She swiped a stray tear. “Yes?”
“I want to be that man.”
She blinked. “What?”
“You remember our conversation where you told me to get over myself?”
She flushed. “I remember.”
“You were right. And as soon as I said I didn’t want to be that man, I regretted the words. I love you, Harper. We’ve been through a lot and come out on the other side and it took almost losing you to realize I don’t want to live life without you.” He glanced at Asher. “Make that we don’t want to live without you. Right, Champ?”
“Uh-huh. That’s right.”
The stunned look returned. Then she swallowed. “I didn’t think I’d hear those words quite this soon.”
He frowned. “Too soon?”
“No. Not at all. I’ve imagined you saying them almost every day and now...you have.”
“Yes. I have.”
She swallowed. “I love you, too, Riley. I think I realized it when you held that little puppy all the way to the rescue farm.”
He went speechless for a moment. “I...wow.”
“Is it time yet?” Asher whispered.
Riley laughed and handed the child the bell. “Go for it.”
Gleefully, Asher took the bell and skipped to the door.
* * *
Harper blinked. She’d forgotten the bell was there. Asher stood at the entrance into the main part of the restaurant and rang the bell three times. Then he ran back to the table and sat, folding his hands in his lap. Harper swung her gaze back to Riley. “What in the world are you two up to?”
“Mr. Petrov is bringing the—”
Riley clapped his hand back over Asher’s mouth. The little guy’s eyes crinkled at the corners and Harper laughed. Riley had better hurry up with his surprise or Asher was going to let her in on it.
“Are we ready, Mr. Martelli?”
Mr. Petrov walked into the room carrying a bag.
That moved?
The robust man handed it to Riley who quickly set it on the floor. “Thank you.”
“Yes sir, I have your food for you when you’re ready.”
“Just a few more minutes.”
“Of course. Take as long as you like.” He bustled from the room and Harper blinked as a little yap came from under the table.
Amused, she grinned. “Did that bag just bark?”
Riley sighed and rolled his eyes. “Yes, but just hold on a minute.”
“But Uncle Riley—”
“Ash—”
But Asher had already clamped his own hand over his own mouth. Harper lost it. She laughed. A deep belly laugh that rolled all the way up and out of her mouth. Tears leaked from her eyes and it was a good minute before she could control her mirth. Riley handed her a napkin and she dabbed at the wetness trying not to completely destroy the little makeup she had on. “Oh, my, Asher. You’re just too much.”
Riley, too, was laughing and shaking his head. He reached down and she heard the bag rustle. Then a little black and brown head with floppy ears popped up. Harper gasped. “The puppy.”
“Yes.”
“You went back and got him.”
“I did.”
“He’s grown a bit.”
“That’s because he eats more than a fifteen-year-old boy does. Here.” He handed the squirming pup over to her. She held the puppy under her chin and he nipped it. He sported a red ribbon and smelled like all little puppies smell. Love and innocence and laughter. She scratched a silky ear and laughed again, marveling that her heart could feel so full.
Something hard bounced against her hand and she looked down. Another gasp slipped from her lips. Her insides turned to mush and her muscles went weak. She met Riley’s gaze. And read so many emotions there. Emotions she was sure were mirrored in her own eyes. She lifted the ring that he’d tied into the ribbon and stared at the beautiful diamond.
He lifted a brow. “Do you like it?”
“Of course she likes it,” Asher blurted. “Who doesn’t like puppies?”
Riley stroked his nephew’s head fondly, but his eyes never left hers. With shaking fingers, Harper tucked the little body under her arm and released the ribbon around the puppy’s neck.
The diamond slid off the end of the cloth and fell into her palm. “It’s beautiful.”
“Will you marry me?”
“Us,” Asher said. “’Cuz I live with Uncle Riley now. Mimi does too.”
“Yes,” Riley said, “sorry, us. We’re a package deal, I’m afraid.”
Tears spilled over her dark lashes. She tried to speak, but realized nothing was coming out. She settled for nodding.
“Yay!” Asher jumped up and pumped a fist in the air. “She said yes, Uncle Riley, she said yes!”
Harper gave another watery laugh. Riley stood and walked around the table to take the puppy from her arms. “Here, Champ, hold Rudolph for a minute.”
Harper raised a brow. “Rudolph?”
“Don’t ask me why. A six-year-old named him.”
“Oh, right.”
He held his hand out. “Could I hold the ring?”
“Are you going to give it back?”
He chuckled. “Yes.”
“Okay, then.” She dropped it into his hand. With his other hand, he raised her to her feet then went down on one knee and looked up at her. “Are you sure?”
“More sure than anything in the world.”
He slipped the ring on her finger then stood.
“You gotta kiss her now,” Asher stage-whispered.
“Thanks, Champ, I guess I do.”
