Sheriff

by Laura Scott

  Shame washed over him. “I was wrong, but it wasn’t because I didn’t love you. I was determined to be loyal to Nate. He was the one who stood up for me at the juvenile center. And if we’re being honest here, I didn’t appreciate your refusal to support me, either.”

  She let out a sigh. “I guess I can understand that. We were both young and immature, not certain of our love.”

  “But not anymore,” he said firmly. “The past is in the past. I don’t want to scare you off, but I love you with all my heart. That love gave me the strength to quit my job as sheriff of Clover County. I’m ready to start the next phase of my life. With you.”

  She kissed him. “I’m glad to hear it, because I love you, Brody. In all the years we’ve been apart, there’s never been another man for me. Only you.”

  Hearing her repeat his words back made his heart swell with love. He crushed her close, silently rejoicing in God’s plan that had brought them back together. He would have kissed her again, maybe to never stop kissing her, when a shout interrupted his thoughts.

  “Julianne!”

  Brody glanced up at Max’s voice. “What’s wrong?”

  “Good to see you, Kenner. And I see you brought the puppies! Bring them along. I want you and Julianne to report to the conference room, ASAP.”

  Julianne pulled out of his embrace and he reluctantly let her go. They unwound the leashes, each taking one of the puppies with them as they entered the conference room. He was impressed at the team assembled there. Their expressions were serious even as they indulged in pastries from a place called Petrov’s Bakery.

  “What happened, Max?” Julianne said as she dropped into a chair. Brody took the seat beside her.

  Max’s expression was somber as he swept his gaze over the room. “I’ve just been notified of a bomb that exploded at a home in Northern California. A family of four was killed in the blast.”

  The entire group went still. The room was so quiet Brody could hear his heart thumping in his chest. Each member’s gaze was riveted on their boss.

  “The makeup of this explosive device is identical to one used previously by the Dupree crime family,” Max continued. “At this time, we haven’t found a connection between the dead family and the mobsters, but you can be sure that if we do find the Duprees are involved, we’ll be heading over to investigate.”

  Brody didn’t like the thought of Julianne being sent so far away, but of course, he wasn’t about to protest, either. This was her job, and hopefully someday soon, his.

  “When do you think we’ll know?” Julianne asked.

  Max shrugged. “You’ll know as soon as I do. Stay close until we get confirmation one way or another.”

  The group remained solemn for a moment, before they began talking amongst themselves.

  “This is going to be a tough case for Max if it turns out the Duprees are involved,” Julianne said in a low voice to Brody.

  “Why is that?”

  “He lost someone close to him in a bomb explosion five years ago,” she confided. “I think that’s the main reason he’s paired up with Opal. The boxer’s specialty is to find explosive devices.”

  Brody remembered the uncanny connection between all the FBI agents and their respective K-9 partners. “You’re right, that will be tough.”

  “The fact that the bomb makeup is the same as the one used by the Duprees makes me think it’s highly likely they’re involved,” she said thoughtfully. “I hate to say this, Brody, but our reunion here appears to be short-lived. It looks like I may be heading to Northern California soon.”

  “I understand,” he said, stroking Cooper’s soft fur. “And don’t worry, I have no intention of standing in your way. I’ve learned you can take care of yourself, Julianne, even though I’d be lying if I told you I don’t want to tag along, because I’d go in a heartbeat. Not that I don’t trust your team or Thunder to keep you safe, I do. But all of that aside, I’d feel much better if I was the one backing you up.”

  She smiled. “I know, Brody. Trust me, I feel the same way.”

  They took the puppies with them outside into the bright sunlight. Brody caught his breath at the magnificence of the mountains looming over the horizon. He captured her hand and tugged her close, knowing he needed to move quickly. “Julianne? Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

  She blinked and frowned, staring at him as if he’d lost his marbles. “What?”

  He wasn’t sure if her confusion was a good thing or not, and his mouth went dry. “Will you please marry me? As soon as possible? As soon as we can get a license? Before you’re sent to California and I have to return to the east coast for training?”

  “Here?” She still looked dazed. “You want to get married here in Montana?”

  “Yes. I know it probably sounds crazy, but I don’t want to lose you.” He couldn’t bear the thought. “Our time together over the next few months is going to be limited, and we’ll likely be on opposite coasts for longer than I care to think about, so will you please, please, marry me?”

  Abruptly she laughed and engulfed him in an overwhelming embrace. “Oh, Brody, yes. Yes, I’ll marry you. Now, tomorrow or whenever you want.”

  “Thank you,” he muttered, burying his face in her hair. The puppies played at their feet. “For a moment I thought you were going to turn me down.”

  “Never,” she promised, leaning back to gaze adoringly up at him. “Now that I’ve found you again, I have no intention of letting you go. I want us to always be there for each other, no matter how many miles there are between us.”

