Mountain Witness
A woman in hiding and a man on a mission in the Smoky Mountains Julie Webb has returned to Destiny to get away from her estranged husband’s unspeakable betrayal. And maybe it's destiny that her new neighbour is Chris Downing, a police detective and part-time SWAT officer, because it's going to take all his skills to protect her when the darkness from her past resurfaces.
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A woman in hiding and a man on a mission in the Smoky Mountains
Detective Chris Downing doesnât know much about his neighbor. In the rural town of Destiny, Tennessee, Julie Webb lives a life of seclusion, rarely even offering a smile or wave. Only when Chris hears her frantic screams one night does he gain a glimpse into the life of a woman in hiding, and in saving her life, he is forced to kill her attacker. But Julieâs troubles are only beginning to unravel. When Chris learns the identity of Julieâs attacker, questions of trust are raised and suspicions run high. Together they will uncover the motives of a killer...and the undeniable attraction between them.
Tennessee SWAT
Inhaling deeply, she selfishly enjoyed another tantalizing breath warmed by Chrisâs skin, perfumed by his masculine scent. Then she pushed herself back to sitting, forcing him to move back and drop his arms.
He studied her intently, his dark eyes boring into hers. âYou do know that Iâm going to protect you, right? You seem...scared, or maybe worried.â
Unable to stop herself, she caressed his face. Her heart nearly stopped when he rubbed his cheek against her hand. Oh, how she wished her life were different, that she had met this man in another place, another time.
He smiled, a warm, gentle smile she felt all the way to her toes.
âEverythingâs going to be okay, Julie,â he said. âWeâll figure this out. Together.â
âThank you,â she whispered back. Her gaze dropped to his lips, and hers suddenly went dry. She automatically leaned toward him. Her hands went to his shirt, smoothing the fabric.
A shudder went through him and she looked up, her eyes locking with his. The open hunger on his face made her breath catch. And then he was leaning toward her slowly, giving her every chance to stop him, to pull away, to say no.
But she didnât.
LENA DIAZ was born in Kentucky and has also lived in California, Louisiana and Florida, where she now resides with her husband and two children. Before becoming a romantic suspense author, she was a computer programmer. A former Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® Award finalist, she has also won the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in mystery and suspense. To get the latest news about Lena, please visit her website, www.lenadiaz.com.
Thank you, Allison Lyons and Nalini Akolekar.
For my family...George, Sean and Jennifer. I love you so much.
And in loving memory to the family member who has passed
over the rainbow. Iâll always love you, Sparky.
Contents
Blood, there was so much blood. Julie stood over him, one hand braced on the bedâs footboard, the other still holding the gun. The blood soaked his shirt, seeping between his fingers as he clutched at the bullet hole in his side. Air wheezed between his teeth, his startlingly blue eyes blazing with hatred through the openings in the ski mask. The same eyes that had once stared at her with such love that theyâd stolen her breath away.
Right before heâd said, âI do.â
Julie Webb shook her head, blinking away the memories, wishing she could put the past behind her just as easily. Her hands tightened on the steering wheel as she sat in the driveway, the thin pale line on her ring finger the only tangible reminder of the diamond that had once sat there.
Stop it. He canât hurt you anymore. Itâs time to move on.
Unfortunately, with most of her assets frozen while the courts did their thing back in Nashville, moving on meant hiding out in the tinyâaka affordableârural town of Destiny, Tennessee. And with the limited rentals available in Blount County, sheâd chosen the lesser of evils, the one place with some land around itâan old farmhouse that had sat vacant for so long that the owner had been desperate to rent it. Desperate equaled cheap. And that was the only reason that Julie had taken it. Well, that and the fact that Destiny was a good three hours from Nashville. She wasnât likely to run into anyone she knew in the local grocery store.
The sound of a horn honking had her looking in her rearview mirror, reminding her why she was in her car to begin with. The moving truck sat idling in the gravel road that ran past the expansive front yard, waiting for her to back out so it could back in. After two days of living out of a suitcase and sleeping on the floor, having a couch and a bed again was going to feel like heaven.
She put the car in Reverse, hesitating when she noticed that her only neighbor had come out onto his front porch. Long, unpaved road, dead end, surrounded by acres of trees and pastures, and she still had a neighbor to contend with. A handsome, sex-on-a-stick kind of guy to boot. Which was going to make ignoring him difficult, but not impossible. Sheâd had her own sex-on-a-stick kind of man before. And look what it had gotten her.
