by Liliana Hart
Their four children are grown and making their own waves in the world. Jayden, as a successful painter whose work hangs in museums all over the world. Rose, who fell in love at an early age with the animals on the MacKenzie ranch and decided to go into veterinary medicine. And Dempsey and Victoria, who both work for MacKenzie Security.
Thomas and Cat have beaten all odds. Who would have thought a small town doctor and one of the world’s most renowned cat burglars could’ve had a happily ever after? Surrender eventually grew to a size where it no longer made sense for Thomas to treat patients from the office at the MacKenzie farmstead. So he built an office in town on the other side of the library. Cat says she’s grateful not to have strangers roaming around her house anymore.
Speaking of Cat, she was quite an asset to MacKenzie Security for a lot of years when it came to “retrieving” certain items. I’ve never, to this day, seen someone with her skill at getting in and out of places without being detected. We’ve never been able to replace her, but she’s been content with retiring from that life and raising their four children. She’s turned her time as a homemaker into a popular cooking blog, sharing recipes that we’re always happy to try out for her.
Three of Thomas and Cat’s children are employed by MacKenzie Security in some capacity. The oldest, Griff, followed in his father’s footsteps as one of two doctors in Surrender. Greta, the youngest, followed in her mother’s footsteps, and I’ve used her for several missions that required a little more delicacy than going in with a team and guns blazing.
Riley and Maggie have always lived a life of adventure and travel, and more so than any of the others, they tend to stick to themselves and enjoy each other. It took them a while to have children, but they were blessed with three, one right after the other. And once the last one was off to college, Riley and Maggie decided to take six months for a trip around the world. They’re rarely in town unless it’s for a holiday, and the last I’d heard, they were on a cruise in the Mediterranean.
Cooper and Claire are usually easy to find. They’re both pillars of the community in Surrender since Cooper is the longest running sheriff the state of Montana has ever had, and Claire is still the head librarian. Their oldest son, Ian, is a Navy SEAL and part of the team MacKenzie Security uses on occasion. Their other son, Colin, moved to Texas and is working with Cade out of the Dallas field office. Colin was an Army Ranger, so his skillset is very specialized and useful to the family business.
Cade and Bayleigh love living in Texas, but they make trips to Surrender several times a year for staff meetings and family gatherings. I never would have thought Cade was capable of turning into the family man he has after the things he’s lived through and done, but he proved me wrong. Bayleigh and his girls are his world, and he plays the role of overprotective father to a tee. It is a brave man indeed who approaches one of the MacKenzie girls for a date, though they can take care of themselves if truth be told. Bayleigh’s lingerie shop has become one of the most exclusive and popular stores in the city, and she opened another store in Dallas so she and Cade could have lunch together most days. Of all my brothers, Cade reminds me most of my father. It’s a nice feeling to have his presence in the house when we’re all gathered together.
Grant and Annabeth live a quiet life. Their farmhouse always seems to be gaining a new addition or a remodel, but that’s to be expected since building is in Grant’s blood and he always needs a project. Annabeth has the patience of a saint.
Her boutique has done well in Surrender, but it’s the little room in the back where she sells intimate items and select sexual aides that really keeps the shop well in the black. The ladies of Surrender look at Annabeth as a woman who broke the mold of having men dictate what was respectable for “their” women to buy, and she fought past town ordinances and opposition every step of the way.
The crowning moment was when she held a town hall meeting for women, encouraging them to make good use of their guest rooms until their husbands brought their thinking into the twenty-first century. MacKenzie men have always been progressive when it comes to our wives, so we were able to stand back and watch in amusement, but for a few days, there were an awful lot of unhappy men in Surrender. Needless to say, they changed their minds rather quickly and allowed Annabeth to sell her products right there on Main Street. Of course, she paved the way for other women, because a few years later when Liza Carmichael moved to town and took over her aunt’s bakery, she was able to sell exotic cakes and pastries with no protests at all.
Darcy and Brant have bought a sprawling ranch that edged the MacKenzie property, and though they still live in D.C. full time, they speak often of making the transition back to Montana and retiring from city life. Brant still runs the D.C. branch of MacKenzie Security, and their son, Mac, is being groomed to take his father’s position. I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have at the helm. Mac is brilliant, and he was recruited by the CIA while he was still in college. He was born for the job, and he made a name for himself within the CIA ranks before I was finally able to convince him to take up the family business. He’s a hell of a negotiator, and I’d be amused if I wasn’t paying him so much. He reminds me a hell of a lot of myself, which Darcy tells me often made Mac’s childhood very interesting.
Darcy is considered the premier expert on the Mayan civilization in the world, and she travels a lot for lectures or if new discoveries are made. But like Brant, she’s anxious to leave the city life and come back to her roots. I can’t imagine having Darcy underfoot again. I still remember her as a bratty kid, following us around and giving us hell at every turn. Most of my cuts and bruises as a kid were because of her. She has a hell of a right hook.
Shane and Tess have been essential to the growth of MacKenzie Security. There was a time when I wondered if I’d lose my youngest brother. And for a while, I did. I can’t imagine what it was like for him to lose his command, his leg, and his pride in one fell swoop. But I’ll never be able to repay him for the sacrifice he made, because the only reason I’ve been able to grow old with Sophia is because of him.
Tess has remained as chief of staff at the hospital and put us on the map as far as the latest in medical procedures and what’s coming out of the R&D lab. I couldn’t be prouder of the advances we’ve made in medicine for our soldiers, law enforcement of all agencies, and government contractors. They do the jobs no one else has the guts to and they deserve the best. I’m glad we’re able to give it to them.
