Readers are raving about the beginning of the Grady-Garrett partnership C R UT & UN By Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux Urban and Roux are the masterminds of a terrific novel, over 300 hundred pages of solid goodness. —Rainbow Reviews Ty and Zane were so heartbreakingly beautiful and so realistic that these two will go down as two of the most fascinating characters written in this genre. —Literary Nymphs The plot was a stroke of genius…. —Erotic Horizon An action-packed, angst-filled story where the sparks fly around Ty and Zane both in and out of bed. —Joyfully Reviewed A touching erotic romance as well as an intriguing murder mystery. —Romance Junkies O THER BOOKS BY M U A R ADELEINE RBAN AND BIGAIL OUX Caught Running Cut & Run Love Ahead Warrior’s Cross B A R Y BIGAIL OUX The Archer My Brother’s Keeper Unrequited B M U Y ADELEINE RBAN Far From Home Man of Mystery The One That Got Away (with Rhianne Aile) Snowed In (with Rhianne Aile) Sutcliffe Cove (with Ariel Tachna) Copyright Published by Dreamspinner Press 4760 Preston Road Suite 244-149 Frisco, TX 75034 http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/ This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. Sticks & Stones Copyright © 2010 by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux Cover Design by Mara McKennen All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 4760 Preston Road, Suite 244-149, Frisco, TX 75034 http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/ ISBN: 978-1-61581-382-7 Printed in the United States of America First Edition January, 2010 eBook edition available eBook ISBN: 978-1-61581-383-4 Sticks and stones may build your homes, but words will lift your spirits. Sticks and Stones Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux Chapter 1 T “ HIS has got to be a fire hazard,” Ty Grady complained in a strained voice as they inched the heavy pool table across the scarred wooden floor, his broad shoulder pressed to the side of the table as they struggled. Zane Garrett grunted as he pushed the table with his ass braced against the end. “Would you stop with the fire hazards?” he asked in annoyance. “This wasn’t really what I had in mind when I said we should take some time off, do something for ourselves,” he grumbled. “You turned down my black market orchids,” Ty reminded. He looked up to see that they’d pushed the table far enough and stopped with an irritated huff. He turned and grabbed a nearby stool, sat it on the pool table, and climbed up on top of it, cursing as the stool wobbled beneath him. He pushed the access panel in the ceiling experimentally. It didn’t budge. He banged it with the heel of his hand. It rattled but didn’t pop free. “The one thing in this place that’s built solid,” he muttered as he looked around for something to use. There was nothing. There wasn’t anything but the pool table and a pub table with two stools in the deserted pool hall. It didn’t even have pool cues! He grumbled under his breath and punched the access panel, causing it to crack down the middle. With his movement the stool wobbled dangerously beneath his feet, and he threw his hands out to the sides to catch his balance. The stool stopped rocking almost as suddenly as it started, and as Ty glanced down, he saw Zane had grabbed it with both hands to hold it steady. “Careful there, Twinkletoes,” Zane said with a half smile. “Thank you,” Ty said to him as he shook his hand. “About time you did something useful. Watch your head,” he warned as he shoved at the pieces of the panel, which fell to the pool table below him with a muted clatter. He looked