Tormented by the Lawman (Mountain Force Book 3)

by Rhonda Lee Carver

  Tormented by the Lawman

  (Mountain Force, Book 3)

  RHONDA LEE CARVER

  2020 Rhonda Lee Carver

  Copyright 2020 Rhonda Lee Carver

  All rights reserved

  Edited by:

  Connor Watkins

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without permission from the author, Rhonda Lee Carver—except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages written in a review. For information, please contact Rhonda Lee Carver @ rhondaleecarver.author@gmail.com.

  This work is fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue in this work are from the author’s imagination and creation. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, dead or alive, is completely coincidental.

  This book is for your personal pleasure. Ebooks are not transferrable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work. If you have

  enjoyed this book and wish to share with another reader(s) please purchase another copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, purchase a copy. Thank you for appreciating the hard work the author invested into this book.

  This book contains material that isn’t suitable for anyone under the age of 17.

  To read more books by Rhonda Lee Carver check out the list of her books at the end of this book.

  BLURB

  Paths collide for a feisty, independent Congressman’s niece and an enigmatic, alpha-hero. The unexpected chemistry puts a new spin on the line between love and hate.

  If anyone accused Hazel Levine of being difficult and indecisive, they wouldn’t be wrong. Hopping from one job to another and swimming against the expectations of her family has made her a menace to her uncle’s campaign for president. When she attempts to steer a straight line for his sake, she finds herself ensnared in a murder mystery that soon has her in the crosshairs of a killer.

  They come from different worlds. She’s a rich girl born with a silver spoon and Special Agent Cox Landon loves to get his hands dirty. With an awarded military career and years of catching criminals, he’s learned patience, but his steel wall isn’t thick enough to deal with the likes of the spoiled Congressman’s niece. Yet, to complete the deal Cox has forged, he’ll have to tolerate Hazel—at least until he gets what he wants.

  Stranded in a snowstorm in a cabin on secluded Pitchfork Mountain, with killers on their tail, their survival will be tested, as well as their mutual desire to test the thin line between love and hate.

  Cox is willing to do almost anything to taste her amazing lips and touch her wild, red curls. And for Hazel, she’s willing to show him a softer side—show him the real Hazel—hoping he won’t pressure her like her family has done for years. Can he accept her for who she is? Strong-willed. Flawed. And completely indecisive.

  Can they dodge the killers and make it out alive? Or is the true danger in what lies in their hearts?

  Dedication:

  To all those in law enforcement who go above and beyond!

  Dear Readers,

  I hope you love Hazel and Cox’s story. These two, let me tell you, were something. Their chemistry was off the charts from the very beginning and some of their situations had me laughing so hard. From the start I felt like these characters were true people who wanted their story to be told.

  I hope you’ll stop over at my website www.rhondaleecarver.com to check out my other books. Please leave a review for Tormented by the Lawman. Thank you.

  Best of wishes,

  Rhonda Lee Carver

  Table of Contents

  Front Matter

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Back Matter

  Chapter 1

  “Oh no! Oh hell no! Please no!” Hazel Levine tried the doorknob to her fifth-floor apartment and groaned in despair. She’d only stepped out into the hall to grab the newspaper and the door had shut behind her, locking.

  Unfortunately, she hadn’t thought to pull on a robe first.

  Now she was standing in the hallway naked.

  Just her luck!

  Dashing a frantic glance up and down the empty corridor, she was grateful to be alone and hoping no one would be around on a weekday morning. She blew out a breath of relief, but it didn’t last long. How could she call the Super to get back inside her apartment?

  Rubbing her forehead, she groaned at her own incompetence. She could hear her mother now, calling this another “Hazel moment’.” These particular ‘moments’ seemed to happen a lot for Hazel. Last night, she lost her phone in the refrigerator. Long story. The night before she had pasted her fingers together. Another long—embarrassing—story. Add these to a long list of incidents she’d rather forget.

  Good thing it wasn’t a crime to be clumsy.

  Just when she thought things couldn’t get any worse than standing naked in a hallway, she heard the ding of the elevator and it was moving.

  In horror, she watched the elevator scale floors one, two, three, four…and oh no!

  “Shit! Shit! Shit!”

  Searching the hallway, she felt her stomach drop into her toes. Where could she hide? It was a corridor for heaven’s sake!

  She could knock on old man Cooper’s door, but she might give him an episode. He tended to pass out when he got too excited, at least from what his daughter had told Hazel.

  Grabbing the newspaper, she shook out the folds and pressed the paper against the important parts of her naked curves about the same time the elevator came to a grinding stop.

  Today just wasn’t her day.

  The metal doors slid open and standing inside the cubicle was none other than Cox Landon, her grouchy neighbor that she’d labeled as “Man-bear” because of his similar unbearable attitude to the mentioned animal. The very man she loathed. Worse than loathed. He rubbed her the wrong way with his thick hair, too bright of eyes and broad shoulders that didn’t belong on anyone outside of football linebackers.

