Trained To Defend. Christy Barritt

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      Colton Hawk froze as a strange sound pulled him from his sleep.

      It was a car. Coming up the gravel lane that led to his home. At four thirty in the morning.

      He jumped out of his warm bed and threw on some clothes. After grabbing the gun from his nightstand, he peered out the window. Adrenaline pounded through him.

      Unexpected visitors in the middle of the night usually meant trouble.

      As a former detective, Colton had a whole list of people who might want to track him down and exact revenge. Apparently, not even moving out here to ten acres in northern Idaho was enough to keep people away.

      He watched as the driver cut the headlights as he neared the house. He didn’t recognize the beat-up sedan. But the fact that the driver was being secretive set off all kinds of warning alarms in his mind.

      Colton hurried down the stairs to his front door. He stepped out onto his porch just as the vehicle rolled to a stop behind his truck.

      With his finger poised on the gun, Colton waited to see what would happen next.

      Snow pelted down from above, and the darkness obscured the landscape around him. Nightfall out here in the middle of Idaho’s Rocky Mountains was unlike any Colton had ever experienced. The blackness was so deep, a person felt like they could be swallowed by it.

      The isolation was both a friend and a foe.

      Colton knew one thing: someone had to be desperate to head out in slick, treacherous weather like this, especially in a sedan like the one in front of his house. The vehicle looked like it could break down at any minute. The front bumper was dented, the driver’s side door was faded, and the tires looked tiny and worn down.

      He glanced beyond the car to make sure no one else had followed. He saw nothing, no one—just a dark, empty lane lined with pine and fir trees.

      Colton sucked in a breath when a dog hopped from the backseat and into the knee-high snow. A husky.

      Why would someone bent on revenge have brought a dog with them?

      And then he saw the biggest trouble of all.

      Sarah Peterson stepped out and stared across the expanse at him.

      He sucked in another breath.

       Sarah. His Sarah.

      Colton never thought he’d see the woman again, not after the way things had ended between them two years ago.

      But there she was. Even in the darkness, he could see that she looked just as beautiful as ever with her shiny blond hair and petite figure. But something about her body language was different. Gone was the lighthearted, carefree vibe that Colton had loved so much. In its place was…terror. It was the only word he could think of to describe the look.

      She staggered toward him and collapsed into the mounds of white, icy flakes that covered his front yard.

      Colton jammed his gun into his waistband and rushed toward her. The dog barked at him, urging him on, telling him he wasn’t moving fast enough.

      When he reached Sarah, snow already encased her limp body.

      She was…barefoot? In a knee-length dress?

      What was going on? Why would she be dressed like this in such frigid weather? Something was seriously wrong.

      Colton gathered her in his arms and carried her inside his house. Despite the craziness of the moment, he still caught of whiff of Sarah’s honeysuckle-scented lotion.

      At one time, it had been one of his favorite aromas in the world. It brought back memories of watching sunsets in each other’s arms. Of dreaming about the future while hiking their favorite trail. Of good-night kisses and long hugs on the porch.

      Shoving aside the bittersweet memories, Colton lowered Sarah onto his leather couch. She was freezing and had to warm up. He’d call an ambulance, but it would take twenty minutes to get here.

      Before grabbing a blanket, his eyes skimmed the light blue sweater covering her arms. Was that…blood on her sleeves?

      Colton sucked in a breath.

      What in the world had happened to her?

      He quickly checked her for wounds but saw nothing. СКАЧАТЬ