Accidental Obsession: Those Malcolm Boys, #2

By KL Donn

From USA Today Bestselling Author KL Donn comes an all new series about three brothers who love harder, fiercer, and obsessively more than the last.

I am Cross Malcolm

And I get. What's. Mine.

Cattle are simple.

You take care of them; they take care of you.

Women, not so much.

They're fickle, stubborn and emotional.

They're time consuming and unapologetic.

And yet, I can't live without her.

She's passion and sin.

Heartache and innocence. 

Isabella Sharp is every man's weakness.

She'll bring me to my knees.

And in return I'll worship her with my dying breath.

I am Cross Malcolm

After the secrets and through the lies…

Past the darkness and into the light…

I get what's mine.

• Language: English
• Publisher: KL Donn
• Release date: Jul 16, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393865636

Book preview

Prologue

* BREAKING NEWS * BREAKING NEWS *

"Lindy Swartz here with Channel 44 News. Nearly one year after his younger brother’s exoneration, Cross Malcolm of the Malcolm dynasty has been accused of kidnapping Isabella Sharp by her uncle, Curtis Lindsay.

Watch the footage now of what appears to be, Cross carrying the woman to the county courthouse in Gateston, Wyoming. A small farming town where he’s built his own empire through breeding the best bulls in the country.

I’m getting reports from close sources to Cross Malcolm that the young rancher is doing everything in his power to protect Miss Sharp, and perhaps, there will be wedding bells in the near future.

They’re also relaying to us live that Miss Sharp was nearly burned to death on the Malcolm Ranch just one week ago when her uncle set ablaze to one of his barns while the ranch’s employees were at an auction.

I suppose what we’re all wondering is… Will Cross Malcolm follow in little brother Crux Malcolm’s shoes and wind up behind bars? I’ll keep you up to date on all the happenings as they unfold in the coming days and weeks.

Lindy Swartz of Channel 44 News signing off."

ONE

Isabella

You can run, you can hide, but I’ll find you, Isa. I slam my hands over my mouth to hide my whimper. I know he’ll find me; he always does.

I keep running, though.

Always running.

I’m getting angry, Isa. I hear it in his tone. Anger means violence with Curtis Lindsay, always. A violence I can no longer handle.

As I gaze at my nearly nude body, I know I have to stay silent for as long as possible. I have to keep hiding. Continue to move. If Curtis catches me, he’ll kill me for sure this time.

Isabella. He sings my name. To the naked ear, it would sound loving. To me, it’s full of menace. I’ll wait outside for you, dear. If you aren’t out here in five minutes, I’m burning this barn to the ground. I shake violently in the loose bale of hay I’ve been hiding in for nearly an hour.

He’ll do it; I know he will.

Nothing scares Curtis. He’s an unstoppable force that I can no longer fight off. I’m tired of the daily beatings. The threats of rape. I know that just as soon as I’m healed, he’ll try to sell me at the brothel like he did all the girl before me.

The girl who died in my arms.

My sister.

My best friend.

I’m next in his sick game of God, and I can’t be.

His steps retreat out the barn doors, and I can hear the horses beneath me as they pace, sensing the sinister force that just left here is up to no good.

Once Curtis sets blaze to his barn, Cross Malcolm is going to hate me even more than he does now. They’re at an auction, presently, so when I chose to hide here, in the hopes that Curtis wouldn’t bother looking for me, I foolishly thought the horses would have gone with them.

The Malcolm name in this county, hell, the country, is known for the best-bred bulls. His studs sell higher than any other rancher. Now, I’m about to ruin him.

Last chance! Curtis yells from outside. I wince at the smell of gasoline. An inferno is set to ignite, so I must act quickly to free the horses.

Climbing down the ladder quietly, I try not to make any noise as I hustle to the first stall and open it, moving on to the next, and the next, until I’m at the last one. Flames lick the barn entrance from the exterior, quickly spreading inside because of the dry hay, and I can only hope that the animals will run out the opposite side as I slowly open the door.

You’ll die in there, Isa. I don’t care. Not anymore.

The horses run.

Smoke fills my lungs.

Fire crackles around me.

Curtis’ laughter as the structure comes apart around me is deafening as I search the fields behind the burning building. Trees are a good hundred feet from me, and I’m not certain I’ll make it, but I’m going to try. As the last horse races past me and out to freedom, I run with it.

