In the remote Rocky Mountains, lives depend on the Search & Rescue brotherhood. But in a place this far off the map, trust is hard to come by and secrets can be murder…
As the captain of Field County’s ice rescue dive team, Callum Cook is driven to perfection. But when he meets new diver Louise “Lou” Sparks, all that hard-won order is obliterated in an instant. Lou is a hurricane. A walking disaster. And with her, he’s never felt more alive…even if keeping her safe may just kill him.
Lou’s new to the Rockies, intent on escaping her controlling ex, and she’s determined to make it on her own terms…no matter how tempting Callum may be. But when a routine training exercise unearths a body, Lou and Callum find themselves thrust into a deadly game of cat and mouse with a killer who will stop at nothing to silence Lou—and prove that not even her new Search and Rescue family can keep her safe forever.
She’d been kidding—well, kind of kidding—when
she’d hollered at him to cook, but there was a definite smell of bacon in the
cabin when she emerged from the bathroom twelve minutes later, smug about her
speediness. After she threw on some warm and not-too-smelly clothes, she
followed her nose to the kitchen, where Callum was indeed slaving over a hot
stove. Leaning against the wall, she enjoyed the view of him standing at the
stove, his sleeves pushed up to reveal his muscled forearms, lining up the strips
of bacon into perfect formation.
“You know,” she teased, “you could have your own
calendar. You’d only be wearing an apron in this shot. Although that’s kind of
asking for spitting bacon-grease burns, isn’t it?”
He flushed, and she realized she was getting pretty
proficient at making him turn red. “Did you want breakfast or not?” he
grumbled, forking the bacon onto a paper-towel-lined plate.
“Yes.” She reached over to steal a piece, but he
smacked her hand before she could reach her prize. “Ow. Did you happen to
notice my twelve-minute prep time?”
“Wait for the eggs. And yes, very impressive.”
“You’re making eggs, too? I might just keep you.”
Although he was trying to hide it, a smile was
fighting to break free. “You’re on toast duty.”
Lou glanced at the digital display showing the
charge left in her batteries. “If you want me to use the toaster, I’m going to
have to turn on the generator. The sun’s not high enough yet to produce much
power. That’s what happens when you get up at the crack of dawn.”
He just gave her a look. “We don’t have to have
toast.”
“No, it’s okay.” Heading for the front door, she
said over her shoulder, “If you made bacon and eggs, the least I can do is make
toast.”
Throwing on her boots but skipping the coat, she ran
outside to the small shed that housed her generator. She opened the valve that
allowed propane to the generator and reached for the start switch. A strange
hissing sound and the strong smell of propane made her hesitate. Instead of
turning on the generator, she pulled her hand back and closed the valve.
Trotting back to the cabin, she made a face. There
always had to be something going wrong. Why couldn’t she just eat bacon with
Callum in peace?
Inside, she nudged her temporary chef aside to grab
a spray bottle from under the sink.
“What’s up?” he asked, turning off the burner,
immediately slipping into calm and competent mode. It was like he could smell
the start of a potential crisis.
“Propane leak,” she said, squirting some dish soap
into the bottle and filling it the rest of the way with water. She grabbed her
coat on the way out this time. Callum followed her silently. As they crossed
the yard, the only sound was the crunch of snow beneath their boots. Although
she had on her brave face, Lou couldn’t help glancing around at the surrounding
trees. Everything was still and quiet, without even a breeze or the chatter of
a squirrel. It felt like the forest was holding its breath, watching.
“Leave the door open, would you?” she asked as they
both entered the shed. “There’s no other light in here.”
After she opened the valve again, she sprayed the
soapy water in a stream where the propane line connected to the generator. When
no bubbles formed, she frowned.
“Am I crazy, or do I hear and smell a leak?”
“You’re not crazy.” Taking the bottle from her,
Callum began spraying the length of the propane line. At about the midpoint,
large bubbles formed, and Lou closed the valve.