I’ve lived an incredible life, though it’s far from over yet. I have no intention of stepping down from the helm anytime soon, but my focus has and always will be on Sophia and our life together. She’s more beautiful now than the day I married her, and I know I’ll love her more tomorrow than I do today. There’s still no other woman I want to wake up next to or make love to. There’s no other woman I’d rather tackle life with.
We’ve been blessed to have friends and agents that have become family. They’ve been loyal through the years and put their lives at risk countless times. Max and Jade Devlin had each moved from field ops to training new agents. Needless to say, our new agents are formidable opponents. Archer and Audrey Ryan have also moved to the intelligence side of things in the company. Audrey has skills that are irreplaceable, and Archer has contacts that are invaluable.
And then there’s Brady and Elena Scott. They overcame all the obstacles and have made a beautiful life for themselves. Brady’s love for being a SEAL and staying in the military outweighed every offer I made him to join MacKenzie Security over the years. I don’t hold it against him. He’s known now as Admiral Scott and is the chief of operations for the navy. Elena is still an invaluable part of the team, running operations from behind the console and bringing our agents home safe.
When I look back at my life, I don’t think of the close calls or life-or-death situations. I don’t think of the evil in this world or that every day could be the last. What I think about is growing up on this vast stretch of land with my sib
lings and cousins. I think about roaming free and raising hell. I think about midnight swims in the lake and Sunday dinners after church.
I think about stolen kisses in the hayloft and riding a runaway tractor through the fence while my brothers doubled over with laughter. I think about marrying Sophia in the backyard under a canopy of flowers and knowing with certainty I’d do it all over again. I think about walking with her hand in hand and watching the sunset, and I think about how our children were born in the same bed that my siblings and I were born in.
It’s safe to say that the path my grandparents started for us more than a century ago has blossomed into something beautiful. Maybe someday I’ll write my memoirs so the younger generations know how special their legacy is. And I think it’s safe to say that MacKenzies will be around for a long time.
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Dawn of Surrender
A MacKenzie Family Novella
Coming December 12, 2017
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MacKenzie vs. MacKenzie…
U.S. Marshal Cole MacKenzie has been tracking the leader of the notorious Silver Creek Bandits as they leave a trail of bodies in their wake with every bank they rob. The leader is smart, cunning, and ruthless. And he’s also his brother.
Elizabeth MacKenzie never dreamed her life would lead her to Montana, but she’d taken one look at Cole MacKenzie and known he was the one for her. She never imagined Cole’s obsession with hunting his brother would leave her in a marriage cold and barren, wondering when he’d come home.
One heart is broken and the other is bitter, but love is a choice, and it’s one Cole and Elizabeth are determined to make.
Sweet Surrender
A Mackenzie Family Novella
By Liliana Hart
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It’s been twelve years since Liza Carmichael stepped foot in Surrender, but after her great aunt’s death she has no choice but to return and settle her estate. Which includes the corner bakery that’s been a staple in Surrender for more than fifty years.
After twenty-five years on the job, Lieutenant Grant Boone finds himself at loose ends now that he’s retired. He’s gotten a number of job offers—one from MacKenzie Security—but he’s burned out and jaded, and the last thing he wants to do is carry the burden of another badge and weapon. He almost turns down the invitation from his good friend Cooper MacKenzie to stay as their guest for a few weeks while he’s deciding what to do with the rest of his life. But he packs his bag and heads to Surrender anyway.
The only thing Boone knows is that his future plans don’t include Liza Carmichael. She’s bossy, temperamental, and the confections she bakes are sweet enough to tempt a saint. Thank God he’s never pretended to be one. But after he gets one taste of Liza and things start heating up in the kitchen, he realizes how delicious new beginnings can be.
Captured in Surrender
A MacKenzie Family Novella
By Liliana Hart
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Bounty Hunter Naya Blade never thought she’d step foot in Surrender, Montana again. Especially since there was a warrant out for her arrest. But when her skip ends up in the normally peaceful town, she has no choice but to go after him to claim her reward. Even at the cost of running into the cop that makes her blood run hot and her sense of self-preservation run cold.
Deputy Lane Greyson wants to see Naya in handcuffs, but he’d much prefer them attached to his bed instead of in a cold jail cell. She drove him crazy once before and then drove right out of town, leaving havoc in her wake. He’s determined to help her hunt down the bad guy so he can claim his own bounty—her.
The Promise of Surrender
A MacKenzie Family Novella
By Liliana Hart
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Mia Russo spent ten years working undercover, entrenched in the dregs of society before handing in her shield. Opening her own pawn shop is a piece of cake in comparison. All she needs is the bad attitude she developed on the streets and the shotgun under her counter to keep law and order. Until the day Zeke McBride walks into her shop.
Zeke knows Mia has every right not to trust him. He was the one who chose the next op instead of her. And all he can hope is that somewhere under the snarl and cynicism is a woman who can forgive. Because whether she trusts him or not, they’re going to have to work together to bring down the gang that’s decided Mia is their next target.
Trouble Maker
A MacKenzie Family Novel
by Liliana Hart
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Marnie Whitlock has never known what it’s like to be normal. Her ability to see the future and people’s innermost thoughts makes her an outcast—feared—loathed. Even by her own parents. And her father is determined to beat the curse out of her. Her only chance for survival is to escape Surrender.
Beckett Hamilton has loved Marnie since they were kids, but one horrible night destroyed any future he’d hoped for. Now Marnie was back in Surrender, and picking up where they left off is the only thing on his mind. He finds out quickly that some hearts take longer to heal, and not everyone that’s broken can be fixed. But loving Marnie isn’t an option—it’s his destiny.
On Behalf of 1001 Dark Nights,
Liz Berry and M.J. Rose would like to thank ~
Liliana Hart
Scott Silverii
Steve Berry
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Jillian Stein
InkSlinger PR
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and Simon Lipskar
Table of Contents
Book Description
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen