Lindsay McKenna - Wolf Haven

” —Chief Michael Jaco, U.S. Navy SEAL, retired, on Breaking Point “McKenna’s latest is an intriguing tale…a unique twist on the romance novel, and one that’s sure to please.” —RT Book Reviews on Dangerous Prey “McKenna’s military experience shines through in this moving tale.… McKenna (High Country Rebel) skillfully takes readers on an emotional journey into modern warfare and two people’s hearts.” —Publishers Weekly on Down Range “Gunfire, emotions, suspense, tension and sexuality abound in this fast-paced, absorbing novel.” —Affaire de Coeur on Wild Woman “Another masterpiece.” —Affaire de Coeur on Enemy Mine “Emotionally charged…riveting and deeply touching.” —RT Book Reviews on Firstborn “Ms. McKenna brings readers along for a fabulous odyssey in which complex characters experience the danger, passion and beauty of the mystical jungle.” —RT Book Reviews on Man of Passion “Readers will find this addition to the Shadow Warriors series full of intensity and action-packed romance. There is great chemistry between the characters and tremendous realism, making Breaking Point a great read.” —RT Book Reviews “Lindsay McKenna will have you flying with the daring and deadly women pilots who risk their lives.… Buckle in for the ride of your life.” —Writers Unlimited on Heart of Stone

Title Page Wolf Haven Lindsay McKenna www.millsandboon.co.uk

Dear Reader Dear Reader Dear Reader Dedication CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN CHAPTER TWELVE CHAPTER THIRTEEN CHAPTER FOURTEEN CHAPTER FIFTEEN CHAPTER SIXTEEN CHAPTER SEVENTEEN CHAPTER EIGHTEEN CHAPTER NINETEEN CHAPTER TWENTY CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX Copyright , At last, my next Wyoming series book! In this story, you’ll get to catch up with Iris Mason and the expansion at her dude ranch. Iris is one of those people who will never let grass grow under her feet! She has a strong loyalty to the environment. And to that end, she has created a huge wildlife center on the ranch. She loves wolves and is lucky enough to snag Navy ex-SEAL Grayson McCoy to manage her facility. Now that he’s left the Navy, this is a dream job come true for him. RN Sky Pascal, who has suffered torture at the hands of the Taliban and has serious PTSD symptoms, is desperate to find a job. Her last hope is at the Elk Horn Ranch as a nurse and a part-time babysitter. Further, she will be expected to assist Gray McCoy at the wildlife center. Sky was once a confident and competent ER nurse. Now, broken by torture, she struggles to reclaim herself. We have many military men and women vets returning from Afghanistan. And PTSD is common to them. There are no “front lines” anymore. As a military veteran myself (US Navy), I’ve had a lot of friends and some family who have returned with PTSD. I know it up front and close. By reading this story, I hope you will understand more deeply what this toxic trauma does to a person. The darkness of our wounds cannot hide any longer when love is brought into the mix. I hope you enjoy Wolf Haven! Sign up for my newsletter and receive the latest news on my books. Exclusive previews, scenes and even a chapter from a book I’m writing will only be shared with you! Warmly, Lindsay McKenna www.LindsayMcKenna.com

Dedication To Frances Ann Overton, one of my wonderful and inspiring readers, who has done so much for so many others. She is a role model as a special education teacher for the mentally handicapped in Kanab, Utah. Thank you for all you do, Frances. You have the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met. The children under your care are very blessed to have you in their lives. And To Murray and Debbie Shields, owners of Eco-Treks, Toronto, Canada. You two truly inspire those who go on your offered trips a chance to reconnect with the beauty of our planet in so many wonderful ways. Thank you for allowing us to be with you on the Fraser River Bald Eagle Festival near Mission, British Columbia, Canada, November 2013. As photographers, we got so many wonderful photos of these incredible raptors. I recommend your tours to everyone around the world! You are a heart-centered couple who truly brings back the “wild” in wildlife, for beautiful hikes through rugged country, great for photographers, birders or those in need of healing with Mother Earth and all her relations. Thank you! www.Eco-Treks.com

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

SKY PASCAL MOANED, tossing in her sleep on the hotel bed. Her stomach was in knots, with the pain radiating outward. She flinched and drew her legs up toward her body. The vibration of the Black Hawk helicopter surrounded her. She could smell the sweat from the bodies of the air crewmen on this flight to Forward Operating Base, or FOB, Charlie. The odor of the kerosene aviation fuel was always present.

She’d been asked to fly along with Dr. Aaron Zimmerman to take a look at an Army soldier who was thought to have appendicitis. They had been over at a different FOB when the call came in. The FOBs were only forty miles from one another, and they were the closest medical team that could respond.

Now the vibration of the Hawk skittered through her. Sky was on the metal deck of the medevac helicopter as it raced through the darkness to reach the soldier.

She was an emergency-room trained R.N. and Zimmerman, who sat near the door, was a surgeon, specializing in internal medicine. Two other combat medic crewmen, whom she could not see, were nearby. The two pilots to her left were wearing night-vision goggles.

The tension was so thick it felt like a wet blanket around her hunched shoulders. Her mind raced.

She was assigned to the Army hospital at Bagram Air Base near Kabul, Afghanistan. A first lieutenant, she had three years under her belt in the U.S. Navy. It wasn’t unusual for different military services to have personnel assigned to the huge, busy hospital. She loved her job in the E.R. Sky was good in a crisis—cool and calm. That was why Zimmerman had asked her to go with him as he visited the outlying FOBs. If he had to perform surgery on the spot at the FOB, he wanted someone like her with him.

But now her mouth was dry, and her heart was skipping beats in her chest. She was dressed in Navy fatigues, the “blueberries” coloring standing out starkly against others who wore desert-hued uniforms. Glad to have the forty-pound Kevlar vest on, Sky lived for missions like this. They were exciting and scary as hell.

She knew there was danger with any helo flight. The Black Hawk Army pilots, who were from the black-ops Night Stalker squadron, were flying high enough so the Taliban couldn’t send grenade launchers up at them. However, the Stinger missiles were always a threat. One could blow them out of the sky regardless of their altitude. Sky was a knot of excitement and fear, adrenaline leaking through her bloodstream.

She couldn’t see through the darkness because she wasn’t wearing night-vision goggles. Only the four crew members were wearing NVGs. The flight wasn’t long to FOB Charlie, located three miles from the Pakistan border. There were only two platoons at the Army base.

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