Undercover Protector

SHATTERED SANCTUARY

Undercover at a tiger sanctuary, Special Agent Grayson Wilde’s convinced the owner must be involved in a wildlife trafficking ring—until someone tries to kill her. Now with Gemma Rollins’s life on the line, it’s clear that more than the wildcats need his help. Gemma’s determined to rebuild the tiger oasis she lost when her family died. But someone wants her out of the way, and she’s starting to wonder if her parents’ and uncle’s deaths were really accidental. Grayson says he’ll do anything to protect Gemma, but she can’t shake the feeling that her alluring new volunteer might not be all that he seems. With a vicious criminal closing in, though, she has to trust Grayson...because she won’t survive without him.

“You trust too much, Gemma.” Grayson stepped closer.

“I think you’re right,” she replied. “I trust people I don’t even know. Like you. I trust you when I shouldn’t. I don’t even know you.”

How could he make her understand he was here to help her? But that wasn’t true, either. What was he thinking? Helping Gemma Rollins had never been part of his mission parameters. He was here to finish this, to find the man who was not only responsible for Bill’s death but who was also the head of a large wildlife trafficking ring.

“Listen, Gemma, I was looking for you to tell you about an idea I came up with.”

Her eyes brightened. “You came up with an idea for me? What—”

A rumble above cut off her question. Rocks shifted overhead, crashed against the cliffside, and echoed across the mountain and through the trees.

“Look out!” Grayson grabbed Gemma, cane and all, and pressed her beneath a protruding part of the rock wall, covering her with his body. Protecting her. Her breaths came hard and fast against his neck as her fear mingled with his own.

God, please protect her. Protect us!

Dear Reader,

Thank you so much for joining me on this adventure. I hope you enjoyed the story. I set my story in the beautiful region surrounding the Rogue River in southwest Oregon—my old stomping grounds.

As always when researching a story, I learn so much more than I can ever put into the novel. What I learned about wildlife trafficking and how poachers are decimating entire species was disheartening. Whether you’re an animal lover or not, God put Adam in the garden to care for the earth—the plants and animals—and God’s directive for man hasn’t changed.

On a more spiritual note, Gemma has had her share of tragedy and she keeps moving forward in life because she focuses on something bigger than herself. She has a cause and others (the tigers) are counting on her. Still, she struggles in that she doesn’t have the sense that God hears her or answers her prayers. In the end she realizes that God was with her all along, working things out for her good.

We live in a fallen world and bad men do bad things, but we know that God is always there working things out for good on our behalf. Don’t ever forget that. If you struggle with knowing this, ask Him to open the eyes of your heart.

It’s always my hope and prayer that my stories will entertain you and provide a powerful emotional experience, but more importantly that they will bring you closer to the One who holds you.

Once again, thank you for reading Undercover Protector. For something extra, if you’d like to see pictures of the Wild Rogue Wilderness region, you can visit my Pinterest board at www.pinterest.com/bethrachg/wild-rogue-wilderness-series/ and look at tigers at www.pinterest.com/bethrachg/wilderness-inc-book-2/.

Be sure to visit my website at www.elizabethgoddard.com to find out about my books and sign up for my newsletter.

Many blessings!

Elizabeth Goddard

ELIZABETH GODDARD is an award-winning author of more than twenty novels, including the romantic mystery The Camera Never Lies—winner of a prestigious Carol Award in 2011. After acquiring her computer science degree, she worked at a software firm before eventually retiring to raise her four children and become a professional writer. In addition to writing, she homeschools her children and serves with her husband in ministry.

Undercover Protector

Elizabeth Goddard

www.millsandboon.co.uk

A righteous man has regard for the life of his animal,

But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.

—Proverbs 12:10

For Mom

Acknowledgments

Thanks to my many dear writing friends who have encouraged me along this journey. I’m so blessed that God brought us together. I’m grateful that God planted a dream in my heart and then made my dream of telling stories come true. Special thanks to Jeri at Crown Ridge Tiger Sanctuary for answering my questions about these wonderful big cats and what it’s like to care for them in a sanctuary. I’m more than blessed to have an editor who believes in my stories—thank you, Elizabeth Mazer—and an agent who saw something in me years ago—thank you, Steve Laube.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

About the Author

Title Page