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  A shout sounded behind her. As the echo rang loud over the thunderous pounding in her ears, Paelo skittered sideways, his mane wrenched from her grasp and she slammed to the ground as he took off across the clearing.

  “Hold!” Her harsh command brought the stallion to an edgy halt. Scrambling to her feet, she made it halfway to his side when a brutal force struck from behind. Arms banded around her chest as the ground rushed up at an alarming rate.

  Air whooshed from her lungs on impact. She lay dazed for a few seconds, desperately gasping for air. The man grabbed her shoulder to flip her onto her back. Any breath she’d managed to drag into her lungs seized in her chest at the sight of the dark, menacing figure looming above.

  “Get off me!” She kicked and thrashed, and tried to scratch any part of him she could. “You’ll never get away with this, people know where I am!”

  “If you would—”

  Her knee connected near his groin, and his grunt of pain made her double her efforts.

  “Damn it—knock it off.”

  With a low growl, he captured her wrists to pin her arms above her head. Then he covered her body with his, his weight pressing her into the cold earth from chest to ankle.

  His face lowered, his nose barely an inch from hers as her chest heaved from exertion and the weight of his body on hers. She gulped back fear to find herself staring into the most startling pair of eyes she’d ever seen. Light brown, gold around the irises, framed by thick, dark lashes.

  Annoyed determination flashed in those eyes, an instant reminder of her vulnerable position. He’d walked into her camp with a gun, tackled her, and now held her completely helpless. She had no idea what he might be capable of—and yet feared just how far he would go.

  Moisture burned her eyes, and she closed them so he wouldn’t see her despair. His weight against her chest eased a tiny bit as he dragged her arms down to imprison them alongside her head. She snapped her eyes open to see him leveraging himself on his elbows. It gave her room to breathe, but made her aware of the rest of him covering her body.

  No. She would not give up and let him assault her without a fight. Tears evaporated in the heat of anger, and she glared up in defiance. The chilling intensity of those gold-flecked eyes made her swallow hard and think twice. Maybe it would be better if she appeared to be submissive. Catch him off-guard.

  She lowered her gaze and caught a flash of gold against the black material of his shirt. Her pulse skipped again as she recognized the National Park Service badge. Sucking in a surprised breath, she jerked her head back up.

  “You’re a ranger?”

  “Yes,” he bit out. “Now—”

  “Oh, thank God.” Relief flooded her body. “You had me scared half to death.”

  His eyes narrowed. When she tried to pull her arms free, his iron grip remained firm. Annoyance took the place of anxiety.

  “You can let me go now.”

  “Not just yet. What’s your name?”

  “Brittany Lucas.”

  “And exactly what are you doing up here, Brittany Lucas?”

  She frowned. “Isn’t that obvious?”

  “Sometimes the obvious is too obvious.”

  “What?” He’s talking in riddles. “Who are you?”

  “I’ll ask the questions. Where’s your permit?”

  “Permit?”

  “Your park registration.”

  “But…I don’t…” Confusion robbed her of words. The ranch had unlimited access to the park. She shifted to relieve the discomfort of his hard body pressing hers into the equally unyielding ground. The cold seeped through her sweatshirt, into her bones.

  “You don’t what?” His gaze bore into hers. “Don’t want us to know you’re here, that you’re breaking the law and aiding in the destruction of protected animals?”

  The accusation raised her eyebrows. “You think I’m a poacher?”

  His lips curled upward with a hint of malice. “A pretty thing like you wouldn’t actually do the killing, but you’re a good diversion.”

  She gave a short laugh of disbelief. “Oh, please.”

  “You sure ran fast enough.”

  “Because I thought you were one.”

  “And what do you know about poaching?”

  “Only that there have been rumors around town. I swear, I’m just up here camping for the weekend.”

  “Right.”

  She drew in a breath to hold her rising temper. “Obviously you’re new here. Maybe we should start over. What’s your name?”

  “Ranger Morgan.”

  He said it as if talking to a child, and she would’ve smiled if he hadn’t still been stretched on top of her. She was becoming aware of things she didn’t want to become aware of. And he’d said she was pretty.

  “Well, Ranger Morgan, I would really appreciate it if you’d get off me.”

  He didn’t move.

  “I am not going to run again,” she promised, hoping her rising desperation sounded more like exasperation. “The only reason I did the first time is because I saw your gun when you were going through my things, and I was afraid you might try to...um...”

  Her hesitation seemed to clue him in. His eyebrows drew together as his gaze flicked downward. For a brief moment, his grip tightened on her wrists, then he released her arms and pushed to his feet.

  Ignoring his outstretched arm, she stood on her own before brushing off her hands on the seat of her jeans while turning to see Paelo still waiting for her. She called him with a soft command and the stallion moved over to her. Rubbing her palms up along his velvety muzzle, she snuck a glance at the ranger to find him watching her horse with open amazement.

  He’d secured his gun in a side holster on his belt, but rested his hand on the butt of the weapon, as if ready to draw at a seconds notice. His gaze shifted back to her, his expression grim once more. “Why are you up here?”

  “I thought we covered that already.”

  “Let’s assume I choose to believe you’re telling the truth. This is still a restricted area. Permits are required for camping.”

  “So you’ve said.” Paelo returned to grazing, so she turned to face the ranger and explain exactly why she didn’t have an individual permit.

  He stepped closer, his finger jabbing toward her through the air. “You may think you’re above everyone else, but spoiled little rich girls need to register just like the rest of the common folk.”