  How could she ever face him again if he caught her in her current situation?

  Taking several steps backward and pressing against the wall, she thought she might be safe underneath a blown ceiling light. For the first time since she’d moved into the overpriced residential building, she was grateful the lazy Super never got around to doing his job and the bulb hadn’t been replaced, offering her some respite in this horrendous position.

  He stepped out of the elevator and, as usual, he looked like he could spit venom. His dusty blonde hair hung in disheveled curls that brushed his neck. Layers of peppery gray fur covering his rigid jaw combining with his scowl made him look amazingly dangerous. The bulky beige Carhart didn’t hide the outline of his strong, Viking shoulders and the worn Wranglers only accentuated his muscular legs. Sexy looks were wasted on the man-bear.

  What little she knew about him she could fit inside a thimble, but sometimes a woman knew by instinct alone that she needed to steer clear of a particu
lar man. No wonder he never had company, especially of the female variety. Who wanted to spend time with a grouch?

  However, there was that woman who visited him at booty-call-midnight then proceeded to wake Hazel up with “praises” to God. She cringed, remembering how she’d been kept up for hours.

  Man-bear paused with his hand—rather large hand—on the doorknob.

  Did he suspect that he wasn’t alone?

  Steadying herself against the wall, she held her breathe, watching him. Please go inside. Please go inside. Please. Go. Inside!

  The paper crinkled loudly.

  He lifted his chin and saw her, piercing her with a deep green stare that made goosebumps pop out on her bare skin. That same confident gaze slipped leisurely down her body and some of his glower disappeared, exchanged for a half-hearted grin. How dare he! Of course he’d find her situation humorous. Normally, she’d stiffen her spine and move on. Yet, dignity was hard to muster when her tatas and cootie were hidden behind a scrap of newspaper that was shrinking by the second.

  Why didn’t he just go inside? Leave her peacefully. Any other time he would have looked straight through her.

  “Can I help?” The husky vibration of his voice found its way to her nipples, making them scrunch in awareness.

  She cursed the betrayal of her body. She’d thought the physical appreciation she once felt for him, before he’d opened his mouth, had been buried underneath all the loathing, but she’d been profoundly wrong. It only made her angrier that he could affect her in such a way. Make her want things that couldn’t happen.

  “You could start by turning away,” she clipped.

  A gentleman would have politely did as she asked, but a man-bear would completely ignore her request, just as he did. The spite of the man! Did he have no morals?

  “Don’t worry, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before,” he said smoothly, his playful smile deepening and causing crinkles to flare around his eyes.

  His daring arrogance ripped through her like a searing explosion. “You haven’t seen me before!” Her hatred for him erupted off the scale.

  “Did your boyfriend lock you out?” The corners of his mouth lifted higher, intensifying the dimples—no, trenches—that bracketed those amazing lips—the bottom lip slightly fuller. She couldn’t deny, even as angry and embarrassed as she was, that he had a kissable mouth. Women paid thousands for a lush pout like his.

  Her first instinct was to say, “What boyfriend”, but she pressed her lips together. Her private life was none of his business, neither was the sad fact that she hadn’t dated anyone seriously in two years. “You think you’re real funny, don’t you? You should hurry inside. I’m sure it’s hibernation season for bears.” Once the words were out, she wanted to drag them back in. What sort of a comeback was “hibernation season for bears”? Not a good one because it didn’t bother him at all. Normally, she was quick with quips—could go from classy to gangster in record time, but something about this man, the way he made her tongue twist in knots and her nipples swell, that had her on a roller coaster. Even now she had the urge to slap the smirk from his face, maybe kiss it off, but she couldn’t sink to that level. And, literally, she couldn’t risk moving the paper.

  “Ouch. That hurt.” His brows creased some, then he turned and unlocked his door. With a cavalier glance her direction, he stepped inside his apartment and closed the door behind him in finality.

  Naked and butt-hurt, she stomped toward the elevator, stabbed the button, and waited impatiently for the doors to open. She squinted back at apartment five-twelve where man-bear had disappeared and she groaned, lifted her hand, and gave the closed door a middle-finger salute. “I hope you get a massive case of hemorrhoids,” she muttered under her breath and stepped into the cubicle, pressing the appropriate button.

  Going down one floor, she peeked out of the sliding doors, making sure no one lingered in the hallway before she raced to the door at the end, knocking. Thankfully, her friend Denise was home.

  “What the hell happened to you?” the pretty brunette lifted her three-month-old son higher on her shoulder and adjusted the burp cloth. A splotch of milky wetness covered the front of her T-shirt.

  “Thank God you’re here. Is David home?” David was Denise’s husband. The last thing Hazel wanted was to show her body to another man today.

  “No, he’s at work. I can’t wait to hear what you’ve gotten yourself into now.” Denise stepped aside and Hazel hurried inside. “Ahh, I wish my ass was still that tight.” The door was closed with a disenchanted sigh from Denise. “All the squats in the world won’t bring mine back.”

