Rachel Lee - Stalked In Conard County

She thought she had nothing to fear…

…until she returned to Wyoming.

The shock of seeing a peeping Tom at her window revives nurse Haley McKinsey’s worst nightmare: her childhood abduction. Did this voyeur kidnap her so long ago?

But only her childhood friend Roger McLeod believes her suspicion. After several harrowing attempts on her life, Haley accepts the cowboy’s protection. And as their bond begins to turn into something more, a shadow from her past tries to silence her for good.

RACHEL LEEwas hooked on writing by the age of twelve and practiced her craft as she moved from place to place all over the United States. This New York Times bestselling author now resides in Florida and has the joy of writing full-time.

Also By Rachel Lee Contents Cover Back Cover Text About the Author Booklist Title Page Copyright Note to Readers Introduction Dear Reader Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 About the Publisher

Conard County: The Next Generation

Guardian in Disguise

The Widow’s Protector

Rancher’s Deadly Risk

What She Saw

Rocky Mountain Lawman

Killer’s Prey

Deadly Hunter

Snowstorm Confessions

Undercover Hunter

Playing with Fire

Conard County Witness

A Secret in Conard County

A Conard County Spy

Conard County Marine

Undercover in Conard County

Conard County Revenge

Conard County Watch

Stalked in Conard County

Conard County: The Next Generation

Cornered in Conard County

Missing in Conard County

Murdered in Conard County

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Stalked in Conard County

Rachel Lee

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-0-008-90487-6

STALKED IN CONARD COUNTY

© 2020 Susan Civil Brown

Published in Great Britain 2019

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.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

Version: 2020-03-02

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“Haley? Are you feeling ill?”

In an instant her eyes lost the hollow look and began to spark blue fire. “I’m fine,” she said. “I’m not sick. But some jerk woke me up last night and opened a box of memories I’d safely put away under lock and key for almost twenty-five years.”

Roger hesitated, waiting, giving her a chance to continue. Then, wondering if he was prying, he asked the question boldly. “Your kidnapping?”

“Yes.” She snapped the word.

“I never heard much about it,” he said. “I was too young, nobody said anything to me and I just picked up that it had happened. But it was over quickly, right?”

Something in her posture eased. Her face and tone quieted a bit. “That didn’t make it much better.”

“I don’t imagine it would. I can’t conceive of anything more terrifying no matter how long it lasted.”

“It wasn’t just the terror,” she said slowly. Then she seemed to shake herself. “It’s in the past,” she said, as if reminding herself.

“Maybe not far enough in the past,” he remarked.

* * *

Be sure to check out the rest of the Conard County: The Next Generation miniseries!

Dear Reader Contents Cover Back Cover Text About the Author Booklist Title Page Copyright Note to Readers Introduction Dear Reader Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 About the Publisher ,

Traumatic events from our childhood can affect us for a long time, possibly throughout the rest of our lives. They can affect our perceptions of events in the present and our emotional well-being. They should never be minimized. While therapy can help, it cannot erase, and many will be haunted forever.

A single event can trigger us. We may experience paranoia and fear that we might once again experience terrible things. A hurricane, a tornado and other severe traumas may sometimes not be recognized as such until much later when we find ourselves lost in a cold sweat and an unwilling trip down the rabbit hole of memory.

We can also try to dismiss our current reactions as out of proportion to what is actually happening. We may be right about that or we may be wrong. Regardless, we have had our brains imprinted with a terrible experience. It will not go away.

In this story, Haley McKinsey falls into that rabbit hole of her past abduction. She doubts her own fears, doubts her own interpretation, tries to tell herself she is overreacting. Roger McLeod doesn’t think she is and becomes her ally as she faces the moment when present and past combine to create terror.

Rachel Lee

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text She thought she had nothing to fear… …until she returned to Wyoming. The shock of seeing a peeping Tom at her window revives nurse Haley McKinsey’s worst nightmare: her childhood abduction. Did this voyeur kidnap her so long ago? But only her childhood friend Roger McLeod believes her suspicion. After several harrowing attempts on her life, Haley accepts the cowboy’s protection. And as their bond begins to turn into something more, a shadow from her past tries to silence her for good.