Terri Reed - Secret Mountain Hideout

Staying hidden has kept her alive...

But now she’s been found.

A remote Colorado mountain town and a fake identity have been Ashley Willis’s safe haven since fleeing after she witnessed a murder—but now the killer has found her trail. Desperate and terrified, she’s prepared to run again…but Deputy Sheriff Chase Fredrick won’t let her. With the lawman by her side, can she face danger head-on…and live long enough to bring a murderer to justice?

TERRI REED’s romance and romantic suspense novels have appeared on the Publishers Weekly top twenty-five and Nielsen BookScan top one hundred lists, and have been featured in USA TODAY , Christian Fiction magazine and RT Book Reviews . Her books have been finalists for the Romance Writers of America RITA® Award and the National Readers’ Choice Award, and finalists three times for the American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award. Contact Terri at terrireed.comor PO Box 19555, Portland, OR 97224.

Also By Terri Reed

Buried Mountain Secrets

Secret Mountain Hideout

True Blue K-9 Unit

Seeking the Truth

Military K-9 Unit

Tracking Danger

Mission to Protect

Northern Border Patrol

Danger at the Border

Joint Investigation

Murder Under the Mistletoe

Ransom

Identity Unknown

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Secret Mountain Hideout

Terri Reed

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-0-008-90084-7

SECRET MOUNTAIN HIDEOUT

© 2020 Terri Reed

Published in Great Britain 2020

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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“If the killer finds out that I can identify him...” A visible shudder rippled through her. “He will kill me.”

Her palpable fear sent all his protective instincts into high gear. Ashley was in danger. Her life threatened by what she’d seen. Reining in the urge to comfort and assure her she was safe, Chase let his training prompt him to ask, “Why does Detective Peters think you’re involved?”

Her shoulders slumped. “I don’t know.”

Was he being played? He sent up a quick prayer asking for God’s wisdom and guidance here. Keeping his voice from betraying the anxiety her words caused, he said, “We have to get you to the sheriff’s station so you can give your statement. You need to be brave now.”

For a long moment, she simply stared at him. He could see her inner debate playing out on her face. Trust him or not.

He couldn’t help her with the decision.

Finally, she seemed to deflate. “I’m so tired of being scared. I want to be brave.”

He covered her icy hand. “I’ll help you.”

Dear Reader,

I hope you enjoyed visiting Bristle Township, Colorado. Having the Rocky Mountains as the backdrop for this book and the previous one, Buried Mountain Secrets , is such a special treat. I love the mountains, the rocky terrain, the forest and the many ways that the setting plays a part in the story.

Ashley Willis found a safe haven when she landed in Bristle Township. But she felt guilt and shame for the secrets she kept. Pairing her with Deputy Chase Fredrick seemed like a good match for he was a man of honor and integrity, a man who would protect her and love her regardless of her past. And he needed someone who could love him for the man that he was, not for the family he came from. Together, they made a formidable team and won each other’s hearts.

I hope to write more books set in Bristle Township, featuring the men and the women of the Sheriff’s Department.

Until then, may God bless you and keep you in His care.

Terri Reed

Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy. Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity.

—Psalm 64:1–2

To the ones I love. May God shine His face upon you always and give you peace.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Note to Readers

Introduction

Dear Reader

Bible Verse

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

About the Publisher

I t couldn’t be.

Ice filled Ashley Willis’s veins despite the spring sunshine streaming through the living room windows of the Bristle Township home in Colorado where she rented a bedroom.

Disbelief cemented her feet to the floor, her gaze riveted to the horrific images on the television screen.

Flames shot of out of the two-story building she’d hoped never to see again. Its once bright red awnings were now singed black and the magnificent stained-glass windows depicting the image of an angry bull were no more.

She knew that place intimately.

The same place that haunted her nightmares.

The newscaster’s words assaulted her. She grabbed on to the back of the faded floral couch for support.

In a fiery inferno, the posh Burbank restaurant, The Matador, was consumed by a raging fire in the wee hours of the morning. Firefighters are working diligently to douse the flames. So far there have been no fatalities, however, there has been one critical injury .

Ashley’s heart thumped painfully in her chest, reminding her to breathe. Concern for her friend, Gregor, the man who had safely spirited her away from the Los Angeles area one frightening night a year and a half ago when she’d witnessed her boss, Maksim Sokolov, kill a man, thrummed through her. She had to know what happened. She had to know if Gregor was the one injured.