SOMEONE WAS WATCHING HERâ¦
No matter how many times Tessa Camry moves, her mysterious tormentor always finds herâ¦and leaves a grim reminder of all sheâs lost. But this year, no longer content to deliver roses, her stalker wants her dead. When former army ranger Seth Sinclair becomes her bodyguard, he encourages her to stand her ground, even if it means letting go of long-held secrets. Seth realizes that Tessa may be his second chance at love, but their future depends on finding the man determined that Tessa never forgets the pastâ¦.
Heroes for Hire: Seeking the truthâat any cost.
âSomeone is after you, Tess.
And I think you know who it is.â
âI donât!â she protested.
Seth studied her silently, his eyes cold. âWeâre dealing with a guy who sneaks around to do his dirty work. Someone who wants the world to see him one way, but who isnât what he seems. A charlatan. Sound familiar?â
She almost said it didnât, because no one in her present life was like that.
But there was someone from her past.
An upright citizen on the surface but as evil as they came where it counted the most.
Tessa stepped away from him, trying to clear her mind before she opened her mouth and changed her life forever.
âWhat are you thinking?â Seth asked. He could tell she was right on the edge of telling him somethingâsomething big.
âYou just described myâ¦â
âYour husband?â
SHIRLEE McCOY
has always loved making up stories. As a child, she daydreamed elaborate tales in which she was the heroineâgutsy, strong and invincible. Though she soon grew out of her superhero fantasies, her love for storytelling never diminished. She knew early that she wanted to write inspirational fiction, and she began writing her first novel when she was a teenager. Still, it wasnât until her third son was born that she truly began pursuing her dream of being published. Three years later, she sold her first book. Now a busy mother of five, Shirlee is a homeschooling mom by day and an inspirational author by night. She and her husband and children live in the Pacific Northwest and share their house with a dog, two cats and a bird. You can visit her website, www.shirleemccoy.com, or email her at [email protected].
ONE
Black.
Not the color of love, friendship, admiration.
The color of sorrow and death.
Tessa Camry lifted the single long-stemmed rose from the hood of her car and tossed it into her yard.
Five years.
Five black roses.
She glanced around the quiet neighborhood and saw nothing out of place. She never did. One rose every year to remind her. That was it. As if she needed anything to keep the memories from dying.
She slid into her Ford Mustang, backing down the long driveway, her skin crawling. Five towns. Five states. And still the flower had found her. Sheâd come to expect that it would, but that didnât mean she was happy about it.
âItâs not like you went to a lot of effort to hide,â she muttered, her words echoing hollowly in the car.
True. She hadnât been hiding, but she hadnât announced her location, either. No Christmas cards or phone callsâno contact with anyone from the past. Nothing to tie her to her college years, her married years.
The mission trip.
She shoved the thought away, checking her mirror several times as she made her way along the winding country road. Not a car in sight, but she couldnât shake the feeling that the person who had left the rose was following her; that the past was running toward her and one day it might catch hold and refuse to let go.
She shuddered as she pulled into the nearly empty parking lot of Centennial Physical Therapy. The small white building gleamed in the early morning sunlight. Tessa had been working there part-time as a physical therapist for five months. She didnât need the moneyâshe needed the distraction.
And today, she needed it more than ever.
She jumped out of the car and jogged to the small reception area, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. The memories were too close, and she wanted nothing more than to lose herself in her work. To forget what day it was, bury what had happened five years ago in flurry of activity that would exhaust her.
âFinally!â Dana Langtry looked up from the computer. Small and compact, her blond hair cropped short, Dana was energetic, efficient and friendly. She was also blunt and toughâa good combination for a physical therapistâs assistant.
âIâm fifteen minutes early,â Tessa pointed out as she went through the motions of shrugging out of her coat and pulling her hair into a ponytail, trying to pretend it was any other day rather than the day.