Covert Christmas

by Hope White

“You mean...?”

  “He’s willing to give you a trial run while I’m still around to supervise. But let me know in the next 48 hours or else we’ll post an ad in the Echo Mountain Review.”

  “Don’t post the ad,” Scott blurted out.

  Harvey burst out laughing, slapped Scott on the shoulder and wandered into the crowd.

  Scott had never felt the sense of community he did at this very moment; a sense of belonging. He’d always been the lone wolf, the man of the family who needed to take care of his mom and sister, which didn’t leave time for making friends or being part of a community.

  Yet somehow he’d found himself surrounded by people who cared, thanks to Breanna’s family.

  Breanna, the woman he loved with all his heart.

  A clinking sound hushed the crowd. Everyone quieted and glanced at Bree’s mom. “I’d like to publicly thank our guest, Scott Becket, for exposing the toxic dumping mess and protecting our community.”

  The group applauded. He scanned the crowd looking for Bree.

  “Thanks to Scott—”

  “You’re back in the dating pool!” Harvey called out.

  Everyone chuckled.

  Scott glanced at Mrs. McBride. “I am sorry about that.”

  “Don’t be. I’ve been wanting to break it off with Chuck for months but didn’t have a good reason other than my gut telling me it wasn’t right.”

  “Gotta listen to those gut feelings,” Scott said.

  Mrs. McBride raised her cup of cider. “To Scott Becket.”

  The group cheered, smiles spreading across their faces.

  “Thanks, thanks everyone,” he glanced down, embarrassed.

  “Okay, speech time is over. Let’s finish eating all this great food,” Mrs. McBride said.

  Scott turned to search the back of the house, but Bree’s mom caught his arm.

  “Maybe you should take your own advice about your gut feelings?” She winked.

  “Am I that transparent?”

  She smiled and drifted into the crowd.

  A crowd noticeably absent of Bree. His heart rate sped up at the thought she’d left, that he wouldn’t see her again tonight.

  He ambled through the group, shaking hands and accepting thanks, making his way toward Aiden, who was talking to Nia.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea, Aiden,” Nia said.

  “You worry too much.

  “What’s not a good idea?” Scott said.

  “He wants to build a camp at the top of Echo Mountain for guests,” Nia said.

  “It would be a great draw for business,” Aiden said.

  “It’s dangerous up there,” Nia countered. “The high winds and steep slopes.”

  Aiden waved her off and redirected his attention to Scott. “So, you interested in Harvey’s job?”

  “I am.”

  “Harvey thinks you’re a good fit.”

  “And what do you think?”

  Aiden narrowed his eyes. “We’ll see how you do during your probationary period.”

  “Thanks, and thanks for pointing out the obvious back at the hotel room.”

  “You mean...?”

  “About what matters.”

  “Anytime buddy, anytime.”

  “Have you guys seen Bree?” Scott asked.

  “I think she went out back to check on Fiona,” Aiden said.

  “Great, thanks.” Scott made his way through the house, smiling at neighbors and friends as he passed, anxious to get outside to find Bree.

  He placed the gift bag on top of the fridge as he passed through the kitchen and went out the back door. The crisp winter air filled his lungs and stars sparkled above. He scanned the property and didn’t see Bree at first, then he heard her giggling.

  Scott followed the glorious sound and found Bree playing ball toss with Fiona on the side of the house.

  “Get it, girl. Go get it!” she called.

  “Hey,” Scott said.

  Bree spun around, startled. She swiped at her cheeks and that’s when Scott realized she’d been crying.

  “It turns out I won’t need the compass,” he said, approaching her.

  “Yeah, why’s that?”

  “I’ve found my way home.” He reached for her and pulled her into his arms. “And I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon.”

  She studied him with hope in her eyes.

  “Your brother offered me a job and I’ve decided to take it.”

  “You mean...?”

  “I’m yours, Breanna, as long as you’ll have me.”

  She squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him with such joy. Scott lifted her up off the ground and twirled in a circle. She giggled against his lips.

  Fiona rushed them, bursting into a round of playful barks. Scott broke the kiss and smiled. For the first time since he could remember, he cracked a genuine, heartfelt smile. Bree glanced up at the sky. Soft snowflakes started to fall, landing on her eyelashes.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “For what?”

  “My Christmas wish.”

  He held her tight, thanking God for the wonderful blessing of love.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from TUNDRA THREAT by Sarah Varland.

  Dear Reader,

  I’ve always appreciated the phrase, “Only you can do it, but you can’t do it alone.” Whether you get your strength from God, friends, family or a combination of all three, it is a blessing to be able to trust someone enough to lean on him or her in times of hardship.

  In Covert Christmas, Scott is forced to trust Breanna after he’s assaulted and loses his memory. Being in a strange town and suspected of being involved in criminal activity, he’s both traumatized and terrified. Yet free-spirited Breanna stays by his side to help him through. He’s amazed by her tenderness, strength and faith in God.