  Brody was humbled by her impassioned speech. “I want that, too. I promise to support you throughout our careers.” Then he couldn’t help but grin. “You’ve made me the happiest man in the entire world. I love you.”

  “And I love you, too. Now and forever.”

  Brody’s throat clogged with emotion and he raised his eyes to the sky, silently thanking God for bringing Julianne back into his life.

  And this time, he’d never let her go.

  * * * * *

  If you enjoyed SHERIFF by Laura Scott, look for the other books in the CLASSIFIED K-9 UNIT miniseries:

  GUARDIAN by Terri Reed

  SPECIAL AGENT by Valerie Hansen

  BOUNTY HUNTER by Lynette Eason

  BODYGUARD by Shirlee McCoy

  TRACKER by Lenora Worth

  CLASSIFIED K-9 UNIT CHRISTMAS by Terri Reed and Lenora Worth

  Keep reading for an excerpt from AMISH REFUGE by Debby Giusti.

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  Dear Reader,

  I hope you enjoyed Sheriff, the second book in the Classified K-9 Unit series. I’m honored to be in such great company with such amazing authors. All the books in the K-9 series are wonderful, and while each book stands alone, the ongoing suspense kept me on the edge of my seat as I read the entire series.

  Reunion stories are one of my favorites to write and I hope you enjoy them, too. When K-9 FBI Agent Julianne Martinez returns to her home state of Texas, the last person she expects to come to her rescue is Sheriff Brody Kenner, her ex-boyfriend. Now that Julianne is a key witness in Brody’s case, the two are forced to work together and to reconcile their past. Will they be able to heal the wounds from their breakup to find love the second time around?

  I hope you enjoy Brody and Julianne’s story, along with the other books in the K-9 series. I love hearing from my readers. If you’re interested in contacting me or signing up for my newsletter, please visit my website at www.laurascottbooks.com. I’m also on Facebook at Laura Scott Books Author and on Twitter, @laurascottbooks.

  Yo
urs in faith,

  Laura Scott

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense story.

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  Amish Refuge

  by Debby Giusti

  ONE

  Serpent would find her and kill her. Tonight.

  Miriam Miller woke with a start, chilled to the bone. She rubbed her hands over her arms and blinked against the night air seeping through the broken car window. Tugging her crocheted scarf and threadbare jacket across her chest, she straightened in the driver’s seat and gazed through the windshield.

  A police car with lights flashing braked to a stop on the edge of the narrow, two-lane road not more than twenty feet from where she’d parked, hidden by trees and underbrush.

  Fear clutched her throat.

  The cop—a bull of a man with a heart as dark as the night—stepped to the pavement and played his flashlight over the tall pines. Her pulse pounded and a roar filled her ears. She could envision the serpent tattoo that wrapped around his neck, the snake as heinous as the man.

  She had been a fool to think she could elude him by hiding in the woods. Even more of a fool to succumb to the fatigue brought on by the drugs he had used to subdue her.

  Fisting her hands, she swallowed the bile that filled her mouth and steeled her spine with resolve. He’d caught her once. He would never capture her again.

  She reached for the key in the ignition and held her breath as he pushed aside a tree branch and peered deeper into the woods. With the flick of his wrist, a flash of light caught her in its glare. Just that fast, he was running straight for her.

  Before she could start the engine, he opened the driver’s door and yanked her from the car. Screaming, she fell at his feet, crawled away on all fours and struggled to right herself.

  He kicked her ribs. Air wheezed from her lungs. He grabbed her hair, turned her to face him and pulled her upright.

  She thrashed her arms, kicked her feet then jabbed her fingers deep into his eyes.

  He cursed, covered his face with his hands and stumbled backward. “Why you—!”

  She lunged for her car.

  A bag of craft supplies lay on the floor mat. Frantically she dug for the shears, relieved when her hand gripped the sharp steel.

  He struck her shoulder, knocking her off balance. She cried in pain. Another blow, this one to her head.

  She tightened her hold on the scissors, raised her hand and stabbed his neck. He groaned, momentarily stunned. She scrambled into her car, slammed and locked the door, and turned the key in the ignition. He grabbed the door handle and banged on the window, his hateful face pushed flat against the cracked glass.

  The motor purred to life.

  “Thank You,” she silently prayed to a God in whom she’d only started to believe.

  Serpent railed in rage.

  She jammed the accelerator to the floorboard. Her head flew back as the sudden momentum jerked the car forward, throwing her attacker to the ground.

  Her heart pounded nearly out of her chest and her hands shook so hard she could barely steer the car along the narrow path that led back to the pavement. She glanced at her rearview mirror.

  Bathed in the red glow of her taillights, Serpent raised his fist, his curse faintly audible even over the hum of her engine.

