Stalking Season
YULETIDE STALKINGMoving to the Smoky Mountains at Christmastime, Cheyenne Cassidy is ready for a fresh start—until danger from her past follows her to her new home. Cheyenne believed the stalker who killed her parents was dead, but somehow he’s back and determined to kill her. And her only hope for survival is relying on Deputy Sheriff Luke Conrad. The lawman wants to help Cheyenne face down the obsessive madman, but he can’t protect her if he doesn’t know the full story. And Cheyenne has no choice but to trust him with a secret she’s never revealed about her stalker. Armed with the knowledge of her tragic past, Luke will put his life on the line to keep her alive…but will that be enough to save her?
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YULETIDE STALKING
After moving to the Smoky Mountains at Christmastime, Cheyenne Cassidy is ready for a fresh startâuntil danger from her past follows her to her new home. Cheyenne believed the stalker who killed her parents was dead, but somehow heâs back and determined to kill her. And her only hope for survival is relying on Deputy Sheriff Luke Conrad. The lawman wants to help Cheyenne face down the obsessive madman, but he canât protect her if he doesnât know the full story. And Cheyenne has no choice but to trust him with a secret sheâs never revealed about her stalker. Armed with the knowledge of her tragic past, Luke will put his life on the line to keep her alive...but will that be enough to save her?
âWhy were you in such a hurry?â
The question sent a wave of fear rushing through her as she recalled what had occurred before she ran into the street. A crowd had gathered. She scanned the group but didnât see a familiar face. But how could she tell who he was? In the two years sheâd endured the terror of a stalker, sheâd never seen his face.
How could he be alive? And if he was, how had he found her now?
âMaâam...â The deputyâs voice interrupted her thoughts. âDid something happen that frightened you? Is that why you ran in front of my car?â
Cheyenne tried to speak, but her chest tightened so that she could barely breathe. She hadnât had a panic attack in months now, but she felt the beginnings of one and bit down on her lip.
âYes.â The word was barely a whisper.
The deputy had been leaning over her, but at her reply he frowned and squatted down beside her. âWhat happened?â
Cheyenne took a deep breath and stared into his eyes. âI think someone wants to kill me.â
I hope you enjoyed Stalking Season, the second book in my Smoky Mountain Secrets series. As I researched and wrote this book, I developed a deep heartache for the victims who endure the nightmare of being stalked. Not only did Cheyenne have to endure the fear of being watched, she also had to contend with guilt that her actions had brought about the deaths of her parents. She came to know, however, that just as God forgives the choices we make, we can learn to forgive ourselves. It is Godâs intention that His children should live in peace. If you havenât come to know the comfort He can bring to your life, I pray that you will seek what He offers.
Sandra Robbins
SANDRA ROBBINS is an award-winning, multipublished author of Christian fiction who lives with her husband in Tennessee. Without the support of her wonderful husband, four children and five grandchildren, it would be impossible for her to write. It is her prayer that God will use her words to plant seeds of hope in the lives of her readers so they may come to know the peace she draws from her life.
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
âHebrews 10:22
Dedicated to the 6.6 million people who,
according to The National Center for the Victims of Crime, are stalked in one year in the United States.
Contents
Cheyenne Cassidy ambled down the aisle of the Smoky Mountain Christmas Store and hummed along with the sound of Bing Crosby crooning âWhite Christmasâ over the storeâs intercom. With Christmas only a few weeks away, shoppers were out en masse today, and from what sheâd been told by the locals the crowds would only get larger as more visitors came to the mountains in the next few weeks to see the decorations and take in all the Christmas festivities.
The smells of cinnamon, pine and peppermint drifted in the air from the different areas of the store. Cheyenne stopped and blinked back tears at the reminder of her childhood and how their house had always smelled during the holidays. Her mother loved Christmas and had always been determined that her family would make memories to last a lifetime. Unfortunately these days, she had many memories of happy times, but the people she loved were no longer present to share them with her.
The world as Cheyenne had known it had come to an abrupt halt six months ago with the deaths of her parents. Alone in the world and with her life in shreds, sheâd done the only thing she could think to doâfollow the rodeo circuit. Without her parents, though, it also had lost the allure it had once had. Now she was far away from the home sheâd always known and starting a new life in a resort town in the Smoky Mountains. Sheâd wanted to settle somewhere, and the Smoky Mountains seemed the perfect place to do that.
She sighed and walked down the aisle of a row of tall showcases holding all kinds of stuffed animals and dolls in Christmas outfits. The shelves in the case were packed with toys, and the display reached higher than her head. She stopped to stare at a teddy bear with a red ribbon around its head, and she suddenly stilled as her cell phone chimed that she had an incoming text message. She stared at the unfamiliar number displayed on the screen and frowned as she realized it was a video text.
