B.J. Daniels - The Mystery Man of Whitehorse

Bridger hadn’t got what he’d come here to find. Not yet, anyway.

And now he’d made the acquaintance of Laci Cavanaugh. She was a cute thing, fair-skinned, slender, blue-eyed with short, curly blonde hair. She didn’t make him feel like such an outsider.

He’d come to town months ago, rented an old farmhouse just outside of Old Town Whitehorse and began his search, but he wasn’t any closer to learning his true identity.

Unfortunately, his quest had come at a high price. The woman he believed to be the ringleader of the illegal adoptions, Pearl Cavanaugh, had suffered a stroke.

Bridger tried not to get his hopes up, telling himself that if he didn’t find any adoption records, there was always Pearl’s granddaughter Laci. As it turned out, she was free for Christmas.

One way or the other, maybe he’d finally get lucky.

The Sheriff’s Amnesiac Bride by Linda Conrad & Soldier’s Secret Child by Caridad Piñeiro

Her Best Friend’s Husband by Justine Davis & The Beast Within by Lisa Renee Jones

Questioning the Heiress by Delores Fossen & Daredevil’s Run by Kathleen Creighton

The Mystery Man of Whitehorse by BJ Daniels

Unbound by Lori Devoti

Private S.W.A.T Takeover by Julie Miller

BJ Daniels’s life dream was to write books. After a career as an award-winning newspaper journalist, she sold thirty-seven short stories before she finally wrote her first book. That book, Odd Man Out, received a 4½ star review from Romantic Times BOOKreviews. Since then she has won numerous awards, including a career achievement award for romantic suspense.

BJ lives in Montana with her husband, Parker, two springer spaniels, Spot and Jem, and an ageing, temperamental tomcat named Jeff. When she isn’t writing, she snowboards, camps, boats and plays tennis.

To contact BJ, write to her at PO Box 1173, Malta, MT 59538, USA, e-mail her at bjdanielsmystery@hotmail. com or check out her website at www.bjdaniels.com.

By

MILLS & BOON ®

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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This one is for good friend Al Knauber. Hope you’re loving Alaska. We’re missing you down here.

Laci Cavanaugh blamed the champagne. Normally she didn’t drink anything stronger than coffee, so of course the champagne had gone right to her head.

Her best friend’s wedding called for champagne, though. Laci and Alyson Banning had been friends since birth. Like Laci, Alyson had ended up being raised by her grandparents south of Whitehorse, Montana, just down the county road from each other. And while both had left for college and careers, both were now back.

Unfortunately, Alyson’s return had been bitter-sweet. Just weeks before her wedding, her grandfather had died. With the invitations already sent, she had stuck to her plans, knowing that’s what her grandfather would have wanted. The wedding reception now had the community center jam-packed, the large room shimmering with candles and silver streamers, the air alive with laughter and happy voices.

Laci had never seen her friend so blissful, and the best news of all was that Alyson and Spencer might be staying around Whitehorse after their honeymoon. All Alyson had to do was convince Spencer, and Laci didn’t think that was going to be a problem given that the man clearly idolized his new bride. Laci loved the prospect of having her best friend here. She was already fantasizing about their children growing up together.

Assuming, of course, that Laci’s Prince Charming came riding up soon and swept her off her feet, as Alyson’s had. It had all sounded so romantic—and, of course, being best friends, Alyson had told Laci everything. Love at first sight, Alyson had said. Not two weeks into the relationship she’d brought him home to meet her grandfather.

Laci had been in Billings with her cousin Maddie, so she hadn’t gotten to meet Spencer that time. She’d only really got to spend any time around him at the rehearsal dinner. But she’d seen at once why Alyson had fallen for the man. He was charming and incredibly handsome, not to mention attentive and clearly crazy about Alyson.

Laci had felt a twinge of envy. Unfortunately, men like Spencer didn’t come along every day. At least they hadn’t for her.

As she took a sip of her champagne and watched the bride and groom dance, she was overwhelmed with happiness for her friend. The two looked so perfect together: Alyson beautiful with her long, flowing auburn hair and slender body, Spencer tall, dark and handsome as any movie star. The perfect couple.

As the dance ended, Alyson turned to say something to one of the guests. Laci found herself looking at Spencer, thinking how adorable the couple’s children would be.

Spencer was smiling, his eyes on his bride as he watched her converse with the guest.

And that’s when it happened.

His expression changed so quickly that Laci told herself she’d only imagined the look he gave his bride. It lasted all of a split second. Just a flicker of something dark and disturbing.

Just long enough for Laci’s blood to turn to ice. Her champagne glass slipped from her fingers, shattering as loudly as a gunshot as it hit the floor. Laci didn’t hear it. Nor did she see anything but the groom. It was as if only she and Spencer were in the room.

He turned his head. Maybe at the sound of the glass breaking. Or maybe he’d felt her gaze on him. His eyes locked with hers. Time stopped.

He blinked, then smiled as if he thought he could hide the fact that he was visibly shaken and upset. He knew she’d seen him. Laci gasped, not realizing until then that she’d been holding her breath. Music and laughter filled the space again. One of the caterer’s crew rushed to clean up her broken glass and the spilled champagne.

She stumbled back, feeling weak and sick to her stomach as she watched her best friend turn back to Spencer and whisper something in his ear. They both laughed, then Spencer swept Alyson into his arms and whirled her across the dance floor.

“They make a beautiful couple, don’t they?” said a tall brunette woman Laci didn’t know but whose too-sweet perfume was making her sicker.

Laci could only nod, her heart beating so hard it hurt. She fought her way through the crowd to the back door, feeling suddenly faint as she told herself that she hadn’t seen anything.

It was just the champagne. That and her overactive imagination. Or maybe she’d misread his look. She couldn’t even be sure he’d been looking at Alyson.

Her mind raced. All she knew for sure was that the look she’d seen had been hateful and dangerous. And now her best friend was married to the man. Not just married to him, head over heels in love with him.

It made no sense. Why would Spencer marry Alyson if he didn’t love her? Unless her friend was pregnant and he’d felt forced into the marriage?