Lucas (Texas Boudreau Brotherhood Book 5) Read online

  LUCAS

  TEXAS BOUDREAU BROTHERHOOD

  By

  KATHY IVAN

  COPYRIGHT

  Lucas – Original Copyright © September 2020 by Kathy Ivan

  Cover by Elizabeth Mackay

  Release date: September 2020

  Kindle Edition

  All Rights Reserved

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are fictionally used. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead is coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, downloaded, transmitted, decompiled, reverse engineered, stored in or introduced to any information storage and retrieval system, in any form, whether electronic or mechanical without the author’s written permission. Scanning, uploading or distribution of this book via the Internet or any other means without permission is prohibited.

  Please purchase only authorized electronic versions, and do not participate in, or encourage pirated electronic versions.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Description

  Books by Kathy Ivan

  Author’s Note

  Editorial Reviews

  Dedications and Acknowledgements

  Newsletter Sign Up

  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 – Epilogue

  Excerpt from Heath

  Newsletter Sign Up

  Books by Kathy Ivan

  About the Author

  LUCAS – Texas Boudreau Brotherhood

  Opening a small town bakery, Jill Monroe feels Lady Luck is finally smiling on her. She’s got everything she ever dreamed of, except the cowboy who won her heart. A new story has investigative reporter Lucas Boudreau stretched thin. Being home near his childhood sweetheart isn’t helping. When unwanted attention escalate to threats, can Lucas gamble with his heart and still protect the woman he’s always loved?

  “In Shiloh Springs, Kathy Ivan has crafted warm, engaging characters that will steal your heart and a mystery that will keep you reading to the very last page.” Barb Han, USA TODAY and Publisher’s Weekly Bestselling Author

  “Kathy Ivan’s books are addictive, you can’t read just one.” Susan Stoker, NYT Bestselling Author

  BOOKS BY KATHY IVAN

  www.kathyivan.com/books.html

  TEXAS BOUDREAU BROTHERHOOD

  Rafe

  Antonio

  Brody

  Ridge

  Lucas

  Heath (coming soon)

  NEW ORLEANS CONNECTION SERIES

  Desperate Choices

  Connor’s Gamble

  Relentless Pursuit

  Ultimate Betrayal

  Keeping Secrets

  Sex, Lies and Apple Pies

  Deadly Justice

  Wicked Obsession

  Hidden Agenda

  Spies Like Us

  Fatal Intentions

  New Orleans Connection Series Box Set: Books 1-3

  New Orleans Connection Series Box Set: Books 4-7

  CAJUN CONNECTION SERIES

  Saving Sarah

  Saving Savannah

  Saving Stephanie

  Guarding Gabi

  LOVIN’ LAS VEGAS SERIES

  It Happened In Vegas

  Crazy Vegas Love

  Marriage, Vegas Style

  A Virgin In Vegas

  Vegas, Baby!

  Yours For The Holidays

  Match Made In Vegas

  One Night In Vegas

  Last Chance In Vegas

  Lovin’ Las Vegas (box set books 1-3)

  OTHER BOOKS BY KATHY IVAN

  Second Chances (Destiny’s Desire Book #1)

  Losing Cassie (Destiny’s Desire Book #2)

  Hello Readers,

  Welcome to Shiloh Springs, Texas! Don’t you just love a small Texas town, where the people are neighborly, the gossip plentiful, and the heroes are…well, heroic, not to mention easy on the eyes! I love everything about Texas, which I why I’ve made the great state my home for over thirty years. There’s no other place like it. From the delicious Tex-Mex food and downhome barbecue, the majestic scenery, and friendly atmosphere, the people and places of the Lone Star state are as unique and colorful as you’ll find anywhere.

  My new series, the Texas Boudreau Brotherhood, series centers around a group of foster brothers, men who would have ended up in the system if not for Douglas and Patricia Boudreau. Instead of being hardened by life and circumstances beyond their control, they found a family who loved and accepted them, and gave them a place to call home. Sometimes brotherhood is more than sharing the same DNA.

  This is Lucas Boudreau’s story, and Lucas was a hard book to write. There are so many things going on in Lucas’ life, trying to fit them all into one book seemed an impossible task. But while he’s a complex character, Jill is the perfect heroine for him. She’s spirited, loves her family regardless of all their flaws, and loves fiercely and with her whole heart. I promise she’s going to keep Lucas’ head spinning.

  If you’ve read my other romantic suspense books (the New Orleans Connection series and Cajun Connection series), you’ll be familiar with the Boudreau name. Turns out there are a whole lot of Boudreaus out there, just itching to have their stories told. (Douglas is the brother of Gator Boudreau, patriarch of the New Orleans branch of the Boudreau family. Oh, and did I mention they have another brother – Hank “The Tank” Boudreau?)

  So, sit back and relax. The pace of small-living might be less hectic than the big city, but small towns hold secrets, excitement, and heroes to ride to the rescue. And who doesn’t love a Texas cowboy?