  Breanna, on the other hand, learns to trust her instincts and act on them. She’s suffered her share of hardship, especially in the boyfriend department, yet that won’t stop her from helping a wounded man who’s being pursued by gunmen in the mountains. Her past hardships have made her courageous.

  Throughout the course of their story, Breanna and Scott learn they do not have to tackle the challenges of life alone. They are able to embrace the importance of leaning on each other and experience a deep, special kind of trust shared between two people.

  I hope you’re able to find support in times of hardship, and love when you need it most. Remember, God is love.

  Peace,

  Hope White

  Questions for Discussion

  Do you think Breanna was foolish to help Scott when she found him being pursued by gunmen in the mountains? Why or why not?

  Was Bree’s family justified in worrying about her becoming attached to Scott? If so, why?

  Do you think Scott should have tried harder to push Bree away? Why?

  Why do you think Scott leaned so heavily on Bree?

  What part of Scott’s past do you think haunted him the most?

  Did you understand Bree not wanting to tell her family about her abusive boyfriend?

  If Scott and Bree had met under different circumstances, do you think they would have dated?

  Do you think her brother’s overprotectiveness made Bree feel good that someone cared so much, or did it make her feel as though her family didn’t believe she could make sensible decisions?

  How could Scott have worked through the guilt of Miguel’s death?

  How do you think Bree’s experience being bullied by her ex-boyfriend helped her motivate Scott to fight?

  At what point did you suspect Scott was investig
ating his own boss? What clued you in?

  Why do you think we sometimes take responsibility for other people’s choices?

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense story.

  You enjoy a dash of danger. Love Inspired Suspense stories feature strong heroes and heroines whose faith is central in solving mysteries and saving lives.

  Enjoy four new stories from Love Inspired Suspense every month!

  Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

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  ONE

  A soft wind blew across the tundra, whispered through the grass and sent shivers up McKenna Clark’s spine. The two bodies that lay in front of her were not the caribou or moose the wildlife trooper expected to find when she received a tip that someone might be poaching on the tundra south of Barrow. No, these bodies were definitely human. And they’d definitely been murdered.

  Her stomach churned and swirled but she took a deep breath as she edged closer, closed her eyes most of the way and felt each person’s wrist for a pulse, just in case.

  Nothing.

  She dropped the arm she’d last held, took several steps back and averted her eyes. She’d seen her share of senseless killing in her work, but this was the first time she’d seen a dead person outside of a funeral home. This wasn’t what she’d expected when she’d signed up to be a wildlife trooper. She’d been through the trooper academy like every other Alaska state trooper, and knew her job was dangerous in a unique way. The wild animals she worked to protect were unpredictable and could pose a serious threat to her safety on their own. And anyone breaking hunting regulations had the potential to be dangerous to her. Those were all risks she understood and accepted willingly when she took the job. But this? She’d never anticipated dealing with murder.

  She forced herself to glance back down at the bodies, knowing she’d be asked more than a few questions once she called this in. Especially about whether cause of death was obvious. It was—in the form of a gunshot wound on each.

  “Everything okay?”

  McKenna bristled at the voice of Chris, the pilot, who was too close behind her for comfort. She whipped around, wondering when he’d gotten out of the plane. “No. It’s not.” He may be a contract-based employee of the troopers, but his narrow eyes were full of something she couldn’t identify, and the way he held himself made it seem as though he had something to hide. She didn’t trust him.

  He held up his hands in mock surrender at her tone and let out a low whistle when he caught sight of the scene in front of them. “That’s gonna need to be called in.”

  As though she didn’t know that.

  McKenna started toward the plane and the communications equipment, but paused when she realized the pilot wasn’t following her.

  “Aren’t you coming?” She pierced him with a gaze that she hoped conveyed the fact that it wasn’t really a question.

  He took one more long look at the bodies, shook his head and followed her. McKenna climbed into the plane, relaxing slightly when the pilot climbed in next to her and began preparing them for the flight. She wasn’t sure what it was about him that made her uneasy, but after a few years on the job, she’d learned to trust her gut instincts. She called headquarters and left a message to report what she’d found, then leaned back against the seat, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves. She wouldn’t be able to fully let her guard down until she was back in Barrow and away from this pilot and his too-watchful eyes.

  The scene she’d just observed flashed before her and she wasn’t able to suppress a shudder.

  Though she had no logical reason to fear for her own safety, McKenna had a feeling that, back in Barrow or not, she wouldn’t feel like letting her guard down any time soon.

  * * *

  “I got your message. You think you found a murder scene?” Captain Wilkins’s voice was skeptical. McKenna squeezed her phone tighter. She could almost picture him frowning, bushy eyebrows pressed together, even though she’d only met him once—last week after she’d accepted the transfer and flown up here to the middle-of-nowhere.

