Mountain Hideaway. Christy Barritt

      

      NO SAFE HAVEN

      After being caught collecting evidence on her ex-boyfriend’s criminal dealings, Tessa Jones has no choice but to go into hiding. She feels safe in her mountain refuge, right up until private investigator Trent McCabe comes knocking—and bullets start flying their way. Now for the second time, Tessa is on the run. And Trent’s mission has shifted from tracking down a missing person to keeping the brave beauty alive. Trent once lost a woman in his care, and he won’t make the same mistake again. But Tessa trusts no one—not even Trent. Out in the wilderness with danger closing in, Tessa must make a choice: rely on the handsome stranger...or take her chances with a killer.

      “What will it take for you to trust me?”

      Trent tried to get a better look at Tessa’s face in the blackness of the forest.

      She shook her head. “The only person I can rely on is myself.”

      But he saw the tears in her eyes and knew her walls were coming down. He glimpsed the woman lurking there, scared and alone. A fierce surge of protectiveness rose in him.

      They couldn’t stay here. It wasn’t safe. “Let’s go back to the cabin.”

      With hesitation, she put her hands in his. It wasn’t a romantic gesture, though the idea was appealing. It was a matter of survival, the two of them sticking together in the bleak wilderness.

      He led her up the mountain, but as they neared his cabin, he pulled her behind a tree, his muscles tightening as instinct kicked in. Instinct that told him something was wrong.

      He nodded toward the distance. “Listen.”

      A crackle, followed by an explosion.

      “What is that?” Tessa whispered.

      “That was my cabin. It just went up in flames.”

      He felt Tessa shudder.

      They were here. The killers had found them. Again.

      CHRISTY BARRITT’s books have won a Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Suspense and Mystery and have been twice nominated for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Book Award. She’s married to her Prince Charming, a man who thinks she’s hilarious—but only when she’s not trying to be. Christy’s a self-proclaimed klutz, an avid music lover and a road trip aficionado. For more information, visit her website at christybarritt.com.

      Mountain Hideaway

      Christy Barritt

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      MILLS & BOON

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      Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.

      —Matthew 17:20

      To all the children my husband and I work with every Sunday at Kempsville Christian—your faith inspires me. Thank you for being a part of my life.

      Contents

       Cover

       Back Cover Text

       Introduction

       About the Author

       Title Page

       Bible Verse

       Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

       FIVE

       SIX

       SEVEN

       EIGHT

       NINE

       TEN

       ELEVEN

       TWELVE

       THIRTEEN

       FOURTEEN

       FIFTEEN

       SIXTEEN

       SEVENTEEN

       EIGHTEEN

       NINETEEN

       TWENTY

       TWENTY-ONE

       TWENTY-TWO