  Kathy Ivan

  EDITORIAL REVIEWS

  “In Shiloh Springs, Kathy Ivan has crafted warm, engaging characters that will steal your heart and a mystery that will keep you reading to the very last page.”

  —Barb Han, USA TODAY and Publisher’s Weekly Bestselling Author

  “Kathy Ivan’s books are addictive, you can’t read just one.”

  —Susan Stoker, NYT Bestselling Author

  “Kathy Ivan’s books give you everything you’re looking for and so much more.”

  —Geri Foster, USA Today and NYT Bestselling Author of the Falcon Securities Series

  “This is the first I have read from Kathy Ivan and it won’t be the last.”

  —Night Owl Reviews

  “I highly recommend Desperate Choices. Readers can’t go wrong here!”

  —Melissa, Joyfully Reviewed

  “I loved how the author wove a very intricate storyline with plenty of intriguing details that led to the final reveal…”

  —Night Owl Reviews

  Desperate Choices—Winner 2012 International Digital Award—Suspense

  Desperate Choices—Best of Romance 2011 –Joyfully Reviewed

  DEDICATIONS AND ACKNOWLEDG
EMENTS

  I love it when fans tell me they wish Shiloh Springs, Texas, was a real place, because they want to live there. Trust me, if it was real, I’d be your next door neighbor, because I want to live there too!

  To my sister, Mary, always helping me, encouraging me, and generally doing whatever it takes to get encourage me to get the writing done. Trust me, if she wasn’t there prodding me, the books might never be finished.

  To Chris Keniston and Barb Han, fellow authors and great friends. Our phone calls and Facebook chats helped keep me sane while I was figuring out all the foibles of Lucas Boudreau. Thanks, Ladies!

  And, as always, I dedicate this and every book to my mother, Betty Sullivan. She shared her love of reading with me at a young age and I cherish the memories of the times we spent talking books and romance. I miss her every day and wish she’d been around to see my first book published, but I know she’s smiling at the thought of her daughter, the author, writing the type of books she loved.

  More about Kathy and her books can be found at

  WEBSITE:

  www.kathyivan.com

  Follow Kathy on Facebook at

  facebook.com/kathyivanauthor

  Follow Kathy on Twitter at

  twitter.com/@kathyivan

  Follow Kathy at BookBub

  bookbub.com/profile/kathy-ivan

  NEWSLETTER SIGN UP

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  http://eepurl.com/baqdRX

  LUCAS

  By

  KATHY IVAN

  CHAPTER ONE

  The road to hell might be paved with good intentions, but when it came to dealing with Patricia Boudreau, all bets were off. Jill Monroe couldn’t quite figure how she’d become embroiled in Ms. Patti’s latest scheme, or even why she’d shown up on the other woman’s radar. Since nobody said no to the town’s matriarch, here she was, waiting outside a desolate building in the rapidly approaching twilight.

  Huffing out an exasperated breath, she cupped her hands around her eyes and leaned in closer, peering into the darkness beyond the huge plate glass window of the storefront. Dirty and grimy, and streaked with a greasy film she really didn’t want to touch, she couldn’t make out much. The building’s interior sat shrouded in inky blackness and appeared more than a little spooky.

  Guess nobody’s here.

  Taking a step back, she pulled the note from her pocket and checked the address again. She’d found it slipped under her apartment’s front door when she’d gotten home from her job, the stark whiteness of the envelope standing out against her worn and faded chocolate-brown carpet.

  Yep, she was in the right place, right time, but so far no sign of the woman who’d summoned her.

  Wonder what Ms. Patti’s up to now?

  At least the interminable heat wave petered out overnight, and the temperature, while still warm, didn’t feel like it was going to broil the skin from her bones. Texas in late summer meant rarely being outdoors during daylight hours—not even on a bet. Having the stifling heat of industrial-sized ovens cranked up high all day didn’t create the same sensation as Texas humidity in the summertime. It’s a lesson she’d learned working for a restaurant during her summer hiatus from school. She’d long ago decided she enjoyed her creature comforts far too much, which meant air conditioning running twenty-four/seven.

  Today had been onerous, overly long, and she’d hated every minute of it. Driving over an hour each way for her day job ate up a huge chunk of her morning and evening hours, not to mention the wear and tear of her on-its-last-legs car. It was a used one she’d bought after graduation from college. She’d scrimped and saved, and sacrificed meals to scrounge up enough money for the down payment on an already eight-year-old rust bucket. She crossed her fingers every morning, praying it didn’t give up the ghost and die on her daily commute. Add in the fact she felt like a glorified pencil pusher at the insurance company where she worked, with chances of advancement zilch, and her life was pretty much in the toilet. The only bright spot: her friend Tessa had moved to Shiloh Springs, and would be sticking around since she was engaged to the town’s sheriff, Rafe Boudreau.

