Mountain Sheriff

Mountain Sheriff
B.J. Daniels

Rain and isolation could make folks crazy in these parts. Sheriff Mitch Tanner–the most eligible bachelor in the county–would have his hands full for sure. Bigfoot sightings and sundry strange happenings he could handle…but he wasn't prepared for murder. With a killer on the loose, he'd have to keep a tight grip on the investigation and a close eye on the mounting list of suspects. Unfortunately, the person causing the most trouble to his male senses was none other than the town's biggest gossip and the one woman he'd do anything to avoid: Charity Jenkins. Sure enough, she'd whittled away at his confirmed-single status with her annoying questions and all-American-girl good looks and had him thinking about something more permanent. Except a killer had other plans for Charity.

CASCADE COURIER

Timber Falls Cloaked in Mystery as Rainy Season Begins

by Charity Jenkins

Sheriff Mitch Tanner had his hands full when just hours before the rainy season began Bigfoot was spotted on the edge of town by our local bread delivery man. This is not the first Bigfoot sighting here—nor the last—but the real mystery is the disappearance of Dennison Ducks decoy painter Nina Monroe! The sheriff refused to confirm reports that foul play might have been involved, but one source said Nina’s boss, Wade Dennison, was very upset when she didn’t show for work this morning. Nina has been in town for only a month and little is known about her. But never fear, this reporter will get to the bottom of it….

Mountain Sheriff

B.J. Daniels

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A former award-winning journalist, B.J. Daniels had thirty-six short stories published before her first romantic suspense, Odd Man Out, came out in 1995. B.J. lives in Montana with her husband, Parker, two springer spaniels, Zoey and Scout, and a temperamental tomcat named Jeff. She is a member of Kiss of Death, the Bozeman Writers Group and Romance Writers of America. When she isn’t writing, she snowboards in the winters and camps and boats in the summers. All year she plays her favorite sport, tennis. To contact her, write: P.O. Box 183, Bozeman, MT 59771 or visit her Web site at www.bjdanielsweb.com.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Charity Jenkins—She’s set her sights on confirmed bachelor Sheriff Mitch Tanner—and the newspaper story she’s working on could get her killed.

Mitch Tanner—The rainy season in Timber Falls is always bad, but this year it starts with a murder.

Nina Monroe—The duck-decoy painter lied about who she was and why she was in town—and now she’s gone missing.

Wade Dennison—The owner of Dennison Ducks is hiding something. But is it murder?

Daisy Dennison—She became a recluse when her baby daughter, Angela, was stolen from her crib twenty-seven years ago.

Angela Dennison—Twenty-seven years ago Angela was stolen from her crib and never seen again.

Alma Bromdale—The nanny had been sleeping soundly in the room next to Angela’s…

Desiree Dennison—For years she’s had to live in her missing younger sister’s shadow. The last thing she wants is Angela to turn up now in the flesh.

Jesse Tanner—Is it just a coincidence that Mitch’s outlaw older brother shows up in Timber Falls now?

Ethel Whiting—She knows the Dennison family better than anyone in town. Maybe too well.

Sheryl Bends—Did the painter hate Nina Monroe enough for stealing one of her duck designs that she could have killed her?

Bud Farnsworth—The production manger at Dennsion Ducks has a chip on his shoulder and a mean temper.

Kyle L. Rogers—The P.I. doesn’t know it, but he was hired to make sure the kidnapper’s identity stays a secret.

This book is dedicated with much appreciation to JoAnn Brehm. Thank you for sharing your stories about life in Oregon and the long rainy season.

Oregon is a beautiful, diverse state and one I found both fascinating and a little mystifying. Especially in the deepest, darkest woods on the rain shadow side of the Cascades, where it takes little imagination to believe that Bigfoot watches from the shadows.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Epilogue

Chapter One

Tuesday, October 27

Darkness pressed against the window. Beyond the glass, something moved at the edge of the tangle of growth.

Under the glow of the desk lamp, Nina Monroe feathered the paint along one side of the wooden duck decoy.

She’d forgotten she was alone in the isolated Dennison Ducks decoy plant. Nor had she noticed how late it was. Her mind had been on her future.

For the first time in her twenty-seven years of life, her future looked good. Not just good. Dazzling. Almost blinding. Sometimes she had to pinch herself it was so hard to believe. Soon she would have everything she’d ever wanted. Soon she wouldn’t be painting duck decoys in the middle of nowhere, that was for sure.