He leaned over and placed his warm lips on hers. Harper’s knees wanted to melt so she locked her arms around his neck and kissed him right back with all the love and emotion she had in her heart.
“That’s good enough,” Asher said impatiently. “I’m hungry.”
Harper opened her eyes and looked into Riley’s. “I love you. Later?”
“Absolutely.”
Asher handed the puppy back to Riley, grabbed the bell and ran to the door to ring it again.
Mr. Petrov entered right away followed by two of his workers carrying their food. The restaurant owner took the puppy. “Enjoy this start of a new life, my friends. I pray many blessings over you and your family.”
Harper sucked in a breath. Yes. Family. Prayers and blessings.
God was good.
Prayers were answered and dreams came true.
She knew that for a fact and couldn’t wait to see what the future held.
She grinned at her guys and sent up a silent prayer of thanks to the One who’d made it all work out.
Riley’s hand reached across the table and gripped hers and she reached for Asher’s hand. He took it then gripped his uncle’s.
Harper looked at their hands. Gripped tight in a circle.
A never-ending circle of love.
* * * * *
If you enjoyed BOUNTY HUNTER, the next book in the CLASSIFIED K-9 UNIT series is BODYGUARD by Shirlee McCoy.
And don’t miss a book in the series:
GUARDIAN by Terri Reed
SHERIFF by Laura Scott
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 WILDERNESS REUNION by Elizabeth Goddard.
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Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for joining me on Riley and Harper’s journey to catch the bad guys and find true love. Riley had a hard time with his sister’s murder (who wouldn’t?) and Harper had grown up in a tough situation. But she’d made peace with it and now trusted God to lead her. Riley
was mad at God about the whole situation, but gradually sees that while on this earth, people with free will are going to make bad choices that affect other people’s lives in ways that irrevocably change them...and not always for the better. He decided he didn’t want Van to “win” and was able to move past the bitterness and anger in order to find peace and joy and a new life with Harper and Asher. I pray if there’s bitterness and anger in your life, you can find the same joy and peace, a life filled with God’s blessings and goodness. I hope you’ll look for the other books in this series. They’re all written by different, talented authors! Books 5 and 6 release after this one so be sure to tune in to find out what happens to Jake and Penny Potter! I love to hear from readers. Find me on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/lynette.eason or Twitter at @lynetteeason. My website is www.lynetteeason.com, where you can learn more about me and my books!
Blessings to you,
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense story.
You enjoy a dash of danger. Love Inspired Suspense stories feature strong heroes and heroines whose faith is central in solving mysteries and saving lives.
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Wilderness Reunion
by Elizabeth Goddard
ONE
Danger could lurk behind the beauty. She should know that better than anyone.
Slathered in insect repellent, Alice Wilde and her client had already hiked for three days into the Oregon mountains filled with bald eagles, waterfalls and huge, winding trees—oaks, pines and junipers—while they did their best to avoid poison oak.
This was called “roughing it” by any standard.
Marie had hired Alice to lead her on a hike in the wilderness—it had been on her bucket list, she’d said. Marie had wanted this off-trail adventure far from the overcrowded Rogue River forty-mile trail and the buzzing drones in the canyon.
Tens of thousands of designated wilderness acreage still remained to explore, not counting about a million acres of Siskiyou National Forest. They weren’t going to run out of places to explore anytime soon, which was something Alice loved about the area.
What she didn’t love? The heat, the sweat and the bugs she’d experienced during this brutal hike. She should be in a raft guiding other enthusiasts who’d come to the region to meet the white-water rapid challenge. Except Alice had never wanted to get in that river again after what had happened eight months ago. Someone had trusted her to guide him down the Rogue River through the hazardous rapids.
Rapids that had turned deadly. The man had died on her watch.
As if her thoughts had conjured the image of flowing water, she crossed a small creek—one that eventually emptied into the Rogue River miles away. Alice followed the brook upstream. Marie continued behind her, enjoying the quiet forest as they hiked. Her feet aching, Alice would need to look for a place to set up camp for the night.
She came across a PVC pipe and froze.
Someone diverted water from this brook. Totally illegal. And a bad sign.
Glancing back at Marie who viewed the unnatural sight with curiosity, Alice warned her in a soft whisper, “Stay here.”
“But the—”
Alice held a finger to her lips as she lowered her heavy pack to the ground. Pressed her palms down, signaling Marie to stay low. The woman crouched, frowning, with not a little anxiety in her eyes. Alice removed her weapon from its holster. As quietly as possible, she followed the black PVC pipe from the brook through the woods. When the pipe detoured away from the creek, she hunkered behind the thick trunk of a pine and peered through the bushy shrub growing at its base.
About a hundred yards away, through the dense forest, she could just make out an area where trees had been cut down.
Garbage—plastic bags and propane bottles—was strewn about.
And she could see the plants.