  The edge of twilight ate away the remnants of what little daylight remained, cloaking the world around her in deepening darkness. Arms wrapped around her midsection, she tried her best to ward off the goosebumps spreading along her skin, ones that had nothing to do with a chill, but more an uneasy feeling of being outside alone. Almost all of the shops along Shiloh Springs’ Main Street closed earlier, all their doors shuttered by eight p.m. Daisy’s Diner down the street closed early on weeknights and the bookstore closed at eight sharp. Farther down the main drag, Jill saw the outside lights from the sheriff’s station, so she didn’t feel totally abandoned. If only Ms. Patti would get here and tell her why she’d wanted to meet in the first place, maybe she’d get over the eerie feeling riding her.

  After what seemed like an eternity, headlights brightened the darkness, headed straight toward her, and Jill shielded her eyes against their sudden glare. Recognizing the highly-identifiable white Cadillac Escalade everyone in Shiloh Springs knew Ms. Patti drove, she breathed a sigh of relief. She watched it pulled to a stop in front of her, taking up nearly two parking spaces.

  Ms. Patti’s car was as distinctive as the woman herself. It seemed a strange dichotomy, this behemoth of a vehicle, wrestled into submission by the diminutive dynamo. But while she might be small in stature, her will and determination more than made up for her size. There wasn’t a soul within a good fifty-mile radius who didn’t recognize the pearly white gargantuan SUV as belonging to the town’s unofficial matriarch.

  The Boudreau family, a fixture in town for more years than Jill had been alive, was presided over by Patricia Boudreau. Deceptively tiny, she was a powerhouse in a petite package, and knew everybody and everything that went on in their little burb. She kept a watchful eye on the comings and goings around Shiloh Springs, and provided gentle nudges when needed. Ms. Patti was one of those women who got things done, and heaven help you if she decided you needed help, or if she believed you could accomplish things she felt would benefit her town. A force of nature, there was no stopping her once she got an idea in her head. It would be easier to stop a Texas tornado than try to ride rein on the Boudreau matriarch.

  “I hope you haven’t been waiting long.” The smile Ms. Patti bestowed on Jill made all the waiting seem inconsequential. Jill couldn’t hide her smile as she climbed out of the car, full of life and energy, even at the tail end of the day. Personally, her backside was dragging after a long day dealing with the idiots she worked with, clients who didn’t have a lick of common sense, coupled with detours and construction on her homebound commute. All she wanted was a hot bath, a good book, and maybe a pint of her favorite chocolate-covered cherries ice cream. Yum.

  “Not too long, Ms. Patti. What’s going on?” Jill gestured toward the dark window behind her.

  Instead of answering, Ms. Patti lifted the lock box attached to the door and punched in a code with an efficiency that bespoke familiarity. Standing aside, she gestured for Jill to precede her. Once through the door, Ms. Patti flipped a light switch, bathing the front part of the space in light. Overhead, the fluorescent bulbs buzzed and popped.

  The space had seen better days. An air of tiredness clung to the white walls, which had yellowed with age and neglect. The terra cotta tiles on the floor were in pretty good shape, though a few had superficial cracks. Acoustic tiles covered the ceiling, although a few of the panels sat askew, giving it a forlorn, abandoned vibe.

  Kinda like how I’ve been feeling recently.

  But beneath the neglect, beneath the lack of cleanliness, there was…something…about the space that called to her. Something Jill couldn’t put her finger on, but it seemed to whisp
er in the back of her mind she needed to be here. This raggedy, unkempt, hadn’t been occupied retail space, which had sat empty for longer than she could remember, was meant to be hers.

  “So, dear, what do you think?”

  “Are you looking to insure the place? I can put you in touch with somebody at my office—”

  “No. What do you think of the space for your bakery?”

  A jolt of shock whipped through her, and she spun to face Ms. Patti. “I don’t understand. What do you mean, my bakery?”

  “I know you’ve wanted to open your own place for a long time. You’ve got the skills, the talent, and the drive to make a success of it. I can feel it in my gut, and my gut is never wrong.”

  “Ms. Patti, the location is perfect, but I can’t. I don’t have enough money to afford the rent on a place like this, or to buy or even rent all the equipment and supplies I’d need to make a go of it.”

  Closing her eyes for a second, she wanted to scream. She’d been so close. Scrimping and saving every penny for the last three years, foregoing every luxury and sometimes even the necessities, and living on a shoestring budget, to make her dreams a reality, and one stupid decision wiped away everything. If she had it to do over again—she’d probably still give her brother the money. Having a deadbeat, always-falling-for-the-latest-scam brother alive and kicking was better than visiting him in the cemetery. Which is what would have happened if she hadn’t bailed him out of his current jam, and wiped out her savings account in one fell swoop.

  “I know, honey. I’ve got a business proposition I want to discuss with you, but I wanted you to see the place first, get your opinion. I might know my way around real estate, but I don’t have your eye for what will work for setting up a viable, working bakery.” Ms. Patti strode past her, walking with purpose and determination toward the back of the shop, and Jill followed along in her wake. A thousand questions tumbled around in her brain. What in the world was Ms. Patti up to now?