating this case with a CPS worker in Denver. Valerie has no living relatives, and we’re trying to place this little boy with relatives. Hopefully, his father.”

  “So Valerie’s out of the picture?”

  “We haven’t been able to locate her. Jake lived with his greatgrandmother, who had been named managing conservator since Valerie left him to get married. A week ago the greatgrandmother passed away. She was found on the floor in the kitchen, and the autopsy showed she died from a brain aneurysm.”

  “Where was the boy?”

  “This is just an assumption, but when he couldn’t wake his greatgrandmother, he pulled a chair to the front door and somehow opened it and got out. He was found on the street two blocks away in nothing but a soiled diaper. Someone saw him and called the police, who went door-to-door trying to find where the little boy had come from. A neighbor identified him, and that’s how they found Mrs. Green. He is now in foster care and not happy. He cries daily wanting Ma Ma.”

  Phoenix clasped his hands together until they were numb. The story did a number on his conscience. Could the kid be his? The question went round and round in his head like a lead marble, leaving indentions that he didn’t want to feel.

  “Have the police given up on finding Valerie?”

  “No, but with few leads they’re stumped. Mrs. Green’s neighbor said that Valerie met a guy who wanted to get married, but he didn’t want the kid. That’s why she left him with her grandmother. The neighbor said the baby was about three months old then, and Valerie hadn’t been back to see the boy since. The grandmother kept hoping she would return. The boy needed someone younger in his life.”

  Phoenix felt a tug on his heart again for that little boy. His emotions were getting involved, and he couldn’t let that happen. The kid wasn’t his.

  Ms. Henshaw thumbed through the iPad. “The authorities there also talked to a friend of Valerie’s. She hadn’t heard from Valerie since she’d married, but when questioned about Jake, she said that Valerie didn’t really know who the father was. When asked why your name was on the birth certificate, the woman said probably because it was an easy name to remember.”

  Oh, man. Even if this was a joke, his buddies could never get it this good or pick a woman as heartless as Valerie Green.

  “The woman gave CPS two more names, and we’re tracking them down. Valerie was determined to get child support from someone. That is, until the new man came along and she forgot about the boy. That may be why she never contacted you.” She thumbed through more information. “The grandmother received a good pension from her husband, so the child was well taken care of. I guess Valerie knew that. Now—” she reached inside the big bag again “—it’s time to find out who the father really is.” She pulled out a vial with what looked like a large Q-tip in it. “If you agree, I can swab your mouth, and we’ll know in a couple of weeks if you’re the father or not.”

  A swarm of butterflies attacked his stomach, similar to when he slid onto an eighteen-hundred-pound bull, knowing this was it—the truth. He’d either get thrown onto his keister or last the eight seconds.

  “Sure. I just feel I’m not the father.” Yet that feeling was slowly waning.

  Ms. Henshaw got up and came over to him. Within a second, she ran the swab through his mouth and placed it back into the tube. He noticed his name was written on it. That was it. Easy. The truth would be easy.

  She stowed her iPad in the big briefcase and handed him a business card. “My phone numbers are on there. Call if you have any questions.”

  “Thanks. How will I get the results?”

  She reached for her phone in her purse. “I can call you, which would probably be the easiest way since you’re always on the circuit. What’s your number?”

  He gave it to her, and she stored it in her phone. She then turned to his mother. “Thanks, Mrs. Rebel, for allowing me into your home. I hope we can resolve this situation soon.”

  His mother stood and shook the woman’s hand. “I hope you find the little boy’s father. A boy needs a father.”

  “Yes, ma’am, I agree with you.”

  Phoenix got to his feet and also shook the woman’s hand. “I’m a little conflicted about all this, but if I’m the father, I will take responsibility.”

  She nodded and walked toward the front door. His mother followed, and his brothers Jude and Quincy came in from the kitchen.

  “What’s going on?” Jude asked.

  “A girl I spent a weekend with says I’m the father of her baby.” Phoenix had no problem talking to his brothers. That’s how they’d gotten through the years after their father’s death. They shared with and depended on each other.

  “Is it possible?” Quincy asked.

  “Yep. She put my name on the birth certificate, but her friend said she wasn’t sure who the father was. Isn’t that a touching story?”

  “Did you use protection?” Quincy kept up the questions.

  “I always use protection.”

  “Then you may not be.” Jude patted him on the shoulder. “Did she do a DNA test?”

  “Yes.” Phoenix reached for his hat on the chair. “Now you two can stop smothering me. I may be the youngest, but I’m old enough to take care of my own life, even if I screw up every now and then.”

  His mother joined th
e little group. “Did Phoenix tell you what’s going on?”

  “Yes, Mom, I did. And now I have to go to a rodeo. I’ll let y’all know if I’m a daddy or not.”

  “Phoenix, I want to talk to you.”

  “Sorry, Mom, I’ve got to go.” No way was he having this conversation with his mother.

  Quincy was a step behind him. “We’re here if you need us.”

  Looking back at his older brother, Phoenix knew he could depend on Quincy for anything. Jude, too. And his other brothers. They were family. But this time Phoenix had to go this alone to sort through his own thoughts and everything that had happened back then.

  Phoenix nodded. “See y’all in a couple weeks.” He walked out the door to the truck and travel trailer waiting in the driveway. Climbing into the passenger seat, he said, “Let’s go.”

  Paxton shoved the shift into gear. “What’s going on? What did that woman want?”

  “Just drive and get us out of Horseshoe, Texas.” Phoenix leaned back his head and pulled his hat over his eyes, hoping his brother would get the message. He didn’t want to talk.

  The three-quarter-ton truck pulled the travel trailer with ease, but the ride was still bumpy, and Phoenix’s thoughts were even bumpier. He tried to remember Valerie and that time. It was a little blurry because they were drinking and having fun like he did after a lot of rodeos. Lately he and Paxton had slowed down. He hated to say it was an age thing. He preferred to look at it as maturity.

  After the rodeo, Valerie and some girls had come back to the cowboy area and asked if they wanted to party. Of course, that was like asking a cowboy if he wanted beer. They went to a club and danced and drank and then went to a motel. The next night was much the same. Valerie made a beeline for him and they hooked up again. This time he sensed she was on something more than beer and figured she was just a little too wild for him. He wasn’t into the heavy stuff. He was a cowboy. Riding came first with him.