Black dots fill my vision, and I know it won’t be long before I pass out from lack of oxygen, fear, and overexertion. I hear the shouts from behind me, and I realize that Curtis has brought his enforcer, Sully. The large man enjoys hurting me almost as much as Curtis does.

Faster, Isa, you have to run faster. My older sister’s words ring in my ears from the last time we tried to escape together. The day she died from a beating so brutal, she couldn’t function anymore. I dash into the tree line as I hear Curtis call for me again.

I don’t stop when I feel rocks and sticks digging into my feet.

I don’t stop when I fall into the creek and get covered in water.

Nor when my legs feel like they’re going to fall off.

I do stop from sheer exhaustion and my body’s inability to maneuver any longer.

Dropping to the ground, I say a silent prayer of guidance and hope that come the light of day, someone other than Curtis or Sully finds my dead body.

TWO

Cross

Fucking breathe, man, Nick tells me as we all stand in front of the burned-out barn in the east pasture that housed all the ranch hands’ horses. Thankfully, someone set them free before burning the fucking building to the ground while we were at auction.

I’m going to commit fucking murder, I hiss as I walk around the burning embers.

You don’t wanna be like your little brother, do you? Wyatt laughs, knowing full-well that Crux is out and living a good life with his girl Farren. After the hell they went through, they deserve it.

The sound of thundering hooves draws everyone’s attention to the woods about a hundred feet behind the torched structure, and I see Aaron and Dale leading the escaped animals back toward us.

Well, thank fuck for that, I mutter as I begin walking in their direction. As I reach the tree line, a smear of red on a tree trunk captures my attention, and I turn to check it out.

Is that blood? Nick asks, walking up behind me.

Rubbing it with my finger, it’s still damp. I think so. The metallic scent as I sniff the stain confirms the likelihood. Any of the animals injured? I gaze up at Dale, who has come over to see what we’re doing.

Not a one. Scared maybe, but nothing physical. Whoever released them, did so before the fire reached their stalls. It’s a relief to know we won’t have to worry about medical care on the animals.

But that leaves me with a burning question… Whose blood is this?

Hey, Cross, look at this! Nick calls from further into the brush. Small, soaked footprints are embedded in the earth. Feminine looking.

You think it was a woman? Dale mutters.

I don’t know who the fuck would do this. None of it makes sense. I left one of my oldest hands to file reports with insurance and deal with the police while we inspected the building. Now, I’m incredibly glad Wyatt is a better people person than me because I have a burning desire to find out who is out here.

Hello! Dale calls out as we trek further in. Nothing happens. Think they’re still out here?

I don’t know. They better be dead if they burned down my fucking barn. It wasn’t one of my more high-tech ones. It’s where the horses were housed when the weather was shitty, or we were going to auction. Yesterday, we happened to be at the biggest fucking auction in the state.

To the right, a flash of white catches my eye, and I head off in that direction, quietly, trying not to startle whoever is out here. Hello? I call. They won’t be able to get away. Not with those bloody and blistered feet. Hey, were you the one to burn down my barn?

Still no response.

Rounding the fallen tree trunk they’re hidden behind, I’m shocked by the dirty auburn and black hair, pale face, and blue-tinted lips. What sucker punches me, though, is the person’s identity.

Isabella? Isabella Sharp has been a mystery to me since she moved in with her uncle a year ago. One I’ve been dying to figure out, but the man never lets her out alone. She’s barely seen about in town, and she doesn’t attend the local high school or college.

I don’t know how or when it happened, but after all my research, I became obsessed with getting a glimpse of her any chance I could. I’ve never been able to talk to her, though.

Bella, little sparrow, baby, answer me. Dropping to my knees, I feel for a pulse, and her skin is like ice. Nick! I yell, and everyone comes running over.

Oh shit, Dale hisses as I’m taking off my shirt.

Go get the truck, Dale. Crank the heat up and have Aaron run up to the main house and call for the doctor. He doesn’t immediately move, shocked at the bruised and torn state Isabella’s in. Now, Dale! He nods and runs back.

What the fuck happened to her? Nick wonders.

It’s the middle of summer and warm as hell, but the nights cool down here with the open fields, and she’s in nothing but a ripped camisole and white panties. Nothing to keep her warm.

Help me lift her. Gingerly, we get the shirt on her, but she doesn’t move, doesn’t make a sound as I pick her up in my arms. Nick leads the way out of the woods, clearing any branches that might trip