HIDING THE WITNESS
Caught accidentally eavesdropping on plans for a major cargo theft, Lily Doyle’s chased by men who want her dead. And she narrowly escapes when Deputy Sheriff Nate Bedford—her former high school classmate—comes to her rescue. The criminals won’t stop until they finish their mission, though, so going into hiding with the handsome lawman is her only shot at survival. With a troubled past hanging over his head, Nate has something to prove—to himself and the community. And saving Lily’s life could be a step in the right direction. But with a deadly crime ring aiming to silence her for good, will hiding Lily at his friend’s secluded ranch be enough to keep them away?
“Where were you hit?”
Nate quickly unbuckled his seat belt and moved toward her.
Her face was drained of color, her dark brown eyes looking bigger than usual.
When she didn’t answer, he started checking her for injuries, carefully brushing aside the bits of safety glass from her side window.
“I’m not hit,” she finally said, her voice oddly calm. She had to be in shock. He glanced at the windshield and saw a hole surrounded by a spiderweb of cracks where the bullet had passed through.
Ambush was Nate’s first thought. But from where? He twisted in the seat to look in every direction around them, but he couldn’t see anybody. “I’m going to unfasten your seat belt.”
“Okay.” Her voice sounded robotic. He didn’t blame her for being scared. He was scared, too. Maybe they were surrounded. Maybe somebody was getting ready to close in on them.
He unbuckled her seat belt and gently tugged down on her arm. “Slide to the floorboard and tuck down as low as you can. Stay out of sight.”
Looking ahead in life isn’t always easy. Especially when there are things in your past that you wish you could fix or change.
Deputy Nate Bedford worried that his tragic and unstable childhood left him without the resources to be a good father. Yet those very experiences gave him the compassion and drive to help others. Lily Doyle made some unwise decisions and was tempted to believe her life was ruined beyond repair. But in the process of recovering from her mistakes, she was reminded that we don’t have to be perfect people to be worthy of love.
With God’s grace and the help of family and good friends, we find we can keep moving forward even when we think we can’t. I hope when you face difficult times you’ll press on in faith and keep on going one step at a time.
You can find me at my website, Jennanight.com. Or at my Jenna Night page on Facebook. I retweet my fair share of cute animal pictures on Twitter @Night_Jenna. Or if you feel so inclined, shoot me an email at [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you.
Jenna Night
JENNA NIGHT comes from a family of Southern-born natural storytellers. Her parents were avid readers and the house was always filled with books. No wonder she grew up wanting to tell her own stories. She’s lived on both coasts, but currently resides in the Inland Northwest, where she’s astonished by the occasional glimpse of a moose, a herd of elk or a soaring eagle.
High Desert Hideaway
Jenna Night
MILLS & BOON
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Behold, I will do a new thing! Now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
—Isaiah 43:19
My mom, Esther. My sister, Bonnie. My brother, Roy. My kitty, Miss Loretta. I look forward to seeing you all again. Until then, I’ll enjoy the good memories.
Thank you to my editor, Elizabeth Mazer, and my agent, Sarah E. Younger, for your generous help and support.
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