Table Of ContentAnytime Darlin’
Paramedic Jake McKenna drops to his knees beside the young
woman. Beaten, starved, she's barely breathing, burning with
fever. He stabilizes her, but when she opens her green eyes and
stares, panic-stricken, into his, he realizes this is only the
beginning of their relationship.
Devlin Barre has been through hell. If her uncle finds her, she's
dead. When she looks into the warm brown eyes of the paramedic,
she knows deep in her bones she can trust this man with her life.
Devlin and Jake grow close, but, fearful of commitment, Devlin
runs off to rebuild her life, leaving Jake heartbroken.
Five years later, Jake and Devlin meet again. Neither has
forgotten a single detail of their time together. Both harbor the
secret hope that they can begin again--this time, for keeps. But
Devlin isn't the only person who ran off. Her uncle still waits for
the right opportunity to get the one person who got away.
Note: This book contains rape of the heroine.
Genre: Contemporary/Romantic Suspense/Western/Cowboys
Length: 80,570 words
ANYTIME DARLIN’
Julia Rachel Barrett
EROTIC ROMANCE
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Erotic Romance
ANYTIME DARLIN’
Copyright © 2010 by Julia Rachel Barrett
E-book ISBN: 1-60601-352-1
First E-book Publication: August 2010
Cover design by Jinger Heaston
All cover art and logo copyright © 2010 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or
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All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual
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PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter from Julia Rachel Barrett
Regarding Ebook Piracy
Dear Readers,
Many thanks to each and every one of you for purchasing this book
from legal online bookstores who signed resale contracts with the
publisher. Much hard work, dedication, and heart went into Anytime,
Darlin’. Please feel free to share your opinion, but encourage your
friends to buy the book from legitimate Web sites. When e-book
pirates upload or download these books to and from file sharing sites
where there is no respect for copyrighted materials, it hurts the
livelihood of many who write and produce these books.
With deep gratitude,
Julia Rachel Barrett
DEDICATION
Anytime Darlin’ is the first romance I wrote. The story of Devlin and
Jake holds a special place in my heart. My thanks to Siren for taking a
chance on a farm girl and her cowboy.
ANYTIME DARLIN’
JULIA RACHEL BARRETT
Copyright © 2010
Chapter One
January 29, 1980
Devlin shivered behind the dumpster. She hugged her legs tighter as the
wind howled down the alley, blowing grit into her eyes and sending trash
flying. Every bone, every muscle, every joint in her body ached. She needed
food, she needed warm clothes, and she needed shelter. She toyed with the
idea of simply falling asleep. It would be so much easier to give up, but as
her mother used to say, “Everything wants to live.”
Groaning, Devlin pushed herself to her feet and considered her plan. If it
worked, she’d have a coat, a pair of gloves, and maybe a warmer hat. Then
she could think about stealing some food. If it didn’t work, she’d end up in a
warm detention facility where they’d feed her. Devlin figured it was a win-
win situation.
She’d used a rock to break the single bulb above the back entrance, and
when the cleaning crew pulled up half an hour later, Devlin had been hiding
in the shadows. The crew consisted of three men and a woman. The woman
complained that she was afraid to walk back and forth to the van in the dark,
so they’d propped the access door open with a stool. A square of light
spilled out of the door, illuminating the side of the van.
Devlin edged around the vehicle and peered cautiously into the
doorway, searching for any sign of movement. Though she could hear the
Anytime Darlin’ 9
dim sound of a floor polisher, she didn’t see anyone near the open door.
Hugging the wall, she slid into the store, treading softly in her ragged tennis
shoes, keeping to the shadows. Suddenly, Devlin was enveloped by warmth,
and she lingered in a dark corner beneath a heating vent. Closing her eyes
for just a moment, Devlin surrendered to her fatigue. She’d been in the alley
for two days, with only newspapers and cardboard boxes for cover. The
warm air felt so good.
The corner where Devlin crouched was screened by stacks of
merchandise waiting to be shelved. Since she was unlikely to be spotted by
the cleaning crew, Devlin decided that a nap wouldn’t hurt. If she got locked
in the store, it would be okay. She could sneak out the back tomorrow when
they opened up. And once the cleaning crew left, she’d have the store to
herself. She wondered briefly if the store had security cameras, but then
decided it wouldn’t matter because she’d be gone before anyone looked at
the tapes. Studying the merchandise nearby, Devlin chose an oversized
stuffed bear from a storage shelf and sprawled across it on the linoleum
floor. Within minutes, she fell asleep.
* * * *
“Angie! Angie, get over here!”
Devlin heard it in her dreams. The voice was harsh.
“AAAAnnnnnggggiiieee!”
Somebody in her dream was yelling in a very unpleasant manner.
Devlin wished she would hurry and wake up, but for some reason she
couldn’t seem to move.
A woman’s voice interrupted the screeching. “What?” it demanded,
sounding quite irritated. “What is it, Brad?”
“Look,” said the first voice.
With that word, Devlin felt a painful poke in her ribs. The toe of a boot
had definitely poked her in the ribs. She must be dreaming, because she
couldn’t get away from the poking.
“What the heck?” came the woman’s voice. “How the heck did he get in
here?”
I’m not a he, Devlin tried to say, but nothing came out. Get in where,
she wondered. A hand shook her, hard.
10 Julia Rachel Barrett
“Hey, get up,” demanded the woman’s voice. “Get up, kid, and get outta
here before I call the cops. C’mon, wake up.”
Devlin heard someone moan. Who was moaning in her dream?
“I can’t wake him up,” the woman’s voice said.
“Jesus! He’s not dead, is he?” asked the other voice, the annoying voice.
“No, but I can’t wake him up. Maybe he’s on drugs or something. Go
get the manager, Brad, now. Get the manager now.” The woman, whoever
she was, sounded upset.
In the midst of the dream, Devlin felt someone remove her baseball cap.
She tried to muster the energy to tug it back down, but her arms were as
heavy as lead, and nothing seemed to move. Her long hair spilled around her
face. If she’d been awake, Devlin might have cried, but instead she thought
she heard herself mumble something that sounded vaguely like the word
“no.” She wasn’t sure she’d actually said it aloud.
A cool hand touched her forehead, and Devlin heard a hiss and a
muttered “She’s burning up.” After hearing those words and wondering
briefly who was burning up, the cacophony of voices suddenly became
louder. Devlin decided it was simply too much trouble to figure out exactly
who was who in her very peculiar dream, so she stopped listening and
drifted back the way she had come.
* * * *
Jake McKenna was in the midst of stuffing his clothes into an overnight
bag when the call came in for the ALS unit. Shit. Wouldn’t you know it?
Nothing for four hours, then thirty minutes left in his shift and a call comes
in about an unresponsive kid in a Kmart. Probably another OD.
Methamphetamine or heroin. There was a lot of bad stuff on the street right
now. He and Lou scrambled toward the back of the ambulance while Kyle
and Leanne hit the front.
“You guys got everything?” Kyle called back from the driver’s seat.
“Yeah, she’s all ready,” replied Jake, “just stocked her up.” He turned to
Lou. “Hand me the IV kit and a thousand-cc bag of normal saline.”
“Need the O , I’m assuming,” replied Lou, handing Jake a large black
2
bag. “Hey, you want the cardiac kit? If it’s heroin, we might need the
cardiac kit.”