Rows and rows of plants.
Her pulse roared in her ears.
Marijuana.
Oh no!
She’d stumbled on an illegal growing operation. How big, she couldn’t know. Regardless, she had to escape before anyone spotted her.
Maybe it hadn’t been wise to follow the pipe, but neither would it have been wise to continue hiking without investigating. She didn’t want to lead Marie into danger that could get one or both of them killed.
Now she’d need to get the global position on her cell to mark the exact location to report to the authorities. Gripping her handgun and her cell, Alice crept backward then pivoted on her heels and ran straight into a man holding an automatic gun.
Her heart clambered behind her rib cage.
His face scrunched up. “Do I know you?”
In his fifties, silver weaved through his black hair and Van Dyke beard. Menacing dark eyes flashed at her. She’d seen him before, but where or when, she couldn’t remember. Panic incapacitated every thought. No time to respond. No time to think. All she could do was act.
She whipped her weapon up and aimed at his face. He didn’t seem worried in the least. She fingered the trigger and stepped sideways, giving herself a wide berth around him as she backed away from both him and the operation.
“Put your weapon down,” she said.
“I don’t think so.”
If Alice shot him, or even fired off her weapon as a warning, she would bring the rest of the illegal operation down on her and Marie.
His eyes narrowed. “I do know you.”
She couldn’t say the same.
Alice turned and dived into the foliage, her cell slipping from her sweaty fingers, and ran. Trees and bushes scratched her face, tore her clothes, and fear that any second she’d receive a bullet to her back accosted her. A smattering of shots ricocheted off the woods behind her. The shouts of many men bounced off the trees. She didn’t dare go back and retrieve her cell phone. It wasn’t worth her life.
Without slowing, she caught Marie by the arm and yanked her forward. Through her gasps, she said, “We have to run and keep running, Marie. Forget the bears and rattlesnakes. There’s something more deadly in these woods.”
* * *
Griffin Slater downshifted to slow his motorcycle—a silver-and-blue Suzuki Hayabusa—or Busa as he called it, and the fastest motorcycle in the world. Slowing the vehicle didn’t come naturally to him, but this hazardous, curvy mountain road was unmanageable at the speed he was going.
Dusk fell quickly in the woods and Griffin turned on his headlights. Two miles left before he arrived in Gideon, Oregon, in the Wild Rogue Wilderness. Weeks ago he’d contacted the sheriffs in various counties along the West Coast and informed them of his journalistic project regarding illegal marijuana grown on public land, so when his sheriff uncle called him to report a new lead, Griffin dropped everything to get there. As valuable as this could be for his story, he didn’t like to think this kind of activity had sprung up in the wilderness area in his uncle’s county.
The area surrounding Alice Wilde.
The fact that she’d been the one to stumble on the operation had plagued him. She could have bee
n killed.
He’d driven in tonight because he’d wanted to get to Gideon ahead of his uncle who was coming from Gold Beach in the morning. Moisture bloomed on his hands at the thought of facing Alice for the first time since he’d walked away two years ago.
* * *
Rubbing her arms, Alice stared out the front window of her home.
You’re fortunate to be alive...
Sheriff Kruse’s words echoed through her. Once she and Marie had made it to a lodge where they could use the emergency radio, she’d immediately called the sheriff’s department. Alice had left her pack with the SAT phone behind on her frantic run from deadly bullets. Stupid, stupid. Then someone had driven her and Marie back to Gideon and Marie left to fly home to Missouri, where she would be safe from all this mess Alice had stumbled into.
As a trained wilderness guide, she knew the signs, knew what to look for and avoid, and yet she’d walked right into it, endangering herself and Marie. Her brothers, Cooper and Gray, would be more than furious when they found out. She didn’t even want to think about Dad’s reaction. She could almost be glad they were all out of town, but at the same time, she was terrified to be on her own.
The man in the woods claimed he knew her. Did he also know where she lived? Did her pack contain any identifying information? Then again, it probably wouldn’t be so hard to find out who she was or where she lived if he didn’t already know.
The sheriff wouldn’t arrive until the morning. Unfortunately, he had a large county and not enough deputies to go around. Alice had a long night ahead of her. She doubted she would do more than hold her weapon, stare at the ceiling and out the windows until dawn. Might as well get out of the house while there was a little light left in the day.
Grabbing a light jacket, she left the house and headed to Ricky’s Rogue Bar-B-Q. The place had practically burned down in the winter, but they’d built it back and put in a new and bigger kitchen. You could hardly tell anything had happened. At least she didn’t have to spend the first part of her evening alone.
Hiking the short distance to Gideon proper took her through the woods and brought back the trauma of the last few days of running, hiking, barely sleeping as they made their way out of the wilderness to civilization.
Bounty Hunter (Classified K-9 Unit) Page 18