  “Yes, sir,” McKenna said more calmly than she felt, knowing she’d stumbled over her words when she’d left her message and had likely confused an already abnormal situation even more. “I received a tip that someone had been poaching south of Barrow and had Chris fly me down to investigate. That’s when I found the bodies.”

  McKenna exhaled, feeling a weight lift from her shoulders. This was almost over. She’d fill out a little paperwork, get that sent off before she left the office and be done with this case. Her heart ached for the dead men, for their families. For the lack of justice. But she’d done what she could. It wasn’t her case. Other law enforcement agencies would look into it from here.

  She wasn’t sure she’d ever been so relieved. She sipped a long drink of coffee as she waited for the captain to tell her how he wanted her to handle her report. The coffee was cold and left over from that morning. But it was better than nothing.

  “Thanks for letting me know. Keep looking into it and update me when you know more.”

  She almost choked on the coffee.

  “Excuse me?” McKenna’s voice pinched in her throat. “It’s...it’s not a wildlife issue, sir. I assumed I’d notify you and you’d pass it on to another trooper nearby. Or another agency.”

  “There are no regular troopers near there. Didn’t they show you the map with currently filled trooper posts? You’re it up there, Officer Clark. You were put in command of the Barrow post. That means someone had confidence in your abilities. Do the best you can and resolve this.”

  “But...”

  “Work with the North Slope Bureau Police Department if you need to, but this is a state trooper investigation. And you have the lead.”

  McKenna knew she shouldn’t argue, but when had that ever helped her keep quiet? “But I’m a wildlife trooper.” She stated what should have been obvious, her mind flashing images from earlier in the afternoon that she’d prefer to forget. She couldn’t handle deliberate crimes against people. That was her brother’s expertise—he was an Anchorage police officer and loved every minute of his job. McKenna didn’t know how he dealt with the hate. Hadn’t she just told him yesterday when they’d talked on the phone about his latest case that she’d be terrible at that sort of work?

  But the extra layer of steel in Captain Wilkins’s voice made it clear he didn’t care.

  “You are. You’ve also been promoted to a position of authority. Poaching is often a motive for other crimes, like murder. It’s not the first time we’ve had a wildlife trooper investigating a homicide. As I said, you have the lead, Officer Clark. I wish it hadn’t happened your first week up here, but it did. Like it or not. Now, solve it or go back to the city.”

  McKenna heard a click. “Hello?” She pressed the phone harder to her ear. “Hello?” He’d hung up on her.

  Solve it or go back to the city.

  She hated herself for it, but for an instant she considered the second option. She loved the city of Anchorage. She’d hoped to make a difference doing a job she was passionate about while living her dream life in the city. That’s what she had been doing until this “promotion” moved her out here into the bush. She was alone in this small town, with no colleagues to consult with, no superiors to go to for advice or mentorship. Nothing. It was just her. And Chris, the contracted pilot, if she counted him. Since the thought of him made the hair on the back of her neck stand up and she still couldn’t erase the look in his eyes that had unsettled her at the crime scene, she wasn’t inclined to think of him as someone on her side.

  Should she go b
ack to the city and admit that she wasn’t ready for this opportunity, after all? No. She’d never been a quitter and she wouldn’t start now.

  McKenna hung up the phone and stared around at the tiny building designated as her “office.” It was little more than a single-wide trailer, about fifteen feet long. But it had a coffeemaker, a desk and a space heater, and that really covered all the essentials. If she needed more she’d have to ask the police department for help or fly to another village or city where there was a regular trooper post.

  She shook her head. This wasn’t where she was supposed to be. Since early in high school, she’d started creating a list of goals for the year every January first. They weren’t just resolutions, they were more specific than that. Like when she’d set a goal to graduate as valedictorian, which she’d eventually accomplished with a perfect GPA and quite a few advanced-placement classes. After she had her yearly goal list, she’d rework her five-year plan to include the current year and write out specific steps she’d need to take to keep herself on track.

  This promotion taking her to the middle of nowhere was most definitely not on her five-year plan. Neither was pretending to be some kind of detective when she’d become a trooper, a wildlife trooper to help make sure wildlife in Alaska was managed and treated properly.

  McKenna shoved the chair back and stood, frustration building in her. She hated when things didn’t go according to plan.

  Knowing there was nothing else she could do today, she shut off the light and let herself outside. Sunset wouldn’t come for several more hours, since even September liked to remind the world that Alaska was the “Land of the Midnight Sun.” McKenna kept herself alert as she walked to her car. She was new in town, with no idea who she should trust. And though the site of the murders had been miles away, Barrow was the closest town to the crime scene. Chances were good either the murderer or the victims had started out in Barrow. Questions terrorized her mind as she thought through the case again. Would the culprit kill again? Who might be the next victim? She had only a theoretical idea of how crimes like this worked. She’d been through regular training at the trooper academy but lacked the experience to back up what she’d learned. Maybe she’d call her brother later. He’d know what to do.