  She barely kept her mouth from hanging open. Spoiled little rich girls? Screw him. He knew nothing about her. Wasn’t going to either, she decided. Sure, she could tell him the ranch had unrestricted access to the park, but he didn’t believe she was camping, so why would he believe anything else she said?

  “Thank you, sir. Now I know for the future.”

  “No.” He gave a shake of his head, swept his gaze over her campsite, then turned his glare back on her. “Not good enough. You can’t stay here. You’re going to have to pack up and go.”

  Seriously? Casting a pointed glance toward the setting sun, she saw it was partially obscured by a low bank of thick, white clouds that stretched along the horizon. The weatherman had said possibility of light snow, but she didn’t like the look of them any more than she liked Ranger Morgan’s hostile tone.

  “It’s too late to leave tonight.”

  When she moved to brush past him, his hand clamped on her arm.

  “At first light then,” he ground out, clearly annoyed that she was right. “I’ll drag you from your tent if I have to.”

  She jerked free, resisting an urge to massage the tingling feeling that remained from his touch. Batting her eyelashes, she gave him a sugary smile just to piss him off. “Surely you wouldn’t disturb my beauty rest?”

  “First light,” he repeated through a jaw clenched so tight it was a wonder he got the words out. As he turned away, he muttered what sounded like, “Now I’m a damn baby-sitter.”

  Hands fisted on her hips, Britt glared after his retreating back
. Oh, this guy was a piece of work. She’d make sure to be gone before dawn’s early light, and if she was lucky, she wouldn’t run into the jerk again for the rest of the summer.

  Get EVIDENCE OF TRUST today!

  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

  About the Author

  New York Times bestselling author Stacey Joy Netzel is an avid reader of heartwarming, sexy, pulse-pounding romance, and she loves all movies with a happily ever after. She lives in Wisconsin with her family, a horse and some barn cats. She enjoys hiking, canning, and visiting her parents in Northeastern Wisconsin (Up North), at the family cabin on the lake. Travelling anywhere to the mountains to do some hiking is a bonus she wishes she could do much more often than every couple years.

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  She writes steamy romantic suspense, small town contemporary romances, and paranormal ghost stories with sexy, rugged heroes, and strong, resilient heroines. Colorado, Wisconsin, and Italy are favorite settings, and you can find them in her Must Love Diamonds, Romancing Wisconsin, Italy Intrigue, Welcome to Redemption Series, and Colorado Trust Series.

  Here are all the places you can find me online:

  * * *

  Website

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  Newsletter

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  BookBub

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  Facebook

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  SJN eBook Store

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  Books+Main

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  Hearing from readers is a very special thing for any writer, so pop in and say “Hi!” at any of the above locations. And once again, reviews are always appreciated.

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  Thank you, and happy reading!

  ~Stacey~

  Other Titles By Stacey Joy Netzel

  MUST LOVE DIAMONDS

  Must Love Frosting

  Love Loyal and True

  Love You, Baby (late 2019)

  To Love and Protect (2020)

  * * *

  ITALY INTRIGUE SERIES

  Kidnapped*

  Betrayed

  Conned

  *2012 Write Touch Readers’ Award Winner as Lost in Italy

  * * *

  COLORADO TRUST SERIES

  Evidence of Trust

  Trust by Design

  Trust in the Lawe

  Shattered Trust

  Dare to Trust

  Vow of Trust

  Illusion of Trust

  * * *

  WELCOME TO REDEMPTION SERIES

  A Fair to Remember, Book 2

  Grounds For Change, Book 4

  The Heart of the Matter, Book 6

  Hold On To Me, Book 8

  Say You’ll Marry Me, Book 10

  (books 1,3,5,7,9 written by Donna Marie Rogers)

  * * *

  ROMANCING WISCONSIN SERIES

  Mistletoe Mischief

  Mistletoe Magic

  Mistletoe Match-up

  **Mistletoe Rules – short bonus story

  Autumn Wish

  Autumn Bliss

  Autumn Kiss

  **Autumn Glimmer – short bonus story

  Spring Fling

  Spring Serendipity

  Spring Dreams

  **Spring Spark – short bonus story

  Summer Scandal

  Summer Bride

  Summer Secrets

  **Summer Wager – short bonus story

  * * *

  STAND ALONE ROMANCE TITLES

  More Than a Kiss, contemporary romance

  Chasin’ Mason, contemporary western romance

  Ditched Again, high school reunion novella

  Dragonfly Dreams, Christmas novella

  Nina, Beach Brides sweet contemporary novella

  * * *

  PARANORMAL ROMANCE TITLES

  If Tombstones Could Talk, paranormal novella

  Beneath Still Waters (Part One), paranormal novella

  Rising Above (Still Waters Part Two), paranormal novella

  * * *

  FREE READ

  Holding Out For a Hero

  * * *

  PUZZLE BOOK

  Passion & Puzzles

  a Word Search and Crossword Puzzle Book of Stacey Joy Netzel Romance books

  Love Loyal and True

  Must Love Diamonds Series, book 2

  Copyright © 2019, Stacey Joy Netzel

  * * *

  Love You, Baby – excerpt

  Copyright © 2019, Stacey Joy Netzel

  * * *

  Evidence of Trust - excerpt

  Copyright © 2014, Stacey Joy Netzel

  * * *

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  * * *

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

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  Editor: Stacy D. Holmes

  Cover Art: Cover Couture

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  ebook ISBN: 9781939143747

  Print ISBN: 9781939143754