“This was cut.” Callum’s voice was grim as he
examined the slice in the line.
Leaning her chin on his shoulder so she could see
the hole as well, she growled, “That’s it. My tires and front door are one
thing, but you don’t mess with someone’s toast!”
“This isn’t funny, Lou.”
“I know.” She sighed, standing. “It’s scary and
dangerous and becoming really expensive. Joking in the face of adversity is
just what I do.”
There was a loud bang, and everything went dark.
With a yelp, Lou grabbed Callum’s arm, needing something to hang on to in the
sudden blackness. There was no one in here with them—she knew that. And
yet, she couldn’t help but feel a hot breath against the back of her
neck…couldn’t help but imagine hands reaching for her in the dark.
“It’s okay,” she reassured herself more than Callum.
“The door just blew shut.”
“There’s no wind.”
“It had to be the wind.” Lou released her death grip
on his arm and shuffled in the direction of the door, holding her hands in
front of her. “The alternative is too freaking scary.”
“I’ll get it.” Catching her, Callum gently tugged
her behind him. She grabbed a fistful of the back of his coat and followed him
the few steps to the door. He opened it slowly, peering around outside before
stepping forward to allow Lou out of the shed.
Although it was a relief to escape the darkness,
standing outside felt almost as nerve-racking. Her gaze darted around the
snow-covered ground, looking for tracks of some kind or any kind of evidence
to prove or disprove that someone had been here…though she wasn’t sure yet
which she preferred.
“Do you think he was here last night?” She examined
the packed snow around the shed entrance, looking for a boot track matching the
ones under her window.
“Could be.” Callum closed the door behind him. “Or
he could’ve done this two nights ago, and we just didn’t notice. When was the
last time you ran your generator?”
“Three days ago?” She squinted in thought. “Maybe
four? I know I didn’t turn it on yesterday, so the propane line could’ve been
cut at the same time as the honey thing.”
Cocking his head, he looked at her. “But you don’t
think it was.”
With a shrug, she moved around to the other side of
the shed, still looking for tracks. “I’m probably being paranoid—”
He interrupted with a snort. “Are you paranoid if
someone’s really after you?”
Her smile was more pained than amused. “Something
woke me last night—or this morning, I guess. It’s just a feeling, but I think
he was out there.”
Callum waved her toward the front door. “Let’s eat
and then go to the clinic. You can call the sheriff on the way to Connor
Springs.”
Climbing the porch steps, she asked, “Shouldn’t we
wait for Rob to get here?”
“He knows the way, and you don’t lock your generator
shed.” With a disapproving look, he added, “You probably should.”
“It has a lock,” she protested. “I’m just not
exactly sure where the key is.”
He grunted, and she resisted the urge to make a
face. Callum was the only person she knew who could fit a reprimand into a
single wordless noise.
“Eggs,” he said, “and bacon. Can’t waste bacon.”
“Definitely not!” she agreed with appropriately
theatrical dismay, and then laughed when he gave her a look. But her laughter
died as Callum headed into the house, leaving her alone on the porch. Lou
paused, skin prickling, and twisted her head to scan the trees. She couldn’t
help but wonder if someone was there even now, watching. Waiting.
Wanting to hurt her.
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About the Author: When she’s not writing, Katie Ruggle rides horses, shoots guns, and travels to warm places where she can SCUBA dive. Graduating from the Police Academy, Katie received her ice-rescue certification and can attest that the reservoirs in the Colorado mountains really are that cold. While she still misses her off-grid, solar- and wind-powered house in the Rocky Mountains, she now lives in Rochester, Minnesota near her family.Social Media:
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In the remote Rocky
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with the woman he once loved and lost, Artemis Rey.
Artemis has never stopped
wanting Derek. Now, racing to find the girls before it's too late, minutes turn
to hours. Night falls. Old flames rekindle. And a danger grows in the darkest
wilderness that may be more than even the Search and Rescue brotherhood can
hope to face...
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