  “Your ass is fine. Now, can I use your phone to call the Super?”

  “Sure. Phone’s on the coffee table. Why don’t you do that while I put Brax down for his nap, then grab you some clothes. You can fill me in on the story over a glass of Moscato. It’s wine-thirty somewhere.”

  “I can certainly use one.”

  Fifteen minutes later, the Super was called, her borrowed clothes were on, and she and Denise were sitting in the chairs on the balcony staring out onto the busy traffic of downtown Cheyenne. “Don’t tell Dave.” She snuffed out the cigarette and hid the box back in the potted plant.

  “What happens on your balcony stays on your balcony. That’s why I’m telling you, I can’t stand that man! I could strangle him.” Hazel swirled her Moscato in her glass, not meeting her friend’s curious gaze.

  “Dave?”

  “Noooo. My neighbor.”

  “Because he saw you naked?”

  Hazel huffed, “Because he’s insufferable. Why couldn’t he have simply ignored me and stepped into his apartment? But no, not man-bear. He had to stir the pot with his egotistical comments.” Hearing a giggle, Hazel glanced across the few feet of space and narrowed her gaze on Denise. “This isn’t funny.” She tapped her short nails on the glass.

  “Yes, my dear. It’s very funny. Think about it. If the tables were turned, I think your thoughts would be completely different. What if you stepped out of the elevator and there stood your hunky neighbor, naked? He might be a bear, but he certainly is a sexy one.”

  “Motherhood has made you too logical.”

  Denise sighed. “And boring. The most fun I’ve had all week is watching that show where couples marry after a week of dating. I’m wearing pee on my pants, milk on my shirt and the same socks that I cleaned up spilled oatmeal with last night. I can’t wait for Brax to be potty trained so that I can clean it up off the bathroom floor instead of off my body. No one would guess that I once was important.” Tears filled her hazel eyes. “I attended Harvard. Graduated top of my class. Voted most likely to succeed.”

  “Aw, sweetie. You’re still important. You have the adoration of your husband and a child who looks at you as if you hung the moon. You’ll go back to work when you’re ready.”

  “Dave doesn’t want me to return. He thinks Brax needs his mother at home so he can be well-rounded. I ran into an old friend the other day and she asked me if I’d found a preschool yet? He hasn’t even spoken his first word and I’m supposed to know where I’ll be sending him to preschool? She said the best places have waiting lists.”

  “You’re being too hard on yourself. Parenting doesn’t come with an instruction manual. It’s a learning process.”

  Emptying her glass, she set it aside. “Enough about my sad story. Now, about man-bear’s ass—”

  “You’re right, I’d look, but…but—”

  “You might be attracted to him a little?”

  “Yes…I mean, no.” Hazel felt her cheeks warms. “He’s not my type. Not in the slightest.” She swallowed the last of the wine. The sun peeked from behind a cloud and she basked in its warmth.

  “I’m getting hot. Let’s go back inside.” Denise stood, grabbed the half-full bottle and took the lead inside.

  Hazel followed, taking a seat on the plush, white sofa and tucking her bare feet up under her bottom. When Denise joined her, Hazel asked
, “Didn’t you say you were wearing pee and you still look this amazing?”

  Denise laughed, giving her thick blonde hair a Marilyn Monroe toss over one shoulder. “Yes, aren’t I just lovely? At least one person thinks so.”

  “What’s wrong?” Repositioning herself, Hazel patted Denise’s hand. “Is it you and David?”

  “Like I told you before, he doesn’t seem to notice me anymore, at least not like he used to before I became pregnant. I can’t blame him. I’ve traded my Chanel for baby spit up. It’s not exactly an enchanting scent.”

  “I can only imagine how hard it is with two A.M. feedings.”

  “Let’s not talk about it. Let’s talk about you. You know I like to live vicariously through you. Have you thought anymore about letting me set you up on a blind date with Charlie? He’s been single for a year, he’s a junior associate at David’s firm, and he’s very handsome. He looks a lot like Ryan Reynolds.”

  “Although a Ryan Reynolds lookalike is tempting, I don’t do blind dates. Ever.”

  “So then you enjoy being single?”

  “I enjoy being myself without the hassle of worrying about pleasing someone. You remember my last disaster? All he ever did was complain about me needing to decide what I wanted to do with my life. I’m no closer in figuring that out and I don’t need a man helping me propel my life into fast forward. It’s not like it’s that uncommon for a thirty-year-old to not realize what she wants to do in her future.”

  “Sure. I support you in every endeavor, even being single. How’s the dog sitting business coming?”

  Some of Hazel’s anger returned. “Thanks to man-bear I had to give it up. He complained about the dogs barking and interrupting his sleep. Who sleeps during the day anyway?”

  “Someone who works the nightshift.” Denise gave Hazel a remorseful smile. “More wine?”