Deep Waters

DUTY TO PROTECT

Thirty feet underwater when her oxygen tank fails, Caley Flynn fears it’s been sabotaged—and she’ll be the next to die. Her intern’s already dead, her home breached and something’s amiss at her Florida marine-life rescue center...but no one believes she’s in danger. Except Shepherd Lightman. When Caley’s brother asked him to check on her, the marine turned security specialist hoped it would be a case of calming down a nervous veterinarian. But the threats are all too real. Rescuing Caley and remaining alive isn’t easy, but resisting his boss’s sister is where the real danger lies. Because with his heart in the balance, he’ll do whatever it takes to stop a killer who’s desperate to keep a secret hidden.

What was happening to her?

First someone tried to kill her underwater, now her home was ransacked.

“Go get cleaned up,” Shep said as he surveyed the disaster.

Right now Caley didn’t need clean clothes. What she needed was comfort.

Shep had proven he could protect her physically. But she needed emotional security and that wasn’t his strong suit.

Still, she inched toward him, and he backed up until the counter blocked his getaway.

She slipped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest. “I know this isn’t part of your assignment, but I need a hug. I need you to tell me everything’s going to be fine.”

Slowly his arms encircled her. “Everything will.” His voice faltered but held enough confidence she believed him. His chest felt like an iron wall that no one could penetrate. Sheltered by him, no one could touch her. And while that brought comfort, it was also terrifying.

At some point Shep would let go. But whoever was after her wouldn’t stop. Not until he had what he wanted...or she was dead.

Dear Reader,

I think sometimes we believe that when we mess up, God will withhold His love from us. We compare a perfect God to imperfect people. People can disappoint us, hurt us, abandon us and leave us a shredded mess. Sometimes on purpose. Sometimes not. But God never changes His mind about us. He loves us no matter how many times we mess up. He loves us unconditionally. Wholly. He never withholds His love. His arms are always open.

I’m glad Shepherd learned that. My prayer is that if you’ve felt this way, you’ll let God prove you wrong. He wants to lavish you with love, mercy and grace. You belong to Him. Always.

I’d love to hear from you. Connect with me at [email protected] and stay “Patched In” by joining my email list at www.jessicarpatch.com.

Warmly,

Jessica

JESSICA R. PATCH lives in the mid-South, where she pens inspirational contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels. When she’s not hunched over her laptop or going on adventurous trips with willing friends in the name of research, you can find her watching way too much Netflix with her family and collecting recipes to amazing dishes she’ll probably never cook. To learn more about Jessica, please visit her at jessicarpatch.com.

Deep Waters

Jessica R. Patch

www.millsandboon.co.uk

When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown...

—Isaiah 43:2

To Crimson:

Because I dedicated the last book to your mother, and she passed down the love of sea turtles to you. When you learn to read, thank her for this. Love, Auntie Jess.

Special Thanks to:

My agent, Rachel Kent; my editor, Shana Asaro; my brainstorming partner, Susan Tuttle; and Sara Turnquist for all your invaluable information on sea turtles. Anything I’ve stretched for fiction’s sake is on me.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

Copyright

ONE

The full moon’s radiance blanketed the ocean. Tides were high. The generous breeze swirled in from powerful waves, leaving nothing but briny air to fill Caley Flynn’s nostrils as she tiptoed down the boardwalk to her favorite place in the whole world. Her fingers trailed the weathered wood railing as grains of sand collected under her newly manicured nails.

Seven hours from Atlanta, where she’d grown up, she’d made Turtle Bay, Florida, her home right out of vet school. A small and lovely tourist town nestled along the peninsula separating the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay, it was known for an abundance of sea turtles—especially loggerheads that nested on the sandy shores—fine dining and glorious summers.

She slipped out of her hot-pink flip-flops with fading green palm trees and descended the sandy stairs onto the beach. She loved the way the powdery sand coated her feet. As she met the cool water, a sigh escaped her; she even relished the salty film the surf left in its wake. But mostly she loved this season. It was June and sea turtle nesting was in full swing. Through October she had the unique opportunity to study loggerheads, leatherbacks, green turtles and hawksbills as they swam to shore, burrowed a nest in the sand and deposited hundreds of eggs before swimming back into the depths of the sea. In the next couple of months, the hatchlings would make their trek to the water with nothing but the night’s gentle light to guide them.