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Chapters (77)
  1. Cover
  2. Endorsements
  3. Books by Elizabeth Goddard
  4. Title Page
  5. Copyright Page
  6. Dedication
  7. ONE
  8. TWO
  9. THREE
  10. FOUR
  11. FIVE
  12. SIX
  13. SEVEN
  14. EIGHT
  15. NINE
  16. TEN
  17. ELEVEN
  18. TWELVE
  19. THIRTEEN
  20. FOURTEEN
  21. FIFTEEN
  22. SIXTEEN
  23. SEVENTEEN
  24. EIGHTEEN
  25. NINETEEN
  26. TWENTY
  27. TWENTY-ONE
  28. TWENTY-TWO
  29. TWENTY-THREE
  30. TWENTY-FOUR
  31. TWENTY-FIVE
  32. TWENTY-SIX
  33. TWENTY-SEVEN
  34. TWENTY-EIGHT
  35. TWENTY-NINE
  36. THIRTY
  37. THIRTY-ONE
  38. THIRTY-TWO
  39. THIRTY-THREE
  40. THIRTY-FOUR
  41. THIRTY-FIVE
  42. THIRTY-SIX
  43. THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. THIRTY-EIGHT
  45. THIRTY-NINE
  46. FORTY
  47. FORTY-ONE
  48. FORTY-TWO
  49. FORTY-THREE
  50. FORTY-FOUR
  51. FORTY-FIVE
  52. FORTY-SIX
  53. FORTY-SEVEN
  54. FORTY-EIGHT
  55. FORTY-NINE
  56. FIFTY
  57. FIFTY-ONE
  58. FIFTY-TWO
  59. FIFTY-THREE
  60. FIFTY-FOUR
  61. FIFTY-FIVE
  62. FIFTY-SIX
  63. FIFTY-SEVEN
  64. FIFTY-EIGHT
  65. FIFTY-NINE
  66. SIXTY
  67. SIXTY-ONE
  68. SIXTY-TWO
  69. SIXTY-THREE
  70. SIXTY-FOUR
  71. SIXTY-FIVE
  72. A Preview of Book 2 in the ROCKY MOUNTAIN COURAGE Series
  73. Author’s Note
  74. Acknowledgments
  75. About the Author
  76. Back Ads
  77. Back Cover

Palms sweating, Chance repeatedly clenched his hands as he stood up and began to pace. He’d tried to avoid thinking about what had happened before. He’d pushed that far behind him and moved on. Carved out a new life.

Except his eyes were suddenly opened to the truth. He’d deceived himself for far too long. His past remained a constant knocking in the dark corners of his mind. But he’d already paid for his crimes. A higher price had been exacted than he ever could have imagined.

One mistake. One errant thought had led to a few misdeeds and cost him everything.

And he didn’t want to think about any of it.

But if he could remember every detail of the past, that could help him solve what was happening now. He knew in his gut this was true.

He had to find whoever had blackmailed him all those years ago and coerced him into making a few shipments now and again, controlling his life and taking everything from him.

He’d been afraid to refuse to cooperate before. Afraid and stupid.

That was then. This was now.

He was older, maybe a little wiser.

Chance pulled the curtains open and let the greenery of the forest calm him. He was safe, and no one would find him here. Resting on the double bed, he stared at the log ceiling. He closed his eyes and thought back to his life-altering mistake almost twenty years ago.

The memory of the thrumming rotors on the AH-64 Apache he’d piloted for the Army’s 11th Aviation Regiment filled his head. A city was sprawled beneath him when he’d been expecting desert. After the initial “shock and awe” of the campaign, the desert became his constant companion—one of the hottest places he’d ever had the displeasure of enduring.

Chance sat up on the edge of the creaking bed and rubbed his eyes.

His head still ached from the plane crash. He wasn’t sure it would ever go away, but thinking back to those years increased the throbbing.

He inhaled deeply. He could do this. He had to do this.

“Oh, God, why was I so stupid?”

Chance forced his thoughts to that moment in time. That moment when he’d made the wrong choice. At the time, it had seemed innocent enough.

Even now, at the memory, he could taste the desert sand on his tongue.

TWENTY-NINE

Terra had been able to charter a flight in a small plane owned and piloted by Ned Campbell, a retired forest service ranger related to Nathan and a friend of Gramps. There had been no question that Jack would join her—her archaeological investigation was intimately connected to his murder investigation.

Ned landed at a small airport near Denver, where Terra had rented a car. Jack finally ended the call that had taken up the short drive to the correctional facility.

“Well, that sounded informative,” she said.