I know, you might have been all wait what?! What is going on here?! But now you aren’t! Because I explained it all here! Not that I expect any of you to use my blog as a calendar of sorts. I mean, hell, I don’t do that. I do with TV shows though… but anyway, the point is… BIRTHDAY MONTH! Extra posts! Whee!!! So welcome to Teaser TuesdayThursday!
The HelenKay Dimon edition. đ
She wanted to trust him with her safety – but not her heart…
No woman could deny the appeal of the sexy deputy sheriff Jonas Porter. But to Courtney Allen, Jonas has one major flaw-his badge. Years ago, Courtney’s father was wrongfully convicted of a crime and she vowed to never trust a cop again. But when Jonas becomes the only man to believe in her father’s innocence, Courtney begins seeing the brooding lawman in a whole new way.
Jonas knows in his gut that the real killer is still out there and determined to finish what he started long ago. To protect Courtney and bring the criminal to justice will require all the skills he can muster. And that means focusing on the job. Not the woman who makes him forget his troublesome past and arouses in him a passion that is anything but professional.
Five hours, an ambulance, two police cars and a hydraulic spreader later, Jonas sat on an emergency room table with his legs dangling over the side and a bandaged shoulder.
They were lucky to be alive. The mangled metal formerly known as a car had crashed around them but not into them. A thousand little things probably made the difference, but the rough terrain and the crawling speed he was forced to drive had made survival an option.
The hospital loudspeaker spewed a constant stream of announcements. Nurses rushed in and out of the individual cubicles lining the L-shaped room. He heard bells and alarms, smelled the harsh scent of antiseptic.
He blocked it all and concentrated on everything that had happened since he showed up on Courtney’s doorstep that morning. The pieces sat there but he couldnât put them together in a comprehensible way. Chases, car accidents, killing. Not his favorite way to spend a day.
It all led back to her, to something in her past. It, whatever “it” was, put her in danger and nearly got him killed. He’d figure it out. At the very least he intended to gather more intel before getting into a car with her the next time.
He also vowed not to leave her side until the threat passed. Right now she lay in a bed on the other side of the flimsy curtain. He could hear her grumbling, even had to argue with her a few times when she told him she was ready to leave.
He’d asked the staff to put her in the cubicle at the end of the hall, thinking she’d have to go through him to sneak out. But he wouldnât be surprised if she slipped through an air conditioning vent to get away. This woman had a serious running issue.
Richmond Tobin, Jonas’ first friend in Aberdeen and a fellow police officer, walked in. He stood six-feet and wrestled in college. Six years out he looked like he could battle a train and come out ahead.
“Youâre supposed to be lying down. You know, resting,” he said.
“Tell me about it.” Jonas rolled his shoulders and had to fight back the wave of nausea that hit him right behind the pain.
“Brought a change of clothes and your cell, just as you requested.” Rich dumped a gym bag next to Jonas’ thigh and held up a gun. “Also managed to liberate your weapon.”
Jonas took it, ran his finger across the side before checking it and slipping it and his holster on his belt. “Bet the nurses loved that.”
“I flashed my badge and reminded them you were in charge since the police chief retired, so it was all your responsibility.”
Jonas saw mounds of paperwork and a meeting with the town council in his future. “Thanks for that.”
“While youâre at it, care to tell me how you got stuck in the middle of the forest with dead body next to you.” Rich fell into the seat across from Jonas. “Someone I have to identify, I might add.”
“Long story.”
“Then there’s the woman who isn’t elderly or in need of a wellness check.”
“Yeah, Courtney.”
Rich’s eyes widened. “You’re on a first-name basis?”
“Almost getting killed will do that to a relationship. Speeds things up.” For some messed up reason, she was now Courtney in his head. Jonas knew the informal reference bordered on inappropriate but he’d worry about that later when he sorted out everything else that had happened that day.
“Uh-huh. And how did all of this happen again?”
Jonas tried to rub the crick out his neck. “You asked about fifty questions in the last two minutes.”
“Okay, how about this one?” Rich leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and smiled at his boss. “How did a hundred pound woman get the drop on you?”
“You’re light on the weight, and I threatened him with my gun,” Courtney shouted from behind the curtain and over the protests of the nurse who was taking her vital signs.
Rich whistled. “Interesting.”
Jonas bit back a groan. He’d hear about this for months. Cops loved this crap. Being the new officer on the squad and the one with the highest rank, the target on his back grew bigger each day. His four months of a perfect record blown with one comment from Courtney.
“The dead guy tried to kill her,” he said.
Rick pulled his chair closer to the exam table as he lowered his voice. “Any chance we know who or why?”
“Not yet.” But Jonas was about to get some of those answers. He hated when people lied to him. Not having all the facts didnât sit any better.
He eased off the table, ignoring the aches thumping through every part of his body. He’d somehow made it through a car flip with only a dislocated shoulder, cut up knee and bruised ribs.
He’d developed the bad attitude during the ambulance ride.
“Where are you going?” Rich asked.
“I have some questions of my own.” Jonas ignored the amusement in his friend’s voice and started walking.
The rings jangled on the metal rod and the nurse squealed as Jonas ripped the curtain aside. “You canât be in here,” she said in a huff.
At fifty, Nurse Ramsey ran the emergency room with an iron fist. Jonas knew her from the times he brought in suspects and car accident victims. She did her job and was not even a little impressed by his gun and badge.
Standing there without a shirt but with a weapon strapped to his side, he wished he’d taken a second to get dressed. It was too late now. “I need to speak with Courtney.”
Even while lying flat on her back with a tube sticking out of her arm, Courtney rolled her eyes. “You could have just asked.”
đ So what’d you think? Do you read Intrigues? Or romantic suspense? Have you read anything by HelenKay before? If not… here’s your lucky chance, because one person who comments is winning a copy of When She Wasn’t Looking! So let me know what you think! You can also read an additional excerpt here.
Wade Royer and Elijah Sterling are on shaky ground. While initially reluctant Eli is finally ready to take things to the next level, Wade is hesitant. He senses trouble coming and heâs right. Still, they know their fiercely undeniable connectionâboth in and out of the bedroomâis worth saving.