  Her stomach roiled.

  She accelerated. The car fishtailed. Blood seeped from the gash to her forehead. She wiped her hand across her brow and blinked back the swell of panic that clamped down on her chest. Her breath caught as she glanced at her speedometer, knowing she was driving much too fast.

  Her cell phone, with its dead battery, sat on the console. If she had a car charger, she would call for help. Not the authorities. She couldn’t trust law enforcement, but her older sister, Hannah, would know what to do.

  Headlights flashed in her rearview mirror. Her heart stopped. He was following her.

  She increased her speed, all too aware of her threadbare tires and the threat of ice on the mountain road. The engine whined as she rounded a turn. Gripping the wheel, white-knuckled, she worked to hold the road.

  Pop! The right rear tire deflated.

  The blowout caused the car to shimmy across the pavement and career down a steep embankment. In the path of her headlights, she saw the river, edged with ice.

  She screamed, anticipating the frigid water. Unable to swim, she’d drown. At the last second the car came to an abrupt halt, mired in mud. Her head hit the steering wheel. She moaned and blinked back the darkness that swirled around her.

  A warning welled up from deep within her.

  Run!

  Dazed, she grabbed her phone, crawled from the car and staggered into the woods. Pushing through brambles, she ignored the sharp thorns that scraped her arms and tugged at her jacket. A clearing lay ahead.

  In the distance she saw a farmhouse. A warm glow beckoned from the downstairs window. She turned to see the police cruiser racing down the hill, seemingly oblivious to where her car had gone off the road.

  Could Serpent see her, even in the dark?

  The memory of what had happened four nights ago washed over her—Miriam, her sister, Sarah, and their mother lost in the North Georgia mountains. Wrongly, they’d thought the cops would provide help.

  Her heart broke. Tears filled her eyes and her body ached, but she willed her legs forward. The farmhouse was her only hope.

  She crossed the clearing and reached the house. Clutching the wood banister, she pulled herself up the stairs to the porch. Relief overcame her, along with exhaustion. Too spent to lift her hand to knock, she gasped when the door opened.

  Warmth from inside washed over her. A tall, muscular man stood backlit in the threshold. “Help me,” she pleaded, her head whirling. She grabbed his hand. “He...he wants to kill me.”

  * * *

  Abram Zook reached for the frightened woman who fell into his arms. Her plaintive cry for help touched a broken place deep within him. Instinctively he pulled her close and cradled her to him.

  His sister, Emma, limped down the stairs, wrapping a shawl around her bedclothes.

  “Abram, why are you standing in the doorway at this time of night?”

  Coming toward him, she gasped, seeing the woman in his arms. “Gott help us.”

  “Gott help this woman,” Abram countered.

  He carried her to the rocker near the wood-burning stove and gently placed her on the chair.

  Emma retrieved the lantern from the table but stopped short when the screech of tires pulled her gaze to the still open doorway. “Abram, look.”

  He glanced to where his sister pointed, seeing headlights approaching muc
h too fast along the icy road.

  “Stay with the woman.”

  Emma reached for his arm. “You cannot save the Englisch from their foolish ways. Do not get involved.”

  He shrugged off her warning. “The bridge is out. I must alert the driver.”

  Abram stepped onto the porch. His eyes adjusted quickly to the dark night.

  “Take the lantern,” Emma insisted from the doorway.

  Ignoring the request, he ran toward the road, flailing his arms to flag down the oncoming vehicle.

  The car screeched to a stop. The driver lowered the window. Abram raised his hand to his eyes, unable to see the driver’s face in the glare of the headlights.

  “Did a car pass by here?” the man demanded, his voice as brittle as the ice on the roadway.

  “The bridge is out. You must take the other fork in the road.” Abram pointed to where the narrow country path split.

  The man glanced back. “Did she go that way?”

  Abram would not betray the woman he had cradled against him. “Your car is the first I have seen tonight.”

  Cursing, the man turned his vehicle around and screeched away from Abram. The back wheels spun on the slick pavement. He took the fork and accelerated.

  Abram hurried back to the house.

  Emma locked the door behind him. “Who was that man?” she asked.

  “I do not know.”

  “He was looking for the woman.” She stated what they both knew was true.

  “Perhaps, but he will not find her tonight.”

  “I tell you, Abram, she will bring trouble to this house.”

  “She is in need, Emma. We will take her upstairs.”

  He lifted the woman into his arms and felt her startle. “I have you. You are safe.”

  She was thin, too thin.

  His sister held the lantern aloft and climbed the stairs ahead of him. On the second floor she pushed open the door to the extra bedroom.

  As Abram stepped past her, light from the lantern spilled over the woman’s pale face. His sister inhaled sharply.