Rising Storm

Rising Storm

Kathleen Brooks

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

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

An Original work of Kathleen Brooks.

Rising Storm Nook Edition copyright @ 2012 by Kathleen Brooks

Cover art provided by Calista Taylor. 
http://www.calistataylor.com

Editing provided by Karen Lawson.
http://www.theproofisinthereading.wordpress.com

Books by Kathleen Brooks

Bluegrass State of Mind

Risky Shot

Dead Heat

Bluegrass Undercover

Rising Storm

For my Uncle who taught me to shoot a rifle and told the absolute best stories.

Prologue

Katelyn Jacks was sure she had entered the seventh ring of Hell. She would’ve groaned, but it hurt too much. Her head throbbed and she reached to hold it in her hands. It felt as if her brain was trying to beat its way out of her skull. The throbbing was almost unbearable and got worse when she shivered.

Why was she so cold? Her room at her grandparents' house was always warm. It was the coolness in the air that must have woken her. And why was the sun tormenting her? What had she ever done to the sun? She must’ve forgotten to close her blackout curtains. She thought about opening her eyes, but she was sure the sandpaper behind her eyelids would protest. What on earth had happened last night?

Katelyn buried her head into her pillow to hide from the light and think back to the night before. It was too blurry, so she went further back. It was February. She had spent the day cooking for Cade and Annie Davies' surprise party. That's right. The high school football coach and the feisty DEA agent were the ones with the surprise. The town had prepared a surprise party only to have it turn into a wedding reception that had the old guard tittering away. She had smiled at all the white and gray heads surrounding the newlyweds and playfully chastising them for getting married in secret.

It hurt, but she smiled as she blindly reached down and tried to pull the covers up. What had happened next? That's right. Sweet Trey Everett, who was a senior on the football team, had spilled his drink all down the side of her cream cashmere sweater when he realized he won the wedding pool that the Rose sisters had on the books at the café. With that money he could go to college. She had been so happy for him. She had given him a big kiss that turned him bright red. But then the fun ended.

"Hey Barbie."

"Marshall." She had replied coolly.

"How do you know when a blonde has a drinking problem?"

"You do realize I'm not some dumb blonde don't you?"

He had just smirked and ignored her, "When you wear your drinks. I gotta tell you, Barbie, I just don't get this new fashion statement you're making. I guess us dumb rednecks aren’t sophisticated enough for you big New York City model types."

Marshall had spoken to her with such condescension that she had involuntarily recoiled and stepped back into the dessert table and fell against some cupcakes.

"Hmm. I guess all your model friends were right. Cupcakes go right to your ass."

"What is your problem, Marshall? What have I ever done to you?" She had been in town for over eight months and she had no clue what she had ever done to him to cause him to hate her so much.

She had had such a crush on him when she was a teenager. He was five years older than her and so cool. He had been seventeen and would ride the tractor without his shirt on. She’d hide behind the large round bales of hay in the neighboring pasture and watch as he’d bale the hay in the fields. He was always in cowboy boots, jeans, a blue University of Kentucky ball cap and nothing else.

Even she had to admit, he had aged well. His light brown hair had darkened. His hazel eyes had matured and now held lines of experience around them. His body, once lanky with youth, had filled out in ways she didn't want to admit to noticing.

"Hold on Barbie. I think I may have the answer to our problems."

She watched as he walked away and chided herself as her gaze dropped from his wide shoulders to lower on his body. He grabbed two hot cups from the refreshment table and gave sweet old Miss Lily Rose a wink before heading back to her.

"Here." He shoved the drink into her hand.

"What is this?"

"It'll help melt the icy exterior you have developed from way up there on your high horse."

"I'm not icy!"

"Whatever you say Barbie. Just drink it."

Things got fuzzy after that. She remembered talking to the newlyweds. And she remembered her friend Paige Davies, now Paige Parker, and her FBI agent husband Cole giving her a hug. She had just done a photo shoot over at Paige's store, Southern Charms, where she was modeling Paige's new hats for this year's Kentucky Derby. She remembered dancing with Paige's brother, Marshall, although she couldn't remember why she would’ve said yes to him after his Barbie comment. He had said it was to mend fences, but all it did was confuse her. Dancing with Marshall was an experience she was sure she'd never forget. His body rubbing against hers, his hands running down her back…

But then he had just left her on the dance floor. The Rose sisters had swooped in and started questioning her on why she was still single. The Rose sisters always reminded her of a gaggle of white-haired hens. They knew everyone and everything in town. Although they had never been married, they held firm beliefs that everyone else in town should be. There was an unspoken competition between the sisters to see who could get the most couples to marry. It didn't seem to matter she was just opening a state of the art veterinary clinic and didn't have much time to date.

That didn't stop the sisters from pointing out all the single men in the room. They started with Paul Russell, who was some sort of political son of the town. His father was a big shot in Washington D.C. and he had just won the seat as the head of the city council. He was handsome enough with his light brown hair, streaked with warm honey blonde highlights. He was about her height, maybe a half inch shorter than her and had the appearance of someone who wanted everyone to know his status in the town. Before she could think anymore of him the sisters pointed her in another direction.

She had reached down and picked up another cup of the yummy warm drink, smiled, and nodded as the sisters went on and on. Miss Lily had commented that she had made the special drinks and then she had hailed Henry Rooney over as the sisters had conveniently left.

