Evidence of Trust (Colorado Trust Series: 1)

Wrangler Brittany Lucas was looking forward to one last summer of freedom before returning to Chicago to work for her demanding CEO father. Instead, her independence is stripped when a new ranger restricts park access while he searches for a poacher killing animals in Rocky Mountain National Park. She understands Tall, Dark, and Sexy has a job to do, but his cocky, my-way-or-the-highway authority fuels her resentment.

Ranger Joel Morgan is used to having the upper hand in all his cases, so he’s thoroughly frustrated by the beautiful, stubborn blond complicating the hell out of his investigation. The constant desire to kiss her smart mouth shut isn’t helping matters.

Sparks fly as the two fight each other for the upper hand while doing their best to resist a sizzling chemistry that refuses to be ignored. Then the stalker turns his sights on Brittany, and Joel discovers he’ll do whatever it takes to protect her—even give his own life.

EXCERPT:

By the time Joel Morgan hiked back to where he’d tied his gelding, he concluded Ms. Brittany Lucas was either one hell of an actress, or she really was just camping. Unfortunately, he didn’t think she could’ve fabricated the surprise in those wide green eyes. Not to mention, the genuine relief that had softened her resistance when she’d spotted his badge spoke volumes.

A thief could’ve faked the words, but not the involuntary physical reaction.

Still, he needed to keep an eye on her and make sure she left the area. Not only because she was in a restricted area, but for the precise reason she’d given for running from him. A camper alone in the backcountry wasn’t a good idea to begin with. A woman as pretty as her by herself with a poacher stalking the area put the situation from bad to worse.

He’d felt the stirring of physical reaction as she lay beneath him, all soft curves and a thick mass of blond curls fanned out on the grass. The sick bastard who was responsible for murdering and decapitating the bighorn sheep likely wouldn’t have any issues assaulting her as she’d feared he might.

Yeah, she was right to be afraid—he just wished she’d have considered that before hitting the trail. He may be new to the Rocky Mountain National Park, but the responsibility of keeping visitors safe weighed on his shoulders, no matter how much the woman’s blatant disregard for the rules irked him.

The ghosts of his past tried to sneak up from behind. Joel shrugged them away. People in his past may not have needed him, but these mountains did, and so did the animals. That’s all that mattered.

He radioed into headquarters to report his location for the night as he swung into the saddle. One of the rangers who’d been assisting with his investigation answered the call.

“Find anything interesting up there?” Randy Gifford asked.

“Just a camper in a restricted area.”

“You think it could be the guy you’re looking for?”

“It’s a woman. Camping where she shouldn’t be. I’m going to make sure she leaves in the morning, then return to my original route.”

“You may want to reconsider. That storm front I mentioned earlier is moving a lot faster than expected. It’s over the Never Summer Mountain Range and will reach your area tonight. Temperature’s dropping, too, so be prepared.”

Joel surveyed the heavy, gray clouds he’d noticed earlier. “What are they forecasting?”

“If it keeps moving, a couple inches. If it stalls, up to a foot.”

He muttered a curse. That would be a problem. “If that happens, we could be up here for a few days, so yeah, scrap the original route. The closest trailhead is Longs Peak, can you get someone to drop off my truck and trailer over there in the morning?”

“Will do.”

Five minutes later, he rode back into Brittany Lucas’s camp as she threw a couple pieces of wood on the campfire that’d been nothing but banked coals when he left. She brushed off her hands before bracing them on her hips.

“Now what?”

He dismounted to unpack his gear. “I’ll be camping here with you tonight.”

“Ranger Morgan, let me assure you, I have every intention of leaving in the morning.”

“And until then, I’ll make sure you stay safe.”

“I don’t need you to babysit me,” she insisted, irritation flooding her voice as she sat by the fire.

Ignoring the fact she’d heard him earlier, he met her stare over the top of Nobel’s saddle. “You got a gun?”

Her gaze faltered. “No.”

“Well, the poacher does, so I’m staying.” That shut her up, until he tossed his sleeping bag inside her tent.

COLORADO TRUST SERIES
Trust makes all the difference when love and danger collide.

Set in the beautiful Colorado Rockies, each book is a stand-alone romantic suspense, but characters from earlier books do reappear as the series continues.

Evidence of Trust, Book 1
Trust by Design, Book 2
Trust in the Lawe, Book 3
Shattered Trust, Book 4
Dare to Trust, Book 5

Vow of Trust, Book 6

Illusion of Trust, Book 7