High Desert Hideaway
HIDING THE WITNESSCaught 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?
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HIDING THE WITNESS
Caught accidentally eavesdropping on plans for a major cargo theft, Lily Doyleâs chased by men who want her dead. And she narrowly escapes when Deputy Sheriff Nate Bedfordâher former high school classmateâcomes to her rescue. The criminals wonât 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 proveâto himself and the community. And saving Lilyâs 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 friendâs secluded ranch be enough to keep them away?
âWhere were you hit?â
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 didnât answer, he started checking her for injuries, carefully brushing aside the bits of safety glass from her side window.
âIâm not hit,â 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 Nateâs first thought. But from where? He twisted in the seat to look in every direction around them, but he couldnât see anybody. âIâm going to unfasten your seat belt.â
âOkay.â Her voice sounded robotic. He didnât 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. âSlide to the floorboard and tuck down as low as you can. Stay out of sight.â
Looking ahead in life isnât 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 donât have to be perfect people to be worthy of love.
With Godâs grace and the help of family and good friends, we find we can keep moving forward even when we think we canât. I hope when you face difficult times youâll 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]. Iâd 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. Sheâs lived on both coasts, but currently resides in the Inland Northwest, where sheâs astonished by the occasional glimpse of a moose, a herd of elk or a soaring eagle.
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.
âIsaiah 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, Iâll enjoy the good memories.
Thank you to my editor, Elizabeth Mazer, and my agent, Sarah E. Younger, for your generous help and support.
Contents
The cold steel tip of a gun barrel bit into the side of Lily Doyleâs neck just below her right ear. The man holding the gun angled it slightly upward, so a single round would have maximum effect.
At least if the worst happened, it would be quick.
Please, Lord, Lily prayed, but she was unable to think of any further words after that. Her knees shook and her breaths came in short, shallow gasps.
âRelax!â the gunman yelled and Lily jumped.
A truck rumbled by on the highway outside the Starlight Mart. âEverybody, just relax!â the gunman yelled again. Heâd pulled his dusty gray truckerâs hat down low and flipped up the collar of his jean jacket to try and hide his face. Lily didnât know his name, but she did know heâd taken over the convenience store because he wanted to capture her.
The gunmanâs accomplice, wearing sunglasses and a rust-colored hoodie drawn tight around his face, grabbed an energy drink from a display case. He flung it at the security camera near the cash register where Lily was being held, breaking the camera and sending purplish fizz splattering in every direction. Two wide-eyed store clerks, both looking as if they were barely out of their teens, stood behind the front counter, not far from Lily. They had their hands held up. Hoodie grabbed a second energy drink, threw it and knocked out the camera by the front door.
