Harlequin Romantic Suspense April 2021 Karen Whiddon (best fiction books to read TXT) 📖

Harlequin Romantic Suspense

Wyoming Nights

Under the Agent’s Protection

Agent’s Mountain Rescue

Agent’s Wyoming Mission

Rocky Mountain Justice

Her Rocky Mountain Hero

Her Rocky Mountain Defender

Rocky Mountain Valor

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To John,

my forever happily-ever-after

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Epilogue

PROLOGUE

From the Pleasant Pines Gazette

August 12th edition

Big news for Pleasant Pines! Town-council spokesperson Everly Baker released a statement today naming Julia McCloud as the new sheriff, replacing Carl Haak. Given the emergency circumstances, McCloud was appointed for a one-year term.

Haak served in the position for over three decades before his death in March of this year. He was set to retire at the end of the month, but was murdered by serial killer Darcy Owens in an event that shocked the community. “We will continue to seek justice,” said Baker.

McCloud, a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, was an army ranger and served two tours overseas, one in Afghanistan and one in Iraq. After a decade in the military, she retired with the rank of captain. Her résumé also lists a tenure in private security.

In the statement, McCloud says, “I am happy to be serving the community of Pleasant Pines. My main priority is to discover the identity of whoever helped Darcy Owens get hired at the White Winds Resort in April.” That individual could be complicit in the demise of McCloud’s predecessor, Sheriff Haak.

Sheriff McCloud can be reached at the sheriff’s office. She will also be attending the town council meeting at the end of the month with a welcome reception to follow. Refreshments provided by Sally’s on Main. If you plan to attend, contact Everly Baker.

When asked if she would do anything differently, Sheriff McCloud spoke again about her predecessor. “Carl Haak was a good man. During my one-year term, I will work hard every day to provide Pleasant Pines with the same dedication he did. No matter what.”

CHAPTER 1

Two months later

Julia McCloud held the gun with her left hand. Her heartbeat thundered, her pulse echoing in her ears. Lining up the sight, she pulled the trigger. Two quick pops. The silhouette remained untouched as dust exploded from the ground.

She cursed in frustration.

It was mid-October, one of the last pleasant weekends of the year. The distant hills were awash in all the colors of autumn—vibrant yellow, bright orange and deep burgundy. Yet she didn’t care about the changing seasons—what she wanted was better aim.

Sweat dampened her hairline, despite the fact that she had pulled her locks into a high ponytail. The fabric of her white T-shirt clung to her back and dust coated her aviator sunglasses.

Julia, the newly appointed sheriff of Pleasant Pines, Wyoming, had three things on her mind. First was finding the unknown accomplice of Darcy Owens. Several months ago, Darcy had evaded capture by posing as an employee at the White Winds, a posh resort several hours from Pleasant Pines. Before her identity was discovered, she’d committed several murders in Pleasant Pines, placing the case in Julia’s jurisdiction. The killer had been captured and jailed, and was currently awaiting trial. But the question of who’d gotten her the job in the first place was one that kept Julia awake at night.

Second was the ongoing search for Christopher Booth, the missing leader of the Transgressors, a motorcycle club. For years, Booth produced and sold drugs in Pleasant Pines. He was also wanted for kidnapping and human trafficking. Booth had escaped a raid—organized by the sheriff’s office where she now worked and Rocky Mountain Justice, her former employer—and remained at large. Julia felt his continued freedom was a stain on her record.

The final, and most pressing, problem was Julia’s inability to hit the damn target with her left hand.

The firing range sat on several arid acres outside of town. In all honesty, Julia was shocked that the private gun club was vacant on a sunny Saturday afternoon. She was relieved, all the same. At least there was nobody around to witness her failure.

The sheriff’s failure.

Julia rolled her shoulders, then took aim again and fired twice, missing again both times. She tried to tell herself that it was okay. Except, nothing had been okay—not for a long time.

Several months earlier, the Darcy Owens case had changed her life forever. Before she’d become sheriff, Julia and her team had discovered a big break—a bunker ideal for a murderer on the run. But Julia had been caught by the murderer and attacked. During that violent confrontation, she had lost two fingers, and had also taken an ax blade to the stomach.

Sure, she was happy to be alive. Thanks to her colleagues at Rocky Mountain Justice, or RMJ. All the same, what she really wanted was to live again. To do the things that made her independent—like hitting a damn target that was a mere twenty-five yards away. Something that had been second nature.

Before.

With a deep breath, Julia cleared her mind. Like she’d been taught at Ranger School, Julia visualized the bullet punching a neat hole through the wooden silhouette. She saw it. She believed it. She knew it was possible.

Lifting her gaze, Julia stared at the black outline of a head and torso surrounded by blinding white. She pulled the trigger once. Twice. Her aim was still off, and she hit nothing. Arm outstretched, she stepped forward, bringing her toes even with the firing line. In the army, she had earned marksman status.

But the target remained unblemished.

Ignoring the safety rules, Julia stepped out into her lane, moving in closer and closer. Dust filled the air as bullets struck the ground.

Standing a foot from the target, Julia lifted her arm and pressed the barrel of her gun into the wooden board...right in the middle of the forehead. She pulled the trigger once more. Click. The magazine was empty.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Luis Martinez, at the end of his lane, called out to Julia. He was standing in