Tyler Snell - The Deputy's Witness

“Just do your job—protect the witness without falling for her.”

Former city cop Caleb Foster hopes playing by the rules will clear his record so he can get transferred far away from small-town Carpenter, Alabama. But one look into the terrified eyes of a beautiful witness and he’ll make it his mission to protect her, no matter what it takes…

Alyssa Garner thought testifying against a trio of lethal bank robbers would finally end her months-long nightmare. Now Caleb is the only person she can trust when she and other witnesses become targets. She can’t resist him—or the secrets he won’t reveal. But someone driven by obsession is ahead of their every move…and won’t stop till she’s the ultimate prize.

The Protectors of Riker County

“Alyssa, all you have to do is hold on to me and I’ll get us out of this.”

She shook her head. Her blue eyes didn’t drop their stare. It finally clicked in place for Caleb. He should have realized why she was so terrified.

An overwhelming wave of feeling surged through him. Without a second thought he angled her face up. Then he met her mouth with his own.

The kiss was meant to distract Alyssa from her fear, to give her something else to focus on. Caleb also hoped it reminded her that he was there, down in the trenches with her. That, no matter what, he’d get her to safety.

Yet all thoughts and intentions fell away as the warmth of Alyssa’s lips pressed against his. Those pink, pink lips aroused something almost primal in Caleb. He wanted it to last. He wanted her…

The Deputy’s Witness

Tyler Anne Snell

www.millsandboon.co.uk

TYLER ANNE SNELLgenuinely loves all genres of the written word. However, she’s realized that she loves books filled with sexual tension and mysteries a little more than the rest. Her stories have a good dose of both. Tyler lives in Alabama with her same-named husband and their mini “lions.” When she isn’t reading or writing, she’s playing video games and working on her blog, Almost There . To follow her shenanigans, visit www.tylerannesnell.com.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text “Just do your job—protect the witness without falling for her.” Former city cop Caleb Foster hopes playing by the rules will clear his record so he can get transferred far away from small-town Carpenter, Alabama. But one look into the terrified eyes of a beautiful witness and he’ll make it his mission to protect her, no matter what it takes… Alyssa Garner thought testifying against a trio of lethal bank robbers would finally end her months-long nightmare. Now Caleb is the only person she can trust when she and other witnesses become targets. She can’t resist him—or the secrets he won’t reveal. But someone driven by obsession is ahead of their every move…and won’t stop till she’s the ultimate prize. The Protectors of Riker County

Introduction “Alyssa, all you have to do is hold on to me and I’ll get us out of this.” She shook her head. Her blue eyes didn’t drop their stare. It finally clicked in place for Caleb. He should have realized why she was so terrified. An overwhelming wave of feeling surged through him. Without a second thought he angled her face up. Then he met her mouth with his own. The kiss was meant to distract Alyssa from her fear, to give her something else to focus on. Caleb also hoped it reminded her that he was there, down in the trenches with her. That, no matter what, he’d get her to safety. Yet all thoughts and intentions fell away as the warmth of Alyssa’s lips pressed against his. Those pink, pink lips aroused something almost primal in Caleb. He wanted it to last. He wanted her…

Title Page The Deputy’s Witness Tyler Anne Snell www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author TYLER ANNE SNELL genuinely loves all genres of the written word. However, she’s realized that she loves books filled with sexual tension and mysteries a little more than the rest. Her stories have a good dose of both. Tyler lives in Alabama with her same-named husband and their mini “lions.” When she isn’t reading or writing, she’s playing video games and working on her blog, Almost There . To follow her shenanigans, visit www.tylerannesnell.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

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

The rain slapped the windshield in such fierce bursts that Alyssa Garner almost decided not to go into the bank at all.

She moved her glasses up to the bridge of her nose and peered out the window, analyzing the few feet between her car door and the overhang of the Waller Street Credit Union’s awning. If she used the two-week-old Carpenter Times she’d thrown on the back seat floorboard as a makeshift umbrella, she might not get soaked to the bone.

Alyssa looked down at her outfit. She worked at Jeffries & Sons Remodeling, and apart from being the only employee who was not a Jeffries, she was the only one who ran the day-to-day operations pertaining to the physical office. That meant she was the first person anyone saw when they walked through the front door. Even though she wasn’t a Jeffries or a son, she played a big part in creating a first impression of the small business. Which meant she was currently wearing a finely pressed white blouse, a pencil skirt and black heels that boosted her height considerably. An outfit that didn’t match with the downpour outside.

She sucked on her bottom lip, considering the option of forgoing the bank run until the next day. But just as quickly as she had the thought, she sighed, defeated. While corporations and bigger businesses might be able to push off making weighty deposits by just one day, places like Jeffries couldn’t afford the delay. Alyssa took her cell phone out of her purse and slid it between the waist of her skirt and her stomach. Some women couldn’t go anywhere without their purses. Alyssa was that way about her phone. She blamed her sister, Gabby, for that. Whenever Alyssa pointed out that Gabby always had her phone, her little sister would snap back with a simple, yet effective stance.

“The one time you don’t have it is the one time you’ll need it the most.”

It was hard to argue with logic like that.

Alyssa adjusted the phone against her so it wasn’t noticeable, put the deposit bag beneath one arm and grabbed the newspaper. Thunder crashed loudly overhead, but Alyssa crossed the divide between her car and the bank’s front door without getting swept away in the storm.

However, her glasses fogged the moment the wet air pressed against her. She paused in front of the glass double door to take them off before walking inside. She hated waiting for them to defog, looking like some kind of klutz. She didn’t need help in that department when it came to her vision. Alyssa was one of those people who couldn’t survive without her glasses or contacts. That is, unless the world decided to orbit within an inch of her nose.

Further proving that point, no sooner had she walked into the lobby than she bumped shoulders with a man leaving.