Henry was sweet. He was the town's only defense attorney. He was handsome, but totally clueless when it came to women. She figured his law background actually hurt his game. He was so buried in his books that he didn't have the time to learn how to interact with women. He was tall, lean, but still pretty solid. His love for shiny suits got on her nerves, but his black hair was very sexy. He had asked her to dance and she remembered feeling really happy. After the dance she got another one of those delicious drinks and then the world kinda tilted.

"I think it's time I head home. Do you see my grandparents?" she had asked Henry as she scanned the room.

"I think Mr. and Mrs. Wyatt left a while ago. I can give you a ride if you'd like."

"That would be great. Thank you."

She had found her coat and Henry was escorting her to his car when Marshall came running out of the house.

"Henry! Dispatch called. Dinky just picked up old man Tabby again for trying to pee his name in the snow in the courthouse parking lot. He's in jail and is asking for his lawyer."

"Not again. Every winter I get these calls. But, I guess when your last name is Tabernacle, it takes a lot of tries to write that whole name out. I'll get him after I take Katelyn home."

"I can take her home. Tabby's throwing a major fit and giving Dinky all kinds of trouble at the jail. It's best you hurry. My deputy won't put up with it too much longer."

She had tried to protest, but had been shoved into the front seat of his Jeep before she could even form the words. She watched the way his black suit clung to his thighs and hips as he strode across the front of the car and to his door.

The car had gotten hot then. Thinking of the way they had danced and the way those thighs brushed against her. The way his hand wrapped around her waist. The feel of his hard, strong body as he pulled her tight against him.

Katelyn could almost feel him against her now. The way her body fit so perfectly into his. The way he warmed her from the inside. The way... Katelyn's eyes flew open and she bit the pillow to keep from screaming.

As her eyes focused all she could see was Marshall's naked chest, smattered with a dusting of brown hair over his well-defined muscles. She felt his arms around her and oh my God! She felt more than just his arms!

Panicked, her eyes darted around the masculine room. The curtains were open. The dark green sheets where scattered across the big bed. She tried to reach down and pull the covers up, but the pile of sheets groaned and a rust colored nose poked out, followed by a matching colored dog head. The dog looked at her and she would’ve sworn he laughed at her. He also refused to give up the covers.

Left with no choice, she slowly pulled away from Marshall. When she broke his hold she held her breath and waited for him to wake up. Luckily, he continued his deep sleep as she slid out of bed.

"Panties, where are my panties?" She whispered to herself.

At the sound of the dog's tail thumping on the bed, Katelyn looked up to see her black lace panties hanging from the dog’s jowls.

"Good boy. Give me my panties." She reached for them just to have the dog turn his head away each time she tried to grab them. "Dammit! Keep them."

She slid the tight cream-colored sweater dress over her head and pulled on her brown suede boots before looking back to the bed. Marshall laid spread out on his bed. The only remaining covers laid low over his abdomen, one bare leg sticking out.

"What are you doing, Jacks?" She asked as she stared down at him. "Well, it wouldn't hurt to see what's under there. I mean it's not like I haven't seen it before, I just don't remember it."

Katelyn held her breath as her shaky fingers pulled down the sheet. Just a quick peek.

"Dammit."

Chapter One

Katelyn gasped and pressed all five foot ten inches of her body against the old brick wall outside the Blossom Café. She sucked in her belly and turned her face against the warm brick. Silently she cursed the twenty pounds, okay, twenty-five pounds, she put on since she retired from modeling as she tried to become invisible.

All she had wanted was to get herself and her staff some lunch from the Café, but of course
he
just had to be there. He was everywhere. The Café, the grocery store, church, the Spring Fling party - everywhere!

She slowly leaned sideways towards the large plate glass window of the Café. First her shoulder, then her sharp chin, and finally her pert nose passed the window until she could turn her eyes to peek inside. Damn. He was leaning against the checkout counter in his brown Sheriff's uniform. One hand rested lazily on the worn wood counter as he talked to the Rose sisters. Ugh, he even had them laughing. She rolled her eyes and looked again. It seemed like he was in it for the long haul.

Katelyn put the back of her head against the wall and sighed. It has been a challenge these past four months, but she had managed to avoid him since that horrid one-night stand back in February.

It had been the shock of her life to open her eyes and find him lying naked beside her. She wouldn't pretend to be an angel, but she certainly had never had a one-night stand. What made it worse was the fact that the man she had the one-night stand with had been her secret crush who, for unknown reasons, despised her.

She had snuck out of his house in the early morning light as fast as she could, leaving Marshall naked and alone in bed. Even as she tried not to think about it, she couldn't stop her mind from flashing to the image of him in bed. His muscles, his face soft with sleep instead of tight with anger. It had been a hard thing to do, but she couldn't face the embarrassment of being there when he woke up. If he thought poorly of her before, she was definitely at the bottom of his list now. For reasons she didn't want to think of, this bothered her.

So, she simply pretended it hadn't happened. How was that working out? Not so well. She'd wake up hugging her pillow in the morning after a night of flashbacks. A kiss, a caress, she could feel him in her dreams and it was torture. But the torture didn't end there. Oh no, that would be too simple.