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CHAPTER ONE

Panic-stricken and with her pulse racing, Karen Harper packed her suitcase and tried frantically to think of a safe place she could hide. Hotels were out of the question. She’d be found in a heartbeat, and too many people knew about her parent’s vacation home in the mountains.

“Where can I go?” she muttered. “Think, think, somewhere remote. But who do you know who—of course! Helen!” she exclaimed, snatching up her phone.

Frantically placing the call to her long-time friend who had married a cowboy and now lived in a small country town, Karen prayed she would answer.

“Karen? This is a surprise. How are you?”

“Great, just great, and you?”

“Couldn’t be better. Believe it or not I’m having a baby.”

“Oh, my gosh, that’s amazing.”

“It is, like crazy amazing, but if you’re calling to ask me to join you and the others for a night out—”

“No, no, actually, I was wondering if there was anywhere around there I could rent a guest house for a while.”

“Sure, you can stay at the cottage where I used to live on my parent’s estate. And you don’t have to worry about renting it. Stay as long as you need. But why do you want to come out here? There’s not much excitement, though the cowboy’s are pretty hot,” she added with a giggle.

“I need a break, and I’ve always wanted to learn how to ride,” she added quickly, the thought popping into her mindout of nowhere.

“Oh. Let me think. Andy would be happy to teach you, but since I’ve been marketing for him on social media he’s crazy busy.”

“That’s okay, it was just an idea. Something to do while I’m out there.”

“There are plenty of great cowboys who train and teach. I’ll ask him who he’d recommend. I’m sure he’ll be able to direct you to the right guy.”

“That’s fantastic. Thanks. Should I come to your place, or drive straight to your parents estate?”

“Definitely come here first so I can give you the rundown, and in the meantime I’ll let them know. When do you think you’ll be arriving?”

“I really want to get out of here. Would it be okay if I came today?”

“Karen, what’s going on?”

“Nothing,” she replied hastily, “I just—”

“I’ve known you forever and I can tell something’s wrong. You can trust me. I won’t mention it to anyone.”

“Okay, okay, I’ve had a huge row with this guy I’ve been seeing and I’m a bit scared,” she exclaimed, hoping she sounded convincing.

“Why? Do think he could get violent?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t want to hang around to find out.”

“Where did you meet him?”

“Where else, at the club. And after everything that happened with you and that biker, the situation is kind of freaking me out. He seemed really nice at first, then he started to get possessive. But can we talk about this when I see you? I really want to get out of here. If he shows up—”

“I totally understand. I’ll text you the address and I’ll see you when you get here.”

“Thanks, Helen, you’re a lifesaver,” she said, letting out a relieved breath. “I’ll be on my way in just a few minutes.”

Ending the call, she took a moment to gather her wits. She’d hated lying, but the truth was just too difficult to explain and hard to believe. As she darted around her condo to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything, she suddenly stopped and stared at her phone. She was no tech whiz, and she didn’t know how, but she watched enough television shows to know it could be tracked.

Not wanting to take any chances, she wrote down the address Helen had texted her, then opened it up and took out the SIM card. Still not sure if that would be enough to prevent prying eyes if God Forbid she threw it away and it was found, she paused for a moment to think.